Daphne Lord

Tribute to Daphne Lord

With a warm smile and outstretched hands,  she graciously welcomed anyone and everyone who had the good fortune to walk into her world. Friends, relatives, teachers, students, or simply those in dire need ….. she always had time for them all…. That was her most human quality.
Daphne was a legend in her lifetime… a pioneer in education and in the art of English speech and drama. She made the language of the world accessible and affordable to students young and old in her hometown, Kotahena and gradually over a lifetime of dedication to teaching, spread her talents, in teaching elocution to the whole nation.
The DLS school of Speech and Drama was a leading school in the country and Daphne’s pioneering efforts put so many students, now leaders in their professions, on their feet,  with the correct use of the queen’s language. She also gave a solid foundation to many teachers who followed her path to set up schools on their own.
It is not an easy task to count how many students went through her magic touch but today the school has spread its wings to all big cities in the country.Her AlmaMater Good Shepherd Convent, Kotahena was the biggest beneficiary of Aunty Daphne’s talents and skills.
She was the creator and producer of many well-known dramas,  staged by students of Good Shepherd Convent. Daphne spared no pains when she undertook to produce a performance,which enthralled her audiences. She brought Christmas cheer to everyone in her world with her nativity plays and Christmas parties.
But Daphne’s greatest treasure, pride and joy were her family of six; three girls and three boys and her husband Maurice. Her dear husband, children and their spouses and their children made her life complete.
To have known Daphne as a close friend and to have a lifelong friendship with her and her family, is a gift from god. May the good Lord Bless and Keep her.
Ranjini Jayasinghe

Late Engineer A.J.P. Ponrajah, Scholarship Award Inauguration

On November 27, 2011, the Irrigation Department Ex-Officers’ Association (IDEA) with a membership of more than 300  inaugurated a scholarship award programme to benefit deserving students to follow a Sri Lankan University course. The scholarship is named in honour of a former Director of Irrigation who lived and died more than a quarter of a century ago.
A.J.P. Ponrajah was a fairly hot tempered man who would sometimes openly scold us when some mistake was detected. Well, that does not seem to qualify him for such an honour! Then what was Ponrajah’s secret that made IDEA bestow this rare honour after 25 years? He was one who stood by his staff and Department against any pressure. His motto was, “Honesty, Integrity, Efficiency, — Plus, Plus”. We knew that he was outspoken and honest and in spite of his sharp tongue he would not hold anything against his officers or workers. We knew that he would stand by us, and readily welcomed his scolding, and subsequent fatherly advice. We loved him. Still do.
He joined the department in 1951 and served in Huruluwewa, Ampara, Colombo and Head office. From 1970 to 75 he was seconded from ID to the newly formed Mahaweli Development Board as Chief Engineer (Designs), and rose to DGM. In January 1976 he returned to ID as Senior Deputy Director (Designs). In Sep 1980 he became Additional Director of Irrigation and in Oct 1981 Director of Irrigation
He realised the need for updating our design standards. He started writing his (now famous) “Technical Notes” and “Technical Guidelines” which were handwritten, with calculations done manually and later with a pocket calculator and typewritten (no computers then!) by his secretary and issued in small stapled booklets. These notes were hungrily devoured by the staff. Those notes, and his, “Data for Costing” became a source of invaluable data and knowledge which was sorely lacking not only in the Irrigation Department, but all allied users of water, earth, cement and steel.
Here is Ponrajah’s next secret. He made it a point to sit almost every night, even while on inspection, with a cigarette in his left hand, and a pencil in his right hand and write in his very steady, legible small handwriting on pads of paper, which his secretary later typed out.
In 1981 the Village Irrigation Rehabilitation Programme (VIRP) under World Bank funding was implemented to rehabilitate 500 village tanks in the next few years. Using the existing design standards, it was found that some of the tank spillways became extremely long and not practicable. The design practice then was to use storm durations of 24 hours to calculate the spillway length. Ponrajah found that storms of even a few minutes or hours could be critical to the design of a spillway. He tapped the computing capability of the newly acquired Radio Shack computer to calculate the peak discharges for storm durations differing by one minute to identify the critical storm. His method enabled us to design the 500 tanks in a record time with the computer churning out up to 50 reservoir designs in a day. Ponrajah took the trouble to make his design methods available to all of us and for posterity by writing his famous Booklet, “Design of Irrigation Headworks for Small Catchments”. This booklet is a design standard used in the department even now.
Murapola Reservoir in the Kandy District was the first major reservoir that benefitted from his new design methods. By reducing the original 12 feet diameter morning glory spillway to a five feet diameter Hume pipe spillway, the construction time was significantly shortened for President J. R. Jayewardene to inaugurate it on schedule in August 1984.
Irrigation Department paid tribute to Ponrajah by putting together all his Technical Notes and posthumously publishing a hard-cover book in 1988.
Ponrajah, on February 4, 1985 (his 58th birthday) cleared his desk and retired from the Irrigation Department. This was a great loss to the department. We all feel that if he remained for at least another year, the Irrigation Department and our country would have been richer by his further contributions.
He passed away on January 26, 1986. He is no more. But his memory and his works will live long in all of us. With these scholarships in his honour the Irrigation Department Officers are ensuring he lives forever amongst us.
by N. Madusuthanan
(Retd. Senior Deputy Director of Irrigation

N G P Panditharatne-a personification of honour and integrity

“A man has honour if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so.”
Walter Lippman
During the last fifty years, our public service has been blessed with extraordinarily talented men and women, be in the field of law, medicine, politics, engineering or general administration. Some have shown almost super-human qualities in problem solving; some have displayed superlative ability in man-management, some have produced unbelievably creative programmes for human development, yet fewer men have been seen in public service, who in the words of Walter Lippman, “held themselves to an ideal conduct though it was inconvenient, unprofitable and dangerous to do so.” N. G. P. Panditharatne was one of that rare species.
Whether it was as Director-General of the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka or Chairman of the United National Party, Pandiths, as he was mostly fondly referred to by many of his friends, showed remarkable stature as a very dignified, principled and honourable human being. Paditharatne assumed office as the first Director-General of the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka when it was established by the then-UNP government in 1979. At that time,  Gamini Dissanayake was the Minister of Irrigation, Power and Highways and when President J. R. Jayewardene took the most momentous decision to accelerate the development of the Mahaweli River Basin settlement scheme, President Jayewardene chose Pandiths as its administrative head. What was envisaged to be completed in thirty years was telescoped into six years. The President had the youthful Gamini Dissanayake as the Minister of a portfolio which was once held by D S Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake and J. R. himself. To steer the smooth operation of the new scheme none was more qualified than N. G. P. Panditharatne.
A chartered accountant by profession and as senior partner of the famed Ford Rhodes & Thornton,  Panditharatne was an acknowledged leader of the business community in Sri Lanka. My association with Panditharatne began with his assuming of duties in the Authority as DG. As private secretary to the Minister of the Mahaweli, I used to meet Pandiths almost on a daily basis.
Many a time it was on a new scheme that he introduced into the settlement area on public relations and educational enhancement which was geared towards the upliftment of the settler children. In all, fifty three public relations officers were recruited and they were placed in systems H, C, B, G, Uda Walawe and Weli Oya. A manager was appointed to overlook the systematic operation of the various programmes and even a well-known Buddhist monk was assigned to inaugurate “Daham Pasalas” in newly-developed settler systems. The word “colonist” was obliterated from the lingo and replaced by a more dignified term “settler”. And among an overachieving bunch of government servants,  Panditharatne stood out as a tall professor lecturing to and directing his brilliant students with patience and finesse.
One learnt many values from Pandiths. His patience to listen to a dissatisfied employee, his loving care for a bereaved settler, his punctuality and sartorial elegance which he showed at all times and functions are but a few of this man’s great qualities that made him a role-model to all under his command. People were awed by this soft-spoken giant.
I was with him at the time of his departure from the office of Director-General of the Mahaweli Authority. It was indeed a very moving scene. After a relationship that lasted for almost four decades with his boss, JRJ, Panditharatne fell in the bad books of the President over the settlement of Sinhalese Buddhists on the right banks of the Mahaweli Ganga in System “B” along the Eastern border at Welikanda.  JRJ did not fire him,  Panditharatne resigned. He gave instructions to his domestic staff to disconnect the official telephone lines and asked the driver to return the official car forthwith. He never used the official car other than for official purposes. He led by example where others faltered time and time again.
They say Gamini Dissanayake had one of the best ever teams of officials around him. He was blessed with the calibre of officials that any government would long to have in its fold. The creative genius of Dr. Wickrama Weerasuria, the sharp knowledge of Secretary Sivagnanam, a human dynamo in Mahi Wickramaratne, never the-procrastinator Dougie Ladduwahetti, taskmaster A. N. S. Kulasinghe, loyal perfectionist Lalit Godamune, brilliant executives,  Dakshitha Thalgodapitiya and Gamini Kannangara and master-drafter of cabinet papers, Nanda Abeywickrama were among those who had the privilege to serve Gamini Dissanayake. But the dignity and honour that Pandiths possessed overshadowed all the brilliance and skills of the others.
It was indeed a privilege to have known Panditharatne and even a greater honour and priviledge to have occupied the same seat that he once sanctified as Director General of the Mahaweli Authority. Of all the qualities that he instilled in me I value honour and integrity the most, for such traits are in short supply in today’s administrators.
Sir, you not only led us, you showed the way too.
May you attain Nibbana!

