Appreciations
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beacon to family, friends His illustrious career spanned two decades in which he held the positions of assistant lecturer, lecturer and senior lecturer and later for two years the coveted position of Chair of the Department of Geography. He also held the position of senior lecturer in Geography at Ahamadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria from 1974-1977. When he was being considered for a readership at that university he returned to Sri Lanka after accepting the post of Chair of the Department of Geography at the University of Jaffna. He was a promising student at Jaffna Hindu College and later Zahira College, Colombo from where he entered the University of Peradeniya in 1953. He passed out in 1957 with an upper second in Geography. Not surprisingly he was placed first in the batch. He started his academic journey in 1959 by joining the University of Peradeniya as an assistant lecturer and in 1961 proceeded to the prestigious London School of Economics of the University of London for his postgraduate studies where he was awarded the Master of Arts degree with a mark of distinction. The same university awarded him a Ph.D in 1970/71 and his doctoral thesis was acclaimed as a "praiseworthy investigation" by his examiner. He was also the recipient of many scholarships and fellowships. The early 1960s witnessed many important changes in the field of higher education one being the switch over of university education to the Sinhala and Tamil medium. He accepted this challenge and pioneered the teaching of Geography in Tamil. This was indeed unique given that all the textbooks were in English. Later he translated many famous English textbooks into Tamil for the benefit of his students. His main interests were in the field of development Geography in which he had done extensive research and authored many publications. He appreciated the views of all, even those below his intellectual capacity. He was strong in his beliefs and forthright in his thinking and never minced his words. I have had the opportunity of associating with him closely since 1964 when I was a government servant in Kandy. He was charismatic and had a wealth of knowledge. He was a devoted husband and loving father and was proud of his family. He had every reason to be as he had a loving wife and intelligent children. His eldest son Niranjan is an eminent cardiologist in the United States and the third son Nirthanan, following in his father's footsteps, is a brilliant academic at the University of Harvard, USA. Unfortunately his second son died under tragic circumstances while he was studying in England. His only daughter who is married to an academic is also pursuing further studies in the United States. The 'Tirukkural' in its wisdom states that while the duty of a father is to ensure that his son is fit to lead a learned body, that of the son should be to make the others wonder what merit the father has performed to have such children. I do not see a better example for this except in the life of Prof. Selva. Every time I read the 'Tirukkural' I reflect on how amazingly his life fitted the sayings of Tiruvalluvar. Perhaps due to his classic, almost perfect nature of life, God willed that it be cut short so early. V. Subramaniam I still
hear your sweet voice You were loved by all who knew you as there was something special in you which appealed to all. I can picture how you used to leave whatever you were occupied with, whenever I visited and come up to me, addressing me as Mr. Bean, your favourite TV character. You were our shining star and now you are with our Lord and Maker who loves little children. I will try not to shed tears for you, but I will look for you as I still hear your sweet little voice calling me Mr. Bean. Uncle Shamindra A man
of integrity S.A.M. was one of the band of lawyers who constituted the Legal Division of the Department in the early seventies. His colleagues were Noel Talpawela, Abusally, Rajaratnam, Sabapathy, Senadhiraja and a few other lawyers whose names I do not recollect. Faleel was the quietest of the lot. He was not a flamboyant lawyer, but he was a chamber lawyer, par excellence. He was honest, upright and an officer of the highest integrity. One incident that reflects his character was when he declined an offer from one of his kinsmen-- a cabinet minister--to join his Ministry. He did so because he did not wish to compromise his integrity and remained in the Labour Department until his retirement. He forsook, the additional perks he would have enjoyed had he joined his kinsman. This one incident sums up Faleel's character. He strode like a colossus amongst his colleagues holding his head high. He belonged to the dying breed of honest and upright public servants. Our condolences go out to his wife and family members. May the Almighty shower his blessings on S.A.M. Faleel. G. Weerakoon His
good deeds will be remembered Lt. Col. Gunawardena had retired from the Sri Lanka army. He also had a period of service in the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers of the Royal Army, Sultanate of Oman where he held important positions in the field of engineering. He had a Diploma in Electrical Engineering from the Ceylon Technical College. He was a Commanding Officer of the Ceylon Electrical and Mechanical Engineers effectively supporting the Army. He had an unblemished character, and dedicated service in the Sri Lanka Army. He had his training in Britain and India. He was a devoted husband and loving father. His only ambition was to educate his children in the best way possible. Though he is not with us today, his good deeds will remain in the minds of those who were dear and near to him. He was unassuming and humble and his friends and relations helped wherever possible. Being a devout Buddhist he was active in religious work while in service. He was the Chairman of the Dayaka Sabha at the Naga Vihare, Kotte sometime ago and observed sil on poya days, after retirement. He visited his friends and relatives whenever possible and never missed any function he had to attend. He was holidaying with his wife in Australia and New Zealand for the past three months before his death. They spent one month in Australia with their son and daughter-in-law and two months in New Zealand with their daughter, son-in-law and children. He and his wife returned to Sri Lanka in March and he suddenly fell ill and passed away on the night of March 31. He
leaves his wife, three daughters and two sons. M.A.J. Wijesinghe |
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