Appreciations
View(s):Prof. Anslem Stanley Dissanaike
Outstanding academic, scientist and researcher
Excerpts from an eulogy at the funeral service
I bid farewell to Prof. Stanley Dissanaike, as a person who many years later succeeded him in his professional field of expertise -parasitology and tropical medicine, in which he excelled. I speak on behalf of many colleagues whom he taught and mentored. My husband and I also had the privilege of a close personal relationship with Professor Dissanaike over many years. His life gives cause for celebration because it was a life of high achievement and great service; a life lived well and with honour.
Prof. Stanley Dissanaike was an outstanding academic and an exceptionally good scientist and researcher, his many accomplishments lauded not only in Sri Lanka but the world over. His contribution to science in basic parasite biology, which was the focus of his era, is highly significant. His career, first as Professor of Parasitology, and subsequently the Dean, of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo will be remembered for several seminal developments. In the Department of Parasitology of which he was a founder member, he instilled a culture of research of very high quality, which serves the department and the Faculty to this day. His tenure as Dean saw major reforms in medical undergraduate training.
His young life was studded with great achievements. He was a brilliant student winning prizes, scholarships and fellowships in school – first at Richmond College, Galle, and then at St. Peter’s College Colombo, from where he entered University. He majored in Zoology with the very first, First Class to be awarded on this subject. He then went on to study medicine, graduating from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ceylon with an impressive academic record with several first classes and medals, culminating in a distinction in Medicine. Soon, however, disillusioned with clinical medicine which he thought lacked sufficient scientific approach for his satisfaction, he took up an academic career, first as a lecturer in Pathology at the Medical Faculty in Colombo, and as soon as the Department of Parasitology was established in 1954, moving there to follow his passion to study the biology of human parasites. He was considered the prodigy of his PhD mentor at the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the late Professor P.C. C. Garnham whose book on malaria parasites remains a classic to this day.
After Stanley Dissanaike returned in 1952 to his academic position in Ceylon as a post-doctoral medical scientist, he spent many years extensively researching human parasites and parasitic diseases in this country. This work led to a mass of original scientific knowledge, and a large body of published literature on parasite biology and parasitic diseases in Sri Lanka. Two parasitic organisms named after him stands as testimony to the honored position he held in the world of parasitology. This work also earned him the rare and prestigious degree of Doctor of Science from the University of London.
Merely recalling his extensive professional and academic achievements and his contributions to medical science will not do justice to the great human being that he was. By his nature and conduct he was exemplary – despite his accomplishments he remained humble, and unassuming. By his soft spoken, polite and gentle manner he endeared himself to all. He was also, however, highly principled – he never relented on what he considered to be right or wrong, and was firm in his opinion. Several were the occasions when I was privy to these attributes. It took me many months of arduous persuasion to convince him to accept the Emeritus Professorship from the University of Colombo because he felt he was wronged by the University many years ago for not granting him leave during his tenure to accept a short assignment abroad – an issue which he spoke of openly. It led him to resolutely resign his post as Professor of Parasitology in 1972, and take up the Chair on this subject in the University of Malaya.
Recognised for his original scientific contributions and as an international expert in parasitology, he was in 1978 chosen for a position in the World Health Organisation’s Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO,TDR), in Geneva.After retirement from TDR,WHO he returned to Sri Lanka and continued to serve as a member of the WHO Expert Committee on General Parasitology.
Prof. Dissanaike was passionate about his work, but also meticulous and rigorous in his scientific approach, which made him the excellent researcher and eminent biologist that he was. By nature he was kind and considerate, and an extremely good mentor, never losing an opportunity to guide and advise young academics – several generations of Parasitologists after him had the privilege of his guidance. His integrity and honesty were unsurpassed.It is the combination of these admirable qualities and the scientist in him that made my husband and I reflect from time to time on his exemplary personality, which we’ve always held as the “gold standard” in our professional and academic lives.
He had a delightful sense of humour, which he retained till the very end of his life. During his brief terminal illness, when I visited him at home just before he entered hospital he complained of an intense generalized itching, but after a few days in hospital he made good recovery. When I then asked him how he was, he said, “I miss the itching..”drawing loud laughter from his hospital room. He was fiercely independent in thought and in action, and he set for himself, and kept to enormously high standards, never pursuing fanfare or wealth, and leading a simple but honorable life.
Until the very end he was remarkably alert and bright mentally, never failing an opportunity to respond with satire and humour to almost anything that was said. Just two days before he passed away, I told him, with the naïve intention of cheering him up, that when he is well again we would take him to the salubrious climbs of Diyatalawa, but almost before I could finish the sentence he said, stoically, and laughingly “I’ve been there long before you were born…” putting me, I thought, squarely in my place.He followed my professional career closely with a degree of interest that only a caring mentor would do, and I like to believe that he approved of it.
Personally, I have been hugely inspired by Prof. Dissanaike’s life and work, and I’ve tried, like, I believe, many others have, to emulate him in both his highly rigorous standards of scientific enquiry, and his admirable qualities – there could be no greater tribute that we his disciples could pay to this revered teacher and great medical scientist.
