Appreciations
View(s):Tribute to a wise and gentle leader of men
Theagaraja Sri Nagendra
“Him I call a Brahamin,
Ever true, ever kind,
He never asks what life can give,
But what can I give life” – The Baghavad geeta
It is a year since Sri was called to his eternal reward. I had known him from 1974 when I joined the Employers Federation of Ceylon, and I continued to associate with him in different capacities till he passed away. The last Board I served on was the International Distillers Board which I had joined at the behest of Sri who was an integral part of it.
The last conversation we had was when Sri saw my resignation from the Board. Barely a month later, Sri passed away. I had watched him arriving for meetings in the last few months before that with the zest for life gone out of him. The untimely and unfortunate death of his son Niranjan, was too much for this doting father. Sri was an exceptionally sensitive person and perhaps people loved him more for this quality which made him the very epitome of humaneness.
I had the privilege of being on Sri’s Boards at Lanka Aluminium and Acme Printing & Packaging. There were many issues on which I had intellectual disagreements with Sri but he was always a clever leader and knew how to handle difficult situations through his remarkable tact, his never failing good manners, abundant charm and rock-like integrity. We saw these attributes as a fundamental part of his character. He never talked about his most impressive lineage and the fact that he belonged to one of the nation’s most illustrious families. Even though he is no more, he would be embarrassed if I was to speak of it. He didn’t have to. The manner in which he conducted himself showed that he had unique credentials to fame and status, not to mention fortune.
Sri established himself as a great ambassador for the country and led Acme Aluminium and James Finlays, leading companies at the time he was at their helm, with great distinction. I recall that Acme had at one time a monopoly on the aluminium foil packaging industry and as the supplier to the tea industry and Ceylon Tobacco Company, commanded an enviable share price.
Sri’s stature as an outstanding business leader led to the most significant investments ever from Italy to our country which always bemoans the lack of foreign investment. I remember his association with the setting up of Texlan, which must have been the first local company to export hosiery. Dr. Veronisi and his global apparel business was attracted to our shores by Sri who was invited to be the Chairman of the several companies set up by the former, commencing with ‘Omegalines’ at Pannala. These companies provide quality employment in many parts of the country spreading as far as Vavuniya. Sri has done much to promote Sri Lanka in his own quiet, unpretentious and unassuming way.
When I dealt with Sri as Chairman of Finlays, a member company of the EFC, I found that his style of management was quite different to that of his predecessor Hector de Witt. Hector had been trained as a Policeman and obviously viewed employment situations in a more regimented, flamboyant way. Sri had a very restrained, thoughtful approach towards taking decisions. He needed to be thorough and sure of his next move. Under his stewardship Acme Aluminium, Lanka Aluminium, Finlays and Omegalines prospered and were recognized for their excellence as ethical businesses.
I had much to do with Sri when he was part of the policy making body of the Employers Federation in what I might pardonably describe as its halcyon days. He sat on our Council with people of the calibre of S. Cumarasamy, Lal Jayasundera, S.K. Wickramasinghe, Mahendra Amarasuriya, Hemaka Amarasuriya, Gamini Wijesinghe, Stanley Jayawardene, Scott Dirckze, C.P. de Silva and other giants of business. Sri contributed when there was a matter concerning finance and his wise and measured approach to problem solving was valued greatly. He always had an inquiring and perceptive mind which added great value to debates in the Council. Sri served in the Council from 1984 to 2011, the third longest service to the Council.
It is of special significance that he was one of those who oversaw the metamorphosis of the EFC under Sriyan de Silva into an organization which went beyond merely dealing with disputes and negotiation, to an organization which handled the development of human resources. Sri was Chairman when I was given the approval by the Council to build the new Secretariat, and he was the Chairman when the building was commissioned as he served from 1993 to 1996 in that role.
Recent events have made me realize what Sri Lankan employers owe to those fine gentlemen like Sri on our Council, who helped those of us who served in the Secretariat, to build an organization, acknowledged at the time that he was Chairman, to be by far the best Asian employers’ organization.
