APPRECIATIONS

Premathilake Mapitigama :

His honesty and uprightness won hearts of all

Some reminiscent memories can go back to the very past and sparkle the goodness of salutary men for ever. Premathilake Mapitigama, the first Secretary General of the J.R. Jayewardene Cultural Centre, Colombo passed away on April 14, 2012.

When we were waiting our turn to pay our last respects to him at his residence, my attention was drawn by a gentleman who was in line ahead of me. He slowly turned back and asked me politely to give my ear to him for a moment. I listened. "An honest and upright public officer having his last sleep." He sobbed. "I am sorry." Again he murmured. "Certainly he is".

I approved his notion and kept silent. I asked myself, why this person mentioned honesty. Being honest and upright is a challenge in this so-called modern society yet there were people like Premathilake Mapitigama who were deep-rooted in following norms and ethics of honesty in the public service.

Further, their gentility always reminds us of sublime preachings of the Gauthama Buddha that, "He who utters gentle, instructive true words, who by speech offends none, I call him a Brahmana." Premathilake was born into a family which lived in the Ruwanwella area, spreading over the valley of the river Kelani.

The Mapitigama family to which he was born had a common touch in the area for many epochs of the country. Being a member of such folk, he also followed and exhibited superb qualities of human relationship.

Premathilake joined the government service after his education, as a junior officer of the Colombo Registrar General's Office in 1951.

From time to time and from place to place he served the general public as a trust-worthy officer and becoming an enthusiastic public-doer, changed his work-place achieving his goals and high targets. This interesting saga which has been narrated as his own biography 'Longest Days', is full of ups and downs of his life.

This versatile officer performed his duties always with great care and affection to the public at more than 13 work-stations including top-rank positions in the Administration Service of Sri Lanka.

Finally he held the office at the Secretary to President J.R. Jayawardene Center. In this busy and tough office Premathilake did a lot to promote the J.R. Jayawardene Cultural Center as well as to help the nation, as he was the first Secretary of this centre.

When he was there, we were able to witness some rare and good qualities of this gentleman.

Even at the last stages of his life, as he struggled painfully with his limp limbs if any visitor tapped at his door or made any sudden appearance, he beckoned the visitor and said "Hello, please come and sit down" in Sinhala. Then he chatted freely.

This is the instinct of mannerism he had cultured throughout his life-span and it is only one gentility we observed easily in him. But there are so many embraced qualities of him enshrined in many hearts of the general public. Many are the felicitating words of appreciation that have been made by persons who have associated him.

May he attain the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana!

H.D. Jayasooriya

Sister Mary Paulita A C:

She lived her life to the last

Sister Mary Paulita's demise came as a rude shock to many of us who knew her quite intimately. She was ailing for a brief period but it took a sudden turn for the worse where death seemed inevitable. Death, it is said comes when one least expects, "as a thief in the night," Jesus once told.

My association with Sister Paulita, the genial and down-to-earth human, goes back to a little over 17 years when I opted to join the clerical staff of Holy Cross College in Gampaha, where she had initially been a student and later a member of the tutorial staff as an English teacher. As a Guider, she did much to train young girl guides, conducting discourses and camps many times a year.

After her retirement she organised classes for mothers, which covered such subjects as dress-making, house decor, table decor, food and beverages and many more. Her leisure time was spent in gardening, planting exotic plants, replanting, watering, manuring etc., on a plot of land facing the Convent itself which she kept impeccably clean.

Being an English typist and also somewhat of a writer, Sister Paulita found in me the ideal helper she needed to put her manuscripts into typed form, which were for distribution among her elder students.

I remember typing out notes and instructions quite elaborately on how to lay a table, table manners and the correct use of cutlery - a working knowledge which she considered to be of paramount importance. Perhaps, neither she nor I was aware that this was to be the very last but important note that she prepared and I typed.

She was at all times generous in dispensing her sincere thanks for all work that was done for her. She always carried a smile that undoubtedly came from the very depths of her heart while her simplicity and generosity were beyond campare.

It is said that a life once lived short or long has achieved its full potential, just as many a flower is born to blush unseen, wasting its fragrance in the desert air. Every flower is therefore a unique creation and Sister Paulita was indeed such a one.

A new life of fulfilment and happiness for her has begun where she now abides in a land of glory, somewhere beyond the sunset.

Requiescat in Pace!

J.I. Rosairo

Ms. P. Daniel:

Mother of Southland's daughters

The Galle YMBA has continuously commemorated the birth anniversary of Anagarika Dharmapala. In parallel to these celebrations, eminent personalities who had rendered yeoman service are honoured. Those who were recipients of the obeisance in 2002 were Principals of ten leading schools of Galle, who had retired after having rendered invaluable service to the children of the area. Among the honorees with distinctive service in the field of education were, the Rev. Mampe Wimalakiththi Thera and Ms. P. Daniel, of Southlands Girl's School, Galle. Of the respected Principals, Rev. Wimalakiththi Thera, and Ms. Daniel expressed their reluctance to be a party to the offering of homage. Their reasoning was that they served without expecting anything in return. However, with the intervention of old boys and old girls of the respective schools, their consent was finally obtained.

After having completed her primary education at Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda Ms. Daniel obtained her degree from the University of Peradeniya and selected a career of teaching. While at Rippon Girls' School, Galle, she joined hands in matrimony with Mr. Daniel, an eminent teacher himself, from Vidyaloka Vidyalaya. After getting transferred to Sanghamitta Vidyalaya, Galle, she rose up to the position of Vice Principal of that school and at the time she took up the position of Principal of Southlands Girls' School in 1975 on matters of education it was in a complete disorderly situation.