He was a warm family person who adored his late wife and children, who led a beautiful life with dignity and honour, and performed with quiet poise a great service of the highest standards to the country and the world. These admirable attributes and qualities will be his lasting legacy to his children, and us all.
- Dr. KaminiMendis
Harendra de Silva
He extended metta to all beings
My sister’s late husband Harendra, was an exemplary person.
I have never known anyone so calm, collected and generous as him. He was a devout Buddhist in practice. He read Buddhist books and he shared them with many. He always made a print (in large letters for easy reading) laminated the book, and presented a copy to me. I’m so happy that 10 crates of his Buddhist books have been presented to the Boston Buddhist Vihara, where a library has been opened in his memory by his younger son Janath, who lives in the U.S.A.
His generosity knew no bounds. Every month, he gave alms to at least 20 to 30 monks, several poor and hungry people were also fed and he gifted various requirements to temples and aranayas (forest hermitages). He had a box full of Rs. 20 notes in his vehicle, that he gave to the poor that came to him at trafic lights.
Harendra observed the five precepts scrupulously, and never consumed any alcohol or entertained with it in his home. He never even killed a mosquito. He extended metta instead to all living creatures. There was a stray cat that used to visit their home for food. One night I had gone there to sleep over as my sister was taking me on holiday, very early in the morning. Harendra came to me and asked me whether I could chant pirith to this cat who was very sick and breathing his last. My sister and I happily did so to the last, whilst he prayed silently… I was so touched that his metta knew no bounds.
My sister was fortunate to have such an adoring husband and loving and caring father in him. He also loved his large family of brothers and sisters and respected his elders and relations.
May he realise Nibbana’s bliss.
-Nalini De Alwis
Ananda Amarasiri
He paid with his life for his ground-breaking research
It is with great sadness that I reminiscence about my late cousin, Ananda Amarasiri, who passed away in November 2014 at a relatively young age of 49 years. At the time of his passing away Ananda was a lecturer attached to the Institute of Technology, University of Moratuwa.
Born into a prominent political family from the South, Ananda deviated from the path selected by his late father, M.S. Amarasiri, former Minister of Trade and Shipping and former Chief Minister of the Southern Province, and joined the academic field after a short stint with the Sri Lanka Army. Ananda studied at Kalutara Vidyalaya and later at Ananada College, Colombo from where he entered the University of Ruhuna and graduated with a B.Sc degree.
His chosen academic field was Polymer Science. He completed his M.Sc in Polymer Technology in 2004 at the University of Moratuwa and continued with research in the field and obtained the M.Phil in August 2014. His specific research area was protein allergy problems of natural rubber products among healthcare professionals. Due to the outbreak of many contagious diseases like HIV and hepatitis B, there is a high demand for rubber gloves among healthcare professionals. Local manufacturers using natural rubber are in the forefront of manufacturing gloves and other related items required by the healthcare sector. These gloves are dusted with starch for easy donning and removal. The air-borne starch powder with bound protein causes allergic symptoms ranging from Type 1 Anaphylaxis to type Iv Contact Dermatitis. The allergic level of a human is 100ug/g of the glove and hence caused a downturn in the demand and usage of natural rubber gloves by healthcare professionals.
The University of Moratuwa and the Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka launched a joint research project to solve the problem and in this endeavour Ananda was one of the lead researchers in the team who worked hard to develop better quality gloves with adequate protection from the allergic problem. After three years of difficult research Ananda and his research team were able to develop a rubber composite with an undetectable protein level which was below 50ug/g of the glove with outstanding physical properties and with excellent barrier protection, which eradicates the above mentioned allergic problem. This tenacious and unique material was tested at a factory trial and was successful.
This was a major breakthrough and an application for a joint patent between the University of Moratuwa and the Rubber Research Institute was made. It is needless to emphasise the importance of this new discovery to the local rubber industry, healthcare work in general and glove manufacturers in particular, saving valuable foreign exchange to the country while providing a large number of employment opportunities.
Though the research was a success, Ananda had to pay a heavy price for it. He succumbed to a rare disease, Anterior Horn Cell Disease (AHD) which has no known cure and which gradually affects the central nervous system of the human body. I quote from his writings, “During this period I had to work with chemicals such as Toluene, a solvent absorbent used to test for rubber composites. I learnt later that Toluene can affect the muscles directly”. It seems either the safety measures were not adequate or he was somewhat careless of the safety precautions during long hours of work. He gradually lost control of the muscular system which affected his movements and speech. He wrote, “Gradually the strength of my hand was simply dwindling. I had difficulty in starting the car or holding a cup of tea long enough to finish it. My speech was getting slurry. Minor motor activities became a nightmare. Gradually most of my physical abilities deserted me leaving me, bound to a wheelchair, dependent and helpless; my privacy compromised; with a collar around my neck, braces around my trunk and strapped up legs. I feel imprisoned.”
His academic paper on the research appeared in the Sri Lanka Journal of Science of the National Science Foundation and two more papers on the research are pending publication in international journals. He was invited to present his research findings at a global science conference. He was close to completing his doctoral studies, but could not proceed due to the disabilities.