Sri was a pragmatic leader who never considered his role as anything but one akin to that of the sovereign in Britain – a very ceremonial one – which he performed with the majesty, grace and dignity, which he no doubt inherited from his distinguished ancestry. As a wise professional he had a keen understanding of how to motivate professionals of other disciplines by supporting them and leaving them to execute their duties efficiently.
Sri was a gentleman who was respected by all for his devotion to duty. He was incapable of causing hurt to a fly. He was a pillar of the Hindu faith and regular in performing his rituals, but this did not prevent him from also being a devotee at some Catholic shrines which he visited with great fervour.
It was a privilege to have known this uncommon person who always radiated calm, and exuded sincerity of purpose.
Franklyn Amerasinghe
His humaneness went hand in hand with his expertise as a surgeon
PROF C. BARR KUMARAKULASINGHE
“Heavens themselves blaze forth with comets at the death of a great man or prince.”
This quote is appropriate for the recent passing away of Professor Barr Kumarakulasinghe, whom I had known since 1970, when I was involved on a research project with him, Dr Brian Senewiratna and Dr Swaminathan at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Peradeniya on the uptake of Calcium & Sodium in the para-thyroid of pigs.
I watched Prof Barr Kumarakulasinghe doing the sutures using his fingers and asked him to teach me which he willingly did. I went on to teach those skills to veterinary and medical undergraduates in Sydney, Australia.
After completing my Diploma in Radiography, Prof Barr was instrumental in my switching over from the Veterinary Faculty to the Department of Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, Peradeniya.
Doctors I have met – a Consultant Paediatrician in Melbourne in 2001 and a Gynaecologist and Obstetrician in 2017 in Sydney, recalled that when Prof Barr was a demonstrator at the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, he would invite the undergraduates who had difficulty in Anatomy to his quarters (above the Radiology Department) and teach them after hours.
Professor Barr assumed duties as a Senior Lecturer in Surgery at the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Peradeniya in the ’60s. A truly dedicated teacher and clinician, even when a medical undergraduate failed at a particular subject not relevant to Surgery, he would consult academics and examiners of the respective subjects, find out why the candidate failed, then invite the student to dinner and explain where he or she had gone wrong, guide them and even drop them back home.
He would always ensure that he collected specimens from the operation he had performed and hand it over to the Pathology & Anatomy for teaching purposes.
When Prof Barr’s mother was warded at the General Hospital in Kandy, she was as selfless as he was and would insist that he see his other patients first and treat her last.
An intern of his in Ward 11 at the General Hospital, Kandy recalls that when Prof Barr heard her father was to have surgery, though he was on his way to Colombo with his family, quickly parked his powder blue Hilman Husky station wagon next to the Hospital telephone exchange and performed the surgery. He only continued on his journey once her father was back in the ward. She was devastated that she did not have the opportunity to bid him farewell when Prof Barr was forced to leave the country after the ’83 riots.
He was admired and looked up to for guidance by everyone. He would spare no effort in helping them solve their personal problems. Sister Marrikkar who was in charge of Ward 11 and 12 at General Hospital, Kandy recalled that when she had told Prof of the grievances she had with the hospital administrators, he personally met the Director and straightened out her problems.
A lady from the hamlet of Poojapitiya when she found out I knew Prof Barr, started tearing up. “He is a like a God to me. He took care of my son at Ward 16. Do you have a photograph of him so that I can frame it and light a lamp everyday” she asked. When Prof found out that her son was an artist, he would bring him crayons and materials so he could continue drawing.
Prof Barr’s was the oldest car parked in the hospital premises. He would say that he needed a car with four wheels and a roof to take him from Point A to Point B safely and that a man only needed four pairs of pants and four shirts.
Once when he was driving towards Mount Lavinia to drop off his family, his car stalled on Galle Road opposite the Royal Bakery in Wellawatte. A man seated there, walked over and said “Sir, do you remember me? You saved my life. How can I help?” He organised a crowd to help push the car to the nearest service station.
