APPRECIATIONS

Bala Nadaraja :

An accomplished photographer

Bala Nadaraja, my dear friend from the days of the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya Campus, in the latter part of the 1950s and thereafter, recently passed away in Florida, USA. We entered the Peradeniya Campus from the traditional rival schools; he from St. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia and I from Royal College, Colombo. In later years we sometimes watched the Royal-Thomian cricket match together from neutral pavilions.

We were both at Jayathilaka Hall, located in the centre of the campus. Before long we became close friends - so close that our two families came to know each other very well. Our good friend Nihal Seneviratne, former Secretary-General of Parliament, has already made reference to the death of Bala and I too wish to add my own tribute to our beloved friend.

Bala hailed from an affluent family in Badulla where his father had a lucrative legal practice at the Badulla Courts and was a much respected figure in that area. He was the Member of Parliament for the Bandarawela electorate in the first Parliament of Sri Lanka from 1947 to 1952. Despite his affluent background, and coming from a leading school in Colombo he mixed freely with all the students of Jayatilaka Hall, the affluent and the not so affluent and those from schools away from the main cities such as the Central Schools. His room-mate was from a modest family in Jaffna. Bala was generous and caring to his room-mate and sometimes supported him both at the Campus and in later years.

Bala had a pleasing personality and also a wide circle of friends including my room-mate, Indran Kunaratnam, a cricketer and an Assistant Superintendent of Police who later gave up his career in the Police Department to join the mercantile sector, and subsequently emigrated to Australia where he passed away a few years ago. Some of his other friends were Edward Boteju, who retired as Deputy General Manager of the State Mortgage and Investment Bank and later served in the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka and Ajward, a Muslim from Matara, who later served in an Airline and passed away some years ago.

Some of his close associates in the neighbouring Arunachalam Hall were Nihal Seneviratne and Cadiresan who was a popular figure in the campus at that time. Bala was an accomplished photographer.

An exhibition of his photographs of characters and scenes was held in Jayatilaka Hall with appropriate titles given by Ivan Ondaatje, a talented student. The Chief Guest was Professor G.P. Malalasekera who at that time was the Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies and Warden of Jayatilaka Hall. The Professer commended Bala for the quality of his photographs and for his serious interest in an activity outside his studies.

Bala left the University at the end of his first Academic Year after successfully completing the General Arts Qualifying Examination to pursue legal studies in Colombo. However, due to his love for the Campus, Jayatilaka Hall and its inmates, he remained in the Hall in the first term of the next academic year as well. Before his departure he entertained his close friends to dinner at a Chinese Restaurant in Kandy. On that occasion he remarked that partings are always sad but that he would treasure the good memories at Jayatilaka Hall for a long time. He left the University to pursue law at the Law College of Sri Lanka.

In 1959 he was enrolled as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and established a good practice for himself in the Colombo and the Badulla Courts. Bala married Christina from Germany and has a son Stefan, a successful Lawyer practicing in New York, and a daughter Nadine, a Beautician in Germany. We were so close at the university that in the second year, I and Indran Kunaratnam were guests at his home at Pinnarawa in Badulla. From the time of our arrival by train, we enjoyed the hospitality and kindness of his father and mother, Gnani, reputed for making tasty meals. His uncle Yogaratnam who was a lawyer and the brother of Gnani, was also living with them. Later I made several visits to Pinnarawa and one of them was with Edward Boteju.

A part of my honeymoon in early 1962 was with the Nadarajas in Badulla where we were warmly welcomed and made most comfortable. By this time Yogaratnam was married to a charming lady and had a little baby. Subsequently my father and mother also visited Pinnarawa and many other relatives of mine also came to know the Nadarajas.

A few years after his marriage to Christina, Bala left Sri Lanka to seek his fortune in the USA, serving in a legal firm. Later he established a lucrative legal practice in Bermuda. It is said that he played a leading role in the formulation of the new constitution for that country.

The lives of the Nadarajas were seriously and irreparably disturbed by the communal riots of 1983. Unfortunately, Bala and his young son were also in Badulla on a holiday at that time. Their house was attacked by a mob but fortunately they were able to leave earlier to a friend's residence. Pinnarawa the house known for generous hospitality, was razed to the ground. Later they had to leave the friend's house since it was not safe and were housed in a refugee camp established by the government. The Nadarajas, who lived very comfortably, had to rough out on the ground with a few belongings in a refugee camp. Fortunately due to the intervention of a high level Army Officer, the family was escorted to Colombo and in a few days left for the USA with memories of a bitter experience.

