APPRECIATIONS
View(s):Memories go back to Kindergarten days
M. M. SIDDIQ GHOUSE
Siddiq Ghouse has been one of my best friends since we first talked to each other in Mrs. Croning’s (she was the aunt of another friend Angus Croning) Kindergarten Class at Royal Primary. We stayed close friends during these early years where he distinguished himself both academically as well as in sports.
I remember very clearly going with him for football (soccer) practice while in 6 C. We both tried out for the team: we had to kick the ball into the goal which had a net with numbers at different levels. I missed the mark whereas Siddiq made the team. He was also always on the academic honours list announced every few weeks over the public address system at the school, and capped off his career by being named a school prefect, a great honour.
We both entered Royal College in 1956 and throughout those years we were cricket fans. At the beginning we only played book cricket! Later we had quick lunches and listened to the radio commentaries of the Test matches at the back of the stage in the Royal College Hall during the lunch interval. During the cricket season we would meet on Friday afternoons, go to the ‘Kadalay man’ at the entrance to the school, buy the items, and then walk in the scorching sun to watch our home games on the college grounds.
Siddiq and I were also pop and country music fans. We used to exchange “hit parade” booklets and copy the words of many songs! We carried this interest over the years.
I lost contact with Siddiq during my first post College years but we rekindled our friendship during our almost annual visits to Sri Lanka from the US. We visited each other’s families and my wife Rosemary and I became friends of them all. We would meet alternately at our families’ homes in Sri Lanka for a meal; Siddiq’s family gave us a feast every time.
We were fortunate to meet his son Shiham and his lovely family on one of these trips. We also got to meet Shiham’s wife and Dr. Cassim and his family as well.
Siddiq visited me in Rockford, Illinois on one of his trips to Toronto. We last met him in June this year in Colombo during the economic crisis. The three of us went out for lunch and decided to meet again in Rockford when he came over to Canada and we kept in contact on WhatsApp.
After his return to Toronto, Siddiq and I decided to have another mini reunion in Rockford. I cannot express enough the sorrow I felt when Shiham told me shortly after, of his passing away.
But there is more to Siddiq that you need to know. He was very kind, gentle, soft spoken and compassionate, a loyal friend always ready to help others. He had great values: he was honest, ethical, and sincere, and very devout in his faith – a role model for younger generations, someone not swayed by the times.
Siddiq had all the qualities of what it was to be a product of our alma mater Royal College. He lived by the higher rules of life. The quintessential Royalist and ultimate gentleman.
Our prayers are with his family.
Dr Errol Baptist
A wonderful constant in my life is now lost forever
Nalini Padmaperuma
I did not get a chance to bid goodbye to my sister, Nalini, the eldest in our family of six siblings. Loku Akka, as we used to call her, and I had our usual weekly conversation on Saturday. We shared family news, lamented the state of the country, and laughed over a silly joke on YouTube. And shockingly, by Monday morning, barely two days later, on September 25,
this vibrant human being was gone.
My sister was a healthy nonagenarian, living her life as she wanted, dismissive of any suggestions that she should slow down. While I will miss her deeply for the rest of my life: she left this world as she lived: on her own terms. Hurrah for that!
My sister was a trained English teacher, who taught generations of students in schools in and around Colombo. While she did have responsible administrative positions in many of the schools where she was a faculty member, her main passion was teaching English. She took such pleasure in teaching the finer points of grammar, proper pronunciation in spoken English, and took pride in coaching her students in writing well-crafted essays. The many accolades she received from her former students, from all walks of life, attest to the high esteem she enjoyed among them.
Loku Akka was a devout Buddhist. She was an active Dayaka of the neighbourhood Isipathanaramaya temple. While she was well versed in the core doctrine of Buddhism, and lived by its exemplar principles, she also initiated and participated enthusiastically in religious activities, including rituals and festival conducted at the temple. Once when I questioned her on some of these customs and rituals, she explained that for a religion like Buddhism to thrive and grow, Buddha poojas, Gilan pasa poojas etc. are necessary in order to nurture community engagement that inculcate reverence and respect for the religion, especially its message of non-violence, while bringing the community together for peaceful pursuits.
Loku Akka’s annual Vesak Sil redi campaign was legendary. While she could easily afford to finance the purchase herself, that was not the point. All of us were brought into the fold for contributions: not necessarily with gentle persuasion. It gave her immense satisfaction to see the
Sil Redi distributed among the
needy devotees.
