D A Devendra :

The Astronomer

D A Devendra was born in Matara as the eldest son of a large family approximating the proverbial baker’s dozen. My grandfather a radical thinker, to free his children from the incubus of the circumscribing family traditions shifted to Galle. Thus my father was able to enter Richmond College, Galle which was under the tutelage of an Englishman Rev W J T Small, in fact a Blue Star Wrangler from Cambridge.

D A Devendra

My father excelled in his studies and his prowess in Mathematics had spread all over. This was confirmed, when Small had later returned to the island after his retirement and then spent a night with us. After Matriculating, my father had to forego his higher studies to find employment as a teacher to supplement the meagre family earnings.

Royal Astronomical Society

My grandparents, who spent most of their latter part of life with us, always spoke highly of my father’s sense of responsibility towards the large family. This character was also shared by one of his younger brothers affectionately referred to by us as Uncle Loli (real name Leslie). Both of whom my grandparents confirmed could be relied on to willingly take responsibility to serve the family needs. Subsequently our youngest uncle Edward took on the responsibility to look after his parents. He is the only surviving member of that illustrious family now.

My father later shifted to Kandy and joined the Staff of Trinity College, Kandy which had a string of highly qualified Englishmen as principals. My father subsequently obtained his BA degree from the University of London, offering Mathematics, English and Latin. He was then appointed as the Senior Mathematics Teacher.

At Trinity my father had the opportunity of developing his interests in Astronomy. This led him to set up the first school Observatory on the hill slope of the College. I still remember my father grinding and polishing the mirror for the 12 inch refractor. The only other telescope in the island was at the Colombo University. His contributions to Astronomy was recognized by the Royal Astronomical Society. Thus he was the first Sinhalese to ever get the prestigious and rare award The FRAS. (There aren’t many still holding this award in Sri Lanka even today) My father’s letterhead thus carried the impressive logo D A Devendra BA (Lond) F R A S.

Zodiacal Constellations

He regularly gave talks on Astronomy all over. I still recall the days, when I went with my father (later I went alone) to the Observatory to see the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn or the craters on the moon and so on. We often had to return at night on unlit roads, using a small candle fixed on to a coconut shell to light the way. On the way back passing the Trinity Grounds, he took this opportunity of showing me the Zodiacal Constellations. The Pole Star towards which the axis of the Earth presently points (this will change in years to come). We also located the only other albeit faintly visible Island Universe in Andromeda being one of the group of 19 of such Universe rotating round a common centre. Our own Island Universe being the other is seen as the Milky Way.

My father was not only highly respected at Trinity but in fact the whole of Kandy for this national and religious fervour. Once a very clever but poor boy from a nearby Sinhalese School applied for admission to Trinity. He came in the national costume, the principal refused to admit him because of the boy’s attire. My father reacted to this by himself donning on the national costume right through his stay at Trinity.

Kandy Literary Association

My father later formed the Kandy Literary Association (KLA). Thus the people had the opportunity of listening to talks by various scholars both local and foreign. These meetings were well attended on Saturdays, being held at Hotel Suisse situated round the Kandy lake.

Subsequently my father left Kandy to complete his Post Graduate Qualifications. During this time I happened to be selected as a Prefect at College in-charge of all the Dayboys. When I wrote to my father about this, he replied. “You were only selected but I was in fact unanimously elected as the President of the Post Graduate Association” such was his personality.

During our childhood we resided in a fairly remote village known as Asgiriya, which was beyond the famous Asgiriya Maha Viharaya. There was no proper roadway to this village, consisting mainly of washer folk. The roadway was skirted by a ravine and consisted of very badly worn out slippery muddy steps and then on to a small pathway flanked by paddy fields. My father managed to get the P W D to replace the muddy flight of steps with a concrete flight, and out of concern for my father’s asthmatic condition they provided a landing at the end of each three steps in order to facilitate the ascent and descent.

