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Appreciations

A petty grudge snuffed out a valuable life
Hettige Rajiv Bodhidasa
It seldom happens that an aged and grieving father has to write an appreciation about a son who was innocent of crime and evil, killed by a hired assassin behind whom had been a distorted and vicious mind. It was one year today that my beloved son Rajiv whom I affectionately called 'Podi Putha' faced an assassin's bullet. Not a day passes without a flashback of Rajiv.

Rajiv received his education at Ananda College, Colombo. Having sat for his A/L examination, he followed the career of his choice as a Tea Taster at Akbar Brothers Ltd., Colombo. Rajiv had a high sense of integrity; he was bold and outspoken and it was also his nature that whatever he undertook to do was done to the best of his ability.

His commitment to his job as a Tea Taster won the confidence of his employer and within a short period he was made the Manager of the Tea Department. On instructions from his company, he could bid only for quality tea at the auctions where there was also substandard poor quality tea.

Non-bidding by my son on low quality tea, which would destroy the country's image as a quality tea exporter, angered some in the tea trade. It was this petty grudge which in their selfish minds they thought was serious enough to destroy a life, a heinous crime indeed. Rajiv was made a victim of a hired killer's bullet. A promising young life of 34 years, full of hope was snatched away from us.

This tragic and untimely death of my son has caused a void that is hard to fill. Rajiv was everything to us, a dutiful son, loving and caring. Just married for two years, a young wife lost her precious husband and the infant daughter is left without the father's love, care and attention, while three families stand devastated. To the wider family circle, he was always a source of strength, ready to share with others and care for others and generous at the time of need.

Dear son Rajiv, with the blessing of the Noble Triple Gem and the merit accruing from our various meritorious acts, may your Sansaric journey be short, free from violence and may you never face an untimely death till you attain the supreme Bliss of Nibbana.

A Devastated Father

He reached great heights
Earle Munasinghe
"Sabbe Sankara Anicca", ‘All things end in decay' were the words that came to my mind when I heard about the demise of my cousin Earle aiya. It's almost a year since his passing away. Since I could not attend his funeral, as I was out of the island, this is my small tribute to his memory. He was my father's elder sister's son.

An engineer by profession, Earle worked for many institutions and after a short stint in the Barbados returned to his homeland. He was asked by the then president to help develop a new institution with World Bank assistance. After his retirement he kept himself occupied by serving in arbitration panels on a voluntary capacity.

Earle was an extraordinary human being who accomplished many things in life and reached great heights. He never missed his evening walk, and was health conscious. He was helpful to his many friends and relatives. If it was a house construction or renovation, we would consult him and he was ever ready to help. If he could spare the time he would even supervise the work.

A mild mannered and humorous character, he would make it a point to visit his elderly uncles and aunts, crack a few jokes and thus make them cheerful and happy. He was sociable and loved parties and the company of friends and relatives. He was a good ballroom dancer too. Earle lost his wife Chandra, at a young age and was both father and mother to his young family.

He was also a father figure to his late brother's children. He was well versed in Buddhist philosophy and helped many charitable organizations. May the meritorious acts performed on your behalf, shorten your journey in sansara.

Ranjinie Chandraratne

A joyful heart and a life of humility and humanity
Shiran Wickremasinghe
With the passing away of Shiran Wickremasinghe at the prime of his life (50 years), society and the century-old Bloomfield club have lost an amiable human being. He died under tragic circumstances on September 12, in the early hours whilst going out to give food to the poor on the streets.

Shiran was the only son of Shelley Wickremasinghe an old Peterite. Shiran was a diehard old Thomian. He played second XI cricket for his school. He played for the right reasons and lived a short but humble life, to the fullest.

He was plucked away from a young growing family - leaving behind his wife Devika and their only child, eight-year-old Avishka who is also a Thomian. Shiran lost his mother Ranee, 12 years ago. This tragedy was followed by the death of his younger sister. It was a double assault indeed for the Wickremasinghe family and Shiran. He faced these setbacks with typical Thomian grit.

