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Appreciations

She fulfilled her mission
Mignonne Cooray
One often ponders why we human beings are born to this world, is it just to live, enjoy and die? There is a deep meaning each person will have to find. We are born and chosen to fulfil a mission. This mission, our dear sister Mignonne fulfilled.

Her parents Vincent and Charlotte Fonseka brought up their two daughters with love and tender care. Both Yvonne and Mignonne grew up striving to pursue all Christian values. Their hearts were full of love that seeks the welfare of others.

Mignonne taught at the Holy Family Convent Bambalapitiya and did her best by her students. Today they remember her with gratitude. When she resigned to look after her bedridden husband she was the Vice Principal of the School.
She was dedicated to looking after him. She took him to India about ten times for treatment, and to Vailankanni Church and Chalakudy Divine Retreat Centre. She had the courage to take him alone by herself giving him all the love and care.

In 1999 I had the golden opportunity to go to the Divine Retreat Centre in Chalakkudy, India. Four of us, Mignonne, her husband Basil, Antoinette Gunasekera and I shared one room. Oh the joy we had! We cannot express in words. We played, we ate sharing everything together.

After her husband’s death she too fell ill. Though the pain and suffering was great she offered every bit of her suffering to Jesus. Thus she was able to close her eyes and go back to her God to rest in peace. Farewell dear sister Mignonne, till we meet again.

Laurinda Jayasuriya

George Candappa
Ten years seems such a long time and yet the memories are so fresh. My grandfather sits in his Chambers, surrounded by many books, dictating letters while I browse through his collection of magazines. The typist is furiously at work to keep up with my grandfather's prose: the words keep coming, and in my teenage admiration I watch in bemusement.

One of my regrets is that I never really had the time to speak with my grandfather in detail about his work. But his correspondence only marked the surface of a busy schedule of appearances in court, meetings with clients and engagement with the law. I did however, benefit greatly from his legal mind. Some evenings, after the typist had gone home, he would sit with me and work through one my essays for school. He would make sure that I had an argument, and that it was a logical one. Even as I think about those hours in his Chambers, I remember him at church, kneeling and then singing lustily, and saying 'Amen' more audibly than the rest of the congregation. His life was one of dedication.

Dedication to his family, his friends, his work and his principles. After church, there was the regular stop at a pastry shop to buy some treats for the family. The rest of the Sunday would then be spent with all of us and his teasing would make the whole house a place of laughter and conviviality.
As an adviser, his wisdom was trustworthy, and as a listener, he was ever patient. On Sunday evening, Seeya would go off to Galle Face for a quick walk. On other evenings, he would play badminton with his friends. I enjoyed accompanying him on many occasions to rugby fixtures, to watch his favoured team. He was keen on his exercise, and it is ironic that it was when he was exercising that his life came to an end.

He often collected me and dropped me at various school events. One holiday, he took me with him to Nuwara Eliya. When I left for University to England, he accompanied me and ensured that I had settled in before leaving. Little did I know that would be the last I saw him.

Yet in these past ten years, his legacy lives on and his memory continues to be a source of inspiration; his warmth continues to set the tone for our family gatherings; and his humour is well remembered by us all.

Dr. Sujit Sivasundaram

A noble death for a noble soul
Haji M.Z.M. Zaheer
M.Z.M. Zaheer, M.Sc (Moscow) lastly held office as Asst. General Manager of Data Management Services (Pvt) Ltd., Colombo 8. A native of Dharga Town in Aluthgama he pased away peacefully on January 28 in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, on completion of his Haj rites and obligations.
As he breathed his last, his wife and only daughter who had accompanied him to Haj were beside him.

His Janaza (funeral) prayers were conducted as customary, after the normal scheduled prayers, thus providing an opportunity to the pilgrims to pay their last tributes and to invoke the blessings of the Almighty on the departed soul. It is only the god-fearing and those in the path of Allah who are blessed with such a noble death just like that of a newborn baby without any sins. Undoubtedly the death of Zaheer in the above circumstances signifies that his demise was that of a Moomin (true believer). What a noble death for such a noble soul.

Marhoom Haji M.Z.M. Zaheer was the illustrious son of the late A.R.M. Zackeriya and the late Mrs F. Naleefa Zackeriya of Sheik Madar Road, Dharga Town. Zaheer was the eldest of the family of six boys. Both his parents were teachers and heads of govt. educational institutions prior to their retirement. Haji Zaheer married the daughter of the reputed ayurvedic physician Haji A.L.M. Hammeem of Thalapitiya, Galle. After marriage, he lived at Campbell Place, Dehiwela.

Haji Zaheer was educated at Zahira College, Dharga Town. He was a brilliant student who enjoyed his studies and took part in extra- curricular activities.
My association with Haji Zaheer commenced as his English teacher from the junior to the senior secondary level. He was one of my favourite students of English. Although he studied in the Tamil medium science stream, he picked up his English in no time. On the merits of his performances at the public examinations he was called up for an interview to follow a Degree course in Engineering at the University of Moscow. He completed his B.Sc in Computer Science and then followed it up with post graduate course in Computer Science.

When he returned to Sri Lanka in the 1980s he joined the State Engineering Corporation and was a pioneer in the computer engineering field in Sri Lanka. In 1983, he joined D.M.S. (Pvt) Ltd., a reputed software firm with international connections and began work as a computer engineer. In the course of time and in appreciation of his dedication and devotion to duty, he was made the Chief Engineer of the computer division. With the vast experience he had gained through international exposure and the confidence and trust the management had in him, he held office as the Assistant General Manager of the company.

