Tribute

Jayasena Rajakaruna

We have just lost another wonderful human being and a respected senior lawyer. His funeral took place on October 5, 2009 in the midst of a large gathering of distinguished men and women drawn from all over the country, including the grateful villagers of Sath Korale to whom he meant so much.

Jayasena Rajakaruna had been in active legal practice for over 50 years and was one of those who was to be felicitated officially by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka in the very near future.

Destiny, which was kind enough to grant him a life span of over eighty two and a half years, could not, for some strange reason, permit him those few months between now and the forthcoming National Law Conference of the BASL.

He was undoubtedly the doyen of the Kuliyapitiya Bar, where he was the most sought after civil lawyer. I last contacted him to place a young lawyer from a far away village with no connections whatsoever in the profession under his care. He promptly obliged and the lucky junior is ever so grateful to him.

Our professional orientations being different, I would never have had the privileged of knowing him, if not for my friend J.M. Gunatilake JPUM Attorney-at-Law, his brother-in-law, the leading Criminal lawyer of the same Bar, who is married to Srima, Rajakaruna's own sister.

He always remained a true son of the soil of Sath Korale. Born on March 27, 1927 in the village of Dahanakgedara, the son of the school principal, it was only natural that he first took to teaching, starting his career as an English teacher at the Kuliyapitiya Central College.

He was proud of his Sinhala Buddhist heritage and joined the Sinhala Maha Sabha as an active member at a very young age. He was a provincial leader of the SLFP by 1956 and was the youngest Chairman of the Bingiriya Village Council.

Sinhala language and literature being closest to him, he pioneered many publications for the benefit of the young writers of Sath Korale. In later years, he authored several legal publications for the benefit of legal practitioners.

Having passed out as a Proctor on June 25, 1959 he soon commanded a lucrative practice on both the civil and the criminal sides.

He was later compelled to concentrated solely on the latter, due to the overwhelming demand for his services in that branch of the law.

In the political arena, he was appointed the SLFP Organizer of the Panduwasnuwara electorate and in 1989 he was elected as a Member of Parliament, to which position he was re-elected in 1994 in recognition of his yeomen services to the people of the area.

Being a strong Sinhala Buddhist, he was vehemently opposed to the use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

The gentleman of high integrity that he was, he resigned his seat in 2001 (something unheard of in the present political culture) in disagreement with the Devolution Package of his own Party, which in his view would have affected the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the people.

He was against terrorism and the division of the country. Today, more than ever before, his policies have been proved right when the country has been saved from the clutches of LTTE terrorism and every citizen is now able to breathe an air of freedom.

With his demise on October 3, Sath Korale lost one of its most distinguished sons and the Bar of Sri Lanka, an eminent and respected member. Simplicity, honesty and self-respect were the hallmarks of this erudite gentleman of great learning and exemplary character.

Having always led a life in keeping with the Buddha Dhamma, not only by word, but also by example, one's wish for Jayasena Rajakaruna can only be May he attain the supreme bliss of Nibbana.

- Upali A. Gooneratne