The mention of Ashley Halpe’s name automatically prompts the image of the smiling, bespectacled scholar who has been an inspiration to all who know him.
To briefly sum up his career, Prof. Ashley Halpe was Dean of Peradeniya University’s Faculty of Arts, visiting lecturer at the University of New England, Armidale, Australia, Honorary Fellow, Clare Hall, Cambridge and twice visiting professor to the USA in the Fulbright Programme.
He is also an artist, critic and poet with three volumes of poetry to his credit. The titles of "Kalakeerthi" and "Vishvaprasadhini" have been bestowed on him by the Government of Sri Lanka, and "Chevalier dans I'ordre des Palmes Academique" by the French Government. He is also widely known for numerous scholarly articles to local and international journals and for the translation of major Sinhalese literary works to English.
Leaving aside the long and impressive list of achievements, it is clear that there is still a great deal to know about Prof. Halpe.
It seems that it was with this fact in mind that a large group of students and friends compiled A Garland for Ashley- Glimpses of a Life- edited by Tissa Jayatilaka and Jayantha Dhanapala- to commemorate the 75th birthday of the man who has been described as “too young to be 75.”
Many of the 67 anecdotes speak affectionately of “Prof”, of the golden era of the University of Ceylon (now University of Peradeniya) and Prof. Halpe’s cheerful, steadfast nature and principles he held fast to during turbulent times at the University. Read through all the narratives and poems, and you will find a few stock words that seem to stand out as words associated with Prof. Halpe. We are often reminded of his disarming smile, his generosity, kindness, benevolence, unassuming nature, puckish humour and penchant for unobtrusiveness.
“A child among children,” Prof. Halpe is at one point seen distributing ten rupees to students to buy Dhuriang, at another, accompanying a young Gamini Samaranayake (now Chairman of the University Grants Commission) to the CID after an incident with a student union, and yet another, encouraging Neluka Silva (Head of Department of English- University of Colombo) to sing the ballads studied in class.
Gamini Samaranayake, giving a perfect description of the “Prof.”, writes “ Clad very simply, yet elegantly in a bush shirt and trousers, with sandals on his feet and a cloth bag with books and notes slung over his left shoulder, he made us feel comfortable immediately with his disarming smile.”
And this in essence is the personality of the “small man with a great head and heart.” Intelligent, down to earth, unassuming and cheerful, the many nuances of his character have been attractively captured in A Garland for Ashley. |
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