Shivantha a good all-rounder

Whatever Mahela Jayawardena, Balling or Sanath might have done for Sri Lanka Sport, they don’t belong to group that’s rare, but unheralded and courageous, but without open expression of that quality, to which Shivantha Vivekanandan belongs.

As cricketer, athlete and table tennis player, his contribution is not only to sport. It rather extends to a point where the word ‘pity” somewhat is scrubbed out of the human mind. Without knowledge of Vivekanandan’s saga of guts and courage, what else are we to believe but that the mute’s world is one of silence, cornered without sound. He was deaf from his birth.

Handicaps

It was from such a corner that Shivantha Vivekanandan fought himself to a place with the others, at least a position where his handicaps fades to the background and he becomes just like another with an equal chance for honour behind a table or in a playing field. But to come to that point of equality, he gave much more than other.

Shivantha Vivekanandan, President and Chairman - Organizing Committee Deaf School Past Pupils’ Association, The School for the Deaf, Ratmalana who is an expert in organizing the Deaf Schools Sports activities. He made use of his lip reading which the deaf are taught in their early days. He was born in 7th August 1946. Shivantha has never given up anything.

In fact he can do things that any normal person could do. Being examined by an ENT Surgeon, the late Dr. A.S. Rajasinghan who deemed that he will never regain his hearing.

Today Shivantha with his dedication and leaving his handicap aside, has done enormous service to his fellow members by being an active sports organizer. He has done so much for the deaf children and is almost a godfather to them. He has conducted many tournaments and is a popular leader not only among the deaf pupils but also among the many sponsors who have come forward to lend their hands.

sponsor

He has worked hard trying to lure Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC (then Caltex Lubricants Lanka Ltd.) and has succeeded in his move.

Due to his tireless job Chevron who came forward to sponsor only their sports events took a step forward by extending their sponsorship and granting them help outside sports activities as well.

Recalling his early days when he was five years old in 1951, he was admitted to the School for the Deaf, Ratmalana and the medium of instruction was English. He remembered his mother taking him to school daily at 7.30 a.m. and was watching his progress and stayed till the school was over at 1.00 p.m.

He said that at the beginning he was angry because he had to talk with his deaf friends by using the sign language. When he was at home, his mother taught him lip reading and she had been an inspiration to him.

“If not for my mother’s love and care I would have not gone so far. She did her best to me and never discouraged me,” said Shivantha. When he was 13 years old in 1959, he joined a normal secondary school and was the only deaf boy in the school.

That did not deter him. He had to learn subjects like mathematics, botany, hygiene and physiology which he had not studied but he had no difficulty in learning the subject and sat for the Junior School Certificate (JSC) exam and was successful at it. He sat for the GCE (Ordinary Level) in 1962 and he was successful at it. He also sat for the GCE (Advanced Level) in 1965.

The same year he got involved in sports and represented the school at cricket, athletics and table tennis and went on to win many awards and bagged the best athlete challenge cup for three consecutive years from 1960 to 1962.

He also won the Best allround student as well as Best allround sportsman awards while he was at the normal secondary school.

This inspired him more and he was proud as he was the handicapped boy in the school. Apart from his sports he has been a good artist having joined the Amarasekera School of Art.

colours

In this field too he has come out with colours winning many prizes in Sri Lanka and abroad. His drawings had been sent to London for the Drawing Society’s Exhibition and one of his drawings received the Gold Star Certificate in 1963.

This competition was open to children around the world between 14 and 17 years. He also won a bronze medal in a competition held in Japan.

After leaving the school, he opted to do service to his fellow deaf members, but he never gave up his sports activities. He took to athletics seriously and represented the Deaf Recreation Club at the National Athletic Meet from 1967 to 1977.

He was adjusted as the athlete champion for four years in 1969, 1970, 1976 and 1977 and was awarded the Chandrasekera Challenge Cup. He represented the Deaf Recreation Club, Rajagiriya in Cricket, Table Tennis and Athletics. He was the Cricket Captain from 1969 to 1977.

He won an astonishing 123 awards and over ten trophies in various sports including M.H. Musajee Challenge Cup for Best allround sportsman from 1973 to 1975 and late Dr. G.S. de Saram Challenge Cup for Best Cricketer from 1975 to 1977. He was “Sportsman of the Year” in 1978 and 1979.

Shivantha became involved in organizing sports in the year 1999 when the Deaf School Past Pupils’ Association, Ratmalana was celebrating its golden jubilee.

Deputy Chairman

He was elected as the Deputy Chairman of the Golden Jubilee Organizing Committee and has not turned back since.

During his post as President, Deaf School Past Pupils’ Association, The School for the Deaf, Ratmalana from 2003 upto date, he developed many projects for his Alma Mater.

Shivantha was Chairman Sri Lanka Deaf Cricket Association in 2006.

He attended the 1st Asia Deaf Cricket Federation conference held in Mumbai, India, in 2006 where he is elected Vice Chairman, Asia Deaf Cricket Federation.

He went with Sri Lanka Deaf Cricket team to India to take part in 1st Asia Deaf Cricket tournament in 2007 where five countries took part were Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.

He is also the current President, Sri Lanka Deaf Cricket Association, where he developed the playing leather ball cricket among the deaf cricketers.

Despite his heavy work a day schedule, Shivantha Vivekanandan makes time to foster and promote sports for the Deaf and he had the enormous satisfaction of successfully organizing and conducting the 3 ODI Sri Lanka - Pakistan Deaf Cricket Leather ball matches played at the De Soysa Stadium, Moratuwa in 2007, with the useful help of his close friends Mrs. Zaharine Hameen, Mrs. Anula Ranjani and Mr. Jayalath Aponso.