Appreciations
View(s):A source of strength and a joy to know
Dr. Mahinda De Silva Jayasinghe
Dr. Mahinda De Silva Jayasinghe, a Specialist Consultant, talented cricketer, devoted father, loving husband, caring brother-in-law and good friend is no more.
From the day he joined our family, he was a source of strength and support as well as a joy to know.
He was a caring human being full of humour, with a love of music, art, and literature. He enjoyed listening to his favourite composers, in particular Mozart.
There was no subject he could not talk on with authority and knowledge. It was a pleasure to be in his company. An immaculate dresser, he loved a good yarn.
Mahinda introduced us to fine American wines, and I fondly remember having a glass of wine with him and Indra.
He was a skilled Specialist Consultant who built a successful medical practice with state of the art technology. I recall walking into his office seeing all those monitors and being hugely impressed. We had nothing like it in my late husband’s surgery in Dapto, NSW, Australia.
He was a fountain of knowledge, particularly on Sri Lankan history, culture and people. He was well travelled having lived in three continents, with a love of Swedish furniture, German cars and American wines.
Chanaka, Hasantha and I will cherish his memory, and although we cannot be with you, Indra and Saman, I hope you get comfort from knowing we care and that we are with you in spirit.
Mahinda has left a legacy in all that he has done for family and friends and will live in our hearts and minds for ever.
May he attain the final bliss of Nibbana.
Mohini Gunasekera
He strived for perfection in everything he did
AJIT R. DE SILVA
Ajit was a staunch Trinitian and was the Bishop’s representative on the Board of Governors. He contributed immensely towards the upgrading of his alma mater. He loved his school as much as he loved his wife Chandra and two daughters Asha and Tehana, son-in-law Dilshan and granddaughters Seraiah and Shemaiah.
Ajith was the son of Dr. Ned de Silva & Constance of Kandy. Ajit’s grandmother Hilda and my grandmother Beatrice were sisters; both daughters of Jacob de Mel. Although we were related we actually became friends when we both worked at Aitken Spence Printing Department in1972. Ajit was working in production and I was in sales at the time. As colleagues the friendship grew stronger. We then decided to branch out and Ajit went on to manage Middleway Printing Ltd. and I went as GM of Caxton Printing Works Ltd. From Middleway he joined Kelani Printers Ltd. and I decided to form my own company with some other partners.
With the experience gained in printing, Ajit had a brainwave to start a trading business in the field of printing and formed a partnership in 1978 with two friends Dulal Wijeyasinghe and myself calling it DAC Graphics. D for Dulal, A for Ajit and C for Christopher. This was a very successful venture with Ajit being the captain and steering the ship on the right course. The business was procuring and indenting raw materials and machinery for the printing industry. The partnership was healthy and lucrative indeed.
Later, we formed a subsidiary called Graphico. My son Romeish worked with both companies for many years. Much later Ajit decided to buy the two of us up and carried on DAC Graphics on his own with daughter Tehana joining him. However, the friendship went on until his sad demise on November 18, 2020 after a very brief illness.
Ajit de Silva was ambitious, hardworking, methodical to the core and strived in everything he did for perfection but never neglected his family life and his friends. A faithful servant of Christ, he worshipped at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Jawatte Road.
The Lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’- Matthew 25:23
May your soul Rest in Peace, brother.
Chitto Dias
I will never forget the love she gave me from my childhood days
NINETTE AMIBELLE ZEENA PEIRIS (NEE FERNANDO)
It is with deep sorrow and affection that I write this appreciation of my beloved aunt ‘Sudu Nanda’ who passed away on November 15, at the age of 80. She always had a special love for me and my husband Asela and we miss her very much.
She joined our family when she married my ‘Loku Bappa’ Tilney, my late father Terence’s younger brother in 1961 and they lived a happy wedded life together for 48 long years until Loku Bappa’s death in 2009 at the age of 74. Sudu Nanda was a loving mother to Podi Malli (Ninesh) and Nangi (Nilendrini) and to Eromi and Kumar who she never considered as in-laws. They looked after her well until the end.
She considered her grandchildren a gift from God and spent as much time with them as possible. She was so happy on the day her eldest grandson Trevine got married to Sachini and also when Eroshan was born on Loku Bappa’s 57th birthday. As Nangi’s family lived with her,
Kushan and Nashali spent most of the time with their achchi.
Sudu Nanda was born on August 6, 1942 to Colin and Bella Fernando of Moratuwa and she had three brothers Findley, Ashley and Stafford who predeceased her. She was educated at Princess of Wales College, Moratuwa, where her classmates yet remember her as a student who carried away the prize for needlework quite often. She was also a good cook and an expert in making sweets like marshmallows, Turkish delight, coconut rock and milk toffee. Her love cake was the best I have tasted. She made many sweets for my son Asanjay’s wedding tea. She used to bring her delicious caramel pudding and ‘peni appa’ quite often when she visited us. Her ‘Bogiyas’ were my son’s favourite which she used to send him whenever possible.
Loku Bappa was a vintage car enthusiast as well as an owner and together they used to take part in vintage car rallies very often. As their seven-year-old flower girl, I remember the wedding cake structure too was a red MG vintage car. At one of the rallies just after their wedding, both of them dressed up as a Hindu bride and groom and won the prize for the best couple in fancy dress. I still recall what a radiant Hindu bride she looked.
Sudu Nanda was kind to all, soft spoken, hated none and always greeted each visitor with a sweet smile. I will never forget the love she gave me since I was a small child.
She possessed great faith in God and she was one of the leaders at the Rawatawatta Methodist Church. She took an active part in the Women’s Union and along with Loku Bappa was a member of the Church choir sometime back. She never missed the Sunday Service until the curfew was imposed this October. She gave me my first ‘Upper Room,’ to read when I was living outstation and encouraged me to write sermons and was very happy to hear me delivering the word of God. She always wanted me to give the sermons or to have a prayer on her birthdays.
She celebrated her 80th birthday on August 6 this year and I felt honoured to have conducted the service with my cousin sister Dilhani. She was extremely happy that her granddaughter Nashali made her a very special 80th birthday cake.
You loved me so much and considered me as your Loku Duwa. Thank you for all what you have done for me. You will always be remembered and may you rest in peace until we meet on that beautiful shore.
Trishanthi Peiris Fernando