By Palitha Pelpola        

 J A Leembruggen

A long  innings came to an end very recently. A lonely and sad end, bereft of  friends and relations as was seen at his private funeral on January 4. A sprinkling of old faithfuls from Mackwoods were amongst the very few mourners. His wife had pre-deceased him and his limited circle of friends from his heyday had long  since gone to seek communion with their Maker.
Johan, in  his mid nineties, had reasonably good health but for a few afflictions which are customary with old age decay. His razor sharp mind had not lost any of its sharpness and neither had his inimitable humour left him. He was in full possession of his faculties, but physical movements were impaired towards the end.
During the late 1960s – 1990 he was at the height of his fame. In December 1990, he relinquished duties as Chairman of Mackwoods and was succeeded by the graceful lady, the late Sriyani Nonis.
The  legendary N. S. O. Mendis spotted talent in Leembruggen in 1956 when the latter was the Controller of Exchange. He invited him to Mackwoods as a Senior Executive to manage the Export Department when the Managing Director was R P L Ross. Though he was new to Export Trading, his superb agile mind picked up the rudiments of trading in a very short time. His instructions on the administration of the Department were spelt out on paper and meticulously worded, covering all known trading and administrative situations. His colleagues at the Exchange Control Department spoke appreciatively of his Administrative Circulars considered the “Bible” for many years after his departure. In commodities such as fibre, dessicated coconut, cinnamon, cocoa, coconut oil etc., – he achieved a  quick grasp of the different qualities and trading features. His exceptional abilities coupled with performance won quick recognition with his elevation to the Board.
As a Junior Executive, the writer was witness to the whiplash of his tongue, whilst  yet a Senior Executive, when he upbraided a Senior Storekeeper at Marandahn Mills for permitting the visiting son of the British Managing Director to take serious liberties with production processes. He  was courageous and expected discipline, come hell or high water. Young Executives being trained at the time such as Mahinda  Dunuwilla, Harold Speldewinde and self had a torrid time, but it was the best training that one could ever have. Dunuwilla was eventually Chairman, Tea Board and Harold Speldewinde ended up as Managing Director , Delmege & Forsyth. He was extremely fair in decision making and abhorred favouritism.
If you trace his life, there were different facets to it. Quite early, his university  career was aborted, reportedly impelled by romantic compulsions! He sought employment in government service and with his phenomenal skills the rise in career was meteoric and was recognised with his promotion to CCS ranks. He left the service as Exchange Controller. During late ’69 and early ‘70s, Mackwoods Group had a galaxy of civil servants. However, notwithstanding  his array of talent, Leembruggen as MD was outstanding in administering Mackwoods.
The writer recalls a meeting. A visiting head of another institution (a civil servant and a brilliant Mathematician) came  to take up and issue with  Mackwoods on the preparation of a very  complicated account and had numerous questions to resolve. Leembruggen did not need the Company  Accountant to answer the queries, but explained  and analysed  the figures in lucid fashion that the problem just melted into thin air, notwithstanding that the visiting head came in high dudgeon! Such was Leembruggen’s exceptional grasp of figures.
Apart from his official duties as Managing Director and later Chairman of  Mackwoods, he was the President of the National Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Coir Fibre Exporters’ Association and Executive Council Member of the Employers’ Federation. Other positions would have been his for the asking, but  he did not hanker after them. On the non-official front, he was the President  of the 80 Club, considered a very prestigious position. In the field of Drama, he was an accomplished thespian and on numerous occasions, kept the audience in stitches of laughter. He spent his leisure, particularly in retirement on the golf course and though not a championship golfer, he marked his name in the veterans’ category. He was an avid reader particularly classical  literature and was a classical music enthusiast. He never flaunted his knowledge and was modest to a fault. Other activities were never allowed to intrude on his official time. Neither did he tap his “social” contacts for favours benefitting the Company and had a pathological distaste for seeking favours from others. Similarly, he did not lend his name  easily to causes/persons he had no personal knowledge of. A principle well exemplified by this anecdote: The son of a highly respected teacher of his old school Trinity College, called on him and sought permission to cite him as a referee. He had  never set eyes on the young man before. He politely declined and said “the only thing I know about you is, that I don’t know you”. Some may consider this cruel, but that was Johan Leembruggen! It went against the grain to show pride in his Dutch Burgher ancestry, but his deeds provided evidence of it. His father was a well respected  Minister of the Dutch Reformed Church.
If I am permitted to strike a personal note – he telephoned me in December ’77 and said, “Sam, I have proposed your name as MD”. No doubt, it would have been cleared with N. S. O. Mendis, the principal shareholder. I was literally over the moon. I was elated  no end as it was an implied “commendation” from a man who was considered a perfectionist and some say, he was a martinet. A person who led by example, set the rules and procedures which he would abide by rigidly. He would never compromise  his integrity and lived by principles, which in today’s context would be completely out of fashion! He would be much happier with God  in Heaven and not have to contend with vile men who are in great abundance now.

Lakshman Samarasinghe

Gabo Peiris

Gabo Makes His Farewell ‘Breakaway”  

It was in the late sixties and seventies that Gabo dominated the music scene in Sri Lanka. The then stages were always packed with stellar performers, Jet liners, Sam, Spitfires, Los Caballeros,  Moonstones, CT and Harold Seneviratne; but it was Gabo who led them all, by the charisma he carried as the leader of ‘The Breakaways’ playing fascinating music that took entertainment to its zenith and beyond.
Anyone young strumming a guitar or scratching the keyboards or blowing horns and drumming or having voices searching for recognition wanted to be with Gabo. That is a statement I make without any hesitation as it was simply the accepted truth when Gabo ruled the band music. No, it wasn’t the Breakaways, it was Gabo, finding talent and doing the arrangements and creating his own brand of music in his childhood home down School Lane in Bambalapitiya. He and his ‘chuda manikke’ resonated to be remembered for life.
The man had the magic and the looks to match and the personality was spell-binding. That is to say a lot about somebody and my sentiment is sincere. Those who clapped hands and shouted ‘encore’ and jingled and jived on Gabo music would know what I am talking about. The memories may have faded, but recollections would be instant, not just simple remembrances, but with a glint in the eye. That was Gabo the Band Leader at his mercurial best.
Then came the airline part; that’s when I met him and his lovable wife Savi and forged a friendship that lasted a lifetime. They were young years and our days sure were wild and winsome resulting in many a little fairytale in memory circuits. Such is always recalled when the bell tolls and someone has to go, like now. From flying, Gabo went to the travel trade. He did have a Midas touch, not by luck, but by constructive imagination and a personality that made him the ‘total people’s man.’ He took ‘Gabo Travels’ way beyond anyone’s imagination. Gabo had the ‘Band Leader’ name, and the vision and the drive to lift his infant travel company to its present success, right up to the top shelf. Of course the guardian angel was always there, Savi, the one who stood by him for all flavours and all seasons and gave the anchor to the man and trimmed the sails when the winds howled and the seas got rough.
Gabo’s beginnings were humble, his father was a well respected teacher, his mother a housewife and a loving sister completed the family, the norms of the multitude. He would have ridden his bicycle and eaten his celebrations at Sarasvathi and watched movies in the first front rows of the Majestic Theatre. Somewhere in that ‘run of the mill’ life Gabo picked a pair of drum sticks and that changed it all. His was certainly a self made story, an architect of his own fate who took the blows as ‘Old Blue Eyes’ sang and made his life a script of strictly ‘my way’.
No one can go from where he began to where he ended without having a fall or two, we all do that. Gabo conquered himself and along with Savi raised three lovely children, Sasha, Natasha and Dania, who in turn added their own offsprings to the ‘Gabo Band Wagon.’
We always kept in touch, sometime back met and shared a meal and had a great time speaking of bygones and laughed loud like fools, in the warmth and happiness of ancient camaraderie. That was great.  Then came the health problems, sad and unfortunate and demanding in every way. Savi’s strength held and she combined multi-roles and kept the ship afloat.  The last I saw Gabo was a few months ago. The warmth was all there, the voice was soft and the words were chosen and scrimp, mostly a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ from a face dressed with a ghost of a smile. It seemed that he was having a silent last laugh to ‘what it was all about’ in his carnival of a life. I was in many ways happy for him.
Gabo had found peace. That much I was certain.
I said ‘so long’ and took my leave. Sadly his final words are haunting me now.
“Come and see me,” that’s what he said, waving a feeble hand that had once ruled music with a drum stick.

