Remembering a great man: Dr C W W Kanangara

Remembering a great man

Dr C W W Kanangara, the Father of Free Education.

by Mahendra "Speedy" Gonsalkorale

A recurring theme on our Blog is a discussion on the merits and demerits of working as doctors outside our country of birth. We are all mature enough to recognise the very personal circumstances in our lives which determined this and not be judgmental.  We must avoid polarisation into "patriotic" and "unpatriotic" groups based on this factor alone. Those who live abroad help their Motherland and their families in many ways, often unrecognised. One feature common to all of us is recognising the massive debt of gratitude we owe for the free Education we received. The majority of us come from families who did not have the means to fund our Education. Leaving personal circumstances aside, we are all beneficiaries of the high level of Education that prevails in Sri Lanka in all sections of the Community. Sri Lanka has one of the highest literacy rates in Asia. And this is why I thought that we should pause for a moment and pay homage to the person most responsible for this. It is, of course, Dr C W W Kananangara, who passed away 51 years ago.

Dr Cristopher William Wijekoon Kannangara, Father of Free Education was born on 13 October 1884 and passed away on 23rd September 1969 at the age of 85 years. He was a devout Christian. I have no doubt that his zeal for community service was influenced by his religion. Dr Kannangara studied at Wesleyan Missionary School in Randombe. Later, he won a  Foundation Scholarship to Richmond College, Galle.  After leaving school, he worked as a teacher in Mathematics at Wesley College, Colombo and Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa. Later became a lawyer in 1910. In 1919 he entered politics and was the first Minister of Education in Sri Lanka and served for 16 years.   

He excelled as a lawyer in the Southern Province and was nominated to contest at the legislative council election representing the Southern Province. He won easily. Rising the ranks of Sri Lanka's movement for independence in the early part of the 20th century, he moved on to play a pivotal role defending leaders of the independence movement in court. As a lawyer and orator, he achieved vital legal victories which contributed vastly to the cause of independence.  He became the President of the Ceylon National Congress, the forerunner to the UNP. He became the first Minister of Education in the State Council of Ceylon and was instrumental in introducing extensive reforms to the country's education system that opened up Education to children from all levels of society

Dr Kannangara's contribution to the emergence of Sri Lanka as a Nation, irrespective of ethnic and other differences, is well known. His own words summarise the problems and objectives of his endeavour, "In spite of the fierce and most dogged opposition from a large and very influential section of the people of my land, in spite of abuse and calumny, vilification and ridicule, I have succeeded in obtaining the sanction of the State Council of Ceylon for a scheme of free education, providing for all children of the land equal opportunities to climb to the highest rung of the educational ladder, from the kindergarten to the University, irrespective of the status of financial capacity of their parents, and for obtaining for our national languages their rightful place in that scheme as an essential prerequisite for building up a free, united and independent nation." He also introduced the term "democratisation of education"  in place of the common term "free education."

He was free of ethnic prejudice. For example, Dr Kannangara canvassed untiringly for a person of a different ethnic group engaged in a contest with someone from Kannangara's ethnic background because he firmly believed the former was the best candidate. This type of action enabled him to be selected repeatedly as the Chairman of the multiethnic Executive Committee of the State Council, an office associated with the ministerial portfolio for Education.

As Minister of Education in the State Council, Kannangara and the Committees of Education introduced extensive reforms to the education system of Sri Lanka throughout the 1940s. Dr C.W.W. Kannangara was instrumental in passing the Free Education Act of 1943 which benefitted thousands of underprivileged students in rural parts of the country by making Education free for all students from Grade 1 to university level. The free education system ushered in a structural transformation of Sri Lankan society and paved the way for hundreds of thousands of children of underprivileged families to achieve a higher standard of living and reduce social inequality. The Central Colleges scheme which he began, established high-quality secondary schools in rural areas of the country. Kannangara's significant achievements in areas of Education have led him to be commonly referred to as the Father of Free Education in Sri Lanka.

Dr Kanangara, I salute you and thank you for your foresight and invaluable contribution.

