A strong, determined personality with a quiet sense of humour Ivy de Fonseka My good friend and batch-mate Ivy de Fonseka nee de Silva passed away peacefully on April 13. Her health had been deteriorating steadily over the past year. In college, Ivy was quiet and studious. She was consistently a high achiever. I really [...]

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A strong, determined personality with a quiet sense of humour

Ivy de Fonseka

My good friend and batch-mate Ivy de Fonseka nee de Silva passed away peacefully on April 13.

Her health had been deteriorating steadily over the past year.

In college, Ivy was quiet and studious. She was consistently a high achiever. I really got to know her well when we were doing our post-graduate studies in London.  I lived across the road from her in cramped “single” student’s quarters, whilst she and her husband Earle had the more spacious “married” quarters. I was a frequent visitor. I realized that although physically frail she had a strong personality and a determination, which helped her cope with adversity. Qualities that can be attributed to the early death of her mother when Ivy was just 10 years old.

She also had a quiet sense of humour which surfaced frequently.

She achieved much more than her PhD in London, as her only daughter, Sureshni was born there.

Ivy was meticulous, both in her private and professional life. As Professor of Micro- biology in the Colombo Medical Faculty she is remembered as an excellent teacher by her students.

She took early retirement, and worked in Saudi Arabia for eight years. Her main purpose was to give her daughter a good education. Her expectations were fulfilled by Sushi who qualified in one of the more prestigious medical colleges in UK, and is now a consultant in chemical pathology.

A few years after Ivy’s return to Sri Lanka, her husband Earle was the victim of a tragic road accident.

Ivy loved gardening and travel. Ixoras in many colours were in full bloom in her garden on the 13th of April. I was her travelling companion on an extended tour of Spain in 2007, and again in 2011, we visited Jaffna.

Our friendship lasted well over 50 years. I shall miss her.

Premini Amerasinghe


 The great Principal who moulded a generation

Premachandra Dissanayake

The Caledonian sleeper train was reaching London to link me with the Sri Lankan Airlines flight. The whole of UK was ghostly, in pindrop silence with the Coronavirus pandemic first wave lockdown. I was on my way to Appachchi’s (father’s) funeral at Kuliyapitiya.

Premachandra Dissanayake was born on June 5, 1934 at Kuliyapitiya and peacefully passed away at the age of 86, a year ago.

He received his bilingual education at Central College, Kuliyapitiya (CCK) excelling in both academic and non- academic activities. He became the school Head prefect in 1954.

He entered the University of Peradeniya and received his BA Degree in 1959. Joining his alma- mater, he produced a group of excellent scholars.

His services as a School Inspector at Galgamuwa and head posts at Nagollagoda and Baragedara schools are fondly remembered. Following a short spell at the Kuliyapitiya Education office and the Technical College, he became the Principal of CCK, serving for 16 years with an illustrious record, elevating it to one of the best schools in the island.

He had a precise vision and mission with a dedicated bunch of handpicked extraordinary teachers. He served with a sense of sacrifice working long hours and drew satisfaction from seeing the positive changes in students / peoples’ lives. Essentially, he moulded a generation with classy education, strict discipline, and humane qualities.

Appachchi was duly awarded both locally and nationally; the Presidential Award, he received as the best past pupil of CCK was close to his heart.

Appachchi embodied pristine values and ethics. What mattered was not the position, but the way it was held. I can remember, how he politely turned down the invitation to be Education Director of the Kurunegala District. He was passionate about serving his alma-mater and society.

His life was simple and good. He eschewed material assets, exuberance and excess. He wore Sinhala national dress and cycled to school, leaving his MG (Morris Governor) car behind. He led his whole life following the five precepts of the Dhamma as a teetotaler and a vegetarian.

He envisioned four precepts for the school – cleanliness, orderliness, humility and dedication. For worshipping, he introduced flowers on betel leaves instead of traditional tobacco because of its harmful and addictive properties. This practice spread across many schools in the island.

Being a student at CCK, I had abundant opportunity to observe his dignified, calm, confident and efficient performance.

As a gifted educationist, he was blessed with enormous skills in reading and writing. He was well read in Sinhala, English, Pali, and Sanskrit. Reading was his passion and his personal library at our Kuliyapitiya Mahagedara bore testimony to that. The quality materials he read including philosophy, history, education, religion etc. gave him insight and strength to reach out to deeper layers of his consciousness.

Be it school assembly, parent, teacher or old pupils meetings, seminars, workshops, prize givings, religious gatherings, YMBA, Appachchi always passed on some valuable message. Even after retirement, he kept fully engaged with orations across Sathkoralaya and nationally through the mass media.

Having excellent writing skills he published several books on many topics.

He followed many Sinhala, Buddhist traditions and firmly believed in Lord Buddha’s concept of empowering the individual to take charge and gain salvation through perseverance either mentally, physically, or both.

Appachchi was a good farmer true to his heritage. He got us involved in paddy, crops and coconut cultivation. Apart from a good harvest, Appachchi taught us all life’s lessons with this agricultural background.

Today, practicing as a consultant physician in UK, I still cherish the vastness and the serenity of the paddy fields embracing Appachchi’s sweat and toil.

Appachchi gave us a vision and showed us the path. His humility was such that I have never seen him bragging about all his four children becoming doctors. He wanted to see us becoming decent, disciplined and serving human beings.

