Anyone looking at Mr VS Krishnan would never have guessed that he is 95 years old. With a body age that is far below that, he exudes debonair charm as he recalls his school days in the 1930s.
Schooled in India during the earlier years of his life, Mr Krishnan came to Singapore in 1931 when he was in his early teens to pursue his education. He studied in Gan Eng Seng School for a year before moving on to Raffles Institution. He could still recall his Gan Eng Seng teacher, Mr Ramayana who was also a family friend and a mentor to him. Of Mr Ramayana he has this to say: “Mr Ramayana not only taught me in school but also let me stay with him for a few months to help me get used to Singapore”. A disciplinarian, Mr Ramayana also supervised his studies. “My strong subjects were always Maths and English. I used to score full marks for my sums but one day, I had a number of sums wrong and Mr Ramayana actually wacked me for that,” he chuckled. The strict disciplined imposed on him paid off. A year later he gained entry into Raffles Institution (RI) based on merit. “Only bright students get to be selected,” he beamed. Even so, he had to take a test and went through an interview.
Pocket money in those days was $1 for a whole week. Students paid 2cents (concession rate) for tram fares. A strict vegetarian, he spent little on food so his pocket money was more than adequate.
His teachers were predominantly Caucasians and he remembers them with fondness especially a Mr Mcleud. The subjects were Mathematics, English, Science, History and Geography. Latin was optional. He was in RI for five years having gone through Standard Five, Six, Seven, Junior Cambridge and Senior Cambridge. “ My classmates were famous ones like Abdul Wahab Ghows who became a magistrate and Mr Oehlers a dentist and Head of the Dental Department; because of my high standard of English, my boss would get me to vet his papers when I started working,” he added with a tinge of pride.
After school, students were free to engage in sports. Football, cricket and hockey were the popular ones. He played both cricket and football. Occasionally they also competed with rival schools such as St Andrews.
Those were the days before the advent of mega shopping malls, television and computers. When asked about how he spent his time beyond school, he has this to say: “I led a simple life – no night life, it’s bedtime by 9pm and wake up at 4am to revise my lessons before preparing for school”.
He completed his Senior Cambridge in 1938 and entered the workforce soon after. An advocate of life-long-learning he attended night classes for edification and furtherance of career prospects. His continual learning earned him the post of PWD engineer in later years.
Work was disrupted when World War II broke out in 1942. He had to learn the Nippon language.
When he was asked what he would like to say to teenagers of today whose world is different from his, Mr Krishnan has this to say: “Early to bed and early to rise. Complete your work before you think of rest”. Yes, indeed Mr Krishnan is a man who walks the talk. He leads a vice-free life, keeps to a strict vegetarian diet, had one woman – his wife, goes early to bed and keeps up with his reading and learning. Pearls of wisdom from a man who has lived beyond an octogenarian!
