Appreciations
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He
always wore a crown of humility His father was the well-known business magnate, Don Philip Alexander Wijewardena, a national hero of the Freedom Movement along with his famous brothers and honoured by the Philatelic Bureau in 1890. His mother Matilda Jayatilleka Hulugalle was the sister of the famed H.A.J. Hulugalle, journalist and diplomat. Tecci had his early education at Royal College and S Thomas', Mount Lavinia where his assiduous care for his text books earned him the sobriquet, Tecci. He then went on to Law College and Lincoln's Inn, London. Having passed out as a Barrister, he won a Smith Mundt scholarship which took him to New York University where he obtained a Master's degree in International Law. While in New York he lived in the prestigious International House and as an active member of the Students’ Organisation, he met and interacted with prominent personalities like Earl Warren, the then Chief Justice of USA, Eleanor Roosevelt and John D. Rockefeller - to name a few. Tecci had wide interests especially on the intellectual level and enjoyed the company of those intellectually inclined. He took delight in organising synposia in his hospitable home. A true-blue aristocrat he did not give himself any airs but rather put on humility as his crown. He made no secret of his appreciation of the good in the friends around him. A devout Buddhist he was at one time the Chief Trustee and Basnayake Nilame of the Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya; he was on the Dayake Sabhas of many temples including Gangaramaya and Wellawatte Vijayaramaya. He was adorned with many a virtue and if there were any faults they were venial and leaned to virtue's side. Tecci leaves behind his gracious wife, Vasanthi (nee Maralande), daughter Shalini, and son Haritha. Goodbye, my friend, may blissful peace be with you for ever and for ever. Xenelphon Alive
in our hearts As the years passed by they were blessed with two daughters and four sons. Father was a self-made man and the building trade was his profession. Mother managed the entire household with efficiency and enthusiasm. She loved sewing and all my clothes were sewn by her. These were always admired by my relatives and friends. Many relations, friends and less fortunate girls were dressed as brides by my mother. In style and designing her ideas were well advanced. All this started with her childhood hobby of dressing up dolls. I too inherited the love for sewing from her and remember having won the Middle School Needlework Prize during my schooldays at Visakha. My mother was very young when I was born so we grew up more like sisters. In the eighties she was the one who influenced me to do a Montessori Diploma as I had a great love for children. When I left for Lesotho, a landlocked country, I started the first Montessori there. I was fortunate to get her down for a holiday where she was able to see my success in a foreign land. During her wanderings in Sansara, may she meet father and be united once again. Indrani de Silva He
lived up to his name Did Basil live up to his name? The answer is Yes and No. His name, Basil, comes from the Greek 'basileus' meaning 'King'. If the question is, 'Did he strut around our world's narrow stage pompously giving himself airs? "The answer is a resounding "No." Did he go about his business wearing a kingly crown studded not with precious gems but with shining virtues, the answer is "Yes:Yes:Yes" - Virtues of being humble; of being loyal in friendship, of being God-fearing and pious; of being unquestionably honest; of being patient etc - but why go on gilding refined gold? My first meeting with Basil was when I managed to find employment in the Income Tax Department in 1951. On the very first day of my employment Basil who had joined the Department a few years earlier, sought me out and informed me that my uncle, the parish priest in Kurunegala had admonished him to take me under his wing and see that I keep to the straight and narrow road and this - jokingly of course - on pain of not getting absolution for his sins at the confessional! So started a fruitful friendship which lasted throughout 53 years without a single hiccup. From Basil, I learned many valuable lessons - chief among them was kindness to taxpayers however errant they be - not to press down upon their heads a crown of thorns. Basil was all too well known among colleagues and accountants alike for this humane quality. After working for almost 30 years in our Tax Department, Basil left it as an Assistant Commissioner and accepted a similar job with the Tax Office in Zambia - going there to spread his light on that part of the continent. After several years with the Zambian Government he joined a private sector firm also in Zambia, the internationally famed firm of accountants, Price Waterhouse. Later, finding the call of his motherland too hard to ignore, Basil returned to Sri Lanka and, like a duck to water, slid naturally into tax consultancy. Fortunately or unfortunately, most of his clients were close friends and therefore his services were given pro deo (gratis) and for nothing 'summa' as Basil would say. This 'summa' reminds me that Basil had the habit of introducing vernacular words in casual talk - two examples spring to mind -'pom parippu' and 'paccha thanni' to express his disapproval of some object or situation. An ace raconteur he had many gather round him at parties to enjoy his humorous tales told without acrimonious slings and arrows. His amiable nature was such that he had many friends round him. True friends are gifts you give yourself, he used to say - and without them life is a mistake. I am sure Basil would like me to mention here a fact that is not well known. He was an avid athlete - a superb sprinter winning many a prize at school sports meets - St Michael's, Batticaloa and St Anne's, Kurunegala and later at the Colombo University. In fact some 'varsity' mates used to remark that Basil runs like Hercules a furlong in a breath!