Was it faith or karma? It’s debatable. Being a devout Buddhist he served society in his own humble way, sans distinctions of caste, race or creed. Shiran was a chip of the old block. He believed in one religion, but respected all religions. He possessed abundant human qualities and at his own Reid Avenue Club where he was a vice president he had a feeling for the less affluent players, who joined the club.

His humanity was not confined to the poor from his ancestral village in Balapitiya, but spread its wings to a wider spectrum - including dumb friends. He did this without pomp and pageantry. He possessed a joyful heart - a heart brimming with love. Some members suggested to him that he should be the next president of Bloomfield when he was a vice-president, to maintain the family tradition, as his father had served as president for 25 years. However he was not power-hungry.

"It's like water under the bridge. The incumbent president Upali Dharmadasa is doing a great job. We must help and support a person from whatever quarter," he told me. Humility was his codeword. Shiran was not only a close friend, but like one of my own. His three months alms-giving will be held today. In the midst of life we are in death. May he attain the supreme bliss of Nibbana. -B.W.

He served his school and society without fanfare
Rohan Rajapakse
Rohan Rajapakse was well-known as a tennis player/promoter and a third generation optometrist belonging to Eric Rajapakse Opticians, but among his close associates his outstanding human qualities were well established. His untimely demise at the age of 57, has removed from our midst a personality who spent a good part of his life and resources for the betterment of society without much fanfare.

Rohan was a few years senior to me at Thurstan. To Rohan and his late father Eric goes the credit of paving the way for tennis at Thurstan in the early sixties with the help of a few like-minded tennis enthusiasts. Rohan was an outstanding tennis player.

He continued playing tennis even after leaving school and did well to emerge as junior national champion. Tennis was a family affair for the Rajapakses and his younger brother Tito too represented Thurstan and along with sister Ranee they established a name for themselves in the sixties.

Rohan was a tower of strength to the Thurstan OBU in its formative years and was the Secretary in the college silver jubilee year in 1976, a position which he held into the early eighties. During this period, his office at Upper Chatham Street was a mini office for the Thurstan OBU. In 1980, it was Rohan who gave Thurstan OBU maturity and motivated me along with a few others to come onto the committee. Our association thereafter grew in many ways.
His public speaking ability and organizational qualities were unmatchable. In the mid-1990s he was instrumental in promoting the Old Thurstanites Tennis Club and was also its president upto the time of his death. During this period, with the support of the Thurstan Principal he played a key role in putting Thurstan youngsters back to the public schools circuit. Another milestone was the inauguration of the annual Thurstan Trinity duel for the Eric Rajapakse trophy.

The Rajapakse household and their famous beach bungalow at Lunawa bring us pleasant memories of Rohan's hospitality and his charming personality.
Rohan like his father was a keen tennis promoter and played a key role in inaugurating Tennis at CR & FC. In fact his last tennis assignment was the recently concluded tournament at CR where he functioned as the tournament director. He was also associated with SLTA and saw son Rajive representing Sri Lanka while his wife Yasmine was a squash player of repute and daughter Nadeera excelled academically.

During the many years I have known Rohan, I have only seen him in a happy mood with a smile on his face. He never spoke evil nor held anything against anybody but was persuasive and tactful in implementing the many projects he launched.

Rohan was also a member of the Jaycees and Lions movements and in the latter years served the “Friends of the Accident Service", the volunteer group with his customary generosity.

He also took a keen interest in chess, scouting and visually handicapped activities. As the head of the family business he was humane and kind to his employees. Despite modern day communications Rohan believed in writing letters and his letters on Thurstan tennis, and congratulatory messages were something we looked forward to. His last letter on tennis reached us only a few weeks back.

Thurstan has lost one of its most illustrious products and tennis a great benefactor. As father, husband and brother, he will be greatly missed
His family could get much inspiration from the good Rohan did in his life. The large crowd that gathered for his funeral was a clear testimony to his outstanding service to mankind.

Goodbye friend. In keeping with our spiritual beliefs and values we hope that all the good you have done in this birth will help you shorten the journey in Sansara.

Sunil Karunanayake

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