For the past 30 years or more, Abeydeera worked hard to make a difference to the life of the “plain people”. His sensitivity and concern towards the less privileged was such that he made maximum use of the Sri Lanka Canada Development Fund, which later came to be known as Sri Lanka Centre for Development Fund, to set individuals and communities on the path of self -reliance.
Throughout his tenure as Executive Director of the SLCDF, he did what he enjoyed doing best -- working for the people. He did not care about the battering his ‘physical being’ was taking in the process; he continued regardless of the physical wear to his system which was to soon become irreparable.
One moment he was there and the next he was gone. The firm hand of death took him away and left a number of people ‘destitute’ and sad. The one phrase heard with unmitigated poignancy amongst those who came to pay their last respects to Abey at the funeral was – “Oh! He was a good man”. That sufficed to be the epitaph for a man who wanted no recognition from anyone and no return for the work he did either from his beneficiaries or from his benefactors.
Ever polite and humble in his demeanour, he was as those of his ilk are wont to be. He made no attempt to cultivate or to look for patronage from politicians, the elite or the powerful. He cared not for the rich; nor did he bother to amass wealth for himself. He remained to the end, the simple man that he was when he started the long march of his life in this job.
Yet no part of his fund was ever moved to please anyone except those that came within the project criteria laid out for the management of the fund. Had he wanted he could have made the connection with the rich and the powerful with the finances he ‘controlled’. What better tribute can one offer to a man who remained steadfast to his principles to the end.
Ethnic differentiation was not a note he played on. To him the Sinhalese, the Tamils and the Muslims were all a part of the human race to be treated with equal respect and consideration. He knew no other cause except those of the downtrodden who came into his orbit. The Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and the Muslims had no special resonance with him. They too were just a part of the whole and his interest was with the whole and not with the differentiated segments in society.
I think his early leanings towards left politics made him attuned to empathize with the disadvantaged within the Sri Lankan system, a credo that guided him throughout his life. He, however, kept his political leanings to himself to maintain neutrality. Abey was above all, a man of integrity and in his convictions no man could cross swords and succeed. He was also a very private man who therefore kept social interactions to what was absolutely essential to his work. A man of few words but a man of his word, Abey will be missed by all those who knew him, understood his nature and appreciated his worth.
His smile, when it came, spread to his face in sincerity and made you aware of his friendship for you. The smile is gone and the man is gone. But the memories of him will remain with his associates.
Our hope is that time will bring solace to his wife Nina and their two sons. May they have consolation in the thought that in the small space he occupied he was a giant amongst men. He remained and died an independent man.
May he rest in peace!
Gnana Moonasinghe
Looking back on a dear
friendship of almost 80 years
M. S. RANATUNGA
The first death anniversary of M. S. Ranatunga (Rane) of Thimbirigasyaya Road, Colombo 5, was commemorated with a sermon (bana) delivered by a Buddhist monk on November 19, 2011, and an almsgiving (dhaana) offered to a representative group of Buddhist monks the following day.
Even after one year, I cannot reconcile myself to the fact that a dear friend for nearly 80 years has passed away, although the Dhamma teaches us that everything in this universe is impermanent, not excepting life.
We studied at Mahinda College, Galle. Except for a couple of years during the infant stages of our school career, we were classmates throughout. We remained loyal friends until death took him away last year.
Rane hailed from a remote hamlet in Galle, while I was from the town. He spent most of his spare time with books, while I used mine for activities, such as playing games, cricket especially. We had one thing in common – we both came from large families, not less than a dozen members in each family!Rane got excellent results at the senior school certificate examination in 1945, and was exempted from the London Matriculation.
He entered the University of Ceylon from the Pembroke Academy of Colombo, offering an unusual combination of subjects: Botany, Chemistry, Physics and Geography. In 1951, he obtained a second class honours degree in Botany, which earned him the prestigious appointment as a Deputy Conservator in the Forest Department.
By a strange coincidence, we both proceeded to the UK in 1951 for further education. Rane studied at the Commonwealth Institute of Forestry, affiliated to the University of Oxford, with collegiate status at Balliol College. He obtained a Bachelor of Science, leading up to a Masters later on. I studied at the University of Durham Dental Faculty.
During our years in the UK we kept in touch. In the late summer of 1952, I met him in London on his return from Paris, where he had attended a seminar arranged by the University of Oxford. Again, one weekend in 1953, he made his first ever dental appointment with me at the New Castle-upon-Tyne Dental Hospital. Eventually, he and his family would become my loyal patients. Also, we shared a few memorable days sightseeing as far north as Edinburgh.
Rane was always mindful of the welfare of his family – both nuclear and extended. So much so that family life left him with little time for his friends and other social obligations.
Rane and Swarna (who died in 1998) brought up their children and grandchild in exemplary fashion. The children received a sound professional education, and they and their spouses hold highly responsible posts in corporate bodies. His getting through the difficult months following his wife’s demise and his illness in his last few years was possible because of the unstinting care of his children and their spouses.
