My tribute to Mangalam “Mangy” By Sura Fernando

My tribute to Mangalam “Mangy” Sabaratnam Krishnadasan

Surangani Fernando (nee Abeysuriya)

I write this with immense grief and a sense of irreplaceable loss as I have lost one of my closest friends. Mangalam, or Mangy as I call her, was very close to me, and I regard her as my best friend. She was a dear friend of mine over the years, always there for me through thick and thin. I still find it hard to imagine a world without Mangy, a lovely, kind, generous and loyal friend. 

In Medical school, Mangy, myself, and Kamali Nimalasuriya, also sadly no more, studied together. 

When romance came our way, JC and I, Mangy and Krishna became a special foursome, and we spent such happy hours together. They will always remain a treasured memory. 

After graduation, JC and I decided to get married, and Mangy was my chief bridesmaid. 

(I enclose a photo from my wedding showing Mangy second and me third from the left).

After they graduated, they decided to go to the USA. JC and I also left Sri Lanka and went to the UK and then to Hong Kong till we finally decided to return to Sri Lanka and settle down. Both our families expanded with the arrival of our children, and we maintained contact. 

During all these years, my friendship grew and continued with Mangy, and we met many a time during her spells in SL. 

Even in this current year, 2022, she and I continued our long-standing conversations, and I knew all details about my dear friend’s life. 

Some years ago, she left her family and came to India to the Ashram of Sai Baba. But unfortunately, she had a terrible time there. She was left alone, and a family upheaval arose.

Her marriage sadly broke up, and I was her closest confidant during this stressful and unhappy time. She valued my support as the poor girl was so distraught. 

She returned to SL for a short spell, did some voluntary service for a couple of months in SL, and finally returned to the US to live near one of her brothers. 

As Bunter (Srianee) said in her post, she had been living in Tucson, Arizona, near her younger son Ravi, for the last five years. She had some health problems for some time, and when they became more severe, and various interventions were offered to her, Mangalam chose hospice care.  Her daughter Anusha and younger son Ravi were with her when she died.  According to a text sent out by her sister, they were playing the Gayatri Mantra. 

Mangy my dear friend, I miss you so much, and I sincerely hope that you finally found the Peace you were looking for and so richly deserve.

Your friend forever,

Sura

Mangalam Sabaratnam Krishnadasan passes away on 22/12/2022

Sad news of another Batchmate passing away

Mangalam Sabaratnam Krishnadasan passed away peacefully yesterday, December 22, 2022.

Thank you Srianee for the news and message I am posting today. 

Mangalam by Srianee

We heard this morning that another one of our batch-mates had passed away. . She had been living in Tucson, Arizona, near her younger son Ravi, for the last five years. She had been experiencing some health problems and when they became more severe and various interventions were offered to her, Mangalam chose hospice care.  Her daughter Anusha and younger son Ravi were with her when she died.  According to a text sent out by her sister they were playing the Gayatri Mantra.

I remember Mangalam as a gregarious fun loving person.  She was often teased by the guys in our batch (I’m not sure why) but she was a good sport and took it very well.  It was fun to hang out with her.

After graduating in 1967, she emigrated to the US and qualified in Physiatry (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation), practised in California and then moved to Puttaparthi, India to work in the Sathya Sai Baba movement. Later she returned to the US.

(This is merely a very brief announcement and not the tribute that Mangalam deserves.  I hope my friends will pardon me for any inaccuracies.  Please share any memories of Mangalam.)

Srianee Fernando Dias.

Happy Christmas and New Year

Another year passes with alarming rapidity.

We lost three colleagues in 2022, making the departed total 46.

44. Lucky Weerasooriya   Jan 2022

45. Zita Perera Subasinghe  5.10.2022

46. V.P.H Rajapakse  15.10.2022

As is traditional, we wish all colleagues and their families a most enjoyable festive season and a Happy New Year.

Chirasri has very kindly sent a beautiful painting which you can see and enjoy here.

The numbers actively participating in the blog is dwindling but we shall keep providing the food irrespective of whether it is consumed! We enjoy doing so and never lose hope. Do not forget that our “family” is still of great value to a lot of us.

Any articles and comments sent will make our day! So, please oblige.