NOTE ON Sep 30th

These valuable photos of his Gravestone and opening ceremony attended by Chira's husband Ranjot's relatives were sent to me by Chira. Thank you Chira.

MY PAINTINGS OF MARINE CREATURES -Chirasri Jayaweera Bandara

MY PAINTINGS OF MARINE CREATURES

Chirasri Jayaweera Bandara                                                                                                         

     1.   Phylum  Cnidaria    All Cnidaria are aquatic, mostly marine organisms.

         1.   a) Corals   b) Sea  Pen  (Both Class Anthozoa)

         2.  Sea Anemone   (Class Anthozoa)

         3.  Jelly Fish   (Sub Phylum Medusozoa) 

         Corals and Sea Anemone  are Polypoids

Polypoids have tentacles and mouth that face up. These are attached to a  substrate or colony of other animals.                                                                                        

         Jelly fish is a Medusoid with bell on top and tentacles and mouth down. 

       11.     Phylum  Echinodermata   Invertebrate marine animals. Characterised by a hard, spiny covering or skin. 

1.     Sea star or Star fish  (Class Asteroidea)

2.     Sea urchin   (Class Echinoidea)

3.     Sea slug or Sea cucumber (Class Holothuroidea)

4.     Crinoids    1)  Sea feather star  (Class Crinoidea)

                        2)  Sea lily   (Class Crinoidea) 

11I.  Phylum  Annelida  Class Polychaeta

     Christmas tree worm.   Scientific name Spirobranchus giganteus 

       1V.    Phylum  Mollusca  Class Cephalopoda      Octopus.  

PAINTING 1

This shows collections of Corals, Sea feather stars, Sea urchins, Star fish etc.

Note the four colourful corals at the bottom.

1  CNIDARIA

  (1)  (a )    CORALS                                     

Corals are alive. A coral is actually made up of compact colonies of tiny identical animals called polyps, secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.

One species of Zoannthid coral can contain a highly toxic, naturally occurring and potentially lethal substance known as Palytoxin.  1 gm of Palitoxin can kill 60 people.

Size:  Each Polyp varies from millimetres to centimetres in diameter.

Life span:  Corals are among the most long-lived species on the planet.  Some species can live up to 4000 years.                         

PAINTING 2    Mushroom Coral

 (1)   ( b)     SEA PEN

Coral having a flexible skeleton the shape of a feather. They are grouped with  Octocorals ( soft coral )

They are named after their feather-like appearance reminiscent of antique quill pens.

They have a big flat head of polyps, at its end the tentacles picking food out of the water as the head is pushed along the current.

They are coloured dark orange, yellow and white.

Size:  5 centimetres to 2 meters in height.

Lifespan:  May live up to 100 years.

                             

                                                              PAINTING  3     SEA PEN

 

   (2)       SEA  ANEMONE

They are named after the Anemone a terrestrial flowering plant.

Venom from Sea Anemone can produce a burning sensation, it can be painful like a Jelly fish sting but not enough to kill people.

Size:  1.5 cm in diameter and 1.5  cm to 10 cm in length but they are inflatable.

Life span:  may live for decades.

 

                          

PAINTING  4  Pink Sea anemone 

                

 

 

                

        

 

PAINTING  5  Green Sea anemone

 

 (3)        JELLY  FISH

Free swimming Coelenterate with a gelatinous bell or saucer-shaped body that is typically transparent has stinging tentacles around the edge. Stings of some can be fatal to humans and may have permanent scars on any victim lucky enough to survive.

Size:  3mm to 3 meters in diameter.  One species in the cold Arctic sea is huge its body can be more than 7 feet in diameter and tentacles can be up to 120 feet long.

Lifespan:   Few hours to 1 ½ years.  One species is capable of living forever.     

                                  

PAINTING  6  Purple Jelly fish

 

           
     PAINTING  7  Spanish Dancer Jelly fish                 

  

 11.     ECHINODERMS

 

      (1)   SEA  STAR  or  STAR FISH   (not a fish)

 They are Star-shaped and equipped with hundreds of tiny little feet at the end of each arm. To move they fill these feet with sea water causing the arms to move like a foot would.