Another time, Prof saw a major traffic accident on his way to General Hospital, Kandy and immediately stopped to render aid. He examined the patient and told the family to have him taken to the General Hospital straightaway. When the patient arrived at the operating theatre, he was scrubbed and ready to operate.
After the ethnic riots he decided to cross the Rubicon. I was extremely downhearted when he left. I finally reconnected with him in 1991, and he drove almost an hour from Glen Waverley to Keysborough and we had a long discussion about my future. On his advice, I chose Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney where I ended my career in charge of 29 Operating Theatres.
During one of my visits to Sri Lanka, I met one of Professor’s scrub nurses at General Hospital, Kandy, who recounted that when Prof Barr was on holiday in 1998, he not only accepted her invitation for a meal at her home but stayed the night at her home. She said to me “When do you get a Staff Specialist accepting an invitation from a nurse?”
Whoever knew Prof Barr was touched by his kindness and generosity regardless of whether they were a ward labourer, nurse, intern or staff specialist.
I consider myself fortunate and privileged to be associated with Professor Barr for over five decades. When Mrs Barr informed me that he had passed away, the sorrow was heartbreaking.
Professor Barr was a good Christian and a good soul. There is no one I know who could walk in his shadow. He never utilised his sabbatical leave to go overseas and make money, neither did he do any private practice. He continued to treat his patients who attended his Out Patients Clinic, did his operation list and treated his ward patients. May his soul rest in peace. I know very well he is in heaven in the hands of Lord Jesus Christ.
“Heavens themselves blaze forth with comets at the death of a great man or prince. “
This quote is appropriate for the recent passing away of Professor Barr Kumarakulasinghe, whom I had known since 1970, when I was involved on a research project funded by the Nuffield Foundation (UK) with him, Dr Brian Senewiratna and Dr Swaminathan at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Peradeniya on the uptake of Calcium & Sodium in the para-thyroid of pigs.
I watched Prof Barr Kumarakulasinghe doing the sutures using his fingers and asked him to teach me. He willingly spent the time teaching me, until I mastered it. I went on to then use those skills to teach veterinary and medical undergraduates in Sydney, Australia.
After completing my Diploma in Radiography, Prof Barr was instrumental in my switching over from the Veterinary Faculty to the Dept of Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, Peradeniya.
I was more than happy to work under Prof Barr – medically coding all the Bed Head Tickets (BHT) of the patients treated in the Professorial Surgical Wards 11 and 16 at General Hospital in Kandy whilst working as a Diagnostic Radiographer at the Department of Imaging, General Hospital, Kandy.
During this period as and when the Radiologist went on sabbatical leave, he would direct the Final Year medical undergraduates doing their Surgical Appointments to me. I was instructed to teach them the radiographic techniques and the appropriate requests to order and what to look for.
I met a Consultant Paediatrician in Melbourne in 2001 and a Gynaecologist and Obstetrician in 2017 in Sydney, who both spoke very highly of the qualities of Prof Barr. They recalled that when Prof Barr was a demonstrator at the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, he would invite the undergraduates who had difficulty in Anatomy to his quarters (above the Radiology Department) and teach them after hours.
Professor Barr assumed duties as a Senior Lecturer in Surgery at the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Peradeniya in the ’60s. He was truly a dedicated teacher and clinician, which was evident as even when a medical undergraduate failed at a particular subject not relevant to Surgery, he would consult academics and examiners of the respective subjects and find out why the candidate failed. He would then invite the undergraduate to dinner and explain where he or she went wrong and guide them and even drop them back home. He would always ensure that he collected specimens from the operation he had performed and hand it over to the Pathology & Anatomy for teaching purposes.
I remember when Prof Barr’s mother was warded at the General Hospital in Kandy, she was as selfless as he was and would insist that he see his other patients first and treat her last.
