Appreciations
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familiar voice on the air waves Lalith's voice as a talented and pioneer compere was heard over the radio by listeners in all corners of our country. Lalith among his colleagues at SLBC and outside its portals was fondly called Lalith Aiya. He was a Sinhala poet and composed and sang idyllic folk songs reminiscent of our culture, and traditions on his popular programmes like 'Lamapitiya' aired on the Commercial Sinhala Service of the SLBC. He was a talented musician playing many instruments like the tabla, serpina, guitar and violin. Lalith was proficient in eight languages-among them Sinhala, Tamil, English, Pali, Sanskrit and Hindi. After leaving school he started working as a Courts reporter attached to the Galkissa Courts. From his schooldays he was a skilled artist, singer and composer of folk songs. He had ample opportunities to use these skills when he was attached to the YMBA. His mentor, he recalled always with fondest gratitude was Justice U.A. Perera. Lalith also held the office of Hony. Chairman of the SLBC's Ragun Palaka Mandalaya for four years. He was also a life member of the Sinhala Kavi Mandalaya. Lalith started his broadcasting career as a young relief announcer in 1959/60, at the then Radio Ceylon, Colombo, and also at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. He climbed the ladder of success slowly but steadily. He rose to the coveted post of controller of the Sinhala Commercial Service, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. In recognition of the yeoman service he had rendered to the nation for over 40 years, in the fields of broadcasting, Sinhala folk-lore, and poetry, he was appointed as the Chairman of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation from 1990-1992. For his Sinhala literary proficiency in prose and verse, he was awarded a doctorate - Ph.D. Lit. He held the post of a JP (All Island). Though colleagues addressed him as 'Sir', Lalith with his cheerful smile, would say, "Please don't address me as Sir, but simply say Lalith Aiya." This was the unassuming man who always maintained, "All these high positions are short lived." His beloved wife Ranee (nee Punchihewa) was Lalith's guiding star in his rise to stardom at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. She unfortunately predeceased him about two years ago plunging him into despair. He had no malice to anyone, but showed everybody loving kindness and maithri as he was a staunch Buddhist. May Lalith Attain Nibbana! Gamini G. Punchihewa He
was a friend to all He mixed freely with his subordinates and the minor staff always had a word of admiration for their boss. Although his dealings were with the high-ups in society he never lost the common touch. He was a 'Kalyana Mitthra' to each and every person with whom he kept company. To his neighbours at Nelumpura he was father, friend and advisor to all who turned up at his residence for advice and guidance in matters both legal and personal. To his sisters and brothers he was a tower of strength. They all looked up to him for guidance. He was a dutiful husband and loving father. I would like pay a special tribute to Patrick, for he was more an elderly brother to me than a mere family friend and I recall with gratitude him being the signatory at my children's marriages. May he be happy and contented in all his wanderings in Sansara and may he attain Nibbana . Lakshmi Obeysekera Legal
luminary who cared for the needy Nehru had his early education at Kalutara Vidyalaya and later joined Royal College where he excelled academically. It was an age where Royal produced many of the country's eminent professionals and his contemporaries include many persons now famous in the legal, medical and academic spheres. Perhaps the most famous and brilliant among them was the late Gamini Iriyagolle who was a great friend of Nehru's both at school as well as at the university. I well remember as a schoolboy visiting Gamini together with Nehru at Tichbourne passage in Maradana and meeting Gamini's father, a striking figure, then an independent socialist member of Parliament elected from Dandagamuva to the 1947 Parliament, a famous silver-tongued orator of that era in both English and Sinhala and one of the first of the great translators into Sinhala of the great European novels, one of which was the "Last Days of Pompeii". From his schooldays Nehru was a devotee of cricket and in the days before his death he was following the great battle of the spinners in the Galle Test and had been saddened by Murali's failure to reach the 500 wicket target first. He was himself a left arm fast bowler and was something of a terror during friendly cricket matches in our schooldays. During our days at the university in Peradeniya long before TV, I remember listening with Nehru and our friend S.A.A. Perera to the radio commentaries on the Australia-England Test series during the days of Lindwall, Miller, Hutton, Washbrook, Compton and Edrich. At Peradeniya, Nehru and Gamini were both students at the law faculty during the days of Professor Nadarajah, Raja Goonasekera, and K. Shinya, when the faculty had in all only about 30 students and when the University at Peradeniya boasted of a great academic reputation. Nehru was a Marrs Hall man where Professor O.H. de A. Wijesekera was our warden and A.V. de S. Indraratne our sub-warden, both of whom treated us with great tolerance. Nehru was greatly attached to Marrs Hall and two years ago I am told he was one among a group of old alumni who visited the Hall to assist the present generation of undergrads. He and Gamini