By merging the Abeygunawardena residence and the Volanka building with the school, she was able to change the double session system that so far existed, into a single session system. In addition to the Science and Arts streams, she introduced the Commerce stream. She was also the architect in the formation of the Buddhists Society, Islam Society, Sports Union, Sinhala literary union, English literary union, Co-operative society, Buddha image house, Dental clinic and a group of 40 girls as prefects. Although she was not an old girl of the school, she enhanced the activeness of the Old Girls' Union.

As a result of the reflection of these activities, she was able to get President J.R. Jayawardena and Ms. Elena Jayewardene to participate at the annual prize giving ceremony in 1978. President Jayawardena in his address, conferred the name 'The little women's university of Southern Lanka' to Southlands Balika Vidyalaya. A little while later, when the President was the guest of honor at the prize giving ceremony at Richmond College, having observed the capabilities of the Principal, B. Suriyaarachchi, offered him the post of Principal of Royal College his Alma mater.

I believe that Ms. Daniel was not chosen for that position as he was reluctant to break the tradition by appointing a woman as the Principal of Royal College.

I feel it appropriate to culminate my appreciation by a portion of a speech made by a past pupil of Southlands at a ceremony held at the school hall by the past pupils to honor Ms. Daniel.

"Once you invited principal Edin Eage who was advanced in age, to confer honors on her and it has a parallel today, now that the present Principal Ms. Shanthi Seneviratna has invited you to be a participant at a similar event, plus the fact that you are fortunate enough to be a witness to the centenary celebrations of Southlands, to be a party to the 125th anniversary celebrations of Southlands - all a destined occurrence.

We past pupils, while bestowing our heartfelt gratitude for your exemplary attitude also wish and pray that you will have fortitude and courage necessary to dawn a golden era for Southlands similar to the Daniel era. In your presence, is your magnanimous and noble grandmother. Let this lofty honor that is being bestowed by your elder sisters be a guiding light during our future life. I hope that there be born within yourself a virtuous and exemplary woman replete with Bodhisathva virtues worthy of emulation, who recognizes the magnitude of gratefulness. With these desirable thoughts I rhyme the following on your behalf:

May you live for hundred years added to those of mine! May you be the Vishaka to reach the sublime Nirvana beholding the destined

Maitree Buddha".

On behalf of all the members of our society, we offer our blessing for the attachment of sublime peace of Nirvana for having been the President of the Galle branch of the World Women's Buddhist Association for nearly two decades while sacrificing your time and energy for the greater good and the upliftment of Buddhist value among adherent of Buddhism and guiding them along the path of virtue.

Sarath Dias

Priyalal Senaka Rodrigo

An asset to the under priviledged

It is three months since the death of my loving husband and I pen this letter of appreciation with deep sadness. My memory goes back to the day we exchanged rings at the Methodist Church in Colpetty where I was proud to walk the isle with a very smart man. His father was the late Mudliyar J.A.V. Rodrigo and mother, Caroline Sylvia Rodrigo. He was a grand-nephew of Arthur V. Dias, the famous Kos mama.

He was the youngest in the family and Loku akka (who he used to call second mother), named him Priyalal Senaka petted him and spoilt him while Sudu akka helped him with his arithmetic and he ended up as an Accountant. One of his photographs of his small days sent to India for a competition had won the 1st prize.

He attended nursery class at Ladies' College, Colombo, Presbyterian College, Colpetty and thereafter St. Thomas' College in Gurutalawa. Due to the language problem he was brought back to Colombo and sent to Wesley College where he showed colours as a bright student and a sportsman. After leaving school he joined Arsekularatne and Company, an audit firm, and subsequently did his CIMA.

Although he worked as an Accountant, he was more interested in sports and he was given time-off by his superiors. He joined SLTA to improve his tennis and later Otters Club to play badminton and participated in many tournaments. He was in the SLTA Committee in the late nineties.

There had been several occasions where Priyal helped the under-privileged and I am proud of my husband.

Once he had the opportunity of going to Thailand with a tennis team as a non-playing captain. While coaching, he participated in national tennis tournaments and won the Over 65 nationals.

I remember him becoming the Over 55 National Badminton Champion too. He had been a good bridge player and won the nationals in the year 2005 and was selected to go to Bangladesh but couldn't make it due to ill health. He wrote to the newspapers on various subjects, before he fell ill. Since he was interested in ornamental fish he did fish breeding as a hobby.

I have been a devotee of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba for more than 30 years. Though Priyalal was a Christian, he gave his fullest support to me to visit Puttaparthy and Whitefield when we visited India. Having had the chance of worshipping Swami's Lotus feet he became a great devotee of Sai Baba thereafter.

It was in last July that the doctors diagnosed that he was suffering from a terminal disease and admired his braveness in playing tennis.

Until last April, tennis which he loved so much kept him fit so long. During his illness, he participated in the reunion of past cricketers celebrating 120 years of cricket at Wesley College. It was a big surprise for me and Priyalal when his name was announced at the assembly where he had to accept a token for captaining tennis and badminton in the year 1956.

That was his last visit to Wesley College where he met a number of friends. Sometime later the chief organizer presented him a souvenir of Wesley's cricket history. He found his picture with the cricket team which played in the year 1959 and was very happy.

With the treatment he showed signs of survival but was becoming weak after Christmas. At the General Hospital he had the company of all the nieces and nephews. Having been transferred to the Maharagama Cancer Hospital met a Buddhist nun who visited him.

He expressed his gratitude in a very humble way saying 'Hamuduruwo'.

He passed away that evening after eating a piece of cake from my niece.

According to the last signs he made, he had a vision of Sai Baba. Dear Priyalal, you being the special Podimama of your nieces and nephews, I say God Bye to you my 'Master'.

Rani (Dulcie Akka)