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).