Speedy and Lucky 

Observations and Ruminations (2) Mahendra "Speedy" Gonsalkorale

NEW SERIES: Observations and Ruminations

No 2: What is Reality?

by Mahendra Gonsalkorale

Our Feelings colour our perceptions

Perceptions rely on received information

Information is channelled through sensory gateways,

and motor ones,

and stored memories too.

The final reality as we perceive is our interpretation

of information through our brain or mind/brain

 

What is really “real” will forever be a mystery.

The information we receive and base our perceptions on

may take so much time to reach us

that the “now” as we see, such as a Star

could have happened light years ago

Or, where our “now” is no longer occupied by

the original source of information,

as it has ceased to exist,

such as a Star that died long ago

what you “see” does not even exist!

 

In the same way, depending on the distance

What we “see” is not the current state

It would be some time back when the information left it

With the time measurement

being very close to “now” for close objects

and further and further away for more distant ones.

The “now” is always in the past.

 

Furthermore, what we “see.”

is just how our brains interpret the received information

using our stored knowledge which spans not just our lives

but countless ones in the history of our cultural community

which affects Our emotions and feelings

when dealing with information

To this, add our feelings on our anticipated future

And “reality” will be more and more interpretive,

and its true nature will elude us

 

This does not mean that everything is hallucinatory

Without “objects,” there won’t be information

But the interpretation of reality based on this information

will be variable, individual, and continuously changing

Man has mastered so many ways of passing information to brains

He can send information which could be interpreted as Real

because the final perception

on whether the information emanated from a real object

or from a source of man-made energy impulses

which simulate the “real” information,

is something that we may not be able to distinguish

purely by our perceptive conclusions

 

Hence the belief by some Scientists

that we are just living in a computer simulation

But I maintain that there is a Reality

But its true nature will elude us because of our reliance on our Brains

But there are some sages, mainly from the East

who posit that there is a separate Mind (consciousness)

Distinct from the “Embodied Mind” or “Mind/Brain unity”

Which can perceive the Ultimate Reality through deep introspection

The illusory curtains can be parted and True Reality can be seen and experienced

Who knows!

Sanath Lamabadusuriya honoured

Professor Sanath Lamabadusuriya MBE, honoured

Our batchmate and colleague Sanath Lamabadusuriya, who has distinguished himself in so many academic areas, was honoured recently at the Colombo Medical Congress 2022

The Colombo Medical Congress was held last week in conjunction with CoMSA (Colombo Medical Students Alumni Association). During the sessions, Sanath was invited to appear for a sculpture which was done by Sagara Madusanka who is a disciple of Professor Chandraguptha Thenuwara of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Colombo. The sculpture took three and a half hours. It was made out of clay; later, it would be dried and converted to terracotta. plaster of Paris cast would be made thereafter, and finally, a model out of metal. It would eventually be displayed in the museum of the Faculty Tower Building. 

This event was facilitated by Professor Vajira Dissanaike, Professor Saroj Jayasinghe, Professor Priyadharshani Galappathi and Dr. Santhushya Fernando of the Colombo Medical Faculty. 

Sanath thanked everyone involved in this project for deciding to honour him in an appropriate manner in recognition of his long-standing service to the Faculty (He served the Colombo Medical Faculty from 1st April 1969 to 30th September 2008. From September 1980 to September 1991, he was in Ruhuna).

Observations and Ruminations- (1) Srianee Dias

A NEW SERIES: Observations and Ruminations

No 1: Is Our Dependency on Gadgetry Making Us Stupid?

By Srianee Dias (who is the "brains" behind this idea)

 Lately, I have noticed that the various gadgets I have acquired in the recent past are making me stupid.  Yes, it may be a moot point, but I blame the gadgets!

 My new electric toothbrush beeps when it is time to change the brush!  So, why bother to remember?

 I recently decided to lease a car that I have been eyeing for a long time.  It is a sporty sedan - no more SUVs, which are too clunky and clumsy for me!  The problem is that the car communicates with me and seems to be taking over my brain.  I realize that most cars these days are designed with these so-called ‘safety features’, but the downside of it is that the drivers do not have to think or use their own judgement anymore.  Will that lead to brain atrophy and speed up the onset of dementia?  I am worried…

 There is a setting in my car which alerts me when I drift lanes.  Maybe I need it, but even a slight shift sets off the beep.  It is irritating, so I have switched it off!