Capt Elmo Jayawardena

Harris Ranasinhe  (Died-February 16, 2012)
A Father Who Was So Gentle And Loving

He could speak without words through his eyes and smile. He won the hearts of neighbors,
colleagues and friends by his humbleness.
In our family of four my brother (Aiyya) and I were brought up with lot of hardship by Amma and Thatha. Thatha was the bread winner in our family and Amma managed the finance and home affairs.
Thatha was employed by the Bank of Ceylon and worked in various departments. He enjoyed being in the foreign department but I’m sure his best days were when he served in the inspection department.
He used to travel to various parts of the Country with a team. A few regulars were Mr. Vijayanathan, Mr Thangeshwaran and Mr. Wijesekera whom we knew and associated.
If he travelled to a new place he made it a point to get us down on the last day his work ended and combined it with a short holiday for us. I will never forget the trip we did to Trinco.
The beach was fantastic and the trip we did to Seruwila was memorable. We missed a trip to Jaffna due to a miscommunication but I still remember Thatha ringing the door bell at 5am.
He had waited for us to join him and since we didn’t turn up he had travelled in the night train and was home.
There are lots and lots of tender memories of him as a dear father. He had fed us, washed our clothes, had taken us to places he could afford and always did whatever to please us.
His biggest virtues were patience and tolerance. The patience he had in daily dealings whether it was office or family was commendable.
He was a man of few words but he also had a good sense of humour. If he had one too many shots and Amma was annoyed he kept quiet and would slowly avoid any exchange of words.
When he retired from the Bank we wanted him to take up work in some private firm just to keep him occupied.
He did a few assignments but was never happy. Then he decided to quit work totally and was quite happy to enjoy his retirement.
By this time Aiyya too had gone overseas and I too was employed. He enjoyed doing our small errands and meeting his buddies once in a way. He willingly volunteered to help neighbours, friends or family in their banking matters, drafting official letters or handling issues with government departments.
He had walked enough for others and never complained.
He enjoyed helping others and was always available to anyone who needed his services.
Aiyya was his pride. He looked forward to Aiyya’s calls. During the conversation if they touched any banking issue was quick to guide Aiyya as he too was attached to a bank. He always had a soft corner for me.
During my small days he would give me pocket money without Amma’s knowledge.
He was always ready to support me and stood by me in whatever capacity I wanted him to be.
I could always talk to him on anything and he would be there for me. Similarly, if he had to say anything to me he would say ‘ Duwa, I need to tell you something,’ and he will confide in me.
If ever he had a problem he was always sure that I had a solution. After he had a slight stroke and underwent surgery he was less active than he used to be.
This frustrated him a lot. He always used to complain that he could not use his right hand properly.
He did not like to depend even on Amma but due to his limited movements needed help. He was content in watching TV and being with Amma. They were inseparable.
Thatha always liked Amma to be around him. Amma took care of him so well that we never had any worries.
Thatha’s simplicity and humbleness combined with his strong qualities of patience and tolerance made him a loving human being. If he commented on someone it was very rare.
When he smiled it reached his eyes and spread across his whole face. It was genuine and wholesome. There was no pretence.
He never hesitated to help anyone who needed his guidance and did it willingly as if it was his own thing.
The spoken and the unspoken qualities and memories of him will always be remembered with love and affection.
His still body, the peaceful look and his smiling eyes closed forever will always be in my mind.
He never complained when he was alive and he left also without any complains. He was our silent strength and our gentle Thatha.
Always ready to be by our side. We miss him so much and we will definitely meet again in Heaven. May his Soul rest in peace.

Sonali Wijesurendra
( Daughter)

Sarath Fernando

Despite the Tsunami warning and the rush that prevailed on 11th April afternoon, large numbers gathered at Kanatte to pay their last respects to genial Sarath Fernando, CEO of Bogawantalawa Plantations.
Sarath had his early education at S.Thomas’ College Mt Lavinia. He remained a very popular and staunch Thomian to the end and assisted College in numerous ways without publicity. He was a member of the OBA and supportive at College matches and events.
He was very lavish in entertaining and always enjoyed a sing song session . He helped his friends gladly whenever warranted .
The willing assistance he gave to the Uni and MBA student support was very exemplary .
He was also a devoted husband and father. Full Thomian honours prevailed at the funeral as a mark of respect to a true Thomian.
Having left school he gained his management credits overseas and returned to Sri Lanka to be a leading Financial Accountant of repute.  His management tenure in the corporate field including Ceramics and Bogawantalawa Plantations was outstanding .
Sarath fought his cancer very bravely and even recovered partially to get back to work .
His will to work was exemplary. Finally at a relatively young age of 58 years plus, Sarath bid farewell to the world in which he excelled.
We hope that his wife Pushpa and Sinithi his only child will gain strength to face this great loss.
Both were fully committed at the bedside of Sarath at all times.
His dear friends lost a rare gem of a Thomian.
There were many who did their utmost with regular religious offerings and meritorious acts to save dear Sarath, who will remain in our memory forever.
Special mention must be made of the Bogawantalawa Plantation ownership, Thomians  Dr. Sarath Abeykoon, Raj Renganathan, Dhammika Jayasuriya (DD) and others that space does not permit to record  for all the untiring efforts and acts of generosity in the hour ofneed.
Grateful thanks Sarath for being a true friend always.  We will miss you.
May you attain the Supreme Bliss of Nirvana.
Esto Perpetua !

R.P.M. Hettiarachchi

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Remembering Mark Gerreyn

World acclaimed cartoonists of the SUN and WEEKEND newspapers, Mark Gerreyn, created his cartoons in black and white – but this is not the reason why he remains etched in the hearts and minds of those who knew him,  for time immemorial.
Mark as an exceptional personality and remembering him on his birthday, April 25, comes naturally to the mind. Mark Gerreyn started his day early – waking up at 4 a.m. or even earlier to draw his daily cartoon which was a fine marriage of both his artistic talent and his wit. Each day, The SUN newspaper published Mark Gerreyn’s exceptional creations. Mark spared no one. But like all cartoonists, it was just for laughs. There was no malice and no anger; and this was quite in keeping with this happy personality who had no anger to any living being.
It is but natural to see Mark Gerreyn make his way to the newspaper office as early as 7.30 a.m. clad impeccably in black and white and with a fine silk tie. And that was a fine job he did, making us all laugh; while he had his own loud laughter echoing on the side.
Mark Gerreyn should have got the award for the best dressed person on any early morning; but his professional talent got him  into the 23rd International Salon of Cartoons in 1986. The contest had drawn more than 1,000 cartoons from over 60 countries.
In 1982 and 1984 too the International Salon of Cartoons circulated worldwide Gerreyn’s cartoon I Got The World On A String on Brezhnev and Bangs And Pangs about the horror of famine and nuclear war.
Each one of us leaves behind a trail – and most often it is the work we did at our best.
It is with sadness that all journalists remember the sad demise of this wonderfully talented journalist and his sudden demise left us all with the feeling ‘Why so early? Why so soon, Mark?”
And we would imagine Mark Gerreyn replying us with laughter and asking us to go to … again with a huge pat on the back and more laughter.
Life brings us much happiness; and the memory of these happy times with fellow journalists also help to bring the tears later on in life.
Today, we join his wife Leonie Gerreyn and her sons Marlon, Beverly and Rowan, in remembering this talented cartoonist of international fame. We wish you were here Mark, to wish you a happy birthday.
You have made us laugh; and with an early good bye, you have made us all cry.
R. M.

By Pradeep Amirthanayagam

Now More Than Ever It Seems Rich To Die
To Cease Upon The Midnight With No Pain

Annouchka

My dearest Terrence, Arvindh. Amrita and Aunty Sonia, Ajit, Aunty Arlene, family and friends.
When I proposed the Toast on Annou’s 40th birthday, I didn’t for a moment dream that just 5 years later I would have to make an Eulogy for her. Annou was born on a special day -September 8 and shared her birthday with our Blessed Mother.
Annou was a caring and loving wife, a devoted mother, a dutiful daughter and a sublime friend. Each of these roles, were specially crafted so that she made you feel very special.
I have had the good fortune of knowing Annou since she was 12, as she is the niece of my Uncle Kumar and the Rode family had a special affection for my mother. At that time she was mostly in the company of the 3 J’s, Jojo, Jijee and Jean. They were such a closely knit unit. Annouchka didn’t change from 12 to 45 ! She was always very simple, carefree, fun loving, loved music and loved to dance, preferably without shoes! Being a general’s daughter didn’t affect her!
She had a magnetic personality and was able to readily draw people to her. Her infectious laughter still resonates in my head.
Being the only daughter, Annouchka was the pet in the family. She was passionately fond of Uncle Bull and vice versa. How well she took care of him during his illness.
Annou did her parents proud at school and ended up as the Deputy Head Prefect, and also played basketball for school. She was one of the most sought after Bridgeteens ! At that time I was instrumental in introducing my best friend Terry to Annou and soon it blossomed into romance. We are all aware that they made a beautiful couple and despite being separated by many seas whilst Annou was away in Canada they married twenty years ago and were blessed with 2 adorable children, Arvindh and Amrita.
Annou had a very special group of friends but Minal and Shyamala were an integral part of her final years in school. There were no parties without them. What a blast they used to have. My memory goes back to the party they organized post July 1983 during the afternoon – As there was curfew in the nights.
Annou excelled in her career. PR was her middle name – she could walk with Kings but not lose the common touch. At this point my memory goes back to a lovely photograph I’ve seen with President J. R. Jayawardene having Annou on his lap. I’m told that President JRJ was very fond of her. Annou could as easily relate to a street kid, a driver or office assistant. She would instantly engage him or her with a glint in her eye and with a radiant smile, she would readily refer to them as Kolla or Kella.
Having cut her teeth at the Colombo Hilton where she truly excelled – that is where she built a strong bond with many people who ended up being her closest friends – Yasmin, Nadine, Sam and Teruni. In fact Sam ended up being family marrying Rohan.
From there Annou forayed into Advertising and took to it like a duck to water, where she served as Client Service Director at Holmes Pollard & Stott. From Annou my friend to Annou my colleague. There I experienced firsthand her dynamism and unstinted loyalty – She spent a good 7 years at HP&S and at the same time was instrumental in launching the Education gateway Edlocate where she functioned as its first Executive Director. Her role in setting up the company and steering it during its formative years was substantial.
Despite her career she spent quality time with her first born Arvindh. Then came the birth of the beautiful Amrita and Annou stepped aside to be a full time mother. She seemed totally relaxed in this role and she once told me she enjoyed it to the hilt.
But soon, she was offered a lucrative and challenging assignment by John Keells Hotels. JKH was her focus and each time a new property opened or was rebranded she behaved as she was literally giving birth again ! so tirelessly involved was she.
Annou was house proud and kept a meticulous home, and she knew how to entertain and make someone feel totally at home.
Annou loved to cook ! she didn’t cook a meal – she prepared a feast ! She used to often phone and ask me do you want me to make you a trifle or a lasagna! the list is endless. She knew the likes and dislikes of everyone. When Terry’s friends met and if it included Hiran Cabraal, Annou would always bring along a freshly baked butter cake. Hiran loved her butter cake and would keep eating more and more on the pretext of straightening the edges! and she would tell him to make it straighter.
Annou was passionately fond of Terry and was always happy to concede to Terry whenever there was an issue, by simply saying Terry you’re the boss! The kids were her life, everything centered around the 2 of them.
How she yearned that Arvindh will play the big match this year. That was Annou’s dream! But unfortunately it was not meant to be ! But I am sure her wish will come true!
Annou left us so suddenly, without notice, without a struggle or murmur. She seems to have settled down pretty fast in her Heavenly abode.
We all know how she cranked up the music in the heavens at the time of her funeral. The vibrations were felt all around us! Also just hours after her ashes were immersed in the waters of the Nilwala on the April 14 the man eating croc, lay captured in its trap!
You and I will surely experience more events of this nature in the days and years to come.
Knowing Annou so well I’m sure she would say ;
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there ; I do not sleep,
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die
26th April 2012

