The flip side of Lakshman Kadirgamar

by Sharm de Alwis

On the day of national mourning as Lakshman Kadirgamar was rendered unto ashes the Daily News published my tribute to this monumental man who laid down his life for the territorial integrity of our motherland.

I touched upon his sports and his academic achievements, steering clear politics because to me he was more a statesman in the calibre of the Arunachalams, Ponnambalams, Ramanathans and, perhaps, F. R. Senanayake who did so much to win us independence from the British yoke.

Today, I write about Lakshman Kadirgamar I knew at close quarters from 1944 onwards. My early memories are of Lakshman, along with Lionel Pilimatalauve, holding the fort for Perry House in Trinity's Junior School against protagonists in Hodges House studded with embryo heroes in the like of Homer Titus, Kavan Rambukwella, Ryan Tucker and Ian Thomas: demigods to a small boy in the matron's dorm. Next we saw him in energetic pursuits in rugger, athletics and cricket - the last of which he captained.

When Lakshman tripped on the hurdles and went sprawling on his first attempt at Asgiriya, Marthenis was at hand to proffer judicious advice: "Don't worry, Sir, Mr. Duncan White also fell on the first day." Lakshman persevered and went on to break the Public Schools record in the 120 yards hurdles and be awarded the coveted Athletes Lion, only the ninth in Trinity's history.

LK would have been the third Trinitian to captain on the trot the Olympic contingent in 1956 after Duncan White and Leslie Handunge but the law exams got in the way. There, certainly, have been Trinitians who excelled in sports better than Lakshman. Triple Lion Sydney Ratwatte, double Lion Sammy David, Percy Maralanda and his son Nimal, Philip Buultjens come to mind and the list is unending as the brook. In academics there have been Jayantha Dhanapala, Nihal Kappagoda, Jayantha Kelegama and several before and after. But in the fusion of the two disciplines to arrive at the complete man I can only think of LK who stood on the crest of the mountain in solitary splendour.

Lakshman got me involved in all of his pet projects for Trinity and the OBA including the Archives and Library Project and the editorship of 'Memories of Trinity'.

Did the power failure at the BMICH at the conclusion of another of his pet projects portend doom? My wife had, last year, warned that he could be sniped from the high rise building but a housewife's prediction even though it may be prophetic, is always ignored. And, so, Lakshman Kadirgamar laid down his life because of the gross ineptitude of the security authorities.

If I delayed in the writing it has been because the wound is raw and even if it heals the scab will throb all life long.