Recently the fuel level went down to 1/4 and I received a text message on my phone which said “Your fuel level is low!”  I made a quick trip to the gas station, because I was concerned that the next message would be one scolding me or threatening me.

 Yes, there are some good safety features too.  When I turn on the indicator to switch lanes, I hear a loud beep if someone is in the lane next to me.  I usually know this fact ahead of time because I have checked the rearview mirror.  I do this to indicate my intention to the driver in the next lane.  But my car assumes that I am negligent and beeps so loudly that it startles me.  On the contrary, the beeps that occur when I reverse out of a parking spot, and someone walks behind my car are well appreciated.

With all these computers making up the intrinsic innards of a car, glitches are inevitable.  A few days ago, a message appeared on my dashboard screen.  “Schedule an Oil Change” was the message.  What? The car is barely 2 months old and I have not even reached 2000 miles!  When I called, the person at the service department of the dealership suggested that I ignore the message and show up for the regular service when I reached 10,000 miles.  “No way” was my response.  I didn’t want this message flashing in my face every time I started the car.  So off I went to the dealership and they reset the computer in just a few minutes.

 Don’t even get me started on GPS navigation!  This is an ongoing argument within my family.  I find my way to unfamiliar destinations by consulting maps (sometimes the paper kind and often Google/Apple maps on my computer) before I set out on my journey.  I like to get a visual image of my trip.  Sometime I write the instructions down on a piece of paper, which helps me remember the street names and the turns.  Getting behind the wheel of my car and trusting Siri or some other computer voice to guide me blindly to my destination is not comfortable for me.  I guess I am somewhat of a dinosaur, but I tell my younger relatives that their over-dependency on navigation systems will lead to atrophy of their hippocampi.  Alas, nobody pays attention to my advice!

_______________________________________________________________

NOTE from Speedy- Please send me your contribution on any topic based on your observations and ruminations.

A personal tribute to my wonderful friend Zita. By Pram

A personal tribute to my wonderful friend, Zita

Pramilla Senanayake

“One last breath has gone, and The 5^th of October was a fateful day. Got messages from Nisha & Rohan that Zita was no more. I was in total disbelief.  In fact, I was in disbelief until the 27^th of October when I saw for myself on zoom the remains of our dear Zita being brought into the chapel and the last rites being administered”.

Until then I could not even write to the blog about our dear Zita. Now a week or so after her funeral I feel I want to pen a few lines about our beloved Zita. 

I remember well our first few weeks at medical college as freshers. I did not get to know Zita too well but respected her as a good catholic girl a soft-spoken simple and humble person. 

Years went by.

Our friendship was strengthened when she and Joe moved to the UK, and they set up home in Wembley. I was already living in Wembley, and we spent a lot of time together in each other’s homes. Got to know Joe and the kids well. 

Fast forward, I had moved back to SL  and was living happily here when one fateful day in October 2012  I had a serious shuttlecock injury to my left eye, two ophthalmologists in SL said they could not operate on my eye since the damage to it was quite severe. My dear friend from school and medical school days, Chirasri was a senior ophthalmologist here in Sri Lanka. I immediately got in touch with her and told her about my eye injury. She promptly contacted Zita our friend & colleague in the UK. Zita got to work immediately and made all the necessary arrangements to have the surgery at the Moorfields hospital in London. At the eleventh hour, as I was getting ready to travel to the UK the good Lord intervened and through Chirasri found me a surgeon who was able to perform the surgery in Colombo. 

As time went on Zita and I got closer and closer. We talked on the phone regularly and chattered about our families, the situation in Sri Lanka and the wonders and miracles that our God had done. 

2022 was a special year. I was in the UK on 3 separate occasions. On each occasion, I travelled down to Westcliff on Sea, once by train and twice my dear friend Lakshi drove me all the way to Westcliff on Sea. Those times together were special I usually took her some Sri Lankan goodies from London. Might be Lampries or patties Whatever it was she enjoyed them and was very complementary. 

Those times together were unforgettable. I realized more and more what an amazing person she was. She realised the seriousness of her illness but continued with all the treatment knowing very well she wanted to continue to live for the sake of Joe Nisha Rohan and their families. 

