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Oldest centenarian honoured guest at OPA sessions

by Edward Arambewala

Dr. Ananda Samarasekera the Vice-President of the Sri Lanka Medical Council yesterday welcomed, as timely and appropriate the decision of the OPA to honour and respect human life by inviting Sri Lanka's oldest living centenarian, a 114 year old poor, illiterate woman from Galle, Engonona as a honoured guest to the inauguration of its annual sessions at the BMICH on September 18th.

Engonona is being accorded this honour for the achievement she has made in living over a hundred years - scoring over a century in living.

The OPA is taking this step following a request made to the chairman of the sessions organising committee Architect V. N. C. Goonasekera, by the Prof. Colvin Goonaratne led centenarian study group, to accord this recognition and honour to Engonona, the oldest centenarian found in the study so far.

Dr. Samarasekera in an interview with the 'Daily News' said yesterday, this decision of the OPA augurs well for the on going peace process in Sri Lanka when the government is shortly due to hold peace talks with the LTTE, to find a lasting solution to the ethnic problem deviating the LTTE from the war path it had been taking so far, and getting them to respect human life.

Dr. Samarasinghe said that so far in the world though society comprise of the living human beings recognition of long life as an area to be recognised respected an honoured has not been thought of seriously by any recognised body or group. This OPA possibly could be creating history in this respect.

A former president of the OPA Dr. Dennis J. Aloysius commenting on this coming event said. "There are always simple solutions to most of the problems we are faced in society. If we ask a person what is the most valuable thing in the world, we are sure to get the reply - gold gems precious stone. It would be surprising if anybody says - human life. Even though in reality that is the fact.

Considering this the OPA's decision to honour human life at its annual sessions this year by inviting an illiterate poor woman from Galle, as its guest of honour, purely for the achievement she has made in life by being able to live for 114 years, and thus become the oldest living centenarian in the country, is to be highly commended."

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