Appreciations
You showed the way
He was a true guru
You showed the way
H.A.P. De Silva
Every good thing has to come to an end.
So had the life of our darling father/grandfather.
One teardrop could never describe the love you had for us,
And not even the great blue ocean could hold the generosity and kindness
of your precious heart.
Today we have only the memories of so many years past but not you near
us,
Sometimes we wish we had more time to share with you, Sometimes we
wish the cycle of life, would stand still,
Just for a moment, so we could say I love father once more, your work
gave hope and strength to many,
You glowed with wisdom and you shared it with all,
You lit the path of so many, who will always remember you as their
hero,
Journalism was your weapon, an ivory sword you used to bring justice,
Your pen was magic, that never ceased to bring good fortune and wisdom
to all,
Your mind was an archive of intellect focused on justice and good deeds,
Overall you were a perfect gentleman, loving father and sweetest grandfather,
Even though you have parted from us, your memories we will carry with
us forever,
Your kindness, and your sweet smile will be in our hearts and minds,
And the great blue sky will reveal your deep eyes, which will guide
us through our lives,
Dear Grandfather you showed us that never is life in vain,
For when every precious moment in life is dedicated for good,
We would not have anything to fear at the end,
Now Buddha’s words echo in our hearts, minds and ears: “Nothing lasts
for ever,
The cycle of life goes on till the golden gates of Nibbana are reached.”
We hope and pray that you will reach the golden gates of Nibbana in
a very short time,
And even if you are not with us, we hope you will guide us all towards
it too.
May you attain the supreme bliss of Nirvana.
Swarna, Kems, Dharshika & Eranjan
He was a true guru
A. Gurusumuttu
A. Gurusumuttu died in a road accident a few months ago in London where
he was living in retirement. My association with him began in the late
fifties when I joined the public service and apprenticed under him. He
was in the Executive Class of the Government Clerical Service. The civil
servant in charge of administration of the department chose him to be my
tutor knowing his competence. He was the Guru under whom I learnt office
management and interpretation of Administrative Regulations.
Gurusu, as we called him, was a man of few words attending to his files,
totally absorbed in them and hardly willing to engage in idle chatter with
his charges. This revealed to me the work ethic of the ‘Jaffnese persona’.
In the early seventies my longing to work in Colombo was realized with
my being appointed to a position in the Organization and Methods division
of the Treasury. What a pleasant surprise it was to find Gurusu already
there as Management Services Officer, a position much sought after by many.
Once again it was his turn to initiate me into the finer points of O&M,
work study and management consultancy.
He continued to serve the government with dedication. His consultancy
reports were concise, precise, clear and to the point that reflected his
disciplined mind. For one or two years he was the President of the Association
of Management Services Officers. It was during this time that representations
made to the Director of Establishments to raise the status of MSO to staff
rank bore fruit. But there were ups and downs in life and Gurusu had to
face adversity when he lost his dear wife. Then though richly deserving,
he was overlooked for promotion to the SLAS, the equivalent of the prestigious
class three of the CCS.
He decided to retire before his time in 1979 and seek his fortunes in
Oman. This was a turning point in his life. He worked there for almost
10 years rising to a senior position as a lay administrator in the Directorate
of Health. On retirement, he migrated to England with his three daughters.
Gurusu died at 74 and the funeral service was held in the suburban church
in Grove Park, London where he used to attend mass. Those of us who worked
with him in the Management Services Division till 1979 will miss him most
whenever we meet and reminisce about the good old days. May he rest in
peace.
Leo Fernando |