spent little time with the law and enjoyed those golden years of the 50's and would nostalgically remember them in later years in particular our many friends and their foibles. It was in Peradeniya that Nehru like many of our English educated contemporaries became interested in Sinhala music. The production of Ediriweera Sarachchandra's Maname was a revelation to us all, and Edmund Wijesinghe, the famous Vedhi Raja was a great personal friend. Throughout his life when we got together, Nehru would urge our friend Charitha Wijeratne who was a master of the Sinhala classics to recite from the Gutthila Kavya and the Selalihini Sandesaya but he was most happy only when Charitha sang from Sarachchandra's Maname Natya and he would join in and entertain us all. After completing the LLB, Nehru was called to the bar joining Christie Weeramanthry's chambers. He remained an active member of the bar till the end. As a civil lawyer he reached the zenith of the profession becoming a President's Counsel and although he was invited many a time to grace higher office he declined preferring the peace of his chambers where he presided over a band of dedicated young barristers. He followed his father in participating in the governance of Buddhist institutions becoming a trustee of the Kalutara Bodhi Trust during the days of V.T. de Zoysa and a Governor of the Y.M.B.A. By the early 1980s he had reached the peak of his profession and contributed much to Buddhist activities. It was as much as anyone could humanly be expected to do. But the best was yet to come.In 1984 a friend of his returning from a visit to the rain-fed areas of the Northern Anuradhapura District described to him the plight of the peasantry in this area and in particular the abject poverty of the few families who inhabited the area around Tantirimale Temple, one of the most ancient Raja Maha Vihares of the North Central Province, the home of a reclining Buddha similar to that of the Gal Vihare of Polonnaruwa. He was told of the valiant efforts of the then Chief monk of the temple to sustain these people and the need to assist them. Nehru thought that he might use his influence in the Y.M.B.A. and among Buddhist organizations and persons to channel some support, aid and medical assistance to these people. He was urged to make a visit to Tantirimale to do an on-the-spot survey of the situation. Nehru essentially an urban man used at the most to do his daily trip to Hulftsdorp and occasionally to Kalutara was aghast but knew the journey had to be made. So together with the late Eric Amerasinghe, another legal luninary and a leading light of the Y.M.B.A. with a carefully prepared hamper of sandwiches and other good things the two of them took off on the journey. When they returned they told of a situation of such want and scarcity that moved the heartstrings of many people of influence. Nehru became the kingpin in the plan to revive the Tantirimale community and he became a weekly visitor to Tantirimale supervising the building of houses, wells, support for agricultural activities and the organizing of medical Shramadanas by doctors. Today Tantirimale is a vibrant community with many settlers from other parts of the district. However this success at Tantirimale stimulated Nehru only to greater efforts. This was a period when the LTTE was making many attacks on the people of Northern Anuradhapura District, the Vavuniya District and on the Weli Oya area. Displaced peasants of all communities were thrown to the mercy of the elements. Their condition even in the best of times was bad but in a situation of war they were greatly in need of assistance. Together with the assistance of T.K. Dasanayake, then Government Agent of Anuradhapura District, one of the most enlightened and effective Government Agents of the last two to three decades, he formed the Wijeyabahu Trust to channel assistance to the poor people in these war- torn areas. They were greatly assisted by superior officers of the services and by the high Police officials in those areas who had very direct knowledge of the area and the condition of its people. Nehru continued his weekly visits now more to Vavuniya and much of it was with the assistance of the services through mine infested areas to villages which could be reached over virtually non-existent roads. He always viewed these hazards with equanimity and continued with his efforts without any hestitation. He was on first name terms with most of the people serving in those areas and many of the mourners today are his fellow workers from these campaigns. In his efforts to raise funds for these activities he did not restrict his efforts to Sri Lanka. Together with the late V.T. de Zoysa he travelled to London, New York and Los Angeles to raise funds from Sri Lankan communities in these cities. In those meetings they were successful in conveying to our Sri Lankan brethren the desperate plight of many of those who lived in their motherland. Nehru had a resilient spirit and could work with single-minded purpose that stood him well when his country was in need. In his last years he took solace in his work for Buddhist institutions and charities, he became Chairman of the Kalutara Bodhi Trust and worked hard to support the temples of the Kalutara District. He also assisted his dear friend and mentor Christie Weeramanthry, without doubt the most eminent Sri Lankan in the international arena in the Weeramanthry Centre For Peace, Education and Research. He leaves behind his wife Chandra who together with his friends throughout the island will miss him very much. Ananda Meegama |
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