MEDICAL BATCH 62 REMEMBRANCE DAY - 2024 (1)
Message from Mahendra “Speedy” Gonsalkorale
"Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything." — Muhammad Ali
The 30th of May will be with us soon. On this day, we remember our dear departed friends from our treasured batch. We call this, very appropriately, our “Remembrance Day.”
Since our last Remembrance Day, we have lost six more colleagues.
50. Navam Chinniah 03.08.2023
51. Philomena P Thiraviam 06.09.2023
52. Subramanium, Indrani Anthonypillai Oct 2023
53. Asoka Wijeyekoon 22.12.2023
54. Sriani Basnayake Dissanayake 15.02.2024
55. Raj Wickremasekeran 23.04.2024
While we fondly recall our departed colleagues, let us dedicate this year’s Remembrance Day, especially to these six colleagues.
So far, we have contributions from Nihal (ND), Srianee and Suri. I shall be posting them in the next few days. Please email me if you would like to contribute; I shall be delighted to add them. This again shows the value of maintaining this Blog initiated by Lucky, which is slowly and gently passing into history.
Remembrance Day posts will appear daily for a few days. Please email me if you would like to add yours. I shall be delighted to post them.
I am adding Suri's lovely poem. Thanks Suri.
As Long as we Remember...
You cannot say a fire is out while there is still an ember
And nothing can be really lost, as long as we remember.
Ties are broken, and along strange paths, we are led
But while a friend returns in thought, no friendship can be dead.
While the lavender of love retains a faint perfume,
While one rose of recollection from the past can bloom,
While a note can still be heard - one echo lingers on,
The song is not forgotten though the singer may be gone.
Though death turns laughter into tears and June to December,
Our dear ones never die to us as long as we remember!
Members of the 1962 Batch who have passed away (Revised 10.05.2024)
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
44. Lakshman Weerasooriya ( 15 Jan 2022)
45. Zita Perera Subasinghe 5.10.2022
46. V.P.H Rajapakse 15.10.2022
47. Mangalam Sabaratnam Krishnadasan 22.12.2022
48. Cecil Saverimuttu 26.1.2023
49. J C Fernando. 18.04.2023
50. Navam Chinniah 03.082023
51. Philomena P Thiraviam 6.9.2023
52. Subramanium, Indrani Anthonypollai Oct 2023
53. Asoka Wijeyekoon 22.12.2023
54. Sriani Basnayake Dissanayake 15.02.2024
55. Raj Wickremasekeran 23.04.2024
Reading through the list brings back many memories. I recall the famous poem by John Donne
ReplyDeleteNo Man Is an Island
No man is an island,
Entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
As well as if a promontory were:
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were.
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
I used to meet Asoka Wijeyekoon regularly in his latter years ,in Colombo. I have been to his residence close to London a few times in the mid-1990s. I used to visit him in his ancestral home at Narahenpita and he had lunch at my residence at Gothami Lane , Borella, before attending H N Wickramasinghe's funeral at Kanatte. Quite often we used to visit Kingsbury Hotel ,have drinks and a bite at the roof top. One had a wonderful view of the Port City from that spot. Asoka was very generous with his tips.
ReplyDeleteHe was one year senior to me at Royal College, but I caught him up by getting a double promotion. During the Final Year trip, Asoka and I played a duet; he was Dr. Argyll Robertson and I was his pupil!
One of his sons contacted me and conveyed the sad news to me regarding Asoka. I met both his sons at the funeral. Pram, Sriyani Dias, LAW Sirisena and myself attended his funeral ceremony. He was a close relative of Oliver Peiris.
Russell Paul and myself were Prof Rajasuriya's internes in 1967/68. and we shared a room together at the Mail Quarters for one year. He prepared a superb leg of ham for Christmas in 1967.After the internship, we were together at the Chest Hospital, Welisara. Later after I joined LRH, he was with Prof Raj as a Registrar and we used to do joint studies. After emigrating, whenever he returned to Colombo, we used to meet up. I was on a family holiday in the US in 1988 and was planning to visit him in Philadelphia, but I had to change my plans. During that trip ,I spoke to Russell over the phone from Indra Anandasabhapathy's residence in Staten Island. After his demise, Manik de Silva, Editor of the Daily News, wrote an Editorial titled "Count your Blessings", regarding the tragedy.
Hi this is Suri
ReplyDeleteThank you Lama for sharing your memories.
I want to share a poem that means a lot to me, with you all.
As Long as we Remember
You cannot say a fire is out, while there is still an ember
And nothing can be really lost , as long as we remember .
Ties are broken and along strange paths we are led
But while a friend returns in thought, no friendship can be dead.
While the lavender of love retains a faint perfume,
While one rose of recollection from the past can bloom,
While a note can still be heard - one echo linger on,
The song is not forgotten though the singer may be gone.
Though death turns laughter into tears and June to December,
Our dear ones never die to us as long as we remember !
Thanks Nihal, Sanath and Suri for your profound thoughts. Suri, I have added your poem to the main body of the post.
ReplyDeleteI will post more in a few days. Between the remembrance posts, I shall post Chira's 4th instalment with her beautiful paintings of more fruit.
Somehow, when I was checking out the Remembrance Day posts I missed this one. I love the poem you contributed. Who is the poet? You? Anyway, it is lovely.
ReplyDelete