Appreciations
View(s):Unforgettable four in the world of trade
D. Eassuwaren, Buggy Surtani, Chandra Jayaratne and Shelton Kakultota
In 1981 the Down Town Duty Free Shopping Complex, the brainchild of the late Lalith Athulathmudali Minister of Trade and Shipping commenced operations in Colombo 3 and took its place as the first ever Down Town Duty Free Shopping Complex in the East. This caused a heavy inflow of traffic from neighbouring countries where they came in large numbers and lavishly spent foreign money to purchase many products at duty free prices.
Within this new set-up the chosen few who were appointed as the first duty free traders were totally unknown to each other and had every reason to be wary and aloof – but it just happened to work out in the opposite direction where we just made friends quicker than anyone would imagine and shared more time with each other knowing unity was strength and then the Duty Free Traders’ Association was formed. During this period I met with some of the most unique and smart gentlemen who were successful to the hilt in every trade they embarked on even while experimenting as the need arose with products and style of business. Despite this they never lost the trait of simplicity and caring for fellow beings. I count myself fortunate to have had their support and cooperation when leading the Duty Free Traders’ Association and can never forget them and thank God for the years we spent in trade and bonded in friendship which is truly unforgettable.
We have sadly lost four very special persons from our midst and I am making a concerted effort to make special mention of them and highlight just a few remarkable traits and career achievements.
Deshabandu D. Eassuwaren who preceded me as president of the Duty Free Traders’ Association, left us just an year ago on January 6. His dynamism in business was equal in measure to his contribution to society. He was chairperson of many associations making the best contacts in the business world and benefited thereby to improve his own trade which grew in leaps and bounds. His was a family business set up by his late father. Due to his own vision he has now left behind a legacy to Easswaren Brothers who are the leaders in value added teas.
Blessed with a strong faith in religion he was deeply involved in promoting Hindu Temples and had much to do with the Hanuman Temple. He was also a strong devotee of St Anthony where during the feast of St Anthony Kochikade we were invited to honour the saint as the chariot passed his residence and it was followed by dinner at his home. He also acceded to a request by a monk to construct a statue of the Samadhi Buddha on a rock at Rambadagala Kurunegala. I would fail if I do not mention that he had a terrific sense of humour and most of the great times we had both here and abroad we could attribute to his wanting to have the best of times with all of us.
Bagawandas Surtani, Buggy to us all, was an affectionate man, gentle and kind, wanting at all times to enjoy with friends and setting the scene for it. He started from the bottom striving to reach to the stars by working tirelessly to build the empire he left behind. He had an uncanny knack of sniffing out possibilities even in the remotest of areas and turning it into a gold mine. We together opened up a shop in Liberty Plaza as the shopping mall opened which I named Exclusive Lines now catering only in branded perfumes and cosmetics. He explored the foreign markets too and secured agencies which made him one of the most successful dealers in upmarket perfumes of our time operating from Singapore. Despite all the success that came his way Buggy had a heart of gold and was a giver and a man of great faith. A gentle giant who won business and hearts on his journey through life.
A truly focused man, hard working, setting goals for himself and achieving all of them, a business icon Chandra Jayaratne left our midst very suddenly recently, leaving me in shock as it was hardly a month prior to his death that he had dinner in my home with our colleagues recalling with much laughter the good old days. Chandra having excelled in school started off in the private sector by working for CIC and later with Elephant House. He then felt he needed to serve the country and joined the army volunteer force in 1971. While a volunteer he joined BCC and left them to join the 5th Regiment of the army as Commanding Officer in 1988 during the riots. Taking an early retirement he went on to develop his own business embarking on distributing pharmaceuticals where he succeeded in becoming a leading distributor, and then went on to invest in estates which covered our leading crops of tea, rubber and coconut. He was also compassionate, ever ready to help and share.
Shelton Kakultota educated at St Benedict’s College joined the private sector from the outset and started his career at Delmege and left them to join Free Lanka Trading Co where he ended up as Director, General Manager due to his honesty, hard work and loyalty. He was a devout Catholic and a family man who was fortunate to see the success of his family in recent times. He also was one who spent most of his time organizing parties, sing a-long sessions etc accompanied by his wife Neliya.