This appreciation would be incomplete without reference to the multitude of services Rane rendered. Had he remained in the Forest Department, he would have ended up as Conservator of Forests. However, necessity demanded that he be appointed General Manager of the Timber Corporation. One thing led to another, and before you knew it the Food and Agriculture Organisation had appointed him as a consultant, and stationed him in Nepal.
A whole year has passed since Rane left us. Writing this appreciation wasn’t easy. My wife and our four children share my grief. Battling the vicissitudes of life, eventually we fail – all of us. Your beloved friend Wimal has only one last wish for you, sweet prince:
Rane, may you attain Nibbane.
Dr. W. G. Wimaladharma
Honourable brother-in-law was a model of integrity, hard work and pragmatism
S. MAHALINGAM
S. Mahalingam, my only brother-in-law, is no more. He passed away in his sleep at his home in Karaveddi on Saturday, December 17, 2011. On hearing the news of his demise, our hearts skipped a beat and the blood rushed to our heads. The reaction of my wife, his only sister, cannot be described in words.
My association with Mahalingam goes back to our boyhood days. He was a close relative. My father and his father were bosom buddies from childhood and kept up their healthy relationship till the end of their lives.
Out of an abundance of love and affection for his sister, Mahalingam readily agreed to an exchange marriage, although he had not seen my sister, who was living in Jaffna.
My marriage to Mahalingam’s sister took place on May 12, 1961, and his marriage to my sister took place a year later, on August 19, 1962. Defying the common belief that exchange marriages seldom work out, both our marriages blossomed. My wife and I have four children, three boys and a girl. Mahalingam had five children, three girls and two boys, and all the children are living overseas and doing well. My children too are doing well.
Mahalingam had vast knowledge, and industry and energy were embedded in his personality, making him a master of word and deed. He was a voracious reader. He was a good writer, with a compelling style – modern, vigorous, dynamic. He wielded the pen as if it were a sword. He was reputed for his appreciations and letters to the editor on matters of public interest. I was expecting him to write an appreciation of me, but fate has decreed that I should write an appreciation of him.
He was a stickler for accuracy, and he had a gift for lucid expression. His life was a model of integrity, hard work and pragmatism. He was strictly honest and he never minced words. He never swerved from the path of duty. He could be quick tempered, but he was lucky to have a good wife (my sister) who used the “remote control” within her to calm him down.
Behind every successful man stands a woman. An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, the Bible says. Mahalingam was a very happy family man – a devoted husband, a loving father, a loving brother, and an understanding relative.
He was very fond of his sister (my wife). He had a family photograph of my family in his room. After his funeral, my sister gave the photograph to my wife, who was pleasantly surprised. She cried out, saying “What a great man my Anna was!"
The younger generation is often indifferent to ageing parents and consider them a burden. Mahalingam’s children came from Canada and the UK and performed the funeral rites. They are grateful children.
Mahalingam was extremely religious. He was always visiting the two Pillayar temples in Karaveddi. He observed the most sacred Kanthasaddy fast every year for 35 years. He lived a full life, exceeding the Biblical span. He enjoyed being with his 10 grandchildren.
Mahalingam’s life and work can be best summed up in a line from Horace:
“Justum et tenacem propositi virum” – A man upright and tenacious of purpose.
Om. Shanthi! Shanthi!
V. Vimalarajah
Touched by a kind mother-in-law
NORMA DE SILVA
As I sit down in a distant land and think of you I can't believe 15 years have lapsed since you left us. You are never far away from our thoughts.
I got to know and love Aunty Norma when I first joined the family by marrying her second son. I will never forget how she cried at our wedding and I suppose she thought she was going to lose her son but what happened was quite different.
She warmly welcomed me to her family and from that moment a friendship and affection grew between us. We were always there for each other in good times and bad. We had such great times. Fond memories of those days will never be forgotten. They never fade away.
Aunty Norma had a personality that touched everyone who knew her. She was kind and caring and had time to listen to everyone. Although she had a busy social life, she found time to talk to the green leaves seller who would come to her door, the vendor and butcher at the market.
She was a good wife who was always there for Uncle Joe. She was also a loving mother and wonderful grandmother who loved her family. Many are the little things she did with her grandchildren which will be cherished by them forever. She was always full of fun and laughter.
One striking quality about Aunty Norma was her faith. Her faith gave her the strength even in troubled times. During her illness when she suffered so much of pain her faith gave her the strength to go on.
Fifteen years have gone by and many things have changed. Many are the success your children and grandchildren have achieved through the years.
You would have been truly proud of them. My only regret is that you are not with us to share these moments but I guess God knew best. He saw you in so much of pain and took you home. You will always live vividly in the minds and hearts of those you have touched by your rare and special qualities.
Time and tides change but our beautiful memories will last forever.
As Tagore says "Death is not extinguishing the light, it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come."
Sunila |
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