Master-builder of engineering knowledge

In the spotlight today is Emeritus Professor Samarajeewa (Sam) Karunaratne, who was Senior Professor of Electrical Engineering and the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa. He is a leading figure who played a pioneering role in the development of the use of computers in the field of engineering. Presently he is the chairman of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), an institution established for the purpose of educating and training Information Technology professionals required by the fast growing IT Industry in Sri Lanka.

He was born in Makoora, a village four miles off Kegalle. “I had my early education at Maha Vidyalaya, Hettimulla. When I was seven years old, my father decided to send me to St. Mary’s College as it was an English medium school. I too liked the idea of going to this new school not only because it was considered a prestigious school at that time but also because the school was located in Kegalle town. From my childhood days I was fascinated with Kegalle town and the idea of passing through Kegalle town was very appealing to me. My elder brother too attended the same school and it was a comforting factor. But the daily walk to the school was difficult as it was located four miles from my home. Those days there were hardly any vehicles on the road,” Prof. Karunaratne reminisced.

Higher studies

After completing his Senior School Certificate Examination at St. Mary’s College, he entered the Ceylon Technical College in 1953 to follow a course in Engineering. This was the only institute in Sri Lanka which produced engineers during the period 1943-1950. “However, by the time I entered the College, the degree course in Engineering had been transferred to the University of Ceylon. My ambition was to become an Engineer. Therefore, after completing a two year course, I sat for the University Entrance Examination and gained admission to the Engineering Faculty. I obtained a First Class honours degree in Electrical Engineering and joined the academic staff, he said. He went to UK for higher studies. At the age of 32, he was offered a Professorship at the Ceylon College of Technology in Katubedda.

When this journalist interviewed Professor Karunaratne, he got the impression that even though he is a towering figure in his academic field, he is still a very humble person who wants others to learn from his life experiences. He recalled an interesting episode which reflected the kind of social mobility available in Sri Lanka because of the free education system in the country. “I applied for the post of Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Ceylon College of Technology. When I appeared for the interview at the Treasury Building in Colombo, I was asked where I came from. My answer was:

“Sir I really come from the wilderness” (hadda pitisara palathaka - meaning a far remote rural area). The gentleman was perplexed and “I explained to him that even though I had applied for the post of Professor of Electrical Engineering, it would take a few more decades to get electricity for the traditional home I was born in, he said. It appears that he did not suffer for his honesty; he was appointed the Professor of Electrical Engineering at a very young age of 32.

Less affluent children

He related to this writer another story which shows his concern for the underprivileged masses. “The Engineering Faculty was located at the Colombo University and I had to travel by bus with my engineering drawing instruments which were quite visible to the outsiders. When I got into the bus, the driver instructed the conductor not to take bus fare from me. He said “Me Punchi Mahaththaya (this little Master) will become an Engineer one day. When he becomes an engineer, he will take care of our children.

I saved my bus fare which was only five cents but I was deeply touched by this event. I knew that I would not meet his own son to repay my gratitude but I was determined to help this kind of ordinary people. Later in life when he was Professor at the Ceylon College of Technology, he devised a scheme to give weightage to students coming from rural areas. I derived much satisfaction when I saw some less affluent children being selected for the course.”

Professor Karunaratne considers it a great privilege that he was able to work under Dr. A. N. S. Kulasinghe, chairman of the State Engineering Corporation even for a short period of two years (1967-68).

“Dr. Kulasinghe is a great visionary and at the same time, a very practical man. He wanted to establish a computer system and he invited me to be in charge of the country's first major digital computer installation. When I was abroad, he offered me a very attractive salary, more than almost double the amount I would have got as a university lecturer. At that time computers were not used in Sri Lanka. I took up the challenge and I did not disappoint him. We developed a very good team and computerised the design of Civil Engineering Structures, including the Kalutara Cetiya, a thick shell design. We were responsible for the computerization of the GCE Ordinary-Level and Advanced-Level examination processing with over 360,000 candidates in 1968.”

Computer Engineering

Professor Karunaratne wrote a book titled ‘Fortran Programming’ and it was the first book published in Sri Lanka on computer programming, and he is proud of being a pioneer in the development of the use of computers in the field of engineering.

Professor Karunaratne could not resist his preference for university teaching, and therefore, he decided to give up his lucrative job at the State Engineering Corporation in order to join the academic staff at the Peradeniya University even at a lower salary.

“After I resigned from the Sate Engineering Corporation, I decided to remain in the university for the rest of my life. I served for 33 years at the Moratuwa University until my retirement in 2002. The university meant everything to me and I derived great satisfaction. His attachment to university is evident from the phrase he himself has coined: ‘Our University, Our Life’.

His contribution to the development of the Moratuwa University was quite evident. He became the head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and helped the establishment of the Department of Computer Engineering. He became the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture and later the Vice Chancellor of the Moratuwa University.

While serving at the Moratuwa University, he also became the Director of the Arthur C Clarke Centre for Modern Technologies. He is very proud of the fact that he has been the teacher of over 500 Electrical Engineers who hold high positions in Sri Lanka and abroad. University of Moratuwa honoured him with the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa). He became the President of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka and he was honoured with the title ‘Eminence in Engineering’.

He is an institution builder par excellence. With the support from the Mahapola Foundation and his colleague Dr. Lalith Gamage from the Moratuwa University, he played a key role in the establishment of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, the largest degree awarding institute in the field of Information Technology. Presently he serves as its chairman.

Professor Karunaratne is married to Emeritus Professor Kusuma Karunaratne, a well known figure in the field of Sinhala literature and culture, in the country.