They have a skeleton beneath their skin. The endoskeleton is made up of a complex network of hard bony plates made of Calcium Carbonate and held together by hard flexible tissues.

About the time the eggs are released by the female Star fish the male release their sperms. The eggs are fertilized and begin to divide.

They cannot kill you but inflict painful stings with the release of venom when they are accidentally stepped upon or handled.

Size:  Inch to 3 feet  Weigh up to 5 kg.

Lifespan:  Most 5 to 10 years up to 35 years.

  PAINTING  8  SEA STAR or STAR FISH

 

               

   (2)    SEA URCHIN

Spiny globular animals. Few have venomous spines. They can trigger allergic reactions

Size: 3.5 inches to 7 inches

Lifespan:  4 to 30 years. The red spiny sea urchin is among the longest-living animal on earth.  100 to 200 years.

PAINTING  9   SEA  URCHIN

 

 

 

 

 

                 

   (3)    SEA  SLUG  or SEA CUCUMBER

They are marine gastropod mollusks.  They are edible.

Size:  An eighth of an  inch to 12 inches

Lifespan:  1 to 6  years.                                           

PAINTING   10   SEA SLUG  

    

 

 (4)       CRINOIDS

             (1)   SEA FEATHER STAR                   

They have a cluster of tentacles below the crown and look like ferns.

 Sea feather stars are not poisonous.

 Size:  They can grow up to 20 centimetres

 Lifespan:  Sea feather stars are thought as living fossils.

  PAINTING   11     SEA  FEATHER  STAR

            (2)  SEA LILY

They have a stalk below the crown and look like flowers.       

Size: 24 inches

Lifespan: They have been around for at least 480 million years                                                          

 PAINTING  12     SEA  LILY

 

 111.   CHRISTMAS TREE WORM. (phylum Annelida)

Marine worm that live on tropical coral reefs around the world

They are of colours of yellow, blue, orange and brown.

Male and female Christmas tree worms casting their sperms and eggs into water in synchrony. Fertilised eggs develop into larvae that find a Coral to make a home.                

Size:   1 to 5 inches

Lifespan:   10 to 20 years up to 30 years.                                      

PAINTING  13  CHRISTMAS TREE WORM

 

 1V.    OCTOPUS 

They are considered the most intelligent of all invertebrates.

 All Octopuses have venom but few are fatally dangerous.

 Natural colour is light brown/beige. They have red, yellow, black or brown pigment and they can change colour depending on the  Surroundings.  

 The Greater blue-ringed Octopus of the world is a venomous animal.

 This Octopus can kill an adult human in minutes by causing respiratory arrest.

 Size:  They can grow up to 4.3 feet in length and weigh up to 22  Pounds.

 Lifespan:  6 months up to 5 years.                                    

 PAINTING   14    OCTOPUS 

The Teachers who taught and inspired me - Nihal D Amarasekera

The Teachers who taught and inspired me 

by Nihal D Amerasekera

Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire.’ –

W.B. Yeats. (1865 - 1939) Irish poet, dramatist and prose writer 

George Bernard Shaw in his drama “Man and Superman” commented ‘Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach’. His words have since been a consistent irritation to teachers. Long years before G.B Shaw, Aristotle in his wisdom said “Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach”. The Greek philosopher also went on ” The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet”. We know that only too well. 

As the years pass and memories fade there are some things we will never forget. Entry into the Faculty of Medicine was the culmination of years of preparation and sacrifice. We still had the security of home. Our parents fed and clothed us and paid the bills. We dreamed it was a passport to fame and fortune. There was such a great sense of myopic optimism; we lost ourselves in the adulation. Life always has ways to bring us back to reality!! 

