Arthur Ratnavale: An artistic Civil Servant

Unexpectedly passing away from a heart attack at 54 in the midst of his term as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to what was then West Germany, Arthur Ratnavale’s death in December 1974 cut short an impactful and illustrious life. Those close to him remember his thoughtful, somewhat philosophical yet precise, confident and commanding personality. Similar contrasts surface in his old Ceylon Civil Service administrative exactness entwining with an artistic passion influenced by the likes of his famous Trinity College art teacher David Paynter, and inspired by his admiration for the French impressionists. On his hundredth birth anniversary which falls on November3, 2020, this article wishes to serve both as an appreciation and a journey through his interesting life.

The sixth of eight children, many of whom went on to distinguish themselves in the medical field, Arthur Ratnavale’s career took a different route.  Educated at Trinity College Kandy in the era of Headmaster’s such as Rev John Cambell and the Rev John Stopford who later went on to become Bishop of London; the school’s strong Christian influences manifested in many of his paintings. His links with Trinity were strong and after graduating with History Honours he came back to teach briefly. His former pupils whom include former Ministers Lakshman Kadirgamar who he taught English and History, and Prof Tissa Vitharana to whom he was a House Master at Napier House, have recalled this involvement with respect and fondness. Indeed, sometimes reflecting on his life, including many of the senior positions held he would often say that he enjoyed his job as a teacher at Trinity more than anything else he had done. Fittingly, decades later he also served as a Governor of the School.

Teaching was still a brief interlude. After little over a year he sat for and passed the highly competitive Ceylon Civil Service exam in an era when only around three persons were permitted career entry annually. The diverse exposure the Civil Service provided would naturally have been a source of strength to the very senior positions held later in his career. This diversity included exposure in different parts of the country in the roles of: Assistant Government Agent (AGA) Matale, AGA Kurunegala and later Government Agent Ratnapura. There was exposure in different departments and Ministries such as: Customs, Trade and Commerce, Information and Broadcasting, Tourism and Census and Statistics. There was also exposure overseas including a three month training programme in Australia, visits to Peeking in the capacity of Rubber Commissioner for rubber rice talks and visits to Prague, Geneva and Rome on Government business.

Entwining with all this was his love of painting and art and before referring to the more high profile appointments he later held, the article seeks to do justice to this pastime. Contextually the observation at the outset that artistic passion represented a contrast to his administrative exactness requires qualification as even here he took meticulous care over his work. The contrast with exactness was in his unfettered and adventurous use of colour; possibly the influence of his Trinity links with David Paynter but even more likely his favourite artist Paul Gauguin.

Arthur Ratnavale’s painting of the crucifixion

Two strands were evident in his art. One consists of Sri Lankan rural and jungle scenes which he would have enjoyed when on civil service circuits. These include paintings of village life, veddas and some integrating seascapes. The other connects with his strong Christian beliefs and upbringing. In the case of the former what comes to mind are paintings of women bathing at a well, fishermen overlooking the sea and veddas carrying a deer after a hunt. In the case of the latter I am reminded of his painting of the Cologne Cathedral interior, the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and of course the crucifixion. A painting where the two strands coincidentally combine is a view of the Hanthana hills seen through the pillars of the Trinity College Chapel.

Arthur Ratnavale’s representation of Veddas after a hunt

With the advent of Sirimavo Banadaranaike’s Government in 1970 Arthur Ratnavale was appointed Permanent Secretary Defence and External Affairs when both portfolios were combined under Prime Ministerial purview.  As this is a personalized reminiscence and nearly fifty years have passed, I thought to convey an interesting anecdote he shared with those close to him that convey something of him and his times.
Exemplified by the deposing of Presidents Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana in 1966 and Milton Obote of Uganda in 1971, coup d’ etat during these times were not  infrequent. Mrs. Bandaranaike having experienced the 1962 failed coup was not immune to such concerns and it was decided to request US intelligence to assist investigations on anything that may be developing. But Sri Lanka was adept at walking the tightrope to balance the powers, and with perspectives that foreign intelligence services were also allegedly involved in conspiracies, the same was later requested of the Russians. He told me that the US official who visited was a serious almost academic individual but ironically the Russian had more of the trappings of what Hollywood would ascribe to an intelligence agent. The Russian operative had been very amused when he told him that he seemed to have the qualities of 007.

Arthur Ratnavale with former German President Heinemann

Arthur Ratnavale’s last appointment as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, whilst being a pleasant posting was not without its challenges. Relations between the countries were a little strained on account of Sri Lanka’s early recognition of East Germany when put in the context of the wider goal of German unification. He was therefore happy to see an improvement in relations after the state visit of Mrs. Bandaranaike to Germany in September 1974. He was also pleased to enable the German Charter Airline Condor to obtain landing rights in Colombo during his tenure which saw West Germany overtaking France to then become the largest tourism source market.

Despite an involved career Arthur Ratnavale was a committed family man and his devoted wife Poowathie was a boundless reservoir of support both with his career and with the family. His death left a huge void in his immediate family who missed his strong guidance, wise perspectives and uplifting and sometimes mischievous sense of humour.  Being a young family member who sometimes found his passion for art galleries and museums a little bit of an ordeal, I thought differently of his love of the great outdoors and have fond memories of river baths in the Deduru Oya, boating on Germany’s Maria Lake and a family winter holiday in the Bavarian Alps. He sought to inculcate a strong educational outlook and wide interests in his children. While promoting achievement he also encouraged us to be thoughtful and to be discerningly receptive to ideas. As such in remembering him on this anniversary, it is apt in conclusion to recall a small verse that struck a chord with him to the extent that he made me memorize it

“Men should be judged not by their tint of skin

The Gods they serve, the vintage that they drink

Nor by the way they fight or love or sin

But by the quality of thoughts they think”

W.S.R