Home remedies

The whole village rallied round my father and always came to him for help or advice. My father strangely also had some inborn Ayurvedic skills. For example when a girl was brought to him with her hair in an inextricable tangle (they thought she was bewitched). My father asked them to bring a fistful of some leaves which he got pounded and applied the extract on the girl’s head and almost immediately her hair got disentangled. Most people at that time resorted to home remedies mainly oils, etc. My father found that most of these oils were of poor quality. He then decided to prepare some of them. He assiduously collected the genuine ingredients even at that time from Jaffna and India. I still recall how at the last stages of the preparation the Bhikkus came and chanted Pirith. My father had thus a whole array of labelled bottles containing various well-known oils which gave free to those who needed them.

Malaria epidemic

At that time an epidemic of Malaria hit the village. The people had to trek a long distance to obtain the prescribed Quinine doses from Cargills. My father was one of the few privileged Sinhalese to hold an account at Cargills. He thus arranged with them to stock the quinine at our house in order to help the poor people. I still remember how my father dispensed the dosages, with a serrated strip of paper pasted on a standard bottle indicating the dosage. He offered this free to the needy.

My father was also closely associated with the Asgiriya Maha Viharaya. He decided to make two offerings. One was the entire Jataka Tales written on Ola leaves encased in two carved sandalwood covers. The other to replace the old key to the Assembly Hall door. The new key was a beautifully crafted one about 10 inches. Both were brought on elephant back accompanied by dance troops, etc and then offered to the Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter.

Sinhala New Year

During the Sinhala New Year our house was deluged by people bringing the traditional New Year ‘Plates’. My mother always returned a full plate including some coins for the children to buy some crackers. The adults who came never failed to play on the large ‘Rabana’ which my father had carefully set out on the verandah.

My father himself would also at times join them. We also had a long swing set out on two tall trees, where the girls and boys in all their finery sported garrulously.

During the war times many commodities were rare. When my mother had gone to Cargills, the dispenser informed her quietly that the perfume she was looking for was available, but it could be dispensed only on the manager’s (Englishman) orders. My mother went to him and greeted him, but he gruffly ignored it and in an imperious voice asked what she wanted.

When my mother requested for the perfume he insolently refused her saying it was only for special clients.

My mother ignored this, came home and remained quiet. A few days later when my father had dropped in at Cargills the dispenser appraised my father of this rude incident. On his return my father queried mother about it. He then took his letterhead and wrote a stinker to the manager. The last lines being “Either you have forgotten your manners or, my wife had mistaken you to be a gentleman.” Lo and behold two days later a letter expressing a deep apology came from the Manager including the fact that my mother’s name had been included in the list of ‘special customers’. Imagine such a situation today with our local Managers.

Ordinary folk

A similar incident occurred when once we had gone to see the Perahera. My father insisted that we should see this pageant as the ordinary folk standing on the pavement. We were in the second row which was four rows deep. Suddenly a posse of policeman came and wanted the rows to be pushed back, but it wasn’t that easy. The policemen in his impetuosity gave a blow with his whip aimed at my father, who was of course in the national dress.

Enjoyable holidays

My father was furious, he noted the number of the officer and promptly gave up seeing the pageant and returned home. He then fired off a letter to the IGP an Englishman in Colombo. Two days later we found this Police officer grovelling and snivelling at out doorstep. My father gave him a good load of advice and packed him off. It is obvious that although the Police rank and file were not that much different to those of today. The IGPs then were certainly far more independent, fearless and straight forward than now.

During this period our uncle Loli (still unmarried) was sent in charge of the hospital at Dickoya set on a hillside and having a very cozy bungalow. From this bungalow one could get a wonderful view of the Siripada peak. We spent some truly enjoyable holidays there. Our grandfather and grandmother also joined us there. It was during this stay that my grandmother passed away quietly in her sleep.

She was cremated at the estate burial ground. My grandmother has a long abiding wish to worship at the Siripada but she never could fulfil it, hence my father got some labourers and took grandmother’s ashes right up to the footmark on the Peak and on the return disposed of it into the Seetha Gangula, a stream at the foot of the Peak.