Dr.Eliyathamby Sivalingam MD,FRCS. Consultant Ophthalmologist

I write this in appreciation of my teacher and close friend who passed away recently after a long illness. I came to know Dr. Sivalingam or ‘Siva’, as he was known to his friends, soon after he had returned from post-graduate training in the UK and had been appointed as Eye Surgeon, General Hospital, Kandy in 1967. At the time this was the only eye unit in the Central Province and I had opted to go to Kandy for training.I remember Siva as a human being with admirable and endearing qualities – very courteous, unassuming and soft spoken. He was a gifted teacher who loved his work and spent most of his spare time teaching and encouraged me to accomplish my own goals. He gave care and attention to all the patients who visited the eye clinic, without restriction, and was even generous enough to give money to patients for lunch, if they had to wait until afternoon before being attended to. I never saw him in anger or talk disparagingly of others. After a year in Kandy, Siva assumed duties as Surgeon, Eye Hospital, Colombo. I followed suit to continue my training. He brought to the hospital great skills and learning that influenced the quality of patient care.He was a brilliant teacher and was always willing to learn from others.He had no hesitation to seek advice from his colleagues or juniors. His attitude to work and quality of patient care was of such a high standard that his unit was the choice of those intent on pursuing postgraduate studies. He was devoted to a work ethic which he pursued without fear or favour and stood by what he believed to be right and never reluctant to express his views. In 1974, Siva emigrated to the USA for the sake of his children’s education. He began his career there as a Fellow in the Glaucoma Service, Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia and was soon appointed a staff member of the same service. He was assigned to train the residents and perform most of the surgeries. Siva’s ingenuity was soon apparent in his new professional environment too, as he developed a new surgical technique ‘Partial Punch Procedure for glaucoma, which became widely popular. During my visits to Wills Hospital, I was invited to clinical meetings as a close friend of Siva. I saw firsthand how his clinical acumen and surgical skills were highly appreciated by the staff at Wills. Siva’s exemplary life leaves much to learn from and gives each of us who were associated with him cause to celebrate the fact that we had the privilege to meet such a simple and learned man. I am personally very grateful for his guidance, as well as the knowledge and the ethical practice he imparted during my training. Siva is urvived by his wife Kamala and three children, two of whom are Ophthalmologists themselves. I hope they find strength and comfort to overcome this sad loss. May they find solace in the knowledge that fond and inspiring memories of Siva live on in the hearts and minds of all those who knew him.
Dr. Upali Mendis

Editor and Gentleman

In lieu of the 15th death of Anniversary of the former editor of The Observer, Harold Pieris, below is the reproduced appreciation written by Gamini Weerakoon that appeared in The Island on June 1 1997.

Former editor of The Observer, Harold Pieris, was a quiet, sober and well committed journalist in a profession which is known for flamboyant and even rumbustious characters both in their lifestyle and writing. Harry, as he was known in the profession, joined Lake House on graduation from the University of Peradeniya. He immediately came under the tutelage of that political dynamo Esmond Wickremsinghe who as Managing Director of Lake House was considered to be kingmaker of the times. Esmond Wickremasinghe was a press baron in the mould of Lord Beaverbrooke of Britain. Esmond played backroom politics and effectively with the nation’s most powerful press at his command. He had his own in Lake House comprising mostly of those who had graduated from Perandeniya and Harry was an important member of that team.
Harry was the News Editor of the Ceylon Daly News, the flagship of Lake House. And this post, in those times, it is said, was one of the most tough and gruelling jobs in journalism. News editors are responsible for producing the front page and other inside news pages and to do that even though he had the best team of reporters and photographers of the time at his command; it was indeed a rough assignment. Directing reporters and photographers who play by their own bohemian rules, while meeting the demands of news editing, up with the latest news, accuracy and meeting deadlines are the daily formidable challenges. His contemporaries say that the methodical Harry went about this challenging job in his own quiet way, unruffled amidst the heat, smoke and din of the Daily News room.
Harry was in Lake House at a time which is said to have been the most hectic days of the establishment. It was the time the government of Mrs. Bandaranaike was defeated by one vote over the Lake House takeover bill. And Harry was said to be at the epicentre. Rarely did he speak of those exciting days. When Esmond Wickremasinghe moved out of Lake House Harry went along with him and worked for a short spell at the Virakesari. He was soon back at Lake House, this time as the Chief Administrative officer. This once again was a tough assignment. The CAO in Lake House in those days was the conduit to the Chairman. He had to approve various claims made by journalists and look after the general administration of the editorial departments as well, editors being freed of administrative work. Harry did his job fairly and squarely and it was only when he moved over as the Editor of the daily Observer as well as the Sunday Observer that his fairness as the CAO was appreciated.
As editor of the Observer he went about his duties in his usual meticulous way. He proof read practically every page and on Saturdays was there till the Sunday Observer went to bed around midnight. He built up a network of Sri Lankan correspondents- mainly ex Lake House journalists settled abroad and also encouraged middle ranking and junior journalists to venture into new fields.
Despite all his meticulous ways as an editor, Harry landed himself in one of the biggest controversies in journalism when he found himself in the well of the parliament chamber with his associate editor Mr. Philip Cooray on a charge of breach of parliamentary privilege.
A sub editor mixed up the caption of Jane Fonda in a sailing boat with that of the then Foreign Minister A. C. S. Hameed engaged in some other activity and Mr. Hameed claimed it was a breach of privilege. Those in Lake House at the time were well aware of the political skulduggery that went behind it and how the spineless management stood still while those two journalists were made scapegoats. Harry took the beating he got without a murmur and continued to edit the paper for many more years.
His was a time when Lake House had a surfeit of flamboyance characters such as Tarzie Vittachi, Clarence Fernando, Mervyn de Silva, Ernest Corea, Ira Amarasekara and D. B. Wettasinghe to name a few of the outstanding seniors. Among this crowd was Harry, the sober teetotaller, dressed in immaculate white and carrying on his gentle manner. Harry will be remembered by his colleagues as a gentleman and a dedicated professional.

• A Loving Tribute To Victoreen M. Hassan

It will be four years on August 25 2012 when God called Victoreen to rest. We got married on October 8, 1968 at All Saints Church, Borella and spent a happy and peaceful wedded life for almost 40 long years, with fun, laughter and joy. She gave life to our children and when I needed hope and inspiration she was always strong. Victoreen was loving, caring and my only consolation and the greatest blessing in my life. She placed gold on my finger and brought love like I have never known and gave life to our children. We prayed together as one from the day we got married until she left this world with precious memories time cannot erase. I still remember the tender words and the loving things she used to say.
Through the years I had you to keep me happy. We thanked our lucky stars we found each other and from that time our lonely days had ended as we stood close to each other for the rest of our lives. We faced the good times and bad and together our love grew stronger and stronger every moment, every hour. Hand in hand we faced each other with no fears as we were so sincere and faithful. Side by side we walked the roads together and each step we took together drew us closer through the years. Victoreen was my one shining star. I walked beside her, loved and guided her and I was always beside her until her untimely death. Fate has been unkind and I had to lose her and that is the day it broke my heart. She has gone far away and left me all alone, my days and nights have turned so lonely since that day.
I only know how much you meant to me and how much I loved you. Memories are all that Victoreen has left for me and no more will I see the love light in her eyes. I am missing you with every breath I am missing you with every step I take.
As my memories turn back, I can remember the happy days we spent together. Now the love that kept my heart beating has been shattered without her by my side. But remember Vicky, although you are gone so far away, the love in my heart for you will always stay as you are forever in my mind and I hope and pray we will meet again.
It has been so many years ago we met each other and that was the time happiness began for Victoreen and me. You were mine all the time and we were faithful. My life is so lonesome without you. You were always there for me in everything I did, and my life was so complete when you were with me. Through the years you dried my lonely tears and made me smile again, as only you could do. As the years went by, together you and I faced the good times and bad, come what may.
Finally, thank you, Victoreen for the wonderful and generous sacrifices you made for me, our children and all the loving care and affection you showered on us. I remember not what I did for you, but what I was for you and what you were to me. Thank you for loving me and being what you were. Darling Vicky, our special years will not return but with love within our hearts you will walk with me together. Till we meet again!
Sadly missed by your loving husband.