Bala's father and mother never recovered from that dastardly blow and never returned to Badulla. They came back to Sri Lanka and lived in Colombo.

After the demise of Bala's mother Gnani, the father moved to Ja-ela. We visited him in Ja-ela from time to time and Bala came often to see his father. Bala's father passed away in 2001 at a ripe age of well over 90 years. After the funeral and attending to family affairs in Sri Lanka, Bala stated that he will not return to this country for a very long time. Actually he never did. This is mentioned, to indicate the humiliation and suffering that was caused by communal violence to innocent citizens during the 1983 riots. We who have witnessed the immense suffering caused by communal disharmony should always be vigilant that such a calamity will never happen again in our beloved country. It is sad that in a predominantly Buddhist country a section of the people have to live in fear for life and property. Violence even as a last resort, is not condoned in Buddhism.

Bala is no more. He passed away at the age of 78 years. Yet our fond memories of him will linger for the rest of our lives. He was a devout Hindu and a strict vegetarian.

May he attain Moksha!

Rajah Kuruppu

Dr. R. G. Kenneth de Mel:

His healing hands touched so many lives

Kenneth de Mel, our father, was the son of a businessman, and the third in a family of five children. As the elder of the two sons, he was given the responsibility with his brothers to help their father in managing the family estates as well as the rice and timber mills. However, at a very young age he had set up his mind to study medicine and used any free time to immerse himself in his studies.

He commenced his education at Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa, during which time he was actively involved in sports and other extra curricular activities. He was in the College Cadet Platoon and rose up to the rank of Cadet Sergeant - a feat he was extremely proud of. He possessed a number of photographs of his cadet platoon which he displayed proudly. Cricket and athletics also played a major part during his early education at Prince of Wales College.

After completing his O/Ls he crossed over to Royal College, Colombo, to pursue further studies. He would take the bus daily from Moratuwa to his uncle's place in Kollupitiya from where he would ride his bicycle to Royal College. From here, he gained access to the university and then on to the Colombo Medical Faculty.

Unfortunately his father passed away while he was still a medical student, which was a severe blow to him. However with the support of his mother and siblings he completed his studies and graduated from the Colombo Medical Faculty and was posted to different parts of the country.

He used to speak with fondness of the great times he had during these postings. Shortly after this, our parents were married. During the mid '70s he travelled to England to pursue his post graduate studies. After a stay of two years he returned to Sri Lanka with the rest of the family as a Specialist Obstetrician and Gynecologist. He was immediately posted to Nuwara Eliya as Visiting Obstetrician and Gynecologist (VOG). He also served at the Panadura, Matara, Nawalapitiya, Negombo hospitals and finally at the Castle Street Hospital in Colombo. When he retired in 1993 he was one of the most senior medical officers in the government service. His healing hands touched so many lives. He was of the old school and would take time to answer patients’ questions and allay any fears they may have had. His patients were free to consult him on any medical problem they face.

He was a self-made man who worked hard and rose to the top of his profession, and was conferred Fellowships from both the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He was extremely proud of all our achievements even though these would pale into insignificance when compared to what he had accomplished during his life.

His motto in his life was, 'Suffer now and enjoy later, or enjoy now and suffer later'. This is something he would tell any youngster who he met. He admired hard work and individuals who were focussed on their work. He was also a firm believer in the phrase 'Early to bed and early to rise' which is something he used to practice. He would wake up every morning around 2 a.m. and catch up on some reading which helped to him keep up with the advances in the field of medicine. He never involved himself in idle gossip nor talking about politics. These are wonderful traits which should be followed by many. He taught us the value of money and never to waste it. He believed in being ahead of time for appointments and would be extremely annoyed if anyone was late. He would plan things out meticulously and was very methodical in everything he did. He was a strict but fair individual who we all loved and respected till the day he passed away.

With the arrival of his two beloved grandchildren we saw a completely different side of him. He taught them so many things, including the names of all the bones in the human body. Cricket was his passion. He would not miss a single Sri Lankan match on TV.

He would go to the extent of organizing his day around the match schedule. This undying passion he passed on not only to his three children but also to his two granddaughters who aspire to play for the Sri Lanka team one day. This would make their grandfather immensely proud.

Ronali, Roshi and Romesh

Isaac Leslie David:

Never failed in duties

May 16, 2013 marks yet another anniversary of my dear bother. He was lent to us by God on the 11th of June 1943 ten years after I was born. After much prayers, he was gifted to us.