It’s been said before; ours was the golden age of medical education in Sri Lanka. I feel greatly privileged to have been taught by some remarkable teachers. I still consider our Professors, lecturers and clinical tutors as some of the best in the world. I marvel at their clinical skills and recoil at their egotistical arrogance. We remember them all with gratitude. We soon learnt to survive and even thrive in that air of toxicity. We tread cautiously and endured the arrogance and conceit in silence in the hope of better times. In reality it wasn’t all bad. Surprisingly I don’t feel resentful. The tough life gave us self-reliance, confidence, grit and determination. I am told, the atmosphere and attitudes have evolved significantly to reflect changes in society. I remember our teachers with much affection and gratitude and thank them for their commitment to teaching. 

As the sunset on our student days, there was a new dawn of a career in Medicine. Although we left the faculty, it never really left us. Time ticked on and decades passed swiftly.  Many of us have now bade farewell to our professional lives. Here we are on our onward journey recalling memories of a time now long gone. 

Prof Milroy Paul 

Prof Milroy Paul had the advantage of having medical luminaries in both sides of his family of distinguished academics and public servants. After schooling at Royal College Colombo he went to Ceylon Medical College. After a year he proceeded to Kings College Hospital in London where he was awarded prizes in surgery, orthopaedic surgery, hygiene, psychological medicine and forensic medicine. He qualified MBBS in 1924 and later gained both, the MRCP and the FRCS, a brilliant and rare accomplishment and a badge of his intellectual merit. Subsequently, he obtained the MS from London. He was an intellectual who was invited to deliver the Hunterian Oration on 3 separate occasions at the Royal College of Surgeons in London. 

Many from my era and before will recognise Prof Milroy Paul as the Godfather of Surgery in our island. From 1936-1965 he was the founder Professor of Surgery at the Colombo Medical College and the Children’s Hospital. I presume his sharp intuition was an enormous help in his profession as a surgeon before the days of digital scans. He was a man of great presence and striking appearance and his charisma seemed magnetic. I believe as the Professor he was unable to do any private surgery but never did any after retirement although he was popular, widely known and respected. The richness of his career was his priceless gift. 

I remember with great fondness and nostalgia his erudite lectures in surgery at the administration block of the faculty. The Prof delivered his lessons with such effortlessness and aplomb without even a scrap of paper to jog his memory. Listening to him, his brilliance was never in doubt. They were lectures in common sense as much as surgical diagnosis and treatment. He was charismatic and eloquent. His simplicity, modesty and humility stood out. I was saddened to hear that in later years he became blind in both eyes after a tennis injury. It seems he never gave the impression that he was perturbed by ill health. He passed away in 1989. May his Soul Rest in Peace. 

Monumentum requiris, circumspice   (if you seek his monument, look around) The service provided by his students is a lasting legacy to show his immense contribution to medical education in Ceylon. 

Dr U.S Jayawickrama 

I have never felt so emotional doing a portrait as I did with this one of my former boss. He is one of the finest human beings I’ve met in my life and consider working with him a great privilege. 

He was at Royal College Colombo and entered Medical College in 1949. After the MBBS in 1954 he completed his MRCP and MD in 1963. He was a Consultant Physician at the G.H.C for 18 years. He was also elected President of the Ceylon College of Physicians in 1980.

My final fling with the G.H.C was in 1973/74 when I was a Registrar to Dr U.S Jayawickreme. I learnt much more from USJ than clinical medicine.  A deeply thoughtful man, he taught us how to connect with our patients. 

One such patient was Wimal, a clerk working in a government department. He was around 50 years old. Wimal had a young family and was terminally ill with myeloid leukaemia. I remember speaking with him everyday. I became closer to him than any other patient in the ward. I spoke and joked with him just before I went for my lunch break. On my return the guy in the bed next to Wimal gave me the sad news that he passed away. Wimal had asked him to say thank you and goodbye to me for all the help and friendship. I still remember his friendly face and his soft voice. 

USJ took over the ward from Dr W Wijenaike. He was a fine clinician and a dignified unassuming gentleman. Always immaculately dressed he showed tremendous kindness to his patients and to the staff. In turn he received great loyalty and enormous respect. He showed us how to conduct ourselves calmly and with dignity in the ward. His patients adored him. His work ethic and bedside manner had a tremendous impact on me. That was a fine finale for my clinical years at the GHC. In his written reference his generous praise and expression of pride in his (imperfect) registrar meant so much to me. He passed away at the age of 88.