The friendship has been so strong that even though they have sadly left us too soon, the families have now bonded together to keep their memories alive and ensure that Easswaren, Buggy, Chandra and Shelton remain unforgettable. We thank God that we were a part of their journeys.
Christine Fernando
She was the life of any party
Vijayalakshmi SIVAPRAKASAPILLAI
Vijayalakshmi was born in 1941, the second child of the illustrious lawyer, G. G. Ponnambalam and Rose Alagumani, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She went to Ladies’ College in Colombo, where she is remembered for her mischief by her classmates. As a youngster, if a teacher sought to reprimand her, she would burst out with some hilarious comment that even made the teacher chuckle, recalls her sister-in-law Premala.
In her last year, Viji was a school prefect, and as her junior schoolmates, we were always petrified of her. She gave us one hard look and that would quell the noisy and rambunctious line as we proceeded to the chapel. As we saw her, we all dropped our eyes to the ground; and knew enough to behave when Viji was in charge of the corridors outside our classroom.
In the summer of June 1960, Viji got direct entrance to Medical College at Kynsey Road in Colombo, starting medical school. The students worked in groups of five in the Anatomy Lab. Her friends recall a batchmate looking for Viji and telephoning her at home and speaking to her father. Viji’s father, needless to say, went up in smoke when he was informed that her “body partner” was calling!
After graduation and internship, she married Dr Brahman Sivaprakasapillai, an engineer with an esteemed intellect. They were married for 53 years. She had three children, Narayani, Sanjeevan and Darshana. She was a doting mother and raised three loving children. She subsequently moved to the UK and worked there for one year, and acquired her membership in Pediatrics.
In 1977, Brahman moved to the USA and was joined in 1978 by Viji and the children. Brahman had a posting with the UN in New York City. Viji started her Residency in Radiology at Bridgeport Hospital in Connecticut, which was within commuting distance of her home. We reconnected within a few days of their landing in NY city.
Viji and Brahman lived in the suburbs of New York City. She loved to garden and took care of roses, her Karapincha plant and ferns. She loved dinner parties and getting dressed up, like most women do, and attended so many christenings, birthday parties, graduation parties and weddings. Thanksgiving was always in our home in Connecticut, followed by a second celebration in New Jersey. Christmas was in New Jersey with much singing and celebrating.
After her residency was completed, Viji started a private practice in Radiology in Bronx, NY. Some years later she joined a group of hospital radiologists in Binghamton,NY where she was a consultant.
Eventually she retired, after years of dedicated service at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, NY. She sold her second home in Binghampton and settled down in Westchester County outside NY city. She has two delightful grandchildren, Neel and Vaishnavi and her three children have grown up to be responsible and caring individuals.
A few years later she moved to Florida for the winters and to be closer to her son, Sanjeevan and daughter-in-law Maya, a gastroenterologist, and their son Neel. Brahman enjoyed Florida and the turquoise blue waters around him, but Viji hankered for her friends and came back to the Northeast of the USA for the summers. Her party schedule would have overwhelmed anyone else, but you could always rely on Viji to honour the invitations and to attend the function and make people laugh.
In her last few years physical ailments slowed her down, but she still revelled in the company of friends and also continued her philanthropic ways. Viji had a stroke in July 2018 and valiantly dealt with ICUs and daily physical therapy but eventually succumbed to her illnesses in January this year.
Kumu Appapillai Fernando
A true professional
P. Sivasubramaniam
We were shocked and saddened by the sudden and untimely demise of our dear colleague – P. Sivasubramaniam.
He was working with us as a Director, Tax & Business Advisory Services at SJMS Associates until his demise on February 3, 2019. His loss is irreplaceable and memories of him shall always remain with us. We pray to God to give strength to his family to overcome this loss.
I had dealt with Siva previously as a tax practitioner, but we became close when I met him after my retinal surgery as he was scheduled for a follow-up surgery with the same problem.
Sivasubramaniam, who was known to his colleagues as Siva and to all our staff as ‘Sir’, was a simple, understanding, highly knowledgeable, and honest human being. There were instances where his frank opinion and candour made some clients and even us, blush. A true professional and always humble, he never craved recognition. He was a knowledge bank and a walking database of all taxes, labour laws, foreign exchange issues etc. He was a voracious reader and his face would light up every time I brought him magazines and books. Siva was quiet, unassuming, self-effacing and was approachable by even a new recruit.