M. Kamil. A. Hassan

Dr M. S. Jaldeen, Attorney At Law
Kalabushana Dr Mohamed Sheriff Jaldeen, born on 9th October 1936, passed away peacefully on 14th August 2012 after a brief illness at the age of 76.
He was the eldest in a family of three boys and was educated at St Sebastian’s College, Kotahena.
Dr Jaldeen passed the Advocates Final Examination of the Sri Lanka Law College and was admitted to the bar in 1974.
He had an active practice, particularly in civil cases.
He was also a graduate in Law of the University of Ceylon and in 1987 passed the Master of Laws degree of the University of Colombo majoring in International Economic Law.
He was awarded his Ph.D doctorate in law for his thesis on ‘The legal nature and significance of bi-lateral investment treaties’.
Prior to his enrolment as an Attorney at Law, he was employed at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka when he passed the examinations leading to associate-ship of the Institute of Bankers of London.
For some time he was the Quazi of the judicial area of Colombo North and since 1989, a member of the Waqf Board of Sri Lanka. He was also appointed as Chairman of the Board of Review under the Ceiling on Housing Property Laws which is an Appellate Tribunal which reviewed the decisions of the Commissioner of National Housing.
In 1983, Dr Jaldeen and Al Haj Mehar Jaleel, long time residents of Mabole, Wattala felt a need to establish a Malay Association to cover the Mabole, Wattala, Ragama, Kandana, Kelaniya, Ja-ela and surrounding areas and began visiting Malay families with an intent to start an association. In 1984, the Mabole Malay Religious, Social and Cultural Association was established and for convenience the name was subsequently changed to the Mabole Malay Association. Dr Jaldeen was elected as its 2nd President.
Dr Jaldeen also held the office of President of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Pensioners Welfare Association, Legal Adviser to the Sri Lanka Malay Confederation (SLAMAC) and Legal Counsel for the Wekande Jumma Mosque.
He wrote three books viz:  ‘The Muslim Law of Marriage, Divorce & Maintenance in Sri Lanka’ in 1990, ‘The Muslim Law of Succession Inheritance & Waqf in Sri Lanka’ in 1993 and ‘T. B. Jayah – A national hero of Sri Lanka’ in 1996.
He was buried on 15th Aug 2012 at the Mabole Muslim burial grounds and Chief Imam of the Wekande Jumma Mosque Muzni Ameer (Dheeni) officiated at the burial ceremony and delivered the bayan.
May Almighty Allah grant him ‘Jannathul Firdhouse’. Ameen.

M. D. (Tony) Saldin
Vice President/Social &
Cultural Affairs &
Past President
MABOLE MALAY
ASSOCIATION

On May Day 1993 and Evans and President Premadasa in Bhutan

The profound sense of loss I was to feel upon news of his death was not simply because Uncle Evans was a relative. He was so much more than my uncle; Evans Cooray, he was my friend. I pen these lines, therefore, not merely as his nephew, but because of the profound privilege I had to call this remarkable man a friend.
When my uncle Evans told me he was going to write a book about his relationship with President Ranasinghe Premadasa, under whom he served as press secretary through his premiership and presidency, I made one request. I asked that the account be truthful about the late President and narrate his strengths and weaknesses in equal measure. I made this request because I saw my uncle as someone who saw President Premadasa as infallible and devoid even of human weakness. For this reason, I must be true to my conscience in this brief memoir of Evans Cooray, for I believe that to gloss over some of the characteristics of our relationship and aspects of his life would be a grave insult to his memory.
Evans Cooray was an extraordinary personality. The ability to work 16 hours straight, with no sign of fatigue or weakness alone was one of the most remarkable things about him. That he rose to fame because of his relationship with Ranasinghe Premadasa is no secret and something he often acknowledged. For 30 years, he worked in Premadasa’s shadow, standing beside the politician through thick and thin. My uncle’s journalistic skill and ability to write in both English and Sinhala, made him indispensable to the former President in getting his message to the people.
Anyone who knew the inner workings of the Premadasa administration, about the stories that became popular legend: the 3 a.m. phone calls from the President to his staff and working hours that stretched from before the break of dawn often until midnight, knows that working for such a man was no mean task. Ranasinghe Premadasa was a perfectionist. It was Evans Cooray’s innate desire to constantly strive for perfection in all things that made him such a key member of Premadasa’s team. His work was not just a job to my uncle Evans, it was sacred duty.
Something that always struck me profoundly about my uncle was the humility he maintained throughout his life, despite his share of the spotlight. He would tell everyone that it was Premadasa who taught him some of the greatest lessons of his life. Despite being a member of Ranasinghe Premadasa’s inner circle, my uncle always spoke to and of the former President with the utmost respect. From the moment he began working for him, my uncle used every one of the considerable connections and relationships he had built as a journalist over the years to further the cause of a leader he believed in. As far as Evans Cooray was concerned, Premadasa was not just a man; he was an institution.
His unswerving loyalty to Premadasa was most apparent to many of us, during the attempted impeachment of the President in 1991. It was my uncle Evans that first heard whispers of signatures being gathered for the motion. His extensive contacts across the political spectrum meant that he often had information about political machinations well before anyone else in the administration. When Evans Cooray first told the President about the proposed impeachment motion, an incredulous Premadasa refused to believe it. Nevertheless, in the ‘constitutional revolution’ attempted during Ranasinghe Premadasa’s regime, Evans Cooray stood steadfastly, unconditionally on the side of his leader. Despite his loyalty to Premadasa, Evans had been no stranger to Lalith Athulathmudali, the man who gave leadership to the impeachment attempt. My uncle often used his good offices to mediate in ongoing tussles between the President and his Minister. I recall vividly my uncle’s reaction to Mr. Athulathmudali’s attempts to win him over to the side of the rebels. “If I come over to your side and work with you, you will never trust me because I would have double-crossed once. All my life I have worked for President Premadasa and I will never abandon him to work for another politician,” was his response to Minister Athulathmudali. The memory of his statement of loyalty is etched in my mind and it is a standard of faithfulness to which I try to aspire and prize above all else in my own life.
For my part, it has always been my belief that there was a great dichotomy in my Uncle’s unwavering loyalty to Premadasa. It proved to be both his greatest weakness and his greatest strength. While Ranasinghe Premadasa’s premiership showcased him as a dedicated and even talented politician, his presidency was a different story altogether. He may have gone down in the annals of Sri Lankan history as the leader that best served the interests of this country’s most desperately poor and needy, but there were problems inherent in his leadership that resulted in great disillusionment for the majority of Sri Lankan society. This writer too, suffered from the same disillusionment during Premadasa’s tenure. It was at this point that major ideological fissures appeared between my uncle and myself. We simply failed to see eye-to-eye on any single matter of policy or politics. In his eyes, Premadasa could do no wrong; in my own, the President was full of irredeemable flaws. As a young man who had once seen great potential in Ranasinghe Premadasa I just could not understand why those closest to him, like my uncle Evans, did not seek to put him on the right course during his presidency.
It took me many years and a great deal more maturity to understand the type of man Premadasa was and to come to terms with the fact that he had not been as pliable an individual as I had imagined him to be. In my idealistic youth, I also could not help but feel disillusioned and disappointed at my uncle’s constant involvement in politics, although he was technically a public servant. While it has become customary for the most senior of public servants to engage in political activity with absolutely no qualms in the modern context, back in the 1990s, it was still a practice that was viewed with some disgust. That my uncle was engaging in this practice with seemingly no reservations, was a mystery to me and something I could not come to terms with. As a result, the majority of our conversations during this time were heated arguments about policy and political conduct in the Premadasa administration. Uncle Evans never took these debates personally, but their frequency and fervour resulted in some distance between us that was only restored following the assassination of President Premadasa in 1993.
He remained humble enough throughout his life to respond to every email communication he received, always attentive, always helpful even from miles away from his correspondents. His life’s motto was that ‘life is short and in that short time, we should try to help as many people as we possibly can.’ His entire life was committed to maintaining and fostering human relationships. Evans Cooray was a man who could walk with kings and commoners and treat them all exactly the same. He imbibed a great deal from his leader, who also had genuinely loved and worked for lesser privileged sections of society in his lifetime. My uncle always believed that people only asked for help when they found they could not help themselves. And so he strived to help everyone in whichever way he could. Helping people always afforded him the greatest satisfaction in his life. It was during his funeral that I realized how popular he was, as tributes arrived from every corner of the world, from people of all walks of life, people many of us barely knew, who wanted to pay their respects to a man who had been a pillar of strength to them over the years.  Despite his fame, my uncle Evans remained as unassuming as ever. His lifestyle had always been one of humility and simplicity and it remained that way till his death. When he lost his job due to political reasons during a SLFP regime, politicians could do nothing to break his spirit. During that time, he bought some land and decided to take to farming in order to keep the home fires burning. He was a person who could find dignity in any kind of work. When he was unemployed in England he managed to find a small job to keep himself going. During my years of exile following my stint at Rivira Media Corporation, Uncle Evans sent me a letter in which he had inscribed words that will stay with me throughout my life. “Keep your spirits up, no matter what happens. It is only if you allow your spirits to be broken that you will truly fall. Sometimes we pay a price for doing the right thing,” he wrote.
Through the years, my uncle Evans and I had many political discussions, some of them as heated as they were when Premadasa was still alive. With him being so far away, many of these arguments took place via email. After one particularly harsh email from me, Uncle Evans replied with a message that genuinely embarrassed me about my conduct. “Your email was painful to read. I felt so sorry for you when I read your letter, not because it contained so much harshness towards me. No matter how gravely we disagree or how much you scold me, the love and attachment I feel for you will never change. But I was afraid that if you reacted in anger and sent such an email to someone else the response might not be very good. So when you get angry write a letter if you must, but don’t send it immediately. Place it under your pillow. Read it again once 48 hours have passed. I know that if you send it then, you will do so having first reduced the harshness of it by at least 50 percent. Try that technique. When you hurt someone there is no point regretting it later,” his email said.
Evans Cooray’s love for his wife and children knew no bounds. He was very close by when President Premadasa was assassinated and his life was saved by a hair’s breadth because he received a telephone call from his daughter moments before the bomb exploded. For the rest of his life he believed that his daughter saved him that day.  Uncle Evans’ commitment to his family never wavered, despite the demands on his time from his work.
Many people did not know that my Uncle Evans was also an artist. He wrote many popular songs some of which were sung by Dr. Victor Ratnayake. So it was not just politics in which he was well versed, but in arts, literature and culture and his ability to converse on any subject was unparalleled. I often joked that he was like a walking encyclopaedia.
Of all the things I admired about my Uncle Evans, it was his humanity that I treasured most. To him, other peoples’ problems often became his own and he believed that living in accordance with one’s conscience was the most important thing of all. I will never forget the last conversation I had with Evans Bappa. I knew then that he had realized that he was not long for this world. I promised him that I would be there to see him soon, but it was my misfortune that he passed away before I reached London. In so many ways, his death came far too soon. That last conversation with Uncle Evans reinforced my perception of him as a humble and yet exceptional individual, the likes of which I am unlikely to ever meet again in my lifetime.  It used to be my habit to let Uncle Evans know that I was coming to London because to not tell him would be to wound him greatly. On each of those occasions, he would ignore my entreaties and be at Heathrow to receive me. Similarly, I have never left London without his presence there in person, to say his goodbyes. I know that London will always be full of memories of Evans Cooray for me. And London without my uncle Evans will never be the same. Much like my life, which will be immeasurably poorer and so very lonely without him in it.