An intern of his in Ward 11 at the General Hospital, Kandy recalls that he would come in to the hospital around 10 p.m. and each time he saw her working on her cross-stitch, he would discuss the merits of stitching, stating “I have a book at home on cross-stitch. I will locate it and give it to you”. He would of course forget to each time and earned the sobriquet of “Absent minded professor”. He eventually did present her the book at her wedding. The same intern mentioned when her father was to have surgery, Prof Barr who was on his way to Colombo with his family, quickly parked his powder blue Hilman Husky station wagon next to the Hospital telephone exchange and performed the surgery. He only continued on his journey once her father was back in the ward. She was devastated that she did not have the opportunity to bid him farewell when Prof Barr was forced to leave the country after the racial riots.
He was not only admired and looked up to for guidance by the interns, it was anyone that came across him whether it be Registrars, staff or patients. He would spare no effort in helping them solve their personal problems. Sister Marrikkar who was in charge of Ward 11 and 12 at General Hospital, Kandy mentioned to me that she had told Prof of the grievances she had with the administrators of the hospital, he personally met the Director and straightened out her problems.
I met a lady from the hamlet of Poojapitiya closer to Kandy, when she found out that I knew Prof Barr, started tearing up. When I asked her why she was crying, she said, “He is a like a God to me. He took care of my son at Ward 16. Do you have a photograph of him so that I can frame it and light a lamp everyday.” When Prof found out that her son was an artist, he would bring him crayons and materials to make sure he continued growing his talent. Months later, when Prof met her in Ward 18, he enquired of her son’s health and when he learnt that her son was in Ward 18, he sought out permission from the intern and staff specialist and had her son transferred to the professional unit under his care. Prof Barr also gave her letter stating her son should always be admitted to Ward 16.
He owned a Hilman Husky car which was the oldest car parked in the hospital premises, unlike the latest models owned by the other staff specialists. He would always tell me that he needed a car with four wheels and a roof to take him from Point A to Point B safely and that a man only ever needed four pairs of pants and four shirts.
He was once driving towards Mount Lavinia to drop off his family and his car stalled on Galle Road near the Wellawatte Canal opposite the Royal Bakery. The car had run out of fuel and he had forgotten to repair the broken fuel gauge. There was no service stations nearby and it was a sweltering hot day for his family to be seated inside the car with no air conditioning. A man seated in front of the bakery, walked over and said “Sir, do you remember me? You saved my life. How can I help?” He then organised a crowd to help push the car to the nearest service station.
On another occasion, Dr Brian Senewiratna who was in Sri Lanka on holidays from Brisbane wanted Prof Barr and his family to join him on a beach holiday in Batticaloa. Prof was busy marking the final MBBS Surgery theory papers, however he reluctantly agreed to join Dr Senewiratna. On his way back home, the car stopped abruptly in the middle of the jungle near Polonnaruwa. Prof was extremely concerned being stuck in the middle of nowhere with his young family. From what appeared to be nowhere, a flashy car stopped and a young man asked “Are you Professor Barr Kumarakulasinghe? Do you remember me Doctor? You operated on me and saved my life.” The young man then towed Prof’s car to the nearest garage to have it fixed at no charge.
One day, Prof witnessed a major traffic accident on his way to General Hospital, Kandy and he immediately stopped to render aid. He examined the patient and told the patient’s kith and kin to have him taken to the General Hospital straightaway. He did not mention to them that he was a surgeon but when the patient arrived at the operating theatre, he was scrubbed and ready to operate.
After his migration to Australia, during a visit to Kandy in 1998, Prof Barr was at the Kandy market to buy his meat and was approached by a man who fell at his feet, worshipping. The man raised his shirt to show Prof four puncture marks caused by falling on steel spikes at a building site which had fortunately missed his liver and lungs. The man loudly proclaimed to everyone present “This Doctor saved my life, he saved my life, he is like God to me.”
In 1983, after the ethnic riots he decided to Cross the Rubicon. I was extremely downhearted when he left. I missed my idol and mentor.
I finally reconnected with Professor Barr in 1991, whilst I was in Australia for the accreditation of my Radiography qualification. He drove almost an hour from Glen Waverley to Keysborough and we had a long discussion about my future. He said to me “You have no future in the Department of Surgery and Sri Lanka, it is better for you to migrate.” Which I did. I once more sought his advice when I was offered positions in four leading hospitals and I was unsure of which hospital to choose. On his advice, I chose Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney where I ended my career in charge of 29 Operating Theatres.
