Appreciations
View(s):Thank you for the wonderful memories and deep love
BRADMAN WEERAKOON
Dearest Seeya,
Words will never be enough to encompass my feelings for you, my darling Seeya.
Being your first grandchild, I did not realize what a remarkable person you were until I reached my late teens.
As a grandfather – especially when Ravin and I were little – you were simply the most fun to be around: kind, gentle, and endlessly patient. You entertained us, played along with all our whims, and never used harsh words to discipline us. You solved our little fights with ease. You were never confrontational; instead, you always encouraged us to come from a place of understanding and non-judgment. You were our cool grandpa – always encouraging us to do what made us happy. You nurtured us with quiet strength and loving kindness, embodying compassion in every sense.
You always stayed relevant and ahead of your time – introducing me to greats like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey back in the ’90s. You embraced technology with curiosity and eagerness, never afraid of change and always adapting gracefully. Your optimism, even on the darkest of days, was inspiring. The way you rooted for the underdog and showed empathy toward those facing discrimination truly shaped me. You constantly encouraged us to see different perspectives, to challenge the status quo, and never to take anything at face value.
You also taught me the importance of self-love and self-care – being mindful about food, exercise, and overall well-being. Your joyous spirit, energy, and ability to connect with people from all walks of life was extraordinary. Your kindness and humility were unmatched. I never heard you raise your voice or speak harshly to anyone. Even in the most demanding situations, you remained calm, leading with quiet confidence and unwavering strength. You showed me that one doesn’t need to be loud to be heard or respected.
Your remarkable work ethic, discipline, and attention to detail – whether in big tasks or small ones – taught me the value of dedication.
Your love for books and the English language is what inspired me to choose English Literature for my Advanced Levels. Thank you for teaching me to appreciate the beauty of books.
Thank you for all the lovely trips, especially those to Kandalama. I will always treasure those moments – my childhood was filled with wonder and joy because of you.
Thank you, too, for standing by my side as the witness at my wedding. I could not have imagined a better person for that role. I was so blessed to have you there.
I am also incredibly grateful and happy that you were able to meet my son, Avishka. One of my happiest memories is seeing you interact with your five-month-old great-grandson. I cannot wait to tell him all about you and the wonderful person you were.
Seeya, you left this world a far better place. You had a rare gift for making people feel seen, valued, and loved. You always left others feeling uplifted, with a smile on their faces.
I wear our name with pride, thanks to you. I know it’s a heavy crown to carry, for the legacy you built is truly remarkable. The values, wisdom, and lessons you passed down will continue to echo through the generations. I can only hope to honour your incredible legacy.
Seeya, I will always love you and cherish your memory forever.
Love always, Your granddaughter, Avanti Weerakoon
To our loving Seeya,
The very first time I met Seeya was when Ravin took me to see him in 2020. He was the first member of Ravin’s family I was introduced to, aside from his sister and brother-in-law as his parents were abroad at the time and I remember feeling a little nervous. But the moment I walked in and stood before him, there was something about his presence that immediately calmed me.
There was a deep sense of warmth and love that radiated from Seeya. He made me feel at ease, almost like I had known him all along. Despite the remarkable legacy he carried, his humility stood out more than anything else. Here was a man who had served seven Prime Ministers and two Presidents of Sri Lanka, an icon in our country’s history, yet he never wore his prominence like a badge. He was simply Seeya – kind, grounded, and generous with his time and heart.
In those early days, I didn’t know much about him beyond the warmth he extended to me. So I remember sitting down with his book, Rendering Unto Caesar, hoping to understand more about the life he had lived. But what I discovered through those pages was only a glimpse of the depth, grace, and brilliance of the man I was fortunate enough to know in person.
Seeya was always so sharp, mentally agile, articulate, and precise. He was also wonderfully loving as a grandfather, and what struck me most was his ability to give you his complete, undivided attention. When he was with you, he was truly present. That kind of attentiveness is rare.
Some of our fondest memories together were during those early dating days with Ravin. We would often have dinner with Seeya, and those evenings meant the world to me. I had lost all my grandparents at a very young age, so being on the receiving end of his love and affection filled a quiet void in my heart.
