Appreciations

The sounds of the 'Last Post' struck by a bugler of the Royal College Cadet Band herald the final farewell to one of Royal's most illustrious sons -Vijitha Weerasinghe affectionately referred to as Viji. The casket containing his mortal remains begins to slide on the rollers and into the crematorium chamber after which the doors automatically close. All the Old Boy mourners present, joined by the Principal of Royal College, Upali Gunasekera, members of the staff, the present Royalists and even their parents break into the Royal College anthem in harmony with music from the cadet band. They lustily sing the refrain and with the sounds of "learnt of books and learnt of men and learnt to play the game" resonating through the air, the words epitomize the very values that our late guru imbibed in us - his charges.

A few minutes before the cortege entered through the gates of the General Cemetery at Kanatte from the Elvitigala Mawatha entrance that day (November 3, 2007), a thin drizzle broke out like a blessing, depicting the proverbial "Mal warusawa (rain of flowers)".

Later, the first whiffs of smoke emanating from the chimney of the crematorium indicated that the fire was engulfing the casket within the chamber. As if by some hidden signal, the skies opened out at this very moment shedding a giant heavenly tear for this genial and greatest of Royalists who had spent three score and thirteen years in the service of his alma mater.

"They don't make such calibre of giants any better!" So it was with Viji who was a colossus and legend of our times. Personally, it was my privilege to have first come under his tutelage in 1959, a year after I entered Royal College. The greater joy was when, many years later, my two sons also passed through his hands at Royal when he was Deputy Principal.

September 17, 2007 was a very special and significant day. It was Viji's birthday and it was on this day that he became an octogenarian. Coincidentally, it was also our present Principal, Upali Gunasekera's birthday. The Royal College Union (RCU) had laid out a simple, yet wonderful party in celebration for the dual "birthday boys" with Mr. Gunasekera turning 46. As I entered the RCU premises, I peeped into Viji's room. He greeted me with his perpetual smile and said "Hello Branu" to which I replied, "Sir! I came here not only to wish you but also to kiss you on this birthday". It turned out to be his last.

Having lived a full life of eight decades, he did not have any regrets. To grow old does not take talent or ability, rather the idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. This he demonstrated amply by his very actions. He was a storehouse of knowledge and it was my good fortune that we were able to carry a column by him entitled "Down Memory Lane" in issues of the RCU newsletter when I was editor of the Royal Times. Thus, I was able to chronicle for posterity, his days as a student both at Royal Primary and College, a teacher, the Deputy Principal and thereafter, in successive issues of the bulletin.

Viji displayed tremendous courage to the very end. He was the eternal fighter not wanting to give up even in the last stages. During the final days at the ICU of Asiri Surgical, he survived a cardiac arrest, a heart attack, kidney failure, a punctured lung, besides other complications! These were as a result of a fall on that fateful Sunday morning of October 28, 2007. As the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end" and so it was that after such a gallant fight, the warrior breathed his last on October 31, 2007 around 1.15 p.m. He died the same way he lived - at peace with the world and his fellow beings.

In one of the many chats I had with Viji at the RCU office, I recall these words which still keep echoing in my ear: "Branu, remember that the elderly usually don't have regrets for what they did, but rather for things they did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets. So make sure that you have no regrets later on in life." Golden words indeed which I shall carry to my grave.

To have known Viji has certainly enriched my life. His demise is an irreparable loss to Royal College and the old boy fraternity. His wife Gladys has lost a wonderful and loving husband, his children a caring and dedicated father, their spouses a dear father-in-law and his grandchildren a doting "seeya".

Farewell Sir! May your journey through Sansara, be short and devoid of obstacles and in the fulness of time, may you attain the supreme bliss of Nirvana.

End of a legend