May he find the ultimate Bliss of Nirvana 

Dr R.S Thanabalasundrum 

On starting Clinical work at the General Hospital Colombo in 1964  I was immensely fortunate to belong to a generation taught by a plethora of superbly dedicated and gifted teachers. Although they lead busy lives with a thriving private practice they never failed to give their all to the students. I am greatly indebted to all of them for their dedication and commitment. In that firmament of shining stars, I would consider Dr Thanabalasundrum as the one that shone the brightest. 

My first clinical appointment as a medical student in Colombo was with Dr Thanabalasundrum. Then he was at the zenith of his profession and remained as one of the best teachers of clinical medicine in the country.  He was a brilliant professional and a consummate physician. He took teaching seriously and introduced a system and structure into history taking.  He brought logic into our clinical methods, diagnosis and treatment.  When presenting cases nothing incorrect went past his sharp intellect.  He always tested and challenged the student’s narrative. The little book of Clinical Methods by Hutchison and Hunter held more reverence than the bible. His pearls of wisdom filled our notebooks. 

Dr Rajadurai Selliah Thanabalasundrum was born in Kokuvil in 1922.  His father was a doctor. After a stint in the local primary school he entered Royal College Colombo where he had a glittering academic career. In the Ceylon Medical College he worked diligently to obtain first-class honours in all examinations  achieving the rare feat of distinctions in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics in the Final MBBS in 1946.  After obtaining his MD in 1954 and MRCP (Lond) he returned to become the Visiting Physician in Jaffna. He was appointed Consultant Physician to the General Hospital Colombo in 1956. In that same year he was married to Pamathy Sivagnanasundrum.  They had two daughters and a son. 

After retirement from the GHC he continued with his private practice in Colombo for many years until he became the Professor of Medicine of the North Colombo Medical College in 1985.  There he remained until 1995. As Professor he was greatly respected as an exceptional lecturer and good colleague. In recognition of his long years of service to the nation the Government bestowed on him the honour of Deshabandu in 1998. 

All through the political upheavals and the grim era of ethnic tensions his love for the country of his birth sustained him and never wavered. He continued to live at Horton Place Colombo 7 until his death in November 2007. His remains were cremated with Hindu rites at the General Cemetery Kanatte. The likes of him are a rarity and irreplaceable in this selfish and egotistical world. 

His name will be etched in the Hall of Fame of Medical greats in Sri Lanka to be remembered for all time. 

May he find Eternal Peace. 

Don Jinadasa Attygalle 

He was educated at Royal College Colombo and qualified LMS from the Ceylon Medical College. He was a Visiting Physician at the G.H.C until his retirement in 1972 when he continued seeing patients privately at his home and in the Private Hospitals.

Dr Attygalle was a fine physician, a meticulous teacher, and a consultant of the old school with clinical acumen and insight of the first quality. I remember well his ward classes when he taught us the basics of taking a good history, eliciting physical signs and collating the facts to reach a diagnosis.  He was softly spoken and treated the houseman, nurses, medical students and other staff with great kindness and respect. Many of Dr Attygalle’s junior medical staff speak of him in glowing terms as an excellent and astute physician and of his conscientious sense of honour. As a Consultant Physician he had a distinguished career that rivalled the best.

Dr Attygalle married Dr Daphne Kanagaratne. She became professor of pathology and dean of the Colombo medical faculty. She predeceased him in 1989. They did not have any children. 

He was one of the great physicians of his time admired, loved and respected by his patients and medical colleagues. Through his enthusiasm, he inspired many young junior doctors to sustained achievement. A veritable role model for all doctors from all disciplines. Rather reclusive and even enigmatic, he was a very private man away from the GHC. Dr D.J Attygalla was a devout Buddhist well known for his generous donations to a multitude of charities. After a lifetime of service, Dr D.J Attygalla passed away in 1997. May he find the Ultimate Bliss of Nirvana. 

