Lionel Mendis – My uncle and coach
The legendary coach
Rajapaksha Manikkunambi Saddasena Lionel Mendis was a well known cricket coach and a teacher. To me, he was an uncle, my fathers’ elder brother. His 83rd birth anniversary falls on September 15, 2018.
‘Loku thaththa’ was very fond of me as a kid and I, very much attached to him. At every visit we made to ‘loku nanda’s at Quarry Road, Dehiwala, he would come out of his room to welcome me. Then, I would sit on his lap in the living room, in the company of amma and thaththa, loku nanda and loku mama and my cousins. He would then take centre stage and start entertaining all of us with stories, jokes and songs. He sang in Sinhala, English and Tamil, and even in Hindi. We all enjoyed his company. The atmosphere was even greater at family gatherings int Ambalangoda, where we were joined by podi nanda and family, along with achchi. We would all hang around him to be entertained. What an entertainer he was.
Later, when I started playing cricket, thaththa, who coached me at home, enrolled me into the NCC School of Cricket, where loku thaththa was the head coach. At NCC, I addressed him as “Sir”, as I was just another pupil. Under his watchful eyes,I, not only learned the basics of cricket but also the basics of life too. Loku thaththa would say that cricket is a ‘Gentleman’s game’ and you need to be a gentleman, before you become a cricketer. He also said that cricket is a gift from the British and you need to play it the way Englishmen do. He was very concerned about our turnout and ensured we dressed smartly on and off the field. He taught us the finer points like how to carry the bat, how to walk to the grounds, and how to return to the pavilion, when to wear a hat or a cap, how to address an umpire, basic courtesies to the opponents etc… He taught us to play the game hard and also to enjoy it. He always insisted on fair play. A cricketer groomed under him is easy to recognize, on and off the field. I can imagine the influence he had on his students at Thurstan, Ananda, Nalanda, Sri Sumangala Panadura and NCC. This was evident from the large number of people who attended his funeral. This included not only his students, but members of teams which played against his teams.
I’m pretty certain he had a greater cricketing dream for me, than I had for myself, from the effort he took to make me a cricketer. I can remember, Mahela (Jayawardane) and I playing for Nalanda Under-15, and batting at Nos. 3 and 4 respectively. He would employ 2 new balls against us during practices at NCC, saying we should be prepared to bat against the new ball, in the event of 2 quick wickets falling. This came in very handy in the tournament, especially for Mahela. He predicted that Mahela would one day play for Sri Lanka. After practices at NCC, I would walk with him to the bus stop in front of the SLBC. He would never fail to buy a snack and a cup of tea for me, from the snack bar near the bus stop.
When I joined the Kotalawela Defence Academy, loku thaththa, himself a former Lieutenant, was very keen to know the progress of my military career. Whenever I met him, he would and inquire into the progress I was making. I’m pretty certain he was the happiest, besides amma and thaththa, when I was awarded the Sword of Honour at my Commissioning. He treated me as his own and was very proud of my achievements.
It is a coincidence that my son bears the same initials as his, and he was overjoyed to hear it. He would entertain my son in the same manner he did for me, when I was a kid. He enjoyed these meetings much more, because unlike me, my son would also join him in entertaining the crowd.
Loku thaththa was a very religious man, especially during the latter part of his life. He became a teetotaler and a strict vegetarian. I was very upset when thaththa broke the news of his illness, when I was abroad on training. Loku thaththa chose not to tell any of us about it until late, and decided not to fight it. This was because he did not want any one of us worrying over him. He even went to the extent of arranging for his expenses during his last stages. He planned his last journey with minimum trouble to his family.
I visited him daily at the hospital, during his last days. Even then he would keep us smiling. His last advice to me was to look after the interests of my son and to provide guidance to him. I was there on his last day and was aggrieved to see his lifeless body.
The impact he made on those he came across was evident from the people who gathered to pay their last respects to him.
Loku thaththa was a man of principles who went out of his way to impart knowledge and instil values and qualities to his students. To me, he was a dear uncle who loved me silently.
Dear loku thaththa, may you attain the supreme bliss of Nirvana.
-Akhila putha