Letters to the Editor
View(s):
The sign board from the High Level end
Lost In translation
Railway Avenue has an entrance from High Level Road (adjoining the NSBM building and Water Tech) and from Stanley Thilakaratne Mawatha, Nugegoda (adjoining Arpico Showroom).
The entrance from the High Level Road belongs to the Colombo Municipal Council. The entrance from Stanley Thilakaratne Mawatha belongs to the Kotte Municipality.
The Sinhala translation of the two sign boards at the two entrances differ from each other though they are of the same road. It used to be known as “Dumriyapola Mawatha”. Neither sign board has this so we are unaware, if the name had been changed.
Kindly rectify this as soon as possible as we are required to give the correct address on official documents. Eg: The National Identity Card.
Address ne
Nugegoda
The sign board from the Nugegoda end
Dishonesty lurking around even inside a Church
I read with interest A. Paul’s letter, ‘Thank goodness for honest people!’ He and his wife are lucky to have found ‘honest people’. I have had nothing but bad experiences in the past two weeks.
My wallet was stolen in a Wellawatte Church, last week, at 11 a m. We moved house two weeks ago, so many expensive things went missing, stolen. A friend who moved three months ago also had so many things stolen.
So, Mr. Paul, I daresay, there are many, many dishonest people lurking around, waiting for a chance to prey on people’s belongings.
Even a place of worship is not safe.
When people experience this sort of thing, they must always make it known – so that others are warned.
Mrs. R. Goonewardene
Dehiwela
It will take donkey’s years to drill ethics into our parliamentarians
It has been normal or a standard practice among politicians, to fight among themselves in the Parliamentary lobby, but these crude tactics are nothing but to fatten their egos and definitely not for the betterment of the country. These politicians who are elected by the people, and some of them not so elected to represent them, are just engaged in a show of thuggery and not serving the aspirations of the masses who elected them with much expectations.
Most of us don’t know that these time servers who are elected just for five years, are taking us for a ride. None of them, denounces the perks and privileges offered to them and enjoyed with much abundance except for a few gentlemanly parliamentarians. Hordes of parliamentarians we see in the print and electronic media, invading the well of the House just to express their displeasure over trifling issues– which we did not see in the good old days–except on a few occasions. An all-night session was performed by these parliamentarians several months ago in the well of the assembly, just to show disapproval over a certain issue.
There should be a stop to all these disgraceful acts. Corrective measures should be taken by the Speaker to curb this trend of unruly behaviour irrespective of party affiliations, to maintain the sanctity of this August assembly, the Parliament. Our politicians could take a lesson from the forthright decision taken by the former British premier David Cameron to step down after losing the EU referndum. 52% of the voters at the referendum rejected David Cameron’s call to remain in the EU and opted to severe all connections with the EU.
Mr. Cameron respected their view and decided to step down from the premiership and the leadership of the Conservative Party, in a gentlemanly manner.
Would any of our own politicians resort to such action of stepping down from their high pedestals of power, if they faced such a situation? Instead we see our politicians vying with each other to buy millions worth of vehicles for their purported duties towards their constituents. One high profile politician is yet fighting tooth and nail to grab power despite being discarded by the people after his two legitimate terms.
It might take donkey’s years to inculcate dignified Parliamentary ethics to these present day politicians of Sri Lanka.
The old adage comes to mind, when I analyse the behaviour of some of our politicians, ‘It is folly to be wise, where ignorance is Bliss’.
Lionel Caldera
Battaramulla
The soft-spoken, impeccably attired surgeon with great skill
The recent article on Dr. Noel Bartholomeusz by Kumudini Hettiarachchi in the Sunday Times (Plus) of August 21 prompted me to write this piece.
Dr. Bartholomeusz (‘Batho’ to his friends and colleagues) was among the first batch of doctors to be sent to the UK for post graduate training, which at that time meant obtaining the FRCS (London) in the immediate post-war period. This practice had come to a standstill during the war years 1939- 1945. During this period Dr. Bartholomeusz honed his skills working as a surgeon in provincial hospitals.
The other surgeons who accompanied him on the sea voyage to London were Dr. P.R. Anthonis, Dr. L.D.C. Austin and Dr. D. de S. Gunewardene.On his return Dr. Bartholomeusz was appointed Consultant surgeon to the General Hospital Colombo, along with the other three surgeons.
I had the good fortune to clerk under him as a medical student in the mid-fifties and got the opportunity to assist him in a couple of operations.He was a maestro with amazing technical skills. I vividly remember a hemimandibulectomy (removal of half the jaw due to an invasive oral cancer) with block dissection of lymph nodes he performed.
His long slender fingers effortlessly performed some of the most complicated manoeuvres meticulously and methodically, the field was always bloodless.
He was always the perfect gentleman — soft-spoken and polite, incapable of losing his temper. He would enter the ward in his trademark white satin twill suit with a purple orchid in the buttonhole.
Cultivating orchids was his hobby and passion.
Along with all his other colleagues he indulged in private practice. This was not the time and soul consuming activity it is today.
Around a dozen patients would be comfortably seated on verandah chairs waiting to be examined in an old fashioned consulting room. The most patronised and imposing Nursing homes (as they were called then) were the Durdans and Central, both old residences converted to hospitals– but I’m digressing.
Rumours of Dr. Bartholomeusz’s kidney disease (polycystic kidneys) were in circulation for some time. He would have been aware of the subsequent life-threatening situation which would arise, but he never let this dark shadow looming over him affect his lifestyle and continued with his normal activities and private practice even in the last few years when he was undergoing dialysis at home.
It is fitting that the memory of this great couple is preserved in the beautiful home they lived in and cherished, by the College of Surgeons he nurtured.
Premini Amerasinghe
Kandy