Appreciations

I recall the scene vividly even though three decades have passed. Not even the torrential downpour on the day of Bamunuarachchige Don Dharmasena’s funeral at Homagama could keep the vast crowds from all parts of the country from attending the funeral.

They had gathered that day to pay their final homage to the man who had made a deep impact on their lives during his years of public service.

At the prime age of 43 years Dharmasena bade goodbye to his beautiful wife Sheela, three young children and his wide circle of relatives and friends. His untimely death came as a great shock to everybody. His demise was due to a severe heart-attack. He was unaware of being a victim of a heart condition that gathered momentum and led to his sudden death on December 21, 1974, at Yala.

Dharmasena was a wild life enthusiast. He never failed to spend his holidays with his family at the Yala holiday resort at least twice a year. Interested in photography he used all his skills to get the best shots of wild animals, which he had done on this occasion as well for the last time.

B.D. Dharmasena, famously called “Dharme” by his close associates was the Managing Director of the High Level Road Bus Company Ltd, the pioneer bus company in the country. His appointment as Managing Director at the age of 22 years created history in the transport industry, as the youngest to hold such a high position in the transport industry.

Dharme was a much loved philanthropist, a charming character, teetotaller, patriot and lover of nature. His death created a void that will never be filled and a heartache that was destined to remain forever.

It was on August 24, 1974 at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Pavilion that Dharmasena, E.A.P. Edirisinghe and myself were installed as Charter Members of the Lions Club of Thimbirigasyaya. On the day of the Charter Presentation held at the Grand Oriental Hotel (GOH) on November 9, 1974, Lion Dharmasena volunteered to host the dinner in honour of the then Lions District Governor Lion Dunstan De Alwis, at his residence at Longden Place, Colombo 7 in January 1975. It was not to be.

He left us a few weeks before casting a pall of gloom on the entire Lions Movement.

Having Dharme as a close friend was a rewarding experience for me. Many were the trips on which he invited me to join him. They were all memorable, enjoyable and pleasant. Dharme was one person who touched the lives of so many people irrespective of their race or status.

A film producer in the late sixties, his first production ‘Kawda Hari’ included famous actresses and actors of that era. Directed by Titus Thotawatte, the film was a hit.

Dharme was a person with rare qualities. I am yet to come across a person of his calibre.