Indra's 80th Birthday

It was a "surprise" 80th birthday party for Indra Anandasabapathy, organised by Rani and her friends Gowrie, Mahen and family at the latter's residence at 146/5, Havelock Road, Colombo 5.

 L - R: Indra, Lareef and Pram

 Lareef, Sabrina (Lareef's daughter) and her fiance Jeremy

 Cutting the birthday cake

 L- R: Swyrie, Gita (Sidath's wife), Mangala, Nabila, Indra, ?, ?  Rani, Gowrie, ?

A typical day at Matale Base Hospital in 1969

Dr Mahendra Gonsalkorale

It is 7.00 am and I just woke up. I don’t really want to get out of bed as I am sleepy and tired after a very busy night on call. I went to bed at 11.45 pm after doing a night round to make sure that I had attended to everything and done preventive work in anticipation to ensure as far as possible that I won’t be disturbed, such as prescribe those PRN medications and advising nursing staff on what could wait till the morning and what needed urgent action. I went all round the hospital as there was only one junior doctor on call after 5 pm till 9am the following day. Our wards included Paediatric, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Medical and Surgical wards, spread over what appeared like miles of corridors. The hazards of night rounds included dealing with unwelcome growling dogs. But camaraderie and bonds of friendship were strong. If calls got heavy and I needed to be in several places at the same time, I had no hesitation in calling for help from my colleagues and they would willingly help.  There were no disclaimers to fill and no working hours directives.

There were no bleeps. At night you are awoken by a knock on your door with a voice saying gently, “Sir, call ekak”. After a few expletives uttered almost reflexly which the poor chap always never took personally, you open the door and read the message on the book – “Patient Piyadasa in ward 7 is having a fit, please come and advise”. By now, I am wide awake. I gather my stethoscope and getting into my trousers, hurry to ward 7. There was a time when as a mere intern house officer I slept fully clothed, ready for action, but one does mature!

Returning now to the story I began, there were many such calls and my sleep was badly interrupted but I had to be  in the Medical ward at 8.00am latest for the Ward round by Dr RanjithMunasinghe, one of the most capable, honest and caring doctors I have ever come across.

I grab a quick breakfast and reach the ward bleary eyed and partly refreshed by the strong coffee made by Letchiman, the House Do-it-all based in our residential quarters. “Good morning Sir” and Dr DRM replies “Good morning Gonsal, shall we start?”

Just to digress for a moment, I mentioned our House Do-it-all Letchiman. Most readers know how we managed our daily needs while being resident in Hospital accommodation, but just to refresh your memories, all our meals had to be organised by us. There were about 8-10 of us (only the MO, OPD being not resident) and each month one of us took turns to be “Buth Master”. His/her duties included managing the “Do-it-all”and his young assistant Supramanium(including their salaries) and all the shopping, cooking, devising menus etc. Each would pay an advance to the BM and at the end of the month; a true detailed account is produced by the BM and residual dues collected. This was done in the most amicable way with complete trust and worked very well. Some BMs were more enthusiastic than others. Jeff Babapulle comes to mind. He once provided each of us with a small chicken for lunch. Bacon and eggs meant much more than a rasher and an egg – there was enough bacon and egg to feed 25 people! That month, we ate exceptionally well. The bill  was as you would imagine, a bit higher but nobody minded.

