APPRECIATIONS
View(s):The big brother who was friend and role model
KANAGARATNAM MANICcAVASAGAR
It will be one year on October 30, since my brother passed away in London. He was to come to Sri Lanka to be the attesting witness and to give away our nephew Gopiram in marriage to Tharaka De Silva. Unfortunately it did not happen due to his untimely death in London.
Mani Anna, as we called him being the eldest brother in our family of seven, entered Royal College, Colombo and the University, of Colombo from Royal. Since he was the first to enter the University in our family he was looked upon as a role model which made us too to be studious. After passing out from the University he took up a teaching career in Nigeria where he taught chemistry, a subject close to his heart.
After four years of teaching in Nigeria he returned to Sri Lanka and joined the Maharaja organization’s Ponds factory. From there he joined Pfizer Ltd, a well-known American pharmaceutical firm as Manufacturing Assistant. He rose to be a Director in the company. When the management decided to close its operations in Sri Lanka, Mani Anna, along with two others including the present Chairperson and Managing Director Marise Deckker, acquired the shareholding of Pfizer Corporation USA in Pfizer Limited Sri Lanka. The shareholding was acquired through a leveraged management buyout, the first to be carried out in Sri Lanka, establishing Astron Limited. He continued as Manufacturing Director until retirement before migrating to Canada with his wife.
We miss him even now because he was like a friend to all his siblings rather than a controlling eldest brother, which we see in other families. He was married to Selvathiraviam whom we called Anni, a teacher by profession who after retirement from Colombo Hindu College, joined the tutorial staff of S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia as teacher in charge of the Tamil section till they migrated.
I know that his death is a big loss to all of us as well as Anni and Kavitha and Murali, his children. Both are professionally qualified as software and computer engineers and live in Canada and the UK respectively with their children who were very close to their grandfather.
My brother was affectionately called Manicks by his schoolmates who belonged to the 49 Group of Royal College who met annually just before the great Royal Thomian cricket match. My brother and late Nihal Peiris, Attorney-at-Law, were the livewires in organising the group get-together which used to include the late Ratna Sivaratnam, the late Justice Das Edussuriya, the late Justice Wadugodapitiya, the late Kumar Ponnambalam, Advocate, Jayantha Gunasekara, President’s Counsel and former Secretary of the Sri Lanka Bar Association and many others. They were proud of the many professionals in their batch that included the late Upali Wijewardena, Lal Jayasundara, former chairman of Hayleys and S.D. Sivapragasam.
Mani Anna though you have left a great void in our family by departing from this world you will remain in our hearts as a living soul. We pray that you will be resting in peace in eternity at the feet of the Lord Almighty.
I can still picture him with his winsome smile whispering to me, “non omnis moriar” (I shall not altogether die).
I am reminded of the following words of the English poet James Shirley:
There is no armour against Fate;
Death lays his icy hand on kings:
Sceptre and crown
Must tumble down,
And in the dust be equal made
Ganeshayogan (Brother)
She inspired my love for educational psychology and teacher education
Emeritus Professor Swarna Wijetunge
Emeritus Professor Swarna Wijetunge passed away on October 15. Her funeral was held on the 18th in Maryland, USA.
Professor Wijetunge commenced her academic career as a temporary lecturer in 1969 at the Department of Education, University of Peradeniya. Later she joined the Department of Education at the then Vidyodaya University. In 1975 when all the Departments of Education were amalgamated to the Faculty of Education, University of Colombo, she became a member of the Faculty.
She won a Fulbright scholarship to pursue Doctoral Studies in University of Columbia, USA. After specializing in teacher education, she returned to the Faculty. During her career she held many administrative posts such as Head of the Department of Educational Psychology from 1995-1997, Dean of the Faculty of Education from 2000-2003, Founder Director of the National Education Research and Evaluation Centre (NEREC) and once again as Director from 2004-2006.
From a temporary lecturer she rose to be the Chair Professor of Educational Psychology. She completed almost 40 years of valuable service to the University system and was awarded Emeritus Professorship in 2007.
As the founding Director of NEREC, Professor Wijetunge’s services to the field of education are unparalleled. Considering the need for a dedicated research institution in education under the provision of the University Act No. 16 of 1978, NEREC was established as a centre affiliated to the Faculty of Education of the University of Colombo, in 2000 with Professor Wijetunge as its first Director. Even though the World Bank was to fund its activities for five years there were delays in obtaining funds. It was Professor Wijetunge with equally dedicated academics such as late professors Swarna Jayaweera and Chandra Gunawardene who with their personal funds commenced the activities in NEREC. Later Prof. Wijetunge was able to secure research grants from the ADB, World Bank, Save the Children’s Fund, GIZ and UNICEF.
She was also instrumental in commencing national assessment of learning outcomes of students for the Ministry of Education. Even at present NEREC is the agency for conducting national assessments and the findings are used for international comparisons by the World Bank. In addition, in 2003 Prof. Wijetunge as the team leader was able to replicate the Civic Education Study (CIVED 1998) conducted in 28 countries by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). This study – National Research Study on Civic Education in Sri Lanka was funded by DFID.
