Young engineer who helped save ancient Maduru Oya sluice

Appreciation - Saravanamuttu  Sivarasa (Siva)
Saravanamuttu Sivarasa (1952- 2020) the well-known, highly respected Civil Engineer, a product of University of Peradeniya and Ananda College, Colombo passed away peacefully in Sydney on July 3, 2020. His funeral was held on July 22, 2020 in Sydney. Siva will be sadly missed by Sydney community of Sri Lankan descent and friends.

Sivarasa belonged to a rare breed of Sri Lankans trilingual to the core as he could read, write and speak in all three languages with equal ease.  Born in Jaffna, Siva possibly had at least part of his early primary education in Jaffna. Siva had confided in me more than once that his father who served in the Department of Police was a humble constable with limited means, but was very keen to give him a sound education. Educating Siva in an elite Jaffna school was perhaps beyond his means and out of the question with his father moving from station to station and Siva having to change schools as he followed his father.

His father’s transfer to the Maradana Police Station somewhere in the mid-sixties proved to be a pivotal point in Siva’s academic pursuit.  Siva’s application to be admitted to Ananda College to Grade 7 was initially turned down.  Siva had told me that the thinking was that it was not practical for any kid to suddenly start studying in the Sinhala medium having not studied in Sinhala in the lower classes.  Approaching the then Principal (whom I believe was Lieutenant Colonel E.A. Perusinghe), Siva’s father was able to convince the Principal of his son’s perseverancewhich led to Siva being admitted to Ananda College.  

School admissions were done quite differently in that bygone era where greasing of palms was unheard of and not conceivable even remotely and school principals were of a different ilk and calibre.  Siva had told me that when he entered Ananda College he had struggled a lot to learn Sinhala initially.  Later in life Siva used to always speak appreciatively and with gratitude about the principals of Ananda College during his time (Colonel Rajapakse I believe was the other) – for their continuous encouragement. I am sure Siva must have been the very first Jaffna Tamil to gain admission to the Faculty of Engineering studying in the Sinhala medium from Ananda College. This has to be an historical first and a unique achievement.

After graduating in 1977, Siva joined the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) and was posted to theMaduru Oya project under the Accelerated Mahaveli Development Programme, a destination and the training ground for most graduates then.  Working in remote harsh areas with minimal facilities and access, building dams, major irrigation works and infrastructure with marginal resources were possibly the best training that any young engineercould get at that time under the Mahaweli Project.Young engineers who survived that rigorous training regime usually came out aptly weather beaten and fit to work in any environment. 

Siva’s dedication as a young engineer at Madura Oya is best captured by my own batch mate who also worked with Siva in the same project around the same time.  Quoting his recent reminiscence: “My most unforgettable memory of Siva that I still think of fondly, is how he fought to save a 2000-year-old ancient sluice structure at Maduru Oya dam site. At the time, neither the Government nor the designers had been aware of the existence of an ancient dam and a sluice structure of this nature, about 100 m downstream. Unknowingly, they had designed the right bank outlet in the same alignment as the ancient sluice structure.  When excavations were in progress, Siva was the first person to notice and report remnants (brick pieces appeared first) of the brick structure.  He immediately reported this to the higher authorities and took steps to stop further excavation despite strong objections from the contractor.  He took immense personal interest in this matter and coordinated with all concerned authorities until the Department of Archaeology took over the exposing of the structure.  Finally the Right Bank canal was redesigned and taken through a tunnel to avoid destruction of the ancient structure.”

I understand that once the Maduru Oya project was completed in 1984. Following the trend of the times, Siva chose to venture out.  Having worked a year in a major Irrigation Project in Iraq in 1984/85and three years in Georgetown Guyana, Siva migrated to Australia to make it his permanent home.  He commenced working in NSW Roads and Maritime Services in 1989 and worked for the same organisation until he retired in March 2014 after 25 years of service as Bridge Maintenance Planner/Area Engineer. Siva had a reputation as a very good engineer who upheld the highest professional standards through his career and made significant contributions in his role in delivering the bridge maintenance programme.

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Though Siva and I were contemporaries at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Peradeniya during what was termed as its golden age in the mid-seventies, my association with Siva during our university days however did not extend beyond saying an occasional hello orexchanging a fleeting smile in a chanced passing in those long wide corridors. We were in two different batches which made developing a personal friendship a bit harder in that environment.

It was only after migrating to Australia in January 1991 that I had the great privilege of associating with Siva closely and by extension with his family.  We lived near the vicinity in a suburb known as Erskine Park, NSW which was full of new migrants of Sri Lankan descent then.  With the country going through a recession with unemployment reaching 11%, employment opportunities for the migrant engineers were dwindling rapidly.  Siva who had migrated to Australia about two years before us, had been lucky to secure employment and was more settled when I arrived.  His wife Meena too had joined the workforce then. Siva and Meena were very helpful in accommodating new migrants like us and were great friends.

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His home was a like a sanctuary to us.  The doors were always open to any one of us to walk in – and you could guarantee to be always treated sumptuously to a grand meal in typical Jaffna style, even though you may have dropped in casually without invitation.  Visiting the Sivarasa household, which also had Meena’s very accommodating and friendly parents, especially her mother with that perpetual smile of welcome, is one of the most endearing memories of my time in Erskine Park.

Siva was a livewire who used to organise numerous family events like barbeques in picnic areas. He was equally passionate in organizing cricket tournaments -these events went a long way in building bonding in the community and the fact that Siva was trilingual made him the ideal person to organize such events.

Siva was also very much conscious of the fact that new migrant engineers needed some guiding assistance to seek employment in the dwindling Australian job market around 1991.  Without any reservation he assisted new arrivals by imparting his knowledge to bridge the gap that could stand against winning a job.  Siva extended this help to me without any restraint.  It gave him genuine happiness when he found that his efforts were fruitful.

I left Erskine Park in July 1991, but our ties continued through cricket until October 1993 when I had to move out of Parramatta to Regional NSW in Parkes after securing a job more than 300km away.  It took me nearly a decade and a half to return to Sydney - thoughthe geographical distance, the passage of time and personal circumstances had made our meetings far and few in between, Siva was always warm, friendly and cordial whenever we met on official matters as both of us continued to work in the same organization.  Even after his retirement and while battling his illness, Siva never lost his warmth toward his friends and his willingness to socialize.

My memory of Siva is that he was a wonderfully upright person with exceptional personal qualities.  He genuinely wished the betterment of others.  He was not the type of the person who was likely to keep a grudge in his mind or would be envious of others’ success.  He was too good a man for that.  He genuinely wished the wellbeing and prosperity of others.  He was a great friend indeed.  There was something untainted and unspoilt in his whole outlook toward life and people and I never heard him complaining bitterly about any issue.

Concluding, any note on Siva would not be complete without mentioning his loving wife Meena.  Both were profoundlyand naturally caring, a source of inspiration and support to each other and possibly the most matching and loving couple that I have ever known.  My heart aches to think how Meena will endure this loss.  May the deeds of Siva and the fragrance and memory of his love will give her some solace.

It is sad to see Siva departing this way- but it is comforting to know that there are human beings of such exceptional quality such as Siva.  My deepest condolences to Meena, Rajeev and the rest of the family,Siva’s four brothers and Meena’s dear Dad who will dearly miss Siva.

- By Maximus Jayantha Anandappa