REMEMBRANCE DAY 30th MAY

 REMEMBRANCE DAY – medical batch of 1962- 67

 Video by Zita Perera Subasinghe

Message from Mahendra “Speedy” Gonsalkorale

“Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them” – George Eliot

The 30th of May is the day we remember our dear departed friends from our batch. This is now a special date in our Calendar. We have most aptly called this our “Remembrance Day.”

One year has passed since we commemorate Remembrance Day in 2020 with alarming rapidity. We are still in the throes of the Corona pandemic although things are looking a bit better.

We have contributions from Nihal (ND), Zita, Rohini, Kumar and Srianee which I am posting with the greatest pleasure. Zita has produced a video. Le Onde (the wave) with music played by her on her Clavinova. She has also written a poem that appears below. Rohini has contributed a poem addressed to all those who had to face grief through the parting of a person close to them. Nihal has written a eulogy on his good friend Sunna (SR De Silva and Srianee has written beautifully on her specific memories of a few who passed away that she wanted to share.

Remembrance Day posts will appear daily for a few days as there are many contributions.

 Members of the 1962 Batch who have passed away  (Revised 2.02.2021)

1.       S.R. (Sunil) de Silva

2.       A.R.K. (Russel) Paul

3.       Dawne de Silva Paul

4.       Bernard Randeniya

5.       Niriella Chandrasiri

6.       V. Ganeson

7.       L.G.D.K. (Irwin) Herath

8.       V.Kunasingham

9.       B.L. Perera

10.    B. Somasunderam

11.    N.C.D.M. Gunasekara

12.    K.Sunderampillai

13.    Tudor Wickramarachchi

14.    K.N. (Kiththa) Wimalaratne

15.    Anna Ponnambalam Sathiagnanan

16.    A. Satchitananda

17.    N. Sivakumar

18.    T.A. Dayaratne

19.    Sidath Jayanetti

20.    N. Balakumar

21.    Kamali Nimalasuriya de Silva 14.4.2013

22.    K. Sri Kantha – 15.9.13

23.    P. Lucien Perera – 14.6.14

24.    Priya (Gunaratna) de Silva – 8.10.14

25.    Arul (Sivaguru) Balasubramaniam – 15.10.14

26.    W. Punsiri Fernando – 15.11.14

27.    W. Rajasooriyar – 6.1.15

28.    M.P.C. Jaimon – 26.3.15

29.    S. Vedavanam – 1.7.15

30.    Farouk Mahmoud – 27.11.16

31.    Janaka (JG) Wijetunga – 13.03.17

32.    Manohari Navaratnarajah Shanmuganathan – 22.03.17

33.    D. B. Mahendra Collure – 31.05.17

34.    Suren Iyer – 13.10.17

35.    Sardha Jayatilake Wijeratne (Passed away 3 years ago)

36.    S. Sarvananda – 26.05.18

37.   Sue Ratnavel Gunsegaram - 16.7.2018

38.   Boyd Tilak  (Chula)  Batuwitage  - 10.12.2018

39.   Ranjit Kuruppu  9.4. 2019

40.   C.D. (Desmond) Gunatilake  2.6.2019

41.   Razaque Ahamat  7.7.2109

42.   H.N.Wickremasinghe  8.11.2019

43.   Kamini Ferdinando (Goonewardena) 31.1.21

 

Message from Nihal (ND) Amarasekera

The 30th of May is the day we remember our dear departed friends from our batch. This is now a special date in our Calendar. We have aptly called this our “Remembrance Day.” I will indeed bow my head in remembrance of my friends and celebrate their lives. The gnawing pain of the loss of friends never eases with the passage of time. Friendships are one of life’s rich gifts. Those made and firmed in our youth are very special and are for life. They left us prompting great sadness; however, they leave behind fond and unique memories. 

At this time we think of the spouses and families of those who have departed this life. They have had the difficult and painful task of coming to terms with living without their loved ones. We admire and commend their courage and efforts to maintain contact and join our gatherings and reunions. They are an integral part of our community and will always be welcome. 

We take the opportunity to remember our teachers on this our special day.  

The hard toil and the trauma of the five years brought us closer. Our batch of 150 students showed tremendous unity and loyalty to the batch. The pranks and foibles come to mind so easily especially those risqué jokes, allusions and double entendres. The block concerts, Colours Nights, the many evening parties in the Men’s Common Room and the final year trip are memories to treasure. Most of what I remember now are the good times. 

Do make every attempt to keep in touch and there is no better place than our own hangout in cyberspace – we call the Blog. I wish more join-in to make a comment if not willing to make a more substantial contribution in the way of a poem, painting or prose. 

Despite life’s vain tumults, none of us is here forever. Our time will come. Now we are in the grip of events much of it beyond our control. Meanwhile, we must enjoy life, family and friends. Despite the years I still feel a flicker of nerves when I smell formalin or ether. Then a video plays in my mind of friends and life of long ago. Ah!! Where have those years gone? 

As for the rest of us on our onward journey, here are the poignant lyrics of a song made famous around the time we were born and sung so beautifully by Dame Vera Lynn. During those hard times and dark days it gave the people hope, comfort and joy. Let us continue to meet at Reunions, Blogs and Zooms. 

We'll Meet Again

Don't know where, don't know when

But I know We'll Meet Again

Some sunny day

Keep smiling through

Just like you always do

'Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away

 

 Message from Zita Perera Subasinghe

To our dear departed ’62 Batch mates

on Remembrance Day 2021ou were part of our ’62 batch

Living, sharing studying as one

Our friendship nothing could match

Lectures, exams, but also fun 

            Graduated with treasured degree

            Our dedication was extreme

            Later separated by land and sea

            In spirit, together, it did seem 

Years passed, and some departed

One by one, from here and there

With pain and tears, eyes smarted

Sad losses we had to bear 

            You’re like family each batch mate

            Ones departed, for you we grieve

            As in each year comes the date

            When from this world you did leave 

Each one’s name is boldly etched

In our hearts, with such great love

Loving memories seem like stretched

In the sky as we look above 

            As a batch we’ll be together

            Companionship never ends

             Memories will sure hold one another

            As a Golden Batch of Forever Friends!

Message from Kumar Gunawardena

“We the 1962 Colombo MedGrads  owe a deep debt of gratitude to Lucky ,Mahen ,Nihal, Rohini, Zita and others for initiating this noble tradition.

We thus remember our mates who have left us , but still live in our hearts.As the great Persian poet and Sufi mystic Rumi says “Don’t say they are gone.The sun and the moon sets but they are not gone”

In the Aztec-Mayan tradition, our third and most definitive death is when there is no one left to remember us. The first being when our bodies cease to function, and the second, when the body is returned to Mother Earth.

Let us keep back,the third death of our comrades, as long as we can.
May All Beings Be Happy”