Zita  loved life more than anything, she fought without ever complaining, and that was so until the end, with dignity and energy.  Zita  also taught me to live every day as if it were the best day; she filled the world with a beautiful smile, a big heart and a big joy.  I realised that a  terminally ill disease can be too invasive and destructive to the human body, even after treatment is over, the body fights back, trying to rebuild all the damage caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. 

Dear Zita succumbed and is no more. Her family organised a memorial service in her honour on the 27th of October, a fitting tribute to my dear departed friend. One last breath has gone and ended 

Good bye dearest Zita.     Pram

Speedy Dialogue Series 11.Dr Subramanium Balachandran

 Speedy Dialogue Series 

 Episode 11: Dr Subramanium Balachandran

 “Sharing my hobbies with my Batchmates”

 Speedy: Good morning, Bala. I am so pleased that you accepted my invitation to appear in my Dialogue Series. 

Bala: Speedy, I thought it was a great idea. Thank you very much 

Speedy: Bala, let us commence with some background information. Believe it or not, 60 years have passed since we entered the Medical Faculty! A lot has happened to all of us since then. 

Bala: It certainly has Speedy, sixty years, that is a long time!

Speedy: But let me focus on you today. I am interested to know how you chose Medicine as a career. 

Bala:. Speedy, in fact, I was doing applied math in middle and high school, and my sister, Indrani, was pursuing medicine. However, as the saying goes got to have "My son the Doctor“ in the family, so I had to switch midstream to medicine. Thanks to Rev. Father Margesz, I was able to get my biology squared away. 

Speedy: We know your sister Indrani very well. She is a regular at our London mini-reunions. Her daughter Rose is kind enough to provide transport. Being a loving and dutiful daughter, she knows how much these outings matter to her mother. 

Bala: My niece Rose is indeed a very special person. 

Speedy: Do you get a chance to look at the Blog?

Bala: Yes I do read the Blog, although I must confess, I haven’t posted any comments -something I want to put right with your help Speedy 

Speedy: Very happy to help 

Bala: Thanks, Speedy.  

Speedy: Bala, tell us a bit more about your career choice and how you pursued it. 

Bala: Delighted to do so.  I read a book written by a British surgeon named George Sava, in which he was describing an appendectomy done through mini incisions. This book gave me the impetus to become a Surgeon. After graduating from Medical School, I immigrated to the US, and I was able to attain my ambition and became a Surgeon. 

Speedy: I always say that those who are brave enough to pursue their dreams will succeed. 

Bala: Very true, couldn’t agree with you more. There are also those who inspire you. I am sure you would have heard of the world-renown “Father of Cardiovascular Surgery “Dr Michael E. DeBakey 

Speedy: Yes, of course, the famous Cardiovascular surgeon of Lebanese origin based in Texas. 

Bala: Yes, that is the one. Well, I had the privilege of doing my Vascular Fellowship with Dr De Bakey. 

Speedy: Fantastic! I am sure you learnt a lot, and he must have been a great source of inspiration. 

Bala: He sure was, most definitely. 

Speedy: Is there anything more you want to say about him or talk of any anecdotes involving him? 

Bala: Yes, indeed. He was the first to classify Dissecting Aneurysms and treatments. He was able to successfully surgically treat a patient with aortic dissection in 1955. Ironically, he was diagnosed, I believe, with type II Dissecting Aneurysm in 2005 and was successfully operated by his associate Dr Noon and he went on to continue to teach and perform surgery. He died at the age of 98 in July 2008. 

Speedy: That was quite a story Bala. You carried on as a vascular surgeon for how long? 

Bala: I was in practice for four decades and finally hung up my “Surgical shingle “ in 2012. 

Speedy: Have you stopped working completely? 

Bala: No, I still do some work. currently, I work in the Emergency Department of an Ambulatory Surgical Center, seeing mostly post-surgical patients. This keeps my Betz cells active. 

Speedy: That is of course, an individual choice. If it suits you and you enjoy the work, that’s fine 

Bala: I do Speedy. I also feel that I am contributing to society with my skills as a doctor. 

Speedy: That’s great Bala. 

I must confess that I don’t know much about your family. I am sure readers would like an update. 

