It is with deep sadness that I look back on the 15 years since my beloved brother’s untimely demise on that fateful day, December 25, 1994.
Lieutenant Shiran Duminda Elikewela aimed for the very best in everything he did.After completing his primary and secondary education at Trinity College, Kandy, my brother joined the Sri Lanka Military Academy in Diyatalawa as a Cadet Officer. His joining the Army was an extension of his membership of the National Cadet Corps as a school cadet in the service of his Motherland.
He was better known as Shiran or Elike among his peers and his subordinates of the 6th Gajaba Regiment, which he served with commitment and dedication. At the time of his demise, he was serving as an Army intelligence officer on the island of Kayts, off Jaffna. In the four years between December 1990 and the time of his demise, in December 1994, he had served in different war-torn areas in the North.
My brother’s close associates and colleagues tell me it was a privilege to have worked with him. They say he carried out his duties with responsibility and commitment. They speak of his great sense of humor and of the passion he put into his work, and his determination to achieve his best in everything he did. He was never satisfied with being second best.
My brother was a compassionate person with high moral standards. He won the hearts of all those who worked with him. He was a patriot, a true son of the soil.
Fifteen years have gone by, but we still miss him greatly.
The family of Lt. Shiran Duminda Elikewela has arranged an almsgiving in his memory.
May he attain the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana.
Malaka Chaminda Elikewela |
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