Appreciations

Among my several cousins, Vivekanandarajah better known as Vive stood out from the rest since he was the only son of my father’s only brother. But as fate would have it, he succumbed to a rare illness, termed Motor Neurone Disease, in Cochin, India on October 18, having been hurriedly flown from Canada for specialist ayurvedic attention.

Vive first attended St. Anthony's College, Wattala and then Wesley College, Colombo before he joined the Post & Telegraphic Department as an inspector. He rose to the rank of D.I.T. within a short period. It was as D.I.T Mount Lavinia that he carved a name for himself. With his calm, cool and easy manners, he earned a wide circle of friends and customers. His humanistic attitude towards his staff and his ability to mix with people from all strata in society made him the most popular and sought-after officer in the department.

It is at this time of his illustrious career, he was urged by his wife and in-laws who had migrated to Canada after the 1983 riots to join them. He was sad to leave the department in 1987 on premature retirement, leaving behind friends, customers and the country he loved very much.

Having settled down in Toronto with his wife and only child, he was soon running an agency post office named Royal Bank Plaza before venturing into the catering business in 1993, utilizing the technical expertise of his wife Kamala, a home science graduate. He named the catering centre “Raja Ram” coining the end of his name with that of his son Ramesh.

Raja Ram catering service caught the local market of Toronto and was soon a craze among expatriates from Sri Lanka and South India. The catering service bloomed into a large profitable concern with hundreds of employees and was soon to become a challenge to other leading hotels and food centres. No Sri Lankan wedding function or get-together was complete without their expert catering services.

Vive, as he was in Mount Lavinia, became a popular figure in Ontario. Immaculately dressed at all times, he was a benevolent figure caring for the needs of his employees who adored him in return. He was the godfather of my two daughters in Canada and a tower of strength in their lives.

A few years ago, he made a sudden visit to Sri Lanka with his wife and was in Colombo meeting all his friends. He also visited his native place Karaveddy, met his long lost relatives and paid homage to local temples, including the Nagappooshana Amman Temple in Kayts.

He leaves behind his beloved wife, loving son and his only grandson, little Gauutham. I miss him dearly. May he attain the supreme bliss of Moksha under the feet of our deity Thatchanthoppu Vinayagar.

The taste of his life from post to meals