Appreciations
View(s):An outstanding Lankan who served with the UN
Sena Wijewardane
Sena Wijewardane who passed away a few days ago in Vienna, at the age of 90, was one of the outstanding Sri Lankans to serve with the United Nations. Most of his career was with the United Nations agency managing Palestine issues (UNRWA), and he was based first in Beirut, Lebanon, and then in Vienna, ultimately as General Counsel. He was one of the leading legal authorities on the Palestine question.
Later, Sena served as President of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal.
Born in Colombo, Sena’s father was D.E. Wijewardane, who held high office as Public Trustee in Ceylon in the 1950s. Later, his father served as Principal of Law College.
Educated at Royal College, Sena entered Jesus College, Oxford to read law. Four successive generations of family – his father, Sena himself, his
daughter and grandson studied at Jesus College, Oxford.
Apart from his career, Sena was a great family man. He married Janaki Gomes, whose father was G.B.S. Gomes, Director of Lake House, long years ago. Janaki’s mother was the daughter of D.R. Wijewardene, who was the founder of Lake House. Sena leaves behind two children – a son and a daughter. The son, Nishantha is married to Aruni Wijewardane who was Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary, recently. His daughter Manisha, is married to a doctor, Prof. Channa Ranasinha. Sena’s sister, Surangani is married to a leading Colombo lawyer, Varuna Basnayake.
It was my privilege to have known Sena both in Colombo and abroad all these long years. May he attain Nibbana.
Leelananda De Silva
You strode the world stage but never forgot the people of Harispattuwa
DR. A.C.S. HAMEED
A.C.S. Hameed was born on April 10, 1927. He passed away on September 3, 2000.
He took to active politics in 1960 by contesting and winning the Akurana seat at the Parliamentary elections. The Akurana seat was changed to Harispattuwa and till his demise he continued to win all the elections and represent Harispattuwa in Parliament.
When he took over Harispattuwa in 1965, this electorate, not even a ten minutes’ drive from Kandy, was one of the most underdeveloped electorates in the district.
The 230 villages had no motorable roads connecting the villages, no electricity and no water facility. The schools in the electorate were very badly handicapped without proper buildings and lacked proper teachers for important subjects.
Unemployment was rampant and the MP’s office would be crowded with young men and women asking for jobs initially. But by mid- 1985, all the villages in the Harispattuwa electorate were connected with motorable roads and supplied with water projects with aid from Finland. Pipe borne water for the towns and heavily populated villages was also provided
Double-storied buildings were constructed for the schools and the teacher shortage problem was solved.
By 1985 Harispattuwa was developed to the standard of any developed electorate in the country – this was Dr. Hameed’s dream. On his request, President Zia-ul-Haq of Pakistan and President Fidel Castro arranged for about one hundred doctors to be trained and qualified in their countries and they are now serving in many parts of Sri Lanka.
Dr. Hameed became the first Foreign Minister in 1977 which portfolio was held by the head of Government until then. This appointment was made by the then President J.R. Jayewardene.
As the new foreign Minister, he had to visit most of the countries, meeting the rulers and leaders which triggered cartoonists like Wijesoma, Yooonus, Gerryn and Amita Abeysekera to publish humorous cartoons about his travels in the papers. Mr. Hameed took it in a complimentary way and published a book of the cartoons about him.
In 1979, when President Jayewardene while handing over the leadership of the Non- Aligned Movement to Fidel Castro in Havana, he singled out his Foreign Minister A.C. S. Hameed for the excellent contributions made by him in handing down the movement to President Jayewardene’s successor undiluted and untarnished.
After his death, Bradman Weerakoon in his appreciation dated 02-09-2001 in The Sunday Times wrote about Dr. A. C. S. Hameed as a courageous man. He would always be remembered for his sustained efforts towards negotiating a political settlement to the ethnic conflict in our country.
When he took over as Foreign Minister we had only one embassy in the Gulf – in Egypt. He started embassies in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi etc. Thousands of our people went to work in these countries and today millions of dollars are being sent to Sri Lanka by them.
