Kenneth M de Lanerolle:

Irreparable loss to all

As a former student of Kenneth M de Lanerolle at Kingswood College and as an admirer of his exemplary life and work I wish to sketch these lines in appreciation of the life and activities of this educational giant, excellent teacher, prolific writer and poet, effective mimic and singer who had a whole range of talents that embellished his vibrant personality. His death a few years ago is admittedly an irreparable loss to all those who knew him and particularly to his former students at Kingswood, Wesley and Carey who came under his benign influence.

My first encounter with Kenneth de Lanerolle was at Kingswood College where he was an efficient principal when I was a senior student. Secondly I came to know his propensities in teaching English when I became a teacher of the same discipline. Later, on his retirement from service he came to live in close proximity to my residence at Peradeniya Road. In each of these changing phases of his busy and exemplary life I came to understand him from widely different perspectives.

As a principal, we students were virtually mesmerised by his dominant personality and the flawless English he spoke. The other teachers of English looked up to him as the best model of an English teacher - and he was that. In retired life I saw him as a person with more subdued emotions striving to fit into the mundane society replete with completely different values from what he cherished.

Kenneth M de Lenerolle was easily one of the best principals ever produced and like all good principals of his calibre at times he showed dictatorial attitudes to uphold discipline and order in the students and the academic institutions which he served with much love and affection. Throughout his entire life, he was a loner and showed an aloofness in life and very often this made him to be misunderstood as too stern a man to be dealt with. But the fact remained that he helped many a person with his wise guidance and rich experience specially in pedagogy and psychology. A very strong point in Kenneth de Lanerolle's character was that he was a very firm and determined disciplinarian and at times this turned out to be his weak point too.

During his stewardship of Kingswood, he did not stress only on the improvement of the academic standard of the school but he did his best to improve all other aspects of the school life including the tasteful landscaping of the school premises to improve its aesthetic appearance. At Kingswood he completely reorganized the administration of the college office and being a great lover of books and a collector of books he infused a new lease of life to the college library and inculcated the reading habit and promoted writing and debating among the senior students of the school.

Whatever he undertook he handled it with competence, commitment, honesty and responsibility and he was an indomitable fighter for the principles he believed in. Those who knew him would endorse the fact that honesty and integrity (very rare commodities these days) were stamped on his life throughout his private and official career.

Kenneth de Lanerolle belonged to a class of talented and dedicated men of the previous generation who took an equal interest in many activities outside his immediate profession and until his death he had an abiding interest in and a singular attachment to the teaching of English in which he was an expert.

With his inherited gifts and the strength of his personality, Kenneth de Lanerolle was well equipped to gain eminence in any sphere of activity but for several decades he engaged himself in the teaching of English and the writing of books and contributed readable articles to the local press. Kenneth de Lanerolle was also a much sought after poet who wrote under the pen name KENDEL formed using the syllables of his name Kenneth de Lanerolle. He wrote the Kingswood Prologue (a unique feature at Kingswood College annual Prize Givings) for several years and his prize day reports both at Wesley and Kingswood are a class by themselves.

Throughout his life, he cared little for honour or fame and he always dedicated himself for the cause of education and many students as well as adults sought his wise counsel at various stages of their lives. Whoever that went to Kenneth de Lanerolle for advice on any matter, came out with a lighter heart and a wiser mind. Numerous students and teachers who passed through his hands will continue to revere his memory and value his inspiring life. His silent service to the country, specially to Kindswood, Wesley and Carey were numerous, his achievements were remarkable and he possessed a wide knowledge about men and matters which he had acquired.

Though his physical body is no longer with us, his breathing spirit will thrust itself into the lives of all his admirers constantly reminding them the noble ideals for which Kenneth de Lanerolle stood throughout his long life. Thousands of his students and admirers who deeply respect this unique personality are scattered throughout the country and all of them owe a deep debt of gratitude to this noble son of our soil. Memories of his life, rich with experience, wisdom and foresight will continue to resonate for many more years. His death marked the end of a golden era.

Andrew Scott

Lal Wickramarachchi:

Artiste of excellence

It was one of the worst shocks in life to hear that Lal Wickramarachchi had bid adieu to us, so early - at the age of 62. Impermanent life is a permanent feature. In the midst of such impermanency, his smile, always with an enjoyable quip will be permanently carved in our memories.

Lal was my friend from early 70s. His sister and brother-in-law who were my batch mates at Peradeniya University - in the great Pera - 60 batch - brought us together. In my official visits to Colombo, I used to visit his B-I-L Nanda and Jayantha, where I met Lal, who usually did not button the two top of his shirt, symbolically exposing his clean heart. I was Lal's temporary overnight room-mate on and off, at his sister's. He visited us and three images of my daughters clicked in Polonnaruwa still adorn our family photograph collection.

This gave us an opportunity to chat till late in the night on various subjects- politics, films, life and environment. I remember he used to be more a kid when he was in the company of his eldest nephew Ravin, whom he used to annoy by heckling. He continued this relationship with his other nephews too. He was a great 'maternal uncle' figure to them.

He was a friend more than the husband to Darshinie; and, a friend more than the father to Lakshitha and Chiranjeeva. I have seen them as a wonderful couple and family, always taking things easy. They will be missing him enormously, only for that quality alone in Lal, even if all his massive stock of good and excellence is overlooked.

He was a great lover of environment as proved by his living in the village of Pallewela. I have been to his home which was an epitome of love towards environment. I remember attending the funeral of his father some years back and walking to the cemetery on a country road. Though I could not walk to the cemetery with his remains this time, as I was abroad when he passed away, I visualize the meandering road to the cemetery through the green environment which he loved.

He had an excellent chronology in film making. Of course, he started small, and made that small beautiful.

His career commenced as a trainee in 1973 under a German expert at the film unit, his contemporaries being HD Mahindapala and Chandra Dissanayake. He initially shone as a documentary cameraman by filming Mathru Prasadini and Vevai Dagebai.

Lal's first film - Manmula Vel directed by Tissa Abeysekara is believed to have been destroyed at Vijaya Studio at Hendala during the racial riots in July 1983. The leading characters in Manmula Vel - Dhamma Jagoda - my school day friend from Hikkaduwa, maestro Vijaya Kumaratunga, stage and film actor U. Ariyawimal, great director Tissa Abeysekara, the producer Munidasa Silva of Lintons fame, dancing maestro Sesha Palihakkara etc are no more. Has Lal joined them elsewhere to discuss with them the good old days of Manmula Vel

He was later the cameraman in Tissa Abeysekara's Viragaya. In my mind Viragaya was the undaunted challenge faced by Lal and even Tissa Abeysekara, respectively in filming and directing, due to the complexities in the characters in the story. He was the cameraman of films created by Dharmasena Pathiraja, Dharmasiri Bandaranayake, Asoka Handagama and Sanath Gunathilaka.

He won awards for cameraman-ship for Watsala Akka (Presidential Award 1985), for Viragaya (Swarnasanka award and OCIC in 1987), for Bhava Duka in 1997, for Asoka Handagama's Channa Kinnari (OCIC award in 1998). He was the cameraman in Beeshanaye Athuru Kathawak, Mathu Yam Dawasa, Sudu Kaluwara, Ekamath Eka Rataka, and Sanda Yahanata.

My sweet friend, may you attain Nibbana.

Austin Fernando