During one of my visits to Sri Lanka, I met one of Professor’s scrub nurses at General Hospital, Kandy, who recounted that once she found out that Prof Barr was around on a holiday (1998) and visited him to invite him to her house for a meal. He kindly accepted her invitation and stayed the night at her home. She said to me, “When do you get a Staff Specialist accepting an invitation from a nurse? He is unlike the other Staff Specialists who live in ivory towers.” Anytime I met her or numerous other nursing staff, staff that worked at the Clinical Block of the Faculty of Medicine, they would always ask me of his wellbeing.
Since migrating to Sydney in 1994, I have kept in close contact with him until he passed away. I would try visiting him at least once to twice a year and spend a considerable amount of time with him. His charming company was always an enjoyable experience.
I might consider myself fortunate and privileged to be associated with Professor Barr for over five decades. When Mrs Barr informed me that he passed away, it was the most devastating news and the sadness and sorrow was heartbreaking.
I always admired Professor Barr and aspired to have 5% of his qualities, then I would have achieved my goal. He was a good Christian and a good soul. There is no one I know who could walk in his shadow. Unlike other academics and clinicians he never utilised his sabbatical leave to go overseas and make money, neither did he do any private practice.
He continued to treat his patients who attended his out Patients Clinic and did his operation list and treated his ward patients. The are several who left the country after the riots who would have stayed back and worked in Sri Lanka if Prof Barr had not made the decision to migrate.
Whoever knew him was touched by his kindness and generosity regardless of whether they were a ward labourer, nurse, intern or staff specialist. Everyone was treated equally in Prof Barr’s eyes.
The great bard William Shakespeare said “Some people are born great, some people achieve greatness, Some people greatness is thrust up on them”.
I second the last statement. May his soul rest in peace. I know very well he is in heaven in the Hands of Lord Jesus Christ.
M. Karalasingham
Memories of a high ‘flyer’ among us
JAYANATH LAKSEN CHANDRI SALGADO
The SLAF No. 2 intake of officer cadets consisted of nine, along with few other in-service inductions. Of the nine, four were Thomians and Jayanath Laksen Chandri Salgado of “Preetheum”, Moratuwa was one of them.
Sala, as he was fondly called by his friends came in with an excellent school profile as one who been chosen to represent Sri Lanka at the Indo- Sri Lanka athletic meet in his pet event 400 metres through ACE Athletic Club. It goes without saying that he had won his Public Schools’ colours.
He was a college prefect, member of the Cadet Platoon, and also 2nd XV Rugby team. Sala’s father, Lloyd Salgado who was a proprietary planter, was well known to my father who was one time Superintendent of Police in the Moratuwa area.
Later, even his brother-in-law, surgeon Dr. Wimal Gunaratne, who too was a Public Schools athlete, was well known to me.
Cadet intakes were a result of post ‘71 insurgency expansion which the services underwent in its wake with the infrastructure required not being able to keep pace. In this context, the No. 01 intake which was of 30 cadets took priority in available resources thus the ‘flyers’ of our batch had to wait till they (No. 01) completed their phases, which applied to all other branches too.
Diyatalawa’s (DLA) renowned salubrious climate was not regarded with the same nostalgia during morning PT when we were in our thinnest possible vests. One might say we built up a dreadful respect for the “Siberian winter” which we had only read about hitherto!
The stagnation in training facilities made Sala and the flying cadets follow the training that unfolded mainly for Regt. Cadets under then Commanding Officer (CO), Wg. Cdr. Bren Sosa and the Officer Commanding Training (OCT) Sqn Ldr. Tony Direckze. A component of it (No. 1 Officers’ Regt. course) was to do a jungle march to a Kuda Oya area location in small batches and the flight cadets consisted of one of them. It so happened that they reached the destination a day earlier than the other groups, perhaps due to a “flying navigational error” and had to take the “back bearing” to the DLA camp. This all-round training had perhaps stood him in good stead in later service life when commanding stations etc. and in particular when he was the Director Operations with ground ops coming under it.
