Appreciations

Yours was a life that was too short but very sweet. The exit was so swift, so calm, so beautiful. You left us so suddenly. You were only 45 years. It was such a shock to read your obituary in the midst of celebrating the Sinhala Avurudu.

You will always remain the nice young man we all knew. We will never forget your kind heart, your playful nature and your sweet, shy smile. You could never turn away someone who came to you with a request. You were a Good Samaritan and saviour to so many of those employed at Readywear Industries.

As the lucky eldest son of a millionaire businessman, you were born with the proverbial silver spoon, and you lived in the lap of luxury. With your two sisters and two brothers, you led a comfortable and contented life.

It was you who kept the staff of your company together. Your kind and encouraging words kept us going. Whenever we had a problem, we invariably ran to you. You would always laugh and make us feel happy, and we would go back to our seats with lighter hearts.

We all know how much you doted on your mother. “Mummy is waiting – I have to go,” you would say. On our birthdays you never failed to give us gifts – perfumes, creams, chocolates, and most of all clothes. You would tell us to come to your residence on New Year’s Eve to collect the gift parcels you had prepared for us.

Celebrities, such as cricketers Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan, actor Bandu Munasinghe and singer Ronny Leitch, among many others, were among your friends. We saw all of those famous faces at your home the day you lay in your coffin amidst a garden of red roses and other beautiful flowers. You would have been so happy to see all those who came to say their final goodbye to you.

The Readywear crowd of the early ’90s were a very united and happy set How could any of us ever forget you? That is why every single employee of the Union Place head office and others who worked with you, as well as those who had moved on to take up other appointments, all came to pay their last respects to you.

Among those who grieve over your untimely death are Carmalita, Swarna, Chintha, Nalini, Meheroon, Grace, Mr. Croose, Swarna (wages), Amara , the drivers and all the minor staff members who were there working for you at the time.

We miss you so much. Sweet Prince, may you rest in peace.

One short, sweet chapter