There were movie nights too, light-hearted evenings watching Peter Sellers – The Party and Johnny English, with Seeya chuckling along with us, his dry wit surfacing now and then. He had such an interesting sense of humour, subtle, clever, always catching you a little off guard.
Of course, there was another side to Seeya as well, the professional, formidable side. There were nights when our dinner dates turned into work sessions, and suddenly, we were his unofficial assistants and typists. I remember watching him work with awe, his vocabulary, his command of language, the speed and clarity of his thoughts. That part of him intimidated me in the best way. It made me wonder what it must have been like to witness him in his prime, navigating matters of state, diplomacy, and public service with such intellect and finesse.
One memory that stands out vividly is when Ravin took me to watch one of his interviews. I sat there quietly, listening to him respond to every question with thoughtfulness and wit, never missing a beat. I remember thinking – if only I had known him earlier, when he was more active, more vocal, more visibly brilliant.
And then came his 90th birthday, a milestone he looked forward to with childlike excitement. We planned it together for months. Seeya, ever the orator and host, prepared for those meetings with the same dedication he showed in every aspect of his life. We would sit down to go over the plans and then share a meal, often filled with laughter and lighthearted conversation. He loved entertaining, and you could see it in the twinkle in his eye whenever we spoke of the celebration.
Looking back, it’s not just the milestones or stories that linger , it’s the feeling he left behind. The comfort of his presence. The privilege of knowing someone so accomplished, yet so gentle. Someone who left behind not only a legacy of public service but one of deep human kindness.
Seeya, thank you for the stories, the laughter, the wisdom, and above all, the love. I will always treasure the warmth you brought into my life, the grandfatherly presence I never knew I was missing, and the many moments, both big and small that you made so special.
You created a legacy so meaningful, so deeply rooted in integrity and service, that we are all still reaping the rewards of the name you built and the values you lived by. We are truly blessed and fortunate to have been a part of your life, to witness the impact you made, not just in your country, but in your family, in us.
And as we move forward, we carry your example with us, quietly aspiring to be, and to achieve, even half of what you have. If we do, we will have done something truly special.
You will always be remembered, deeply loved, and profoundly missed.
Love, Sithmi Weerakoon
The humanist who leaves behind an indelible mark in his beloved Kandy
JACQUES CHRISTIAN SOULIÉ
A psychiatrist by training, professor of French and psychiatry, French by birth and Sri Lankan at heart, a man of the arts, of spirit and of compassion — Dr. Jacques Christian Soulié passed away on July 5 at his home, perched high above Kandy, facing the mythical Hanthana mountains he so dearly loved. He would have turned 86 on September 12.
Former Director of the Alliance Française in Kandy (2000–2010), he leaves behind several generations of students and pupils who regarded him with near-reverence, an arts and culture centre he built with sheer willpower, and the memory of a man driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and creative endeavour – right up to his final days.
Among his last undertakings: an unfinished collaborative translation of the Mahavamsa, the Great Chronicle of Lanka, covering the period from the 6th century BCE to 1815 CE, and preparations for a celebratory event marking the 10th anniversary of his beloved centre – his “last baby,” and likely the one that gave him the greatest satisfaction.
Born in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne) in 1939 into a family of farmers — though he would unapologetically say peasants – he experienced a childhood shaped by wartime anxiety, the absence of a father conscripted into the army, and deep deprivation. His father’s return, after the war, brought with it the long-silenced mystery of a Swiss exile, which would fuel in the son a lifelong search for meaning.
A brilliant student, Jacques earned a scholarship to attend the private Saint Théodard College, a school reserved for the well-born and, occasionally, the exceptionally gifted.
There, he became acutely aware of social divisions and began to aspire to a form of spiritual elevation. The early loss of his father, the overwhelming yet quietly expressed love of his mother — an accomplice in the social “heist” her son was mounting against all odds, the rarefied world of his classmates’ families, glimpsed but never fully shared, and his early involvement in village-level socio-cultural life — all of these formative experiences shaped a complex personality capable of navigating with ease between the margins and the centre of civic life, and back again.
This gift for fluidity would become a defining trait in a life journey that took him from the endless wheat fields of southwestern France to the misty hills of Kandy, via French Polynesia and the genteel Rue Monge in Paris. Brilliant medical studies led him to a career in military medicine, bringing him — with a high rank — to Tahiti, in the midst of French nuclear testing. But by the end of the Gaullist era, the military world and its strict discipline — the very things that once attracted him — began to lose their appeal.
