The Annual Olcott Oration was delivered by Maithri Panagoda at the Kularatne Auditorium, Ananda College yesterday.
Maithri is a distinguished Old Anandian based in Australia and a lawyer who is fighting for the rights of the Australian Aboriginal Community.
Col.Henry Steele Olcott clamoured and awakened a nation that was fast asleep without any vigour to rise up. He was the pioneer who agitated to give due place to Buddhism and the reformer who compelled the colonial government at that time to declare the Vesak Full Moon Day, a public holiday. He was the architect who designed the six coloured Buddhist Flag that has gained universal recognition. He was one of the pioneers responsible for the establishment of National Schools, such as Ananda College.
Col. Olcott, an American born on August 2, 1832, was the eldest of a family of six siblings.
As an enthusiastic scholar, his research in agriculture in particular paved the way for him to become the Head of a Department at Athens University of Greece. However he declined to accept this honour and instead he established an educational institution in agriculture because he preferred to serve his mother country.
During the American Civil War, he joined the army and later was appointed colonel. American government appreciated his bravery and sharp wisdom and appointed him Commissioner to investigate and report on corruption in the American army.
For some time he practised as a lawyer. Although he was a Christian by birth, he came across a copy of the Panadura Debate by Rev. Migettuwaththe Gunananda Thera, in then Ceylon.
He who was in search of the Truth and found it in Buddhist philosophy and made an extensive study of Buddhism. Consequently with a team of people, including Madam Blavatsy . he came to Ceylon on May 17, 1880.
Through his close association with intellectuals, such as Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala, Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera and Ven. Waskaduwe Sri Subhuthi Thera, Col. Olcott realised the sad plight of the Sinhala Buddhists at that time. Considering the gravity of this, he thought of the need to unite and create a formidable workforce to act fast.
He realised the need to provide children with an appropriate Buddhist environment through a systematic Buddhist education and to achieve this objective, he established the Colombo Buddhist Theosophical Society on June 17, 1880.
He thought that the future prosperity of the nation, will depend on the good conduct and education of children, and therefore purchased a building at Maliban Street, where the Colombo Buddhist Theosophical Society office was established and subsequently used for an English school started with 37 children. W. Lead Beater was appointed Principal.
Beater, an Englishman, provided education free of charge till 1889. After 1889, A.E. Bultjourns was appointed principal and when the number of children increased and the school was shifted to Maradana, and became Ananda College. The Colombo Buddhist Theosophical Society established 460 Buddhist schools, including leading colleges such as Ananda, Nalanda, Dharmapala, Dharmaraja, Visakha and Museaus College.