Bala: Sure thing Speedy. I am married and have three kids, a son Robert, an Attorney, the second, a daughter Maureen, an Educator pursuing her Doctorate in Education and the third, a son Niran, who is a Biomedical Engineer. His latest invention is an oesophageal cooling probe to facilitate cardiac ablative therapies. This is pending FDA approval at this juncture. 

Speedy: Clearly a very clever lad. And your wife, is she a doctor too? 

Bala: No, Pat is not a doctor. she has a doctorate in Nursing. Pat and I also enjoy our five grandchildren and are waiting on the last one to finish high school in another year and go on to college. 

Speedy: Bala, let us talk about your hobbies and interests, shall we? 

Bala: Of course, Speedy. In my spare time, which was few and far between while I was in practice, I enjoyed woodworking (self-taught), gardening both flowers and vegetables and the game of Golf. I do try my culinary skills on occasion, but needless to say, Pat beats me hands down! 

Speedy: I bet she does! And you are clearly a creative person. Also, it is Lovely to hear that you play golf. I am biased, of course, but anybody who plays golf is a good egg! 

Bala: Ha! Ha! I heard that you play a lot of golf.  I would love to talk more about it, but I know you want me to talk about my woodwork and carpentry. 

Speedy: Indeed I do, if you don’t mind. Tell us about some of the projects you enjoyed most. 

Bala: My largest carpentry and woodworking project was the renovation of an attic above a free-standing garage, turning it into an entertainment room with a built-in bar, in the seventies 

Speedy: Wow! That must take a lot of skill and time. 

Bala: It did, but I thoroughly enjoyed doing it, and it was joyful to see it when I completed it. Gave me a lot of satisfaction 

Speedy: I bet it did. You said it was in the seventies. Were all the tools required available at that time? 

Bala: Power tools were available, but not anywhere close to today’s standards. The advent of cordless tools has definitely changed carpentry and woodworking as we know it now. In fact, my interest in woodworking started with the arrival of Power tools. 

Speedy: Skill and dexterity are important but like in surgery, you need the proper tools. Am I right? 

Bala: Absolutely. Imagine trying to place a screw into a hardwood with hand tools! In the mid-nineties, my grandson Mitchell was all into ‘ Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends, and this prompted me to build an HO model train layout depicting ‘ The Island of SODOR’ This was a very trying adventure, but I think it came out OK, and he had a blast running his trains. 

Speedy: And what else did you create? 

Bala: From there, I moved on to building cabinetry and niceties. I did some oil painting in the seventies but that took the back burner. Besides woodworking and golf, I loved gardening too. Time to indulge in these was a problem when I was working. 

Speedy: Now that you work less, are you able to devote more time to these activities? 

Bala: Well, yes and no! Since we moved into this house, I lost my 1000 sq foot work shop and now the garage is my temporary workshop. 

Speedy: I see. You kindly sent some photos of some of your creations. Please tell us something more about them. 

Bala: I shall talk through them with the photos and when I did them

(1) Train layout of Island of Sodor in 1998.   

(2) Coffee Tray with inlay 2000. 

(3) Cherry Coffee Table with inlay in 2003, 

(4) TV  Entertainment Center with cherry and maple, 

(5) Night Lamp table 2000, 

(6) Antique Golf Club (1930s) display cabinet- 2015, 

(7) Japanese wine rack 2008. 

Speedy: I was really impressed by your work and would love to see them. The next best thing was to see the photographs. What I saw was the work of a skilled and creative technician who must have spent a lot of time producing these.

I am so glad that we are able to share these with our batch colleagues, and may I thank you once again for appearing in my Series and wish you and your family all the best. 

Bala: Thank you, Speedy for your kind words and encouragement and for inviting me for this wonderful conversation which I enjoyed so much.

                                                                     

 

CoMSAA) reunion - October 2022

Colombo Medical Alumni Association (CoMSAA) reunion on the 29^th of October 2022

Pramilla Senanayake

(Social secretary- CoMSAA)

After a lapse of two years, the Colombo Medical Alumni Association (COMSAA) held their reunion last Saturday. The event was held at the new Faculty of Medicine  Tower, a beautiful 11-storey brand-new building with its rooftop giving 360-degree views of Colombo and beyond. It was the ideal setting for this reunion. 

