B 27

How does one express that CMS College was the first “College,” not a grammar school or any other kind of primary educational institution? It is because it introduced the same syllabus that Cambridge and Oxford followed in their educational curriculum. Euclidean mathematics was one of the prominent subjects in the great colleges of Western universities, and the same was introduced at CMS College in 1817. Bishop Speechley (1860-1876) introduced Euclidean mathematics, also he was a mathematician and an Anglican Bishop, and he was ably supported by the first Principal, Rev. Benjamin Bailey.

In this relief work, Baiju C Bharathan depicts Rev. Speechley within a circle, created as if by laurels, as an acclamation and tribute to the great soul. His profile portrait, slightly below the bust, presents him as a patriarchal veteran with stern looks and a grave posture. His dress code, a shirt and linen half jacket, helps him resemble a scholar in the Indian Renaissance. Adjacent to his portrait and to the left side of the relief sculpture, one can see a framed plaque displaying the Euclidean mathematical thesis, emphasizing its indisputable place in Western academia.