Appreciations
View(s):The father figure who gave us teenagers an experience of a lifetime in journalism
Harold Pieris
A tribute on his 85th b’day Harold Pieris came into our lives exactly thirty years ago when we joined Lake House as trainee reporters – fresh out of school and waiting to start our studies at Colombo University. Mr. Pieris as the Editor of the Observer was our first experience with an employer/ supervisor/boss and the memory of this experiences is etched in our minds.
We all came to Lake House to work on the Observer through some parental connection but Mr. Pieris treated us no differently to any other employee. From the first day when we were asked to face an interview with him, to complete a written test and to learn the art of journalism by ‘doing it’, Mr. Pieris opened the wonderful world of looking for stories, gathering information and writing them for the newspaper for the three of us. And it was an experience of a lifetime.
It was, into the deep end from day one. Going for press conferences on subjects we had no idea of although they were of high national importance, going for cocktails and meetings, conferences and workshops almost every day and speaking to officials, politicians, business leaders and other society people – once again having no idea of what was actually going on. Also visiting bomb blast sites, crime scenes, the mortuary and the Coroners Court (which was a mine of good human interest stories) – through it all Mr. Pieris was the quiet guiding hand. Correcting any mistakes and blunders that we committed – never with a harsh word, but quietly and kindly with his inimitable half smile.
Mr. Pieris was a quiet, stoic, calm man. He was never ruffled by our overbearing youthful arrogance, by our mistakes, or by our wayward teenage behaviour. It was not that he was not bothered or that he did not notice our ways – because he noticed, and he observed. And where it mattered the most, he gently corrected us and pushed us towards the straight and narrow path he travelled on. His calmness in the face of grave errors by his team of youthful trainee reporters was about correcting a mistake and not about chiding, punishing, or humiliating. His patience with our overbearing arrogance was patience mixed with amusement and was never patience forced through exasperation. His choice of looking away from the many pranks we got involved in, was the choice of a father figure ignoring most but selecting crucial moments to teach the young ones a lesson.
We grew up at Lake House. Restless, misplaced and displaced because of the times – it was 1987/88 – bombs were exploding everywhere in Colombo, the Universities were indefinitely closed and it was the quiet before the storm of the southern insurrection of the late 1980s. It was a trying time for any journalist and more so for the Editor of the Observer having to toe the proverbial government line. Mr. Pieris took in all the pressure with a smile and never allowed us to take any pressure or blame.
One other feature of Mr. Pieris was his skills of man management – The Observer editorial was a mélange of colourful and interesting people – from the flamboyant Mr. Nikki Candappa to Mr. Prema De Mel to Mr. Selvakumar (who did the police rounds) to Mr. A.C De Silva (the Sports Editor), to Mrs. Roshan Pieris to the purposeful Mr. Ratnayake to Pathi (S.R Pathiravithana – our mentor in all matters of Sport Journalism in particular and the ‘intricacies’ of Journalism and working at Lake House in general) among others – a group of professionals who were hard headed, opinionated, independent and impossible to manage, but Mr. Pieris managed them all once again with his usual calmness.
Lake House and its colourful journalists, sub editors and everyone else gave us a sense of purpose, a discipline and something to look forward to. This was possible only because Mr. Pieris was brave enough to take on three young teenagers at once. The time he spent on us, the space he created for us and the tone he set within the office that made many senior people nurture us (while some to just tolerate us) made our time at Lake House unforgettable.
We stepped into Lake House as two mere boys and a girl, and stepped out as two men and a woman. Mr. Pieris figured strongly in this growing up. It saddens us that we never told him how much his acceptance of us shaped our characters. But in his calm, stoic and gentle way, we are sure he knew.
Chandaka Jayasundere President’s Counsel, Ramani Fernando Attorney – At – Law, Avindra Rodrigo
Attorney – At – Law
Lingering golden memories
RUKIE EHELIYAGODA
Six months remembrance
God looked down on His creation
Saw a life that was a godly celebration
Held out His hand and invited her in
The crown of life for her to win.
She brought me happy days, day after day
Though I willed it, she could not stay
My need for her will never abate
But heaven’s need was not for debate.
Broken I whispered, “God knows best”
As she entered God’s eternal rest
Leaving behind a powerful legacy
Following her footsteps won’t be easy.
When the setting sun paints the canvas of the sky
With sweeping colours that enchant the eye
Lingering golden memories in cascading poignancy
Embrace me leaving me lonely.
At her feet the valuable lessons learnt
Keep me happy, wiser and unhurt
“No path in life is easy and straight”
Those words of wisdom reverberate.
Until someday on that golden shore
Together again forever more
In God’s eternal home on high
Never again a need to say goodbye.