Prof Valentine Basnayake

He was born in 1925 and had his schooling at St Joseph’s College Colombo. After the MBBS Dr Basnayake spent his postgraduate years at Oxford University and joined the Department of Physiology in Colombo in 1949. I recall with nostalgia attending one of his tutorials in his office with all the curtains drawn. In the warmth of the room, the soft melancholic drone of his voice put me to sleep. I did see several others struggling to keep awake. Perhaps there was a booze up in the Men’s Common Room the previous evening!!

He had a lifelong love of music and was a fine pianist. He soon became Sri Lanka’s foremost accompanist and a regular performer at the Lionel Wendt. 

In 1968 he joined the Faculty of Medicine at Peradeniya as its Professor of Physiology which was the ultimate accolade. Soon he became the Dean of the Faculty a position he held for 3 years with poise, tact and equanimity. Prof VB was a softly spoken unpretentious gentleman who had no harsh word for anyone. 

He belonged to a fast vanishing era of privileged aristocrats of the Medical Profession. Doubtless, that was part of his appeal as a cultured gentleman. Despite his posh diction, he was tolerant and non-demonstrative and never pompous. He wore those privileges with modesty and charm. In an era when some Senior Professionals had big egos and treated students with contempt Prof Basnayake treated each of us with courtesy, dignity and respect. That is how I would remember this erudite scholar. He passed away in 2014. May he find Eternal Peace.

Paintings of Teachers done by ND (Nihal)

That Fateful Day - Dr Suriyakanthie Amarasekera

That Fateful Day - Dr Suriyakanthie Amarasekera

Note from Speedy: Time to move on after a fascinating discussion on Palmistry and Astrology conducted with good humour and respect for divergent views. 

Suri sent me this article with this note. I was very happy to post it. So many of our Batch colleagues have distinguished themselves in so many ways. We are justifiably proud of them.

The article “Recalling that narrow escape” of the Parliament terrorist grenade attack of ’87, published in the Sunday Times of 15th August 2021 prompted me to write my own personal recollection of details of that fateful day…

That Fateful Day

Dr Suriyakanthie Amarasekera

DA.RCP.RCS , FRCA , FSLCA

Rtd. Senior Consultant Anaesthetist SJGH

Past President College of Anaesthesiologists of Sri Lanka

Past President Sri Lanka Medical Association

 

Eighteenth of August 1987 began like any other Tuesday, when I provided  Anaesthesia for a busy surgical list for Dr Yoheswaran in theatre five at the Sri Jayawardanepura General Hospital. We had come to the end of the second case - a vesicolithotomy (removal of a bladder stone) - and just as we walked into the corridor within theatre complex, an announcement was made over the PA system “Dr Yoheswaran  please come to the ETU immediately”. Yoga remarked, “That’s a strange request – I wonder what it’s all about?” I opined perhaps a VIP patient must have come to the ETU to see him. We continued to walk toward the theatre door when the announcement was repeated. Yoga asked “Should I change out of my theatre clothes?” and Dr Kenneth Perera who was there said, “Just go as you are and see what they want.” Yoga walked out of the theatre sliding doors and entered the lift just outside to go to the ground floor. 

Barely minutes after Yoga left, I got an irresistible urge to run down to the ETU. I felt that someone needed me desperately – call this compulsive feeling: Extra Sensory Perception, Thought Transference, or what you like. Being a Christian I believe that it was Divine Direction. I ran out in my theatre scrubs and shoes, without even putting on my white coat or changing my theatre shoes, a thing I would do only when summoned for a Cardiac Arrest. I remember running down the single flight of stairs without waiting to summon the lift, running as fast as I could pushing at least three people bodily out of my way. I had a hazy impression of surprised faces as I rushed past them down the stairs, past the Physiotherapy Department, Corridor, Out Patient Department, and then through the swing doors of the Emergency Treatment Unit. 