At great personal financial cost, he severed ties with the army and returned to France to take up psychiatry, which he practised for 25 years before opting for early retirement at age 55.
Along the way, he discovered Buddhism and Sri Lanka – first in Paris, then through travel – with its arts, foundational texts and luminous culture. He fell instantly in love with Kandy and decided to settle there.
He brought with him a remarkable collection of artworks, paintings, furniture, and rare books, patiently assembled over the years in auction houses and flea markets across Europe. The setting he chose for his new life was worthy of the collection it would house: a 200-year-old noble residence, in the pure Kandyan style, of what is known as Dutch architectural lineage. It is the Naranwala Walauwa.
Hardly had he settled in Kandy than he turned his back on the notion of a peaceful, golden retirement. He offered his services to the Alliance Française of Kandy (AFK), where he quickly became a cornerstone — teaching classes, taking on administrative duties, and giving weekly lectures in psychiatry at the University of Peradeniya (visible from his courtyard) and at Sri Jayawardenepura University in Colombo, a three-hour drive away!
Tireless, he became the unofficial cultural attaché of Kandy’s Francophone community, organizing exhibitions and themed evenings with infectious enthusiasm. He introduced Sri Lankan audiences to the masterpieces of Delacroix, Cézanne, Gauguin, Matisse… to name only a few, and only the painters.
Between 2001 and 2012, he took the helm of the Alliance Française of Kandy, ushering in a true golden age — with over 550 students, a record never since equalled, and a rich, varied cultural programme. He took charge of a floundering ship in troubled waters and revitalised it. One especially perilous moment stands out: when the AFK had to vacate the premises it had occupied for many years in central Kandy. It fell to him to find a new home in record time — a task he accomplished with calm and brilliance, concealing from the outside world the inner turmoil of seeing his institution nearly cast out onto the street.
To this day, the venerable Alliance occupies that uniquely luminous setting, nestled across from the Hanthana mountains. Kandy’s art lovers will long remember the multidisciplinary soirées he masterfully orchestrated — blending visual arts, music, and film screenings — which became his signature, both at the Alliance and beyond.
Even after retiring — successively and in that order — from psychiatry, from his directorship at the Alliance, and from his teaching duties, Jacques Soulié never ceased to create. A man who seemed to take to heart (perhaps too much so) Roger Nimier’s adage — “A man without a project is the enemy of mankind” — launched, in 2010, his final venture: opening his home to the public, transforming it into a centre for art and archives.
Despite many bureaucratic hurdles, not least due to his status as a foreigner, the Suriyakantha Centre for Art and Culture opened its doors in 2015. Today, the SCAC is a cultural gem of Kandy, leaving no visitor unmoved as confirmed by the glowing online testimonials. A meticulous perfectionist, he continued, even two months ago, to personally greet every guest, guide them through his centre, and often share a meal with those who wished to linger a little longer in the presence of this stranger who, in truth, had already become their friend.
The near-annual event Suriya Kavikara — seven editions in ten years — was the crowning moment of the year. A multidisciplinary evening dedicated to the arts in all their diversity, Suriya Kavikara proudly positioned itself as the heir to the centuries-old Kandyan tradition of honouring the living arts (Kavikara Maduwa).
Almost simultaneously, around 2015, a neurodegenerative illness began to appear. He denied it at first, then fought it, referring, not without irony, to the “honeymoon phase” that marks the onset of Parkinson’s, which had been diagnosed in time and responded well to treatment… until it returned with renewed force. He resisted it to the end. Even last year, he travelled back to France for his usual summer stay, divided between his native Southwest and the Paris of his passions.
The memory of this exceptional man — a bridge between two cultures — will be honoured. His legacy, both material and spiritual, will live on. In Kandy, his empathy, humanism, and insatiable curiosity will leave an immense void. His spiritual daughters and sons will carry forward his profoundly humanist vision. And the world will mourn a rare kind of polymath — radiant, indefinable, unforgettable.
-Janaka Samarakoon
The paediatrician who played many roles for the betterment of society
HERBERT ALLAN APONSO
He was an individual who in multiple areas of our society involved himself voluntarily and achieved with unparalleled excellence. The son of George and Clara, he was born and raised in Moratuwa. He was initially educated in neighbourhood schools and had his higher education in Colombo.
