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| Thursday, 06 January 2005 |
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Neville Pullenayagam : pioneering Lion At noon on Wednesday, the 6th of October 2004, my dear grandfather, the late Neville Pullenayagam, at the age of 79, bid adieu to this world and departed to reach eternal bliss. Though it has been three months since he left us, I am at a loss for words to extol a lifetime of kindness, dedication and compassion of a dearly loved husband, father and grandfather. They say that "Time is a Great Healer", but during these 3 months, I have felt that the void he left in the world keeps getting deeper, day by day. There are only a few persons who will live in the hearts and minds of others forever. They are respected not only for their words but also for the deeds, as well as their way of life and principles, they stood for. My grandfather was such an individual. "Grand-dada", as he was lovingly called by his grandchildren, was a true gentleman, and a Catholic par excellence to whom we all looked up to for guidance, advice and assistance. He was ever willing to oblige anyone irrespective of who they may be. Grand-dada gave generously and joyfully. Through these acts of kindness; his sterling qualities and extremely pleasant and courteous ways, he drew many closer to him in friendship and admiration. I can boldly and proudly say without a shred of uncertainty or doubt that my grandfather was the sort of person that people could only hope to emulate. He was a pioneering individual and was always an active participant in all activities associated with social welfare, of which he was very much concerned. He was a founder member and president of the Lions Club of Wattala and also an all-island JP. He was a voracious reader and was always found relaxing in his armchair with a newspaper or book, enhancing his intellect. Grand-dada's alma mater was St. Joseph's College, Colombo 10 and such was his loyalty towards College, that he was a founder member of the Wattala - Ja-ela branch of the Old Boys Union of SJC. He was a wonderful cricketer who represented College with distinction as a wicketkeeper-batsman. Grand-dada was an ardent cricket fan and was always having bets (i.e. chocolates) with us when a match was going on. During the Wattala church feast, Christmas, Easter and at various family gatherings he was always the center of attention. His love of music was evident on such days because he used to serenade us with his rich melodious voice singing classics such as "Oh, my darling Clementine", "Oh, Give me a Home", "My Bonnie", You are my sunshine", "Lemon Tree", etc. Grand-dada, who loved playing cards with friends and relatives, always made it a point to teach us, his grandchildren, who watched him play with puzzled faces, all the card games he knew. My grandparents' home often felt like a busy Sunday market. There was plenty of noise and laughter, loads of people, dogs, tons of food at any time and a great amount of hustle and bustle with never a dull moment. His home was always open to others, and Grand-dada enjoyed having people around him. He never ever let anyone leave his house without having a meal. Such was the hospitality of my grandfather. But of all these characters, the one that always shone like a beacon of light was his "Love and Affection for his Family". When he spoke to any one of us, you could always see the amount of love he had for us in his big brown eyes. He was married to my grandmother or his "darling Gladys" as he would call her, for half a century. It was always an adorable sight to see the two "old, but young at heart" lovebirds sitting on the veranda sharing a cup of tea and also their thoughts with each other whenever we came to visit. Grand-dada would never touch a morsel of food on his plate, unless grandmummy would come and sit next to him. If someone came and gave him even a piece of chocolate, his first words after the customary "thank you" would be, "Did Gladys have a piece?"and if not would always save half of his share to give to her. If he did not see or hear from my grandmother for even 15 minutes he would always call out to her to see where she was. As my grandmother always said, he was the most perfect life-partner anyone could ask for. With his amazing good looks, handsome features (of which we inherited none) and charisma, he was indeed a "prize catch" as grandmummy would put it. The wedded life of 50 years the two of them enjoyed was filled with blissful happiness and is indeed a shining example of love and devotion two human beings could have for one another. My mother always said that he was a wonderful father. The tender loving care which my Ammi, my two uncles and my aunt showered upon him when he was ill and also the pain, anguish and tears of sorrow which they shed when he died is evident of that fact. As his grandson, I have experienced the plethora of love he had for his grandchildren. Grand-dada used to always tease us with funny nicknames and practical jokes. He used to always make sure that he had plenty of treats to give his grandchildren whenever we visited and always demanded for a peck on his cheek for each and every sweet he gave us. I'm sure that I speak for all of my cousins and my malla and nanga when I say that we, his grandchildren felt like the most unfortunate people in the world on the day of his demise. Eternal rest grant unto the soul of my Grand-dada, O Lord and May perpetual light shine upon him. May he Rest in Peace. Radhik Wijesooriya |
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