The saddest part of the story is that my dear mother died when he was four yeas old. We, Daisy, Ruby and myself were young and the responsibility of bringing us all fell on my elder sister's shoulders. She was a teacher, and looked after us very affectionately. Our brother Isaac Leslie David went to Cathedral College, Kotahena and was very good in his studies. He also joined the Scout Movement in school. After leaving college, he worked for Sumitomo, a Japanese company and later was employed at the Ceylon Intercontinental Hotel. After a few years, he joined the same hotel in Baharain and worked as the Maintenance Engineer for 27 years.

Back in Sri Lanka, he rested for sometime after which he started working at the Bentota Beach Hotel. He enjoyed his work and never failed in his duties. I spoke to some of the hotel people who told me that he was a very kind and understanding person and that they all loved him immensely.

He would have had a premonition that his end was drawing near, as a prayer was found in his shirt pocket. He had the habit of going all the way to a Church in Kurunegala. Anyway, I am happy that he surrendered his life to God. As Christians, we look forward to eternal life, in Heaven.

Now I am the only one left. His wife Nirmala and sons Leslie, Lasantha and Lakdive will miss him and so will his relations and friends. His memory will linger for a long time with those who knew him and moved with him both here and in Baharain.

My daughter Patricia, and sons Jerome and Lester miss him too. So will Hugh and Fiona.

May he Rest in Peace !
Asleep in God's beautiful garden,
Away from pain.
Some day when our lives
Journey is ended,
We shall be together again.

Violet Vincent

D. S. Senanayake:

First pm of Sri Lanka

Among our National patriots and heroes of the past and the present, D. S. Senanayake's name cannot be forgotten. Placing him in the context of his times and considering his single-minded pursuit of freedom for his motherland, the distinguished role he played in restoring the country's Independence and national identity, his enormous contribution to the country's economic and social upliftment, with his massive irrigation and agricultural schemes and more than all, his dedication to these tasks, we, the beneficiaries of his labours, have a sacred duty to remember him. It was for good reason that he was called the ‘Father of the Nation'.

Here is how H.A.J. Hulugalle reported the death of D.S. Senanayake in the Daily News.

“On the morning of March 22, 1952 Don Steven Senanayake, Ceylon's first Prime Minister, fell off his horse he was riding on the Galle Face Green in Colombo and died 33 hours later. He was in his 68th year and was probably the victim of a stroke.”

In recounting the events and circumstances that led to then Ceylon's achievement of Independence, it would seem unusual that it should commence with a reference particularly, to the death of D.S. Senanayake (DS) the 61st anniversary of which fell on March 22nd. If one makes a retrospective survey of all the events cascading one upon the other, it would appear that everyone of them was the scene of a single massive drama designed and directed by some unseen power which, evidently was destiny presiding over the affairs of this beloved land of ours, and that it was D.S. who was its agent and that the whole complex and long-drawn pageant of events came to an end with the death of this singular colossus of a man who was the chief actor in it, and that the same destiny which had sent him here, took him away once his mission was successfully competed.

The whole process, it would appear, had been flawlessly and meticulously orchestrated so much so, that with Independence achieved in 1948, D.S. lived four more years, a time-frame very much a part of the overall plan, a vital one at that, for him to weld together any remaining disruptive or divisive elements, initiate economic prosperity, establish social well-being and peace and create unanimity of opinion on these matters among our people and see that the nation was well on her way to a stable and prosperous future to take her place among the great nations of the world.

Pausing for a moment to reflect upon the personage of D.S. in the context of this achievement, it would seem, here was a veritable paradox: DS would have looked an impossible proposition for after all, he was, in common parlance today a ‘School drop-out’ at standard five.

Nor perhaps, had he had the privilege of having seriously read a book on Constitution making: And again, he took to any serious politics only after 40. In his mature years, everybody working with him knew he was quick-witted and could grasp an obscure point in a moment and that he could not be easily misled.

When speaking of independence for Ceylon, the common observation made about it is, that in a long chain of events and personages leading to it, DS was the last link in it, true but judging by the significant and culminating role he played in it, there is no gain saying the fact that it was the most vital and decisive and bristling with difficulties; before he came on the scene and got seriously involved in it, others had all the while been preoccupied with their own individual limited agendas ideological, communal, sectarian etc, all narrow and parochial under which no country with such a multiple grouping of peoples like ours could ever present a united claim for independence as a nation. Indeed, this unfortunate state of the country was precisely the ready excuse that our astute colonial masters always trotted out for delaying any positive response to such demands.