Oh brother, we sadly remember the day you left this world. Everyone in the family still feels your absence very sadly and though you passed away 25 years ago, we do not feel that it has been so long. We miss your pleasing smile, advice and loud laughter.
There were thousands of your supporters, well-wishers, dignitaries, and family members present at the funeral and all of them walked to the village mosque to pay their last respects. Young and old of all faiths still talk of your good deeds.
We pray to Allah to keep you in Jennathul firdouse – aameen .
Brother, Ghafoor
You always guided me on the correct path
RANI CALDERA
You left me with loving memories which I cannot forget.
My beloved wife Rani left me seven months ago. Now I am in utter despair thinking of you Rani and our blessed married life of 54 years. My nights are so lonely and my trusted belief is that now you are in heaven.
She was soft spoken and always with a gracious smile. She really admired and appreciated me as a devoted husband. Both of us maintained the pledge we gave each other on our wedding day and honoured it until her death on 31.01.2025.
Rani, your smile is yet before us. You always tenderly guided me on the correct path if I committed an untoward act. I treated you to the best of my ability along with our children. All of us wished for your quick recovery in your final days. I can remember the very tender words you uttered when both of us were together.
Even now the devotees who gather at the temple on every Poya day speak of your demise, my dear Rani, and they all pray that you will be blessed with the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana.
I thank you Rani with sincere affection for the happy married life we had from back in 1971.
May she attain the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana.
Sadly missed by your beloved husband,
Lional Caldera
His knowledge and support transformed crop science
Professor Y.D.A.Senanayake
A giant in the field of crop science bid farewell to the world last month. A simple but dignified personality he commanded honour and respect as the head of the Department of Crop Science, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya and as Director of the Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture, Peradeniya.
Professor Senanayake not only nurtured students to excel in academia but also to stand for truth and justice, armed with scientific evidence to challenge the publicized erroneous concepts pertaining to crop growth.
His research mind was beyond comprehension whether in pure or social science.
This account of how he valued and appreciated genuine horticultural research outcomes was known only after his demise. One of his students, a crop scientist created history in Sri Lanka in the plant ‘Queen of Crops’ by reducing its harvesting time and also increasing the harvest. This research study was presented at a prestigious technical forum in his presence. Soon after, the researcher received a postcard from Prof. Senanayake wanting to purchase a plant. This guru of crop science understood the value of this new creation and the authentic research.
I recall as a member of a government interview board, how he bombarded me with questions on my social science field research. He was Dean of the faculty at that time and I happened to be the first female undergraduate to specialise in this particular subject with a field research after obtaining special permission.
My story does not end here. Some 10-15 years later, I was at a garage at Getambe, Peradeniya checking on my car brakes when the Professor drove in. I told the mechanic to attend to his car first as he was my teacher. The mechanic insisted on introducing me and I was flummoxed when he asked about my work in the government sector with the farmers, after all these years of his gruelling academic and administrative responsibilities.
His contributed much to strengthen the academic arena at diverse levels and the physical structures to support academia. These efforts will continue to reap the harvest in developing the agriculture sector of Sri Lanka.
Sir, your name will never fade away.
May you attain blissful nirvana.
R.R.S.
She was always a guiding light
Chandra Jayasinghe
Precious as rare gems
Of the place that she hailed
Are her words of wisdom
Still keeping me focused in mayhem
They give me courage and good sense
In times that many failed
Ten years later, my heart is lighter
All memories well cherished
Bond between mother and daughter
Special times and happy laughter
Love and kindness all remembered
Above all, the grace that never perished
She was always a guiding light
To those who needed her support
As a mother, friend, teacher, aunt
And Archa with a generous heart
To each role she gave her very best
I will treasure the moments
When her warmth and understanding
Got me through some torments
And made me strong and forgiving
Wish Amma the bliss of nirvana
May her memory always be a blessing!
Arunodini Jayasekera
The accountant guru who mentored many
Fred. H. Puvimanasinghe
Fred H. Puvimanasinghe, was called to his eternal reward on July 19.