Appachchi had an excellent family life. Amma’s understanding of his social sacrifice and his appreciation of her hard household chores were both beyond belief. We never saw them being intolerant to each other by word, deed or thought. They had 56 long years of exemplary wedlock.

Appachchi was not interested in  politics, horror, corruption, thuggery, or supernatural forces.I have never seen him reading cheap news or watching movies. Every piece he read or word he uttered were gems in disguise. Apart from Buddhist philosophy he was nourished by two other great philosophers – Dr. J. Krishnamoorthi and Dr. E.W. Adhikaram,

In later life Appachchi’s philosophical pursuit for happiness was fruitful, delivering a great book – Happiness & Beauty. I was fortunate to discuss philosophy, history, religion, language, education, environment etc. almost daily with this extraordinary human being.

His demise created an immeasurable void in all our lives. Dear Appachchi, your caring touch and invaluable advice is dearly missed every day. You left behind many fragrant memories with Amma, Ayya,Akka, Nangi and me which we will always cherish. Your memory will live on in the generation left behind who are comforted by the vast knowledge, great skills and the exponential wisdom you delivered.

May you attain the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana.

Dr Dheerachandra Dissanayake


 A trilingual journalist who contributed a lot

F. M. Fairooz

Senior journalist Al-Haj F. M. Fairooz who was born on February 21, 1952 as the son of Mohammed Cassim and Sitthi Fareeda in Colombo passed away after a brief illness on April 14, 2019. He was 67 years old. Fairooz cannot be easily forgotten by anyone in the field of media.

He had extraordinary talents in the print media as well as in electronic and visual media as a journalist, copy editor and creative writer. His demise was an irreparable loss for the entire media industry.

Fairooz had a long history from 1965 to 2019 in the media. He started from Thinapathi and Chinthamani, publications of Independent Newspapers and after their closure moved to Thinakaran and Thinakaran Varamanjari of Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL). He contributed greatly to these newspapers until his demise.

Fairooz received his education at Iqbal MahaVidyalaya, Colombo and completed the Diploma in Journalism studies in a local university as well as at Riyadh University. Later he joined the Common Amenities Board, under the Ministry of Housing and Construction and the management recognizing his talents promoted him to Senior Manager. In his leisure time he wrote feature articles, news and other human interest stories for the newspapers.

When Fairooz was working for the Thinapathi, he was Editor of “Islamiya Poonga”, a sub magazine of Thinapathi. He developed his contacts with various government and non-government entities and this helped him to collect all development related news. Wherever an incident occurred Fairooz was the first to report it.

Former State Minister late A. H. M. Azwer used to call him “Parandi”.  He had an inborn talent to identify a news story and develop it in an attractive, readable way. Being trilingual was another asset.

In addition to his contribution to the Thinapathi and Chinthamani, Fairooz also contributed to Dawasa, the weekend Sinhala newspaper of Independent Newspapers. For several years he was regional correspondent of the Colombo area for the Jaffna-based Eelanadu newspaper.

Fairooz was also one among 10 journalists selected by then Media Minister Imthiaz BakeerMarkar to undergo training at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia following a request by the
Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum (SLMMF) to the Government of Saudi Arabia.

Honouring the yeoman service of Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil leaders and distinguished personalities, Fairooz had paid attention towards publishing special articles on their memorial days.

He was also one of the founding members of SLMMF and was its Secretary, National Organizer and Vice President.

He taught media ethics to journalists who newly entered the field at workshops and seminars organized by the SLMMF. He was also the producer of Suttum Sudar, UlagaValam and Deen Payir Valarkkum Madrasakkal aired by the Muslim Service of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.

He was close to former Speakers of Parliament M. H. Mohammed and Bakeer Marker and contributed to the development of All Ceylon Union of Muslim League Youth Fronts (ACUMLYF).  During Bakeer Markar’s tenure as Speaker of Parliament, Fairooz travelled with him to hundreds of Muslim villages across the country.

When A. H. M. Azwer was State Minister of Muslim Religious Affairs Fairooz worked very closely with him. He was honoured with the award of SawthulHaq (The voice of truth) by this Ministry.

Fairooz worked as the representative of Thinapathi Newspaper at all Islamic Tamil Literature Conferences held in Keelakarai and Kayalpattinam in Tamil Nadu and was honoured with a golden shawl during the Keelakarai Islamic Tamil Literature Conference. He had also published feature articles under the pen name Fairooziya and had an advertising agency.

Fairooz served as a member of the Advisory Board of Sri Lanka Islamic Centre in Maligawatte, member of the advisory committee of Sri Lanka Transport Board and also of the Islamic Fine Arts Committee of Cultural Affairs Ministry.

He was married to Aysha from the family of the famous Kalmunai Mooththa Thambi Aalim. They have two children –Fathima Farha and Mohammed Faizaal.

Fairooz possessed many talents and his simplicity and honesty glorified all of them. In this holy Ramadan month let’s all pray that Allah gives him Jannathul Firdouse.

 N. M. Ameen


Memories I have of you will never fade

JUENNE BARBARA DE JONG (NEE MORTIER)

It’s been the hardest thing to lose you

You meant so much to me

But you are in my heart Sister

And that’s where you’ll always be

I know that Heaven called you

But I wish you could have stayed

At least the memories I have of you

They will never fade

I did not want to lose you

But you did not go alone

Because a part of me went with you

When Heaven called you home

So just remember one thing

We are not apart

You are with me in my memories

And in my broken heart

From your Titta (Karen)


 

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