Nalin as a Novel Navigator
View(s):It is sad to see good people die young. It happened with my precious son ten years ago. This time it is with one of my best friends. Senior Professor Nalin Abeysekara, Former Dean of the Faculty of Management, Open University of Sri Lanka is no more. He is one of the most down to earth scholars that I have ever seen who was high in stature yet humble and humane. This brief reflection is my revered tribute to a remarkable human being.
Navigator in Marketing
He connected Hinniappuhami with Kotler. With his bi-lingual mastery, translating marketing concepts into Sinhala for the benefit of many local entrepreneurs was exemplary. Being a Marketing graduate of University of Sri Jayewardenepura , he was a Chartered Marketer and a member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing(SLIM) as well. He has contributed many articles to many local and international journals whilst being a popular personality in print media, electronic media as well as social media.
He obtained his PhD ( Marketing and Leadership) and MBA both from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. In 2018, he was recognised as an “Outstanding Asian Educator “ by International Association of Scholarly Publishers, Editors & Reviewers (IASPER). I still remember being one of the examiners for his professorship assessment .
Navigator in Management
He was a firm advocate of a “creative economy” for Sri Lanka. Being a senior resource person in strategic management, marketing, and research methodology, he had research and lecturing exposure in Canada, the UAE, Singapore, Oman, and Qatar. I enjoyed co-
delivering the module titled, “Theoretical Approaches to Management” for the doctoral candidates of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM).
He served as the editor-in-chief of Sri Lanka Journal of Management Studies(SLJMS), whilst being a reviewer of many international journals including Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Management Development , Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education and International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning(IRRODL).
Navigator in Humanity
It was a pleasure to have a casual chat with him. Most of the time, it revolved around humanity. I have seen his creative contributions by way of poetry in Sinhala as well as other artistic engagements. We shared our thoughts on how to uphold values in a society where perks and privileges have overcome principles and precepts. We both were of the common view that we should contribute our fullest for the upholding of humanity, no matter who is getting the credit.
I saw a down to earth scholar in him with gratitude as a key virtue. He was a life-long learner. The way he respected seniors and seek guidance from them on one hand was much visible. On the other hand, the way he guided the juniors with humility by way of setting examples was also much visible. He was not hesitant to appreciate our culture and tradition. He was longing to wear a national dress with pride, and as his beloved wife sadly said, he did that on his final journey.
Continuing Legacy
“Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.” What Renee Wood said is much fitting to our valued legend. The best tribute for Senior Professor Nalin Abeysekara is to continue his unfinished contribution to the betterment of humanity. Goodbye my friend. May you attain supreme bliss of Nibbana.
Ajantha Dharmasiri
Senior Professor in Management
Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) , University of Sri Jayewardenepura
HitAd.lk is the best and biggest mobile phone market in Sri Lanka, and we guarantee you will find what you need here from our extensive listing of mobile phones for sale in Sri Lanka. Whether it’s a budget-priced smartphone for communication, or higher end features with advanced connectivity, there are many different options from which to choose from on our site!