Appreciations

Colonel Tuan Nizam Dane, affectionately called Raja, of the 10th Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army, left us – like his fervent wish – to die with his boots on – on June 24, 1997. He sacrificed his today for our tomorrow at Periyamadu in Omanthai during the initial stages of ‘Operation Jayasikurui’ – perhaps the first highest ranking officer to be killed in that particular chapter of the conflict.

It is ten years since his demise but I still have to come up with an accurate phrase to describe the man he was. Dale Carnegie could be proud of this army officer, as in him, Mr. Carnegie could have seen the living embodiment of his famous book ‘How to win friends and influence people’. Raja had a special way of proving the accuracy of the book! It took him only a few minutes to make a friend even out of total strangers!

Raja was a dedicated army officer, loving husband to Eileen, dedicated father to his only offspring Romola and doting grandfather, even though for a brief period. During my association with him I have hardly seen him lose his temper, but angry he did get with me once. That was during a discussion, one of so many, about a solution to the country’s ethnic or terrorist conflict. I made the blunder of questioning him why he, being a Malay, should be fighting a conflict between two other races. My question was meant more to prolong the discussion, but he missed it for such. I vividly remember what he said, “This is our country. Whoever fights, it’s the future generation that will suffer. For their sake, for our children’s sake we should fight, if necessary. But, mind you, it has to be a political solution at the end.” How true? Are we any nearer to his hopes?

Raja Dane touched the lives of the elite and the normal alike. “Apey sir nitharama positive,” troops who served under him say. That phrase conveys several meanings. ‘Apey sir’, as far as the military is concerned, goes a long way. It makes Raja one of us, one who belonged to the troops.

The other conveyed his positive outlook to life. Time was of essence for him. Do it now, was what he always insisted on. This attitude sometimes drove me into compromising or embarrassing positions, which I can now laugh at as I want to forget my tears. Most of the time, he had an uncanny foresight, which on occasions saved his life. During one instance, while he was travelling by road to Batticaloa, something had made him to take a different and longer route from somewhere near Habarana. His driver had not questioned but followed instructions. They proceeded safely. But another vehicle carrying senior officers which followed the regular road was blasted with its occupants by a land mine. Many instances like these were related to me by Raja, so much so that his friends serving with him would ask him which route they should take to arrive safely.True to his Geminian character (not that he believed in astrology) he had many pokers in the fire at the same time. When I talked of astrology he would dismiss it as bunkum, but he would prod me for more! How else could a person opt to be a voluntary officer without joining the regular force? His urge to move, his liking for more space, what else? And that too, after sacrificing a teaching career and a comfortable office life at Mercantile Credit Ltd. He was with the 5th Artillery in Jaffna, Mannar, Gampaha, Colombo and Batticaloa. For sometime he served as secretary to the North East Governor, General Nalin Seneviratne. Raja was with Military Intelligence before he reverted back to his Vijayabahu Regiment, which he commanded until his death at Omanthai.

And while in the Army, he wanted to continue his legal studies as well! God only knows what else he had up his sleeve! He had a unique sense of humuor. A voracious reader and a perfectionist in English, he would throw chapter and verse at us. But now, without him, the discussion peters down to a somewhat prolonged silence followed by tears. He never talked about his military operations. It was like getting a feather from a tortoise if we asked anything of that. But once in a way he would provide us with that little ‘need to know’ bit. A man who loved peace, but was pushed towards war, that is as close as I could ever get. Anyway, he was fortunate to have departed fighting, a fitting end to a formidable character.

His was a career like that of Lord Tennyson’s ‘The Light Brigade’:
‘Not though the soldier knew,
Someone had blundered;
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.’
We will remember you always Colonel Raja Nizam Dane, and those who paid their supreme sacrifice in defence of Sri Lanka, our motherland.

Raja loved peace, but was pushed towards war