Appreciation

DINGIRI BANDA WELAGEDARA:

He believed in punctuality and discipline

The legendary leader of Sathkorale, Dingiri Banda Welagedara, who passed away 23 years ago was a gentleman to the core. The people of Kurunegala still yearn for a politician of his calibre. His good name still resonates not only throughout Wayamba but throughout the country as well.

He hailed from a respectable family in Sath Korale or Bath Korale as he would fondly call his province - and lived in the thick of politics and pith of society.

Having entered Law College and having studied law together with giants of the profession such as H W Jayawardane, QC, he opted to join the newly formed District Revenue Officers service which was considered quite prestigious at that time having civil as well as certain police powers vested with such officers.

The service was the replacement for the Dissawe System which existed from the times of the Kandyan Kings.

Quite a few well known politicians like M D Banda, who incidentally was the first cousin of D B Welagedara, emerged from the said service, perhaps due to the affinity the officers had with the people at grass-root level.

Having served the community first as a district revenue officer, of which service he was part of the first batch of officers, he entered politics at the request of D S Senanayake pitching himself against Queens Counsel Sri Nissanka, the sitting MP of Kurunegala, who was a well established a political giant in that era and a founder member of the SLFP.

He managed to defeat Sri Nissanka in the 1952 Parliamentary elections and was termed a giant killer for this not too small feat. However, he was magnanimous in victory and in fact built a school in the name of his political rival to honour him.

In his term as a politician he served as Member of Parliament for well over 20 years, mayor of Kurunegala for over 10 years, a deputy minister, a minister and ultimately as the first governor of North Central Province, the position he held at the time of his demise at the age of 73.

He was very punctual and a strict disciplinarian and perhaps it was the training he got at Ananda College under Col Henry Olcott which endowed him with such qualities, which are woefully lacking in the present generation of politicians.

He was in the first batch of students who joined Nalanda College when it was formed, from and out of Ananda College. His attending St John's College, Jaffna gave him the added advantage of learning Tamil and the Tamil culture.

As he was equally well versed in Sinhala, Tamil and English, the people he served benefitted as they could bring their grievances to him directly without going through an interpreter.

Having served the people for so long, being the true Buddhist he was, he wanted to serve them even upon his death. His final wishes as set out in his last will were: "Birth as well as death is common to us all. Thus it is fair that the same rule applies to me and is not preventable. Thus in such event there is no necessity to grieve. Please donate my eyes to a person who can make use of them. Let my bones, marrow and organs be given to a hospital or research body for the use of others. If there is any wrong that I have committed, let it be buried for ever."

As per his last wishes his eyes were donated to the Eye Donation Society and his remains to the Colombo Medical Faculty.

Once again, as in the past 22 years, a commemoration and a floral tribute at his statue erected in his memory at the Ayureveda Hospital on Colombo Road, Kurunegala will be held on April 22.

This will be followed by donation of eye glasses, wheel chairs, scholarships, Buddhist literature etc. The committee in conjunction with the Provincial Department of Ayurvedha has also organised a free medical clinic for the public.

May he attain Nibbana!

D B Welagedara Commemorative Committee