Model Central College

Due to a sudden change in circumstances our stay in Kandy was due for a change, from the Hills to the Seashore. Our departure from Asgiriya was a poignant one. The people flocked to express their sadness. Even the Bikkhus were moved. The Mahanayaka himself came and gave my father a token of gratitude. The very gift which was bestowed by the then King of Siam to the Mahanayaka, who had earlier paid a visit to that country, was in turn gifted to my father.

At this time, Minister C W W Kannangara had introduced his famous ‘Free Education’ system and to back it, set up 20 Central Schools in various parts of the island to implement his scheme. My father was one of those specially selected and offered the principalship of the newly set up Hikkaduwa Central College.

The premises consisted of some old buildings, sparse principal’s quarters and two private houses, to serve as the hostels for the scholarship boys and girls. These children got free board, clothes, etc. There was a very good staff and with their assistance my father was able not only to instil good discipline but also helped the students to attain high academic achievements.

He insisted that the girls must come in ‘Lama Sariya’. This included my sisters as well. And very soon Hikkaduwa Central became a model Central College.

Good discipline

Hikkaduwa was then, as now riddled with caste and politics. My father who wore the national dress appeared very much like the politician W Dahanayaka.

He was thus often mistaken when travelling in the train by the people for the MP. Hence my father went back to the European dress in which he looked very imposing. My father subsequently invited the two Mahanayaka’s of Malwatte and Asgiriya to preside over the College Prize-Giving.

This was a great opportunity for the people of Hikkaduwa to see the two Honourable Prelates who in fact never appear together at such public functions.

Astrological studies

Subsequently the next Education Minister Nugawela invited my father to come over to take over the principalship of the fully equipped Central College in his own electorate, namely Nugawela Central College. Here again my father was able to set up very high academic and disciplinary standards. Consequent to a small skirmish with the local politician Marikkar, my father came over to the Ministry to hand over his resignation. But he was strongly prevailed upon to take over the stewardship of another reputed Central College, namely Wallala Central from where he ultimately retired.

My father spent a quiet retirement. He got a small shrine room built next to his bedroom to enable him to engage in his own religious practices. He also found time to pursue some Astrological Studies as well. In fact he had found some errors in the American Astrological Almanac. He then wrote to them about it.

They subsequently corrected them and then sent my father an updated copy from America with a letter of profuse thanks.

My father then went on to device a new circular Astrological birth chart in the form of the Zodiac which was more accurate and contained more details than the traditional rectangular chart. He continued to complete birth charts which he gave free to all those who came requesting for them.

The time came when my father became aware that his end was nigh. he had in fact told some of his friends that he doesn’t want his daughters to suffer the pangs of seeing his last mortal remains. (This was revealed to us much later after father’s demise). My father thus hurriedly with my mother set out on a pilgrimage to India with a known group.

Ratmalana Air Port

He had gone through the trip and at the last stages took ill. He was rushed to the Bina Hospital, where he passed away in a coma with his hands held in prayer. With my permission my father’s remains were cremated on the banks of a rivulet of the Ganges. This happened to be on Gandhi’s birthday. The local people flocked to the cremation site as they considered this was an auspicious event. They then flung their chains, rings, bangles, etc into the pyre. In fact the Sri Lankans were embarrassed, as they had left all their jewellery behind.

The organiser of the tour informed me that he will collect the ashes into a pot and bring it to Sri Lank at the end of the tour which would take about another week. The ashes finally came by air to the Ratmalana Air Port where there was gathered a milling crowd. In fact the Government declared it as a semi-state funeral and a large number of Ministers were present to offer orations. The ashes were then transported in a motor-cade up the Kelani Bridge where a Naval Craft took it to the middle of the river and emptied the contents within a garland of flowers that was floated on the river. Thus came to an end a very complete, colourful and charismatic life.

My father was born on Nehru’s birthday and passed away on Gandhi’s birthday, in India, the land of all the Buddhas.

- Asoka Devendra, Kamala Goonewardena, Sarojini Kulasekara