Krishantha Prasad Cooray

• A Tribute To My Aunt

How do you capture in words the essence of a soul that was vibrant, vivacious, joyful, passionate, compassionate, fiercely loyal, deeply loving, creative, and sensitive?
How do you say in so many words that such an early departure left a void in the lives of those around her, a missing that seems endless, an integral part of every moment of each life suddenly gone?
How do you convey the message that the love will never die even when the body does, that the spirit will live on forever even when the world ends and that death is not an end but an interlude to the rest of the best that is yet to come?
Tammy, my aunty was so many things to so many people. To me she was someone I laughed with, cried with, danced with, shopped with and shared my heart with. She was my partner in crime. Hers was the laughter that was the loudest and the hardest. Hers was the heart that beat the tenderest, and hers was the hand that was the most generous. Always the champion of the underdog, never to be silenced at times of injustice. What can anyone say that will ever be enough to sum up the total of all that she was to all of us, and all that she will still continue to be in our hearts?
The wealth of love and passion that she held in her heart was enough to touch hundreds of lives many times over and still have enough left for anyone going a begging for more. That easy smile she so continually bore on her face easily brought on smiles from anyone who had the fortune of seeing it. An indomitable spirit, that was never beaten even in the midst of pain and sorrow. She was brave, humorous and always hopeful. Hers was the faithful, trusting heart towards the Father, who healed her body and took her to eternal health. Her roles as wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grand aunt and a friend, were taken on with passion and love that always burned beyond herself.  Tam, my darling aunty, it’s been one year since you went on ahead of us to rest in the arms of God. But earthly death is not an eternal end, just a temporary separation till we meet again. So till that fateful day, this is a note to say I love you, I miss you and when I see you again, we shall dance once more, amidst the golden ambers of eternity. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21: 4 (NKJV)
Marisa.

P. Don Clement Michael (Clement Sir)

Because you loved…………………………..!
‘You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I could not speak
You were my eyes when I could not see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I could not reach
You gave me faith ‘coz you believed
I am everything I am
Because you loved me……’

February 16th, 2013 marks the 10th year death anniversary of my loving father, P. Don Clement Michael. My father was a father figure to many at St Sebastian’s College Moratuwa where everyone called him simply ‘Clement Sir’. He was a teacher of outstanding repute who dedicated his entire life to the teaching profession, out of which 32 long years were spent as a school teacher at St. Sebastian’s.
His retirement never ended his career in teaching as he was involved in many spheres in the society as a marriage and family counselor, lecturer and a life educationist, even after the retirement. He was passionate about teaching and giving his very best to all those who came to him not only as a teacher but also as a counselor, guide and a mentor.
He never compromised or wavered in his principles in any circumstance and he always upheld honesty and integrity. Money never motivated him but the needs of the people who came for his help did. He never thought twice to ‘say no’ to many opportunities which life offered for him to seek greener pastures, as his love for his students and the teaching profession was more than what money could buy.
I was very lucky to have ‘Clement sir’ as my class teacher when I was studying for the Ordinary Level examination and I still remember very well, some of the lessons he taught even today, after 25 years. He was my Sinhalese teacher then and I do still remember a good part of the poetry and literature he taught at the school. He had been blessed with immense talent to make the stories of ‘Guththila kawyas’, ‘Ummagga Jathakayas’, ‘Singhabahu’ etc. very interesting and lively. He was able to teach whatever he taught effectively in a way that it would get registered in the mind of the student. He used humor, wherever needed, to teach something in a way that will never be forgotten.
He was more than a teacher to many. A student recounted how Clement Sir changed his life. He was a bit of a ruffian, good in his studies but also mischievous in his own way. He had dreams of being a ‘writer’, when other kids wanted to be doctors and engineers. Teachers would berate his unfocused ambitions. But the words of beloved Clement Sir – “you can be whoever you want to be, but be honest, believe in God and trust in your self,” – made him believe in himself.
He showed no partiality or favoritism to anyone including his own children. The result was, him being a teacher at the same school that I was studying was to my disadvantage. I remember him using the cane only once in the class room and I was not exempted.
Not only did he teach subjects but also it was part of his teaching to inculcate a value system in the hearts and minds of his students. I remember him emphasizing once in the class that there is no point in one becoming the best of doctors or engineers unless he becomes a good man. Such values may be idealistic in today’s world, but he lived by them his whole life.
Apart from teaching at the school, he was actively involved in various activities as a life educationist. For many of his students, it was a pleasant surprise to meet Clement Sir along with Philomena teacher, his loving wife, for the second time in a classroom when they came for ‘Pre cana’ – pre marital counselling classes with their future partners.
He was a mentor for many youths who came to him for guidance. Many such people have shared with me how their lives, without hope and future got transformed after an encounter with my father. What was unique in him was his ability to show empathy and love to those who came with problems. His house was always open, round the clock for the people in need for help. I always remember how they (my father and mother) sacrificed their time and energy to fix many broken families and marriages that were on the rocks, listening to them and counselling them for long hours. My father could relate to anybody, irrespective of their social status or age. He had very sharp instincts to understand others. I remember, when growing up, I was able to consider him a close friend in whom I could confide in and this helped me to mature and grow. I was always able to talk with him on most things without feeling uncomfortable because of his open minded and broad thinking persona. I think this along with his empathy drew many, who were in various struggles of life, to him for counselling and guidance.
It was when I saw the tears rolling down the faces of adults, unable to control their emotions at the funeral of my father, did I realize the magnitude of the impact my father had had on the people whom he had come into contact with.
He never had any regrets about the consequences of being outspoken, when he saw injustice, not necessarily directed towards him. I remember many instances where he became the voice of the people who were weak and helpless at different levels in society.
He feared the Lord whom he served always and he lived his life in a manner that he had to give account one day to his master. He never worked for position or recognition and the result was positions and recognition followed him. He believed firmly in the teachings of his Master ‘I came only to serve and not to be served’. When he served he never expected anything in return from anyone but from his Lord.
He was not only a great teacher, but he was also a great husband to my mother. There are many a lessons I have learnt from my parents’ marriage. The years and time that had passed had done only one thing; that was, bringing them closer to each other and making them like a newlywed couple, each day. I have witnessed my father helping out my mother in the kitchen on a regular basis doing daily household chores. Whatever he did, he excelled at it and there was no exception in the dishes he cooked.
He sacrificed many things in life, for us, his children and whatever we have achieved in life today is mainly attributable to the sacrifices he made along with my mother. It is he who taught us that there are more important things than money in this world. We learnt that some of the best things we ought to have in life cannot be bought with money. Money is a servant and not the master. He would not have provided us with all the luxuries when we were growing up, but most certainly, he gave us all what we needed to know when we could afford to have luxuries in life.
His life was an impactful one which I always try to imitate. His compassion for people is unimaginable. He showed empathy in measures beyond expression. He lived a life of love. One of his favorite scriptures in the Bible was, ‘And now, these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest is love’ (1 Corinthians 13:13)
He lived his life to the fullest till the last day of his life. He was ready to meet his Master and just a few hours before he departed, his final words to me were, ‘I lived a life of love throughout my life and even now I experience the presence of that love’, which showed how much at peace he was, even on his death bed.
Father, I was so fortunate to have a dad like you. You were more than a dad to me. More than a friend I could always confide in. I still preserve the rose which I removed from a wreath of flowers to keep as a memento, 10 years ago. It has withered now. But the memories of you will never wither from my mind rather they are renewed every passing day. You have been separated from us but the love you showed us will never be. I know that those who love beyond this world cannot be separated by it. Because death cannot kill what never dies.
Thaththa, May your soul rest in peace!

Anuja Srinath

Tribute To An Angelic Friend

In the month of April in which Kshrabdhi passed away I am so sad that I felt compelled to share with you how kindly friendly and genuinely Kshrabdhi touched our hearts. When we received the sad news of her death, we were abroad in the freezing cold clad in borrowed scarf, mittens, wool hats and warm sweaters, all gifts she had thoughtfully bought for our son who was facing his first winter at a UK boarding school back in 2006.