On commissioning, the three flyers were posted to No. 03 Maritime Squadron flying Cessna 337 aircraft under Sq. Ldr. Chrisan being the CO. However, unexpectedly they were converted to Jet Provost (JPT) fighter aircraft which came into its own glory with the ‘71 insurgency strike and interdiction sorties. Sala and his batchmates kept on flying this aircraft until it was phased out. It took almost another two decades for the SLAF to get back to fighter jet aircraft flying, post “Op Poonamalai” by the Indian Air Force dropping relief supplies over Jaffna, better known as the “Parippu drop”.
Sala, later qualified as a Flying Instructor and was selected to follow the No. 313 Qualified Flying Instructors (QFI) course at Central Flying School, Royal Air Force, Leeming, UK, meeting a very demanding void felt in flying training which was long overdue. In his seven years as a QFI, the last two years as CO of the Flying Training Wing (FTW), generations of pilots had been churned out meeting the coveted RAF standards. He was the first to follow the Air Warfare Course at the Air War College, Pakistan Air Force for over a year. As a pilot, on his flyingmanship, what better opinion than from his own batchmate who later became a very senior Captain with SriLankan Airlines. He opined that “Sala was an exceptional flyer who could be cool as ever for military flying”.
Sala, in his rising career had gone through the ambit of appointments as Eastern and Western Zonal Commander, Director Operations and finally as Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Air Force. He was a recipient of the Ranawickrema padakkama (RWP) very early in his career (1992), and without resting on his laurels he continued with his operational contributions till the very end.
Laksen leaves his wife Erandathie and children Laksith and Shalindri. We are grateful to Sala’s College friend HDK Silva for keeping us updated on his medical status, sparing us from troubling Erandathie. Religious ceremonies were held at the Holy Emmanuel Church, Rawathawatte, Moratuwa and a service funeral under health regulations.
Old soldiers never die, they only fade away.
May his soul rest in peace.
Ravi Arunthavanathan
(Batchmate from SLAF No. 2 intake of Officer Cadets)
Success never eroded his simplicity
M.M.C. Wickramanayake
M.M.C. Wickramanayake a legend who worked tirelessly to put Sri Lanka on the world industry map passed away peacefully in Kandy on July 6, 2001 on his 89th birthday. July 6, will be his 109th birthday and 20th death anniversary.
The father figure of Sri Lanka’s industry and commerce, Mr. Wickramanayake was among the first to recognize the potential of the garment industry, its ability to contribute to Sri Lanka’s economic growth and generate direct and indirect employment. He was a pioneer in the knitwear industry establishing Sterling Jersey Company in 1953 under the brand name ‘Kosala’.
Born in Unanwitiya, he started his career in Kandy as a manager at his uncle’s tobacco leaf business. His life exemplified an inspirational success story of a self-made man. As Chairman of Kosala Agencies Ltd., he pioneered importing re-conditioned cars to Sri Lanka in 1976. In 1978, his company became the first private permit holder to operate a private omnibus service with a Kandy-Colombo luxury bus. Under his stewardship and visionary leadership, the Kosala enterprise diversified into varied sectors.
He was founder director of City Stores Ltd., Silverdale Hotel Ltd., Sinhaputhra Finance Ltd., Kandy Trading Company Ltd., Service Kandy Ltd., Island Tours Ltd., and Beehive Food Canning Ltd.
He was also the Founder Director and Managing Director of Kandy Ayurveda Pharmacy Ltd. from 1943 to 1987. He was the founder member of the Sri Lanka Chamber of Small Industry and its Vice President from 1963 to 1965 as well as Vice President of the Kandy Merchant Chamber from 1963 to 1973.
M.M.C. Wickramanayake’s achievements and success never eroded his simplicity and old fashioned charm. His death left a void which the country will find difficult to fill.
May he attain Nibbana.
S. Wickramasinghe