Back to my ward round with Dr DRM. We came to an empty bed and DRM asked what happened to Nalliah, the patient who should have been there. The Nurse very proudly announced that although he had left against medical advice, she made sure that he signed the Bed Head Ticket (BHT) before he left- “pothaassankeruwa!” DRM asked about his medication and future care and the nurse again proudly said that as he went “pothaasankarala”, he was not given anything-“Eh minihatapissu! Kotcharakiwathahuwenaha” (he is mad; he did not listen at all to my pleas). DRM told the retinue (there was always a retinue, not as big as these days with a plethora of all types of health care workers), that in future, this is not the way to deal with those who insist on leaving against medical advice. Firstly, the doctor on call must be notified if attempts by nursing staff failed. Secondly, if he still insists on leaving after seeing the doctor, he must be issued with a few  days’ supply of medication and a handwritten note must be given with  a short history, investigations performedetc. and he must  be told that he must present this to any doctor he sees subsequently. He must also be told that if ever he changes his mind, he is most welcome to come again but always note the exact time and date of his departure in the BHT. He said that in his view, people have all sorts of reasons unknown to us why they appear to behave irrationally and we must never treat them as outcasts or punish them. This was a real eye-opener for me. DRM was the most humane and understanding “boss” I have come across and his message on why we choose to be doctors and the responsibility that we must carry, left an indelible impression on me.

Ward round over! Hurry back to Quarters for a tasty lunch cooked by Letchiman. He is there with his ever present mischievous smile with profuse apologies for not providing the Beef steak that Jeff wanted. He says “Chir, ada arak musivarai, ekanisa vegetable beef steak aduwa”.

And then the siesta on chairs (a few lucky ones on the haansiputuwas)till 2 pm for those who had clinics and 3 pm for those with ward rounds. This was one of the most welcome times of the day. It was hot; we were tired, happy after a tasty meal.It definitely wastime for that most civilised of activities, the afternoon siesta!

It is wake up time and back to the ward. Those doing Obstetrics could do anything from a breech delivery to a caesarean. The “Boss” would train you first and your first few Caesareans  are done with him supervising you, the next few with him having a fag in the doctor’s room and always available to help if needed. The same applied to surgery. We did the minor ops list and if we were that way inclined and showed interest, may even be allowed to do hernias and haemorrhoidectomies. No wonder we felt so important. When we went to Matale town, we were well known and vendors sometimes refused to take money for our purchases- “Eh mahaththuru ispiritale dostarawaru”. But none was as elevated as Senarath Panditharatne. The harmless and ineffective DMO at the timewho shall remain nameless, was over fond of the amber nectar and there were more times when he was under its influence than off it! Pandi stepped in with authority whenever required and was the real boss.

That’s it! A day’s work done and I am not on call today! Hurrah! At dinner time, it is time to catch up with all the gossip and plan that coming weekend trip to Dambulla. We will take our gas burner, eggs and bacon and have a picnic lunch at a picturesque spot complete with a stream and a pihilla. Such weekend outings were common and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Once a month or so, it was the long train and bus trek to see my parents in Nawala.

The gossip turned toward me and I was asked whether I still wake up and peer out of the window in quarters at 7.00am to catch a glimpse of one of the nurses I  found very attractive leaving the next door nurses quarters for work. Yes, I did! Sadly, I never plucked up enough courage to do anything constructive about it. My only physical contact was when she assisted me at the Minor Ops list and those brief touches spread as an erotic tingle enveloping my entire body. It was a case of being grateful for small mercies!

This was Matale in the late 1960s, a time I shall always treasure.  The friendships I made still linger, the lessons I learnt still shape me, and my memories of that important period in my life will continue to make me happy and say “After all, life is not that bad- I am truly grateful”

Jimmy - Bunter at Pram's Hyde Park Residencies

Colombo Medical Congress 2020

Dear CoMSAA Member

Organising committee of Colombo Medical Congress cordially invites you to the CMC 2020.

Please find the details in the flyer attached.

Thank you

Co-secretaries. 

Colombo Medical School Alumni Association

Faculty of Medicine
University of Colombo
Sri Lanka

 

 

From the Dean, Colombo Medical Faculty

From: Jennifer Perera <dean@med.cmb.ac.lk>
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2020 at 06:42
Subject: New year greetings and the Programme for the Anniversary year
To: Upeksha Silva <upeksha@med.cmb.ac.lk>

Dear Alumni  of the Faculty of Medicine,Colombo

Itt is with much appreciation that I remember you at the dawn of the 150th Anniversary year.