He proceeded to the United Kingdom for postgraduate medical education and returned to Sri Lanka as a ‘paediatrician’ in 1957. With his wife Vimala and their three young children, the family settled in their multigenerational hometown where he started a practice in child health – Paediatrics.
The practice grew fast, an immediate success! While being a busy, 24 -hour medical practitioner, he extended himself to academics, providing free medical education to medical students, without regard to the levels they were in their academic institutions. The selected location was the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital in Colombo.
It was a weekly event. Teaching and learning were voluntarily executed. In an unexpectedly brief time period, ‘Doctor Aponso’s Ward Classes’ became a popular novelty, overflowing with medical students. The unknown, youthful teacher was a ‘hit’.
Those were the days when in the event, medical help was needed in the East, West, North, South or in the hills, the patient had no choice but to travel to Colombo by train, bus, car, cart or by foot facing great social stress. There was no thought of increasing the cadre of physicians or treatment locations. With the passage of time, an idea of a second Medical School was born.
For a second medical school , the insurmountable major problem would be the teaching staff. The entrenched medical professionals led the objections. At this serious national juncture, Dr. Aponso, the successful Colombo paediatrician stepped in. Together with his small clique of buddies, he pioneered the Department of Paediatrics at the Peradeniya Faculty of Medicine in 1964.
Dr.Aponso, his wife and three children left their generationally established seaside Moratuwa to previously never visited lake side Kandy. He was the Head of the newly created Department of Child Health of the Faculty of Medicine, Peradeniya. A never dreamt of challenge. From the very first morning of his brand new appointment, he got going!
A well furnished office, an all new academic and supportive staff, a programme of teaching, facilities for staff, students and visitors. Cordial relationships with healthcare personnel, an in-service unit, an out service unit, a special unit for newborns, follow up services, outside neighbourhood activities etc.,etc..were initiated. His clinical ward rounds were attended by a large number of followers. A noteworthy feature was his handwashing before and after examining every person. The clinical staff and almost all the students followed without any comments or questioning. An unforgettable example it was.
In the OB-GYN section of Kandy General Hospital, along with assistance of the management, Dr. Aponso set up a separate unit for the newborn babies – the Neonatal Unit. Strict aseptic rules were notified and applied to all visitors, mothers, staff, students etc.
The staff provided by the hospital management was grossly inadequate and obviously overworked. A solution to the problem was devised by his own wife, Vimala. She took the lead and obtained the help of her neighbourhood friends. In the paediatric ward, there would be saree clad, high-heeled ladies enthusiastically helping out.
Realising the importance of the referral source of outside physicians whether they were western or ayurvedic or any other, Dr. Aponso arranged a communication channel. The goal was good health care of the society at large. If any patient came with a letter from a healthcare person such action was reciprocated. The Preventive and Public Health aspects were respected highly. In the regular academic programme he included compulsory ‘home visits’ by the students. Medical students roamed the villages around the hills.
Apart from his own environment, he was interested in the health of the Veddahs and took much pleasure in taking his students all the way to Bintenne, the Veddah homeland. Health surveys were done, and instructional advice on nutrition, childcare, smoking etc. provided in a friendly manner was accepted by the Veddahs in a friendly manner.
Another interest he had was education in rural areas. He supported various functions in village schools and was involved in presenting awards to school children in essay competitions in the North Central Province. Although his own education was in the English language he expressed himself clearly in the vernacular tongue at these occasions.
The first batch of medical students entered the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ceylon, Peradeniya – an epoch-making event. Teaching and learning grew. The Kandy General Hospital and the Hanthana campus grew together and eventually with the crown of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery awarded, graduates would become medical professionals.
To evaluate the standard of the medical education, the official body in the United Kingdom despatched a team to Peradeniya. It was an unexpected and anxiety provoking visit for the staff and students. Nevertheless, the UK expert team after a lengthy evaluation granted very high marks and conferred Peradeniya a world status.
Dr. Aponso gave a sumptuous nonalcoholic dinner at his Piachaud Gardens residence………..to his staff.
Dr. A.A.W. Amarasinghe
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