May the turf lie lightly over Basil A
generous and compassionate man The news of Gamini's sudden demise was not only shocking but also most unexpected. It was more so to a few of us who happened to meet up with him one evening just two months ago at the Mt. Lavinia Hotel at a dinner hosted by a mutual friend in his honour whilst he was on a brief visit to Colombo. As usual, he narrated with abundant exuberance his recent experiences in Bangkok both professionally and socially, not to mention his insightful analysis of the political-economy of Thailand. In passing, however, he mentioned prophetically "at the moment I have absolutely no plans for the future." Gamini hailed from the well known Abeysekara family in Colombo 10, of eight brothers and two sisters, the eldest and the most famous being late Karunaratna Abeysekara who mesmerized the Sri Lankan public in the pre-television era through the air waves of Radio Ceylon. Gamini having completed his primary and secondary education in Nalanda and Ananda where he excelled in his studies, joined the University of Peradeniya in 1964 and graduated in Economics in 1968 with Second Class (Upper Division) Honours. I met Gamini in 1969 when he joined the Central Bank as an economist, one of the most sought after positions by young graduates in that era. However, I soon lost touch with him having proceeded to U.K. on my post-graduate studies in late 1969. When I returned in 1973 I found that Gamini too had left for post-graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin in the United States. In due course, I believe it was 1976, he returned to the Central Bank having completed his doctoral studies. Ever since we were able to develop not only a cordial professional relationship but also a close and lasting personal relationship. In the Central Bank, Gamini performed with great distinction holding a number of important positions in the Economic Research Department. He belonged to the first generation of bilingual economists who joined the Central Bank after 1965. He was equally proficient in both Sinhala and English and was manifestly comfortable before both Sinhala and English speaking audiences. With appropriate blending of globalized thinking with the local psyche, he was able to bring to bear international developments to local requirements in policy formulation. Since returning from post-graduate studies, Gamini soon acquired the necessary skills to be a highly proficient officer in the Central Bank. An area of particular interest to Gamini was economic growth and income distribution, on which subject he produced a number of research papers and addressed many seminars. He was firmly of the view that countries should not only grow income-wise but that growth should be more equitably distributed. Gamini was able to combine his intellectual prowess with his excellent communication abilities to dazzle in any job entrusted to him and his services were much sought after by his superiors in many specialized jobs. He was never hesitant to undertake any challenging task entrusted to him and performed them with distinction and sheer dedication. Thus, he was one time Secretary of the Society for International Development (Sri Lanka Chapter), when late Dr. Warnasena Rasaputram was its President. He was also a founder member of Sri Lanka Economic Association. Coming from a strong Buddhist background, he was the President of the Central Bank Buddhist Association for a number of years running. In the mid-1980s, Gamini was hand-picked to serve in the Ministry of Finance where he functioned as the Additional Director of Economic Affairs. The then Minister of Finance appointed him as the Chairman, National Savings Bank in 1986 at the relatively young age of 40. Our acquaintances in the NSB still recall with great admiration Gamini's contribution to the NSB in putting 'its house in order' which was in somewhat disarray at the time of his appointment. Because of his friendly and modest disposition, Gamini was a much liked Chairman at the NSB. With his youthful exuberance, he had grand designs for the NSB in diversifying its activities particularly on the lending side. However, this was not to be and political appointments being as they are, Gamini soon found himself back in the Central Bank. Back in the Central Bank in 1987 Gamini found himself in a frustratingly ambiguous position. Designated Special Officer in Banking Development, he felt that he was in no man's land. The Central Bank was not in position to offer him a position of responsibility in keeping with his talents and experience. He did not hesitate to say that he was getting 'karapincha treatment' from his superiors. Unfortunately, until very recently, the overriding criterion for promotions in the Central Bank was seniority and queuing was the order of the day irrespective of one's talents or qualifications. The dilemma he was faced with indeed was a turning point in his professional career when he decided to pack his bags up for an international career after nearly 20 years of service in the Bank. His destination was UNICEF, the United Nations Agency dealing with the welfare of children. Gamini's first appointment in UNICEF was as the Program Planner in the UNICEF office in Lagos. Thereafter, he served in UNICEF offices in Khartoum and Jerusalem. His last posting was as UNICEF Resident Representative in Bangkok, in which post he served for over 4 years before taking premature retirement a few months back. It was his exceptional abilities and dedication and commitment to duty that took him up the ladder in the UNICEF service within a relatively short period. Gamini was a very popular and much respected international civil servant in Bangkok and after his severance from UNICEF he was invited to be a Special Adviser at the Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand. Gamini had a large heart. He was ever ready to lend a helping hand to anyone who sought his assistance and was deeply committed to the welfare of his much extended family. He even kept some of his not so well off friends at his residence in Sirimal Uyana, Ratmalana, a distinguishing character of a generous and compassionate human being. Even though living outside the country for some 15 years, he always kept in touch with his friends and relations and visited the country as frequently as he possibly could. Gamini's popularity was manifested by the large crowd which gathered at Kanatta on October 18 to bid farewell to him. It is with nostalgic memories I recall the many evenings I spent at his residence over the years, not to mention the many holidays we spent together in the hill country with our families. Interacting with him was always a very rewarding experience. Gamini's sudden demise only reminds us of the ephemeral nature of life, as enshrined in the celebrated Buddhist text 'Lovada Sangarawa' - life is akin to morning dew on top of grass. We offer our deepest condolences to his wife Neetha and the three sons, Sahan, Chamath and Suran who would no doubt be wondering as to why death has snatched away so quickly the life of their beloved one. So, my dear friend it is adieu from me but memories of you will linger in our minds for many years to come. Dr.
Wimal
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