Appreciations
|
|
|||
A
bright star has left us I met her last a couple of months ago, when she was back at home after a few weeks stay at the Gampaha Base Hospital. Almost everybody in Thihariya knew her. I called her "Noor Teacher". She was a lady full of kindness. She was a government teacher. Retired from government service for the past decade, she lived at Hijra Mawatha with her family. All of Gampaha District has been her educational territory. So, many students witnessed her untiring dedication and devotion. "Noor" or "Noory" in Arabic literally means "Bright" or "Brightness". Who gave her this name I don't know, but she strived hard to maintain the sanctity of her name. She was bright. The bright Noor Teacher of Hijra Mawatha, Thihariya. On Saturday April 3 her children had taken her to Gampaha Hospital again. Since the medical advice they got was not so positive they had brought her back home. But everything ended on Sunday, April 4. In the morning she passed away and at 4 in the evening we prayed for her at the Masjid-ul-Raula in front of the cortege. I regarded her as my elder sister who supported and encouraged me on numerous occasions. We will remember her as a kind lady who was a sister, a teacher, a wife, a mother, an aunt, a grandmother and a good neighbour. Dear "Noor Teacher", may Almighty Allah shower His merciful blessings on you. May she attain Jennathul Firdouse ! Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Lillahi Rajhoon Haji Abdul Kareema Nandasena She
bore all pain with a smile On the day she chose for her final adieus, she had the rare privilege of gathering all who were near and dear to her as it was the christening party of a great grand-daughter, the latest addition to the family. She was my only sister and when our mother died she was a pretty maid of 19 and I a toddler of three. Until her death, she was both mother and sister to me. Looking back, I see the days when my Royal Crown Copy Book was wet with tears after a beating from father for careless handwriting. She came to my rescue by writing whole pages of the Royal Crown and spared me from many a beating. Now she has left us and gone to meet our precious parents. Brenda, may you be happy in their company till I get his signal to join you! Your everloving brother-Sidney He
was a doer, not a talker After his retirement having served as an executive, in the Gal Oya Development Board later R.V.D.B. he had the consolation and satisfaction of being looked after with devotion by Mr. and Mrs. Tony Jaldeen (his daughter and son-in-law). His response to any problem or crisis was to tackle it with kindness, understanding, good counsel and constructive advice. Ba Sham was a great achiever - a doer rather than a talker, who led a simple life and eschewed luxury and personal comfort. A devoted husband and affectionate father, he was always steadfast in his principles, and this earned him the highest respect among his relations and colleagues. He was always cheerful and amiable. Our heartfelt condolences go to his family members. May he attain Jennathul Firdouse ! Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Lillahi Rajhoon B.D. Ahamat Brilliant
man with unfailing charm That is what we always tend to do, 'to keep the alabaster box of love and appreciation sealed up'. Lal would have smiled his charming smile to hear this, maybe reaching out spontaneously and affectionately to pat me on my shoulders, as he was sometimes wont to do. Lal was something of an enigma to me. On the one hand, he was proud to be invited to the conference of global right wing economists in Davos, Switzerland, while on the other he was an adviser to local marxist politicians like Finance Ministers Dr. N. M. Perera and Bernard Soysa. Again, his international fame rested lightly on him, whereas he seemed to be less at home with ordinary economic problems. Indeed his father the great NUJ, once asked me in passing, at the time Lal was appointed Secretary to the Treasury: 'Has he ever sold a banana in his life?' I was left wondering whether it was some sort of left handed compliment of a proud father, or an expression of regret that his gifted son was not as sharp in the ways of the world as his father, a self-made man, was reputed to be. It is impossible to write this tribute without mentioning NUJ who rose from a clerk to be the first local Governor of the Central Bank, at the absurdly young age of 45 years at that; but in my opinion his eldest son Lal did surpass him in many ways. Lal wrote a Foreword for the distinguished anthropologist Stanley Thambiah's controversial book Buddhism Betrayed? that was published by the UN University, World Institute for Development Economics Research, WIDER, in Helsinki, Finland, when Lal was its founding director. That book was banned in this country, unfortunately, but Lal gave me a photo-copy of his foreword, asking me for my critical comment on it. He listened attentively when I explained the gross incorrectness of the statement that development could not be achieved by focusing on an alleged glorious past based on a triad of the small village tank, the paddy field, and the temple, which was a theme in the book. Others will write about Lal's brilliance, especially his fellow students in Cambridge in the 1950s where he won a double first and took his doctorate in economics, Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen; former Indian Finance Minister, Manmohan Singh; and Mahboub UI Haq of Pakistan, the famous UN economist. Lal had the potential to equal the achievements in the international arena of all these, his lifelong friends, whose ungrudging respect he earned long ago. But, he was at heart a home-bird who preferred to hang out in the land of his birth, advising governments in official capacities, and in a personal sense, befriending lesser mortals like myself, who held him in awe and admiration most of the time, but never distancing himself from them. He was universally called Lal, his wife Kumari, and their son Rohan. The prestigious Pugwash movement started with the first international conference on Science and World Affairs held in 1957, in the little village of Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Canada, after the Russell-Elinstein manifesto against war was announced in London in 1955. With his brilliant record, Lal was a Pugwash representative in Sri Lanka at one time although he never attended a Pugwash conference. A little anecdote, in conclusion. Towards the end of my Planning Ministry days, I found myself in hospital after a train accident, and during a rather traumatic period for my family in Kandy, and my old mother in Ratmalana, Lal, Kumari and Rohan, were our source of strength. In fact my wife and little kids made themselves at home in their salubrious Gregory's Road home, from where all meals were sent to me in hospital. On occasion, Lal himself made time from his busy schedules to bring the lunch basket to my hospital bedside, and stay awhile to cheer me up with his unfailing charm and kindness, which I will never forget. May Lal's journey through Sansara be brief before he achieves the supreme bliss of Nirvana. D.L.O. Mendis |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya
Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved. |