To his clients and colleagues, he was known as “Fred”, and to the second generation of his longstanding clients, “Uncle Fred”. To his friends and family, “Harry” or “Harry Aiya”, to his 12 fond nephews and nieces, “Harry Bappi”.
He was the third son of the late Dr. George and Daisy Puvimanasinghe, born into a close-knit family of five brothers and one sister. He married my beautiful mother, Lakshmi and had two children, my late brother Ashan and myself. His one and only son-in-law, the late Niranjan Nagendra, he adored. His only granddaughter, Shevinka, was the love of his life. He would watch over her with rapt adoration.
He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and a brother to his in-laws. He was adored by his 12 nephews and nieces – to some of them he was a foster father.
He received his education at St Joseph’s College, Darley Road. He was a proud Josephian and a faithful member of the Legion of Mary. He and his beloved son would sing the college anthem at midnight mass every year with such pride.
On leaving school, he was enrolled as a trainee at Ford Rhodes and Thornton (presently KPMG) headed by F.P Lander, the then British partner. Fred was one of the first batch of four young Sri Lankans (Ceylonese) to pass the British Chartered Accountancy examinations on their very first attempt. A rare accomplishment at that time.
George Hayley, the founder of Hayleys Group, invited young Fred, to join his blue chip company. Recommended by his senior partner at Ford Rhodes, he joined Hayleys where he was promoted to be the Financial Controller. When George Hayley left Sri Lanka, he asked Fred to take over his shares. He would have been one of the largest shareholders at the time.
Fred, thereafter commenced his own professional practice as the founder partner of F.H. Puvimanasinghe and Company. There are many present accountants who have been trained and mentored by him. They remember him with love and gratitude, and have written appreciations at his passing.
Three of his nephews and nieces also worked for the firm. His eldest nephew Shiran, completed his articleship at FHP & Co. On passing out as a Chartered Accountant, he was made a partner in his Bappi’s firm. He always states that the training and mentorship he received from his Bappi have guided him throughout his career.
Fred was a founder member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka. He was an Auditing and Tax lecturer at the Institute. He was a generous mentor.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants honoured him with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the accountancy profession. He also was a Founder member of CMA Sri Lanka and a Founder Council member of AAT Sri Lanka. He was the first chartered accountant to be appointed to the Public Service Commission of Sri Lanka.
He was the founder Chairman of Colombo International School (CIS).
As a young Chartered Accountant, he was responsible for the “start-up” of numerous companies, many of which today are major players in the local market and leading exporters to international markets. He was the auditor and tax consultant of all these companies. One such client was, at one time, the largest tea exporter in the world.
He was the first equal shareholder and Finance Director of a textile apparel company, which at the time, was the largest textile apparel company in Southeast Asia.
To us he was…Thathi, Seeya and Bappi, always calm, caring, peaceful, soft spoken, resilient, and always wanting the family to be together.
He was the strength in my family and the foundation of my faith, from the importance of the Holy Mass and the Eucharist to the veneration of the blessed sacrament he taught me.
He was very Catholic in his upbringing and would have been overwhelmed that the Cardinal, blessed and prayed with the family at his funeral.
His favourite hymn was ‘Amazing Grace’ which he would sing loud in his beautiful baritone voice… maybe it was the reason that I experienced “grace” for the first time at his deathbed and throughout his funeral!
Once when I asked him how I should introduce myself upon being called to take up a directorship at a leading hospital, he said (without false pride), “Tell them you are the principal assistant to Fred H. Puvimanasinghe, Chartered Accountant”. It is she who humbly writes this appreciation with love.
I praise my God for giving me you, my Thathi, my Thaffa … and so grace led you home.
Shevanthi
Searching for an ideal partner? Find your soul mate on Hitad.lk, Sri Lanka's favourite marriage proposals page. With Hitad.lk matrimonial advertisements you have access to thousands of ads from potential suitors who are looking for someone just like you.