He is survived by his wife Arunthavesvary, who took good care of him especially during his illness, and sons Janarththan, Sanjayan and Jananthan who are engineers and work in finance and of whom he was very proud.
M. Basheer Ismail
We miss you but we will always celebrate your life
MARCELLINE COLIN OPATHA
“Where do I begin, to tell the story of how great a love can be? Where do I start?”
Four or forty, I was always “thaththi’s girl”.That special bond between father and daughter can never be put down in mere words, but I shall try. He shared the same birthday as Mahatma Gandhi, and in my eyes he was as great, as simple and humble, as unassuming, as unmaterialistic and yet, remained larger than life.
Thaththi was the most intelligent, honest, meticulous, down-to-earth person I have ever met. I count myself blessed to have watched and learnt from the best. He taught me always to put my heart and soul in whatever I undertook –“do it well or don’t do it at all!” This has been my mantra at school, work and in doing my daily chores. He placed great emphasis on the use of correct language – leaving no margins of error in grammar, spelling or punctuation. I am not half as good as you Thaththi but you’ll be proud to know that I still think twice, placing that “comma”, because of you!
He taught me so much by the exemplary, disciplined life he led. He made sure I learnt my “basics” from an early age – Christian faith taking centre stage. I vividly remember my parents teaching me the Lord’s Prayer, circa age 3. The three of us kneeling at my bedside, while I repeated after them in all seriousness, most often incorrectly,which set them off laughing, which of course I couldn’t fathom at that time. He was also an avid reader and recited poems off the cuff even in his late 80’s. Being a renowned Mechanical Engineer, I was proud of his lifelong achievements. Towards the end of his life’s journey he put together various files and manuscripts containing years of engineering knowledge and thus ensured his legacy will live on.He was always fixing and mending whatever was broken around the house. I believe he applied the same principle in his 55 year-long marriage to my mother Pauline, “if something’s broken, you fix it. Not throw it away”. Theirs was an exemplary journey of love, care and support.
Thaththi placed great emphasis on education. I recall how he used to teach me math and science at an early age. I admired his knowledge on an array of subjects. He even coached his granddaughters Santushi and Keshla, just three months before his demise.
He was not an outdoor person but rather, enjoyed watching movies – great Westerns being his favourite. He loved gardening and I remember undertaking many “expeditions” with him. His love of dogs has been passed down from generation to generation. Our house was never devoid of fur, slubbery kisses or continuous waggy tails.
Thaththi lived a full life – surrounded by what mattered most, love and family. I know you wouldn’t want us to mope and sulk but want us to always cherish our time together and hold on to our precious memories. We will always celebrate you!
Losing you was hard, thaththi, there’s not a day that passes that I don’t think of you. Being born after nine years, I was always your precious “punchi” though I stopped being punchi a long, long time ago. I sing “thaththaththarapatiya” or “me gaseboho” countless times in my head, with my eyes closed and I’m teleported to a bygone era.
Kshiara Premaratne
A loving uncle is no more
Upali Ananda Aluwihare
He was Heen putha, Heen malli, Malli, Heen mama, Kudappachi, Kudapps and Ananda to relatives and Alu to his friends – he passed away in California at the age of 80 late last month.
He was born at Owille Walawwe in Aluwihare, Matale as the youngest child of Tikiri Banda Aluwihare and Sirimalwatte Tikiri Kumarihami, his elder siblings being Rupa and late Shirley Clifford.
He had his education at Aluwihare School, St. Thomas’ College Matale and finally at Science College, Matale. He then joined the Survey Department in the mid-1950s. Having risen to the post of Superintendent of Surveyors he took up a position in Zambia during the early 1980s leaving behind a prestigious position, solely to educate his two children, my cousins Lihini and Assaji who are doing well in their chosen fields. Having returned to Sri Lanka in the mid-1990 he served his motherland as a professor at Sabaragamuwa University.
His gracious wife Srimathie (Susie Nanda) predeceased him at a comparatively young age in her mid-50s and that was a great blow to him.
Above all he was such a loving uncle to me and to all my cousins, and of course a great father to Lihini and Assaji.
Anil Ellepola