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Appreciations He was a Member of Parliament for more than 20 years and Deputy Education Minister from 1965 to 1970. He held several cabinet portfolios thereafter, namely, Health, Agriculture and Agricultural Research and Food and Co-operatives. He was the President of the Maha Bodhi Society of Sri Lanka for several years, Chairman of the Anagarika Dharmapala Trust and Trustee of the Maha Bodhi Society of India. I first came to know Mr. Jayasuriya around 1982 when I was Chairman of the Ceylon Fertilizer Corporation. The Corporation which was under the President was brought under the Ministry of Agriculture at a time when Mr. Jayasuriya was minister. In view of this change, I wished to offer my resignation to him allowing him to make a new appointment, if he so wished. When I finally met the genial minister, we engaged in a friendly conversation on general matters, and at the end of that warm dialogue, the offer of a resignation did not arise. In 1984, I expressed to Mr. Jayasuriya my wish to relinquish the post of Chairman since I also held the post of Director at the National Fertilizer Secretariat. He reluctantly agreed. He invited me to serve on the Board of Management of the Maha Bodhi Society of Sri Lanka, fulfilling a great desire in me to work with this affable man. The hallmark of his political career and the action for which he will be remembered came with his resignation from the government in 1987 in protest against the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. He announced to a shocked nation that he was abandoning politics for the cause of Buddhism and the Sinhala people. Many would dispute the validity of the reasons but perhaps none would contest the sincerity of his action. During a Government Parliamentary Group meeting where President Jayewardene explained the Indo-Lanka Accord, there appeared to be no objections till Mr. Jayasuriya stood up and declared that he was opposed to the accord and would resign from the government forthwith. A few days after his resignation, he was washing his car at his residence at Kollupitiya, when a man passing on the road approached him and asked, "Sir, why are you washing the car?" He replied that he no longer had government drivers to perform the task. The man, himself a driver, washed the car for him. This spontaneous action of an unknown person was a reflection of the respect the general public bore for Mr. Jayasuriya. On an earlier occasion, in the early 1960s, the government of Sirima Bandaranaike introduced legislation for the takeover of private secondary schools owned by religious institutions. The UNP, then in opposition, opposed this measure. Buddhist opinion at the time was strongly in favour of the takeover of schools by the government. Being a strong supporter of the Buddhist cause, he found it against his conscience to oppose the legislation. This caused him great pain of mind. Fortunately, a provision in the UNP constitution provided that a legislator may be permitted to abstain from voting on grounds of conscience. This provision saved the day for Mr. Jayasuriya. Towards the latter part of his life, Mr. Jayasuriya took much interest in the practice of the Dhamma, especially mental development or Bhavana. He became a regular meditator and often visited the Vipassana Meditation Centre at Wijerama Mawatha in Colombo. In 1991, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Maha Bodhi Society of Sri Lanka, he organised a 10-day residential meditation course for around 350 people. This event at considerable cost was an introduction to meditation for many and contributed to the popularisation of meditation in the country. As we commemorated the birth and death anniversaries of Mr. Jayasuriya, a question that came to mind was whether the country and the people have done enough to revere the memory of a public figure who made great sacrifices for what he thought was right. People often complain that we do not have men of integrity to guide the destiny of the nation. However, those few who possess these characteristics are often forgotten all too soon after the initial glorification. May his journey
through Samsara be comparatively calm and smooth and may he attain
the bliss of Nibbana. You're
always in our hearts A source
of comfort to all After an association spanning more than 60 years, it was indeed sad to lose Kanapathipillai Annai. A highly principled
and non-controversial character, he was one of the first to present
himself in national attire for an interview to enter the Civil Service
during colonial times. Mr. Kanapathipillai was never self-centred and had an expansive outlook in life. He would often give his point of view but also listen patiently to others' point of view. The last years of his life were dogged by illness, but he bore the pain silently. He was a source
of comfort to all and true friend in adversity as well as in prosperity.
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