In this situation, what distinguished D.S. was that he unlike others, could see beyond such narrow barriers and was able to rally these divisive and even conflicting groups and interests and present a united demand to the government of the United Kingdom.

D.S. was able, on the one hand to convince the British Government, he had all the required leadership to bring all these divisive forces together by creating consensus among them and on the other hand to be worthy of their trust, have faith in his capability and genuineness, political maturity and probity to unite and free the country from colonial servitude; that he was clearly capable of undertaking that onerous assignment.

Starting as a totally subject colony, in the 135 years of British rule in Ceylon, without any power to participate in the political processes in the country, our march to freedom was slow, gradual and considering the unfortunate events of 1848, under Governor Torrington and the communal riots of 1915 and their aftermath under Governor Chalmers, it is not incorrect to say that it had been painfully slow and frustrating; innocent National leaders such as D.B. Jayatilleke, F.R. Senanayake, D.S. and others had been held in jail without trial, and Henry Pedris had been shot for absolutely no reason.

But for the first true popular representation, the country had to wait till the Donoughmore Commission came, after which the State Council was introduced in 1931, where the elected members worked in Executive Committees in which the Chairman was a minister and, D.S. was the Minister in the Committee for Agriculture and Lands: it was at this point in D.S.'s political career and his struggle for Independence for Ceylon truly commences for the Board of Ministers was led by him and he became its spokesman and chief negotiator: in this assignment the country could not have got a better man. In this, he was dedicated, unrelenting and single-minded.

DS's importance at this time of the country's history is not only due the singular role he played in winning independence, but also for the consummate leadership and vision he clearly demonstrated in piloting the country through those critical initial years amidst volatile divisive forces, ideological, communal, religious where a single slip in his strategies would have been at the cost of all the labours and gains he had achieved that far.

If one takes the decade, between around six years before gaining Independence from 1941 to 1952, upto the death of DS, the time-frame, he was at the helm of affairs in this country, overseeing its fortunes, one would realise that in addition to winning independence, some very important legislative measures the Free Education Act of Kannangara in 1942, the Colonisation and Irrigation Schemes, reaching their climax with the Gal Oya Scheme of 1950 etc, were achieved during this most constructive golden decade, leading to the enhancement of the lives of tens of thousands of the people of this country. Finally, to conclude this humble tribute to this great patriot of our time. It is with deep gratitude that the Sri Lankans of today remember and their many generations yet unborn would remember him for the services he rendered to this much-loved land of ours.

M.B. Mathmaluwe

Gunasena Weerasinghe:

Honest government servant

Gunasena Weerasinghe of Bogahawatte Road, Pannipitiya passed away recently. He retired from the government service after a considerable time as an honest government servant. He was dealing in planning work as he was in charge of Plan Implementation in the ministries and the departments in which he was attached.

He was a strong follower of the Dhamma preached by Lord Buddha and always practised the five precepts. In fact, he associated us in such a way that he always gave a helping hand to the Buddhist temples in the area. At the same time, he was a leading figure in social activities. He was involved in meditation practice during his spare time, which always kept him happy.

I have never seen him in an angry mood. He was kind-hearted person who moved with the people in such a way that he won the respect and admiration of the people.

Weerasinghe is no more with us. But we will never forget him. We never expected his demise so suddenly.

May he attain the supreme bliss of Nibbana!

M.G. Asoka Karunaratne

Hector Sirisena :

A trade union activist

Hector Sirisena passed recently away after leading a righteous life. He was a retired government servant who contributed his mite for the benefit of the public. He was a leading figure in the Pannipitiya area.

He also held positions in the Maharagama Government Pensioners' Society for a long period of time and did much service to the members of the society.

At the same time he was a strong follower of Buddhism and gave a helping hand to Buddhist temples and the Sangha in the area. The Buddhist clergy as well as the dayakas of the temples sought his valuable advice on several matters of religious importance. Hector was a leading figure who helped the Vidyalankara Pirivena in the Pannipitiya. At the inception, Hector was attached to the Government Factory in Kolonnawa and later on played an important role in trade union activities in addition.

He always had the down trodden people in his mind and helped them to a great extent. He associated the people in such a way that he was able to win their command and respect in a short time.

Sirisena is no longer with us but the people will never forget him. He has gone on his journey in Samsara. This is what the Lord Buddha has preached to us.

May he attain the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana.

M.G. Asoka Karunaratne