I came to a halt near a trolley around which several people were standing apparently frozen into immobility with shock.  I saw a well-built figure in blood-spattered white clothes, lying semi-prone on the left lateral side with his right arm hanging over the side of the trolley. I instinctively reached for the hand and groped for the radial pulse – it was imperceptible. When I looked down at the figure lying so still, taking an occasional gasping breath, and a glazed look in his eyes, to my shock I recognised it was Lalith Athulathmudali. I felt as if I had been hit in my solar plexus. My first thought was that it was my husband Mahendra Amarasekera’s beloved “Sir” (Lalith had been his Lecturer in Jurisprudence in Law College, and he had moved closely with him ever since). 

I said “quick get me a cannula”, and grabbed a green Venflon cannula that was being held by an E.T.U. doctor, and inserted into a vein at the back of the right hand. The circulation was so poor that there was no “flush back” to indicate that I was actually in the vein, but I knew I was in – I couldn’t afford to miss! I connected a normal saline drip to the cannula and opened it fully. I realized that it was not good enough and asked for a “Haemacel” – a blood substitute and started squeezing the plastic bottle with both hands so that the fluid was literally pouring into the vein. When about half the bottle was transfused, I could feel the pulse coming back – thready at first, and then stronger - what a relief! I looked up at Dr Rangith Attapattu who was standing there and said “It’s alright now Sir”. I started another drip on the left arm and sent blood for cross-matching. The blood pressure was only 80mm Hg at first, but soon came up to 90mm Hg. 

Yoga did a quick assessment of the injuries. There were shrapnel wounds on both legs, back of chest and buttocks, and an alarming entry wound just below the left nipple. We were relieved to confirm that it was not a penetrating chest injury on examination. It was also a relief to see clear urine on catheterization, indicating that the kidneys were functioning and not damaged. 

Suddenly Lalith opened his eyes and asked me “What is my pressure? Is it low?” and I replied “It’s a little low Sir but not bad” Then he said “I normally have a low pressure ask my GP she will tell you” When I asked him if he could remember the actual value he said “about 60”. I told him that he must be thinking of his pulse rate and not blood pressure. I asked him if he knows his blood group and he replied “The common one”. A Blood Bank doctor rushed up with a bag of blood. I asked if it had been cross-matched and when she said “no” I said, “please do an emergency cross-match and bring it, I don’t want to take the risk of giving uncross-matched blood, I can hold his pressure till then”. 

Yoga was puzzled by the initial state of collapse. He concluded that it was “neurogenic shock” as there was no evidence of any internal bleeding at this stage… Kenneth came down from the theatre and he gave some Morphine Intravenously. We then started wheeling the trolley out of the ETU Lalith asked “Where are you taking me taking me?”  and I replied “First to the X-Ray department and then to the Intensive Care Unit for observation”. Once the Minster was lifted onto the X-Ray table everybody hastily left the room before the films were taken. I stayed back as I did not want to leave him alone when his condition was far from being stable. I said “I don’t think you can remember me Sir, I’m…” before I could complete the sentence he smiled and said “I know, you are Mahendra’s wife” I was rather surprised as I had only met him twice before the last occasion being two years ago, at Mahendra’s induction as the President of the Rotary Club of Mt Lavinia- at the Mt Lavinia Hotel, when the Minister was the Chief Guest. 

He was rather concerned about an injury to his left thumb, so I got them to take an X-Ray of his left hand as well. It was only later that I learned that the Lalith was left-handed. One pint of blood had been cross-matched by now and brought to the X-ray room, and I started the transfusion. 

We took him to the I.C.U. and Yoga assisted by nurses from the theatre started cleaning and dressing the wounds. Lalith said that his chest was hurting and I assured him that there was no injury to his heart, and that any pain he was feeling was due to a superficial shrapnel wound. He then said, “I feel rather sleepy – can I close my eyes?” I told him that had been given him some Morphine and that’s why he is feeling sleepy. I said “Go ahead and sleep – we will look after you” No grumble or moan escaped his lips though he must have been in pain – particularly when the wounds were being cleaned and dressed. 