Over 130 alumni graced the occasion. Our batch was represented by just 4 of us. Indra Anandasabapathy. Bandula Jayasekera, Sanath Lamabadusuriya and myself. I wish more of us could have been there on this joyous occasion. 

The afternoon commenced with an academic session. There were 3 very fascinating talks.

First, a chilling lecture by Prof Ravi Fernando on “Suicide homicide or murder”.

The next was by Prof Arosh Fernando on “Schubert's death: Lesson on facilitating a good death”.    

And the final talk was by Prof  Dinithi Fernando, who entertained the audience with her talk “The musical missionary: A harmonious interlude in Sri Lankan history”. 

During her talk there were interludes of singing by her students.

After the academic session, which was held in the 250-seater state-of-the-art first-floor auditorium, we moved to the rooftop for dinner. We were entertained by our own medical college orchestra. There was superb music and good food; plenty of raffle prizes too. 

A good time was had by all. Sorry, I wish you all were here!

Pramilla

IN MEMORY OF ZITA PERERA SUBASINGHE

 IN MEMORY OF ZITA PERERA SUBASINGHE

This coming Thursday 27th of October is Zita's funeral, at 11.20 am

You can watch online using this link.

 https://watch.obitus.com/AX3R88

Usename:vuxe5533

Password: 857546

It will be available for one month (same link) if you miss it.

I am pleased to post this song by Zita in memory of departed colleagues. Zita was a talented pianist.

I must clarify that the entire video was produced by Zita. She has her own YouTube channek called suranne23 which has many more of her videos

Le Onde- music played by Zita with photos of departed batchmates of 1962

KUMAR GUNAWARDANE POEM SERIES NO 2

NEW FEATURE!

Introducing The KUMAR GUNAWARDANE POEM SERIES - Kumar's Poetry Korner

This is No: 2. No 1 (Encounters)appeared on September 28th 2022

Another nostalgic short poem from our romantic poet Kumar Gunawardane

JEAN

The, midday Sun,

Has set the world on fire,

I drag my weary feet,

To the dead classroom.

 

A vision arises from the steaming asphalt,

The colleen who haunts my dreams,

Walking towards me,

Tome balanced on head,

Honing her catwalk.

 

We pause,

She smiles sweetly,

I’m speechless,

We resume our ways,

A fluke of fortune.

Lost for ever.

 

Background to the poem.

Jean was a veritable Venus. Every morning she walked to school on the narrow road bordering STC. Inevitably there were whistles and catcalls from rowdy youths lolling on the fives courts. She tolerated this gamely and never complained. At midday, she would return after lunch at home. I would walk back after a meal at my aunt’s house. That was when we met face to face.

Her brother Teddy and I played cricket in the U 16 team and were good buddies. I told another cricket chum Mano P, I could easily have asked him to introduce me to her. He said, "Kumar, you wouldn’t have known what to do".

Sad but true.

Kumar….

Dr V P H Rajapakse passes away

 Dr V P H Rajapakse passes away

Sad news on the passing away of another Batch Colleague.

Suri sent this message:-

The demise of a legend on world Anesthesia day. 

It is with great sorrow I inform the demise of Dr V.P.H.Rajapakse retired senior lecturer in Anesthesiology Faculty of Medicine, initially and later at the Faculty of Dental Sciences, and consultant anaesthetist Teaching Hospital Peradeniya and General hospital Kandy. 

His remains will be brought to his daughter Prof Thilini Rajapakse's home, opposite of Dodanwela deaf and blind school, 242/A/1,Dodanwala rd, Kandy. The Funeral will take place tomorrow (17.10.2022) at 3.30 pm at Mahaiyawa.

Dr Zita Augusta Suranganie Subasinghe.  23.8.1940 to 5.10.2022

A personal eulogy. Mahendra Gonsalkorale.

At Zita's 80th Birthday- Southend-on-sea

This is my personal eulogy. I will not document her professional achievements and her lasting and loving devotion to her Medical Batch. She was one of the most prolific contributors to our Batch Blog and was quite passionate about it.

We can only live if we also accept that we must die. Whether there is “life” after death is a deep philosophical question which has interested humans for centuries or more. There are different views and beliefs, but It remains a mystery and will probably always be.

