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by S. H. Charles Wijayawardene

Tenth of December 2002 was the seventh death anniversary of Dr. Ernest F. L. Abeyratne, a rare human being who left an indelible mark not only in the history of agricultural development in Sri Lanka but also in the minds of his associates at all levels of the society from the remote Dry Zone peasant to the highest in the land.

His contributions to agriculture remain unparalleled but more importantly his exemplary qualities of kindness, compassion, thoughtfulness and understanding stand well above those of people of the present day. While being rational and scientific in his approach during his period of active service in the Department of Agriculture and a FAO advisor, he continued the search for the fundamental truths about himself and the world. The eldest son of a well-known Paediatrician, Dr. L. O. Abeyratne, and an outstanding product of Trinity College, he was able to instil a sense of purpose and direction in the minds of his friends and colleagues.

Amidst the thoughts that he is no longer with us and the resultant feeling of sadness felt by his family, friends and colleagues, it is rewarding for us to reflect on this devoted and highly cultured individual who worked unceasingly to improve domestic agriculture, plant and environmental sciences and latterly, to the surprise of many, to understand and practice the scientific principles of Buddhism. There is ample evidence in numerous reports and journals of the contributions of this extra-ordinary person to agriculture and his service to peasant farmers in this country. His pioneering efforts in mid 1940s for the uplift of the Dry Zone farmer followed by his vision for agricultural development in the years to follow undoubtedly helped Sri Lanka to get closer to the goals of self-reliance and security in national food production.

His experience and intellect made him provide sound advice to policy makers of the time. He was fortunate that these policy makers were highly receptive and sought advice from those who were knowledgeable in the subject. With his co-workers he assisted the development of national policies, plans and programmes in agriculture relevant to the period and took a leading role as Director of Agriculture (1973-1977) to implement such policies. Nobody could doubt his sincerity. He stood by his convictions. To most of us who worked very closely with him it was clear that he trailed no politician. With him at the helm we all felt free to get about doing our jobs and providing the services expected of us with no fear or favour and to our personal satisfaction.

His prime concern was his duty and it was evident that he did hate too many holidays. Answering a query on permitting some workers to work on a holiday and thereby incurring extra costs to the Department, he once told the Auditor General that though the AG and other public servants may not work on public holidays, plants and pests do especially in the thick of the growing season.

His initial period of service in pioneering research at Maha Illuppallama in mid forties brought him in close contact with the Dry Zone farmers whose needs and problems began to be his own problems. His research base was the farming population in the Anuradhapura district and his research site the land around the Research Station and parts of NCP where there was visible devastation as a result of unplanned and hasty food production drive undertaken by the government immediately after the Second World War. Not only did he venture into the traditional agricultural practices of the time and the interaction of soil and landscape, but being a humanist he was able to get an insight into positive cultural trends among the people of this region where Buddhism flourished over a thousand years. His contacts included the clergy, the poorest peasant and the well to do. This special combination of circumstances made Dr. Ernest Abeyratne one of the most complete personalities of our time.

His research contributions to agricultural development deserves much respect and recognition by the nation as a whole. It has to be placed on record that he initiated the rice breeding programmes in the country and his fellow researchers continued the work so well that Sri Lanka became the leading rice breeding country in the region. No doubt this led almost to self sufficiency in our staple food thanks to his pioneering efforts and those of his followers namely late Hector Weeraratne, Senadheera and several others. In similar manner he helped the other field crop sector. But it is beyond this, that one begins to see his biggest contribution to Sri Lankan agriculture. That was when he triggered the interaction between research, extension and training giving equality of status to all these aspects, providing a pathway for dissemination and practice of technology and a clear cut process of feedback from the users of such technology namely the farmers. The farmer became the primary partner and co worker. With the assistance of outstanding civil servants of the time like Mahinda Silva he saw the necessary infrastructure in place to achieve the expectations of the period. No doubt this also helped him to see in practice what he believed as a socialist.

It is also noteworthy, to record here that Dr. Abeyratne, in spite of the objections of the newly emerging academics, recognized the services of those in the middle and lower rungs of the Department of Agriculture who toiled in developing agriculture. He opened the doors of the Unified Agricultural Service to such officers amidst all administrative blockades set up by the hierarchy and created a sense of competitiveness amongst all. He recognized the crucial role of all supporting services to agriculture. Dr. Abeyratne deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest benefactors of the past, the present and future agricultural officers of the Department of Agriculture.

In the latter part of his life he detached himself from the day to day activities, thanks to his beloved wife Ranee Abeyratne, and undertook keep meditation and reflection. Thus a researcher in academic life began to search for something more. With the assistance of the numerous books and writings of the late Venerable Nayanaponika Mahathera and other Buddhist scholars he reflected on the concepts of Buddha's teachings. Backed by his long years of work with the people and the lingering thoughts that he gathered and developed over the years, he began to see a new dimension of human thought and behaviour. This led him to write a book "Findings of Gautama Buddha on the Fundamental Realities of Existence". This was published a few years after his demise. (December 2001 - Sarvodaya Vishva Lekha Printers). It is indeed a book to be read by all. It is a scientist's view of the Teachings of the Buddha.

As stated by Dr. C. R. Panabokke in the Foreword to the book, it helps most people to grasp the underlying scientific principles of Buddha's teachings and sets out an ideal that is attainable in one's own life. Dr. Abeyratne reminds us that "even highly cultured and educated individuals are sometimes capable of political bigotry, ethnic hatred and religious intolerance". How true a commentary on contemporary society. He calls for wisdom and understanding, peace and co-operation as essential requirements.

On behalf of Dr. Abeyratne's close associates, we join his family, wife (Ranee), and the children Ajith, Vishaka, Senaka and Harsha on this anniversary to pay tribute to a great man.

May he attain Nibbana

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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