'Dabar' was as tough as teak

PERSONALITIES: Rajah 'Dabar' Adhihetty died on Saturday night leaving his honours behind to be cherished by his wide circle of friends. He lived by the credo exemplified by Earnest Hemingway and the memento on the mantelpiece declared 'Tough times don't last - but tough people do'.

Rajah M. E. 'Dabar' Adhihetty was one hell-ova man. He was as tough as a tree and would 'with the green woods laugh with the voice of joy'. Once, when Margie asked why I wasn't taking ambrosia with my nectar, his outrageous wit expressed itself: "Sharm doesn't mix his drinks". His code of ethics has rubbed off on his fellows.

He showed early his zest and vigour when, as a twelve-year old, he accepted a challenge to jump off the ledge of the Trinity College Junior Boarding House, I was the 'cutter' qualifying for the traditional 'half for the cutter' of a two cent ruling. That was 61 years ago in the pages of time and our friendship has held sway even in troubled waters since those early beginnings in Trinity's Hodges House.

Dabar was the hooker in Mervyn Panditaratne's rugger team of 1951 which lost both games of the Bradby to Humphrey Wijesinghe's Royalists but stayed on to turn tables in the all-conquering teams of '52 and '53 captained by Mervyn for the second year and by Dharmasiri Madugalle. He was vice-captain to Dharmasiri, Dabar was awarded rugby colours in '52 along with Ananda 'Gal' Bandaranayake, Kenneth Boteju, T. K. T. de Silva, Hector Ratwatte, Chula Unamboowe and his brother, Lucky Vitarana and Rajah Williams.

He indulged in a spot of boxing for his House and was champion putt shotter again under Dharmasiri Madugalle and Babu Jacob. He was secretary in '52 and President in '53 of Ryde House and its Games captain. He was also the House rugger captain in '52 and '53. Dabar took special pride in his cadeting wherein he was Sergeant and won the Shooting Prize in '52 and the Drill Prize in '53. He would have risen to be the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army had his father not refused to permit him to proceed for Sandhurst training.

Having left school, he continued to play rugger for several up-country clubs, particularly KV Uva, Dimbulla and Dickoya in the heyday when sturdy and strapping Europeans were in the thick of things.

The game was studded with superlative hookers in Mike de Alwis, Frankie David, Ken Balendra, Farouk Omar, Fred Kreltszheim, C. H. Seneviratne, Sivendran and Allan Drieberg. He has, playing for KV out-hooked the country's number one who had behind him the weight advantage of hulking Europeans such as Donald Macrae, Mike Waring and John Bousefield to name a few of the heftiest. The Times correspondent reported: "Rajah Adhihetty, hooking splendidly, over-shadowing Michael de Alwis with regularity.

When he was over-looked for the up-country trials for the '61 Capper Cup the same correspondent wailed. "One surprising omission among the thirty odd players invited is that of hooker Rajah Adhihetty. Adhihetty has proved himself quite competent in this role for Dimbulla this season.

He out-hooked Fred Kreltszheim in the Dimbulla/Kandy encounter and the scales were more or less evenly balanced in other Clifford Cup matches." His other abiding sport was motor racing. He registered wins at many meets, setting records on the way and there is one record that will never be wiped off the books; in '68 Dabar set up a class record of 55.2 seconds at Mahagastota for cars over 45 pounds per bhp and it was to his credit even in the 80s when the event was scrapped.

The never-say-die spirit in the man is there to be read in the banner headlines of the CDN report of '67 Mahagastota races: Adhihetty crashes on motorcycle but comes back to win a sports event. Margie's reaction when a friend phones to say Dabar had crashed, was "he can't ride bikes." The 'Sun' reported: "Rajah Adhihetty recovered his old dash with a grand win over Rajaratnam". The CDN reporting on the '67 National Speed Hill Climb announced: "Rajah Adhihetty stole the thunder".

Dabar may have discarded his rugby boots or given them to his elder son Pradeep, a Trinity Lion who played flanker for CR and FC and they may have gone down the line to Dilip, also a Trinity Lion who captained CR and FC and who played for the country but there was one thing he did not discard; he kept as a memento his 'old faithful' DKW which won him many laurels. He was a vice-president of the Colombo branch of the Trinity College OBA and the inaugural treasurer of the Scrummage.

If Hemingway thrilled to blood sports like bull fighting and gave us vivid accounts. Dabar engaged himself in combats no less heroic. Rugby, motor racing, Margie, Pradeep, Dulip, Roshinara, grandchildren Ayendra and Avinhya were his enduring passions. The family man's ethos still hangs from the wall, depicting two canine pets and the legend: 'Together we can lick anything'.

Dabar has gone. "God broke our hearts to prove He only takes the best".

Sharm de Alwis