APPRECIATIONS
View(s):A dear friend and colleague
Dr. Mahinda Kurukulasuriya
A talented son of Sri Lanka, Dr. Mahinda Kurukulasuriya (1942-2025) passed away peacefully in Vientiane, Laos on January 29, with his daughter Liza by his side. According to his wishes, a three-day memorial service was held in a Buddhist temple in Vientiane, Laos.
Among close friends, he was fondly referred to as ‘Kuru” and as “Dr. Kuru” among his professional colleagues.
He was born in 1942 to a wealthy family in Nakulugamuwa. His father owned the Ruhunu Transit Bus Company that was nationalised in 1957.
Kuru had his education at Mahinda College, Galle, where he excelled in studies, sports, and athletics. In 1961, as a Cadet and Queen’s Scout, he had the rare opportunity to greet Queen Elizabeth II at the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.
After a 13-year hiatus of losing cricket matches to Richmond College, in 1962, Mahinda College under Kuru’s captaincy won a memorable victory against Richmond.
In 1962, he won a scholarship to pursue engineering studies at the Moscow State University. That same year, I met Kuru in Moscow, and we forged a friendship that lasted 65 years.
Kuru married his University batch-mate Elena – an amiable person who also completed her Ph.D. and the rare Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degrees along with Kuru. She predeceased him in 2015 leaving two equally brilliant daughters who live in Europe.
Kuru’s education abroad opened up the world for him to explore. Upon his graduation in 1968, he returned to Sri Lanka and worked for the River Valleys Development Board (RVDB). From 1971-1976, he and Elena were appointed as water engineers in Zambia. They returned to Moscow and completed their Ph.Ds. Kuru returned to Sri Lanka in 1979 and worked for the Mahaweli River Development.
Later, he worked on United Nations assignments as a senior engineer and Program Manager in Zaire, Congo, Maldives, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. He was fluent in English, Russian, French, Burmese, Khmer and Thai, and he excelled in his UN assignments.
In 2006, he garnered another Ph.D from the Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture of the Peradeniya University. Over the years, he wrote several books, including his memoirs “One Drop of my Sweet Sweat”.
Upon his mandatory UN retirement, the Government of Laos – aware of Kuru’s technical expertise, commitment and integrity – persuaded Kuru to lead several key development projects in Laos. It allowed Kuru to continue working with the perks of a UN official, and the Government took good care of him as he was away from his native Sri Lanka, and his beloved family. He had many Laotian friends.
Above all, he was kind and friendly to everyone he knew. Despite many achievements, Kuru was the most virtuous and unassuming person I came across in my life.
Kuru is survived by his sisters Indra and Lalita, daughters Angelika and Liza, and his wife Seuth and his son Souminta.
His family and friends will miss him dearly. Yet, we shall cherish his memory forever.
May he attain the supreme bliss of Nirvana.
Somar Wijayadasa
He reached out to the marginalised
Dr. Suman Fernando
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Suman Fernando on January 31, at the age of 93. Despite spending most of his life in the United Kingdom, Dr. Fernando remained deeply connected to his roots in Sri Lanka, offering continuous support to various institutions, particularly those focused on mental health and well-being.
Dr. Fernando’s contributions to the People’s Rural Development Association – PRDA were immense. He played a key role in establishing PRDA as a partner in McGill University’s Trauma and Global Health programme, which brought valuable mental health studies and training to Sri Lanka. His personal donations of books, equipment, and financial support to mental health institutions, not to mention the many scholarly books that he authored, further helped advance the country’s mental health policies and services.
In 2016, Dr. Fernando helped launch a scholarship scheme through the Association of Sri Lankan Professionals (APSL) in the United Kingdom, benefiting academically gifted children from financially disadvantaged families in the Puttalam District.
On his 92nd birthday in March 2024, he supported 406 financially deprived children at the Sirambiadiya Junior School in the Puttalam District by providing them with shoes, enabling them to walk to school with pride and protection. In March 2025, PRDA will repeat the initiative on his 93rd birth anniversary.
Dr. Fernando’s work extended well beyond Sri Lanka. He was a globally recognised figure in the field of mental health, advocating social justice for marginalised communities and for the integration of indigenous healing systems with mainstream mental practices. He was awarded numerous accolades, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Toronto, although he notably rejected an OBE from the British Government, in protest against certain mental health policies in Britain, which he felt perpetuated social discrimination.
Dr. Suman Fernando was not only a pioneering psychiatrist and academic but also a mentor and advocate for marginalised communities. PRDA extends its heartfelt condolences to his wife, Frances, his daughter Siri, and her family during this difficult time. His legacy will continue to inspire and guide us.
May his soul Rest in Peace.
Chamindra Weerackody (PRDA)
A great loss to Tamil journalism
Bharathi Rayanayaham
Bharathi Rayanayaham’s passing away last week in Thirunelvely, Jaffna has taken away from us a great journalist full of talent and dedication.
Bharathi was a great human apart from being a talented journalist who interacted with everyone.
I have lost a long-time close friend who understood me well beyond being a journalist, regardless of the mistakes I might have made.
My interaction with Bharathi began in the early 1990s when he joined the Virakesari newspaper as a sub-editor. Unlike those of us who worked from Colombo, Bharathi had grown up amidst various crises in the field of journalism. His entry into journalism took place in the days of the emergence of the armed Tamil militant movements in the North.
Initially working for Eelamurasu and Murasoli newspapers in Jaffna in the mid-1980s, Bharathi joined Virakesari after being involved in an accident while the Indian Peace Keeping Force was stationed in the North and East.
He served as the Editor-in-Chief of the weekend edition of Thinakural newspaper from 2004 till 2020 until he retired and relocated to his hometown – Jaffna.
Bharathi’s journalistic career spanned three decades of the civil war and the last 15 after the end of the war. As a result, he lived a life that was inherently imbued with Tamil nationalist political principles and devoted his writing to assiduously justifying the legitimate political aspirations and grievances of the Tamil people.
He became an excellent political commentator. In the early days of his joining Virakesari, the management used him for some research work on the national question. Attempts were also made to make a book of these studies. He has written extensively on social and political issues.
Bharathi was also actively involved in issues related to the rights of journalists and was the president of the Sri Lanka Tamil Journalists Union several times.
After the change in the management of Thinakkural newspaper in 2010, all of us had to work in the Virakesari office at Grandpass, Colombo, and the Virakesari management was keen to use Bharathi’s talent. He easily acquainted himself with the latest technological developments in the field of journalism.
Even after retiring, Bharathi worked in a regional newspaper in Jaffna. When the Virakesari looked for a person to be in charge of its Jaffna office, Bharathi was identified as a suitable candidate.
Bharathi had a large number of friends and was also well known in the expatriate Tamil community. He had travelled extensively abroad and gained much experience.
His demise after a few weeks of illness is an irreparable loss to the Tamil media.
Veeragathy Thanabalasingham
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