Zita recognised the inevitability of death and was also convinced that the story did not end there. But she firmly believed that all the good things we do to others and to ourselves must be done while we are alive. Not only did she believe in it, but she also practised it. That is typical of Zita- she practised what she preached. She was also humble and did not claim that she knew everything, and she respected different views. Zita and I had long discussions on morality, the power of prayer, the existence of God and the need for a life based on moral principles that go beyond self. We agreed to disagree on some of these but we understood and respected each other’s views and shared a strong belief in the need for a humanistic and moral approach to life.

Her life story is one of devotion - devotion to family, friends, patients, anyone in need and humanity in general. She was moved by the trials and tribulations of others and was always willing not just to step in and help if she could but do it in a sincere and loving way without expecting any personal rewards.

She was blessed with an enormous creative talent, as we have seen in her drawings and, most of all, in her poetry. Poetry always appeals more to the romantic and the dreamer who dares to dream, and such was Zita.

Her courage and determination in her final illness are a lesson to all of us. She went through a lot of difficult treatments and procedures, not for her sake but for the sake of her husband Joe, and her children. She knew how much her life meant to them, and this gave her the courage to persist and endure. I was firmly convinced that she did not fear death and was prepared to leave with dignity, and in fact, she told me so. But to the end, her thoughts were on her loved ones and not her. 

She was a truly remarkable person, and it was my great fortune to have known her. If indeed there is anything after death, Zita will surely be in the best possible place.

Goodbye, my friend, and as Zita would have said to a close friend, “May God bless you”.

Mahendra.

Please click on this to access her funeral notice and leave any comments. Rohan has already used comments from colleagues.

https://www.funeralguide.co.uk/obituaries/104699

SAD NEWS -OUR BELOVED COLLEAGUE ZITA HAS PASSED AWAY

SAD NEWS OF THE PASSING AWAY OF OUR BELOVED COLLEAGUE ZITA

5th October 2022

Zita Perera Subasinghe passed away peacefully this morning in her own home, surrounded by her loving family.

I shall post a more detailed appreciation soon, and if any of you wish to send contributions to it, please do email me.

ZITA'S FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS-posted on 11/10/2022

From Rohan, Zita's son---The funeral is on Thursday the 27th of October, at 11.20 am. Burial service at Sutton road cemetery and crematorium in Southend. Followed by a wake which the details are TBA.

Please turn up if you can. if you wish to attend the wake, please let me know as Rohan needs to know numbers for catering purposes. The wake is just a short distance from the cemetery.

It will be live-streamed and also recorded for up to one month for those who can’t be there.

Here is the link to watch the funeral service on line.

https://watch.obitus.com/AX3R88
Username:    vuxe5533
Password:     857546

The service starts at 11.20 am and ends around 1.00 pm. 

No need to register- just click on the link or copy and paste the link on your browser and enter username and password. If you miss it, you can still watch it within 1 month. The burial would not be live cast

Mahendra

Prof Sanath Lamabadusuriya in the UK- June 2022

Prof Sanath Lamabadusuriya in the UK- June 2022

On Sunday the 26th of June, Prof Lama's students, friends and colleagues living in the North West of England and North Wales, arranged a gathering to welcome and felicitate him. It was held at the Residence of Dr Ruwan De Soysa, a former student and now a Consultant Community Paediatrician in Liverpool.

He was in England at the invitation of Professor Micheal Dillon, Emeritus Professor of Child Health, to deliver a guest lecture in the History of Medicine Series at the Royal College of Paediatric & Child Health annual conference held in Liverpool. Mahendra Gonsalkorale, was the only Batchmate present.

This is a YouTube record of the event by Dr Ruwan De Soysa

Encounters - Kumar Gunawardane

Series No: 1

Encounters

By Kumar Gunawardane

A sweet memory,
of a monsoon morn,
set in stone .

The rain pelts,
now in fat blobs,
then in sharp slivers.
The gawky youth
slides to the shopfront,
shaking.
She joins,
wet dress clinging
to her slender form,
spellbound,
he gapes,
she turns towards him
sheepishly, he says,
can I carry your books.
No, you are wet too.

The rain fades
she walks away
the stealthy glance, the faint smile
pierces, his heavy heart
why did the rain go away
so soon