First and foremost let me wish you all a peaceful and Happy 2020 on behalf of the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo

Today we are having a multi Religious ceremony (Buddhist/ christian, Muslim and Hindu) at 8.30 am Sri Lankan time to invoke blessings to our Alma Mater at the beginning of the Anniversary year as per our heritage and culture. This ceremony is organised by the Non academic staff members of the Faculty. Please join with us in Spirit at this important moment of our faculty.

There are many activities conducted throughout the anniversary year. 

Please take time to circulate this to all your batchmates and Alumni of the Faculty of Medicine

1) Colombo Medical Congress - 12thto 15th  February 2020 - at Faculty premises. Please visit the website https://colombomedicalcongress.org for further details of congress registration and activities linked to this programme including a banquet/ opportunities for batch meetings at Faculty, launch of 150 year souvenir, international medical quiz by students etc etc

2) Opening of the new landscape project and restored Kochs clock tower  that provides student study areas and discussion portals. This will be held a  day or two prior to the congress to enable as many alumni to participate at this ceremony as this project was completely funded by Alumni. 

3) Medivision Medical exhibition at the University of Colombo premises from 30th March to 5th April 2020- http://medivision2020.org
--

4) 1st June 2020, the  Birthday of the Faculty is celebrated by planting a tree and first day cover and circulating coin at a simple ceremony 

5) Anniversary walk in August 2020 - organised by the Colombo Medical School Alumni Association headed by Prof Rezvi Sheriff, Emeritus Professor

6) A Cultural show produced by Alumni, staff and students - October 2020

PLEASE REMEMBER TO CIRCULATE THIS TO ALL YOUR CONTACTS/ BATCHMATES IN SRI LANKA AND OVERSEAS as your participation is important to make these events a success

Thank you and warm regards

Jennifer Perera
MBBS,MD(Microbiology)(Col),FNASSL,MBA(Wales),
PgDMedEd(Dundee),PgDWomen'sStu(Col)
Dean and Chair Professor of Microbiology
Faculty of Medicine
University of Colombo
P O Box 271, Colombo
Sri Lanka
Telephone: 0094 11 2698449
Fax:            0094 11 2691581
Mobile:       0094 77 6096002

It happened in London……..

Winter Reunion London January 2020

By Nihal D Amerasekera  and Mahendra (Speedy)  Gonsalkorale

Nihal begins the story:

What a wonderful winter warmer it was at such short notice. When Pram called me on the 19^th of December 2019, the plan was for a quick and short get-together for two of us with Mahen and Zita. But as each day passed I could see the snowball getting larger and rolling on until the figure reached 21.

The bouquets and the applause go to Pram and Mahendra for their brilliant organisation done with so much affection, kindness and care. Pram did the reconnaissance visiting the Sri Lankan restaurant which is in the posh part of London near Buckingham Palace, meeting the owner and making the arrangements. Dammika’s is a restaurant that has won awards for its cuisine and customer care. They had created a bit of Sri Lanka in the heart of London. Dammika’s made the restaurant available to us and closed it for visitors from 12-3pm. Mahendra made a huge attempt to contact everyone in our batch living in the UK creating a WhatsApp Group in the process for easier communication. He kept in close contact with everyone making sure they knew how to reach the venue despite the many vagaries of public transport on a Sunday. All this was done with meticulous care, loving kindness and a great deal of patience.

The cast

Pramilla Senanayake

Nihal (ND) Amarasekera

Mahendra (Speedy) Gonsalkorale

Sunil Abeysuriya and wife Sirima

Zita PereraSubasinghe and husband Joe

Shanthy Nalliah

SusilAttale and wife Rupa

Sunanda (Jimmy) Wickremasinghe

Douglas Mulgirigama

Harischandra (Bora) Boralessa and wife Harshi

Edwis Francis Samarakone and husband Tony

IndraniAnthonypillai, daughter Rose with husband John and 2 kids Maria and Johnty

ShryaniBatuwittage (wife of the Late BTB)

DhushyanthiVedavanam (wife of the Late S.Vedavanam)

Sakuntala  (wife of N Balakumar)

Jayaratnam

Apologies were received from ManilKatugampola (Hetti), SusheilaThiagarjah (Kanagasabey), MaheswaryNadarajah (Singarayer), DharamaniMakalananda, AppuSumathipala, RanjitDambawinna, PulasthiWickremasinghe, RohiniAbhayaratne.