Zaheer possessed an unblemished character. He was soft spoken, good mannered and always very pleasant. He was against greed, self publicity and was never bent on becoming wealthy. He lived a contented life with charity and magnanimity. He was always truthful as the Quranic quotation: "Say, Oh my Lord, My entry by the gate of truth and honour and my exit by the gate of truth and honour and sustain me from your power, Oh, Allah, (Holy Quran -17:80) .

He was convinced of this saying of Prophet Muhammed (O.W.B.P.): "True Moomin is thankful to God in prosperty and resigned to His will in adversity". This again signifies that Haji Zaheer was a Moomin. It is noteworthy to mention here that Zaheer prior to his departure to Haj, settled all his commitments and relinquished all wordly life and prepared himself to answer the call of the Creator.

About three years ago, Zaheer underwent coronary bypass surgery. He resumed normal life and soon was actively involved during the weekends in social activities in Dharga Town, co-ordinated by his close friends there.
He was instrumental in organizing extra classes for G.C.E. A Level Science students of the area under the sponsorship of Alif Education Foundation, which too was his brainchild. His death is not only a loss to his family but also to the township and to the Aluthgama Investment Fund, of which he was the founder General Secretary.

He was also helpful in advising and providing technical assistance to the Computer Unit of the Al-Agil Vocational Training Centre, managed by the Isha-athul Islam Home for the Orphans in Dharga Town. With his honorary consultancy and direction, the management could make the centre a financially viable institution benefiting the orphans.

Haji Zaheer believed in following the Sunnah of the Prophet by visiting the sick or ageing relatives and elders and the disabled known to him and by paying his best tributes by attending the funerals of the above.

He was a faithful husband to his wife and a loving father to his only daughter. By his sudden death at the age of 51, everyone close to him has sustained an irreparable loss. The only consolation we have is that the will of Allah has prevailed and he has been blessed with the noble death of a real moomin.
He leaves behind his wife, only daughter, five brothers, father-in-law, mother-in-law and their family. May the Almighty reward him with the eternal paradise called Jennathul Firdows.

A.S.M. Omar

She stepped out of her traditional role
Mashmoon Lye
She was born on June 18, 1908 and passed away peacefully at the age of 86 on her birthday – June 18 at her residence “Taprobane”. She was a kindly, simple and soft-spoken lady known as “Aunty Eva” to her relations, “Mashmoon” to her friends and “Mrs. Lye” to the general public.

Mashmoon Lye was a daughter of Marhoom M.K. Saldin, a well-known businessman of his day and member of the State Council and wife of Marhoom Baba Zahiere Lye, distinguished Malay leader and Member of Parliament. She was educated at St. Bridget’s Convent, Colombo 7.

The Sri Lankan Malay Association Rupee Fund (S.L.M.A. Rupee Fund) with 52 years of unbroken dedicated service to the less fortunate and deserving was born out of an idea of Mrs. Mashmoon Lye.

In her rounds in Colombo as a Red Cross worker she had seen for herself families in dire need of assistance. She gave the matter serious thought and came up with an idea – “If each member of the community – who are better –off were to collect a ‘Rupee –a day’ we would be able in due course to render assistance to our less fortunate brothers and sisters”.

On the face of it the idea seemed almost too simple and even childish to be practicable. Yet with many others giving her encouragement she established a Fund known as the All Ceylon Malay Association Rupee Fund. It was inaugurated in May 1953 by late Al-Haj Dr. M.C.M. Kaleel at the former pavilion of the Malay Cricket Club at Rifle Green, Colombo.

The result of three years of hard work was the recognition of the Rupee Fund as a Government approved charity. Further recognition came by way of a request by the then Governor-General Sir Oliver Goonetilleke to hold a meeting of the General Committee at Queen’s House (now President’s House). A rare honour indeed.

By 1964 the Rupee Fund had its own building. In one of her first projects – to find employment for the unemployed girls, a textile weaving centre was set-up with the assistance of the Dept. of Cottage Industries. She also arranged for a milk feeding centre where over 300 undernourished children gathered every morning for their glass of milk.

She established a Higher Educational Scholarship Scheme in 1959 to provide scholarships for talented students and also organised the annual sadaka distribution of Fitr and cash during the month of Ramazan to the poor and needy.

After the passing away of her husband B. Zahiere Lye, (the first President of the Rupee Fund for 16 years) the membership unanimously elected Mrs. Mashmoon Lye as President. She continued to give of her best with a fine team of members to improve the lot of the less fortunate. In recognition of her devoted and dedicated service, the membership in later years made her Life President of the Rupee Fund.

Mrs. Lye was one of the first among Muslim women in Sri Lanka and certainly the first Malay woman to emerge from the traditional role of housewife to face the challenges of modern times by dedicating herself to the welfare of the community.

Mashmoon Lye was the first woman member of the All Ceylon Malay Association, first woman member of the Colombo Malay Cricket Club, first woman Vice – President of the All Ceylon Malay Association, first woman President of the All Ceylon Malay Association Rupee Fund, and first Malay woman to enter the well-known working mosque in Surrey, England.
She moved with the highest in society in Sri Lanka and maintained close friendships with wives of the leaders of Malaysia. Like her husband she too devoted over four decades of her life to the progress and upliftment of the community.

The Rupee Fund organises a treat for poor children on June 18 every year to commemorate her birth and death anniversary.

Dalrena Burah

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