Ananda was such a courageous person that with all these difficulties he continued teaching at the university. He was wheelchair-bound and the management, staff and students of the institute extended their fullest cooperation to his teaching activities during the final phase of his life. The family tried to persuade him not to engage in the teaching work when his condition became severe, but he was ever-more determined to work as he could not think of a life without teaching or research. Many times he told me how much he enjoyed interacting with students and that he was using more and more audio-visual materials e.g. slides, films, etc during his teaching sessions to compensate for his vocal difficulties.
No doubt his untimely death created a large void in the polymer technology research field. We sincerely hope that both the University of Moratuwa and the Rubber Research Institute will obtain the patent for the product and send the much-needed lifeline for the local healthcare gloves manufacturers. This will also reiterate the paramount importance of adequate safety measures of the researchers, adhering to strict safety standards in laboratories.
Ananda was a devoted husband and father. His untimely death has shattered the entire family and my sympathies are extended to his beloved wife Rukma and much loved and cherished daughter Mayuree.
May he attain Nibbana.
-Upali Amarasiri
Daisy Gertrude Fernando
Her genial and gentle qualities will be etched in our hearts
A pall of gloom descended on the once lively home of Daisy Gertrude Fernando who passed away to her eternal rest recently at her home in Kotte after ailing for some time.
A great lady, Daisy was a dignified, devoted and dedicated person. As an ever-loving mother and grandmother to her family of lovely kids, she bestowed her immense love and care to each and every one of them. She had a special place in her heart for her illustrious life partner, Ivor, who was beside her, sharing and caring for her until her final moments. Their love and affection for each other was so great that her loss will certainly be hard to bear.
An active social worker, Daisy, had a proud record of achievements to her credit. She was the Chairperson of the Castle Street Women’s Hospital and the De Soysa Maternity Hospital Committee in which positions she rendered yeoman services to alleviate the hardships and problems encountered by the nursing mothers and the mothers-to-be in their hour of need.
A staunch supporter of the present ruling party, she served as the former President of the Colombo East UNP Kantha Samithi and former president of the Kirula Social Services Organisation.
It is unfortunate that we miss her presence at this time to celebrate the UNP’s resounding victory at the recent Presidential polls. Fond memories of her will however linger long in the hearts of all those who were fortunate enough to have worked with her.
Daisy will be long remembered and missed by her ever-sorrowing husband, Ivor Fernando, her children, grandchildren, sons, daughters and daughters-in-law and all those who knew her.
In the tradition of the old soldier who never dies, Daisy has only passed on to seek solace and peace in the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Her generosity, genial nature and gentle qualities will be etched in our hearts for a very long time to come. May she rest in peace.
-Rowan Aniff
Marie Gunasekera
A grandmother, mother and an inspiration to us all
A tribute to a grandmother on her 12th death anniversary on January 28
Memories of Achchie Marie for my sister and I begin from a very small age as we were both fortunate to have been overly protected as infants and spoilt as young teens and young adults. Achchie Marie as she was fondly known to us and our cousins and friends alike, was an immense tower of strength and character. I remember quite well as a mischievous child when I had many of those numerous arguments with her how she would say “you will realize what you are missing when I am gone”. Indeed I miss her immensely now and wish she would have never left us.
She loved us all as her own children. Achchie Marie taught us what integrity and what love and faith in God could do. She lost her partner as a very young woman when my grandfather passed away suddenly. She as a single mother brought up three children who blossomed as young adults. Her most prized possession was Sumithra (fondly known to his nieces and nephews as Mama). He was her hero and her most loved treasure. This does not mean she loved her other two kids any less. She always knew that the three children she had brought up on her own would some day be independent adults who would grow up to be fine parents and examples to their own young children.
Both Dammie, my mother and Amara (her dear sister) have grown up to being great individuals. Achchie’s tough traits seem to have filtered down to both these daughters who have become fine examples to us, their sons, daughters, nieces and nephews.
Achchie Marie was also a great character both loved in Church and around her friends and family. She was involved in a lot of charity work for St. Theresa’s Church, Colombo and also helped many young up and coming people in her own little way. Her famous saying was that “Charity begins at home” and how well she used its context goes beyond words.
Achchie loved us all and always wanted the best for her six grand-children. Her love for late Viraj Aiya, Viranthie Akkie, Shevanthie Akkie, Shehani, Shevan and yours truly was immeasurable. I still remember how Achchie would argue with my father about sending me for cricket and rugby as she thought these were two dangerous sports that no grandson of hers should ever participate in. Achchie is also fondly remembered for her famous ribbon cakes, love cakes and specialty desserts. The weight problems in our family are constant reminders of how we loved her cooking and her desserts. I have and I will always miss Achchie Marie even though I might have not always agreed with her on numerous subjects, be it religion, politics and life in general. She loved life and she loved her family and her two sisters alike (Nalini and Suma) and she would not have had it any other way.
May eternal rest be granted to her always!
Achchie, wherever you are I would like to say that I love you and I miss you. I am only sorry I never got to say these words to you in person and I would always regret this. May God bless you always.
-Navin de Alwis
(Grand son)