The Reunion kicked off with the usual pleasantries, lots of hugs and kisses. Pram and Mahen in their speeches welcomed everyone. We made a special welcome to the wives of our batch-mates who are now no more – Dhushy (SivakumarVedavanam’s wife), Shriyani (Boyd TilakBatuwitage’s wife) and Sakuntala (Balakumar’s wife). It was so lovely to see IndraniSubramaniam with her daughter Rose and her husband John with their two delightful children Maria and Jhonty. We must pay tribute to Indrani for attending all our gatherings despite her difficulties. Douglas Mulgirigama has authored a book on psychiatry in the Sinhala language which is to be released soon in Colombo. He made a brief presentation and we wish it every success. Before sitting down for our meal there was a minutes silence for our dear departed friends.

There was never a dull moment. We shared humorous stories from way back and the favourite anecdotes were repeated with some variations. Amidst lots of laughter and chat we tucked into the sumptuous buffet of buryani, roti, rice, hoppers, string hoppers and a fine selection of mouth-watering authentic ‘home-cooked’ curries. The hoppers and egg hoppers were everyone’s favourite. Friends were queuing for their arrival hot off the pan. They were topped by a dessert of Watalappan or Crème Brulee.

It was so lovely to see so many of our batch despite the short notice and the winter weather. We are most grateful to the staff at Dammika’s and their charming and enthusiastic manager for their helpful kindness and their friendly service. The food was simply delicious and rekindled our memories of home. There was the amazing and wonderful feeling that despite the years and the oceans that separate us from our birthplace we felt that we belonged together.

This was a most memorable reunion and everything finally came together beautifully. The feedback for the function has been excellent, and the expectation is that we must make this a regular event. The success of the reunion was due to the goodwill and support of all who attended. Whenever there is a reunion or a gathering, large or small, it wouldn’t happen without the energy, genuine warmth and passion of PramillaSenanayake and MahenGonsalkorale. Their self-effacing modesty astounds me. The success of this event is a tribute to their hard work. I wish to thank them on behalf of everyone who attended this event.

The London Reunion 2020 was a fabulous event of friendship of our batch and all our friends who joined us. We will forever remember the happiness and the laughter that filled the dining-hall on that dreary winters day. May we have the good fortune to meet again.

Speedy continues:

My main role was to communicate with all and liaise with Pram on the venue, menu and other practical details. Pram was an amazing negotiator and full credit to her for the final menu arrangments at Dammika’s. Her legendary communication skills and powers of persuasion were a joy to behold.

The following is a summary of quotes from the WhatsApp group I set up. I called it – Medical Batch62uk. I spoke to RohiniAbhayaratne today and was so happy to hear that she was touched that I chose an image of her late dad (or Patchaya as she reminded me!) for the logo of the group. I hope that readers will get some idea of how well our reunion went from this note. It is simply amazing that we have maintained links in some form or other for nearly 58 years!

ND: Mahen both you and Pram have done wonderfully well to organise a lunch for a group who are retired and on the move all the time. Information on WhatsApp is more difficult to keep track of as there are multiple interactions that are scattered unlike emails.

Dhushy: Many thanks Mahen for the thorough illustrated instructions for us to find the place easily

Edwis Francis Samarkone: Thank you for giving directions to Dammikas. Hope we make it for 12noon. Thank you Pram and Speedy for arranging it and a wonderful 2020 to all.