We got the X-Ray films and to our horror, we noticed several shrapnel that had obviously penetrated the abdomen. There was one that was near the 1st Lumbar vertebra, dangerously close to the Aorta. The blood pressure, which had been steady between 90–100mmHg, started dropping. Yoga examined Lalith’s abdomen repeatedly. At first, the Minister said had no pain only discomfort, a little later he admitted that he felt pain. Yoga was able to elicit “rebound tenderness” which is evidence of peritoneal irritation. The blood pressure had fallen to 80mm Hg by now. Yoga asked Dr Premarartne another surgeon at SJGH to examine the Minister and give his opinion. He agreed with Yoga’s findings. In spite of differing opinions expressed by others present (wait and see) Yoga made the correct decision to proceed to do a laparotomy. He explained it to Lalith who showed no fear at all. He asked “You have to open me? go ahead” Then he asked “Will you do it under Local or General Anaesthesia?” I explained to him that we have to give him a General Anaesthetic. I said, “It’s better for you to be asleep during the operation Sir”. 

Suddenly his wife Srimani was there. She stayed quietly by Lalith’s side, not getting in the way, outwardly calm, though she must have been so distraught, as indeed we all were. We took Lalith to the Operating Theatre and having lifted him onto the table connected him to the monitors and started inducing anaesthesia. Kenneth injected “Pentothal” through one of the cannulae while I held an oxygen mask over Lalith’s face. As the anaesthetic began to take effect, Lalith slowly drifted off to sleep. I secured his airway and connected him to the anaesthetic ventilator. 

Yoga began the surgery and when he opened the abdomen there was a total of 4000 ml of blood in the peritoneal cavity. Yoga and Premaratne first removed the ruptured spleen that was bleeding briskly. Then they proceeded to look carefully for less obvious but equally life-threatening injuries. There were several perforations of the bowel which were meticulously sutured by Yoga. He found a haematoma near the pancreas, which after much deliberation,  decided to leave alone. Finally the difficult but correct decision to perform a “temporary de-functioning colostomy”. The whole procedure took 4 ½  hours and we had to transfuse 11 pints of blood in all. Though we did have a few anxious moments, Lalith’s condition remained remarkably steady throughout the procedure. Once the surgery was over we took him back to the I.C.U. 

The time was about 4.00 p.m. One by one the others left – but I did not want to leave. I know only too well the problems that could follow major surgery and massive transfusion. I took a blood sample and sent to the lab to check the clotting profile. My fears were justified when I saw the reports. The Haematologist and I got down “Fresh Frozen Plasma” and “Platelet Concentrate” urgently from the Central Blood Bank in Colombo to counteract the effects of the massive transfusion. 

I was still standing by the bed with Srimani when Lalith opened his eyes and asked  “Was it worth it?” and I replied with a heartfelt “Yes Sir”– had we not opened him up, or even delayed the operation, the result would have been disastrous. Then he asked “How are the other injured? Am I the worst injured?” I saw Lalith’s Chief of Security Muthubanda making frantic negative signals,  conveying to us not to say anything about Keerthi Abeywickrama who was killed in the blast. Srimani said “The others are alright, Percy Samaraweera is also here, he also had an operation.” I was touched by Lalith’s concern for others in spite of being mortally wounded himself. He slowly drifted back to sleep again. 

I arranged for a hospital vehicle to bring Yoga back for a night round, and left specific instructions with the SHO Anaesthesia on duty to call me at the slightest change in Laliths’s condition and then drove home. It was pitch dark and pouring with rain. I was rather nervous driving alone and was relieved when Srimani instructed Lalith’s Security to escort me.   

Surgery in progress

   (Dr Yoheswaran in the foreground) 

I got home at about 8.00 p.m. mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. I tried to eat but had no appetite, though I had not eaten anything the whole day. I tried to sleep, but sleep evaded me. I stayed awake for hours – my whole being lifted up in earnest prayer for Lalith, asking God to heal him. We had done our utmost, - all that was humanly possible. But healing comes from God. And thank God that my prayers and that of many thousands of others were answered, that fateful day.