By the end of her second term as Director/NEREC Prof Wijetunga had established quite a considerable NEREC fund. Her vision was to make NEREC a research institute. Unfortunately, due to many challenges and bottlenecks her dream did not materialize.
As the Dean of the Faculty of Education Professor Wijetunge strived hard to develop the human resources within the Faculty. Due to the retirement of many of the founder academics of the Faculty there was a dearth of academics in many of the Departments. Failing to recruit at the higher levels, she identified promising young graduates and recruited them as temporary staff, in spite of criticism by some seniors. These academics were provided with professional training locally and some were sent abroad for short and long term training. Professor Wijetunge’s farsighted thinking has paid dividends today as many of them have obtained their PhD’s and are holding administrative positions in the Faculty.
Professor Wijetunge’s contributions extended well beyond the University of Colombo. She was a sought after consultant with significant contributions to other educational institutions, the Ministry of Education, the National Education Commission, National Institute of Education, National Colleges of Education, Teacher Training Colleges, other departments of education in other Universities, the World Bank, UNICEF, the GIZ, and various other organisations.
Prof. Wijetunge was a researcher par excellence, an efficient administrator and true professional. However, she is remembered by her students mostly for being a caring and excellent teacher. This is evident from the large number of Facebook comments by her past students.
Personally, she was one of my most significant role models, mentor and friend during my academic career. Who I am today is mainly due to her. I met her first as the educational psychology lecturer in 1989 when I was doing my postgraduate Diploma in Education (TESL). I can still remember the way she showed how psychology could be applied to the classroom as well as to our daily lives. The examples of how she applied her knowledge in bringing up her two daughters are still vivid in my mind. This aspect has been emphasised by other students as well – how the ‘stories’ she told made psychology real to them.
My love for educational psychology and teacher education was inspired by her during my postgraduate studies. She was also my MPhil and M.Sc in Applied Psychology supervisor and the guidance I received was a sound research foundation which helped me later in my doctoral studies as well. As her daughter Vipuli commented, “being Professor of educational psychology was not just a career but a life calling and a passion for her.”
When I was about to lose my scholarship during my PhD studies, due to the illogical decisions of the Ministry of Education, it was she who fought on behalf of me. Going up to the then Minister of Education, she was able to retain the scholarships not only for me but also for three others from different teacher education institutions. She was the rock that sustained me during that most difficult PhD journey in Australia. The long emails she sent me in response to my tales of woe were a source of inspiration to me. If not for you, dear madam, I would never have obtained the PhD.
From the day I joined the Faculty staff, Professor Wijetunge had been my second mother. I valued her caring and sharing friendship even more than the academic guidance. She shared my joys as well as my sorrows even from thousands of miles away. Dear madam, I am happy I was able to fulfil all your aspirations for me during your lifetime.
Thank you very much for all that you did for me. You will always be with me in spirit until we meet again some day. Until then goodbye and rest in peace, dear madam.
Marie Perera
To shared memories
B.H.S. Jayasekara
Decidero meus Amicus
I begin with an expression in Latin, because in this province, Latin will not be heard ever in the course of legal submissions and orations at lawyers’ gatherings or similar occasions after the recent demise of B.H.S. Jayasekara, Senior Attorney-at-Law, Moneragala.
Jaye, as I affectionately called him, was my closest friend and professional associate for about 40 years in my own legal career of half a century. He hailed from Matara, and was the only son of Albert Silva and Mapi Silva. He had his education at St. Servatius College, Matara and started his career as a teacher which brought him to Colombo where he served in many schools.
He met his wife Indra, a state officer who was transferred there earlier. It was when he was pursuing law studies that I met him and thus began an immediate close friendship which remained unwavering and firm till his death.
He was frank and forthright, not afraid to express what he felt about men and matters at various events and gatherings and in his submissions to Court on behalf of his clients. Thanks to his upbringing and motivation, his three children – two sons and a daughter – Paboda, Dilum and Sithara have all become lawyers with one son adorning an original Court Bench. A remarkable feat indeed, unparalleled elsewhere in the Province of Uva for four family members to be in practice at the same place, during the same period.
He was a prolific writer who contributed often to the newspapers and a much sought after speaker at various forums where he was in the habit of including Latin maxims and quotations in his speeches. Possessed with a wide knowledge of history and philosophy and with an excellent command of the English language, he always made it a point to educate the audience whenever he was called upon to address a gathering.
As a leader of the Moneragala Bar, Jaye was instrumental in the opening of the Provincial High Court there and such similar achievements for the benefit of the Bar. He was a source of encouragement to junior lawyers who sought his counsel. On a personal note, from the commencement of his practice in the Uva Province, he was so attached to me like a shadow which went on in spite of various setbacks till his sad death. In fact I myself may have followed him soon thereafter, but God granted me a little more time to complete my life’s unfulfilled purposes.
You did whatever you thought was right.
Our memories together was a sweet Delight……… ”
“May the rains be gentle and the earth rest light……….. Benevolus Amicus – Donec Nos obvenio iterum ulterius Dearest Friend. Until we meet again -beyond!
Vijaya Niranjan Perera
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