Dr. Mahinda D. Jayasinghe - a caring person full of humour

Dr. Mahinda D. Jayasinghe, MD was a pediatric cardiologist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He practised for more than 20 years. His specialty, Pediatric Cardiology treated heart disease in children. His loving wife Indra practised Pediatrics in Baton Rouge, also for more than 20 years. Their only child son Saman too followed in his parents’ footsteps and qualified as a Preventive Medicine Specialist practising nearby.

Mahinda Aiya's father Maulise De Silva Jayasinghe (Staff Officer, Ceylon Wharfage Co. Ltd.) married Aggresha Amarawathie Jayasinghe De Silva. His siblings are the late Indra Irangani Jayasinghe, Manel De Silva Jayasinghe, Nihal Ranjith Jayasinghe (in Toronto), and Vinitha Manohari Jayasinghe (deceased). Mahinda Aiya was very proud to say that his father migrated from a village called Wauwa in Devinuvara (God’s Town). Devinuwara is a seaport on the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka. His paternal ancestors were from Wauwa whereas his maternal ancestors were from Park Avenue next to Campbell Park, Colombo. His father married and settled in Park Avenue. 

Mahinda Aiya captained the Ananda College Cricket Team in 1956 and was fortunate to lead the 27th annual Ananda and Nalanda encounter – the Battle of the Maroons. Nalanda College was captainedby Nihal Withania. The match ended in a draw at Oval grounds, Colombo. He played as the skipper and wicketkeeper and was a hard-hitting right-hand opening batsman who had an eye for quick runs. In 1960 his brother Nihal played for Nalanda. 

Although he devoted his time to school cricket, he qualified in 1963 to enter the Colombo Medical College (now Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo).

Mahinda Aiya was a practising Buddhist and had diverse interests namely music, art, reading various subjects mainly on history. He sent emails to me to read Dhamma books such as Thus Have I Heard (Pali: Evam me Suttam) by Maurice Walshe and Discourse of the Buddha by Bhikkhu Bodhi.  I remember having Dhamma discussions with him on different topics over the telephone. When I was trying to arrange a visit to Ven. Buddnagala Ananda Thera to Canada in August 2018 Mahinda Aiya actively supported me with his brother Nihal in Toronto. However, the visit had to be postponed. 

Chandani and I visited Mahinda Aiya and Indra Akka in 2015 and both of them came to pick us when we landed at the Baton Rouge airport. When I got into the car, I heard from the car radio the song of Pandit Amaradeva ‘This is my Mother Land - Me Ape Mathru Bumiyay’. That was the welcome song for both of us. Their well-designed visit started with Jambalaya lunch which is a Louisiana Creole dish of Spanish and French influence. At home, he explained the historical evolution of Western classical music of Mozart and Beethoven. 

He focused on two main activities in the backyard namely a swim before lunch and feeding fish in the pond by the side of the pool. The home library was another interest of Mahinda Aiya and he shared three books by renowned authors - R. L. Spittel, George Davison Winius, and R. L. Brohier. He autographed the books as “To Senaka and Chandani, For a Memorable Visit, Mahinda and Indra, Baron Rouge, LA, July 22, 2015”.

Besides the city tour in Baton Rouge, they drove us to the port of New Orleans located along the river of Mississippi. From there we drove by the side of Lake Pontchartrain to Bay St. Louis to visit their family friend, Dr. Leonard J. Cheramie. He too like Mahinda Aiya was interested in collecting antiques. Dr. Cheramie’s home was just like an antique museum. 

Mahinda Aiya collected Sri Lankan temple paintings published by the New York Graphic Society, New Jersey, USA, of which he shared two-colour line-paintings (18” X13”) of Phala Viharaya, Mukirigala, Hambantota District, and a scene from the Telapatta Jataka - The king of Taxila riding on his elephant with a Yaksini in human form. Both were drawn in the 19th century. As an art lover, he collected black and white pencil painting photos (16” X12”) of different locations in Sri Lanka such as the port and harbour of Colombo and the town and lake of Kandy. 

When I asked him for medical advice, he always advised me to start with home remedies. All of us at our home got home remedies from Mahinda Aiya. My brother-in-law Deepal from Medicine Hat in Alberta Province too called him for medical advice. He was our Telephone Doctor. As a caring human being, he always helped his relations in Sri Lanka. I lost a faithful friend and a good relation.  

May Mahinda Aiya attain the supreme bliss of Nibbana!

Senaka A. Samarasinghe 

Winnipeg, Canada