An unsung hero
Colonel Daya Rajasinghe-29th May 1948 to 18th May 2003
On August 18 it will be three months since the sudden death of Colonel Daya Bertram Rajasinghe. I first came into contact with Daya when 14 of us joined the Sri Lanka Army as Officer Cadets of Intake I of the Sri Lanka Military Academy in April 1968. From what he used to tell me his father, the late Major Nadarajingham, had a lot of influence on him. His father had laid the foundation for his life when young Daya was introduced to rifle-shooting at a very early age. He excelled as a marksman at a young age and I believe the traits of thoroughness and meticulousness needed in marksmanship moulded his life. As a schoolboy he was selected to represent Sri Lanka in rifle-shooting at the Asian Games. His perseverance and determination were also amply demonstrated when he did not let his lack of height be an impediment but excelled at basketball among his much taller schoolmates. He also represented Ananda College at rugby.
During our cadetship, he had a distinct edge over all of us. While his shooting skills helped, his proficiency in the basic skills of soldiering was an asset from the very outset. He took much care over his clothing and was always smartly dressed. The most disappointing part of his Officer Cadet life was, when on completion of training, he was not posted to the Armoured Corps, which was his father's unit. Unfortunate though it may have seemed at that time, this was to change his destiny.
When posted to the Service Corps, though distinctly uncomfortable because he was more the "field" type, he served with complete dedication for more than 10 years. During the early years, he served long periods in Jaffna, Mannar and other outstation posts, while continuing his hobby of rifle-shooting and representing the Service Corps in basketball and rugby. He was selected to represent Sri Lanka at the Olympic Games in 1972, 1976 and 1980.
It was during this period that Daya met and married Rani. He was always devoted to his wife and children although professional involvements took priority over all else in his life.
We were together once again for a brief but enjoyable spell when he shared my room in the Officers' Mess to study for the majors' examination in 1977.
His life took another turn, when in 1980 he was forced to seek premature retirement from the Sri Lanka Army due to a heart ailment. After a short period in the private sector, he got his life's break when he was selected to the Royal Oman Police in 1982. Although he initially joined the Oman police force as a "Mullassum" (lieutenant) in the Supplies Section, his efficiency was recognized early and he was promoted "Naqeeb" (captain). Later he was transferred to the field section of the police, ending as a "Raaid" (major). It was in the Royal Oman Police that he received specialist training in marksmanship, sniping, VIP security and many other aspects.
In 1987, realising his need to devote more time to his family especially his teenage son, he terminated his contract in Oman prematurely and returned to Sri Lanka. He then joined the Volunteer Force of the Sri Lanka Army to disseminate his knowledge and skills. He was also involved in training the Sri Lanka Army and national rifle-shooters and set up the Marksmanship and Sniper Unit of the Sri Lanka Army.
He was happy to be in the thick of things and during the troubled periods of 1989 and 1990 was deployed in several parts of the country on anti-insurgent duties.
He got himself demobilized in 1992 and returned to Oman as Commanding Officer of the Oman National Shooting Team. During this short spell of about three years in Oman, he helped the team to achieve successes in international shooting competitions and earned the respect and admiration of his subordinates and superiors. Being in Oman myself during this period, we were once again together, although he used to be overseas most of the time with the Oman Shooting Team.
On his return to Sri Lanka, he lost no time in getting himself mobilized and once again immersing himself in training the national shooters and developing the Marksmanship and Sniper Unit. While serving with this unit, he was involved in all the major operations carried out by the Sri Lanka Army. He also took great pride in establishing the Marksmanship and Sniper Unit camp in Diyatalawa. Towards the mid-1990s, he was seconded to oversee the security of a VIP and carried out these duties well both in Sri Lanka and abroad.
Daya was indeed an exceptional person. His organizational skills were beyond excellence. Two recent events are etched in the minds of those close to him - the manner in which he organized a visit to Diyatalawa when one of our batchmates came from overseas in 2000 and the wedding and homecoming of his only son just a few months before his death.
Daya was generous to a fault and could never refuse anyone who requested his assistance. I have benefited from his generosity on more than one occasion.
When I undertook the ticketing arrangements for an exhibition and carnival organized by the Ex-Servicemen's Association and had no one to assist me, I only had to ask and he was there every evening till well past midnight. To most of us who had the good fortune of having worked with him, he was indeed a dear and loyal friend. He was honest and had high moral standards. On several occasions he confided in me that he had turned down lucrative offers to technically certify sub-standard equipment during procurements.
Daya's character was aptly summed after his death by a VVIP, whose security was supervised by him: "Colonel Rajasinghe was a man apart. He served the Army with unimaginable commitment and sincerity. I have never met anyone anywhere who gave his work such devotion, such meticulous attention to detail, such thoroughness. His loyalty and dedication to the institutions and men he worked with went well beyond the mere call of duty. What he did for the Army, and thus for the state and the people of Sri Lanka only a few of us will know. He was one of the unsung heroes of our time. He led by example.
"Even after he had ceased to be a full-time member of the Army, even past the age of fifty, he was with his snipers on trees, driving himself relentlessly on training programmes pushing himself to the extremes of physical and mental endurance in pursuit of the causes to which he was committed.
"We who loved, respected and admired him for his wonderful qualities, his simple, unassuming, charming ways, his sterling honesty, the principled pattern of his life, his hard work and dedication to duty, the superb example he set for those who worked with him, will always treasure his memory. The Army must not allow his memory to fade."
May the example set by him and his many contributions during his life especially to the Marksmanship and Sniper Unit of the Sri Lanka Army be remembered with gratitude by all those who served with him. I certainly will. -- SJ
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