Mr. Aubrey Kuruppu – the respected mentor
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Mr. Aubrey Kuruppu was a cricketer, umpire, coach, match referee, column writer, sports reporter and commentator, who won the hearts and souls of different individuals in different fields. He passed away on October 11, 2019 at the age of 74. If he was living today, he would have been celebrating his 75th birthday on March 11, 2020. 1 am writing this with great respect and as a gratitude to him as he is one of the rare human beings we could find in modern day.
My first meeting with Aubrey Sir, took place somewhere in September 1983, where I represented the school Under-15 cricket team. A message was sent to spinners in the junior team of Vidyartha College, Kandy to meet the 1st XI coach. Since Vidyartha did not have a cricket ground of its own at that time, the 1st XI team used to practice in different venues. The day that I met him for the first time, he was coaching the 1st XI team at the side nets in the Bogambara Stadium.
As a 13-year-old schoolboy, I went to him and marked my presence. After introducing myself to him he continued to communicate in English with me, where I was able to only understand what he mentioned. His pace was very slow where a beginner can understand and tone was filled with clarity.
“What do you bowl?” That was the first question and word he asked from me. “Sir, right hand off spin” I answered. “It is not right hand. It is right arm. Always you bowl with your arm and you bat with your hand. Ok?” I accepted his guidance by nodding my head and he always encouraged me to communicate with him in English.
Most of the days we met in the bus while returning home after practices as I was travelling from Gelioya and he was living in official quarters in Peradeniya University. I, as a young schoolboy first get into the bus and reserved a seat for him. Till he reached his destination Meewathura, he used to have a conversation with me in English while correcting my mistakes. It is not only the language; he talks about lot of things. He cracks jokes, yarns and sometime he is whispering melody of some good Sinhala songs and he is asking me to sing such songs slowly. ‘Bindu Bindu Ran Gomara Mala’ is one of his favourite songs!
As a teacher and a coach, he knew to get the best out of students. Until his demise last year on the October 11, 2019, I was a keen student of him. He inspired me for many things during my youth and he was certainly the role model of many players. He has got all kinds of personnel to associate with. Starting from, university lecturers, students, different sports personalities, coaches, students and their parents, siblings these all known to Mr. Kuruppu. If he wants to associate with any person he never looked at the social background or status of a person. His humbleness was flowing throughout from the richest to poor, educated to uneducated and social to anti-social. He did coach at my alma mater Vidyartha College, Kandy for nearly 12 years and latterly he coached at Sri Rahula College, Katugastota. He is a very generous person to help underprivileged students wholeheartedly. And he had a great ability to inspire and to keep the team spirit together with us. Usually he had one of his favourites in the team but he never showed that he is favouring for those out in the field. His selections were very accurate and fair and he never leaves a single instance for somebody to find fault.
Aubrey Sir had the best of interest and commitment for whatever he did. I have never met any individual who is punctual as much as he was. He himself practices honesty to utmost while teaching the values of same to us. After doing my A/Ls, I got five job opportunities. And this time I was closely associating him as I was the one who translated his English sports articles for Sinhala newspapers. Out of those five job opportunities, I opted to join Sri Lanka Navy as an Officer Cadet and I was compelled to find two people who had property values more than SL Rs. 500,000.00 or someone who was earning an annual salary income of the same amount. It was never an easy task in year 1991 and with the greatest difficulty my maternal uncle agreed to sign the bond as surety and I was struggling to find the second one. One evening when I met Aubrey Sir he asked me whether everything is in order to join the Navy. I never had the intention to request for him to sign the bond on behalf of me, yet I mentioned that I couldn’t find another person to sign as surety of the bond. At once he said not to worry and volunteered to sign the bond on behalf of me and as he promised on August 15, 1991 he was smartly attired and was near the clock tower at Chatham Street where the Naval Headquarters was situated to place his signature on behalf of me.
Even though he is born to an Anglican family, I have never seen him frequently going to church. Yet he is a teetotaller, non-smoker. His each and every word, action was harmless and appropriate. He is medium built with an average small body frame. But with the charisma in he presented to his students and others he gained the respect from all parts of society without demanding.
At his funeral one of his students from Rahula College, Katugastota stated that every evening by the time practices were about to start the pavilion and other surrounding areas were occupied by rowdies, drug addicts and cannabis addicts. And he mentioned that when they see the presence of Mr. Kuruppu, all of them gradually moved away from the pavilion without making any fuss. And also he mentioned that Aubrey Sir has not spoken a single word with them at any moment.
The respect he has gained cannot be expressed and explained. As I have completed 28 years in the Navy, I started to drink in mid 20s and I am a social drinker. In my mid 20s I use to drink with my father and elderly uncles. On October 5, 2019, the Vidyartha Old Boys invited Aubrey Sir to grace the occasion as the chief guest and I was there too in that function. In the same function when I wanted to have a word with him I left my glass in some other table and went and spoke to him with empty hands. Even at the age of 49, I never had the guts to go and speak to Aubrey Sir with a glass of spirits in hand.
He earned the respect and love adequately. As he has lectured in the Peradeniya University as an English lecturer for more than 30 years, he was surrounded by a large number of scholars who are holding different positions in the public sector and in the corporate sector. One of his students whom I met at the funeral told me that he is holding a position of Asst. Election Commissioner for one district.
At the university he was caught for placing Mr. Kuruppu’s signature in the student’s attendance list for English lectures to meet the 80% attendance as it was mandatory to sit for the exams. And he got caught for this and Mr. Kuruppu has advised him the repercussion of the act and not to repeat the same. From that day he has had the very close interaction with Aubrey Sir. And he told me even as the Commissioner he use to go to different venues where the school cricket matches are being played and taken the scores to Aubrey Sir in order to write the match results for the newspapers. And he said even as the Asst. Commissioner that he never felt guilty or small by doing that to Mr. Kuruppu as the respect that he had on him is more than his dignity.
Mr. Aubrey Kuruppu may have produced hundreds of cricketers, as a coach, and thousands of students, as a lecturer. But all those students of him have learned cricket and English from him as the second teaching. He was the best mentor ever a sportsperson could have. Until his demise, he was respected, loved by everyone known to him and same will continue to keep that in their hearts until they leave this world. Dear Sir, you are celebrating your 75th birthday today. And I am quite confident that angels in heaven are rallying around you and singing the birthday song for you! Enjoy the day with them dearest sir!
Captain Manjula Dissanayake