Reunion and Legacy
Mrs. E. Asirvatham (nee Cornelius) returned to campus in 1949. Her daughter Premi, who was a freshman, said of the visit, “Mummy isn’t coming to see me—she’s coming back to see the college.”[8] The visit included a lecture by Mrs. E. Asirvatham to faculty and students and also a dance performance by Premi.
Premi Ashirvatham was introduced to her classmates alongside two other members of the incoming Class of 1953, a mother of three and a native of the Dutch Caribbean, in an article in the student newspaper, The Arrow. She is described as having chosen PCW (now Chatham Univ.) because
her mother was an alumnus and as having an interest in studying political science and journalism. Read the full article here.
At the time of her return to campus, Mrs. Asirvatham was living with her family in Massachusets, where her husband was teaching at Boston University. Despite the distance, she continued to actively support educational programs in India. These efforts included the delivery of a motion picture projector to a girl’s school where she had taught and another projector to a school for children with disabilities in India.
That same year, Mrs. Asirvatham visited with her former classmate Ruth Gokey Waters `18 in Buffalo, NY. The two had been writing each other regularly in the decades that followed thier graduation and Walters arranged several speaking engagements for Asirvatham.
She continued sending regular updates on her activities for the alumnae magazine, including her return to India following her husband’s death.
Currently, Chatham University Archives does not appear to hold information about the later years of Mrs. Asirvatham's life. However, we welcome the opportunity to assist patrons interested in exploring the legacy and life of Mrs. E. Asirvatham more fully.
We encourage further research into the moments of Mrs. Asirvatham's life that are represented in the collection. The caste system in India is mentioned several times, both describing Asirvatham (then Cornelius) and by Asirvatham describing her students in India. Are all of these descriptions consistent with the caste system in India or do some mentions challenge it? Religious affiliation is used in some records as a synonym for nationality--how does religion play into an understanding of caste?
Research topics to which the collection relates include an exploration of colonialism in India and questions about how religious missionaries intersected with colonial rule. One might explore the history of women's education in India as compared to the United States. Or, one can examine admissions demographics at colleges in the United States to understand how Cornelius' graduation from PCW may, or may not, have marked an evolution towards the equitable educational environment Chatham aims to achieve today.
Records of Asirvatham's relationship with Chatham University can serve as a pathway to greater understanding of the experience of Asian Americans in the United States. The South Asian American Digital Archive, where material about Mrs. E. Asirvathem can be accessed, includes a wealth of stories and documentation about the experiences of South Asian Americans arriving in the United States, traveling around the United States, and documenting the lives of marginalized communities. Access the SAADA collections here.