This was just one of many examples of how great her heart was. Before you even think of it, she had done it! I thank you from the bottom of my heart Kshrabdhi for looking after our son like your own when we were so many miles away, and for the numerous ways you and your lovely family helped him adjust to UK life. He has never forgotten it. For sure, you were his guardian angel.

Kshrabdhi never forgot a birthday – I still have every Xmas and birthday card she sent, and she sent them well in time. If she wasn’t able to attend a birthday she would bring presents to the children whenever she came down to Sri Lanka, so that they would have something from her to open on their birthdays. A truly fairy godmother! But I am sure she was all these and more to her young pupils at the school in Surrey where she taught– I know she must have been one of the most popular and dedicated teachers at the school – and true enough, they have honoured her by scattering some of her ashes in part of the school gardens allocated to the special breed of Blue Butterfly. Kshrabdhi was fascinated by butterflies and the walls of her home were adorned with pictures of these extremely delicate beautiful creatures that as we know are here for a brief time.

Kshrabdhi, I miss your lovely long emails – for we corresponded at least once a month – they never hinted at any pain she was suffering at the time. She never complained about her illnesses, she was a born optimist.

I sometimes wish she were more vociferous, so that we could have made more of a fuss of her – but that was precisely what she did not want! In fact, what she did asked me one year when I arrived at her place in the UK were bags of thala guli – which I was too glad to bring, happily emptying the shelves of Keells. Indeed I learned many a thing from her, and I sometimes wondered at her maturity – for I was older, but here she was, teaching me things about life and survival in her gentle way.

Kshrabdhi would speak so much of her family in Sri Lanka and of the family she was married into in the UK (our dear family friends) and she absolutely adored her son Karnan and husband Jekhan – I believe her love for them and their boundless love for her that was so strong, it was what really kept her going – she loved nothing better than to tell me of Karnan’s achievements in school via email and never failed to email me Jekhan’s weekly column in the Guardian online.

She was so very proud of them and I believe the times she most relished were when she was with them alone: going out to a restaurant together to celebrate Jekhan’s birthday; or taking Karnan up to London for a matinee. I would love hearing the joy in her voice as she wrote of such journeys. Now, your emails are no more but you will always live on in our hearts.
May the Lord take care of you and keep you safe, our dearest friend and angel.
Your loving friends Mandy, Suresh and godchildren, Rehan and Francesca

KSHIRABDHI ARULIAH (NEE NAGENDRA)

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone.
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. She was their North, their South, their song, We thought this love would last forever. We were wrong.
(adapted from “Funeral Blues” by W.H. Auden)
I began to love Kshirabdhi very dearly when, as a little girl of about 5, she came to my Speech and Drama classes. Petite and beautiful with wide eyes and buttermilk skin she would sit in class and listen attentively and very obediently. Her voice had a bird-like timbre and at a very early age she was able to bring out the subtle shades of meaning in whatever she read out loud or recited. Now that she is no more, many of those who knew and loved her remember her reciting poetry with such confidence in a clear and expressive voice. I quote from two poems in memory of our shared love of poetry.
Kshirabdhi is the daughter of two of our dearest friends, Sarla and Sega Nagendra. She is the fond elder sister of Prashan and sister-in-law of Chameli. They are a loving and close family and losing Kshirabdhi is a terrible blow.
Like our mothers before us, Sarla and I were together at Ladies College and our children too grew up together. Kshirabdhi was at Ladies College until her ‘O’ Levels. She was a keen student and, like her mother and grandmother before her, excelled in athletics. She then went on to the Colombo International School where she was Games Captain.
Kshirabdhi married Jekhan Aruliah and, after living for a few years in Sri Lanka, the couple and their young son, Karnan, moved to England. Despite the time consuming tasks of running a house and looking after a young child, Kshirabdhi found time to do a course in teaching differently-abled children and began helping out in a nearby school. She continued to work with these children, completely free of charge, until her demise.
While she was in England we communicated mostly via emails and phone calls. It gave me joy to see this young girl grow up into a strong and confident woman who coped remarkably with a crippling illness. Her positive attitude was an inspiration. She never spoke ill of anyone or complained of the excruciating pain she endured on a daily basis.
Karnan was Kshirabdhi’s pride and joy and indeed he is worthy of her great love and sacrifice. He is a brilliant student who has excelled in his academic studies as well as in a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Whenever Karnan won an award of took part in a school event I would receive pictures of him from his proud mother. Kshirabdhi also told me that she spent long hours talking with her son guiding him and instilling in him the right values and beliefs which were so precious to her. I believe her efforts were not in vain, for today Karnan is an exceptional young man, mature for his age, pleasant and caring. In this day where the generation gap widens and clashes between the old and the young seem irreconcilable, theirs was a bond made in heaven. Though for a very short time, Karnan had the very best mother he could have got in this world and, in turn, Kshirabdhi had the best son.
Kshirabdhi herself was aware that despite everything modern medicine had to offer, there was the ever-present likelihood that she would succumb to her illness. It is truly amazing that, in the face of all this she remained undaunted, brave, positive and cheerful. She is a shining example to all of us who grumble with much less cause.
Kshirabdhi was an angel who walked amongst us for a short while. She is now free of pain and despair and back with the angels. While we mourn her death let us celebrate her life and all she stood for.

Dearest Kshirabdhi –
Fear no more the heat o’ the sun,
Nor the furious winter’s rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages:
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.
… Nothing ill come near thee!
Quiet consummation have,
And renownèd by thy grave!
(by William Shakespeare)
Fondly remembered by Nirmali Hettiarachchi

KSHIRABDHI ARULIAH (NEE NAGENDRA)

Kshirabdhi, you have left a legacy of purity, innocence, love, and unbridled joy (which is the legacy it is our bounden duty to leave). You came, you taught, you left.

You have taught us well Kshirabdhi – so well – that we will never forget.
Your gift of love to all whose lives you touched – is one we will cherish and try to emulate in our lives too. This will be the greatest tribute we can pay you.

Kshirabdhi, you relied most on the power of your mind. You refused to accept any limiting conditions. You affirmed and believed in health, strength, and success, even in the face of contradictory evidence. You were an angel, a butterfly, made on earth and death would have given you no trouble, because, you would have gone with the thought “Lord, I am in Thy Hands”.

You aimed for the highest meaning that your life could have. You kept faith that inner growth was an unending process, walking the spiritual path with sincerity and hope.

An old Indian adage compares consciousness to a lamp at the door – shining into the house and out into the world at the same time. This is the consciousness you had Kshirabdhi. You spoke your own truth. You saw life as a rich field of possibilities and were eager to explore it. You saw wisdom in uncertainty. You saw being here as its own reward.

You lived in harmony with divine laws. You kept those you loved in your heart and we shall keep you in ours.
My computer is full of meaningful verses, lessons and anecdotes from you.

On the 11th March you sent,

“The world wouldn’t be the same without women and neither would I. When we began this adventure called WOMANHOOD, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other – everyday. We need each other still.
Please send this back to me and all your sister butterflies – this is what keeps us strong in hard times”
My little sister, friend, daughter butterfly – I did send it back to you – and I am so GLAD I DID – because it has given me strength to write of you – the beautiful butterfly who flew in and out of our lives.

On 22nd February 2013 you sent me a photograph of Karnan taken for his Year 11 school book. How wonderful he looks and how proud you and Jekhan are of him. How you LOVE him.
On 18th February 2013 was an especially poignant piece.

“LESSONS OF TIME – KARMA
When a bird is alive – it eats ants.
When a bird is dead – ants eat the bird.
Time and circumstances can change at any time.
Don’t devalue or hurt anyone in your life.
You may be powerful today, but remember
TIME is more POWERFUL than you!
One tree makes a million matchsticks.
Only one matchstick is needed to burn a million trees.
So BE GOOD AND DO GOOD.”

In life you will realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will TEST you, some will USE you and some will TEACH you. But the most important are the ones who bring out the best in you, respect you, and accept you for who you are.”

In a beautiful gesture of love for you, a tree will be planted, in your memory, at the school you taught at, in a protected area, where a rare breed of butterfly is being reared. It is to be planted by your beloved son Karnan.
In the words of Paramahansa Yogananda,

“After the death of those who are dear to you, always send them your love. By doing so, you can help the progress of their souls and they can help you. If you send them your loving thoughts continuously now, someday you will surely meet them again. You will know that this life is not the end, but merely one link, in the eternal chain of your relationships with your loved ones”.

WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU – KSHIRABDHI
Aunty Rouza

Dr C. L. V. Abeynaike
Farewell To A Decent Man And Good Doctor

Cyril Lakdasa Vernon Abeynaike had most of the qualities that a decent man should possess. In his non-professional life he showed extremely humane qualities and as a medical practitioner he excelled in those qualities.

Vernie, as he was known to his friends, went through the joys of life as they came to him – fast driving, watching and playing cricket and enjoying a drink after his day’s work was over at the Old Thomians’ Swimming Club and supporting his Old School in all endeavours. I have rarely heard him raise his voice in the nearly six decades that I’ve known him. Simple in his ways, he had no airs about him, no desire for ostentation or making money and even any other ambition other than practising his profession well and looking after the interests of his family.

The only ambition he had from his schooldays that I observed was his desire to follow his father’s footsteps and be a doctor.

He was a good student and studied hard, always in the ‘C form’, where the youngest and best performers were segregated in various grades at S. Thomas’. At the SSC level he was in Upper Sixth C – which he recalled with much pride – that produced outstanding students who went on to become medical specialists and outstanding engineers both in Lanka and abroad. In sports the class boasted of three First Eleven cricketers and a tennis player who later became Sri Lanka’s tennis champion. It had – if I remember correctly – about 20 students in the First Division – a very rare accomplishment for any school at that time.

