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Appreciations She believed in God and kept an open mind about religion. Through her rich and varied experiences in life, she had come to believe that God was in everything that was right and good. Her expansive mind was able to draw from the teachings of all the great religions and form her own beliefs. She believed that God lived through art and that art in its purest sense, was worship of divinity. She cherished freedom of spirit. She identified it as a bond with a higher power. It was this free-spiritedness which made her break with the shackles of a highly conservative upbringing and in her mid-20s, leave Ceylon and in her own words, "all that I had ever known and loved", to sail to England to pursue her dream of graduating in art. Her action would have sat ill with the traditions of the background that Varuni came from, but she was one who beat her own path, not one who meekly followed the one laid for her by society. "An inner urge drove me on," she has written in her memoirs. She could not have given rein to her free spirit if she had also not been a woman of great courage. To deliberately move away from the comfort zone that she had known, in that day and age, and pursue her calling despite tremendous odds which she encountered in a strange land, would have required grit of a high degree. She never faltered and never looked back. In time, she achieved the spiritual fulfilment which she sought, the best evidence of which was her admirable serenity. It has been said that life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage; to me, there was no better example of the truth of that saying than Varuni. Varuni, at 92 years, had traversed a great distance on the path of life, yet she never spoke from a great height. She was one of the world's best listeners and nothing important escaped her notice, yet she would keep her own counsel. If advice was asked for, it was given with such simplicity that one was left wondering whether one had thought of it on one's own. She had a unique ability to bridge the gap to people of all ages. She was one of the most vibrant and positive people that I have ever met. Most people at 80, sit in an armchair waiting for the end; Varuni at 90, had her kitchen remodelled. She believed in living life to the fullest, never frittering away time. She believed that looking good not only made one feel good but demonstrated respect for one's self and others and so, every single day she would make herself presentable, even if it was only for herself, as was often the case. She was proud of her eastern culture and in all the 65 years that she had been away from her motherland, always wore the saree and often, a flower in her hair. Varuni, with her quiet strength, firm beliefs, refinement and dignity, was a source of inspiration to many and the tributes that have flowed in speak of the impact she had on people's lives. Said one, "I feel very privileged to have known her. She was such a warm, talented person - so devoted to her work and her beliefs." Said another, "She had an indomitable spirit and a most realistic outlook on life. Her mere presence in the community was a sufficient contribution in itself." "Varuni was a wonderful person. She was a unique and mystical person, totally independent, yet, totally a friend. She is still very much a part of my life," said yet another. Varuni has passed away but she is still very much a part of my life too. For, "What is dying?" as portrayed by Bishop Brent: "A ship
sails and I stand watching till she fades on the horizon and someone
at my side says, "she is gone". Gone where? Gone from
my sight, that is all. She is just as large as when I saw her. The
diminished size, and the total loss of sight is in me, and not in
her, and just at the moment when someone at my side says, "she
is gone", there are others who are watching her coming and
other voices take up a glad shout, "There she comes!' And that
is dying. He
was a true Sinhala patriot The poverty alleviation work Clement implemented through the Thawalama Development Foundation and Success Colombo, and the patriotic work he did through the National Joint Committee and the Sinhala Jathika Sangamaya, were not for profit, fame or praise. He expected nothing in return except mental satisfaction. After his retirement from the UK civil aviation service, he returned home to utilise his retirement benefits to help out a nation in distress. What he did is little known, for he sought no publicity. His contributions could perhaps be greater than those made by the known patriots whose actions have been glorified and publicised. The invaluable contribution he made to the Sinhala Buddhist cause is so vast that it would be difficult to record all of it in a brief appreciation. On May 4, we completed a seminar for pre-school teachers and were to meet a Horowpathana Buddhist monk whose temple we had selected to implement a programme on poverty alleviation. A pre-school teacher travelling with us informed us that the Upulwilla Rural Women's Development Society of which she was president had won the first prize at a recently concluded district rural development society competition. As the first prize, the society had won machinery for a rice mill. Though the society had secured a suitable building and had installed the rice milling machinery, they lacked the capital to purchase the paddy that is due to be harvested shortly. Unscrupulous traders buy the village harvest at low prices. She requested a loan of Rs. 200,000 through Thawalama to purchase the paddy harvest. On his return to Colombo, Clement donated the Rs. 200,000 to the Thawalama Foundation requesting that the money be given to the society. That was his silent service. He silently did for those in need. His death on
May 15 was so sudden that we are still trying to recover from the
shock while we strive diligently to achieve our aims and objectives
sans his support. The void created by his death can never be filled.
An outspoken
and fearless person He had his primary and secondary education at St. Thomas' College, Matale and obtained double degrees in arts and commerce as well as a post-graduate diploma in education from the University of Peradeniya. As a teacher, he was responsible for starting the commerce stream in several schools in Matale and Kandy. As a commerce teacher, he did yeoman service in the Maldives for some years. On his return, he retired from government service and joined the Trinity College staff. His interests were manifold. He was a good orator full of wit and humour. An avid gardener, good carpenter, electrician and motor-mechanic, he was essentially a down to earth and practical man. He had a pleasing
personality and was outspoken and fearless. He was proud of his
talented family and was a pillar of strength to them. When his son
Lieutenant Pasan Ehelepola died in action, he was devastated. He
was a sincere friend to us and we shall miss him. |
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