Ven Muruttettuwe Ananda Thera marks 70th birthday

Public Service United Nurses Union anniversary:

Ven Galagama Dhammaransi Thera- Coordination officer to the President

The 42nd anniversary of the Public Service United Nurses Union (PSUNU) falls on January 26. This coincides with the 70th birthday of its Founder President Ven Muruttettuwe Ananda Thera.

Once when Ven Ananda Thera was ill and warded at the Colombo General Hospital, nurses at the hospital had flocked round his bed and related their problems and woes to him. Ven Ananda Thera who was concerned about the woeful job conditions of the nurses, had resolved to come to their assistance and the result was the birth of the PSUNU to cater to their problems.

Since then Ven Ananda Thera had been elected uncontested to the post of president of the union as a mark of gratitude to his indefatigable services to the cause of nurses countrywide. Over the years Ven Ananda Thera had faced much criticism for leading a union with a majority women membership in spite of being a Bhikkhu.

Being a devout and principled Buddhaputra, the love and compassion in him had enabled him to weather all storms on his path and work towards his objective of catering to the nightingales of this country. A workaholic Ven Ananda Thera rises from bed around 3 am each day and works almost until 12 midnight in his endeavour to work for the greater good of people.

Ven Muruttettuwe Ananda Thera was born at Muruttettuwa in the Kegalle district on January 23, 1943.

His parents were Erathna Pathirennehelage Abraham Singho and Aluthgama Ralalage Podimenike.

After his primary education at the Yogama Vidyalaya, Muruttetuwa, he was ordained under the preceptorship of late Viharadhipathi of Abhayaramaya Narahenpita Ven Pathberiye Dhammaloka Thera. He received his higher ordination at the Kotte Raja Maha Vihara Seemamalakaya on July 7, 1958.

On the demise of his teacher, he assumed the Viharadhipati post of the Abhayaramaya Narapenpita which is a full fledged place of Buddhist worship in the city today. It is from here that Ven Ananda Thera had spearheaded his religions, national, cultural, social and educational service.

I had my first acquaintance with Ven Ananda Thera during the campaign against the water tax. He conducted in league with the founder of the Deshavimukthi Janata Pakshaya late Nihal Perera.

When late Sirimavo Bandaranaike who was deprived of civic rights joined a protest campaign opposite the Patta Bodhi despite her state of indisposition, Police fired tea gas at the demonstrators and Ven Ananda Thera courageously stood behind with Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to offer protection to her when all others ran away.

When the J. R. Jayawardene regime prohibited May Day celebrations Ven. Ananda Thera gallantly helped the Mahajana Eksath Peramune to delay the order and stage a May Day rally at the Abhayaramaya amidst government obstructions. Ven Ananda Thera has fearlessly led the Trade Union campaign of the Nurses notwithstanding the obstruction placed on his path including revengeful acts aimed at him by his detractors.

As a tribute to his great service, he was appointed as Chief Sanghanayake There of the Western Province by the Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha on November 12, 2011.