Appreciations

Not even the torrential downpour on the day of Sirancee Gunawardana’s funeral could restrain the vast crowd from attending the service at the Ladies' College Chapel and the final obsequies.

She was a much loved Principal. Both staff members and students will remember her for her amiability, selfless service and approachability. She was most appreciative and found the time to show it. On reading my article on past Principals in the Daily News for the 90th Anniversary of the school she wrote an acknowledgement of which the following is an extract. “Your intimate knowledge of the school would have inspired you. Thank you for handing over so many bouquets. I don’t think we deserve all of it. It makes me feel quite embarrassed. It’s so awkward seeing things about one’s self in print. I prefer to do things quietly, away from the limelight. Nevertheless, thank you for your article.” I expected no reply, yet she was gracious enough to write.

As Principal, Mrs. Gunawardana inculcated in her students the need to look not only within their immediate purview, but also beyond it. The purpose of learning had to be multi-faceted rather than restricted to only passing examinations.

She, in her own way was one whose interests were many and varied. They ranged from archaeology and wild life conservation to literature and the arts. She was also a Life Member of the Royal Asiatic Society and an honorary member of the Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her onerous duties as Principal she was also, Editor of the wild life journal ‘Loris’. Sometime later she published an authoritative treatise entitled ‘Medieval Palm Leaf Manuscripts of Sri Lanka’.

The Department of Vocational Studies is a concrete example of her farsightedness. It has been catering to the contemporary needs of school leavers by providing a vast range of job oriented courses. This enterprise of twenty five years duration so far has proved its worth and put so many youth on their feet enabling them to fend for themselves.

The swimming pool was another brainchild of hers, built at a time when no other girls’ school had one. As a result, swimming was given a place in the school curriculum.

Mrs. Gunawardana’s great contribution to the development of the school has not gone unsaid, yet that is not all she will be remembered for. Much greater was the person that she was. She may not have been a self -avowed missionary, nevertheless her serenity of spirit, which not even a horrendous bomb blast at Flower Road junction could shatter, could only have been derived from a deep faith in God whom she worshipped. It is this indomitable courage that enabled her to not only overcome the difficult patches, but also meet challenges head-on.

The fact that the school with every building in some measure or other affected was still able to function and even conduct examinations within a week of the explosion, speaks volumes for Mrs. Gunawardana’s tremendous resourcefulness and grit.

Also worth mentioning was her unimpeachable integrity no matter what the odds. This was something which she, like her predecessors never compromised, for what is right can never be circumvented by corrupt means.

In the tribute paid to her at her funeral service by Nirmali Wickremasinghe, the present Principal, she mentioned that the new multi-storied buildings including the modern cafeteria were all constructed from the funds saved for the school during Mrs. Gunawardana’s time.

Having known Sirancee as a close friend was to me a very rewarding experience. Many were the trips we went on together. She was one who touched the lives of so many people. Her credo if she had one, could well have been:

Measure thy life by loss instead of gain,
Not by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured forth -
For love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice,
And he who suffers most has much to give.