As a family, we grew up in Molligoda, Wadduwa. Soon, the siblings were scattered in Colombo, Kandy and in the West. Loku Akka, continued to keep in touch with the Molligoda neighbourhood and especially with the main Buddhist temple. She travelled the 20 miles from her home in Colombo to attend temple events including the Katina Pinkama.
Padme, Loku Akka’s husband passed away some years ago. They were a great team and were parents to three wonderful children, Gayathri, Bimali and Rasika. While she maintained a very close relationship with all three of them, she was in particular deeply appreciative of the care rendered by Bimali, who was the only one of her children living in Sri Lanka. She adored her three grandchildren. My sister was “Loku-Loku” Amma to eight nieces and nephews. She embraced them in her loving fold.
As for me, her sudden death brought the shocking realization that a wonderful constant in my life was now lost forever. We did not always agree, but I will treasure our many conversations, from the profound to the mundane.
Above all, what we will miss most was her seemingly effortless ability to bring out the best in people. Maya Angelou captured it best: “People will forget what you said, People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Vidya Samarasinghe
Badulla entrepreneur who blazed his own trail
Ajith Wattuhewa
Ajith Wattuhewa, former president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL-2014-2015) and former senior vice president of SAARC CCI (2016 -2017) was born in Badulla, the second child in a well-known business family. He was fondly called “Wathu” by his friends. He had his education in Badulla.
Later, he followed the National Diploma in Technology at the University of Moratuwa and chose a career path of entrepreneurship. He started manufacturing rebuilt tyres and within a short period, became a big supplier in the Uva Province. His success was attributed to his simple business conviction – simple in words but deep in thought – creating wealth for the nation through sustainable business, where employees play an equally important role in the business.
He won the Provincial Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Uva Province in 2016.
From childhood, Wathu had a rare self-assertiveness. His first public engagement happened even before he became an entrepreneur. In the late 80s while at university, his indomitable leadership traits and confidence, led him to form the Badulla District Chamber of Commerce (later named the Uva District Chamber of Commerce) to fight for the cause of rural entrepreneurs. He developed the chamber to become one of the most active regional chambers in Sri Lanka with a wide sectoral representation.
In 2014 Wathu became the president of FCCISL and it was the first time a regional chamber representative had become president of FCCISL. He had a wealth of experience and knowledge on rural entrepreneurship and its challenges. He was sensitive to the economic issues of the country and strongly felt the need for businessmen to take over the leadership in the political arena. He was an ardent supporter of entrepreneurs being candidates without affiliations to any political party.
He worked selflessly for the revival of FCCISL. Wathu was very keen to grant equal rights and recognition to all in the business community and this philosophy eventually paved the way for FCCISL to elect its first lady chairperson from the Central Province Women’s Chamber. He commenced structural changes to the FCCISL governance model, empowering the secretariat, providing recognition for regional chambers, improving transparency, establishing the SAARC Trade Promotion Network (SAARC TPN). The active participation of Sri Lankan delegates at overseas trade fairs, and well attended Turning Point (Investment Forum 2015) were successfully done under his leadership. A visionary and proactive leader, he took over as the senior VP of the SAARC CCI in 2016.
He was not without weaknesses. Trusting everyone and his openness sometimes resulted in losses in his own businesses. But he absorbed these with a wry smile.
He had the rare quality of giving up social status or titles even before the expiry of such tenures. In retrospect, I believe it was a premonition he had; many times he spoke to me about his early exit from this world. We sadly lost Wathu at the prime of his life – when he had so much more left to give! He would have celebrated his 57th birthday last month.
My memory reminds me of the day I joined FCCISL. I expected advice and directions from this well experienced chamber activist. To my surprise he had only one thing to say – “I have a request for you.” I asked him what it was. His response was “You should have the courage to tell me whenever I go wrong!”
Wathu would have taken over the leadership of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry by 2018 but gave up due to personal reasons. Therefore his loss is felt by the FCCISL but SAARC CCI as well.
Many people identified Wathu and myself as Guru and disciple but we too had differences of opinions and our own ways of doing things. These though created an inseparable bond between us. Having worked very closely with Wathu for many years and looking at his short span of life I remembered the Buddha’s words –‘Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship’.
Wathu left a legacy which has a lasting impact on FCCISL. History will be the best judge of his leadership.
Stay blessed, Wathu.
Ajith D. Perera
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