John Moore (IndraniAnthonypillai son-in-law): Thank you all so much for letting us join you. Indrani had a wonderful time, as did we all. We hope you all make / made it home safely. With much love John on behalf of Indrani and the Moores

Pram: Dear Indrani John    Rose Maria &Johnty you are certainly part of my family and you are always welcome. Glad you had a good time. Have a great 2020. God bless you. See you in the summer love pram

Edwis:. Hope these photos get through.  Tony and I enjoyed meeting all of you today. Thank you Mahen and Pram for all your efforts. Hope we all meet again in June. Kind regards to all.  Edwis

Shanthy Nalliah: Hi everyone just arrived home. It was lovely to see all of you and enjoy hoppers and wattalapam! Pram and Speedy thanks very much for beautifully organising the event. God bless you all. Pram safe journey to SL. Bye Mahendra. You will need a week to recover from the event you organised. God bless you. Shanthy

ND: Shanthy good to see you. Pity the time went so quickly

Zita: This is Zita. Joe and I thought it was an absolutely fabulous get together expertly planned! The food was great. Meeting everyone was extra special! Thanks a million

ND: Zita it was so wonderful to see you both. Seeing Joe was a bonus after such a long time. God Bless.

Zita: Thanks and it was lovely to see you. And I wish the time didn’t go so fast as we would have liked to go on chatting. But all good things have to end.

ND: Dhushy, t was such a great pleasure to see you and thank you for coming. It was so lovely to see your son and daughter and also your grandchildren. That photo of Sivakumar brought him back to life and to the happy memories of the time we spent together. Take care and please keep in touch.

Dhushy: Mahen you deserve a well-earned holiday after yesterday- you have done so much of work with Pram behind the scenes to make this mini get together a very enjoyable and memorable event. What struck me most was we were all made to feel so welcome and the friendship and fellowship amongst everyone was so evident. Thank you so much again.

Shriyani (Geeta) B: Yeah! Dushy, you said it all!  My feelings are mutual. Thanks, Mahendra and Pramila.  I enjoyed the whole experience, have a safe journey back.

Dhushy: Geetha I have been thinking of you. Will write soon. It was so lovely to meet you. Dhushyxx

Speedy:  A quick thank you to each and every one of you for a hugely enjoyable afternoon. Photos shall follow. Please send me any you took. Keep in touch and take care.

Pram: Indeed speedy. We had an awesome time. Way beyond my wildest dreams. Thank you speedy for coordinating the whole event. Thank you to each and everyone for coming. Have a splendid 2020.

ND: It was such a lovely gathering. It was a more intimate reunion than we have had before. The food was brilliant and served with loving care. Our thanks to Pram and Mahendra for the brilliant organisation and the helpful advice from start to finish. Thank you.

Jimmy: (Email) Thank you so much to you Pram and Speedy for an excellent get-together.

The Venue was good, food tasty and company good.

Speedy: We gelled so well as a group. We must extend our friendship beyond reunions and I am sure you will join me when I say that wherever and whenever we need each other, we will unhesitatingly help in whatever way we can. WhatsApp, emails texts phone messages are all there as modes of communication. May you all be content and happy

Zita: Dushy, this reunion spearheaded by Speedy and Pram has opened up for our batch mates and their families an open communications network to keep in touch, help one another and keep our friendship alive and active. Let’s make use of it and brighten up each other’s lives! Zita

Dhushy: Zita great idea. I endorse what you say wholeheartedly. Yesterday we met up for a couple of hours but I can say from the bottom of my heart that the friendship and fellowship we forged was lasting...this is what I believe. Back at home. It was such a lovely memorable afternoon with lovely people. Mahen and Pram you have done a great job planning this event so well. The organising was super. Million thanks for inviting the spouses of your departed batch mates. The food was delicious with lots of choices. Everyone had a jolly good time.  Thanks to Zita for the invaluable advice re my eye problems. The rapport amongst all of us was great. As Zita rightly said yes we could have gone on chatting but all good things have to come to an end!It was lovely to see ND and Sunanda too. I was happy to meet Attale too. Sakuntala, Sriyani and I are planning a rendezvous!

Pram have a safe journey back to Sri Lanka. Hope to see you in the summer. May you all have a Blessed 2020.Dhushy