Appreciations
View(s):Kandy loses a colourful personality
PUSHPAMALA IRIYAGOLLA DHARMASENA
It is with great sadness that I pen this article about a well known personality, a social worker, a teacher par excellence and also an honest political analyst in her spare time. It is none other than our close friend, Pushpamala Iriyagolla Dharmasena. With her demise about three months ago, Kandy lost a colourful and cheerful personality.
She was a daughter of the famous Mr. I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla, who was a Minister of Education of our country, long years ago.
Pushpamala and her husband Cecil had met at the Peradeniya University as undergraduates, and their relationship blossomed into over 50 years of wedded bliss. She mentioned to me once that their friendship flourished, while practising singing for the famous ‘Sinhabahu Nadagama’, produced and directed by Prof. Ediriweera Sarathchandra.
After graduating from university, Pushpamala chose the noble profession of teaching and her favourite subjects were Sinhala and History. After retirement, she spent some years as an Instructor in English at the Peradeniya University. Many medical and engineering students benefitted from her versatility.
She had an excellent knowledge of Ceylon history. Often when we were on trips to places of historical interest, Pushpamala revelled in describing their history and our knowledge was enhanced as a result. We also enjoyed listening to Cecil’s many encounters with wild life in Sri Lanka, as he had firsthand knowledge by travelling all over the country with his family and friends in his jeep.
She was one who always defended Sinhala rights and recognized the rights of other communities too. Pushpamala’s late brother Gamini Iriyagolla was an advocate of human rights and national culture and contributed many of his views to the daily newspapers and in discussions on TV.
I first came to know Pushpamala and her beloved husband Cecil in Kandy, when I moved my law practice from Matale to Kandy about 25 years ago. We developed a very close friendship with the Dharmasena family over the years due to our common interests in history, archaeology, wild life, politics etc. Our friendship was so strong that when arguments arose, we always agreed to disagree and that had no effect on our relationship but made our bond of friendship stronger.
I can write pages and pages on this illustrious lady, an Old Visakhian, who was a very active member of the Old Girls Association in Kandy and immensely contributed towards the success of the Association.
We miss her dearly as she was always there for us, a true friend, trusted confidante, more like an elder sister. There are many others who will miss her, especially the vast number of people from Ginihiriya Colony, near her home in Kandy, whom she helped with kind and timely advice and a hot meal when they were hungry. It was their habit to run to “Iriyagolle meniké” to solve their daily problems. She was their friend, mentor and saviour at all times.
She leaves behind her beloved husband Cecil, daughter Yoshitha and son Dr. Nishan, who along with her daughter-in-law Dr. Gnana and grandchildren Priyan and Arushi, gave her immense strength and encouragement to carry on with her service to others.
May her journey through Sansara be peaceful and productive and may Pushpamala achieve the Noble Bliss of Nirvana in the shortest possible time.
Indrakumar Wijayatilake
A pioneer in the Montessori movement
Chulanganee Fernando
Chulanganee Fernando (nee Dias) passed away peacefully at the age of 93, at her home in Minnesota, US on October 3. A pioneer in Montessori teaching in Sri Lanka before leaving for the US, she received her training directly under Dr. Maria Montessori during the years of the 2nd World War and thereafter commenced teaching pre-school children at Panadura in a school established for her by her father Robert Dias. This school known as the ‘Montessori House of Children’ is more than 70 years old.
In the early1970’s Chulanganee opened a Montessori House of Children at her house in Edinburgh Crescent, Colombo 7.
When the Montessori training centre was established in the 1950’s, first at Good Shepherd’s Convent and later at St. Bridget’s,Chulanganee was one of the three pioneers who started the training centre.The others were Joyce Gunasekera, the doyen of the movement in Sri Lanka and Sister Eta, an Irish nun. She along with Ms Joyce Gunasekera was responsible in organising the training courses for the AMI guided by Mr. Joosten from the Netherlands. She lectured there for nearly 20 years until she left for the US.
In 1971 she left for the US and joined as the founding trainer at the Montessori training centre in St. Paul, Minnesota where she taught Child Psychology and Mathematics. She later became its Director and retired in 1998. She was later invited to be a trainer at the Montessori training centre at the College of St. Catherine’s.
Chulanganee was married to our uncle Mahadeva Fernando, who retired as Senior Deputy Governor of the Central Bank and later functioned as an advisor to the IMF. She is survived by her children Priyath, Lalana, Mangalika, Aruni and her sister Rukmal.
We, the nieces and nephews, to whom her home was open at all times, fondly remember her generosity with gratitude.
May she attain the supreme bliss of Nibbana.
Lalith De Silva, Priyalal De Silva, Damayanthi and Shirani on behalf of the family
A man of great compassion
Bakthika Hemasiri Simon
It is with profound sorrow that I pen these few lines as a tribute to our loving friend Bakthika Hemasiri Simon of Rajapihilla Mawatha,Kandy.
Bakthi, to Pat, as he was affectionately addressed by all had been a beacon that illuminated the lives of those who were close to him.His untimely departure has plunged us all into an abyss of darkness.
Writing a tribute of Pat is not an easy task because there are so many things to disclose. To summarize, one can say he had all the good qualities a great person should have: intelligence,wisdom, kindness, ability, charisma and above all, a large heart full of compassion. Our Pat had all these things and much more.
He was a product of Mahinda College, Galle and St. Sylvester’s College, Kandy. Although he had studied Science subjects at school, he was well versed in literature, sociology, philosophy, history, geography, religion,world affairs and more.
His door was always open to anybody who sought his help. I have seen hundreds of people of coming there to get his assistance, among them school children who wanted to improve their knowledge of English. Later on some of his former students became prominent professionals in society.University students who wanted to get their documents translated into Sinhala and Government officials who were going abroad to attend seminars and conferences and who wanted to get their country reports prepared would also seek his help.
He retired from Govt. service prematurely due to fate very cruelly robbing him of his eye sight. After he lost his vision completely, realising the kind of life a blind person has to spend, he sacrificed all his assets to give at least a ray of sunshine to the poor and the blind. He started by helping the blind community in and around Kandy. He organised health camps for the blind and devised a scheme to render assistance to blind students, providing them with Braille typewriters, special recording equipments, special software for their computers and even cellular phones. One kind hearted lady recorded text books and other reading material for those blind students. Pat was overjoyed to learn that some of these blind children who received his help were able to enter universities for higher education too.
Pat’s most remarkable achievement was to introduce audio books to the Braille section of the D.S. Senanayake Memorial Library, Kandy. Visually handicapped persons who could not read were able to listen to recorded novels and other books easily.
It was a moving scene to observe a large number of visually handicapped persons who came to pay their last respects to him lamenting around his casket as if they had lost a close relative.
Pat in his last will had requested that his remains be donated to the Medical Faculty of the Peradeniya University.
His loving wife Pushpa looked after him like a mother who cares for her only child. His son Umanga was the apple of his eye.
To have such a noble friend is indeed a greatest blessing. I wish that during our sojourn in this sansara, I may be able to meet my great friend again and again!
Susantha Kodituwakku