Forever my love
Charmaine Madurasinghe
Her light will always shine bright
MANO MUTHUKRISHNA CANDAPPA
Darling, as I always called aunty Mano Muthukrishna was an outstanding woman who will live on in the minds and hearts of all who knew her. Her fragrance will always permeate and her memory remain entrenched, for she was truly a trailblazer and one who raised the bar for both men and women.
Manoramabai was her full name and like her name there was much that was distinctive about her. She made a lasting impression on me when as a schoolgirl I first set eyes on this regal woman, stunningly beautiful, elegantly clad and upright of bearing. Piercing of eye and sharp of wit, nothing missed Darling!
She had an iron will and determination to get things done despite all odds and put her heart and soul into all she undertook . Latterly despite her age, her social and professional calendar rivalled that of her daughters Ramola and Sharadha who were often amazed at her stamina and sheer energy.
Blessed with parents who instilled in her the fact that women could do anything, she sought throughout her life to empower people and help them. She immersed herself in the lives of others and this was why she was such a great listener, conversationalist and friend, a mine of information on any subject . Always well informed and abreast of both local and international news, Darling prided herself on being current ! In fact till recently she was on facebook and e-mail !
She was of course meticulous with detail and especially with the English language. The staff at the Polytechnic were totally loyal to her and were tremendously proud of their association with someone of her calibre .
A dedicated professional and ardent social worker, Darling introduced the Zonta movement to Sri Lanka 50 years ago.
Darling knew only right and wrong and had no patience with the many shades of grey so prevalent today. She was so very proud of her daughters and her many grandchildren and great grandchildren, who continue to uphold her values and ethics.
Darling’s physical presence may be absent but her enduring spirit and all she stood for and upheld in life will continue to live on. In fact I’m convinced that even up there with the Almighty, Darling will be trailblazing in her own inimitable style !
In her own words, “what I do know for sure is that the good things in my life have far, far outweighed the bad, and I thank God for sustaining me through the best and worst of life. At least life was never dull.”
Anusha David
I miss my Nana who loved fiercely with all her heart and soul
Esme Weldt
My nana would have been 88 last month, had she lived. She left us five months ago. She was the bravest person I knew. I like to think that any good qualities in me, I inherited from her, or learnt because of her. Now that she’s gone, all I remember was how she indulged me when I spent school vacations with her. She’d buy a bottle of Orange Barley which she would measure out for me over three evenings, with biscuits; she would sip her tea, and I my soft drink. And we’d talk endlessly. I wish I could have done more for her.
She had a rough start in life; her mum died when she was 7. Her dad was not the best example of a good father. Though nana was bright and a fast learner – her dad called her Bright Eyes – she quit school early because she thought her sacrifice was necessary to ensure her younger siblings were taken care of.
Nana was always straightforward and could call a spade a spade. She was never ever two-faced. That doesn’t mean that she was judgmental. Whatever a person’s ‘faults’ nana thought it was their business alone. She wasn’t one for unsolicited advice or holding one’s choices against one. I don’t remember her gossiping. She followed Christ’s teachings in spirit and in letter.
When papa died, she was only 50. My youngest aunts were still in school. Her older children were just starting out, and a few had young families of their own. Nana took it all in stride like she had her whole life. She looked after her kids, and her kids’ kids, while running a house on her widow’s pension. She believed in honest income, so she reared poultry to meet the shortfall. Nana had a green thumb, she planted and she tended her plants. She wouldn’t let anything go to waste.
Nana loved company. She loved being surrounded by people; children and adults alike. She detested being alone. She was generous to a fault. She loved to give, of herself and materially, even when she did not have a lot. She wanted to feed everyone and would give the clothes off her back if someone needed them. I remember admiring a deep red dress material she had got as a gift and nana said “You like it? You can have it.” That was nana. If she really needed something you admired, she would say “When I die you can have it.” This was usually said of her treasured possessions. She would point out that she was taking nothing with her when she died but merely looking after things. I still remember how she took good care of her furniture and her surroundings. She kept a very neat house.
She was the most courageous person I’ve known. She was strong willed and always did what she thought was right. She did not need anyone to side with her, or anyone’s backing to do what she thought was the right thing to do. Nana was smart and intelligent. She loved crosswords and scrabble. Even after her memory began to fade her spelling abilities put ours to shame. Above all other qualities, the one I am yet in awe of is how intuitive nana was. If someone was upto something she would know. I realise now that she was right about so many things, so many people.
We all miss her. She was feisty, generous, stubborn, witty but her most defining characteristic was that she loved fiercely with all her heart and soul.
Michelle Alahakone