At times he was dogged with bad luck but in true Thomian spirit, Vernie carried on undaunted. On passing out of the Colombo Medical Faculty he was happy to serve in provincial hospitals at Ratnapura, Welimada and Mawanella where he learned very much the illnesses of the rural folk and in the early 1970s took to private practice at Mt. Lavinia alongside his father Dr. Felix Vernon Abeynaike who had retired after heading many government hospitals as the DMO.

On his father ceasing his practice, Vernie moved out and established a dispensary of his own with one dispenser and his dear wife Marlene who knew nothing of medicine, as his assistant.

It was a simple dispensary sans any modern trappings but his reputation as a physician, simple and pleasant ways and sympathetic understanding towards the poor, particularly with regard to medical charges, attracted patients from the environs of Mt. Lavinia, Ratmalana and suburb.

He directed his attention towards the poor. Once he observed: “The middle class usually don’t take medical advice from doctors and order their medicines directly from pharmacies. It is the poor that come to me”.

During inclement weather such as during the monsoons when humble shacks by the seashore were lashed by winds and rains and shacks of the shanty dwellers on canal banks and other places where the poor people were inundated, they fell sick in large numbers and sought his assistance.

Over the years he gained rare knowledge about the diseases that affected these people by sheer experience.  He knew the kind of bacterial infections that were prevalent in particular areas and dispensed medicines accordingly.

Rarely did he have to refer them for laboratory examinations. The really good doctor charged the poor the minimal or nothing at all. Yet, he was still able to provide for his eldest son’s higher education for years in Britain and the education of his three sons and daughter at premier Colombo schools while building a modest home for himself.

Perhaps he sustained himself from treating tourists at Mt. Lavinia’s hotels. Yet, his Christian conscience did not permit charging unconscionable fees.

A Christian by birth and conscience, he mixed freely with those of other faiths, even atheists.

Religion was something personal to him. During the month of March his friends found him laying off his traditional drink after work without making any open declaration. He was observing Lent.

He was too good to pass off at the age of 74 and those who knew him would have wished a longer stay.

The demise of Marlene, with whom he had a very close relationship for over 40 year, a few years ago left him rudderless. His friends noted that he was drifting along without a purpose and the end came soon.

It was a paradox to see that many of his friends, whom he had saved from a much early departure, see him off at his funeral.

Vernon Abeynaike died with all saying what a decent man he was. There was none to say anything bad.

Well done Vernie. Esto Perpetua. Yours was a life well lived.

Gamini Weerakoon

The Oldest Practicing Surgeon
Dr B. J. Masakorala honoured

With Prof Ranil Fernando, (R) President, College of Surgeons Sri Lanka

The most senior practicing consultant surgeon, with a medical career spanning over 57 years to date, Dr B. J. Masakorala was honoured with an honorary fellowship of the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka at the inauguration of the 42nd annual academic sessions of the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka joint meeting with the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh on August 21.

Dr Masakorala, born in 1930 was the most senior surgeon among a distinguished list of nine Sri Lankan and foreign fellowship receivers. They were honoured for the recognition of their exceptional contribution to the Sri Lankan surgery and/or surgical training, national/international surgical leadership.

Dr Masakorala hailing from the Southern Province started his primary schooling in Hikkaduwa, where he excelled in his studies and is considered to be the only doctor living to have received the prestigious Denhem Scholarship awarded by the British government in 1940. He entered English school Hikkaduwa, after receiving the scholarship for the Southern Province, Galle electorate. One of his batch mates in Hikkaduwa is the present president of Economic Association of Sri Lanka, Prof A. D. V. de S Indraratne.

Later he entered, Richmond College Galle, where he was a student under Abrahim Kovoor who taught botany and zoology and then young Masakorala moved to Ananda College, Colombo in 1947.

He excelled in his studies at Ananda College, and passed the matriculation examination conducted by University of London and was also awarded the Zoology prize at the university entrance examination. One of his close colleagues at the medical college was Prof Nandadasa Kodagoda, incidentally who was also a Denhem scholar from the Southern Province.
In 1956, Dr. Masakorala passed his MBBS examination from University of Colombo when internship was first introduced.

He was fortunate to assist Dr P.R. Anthonis as a medical student. His first internship was at Galle General Hospital where incidentally it was his last outstation posting among many, before he moved to General Hospital Colombo in 1985.
He recalls his posting in Deniyaya hospital as District Medical Assistant (DMA) in the late 1950s (1958-1960) where he had gained wide experience in using chloroform anesthesia for obstetrics maneuvers.

He also recalls judicial post mortems on decomposed bodies after trekking the jungle. He believes that the experience he got was unique and that the modern day surgeons would not believe or be exposed to such difficult circumstances as the technology was not so advanced during the immediate post independent era. Then he moved to Maharagma Cancer Hospital as Senior House Officer where he was involved in treating cancer of the cervix and uterus.

He then came to General Hospital, Colombo in 1962 and worked under Dr K. G. Jayasekara and as the registrar of the thoracic unit under Mr. A.T.S. Paul. Later in 1963 he was posted to Castle Street Hospital and he recalls that he was fortunate to work under Prof. Henry Nanayakkara and was to take up obstetrics and gynecology.

But due to change of policy on scholarships at that time, under Prof Nannayakkara he chose surgery and departed to UK for his further studies.
In 1968, Dr. Masakorala completed his FRCS (Edin) at the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburg, UK, and decided to return to Sri Lanka to serve his country. He has had a distinguished career as a surgeon which he started in 1969, from Nuwara Eliya and then to Kegalle, Matara, Galle and retired as the senior surgeon after serving five years at the general hospital Colombo from 1985-1990.

During his outstation period, he recalls, that he met so many friends from various professions such as, judiciary, police, army, planters and businessmen, to date with whom he keeps in touch. He also recalls the 1971 insurgency while in Kegalle where his life was under threat for performing duties at the Kegalle hospital.

From his young days, Dr. Masakorala loved swimming as his hometown gave him the best opportunity for him to become a good swimmer and a diver. Hikkaduwa those days, he says “it was a beautiful beach and a reef with thousands of coral fish surrounded by pandanus (wetakeiya) around the beach”, but today, the beauty of Hikkaduwa has disappeared in his eyes. In fact the surgeon won university colours for swimming in 1954 and was involved heavily with Dr. H.S Perera to raise funds for the Ananda College swimming pool.

In his career as surgeon, he has attended to thousands of patients from various parts of Sri Lanka.

He recalls his outstation postings as most memorable, where he says those patients have enormous gratitude to him even today. Among his patients were many film industry personalities. The late Sir Arthur C. Clarke too was one of his regular patients.

Even now patients come from outstation to consult him and to get his opinion for surgery. But he says at the age of 83, he only does minor surgery and guides the patients to his colleagues and students.

His main interests were thyroid surgery and pancreatic surgery and he has done over 2000 goitre surgeries and Whipple surgery as well.

One of the main passions of Dr. Masakorala was to put his experience into paper and to teach young medical students whenever he was free and give them the opportunity to learn. Among some of his papers published, the first was in 1975, on Necrotizing Enteritis talk given to the College of Surgeons Ceylon.

This was published in the Ceylon Medical Journal, 1976, Vol. 21. He has continued to write to papers since then and some of his papers are on obstructive jaundice, F.N.A.C. of thyroid gland, techniques of hepaeto enterostomy and then wrote on side mirror injuries and later on the 1987 Pettah bomb blast, where he was the surgeon in charge of the National Hospital.

Dr. Masakorala says that he received two opportunities to serve in the United States and through the British Government in Africa, where he and his family was offered to migrate for work. He says his children were offered US or British education while he would serve in those countries, but he had decided otherwise as he always thought that his duty was to serve the country where he got his free education.

Once he retired, the late H. K. Dharmadasa, the founder of Nawaloka Hospital, invited him to join Nawaloka Hospital as a visiting surgeon. Dr. Masakorala says that he has a moderate approach to private medical practice and says that it is an important element for the medical industry to develop, as the private sector invested in technology at that time where the government hospitals did not have such facilities.

He also says that it gave people who could afford, an option to reduce the burden on the public healthcare system, but at the same time he says, when poor patients came to him he would not charge them and would always direct them to his students at the national hospital with a letter.

Dr. Masaskorala, fondly called as “MAS’ by his friends, says that he loved playing tennis. He cultivated this hobby whilst he was stationed out of Colombo and was fortunate to take time to meet other government officials at the tennis clubs where the good old days socialising happened. He served as the president of the planters club, Kegalle in 1974 and then assumed president of tennis club Matara in 1977, and also became the president of the Health Department Sports Club, Colombo from 2005-2007 where he stills plays tennis with his wife, son and friends.

At the honorary fellowship presentation Prof A.H. Sheriffdeen (Consultant Surgeon), who gave the citation, recalled that he and Dr. Masakorala served at the national hospital Colombo where “MAS “served as the senior surgeon and he as a lecturer and that their friendship was a long standing one.

Dr. R. Ajanthan, (consultant pediatrician), Dr. Narendra Pinto (consultant orthopedic surgeon), Dr. Ananda Perera, (consultant orthopedic surgeon), Dr. Ratansena (consultant surgeon), Dr. Sudeera Herath (consultant surgeon), Dr. Tillkawardena, (consultant surgeon), Dr. Ajith Karunaratna (thoracic surgeon) and Dr. Ramsub were some of the senior house officers who worked under Dr. Masakorala.

Dr. Masakorala is married to Bandu and has two children, Shiromi and Rohan.