Appreciations

P Nagendran, eminent lawyer of past era

With the passing away of P Nagandran, President’s Counsel, we lose yet another link with the times when the practice of law was by and large considered an honourable occupation and its practitioners were in every sense learned men.

I first knew Uncle Nage (as we referred to him) as father of Sukumar, who played Tennis with us. Himself a competent tennis player, Uncle Nage was a keen sportsman having opened batting for Royal in his school days. His brother Indy, now domiciled in Scotland, was even more famous for his sporting prowess, having won colours in six sports at Royal. As a law student Uncle Nage had of course played for the Law College Team and subsequently represented the lawyers in their annual encounters against the doctors. He was particularly proud of a bowling spell in which he took a hat-trick of the best of the medical batting talent.

“You see we lawyers are very versatile, the doctors without their scalpels and stethoscopes are easy prey” he used to talk of that cricketing achievement with a twinkle in his eye.

But he was very happy when his only child Sukumar chose a career in medicine in place of the wigs, quills and the musty law books of a legal practice. Sukumar is now based in the United States where he is an Executive Medical Director at the Multi-National Daiichi Sankyo Corporation.

As was the case with most eminent lawyers of that era, Uncle Nage began his legal career with the Attorney General’s Department as a Crown counsel. At the time, recruitment to this department was mostly by invitation. The Attorney General and the senior judges kept a look out for promising young lawyers who were then invited to apply.

Uncle Nage often spoke happily of the days when as a Crown counsel he would travel the length and breadth of the country representing the Crown. Fearless independence and uncompromising integrity were by-words of a Crown counsel’s world and thus the department was held in high esteem in the country then.

After some years he left the Attorney General’s Department to commence a practice at the bar and soon became a much sought after lawyer, particularly in civil matters. Nagandran’s contribution in the Courts was acknowledged, when in the 1980’s he was made a President’s Counsel. Lately my association with him was mostly on a professional basis. It is then that I came to understand the deep learning, not only in the law that he possessed. A tireless reader, Uncle Nage could talk on many subjects with authority. Like all great minds his mind was at its best when discussing ideas and concepts, rarely descending to personal issues. In the practice of the law he considered that a lawyer’s primary function was to assist Court to come to a just finding, abhorring the questionable tactics adopted by some who think that a good lawyer must win at any cost.

I also realized that whatever professional work he undertook received the most meticulous attention from him. Burning the mid-night oil, he would prepare for his cases with such care, that judges often relied on him for guidance on the law as well as the facts. He did so without a tinge of partiality.

In later years I detected a sad resignation in his demeanour. The world that he grew up in and began his professional life had changed. In most matters mammon rules now and men often falter before temptation. Among lesser men, he would have felt lonely.

P. Nagandran, President’s Counsel, was a lawyer and a gentleman.

Ravi Perera

Dr K D G Saparamadu, a caring human being

Dr. Kirthi Saparamadu, who left us recently at the age of 77 was one of the most caring human beings. He cared almost selflessly for his wife who predeceased him, for his three children, for his grandchildren, for his relatives, friends and colleagues and everybody in the orbit of his acquaintance.

To me the affection he showed made me consider him more an elder brother than a cousin.

Born at Veyangoda to a rather affluent family led by two school heads who were social mentors in the area and educated at Ananda College, he matured into a unique adult contemplative, deeply religious, highly principled and compassionate.

He reached the highest in the field he had chosen for himself. He was a Consultant in Dental Surgery and former member Expert Panel of Oral Health, WHO. On his own he had initiated an advisory service for schools, concentrating mainly on underprivileged schools.

Carrying with him the legacy of the teaching profession in later life he veered more and more towards the dental health among schoolchildren and relished working in distant and remote areas periodically sacrificing the perks of a lucrative private practice and comforts of living in the heart of Colombo.

Due to a peculiar set of unfortunate circumstances I had missed seeing him in a state of ill health and even in his death.

I preferred to visualize his handsome face vibrant with life, a look of keen interest in everything around him, prone to deep thought yet very well-balanced and ready to laugh at small things.

He took a keen interest in my writings and offered advice often.

After all we were a lad and lass come to town from the village.

Of course he had burst into the international scene and according to another speaker was well-known in the WHO circle as Sappie.

There are more things in this world other than what we actually see.

Though gone away Kirthi Saparamadu still looms above us all in his goodness.

May be I will meet him again somewhere.

Padma Edirisinghe