REMEMBRANCE DAY 2024- (3) Suriyakanthie Amarasekera

REMEMBRANCE DAY 2024- (3). We continue to remember our dear departed friends with contributions from batchmates. This is by Suri.

By Suriyakanthie Amarasekera

“Memories don’t leave like people do; they always stay with you”

Dawn (de Silva) Paul.  I remember Dawn as a statuesque, striking figure with long Rapunzel-like hair and a dignified carriage, which earned her the fond nickname of “Mother Lanka”. She found her soul mate in Russel and they were one of the most steady, loving couples in our batch.

Russel Paul. Hailing from an academic background (his father was a professor in the engineering faculty), Paul was simply brilliant. Despite being so clever, he was humble and very good-natured. He would often interrupt his own studies to explain a gritty point to us lesser mortals.

Suren Iyer. A lovable, lively batch mate was always full of fun. I remember his tragic experience of losing his beautiful older sister Seetha (who was in the 1st Pera Batch), who succumbed to Ulcerative Colitis. Suren used to keep a photograph of Seetha and show it saying it's his girlfriend. It was a delight to catch up with him at the Golden Jubilee Reunion in Sri Lanka in 2017, when he was his exuberant self, dancing nonstop.

V.Ganeson. Ganesh was a batchmate you could depend on – always ready to help, decent and good fun to be with. He had a lovely sense of humour, but he never cracked any off-colour jokes to embarrass us girls, a thing that most male students delighted in doing. I remember he lived in a house located virtually on the doorstep of the Majestic Cinema and used to tell us that he often went for a late-night show when he got tired of studying! He decided to pursue a career in general practice and chose Horana as his location. The fact that the people of Horana rebuilt his Surgery when it was burnt down in Black July of 1983 is a testimony to the Caring, Compassionate, Skilled Healer that he was, who won the hearts of his patients. His forgiving nature is evident in that he continued to serve the people of Horana. Ganesh was an enthusiastic member of our Batch Reunions in Sri Lanka from the very beginning. Ironically, Ganesh, who never consumed alcohol, succumbed to non-alcoholic cirrhosis, which claimed his life

Sriani (Dissanayake) Basnayake. She joined our batch from Peradeniya and had a beautiful nature that matched her beautiful looks. I remember how stunning she looked when crowned the colours queen in 1964. As the head of Family Planning, she was a well-known personality who often appeared on TV chat shows. She was a gifted speaker tackling difficult and sensitive subjects, spiced with her sparkling wit and personality. I remember her walking gracefully across the stage at an SLMA Doctor’s Concert while the choir sang “Ain’t She Sweet” to wolf-whistles and applause.

Ranjith Kuruppu. Being a ‘K’ myself and having to sit near him at physiology lectures, Ranjith was one of the first batch boys I got to know, and that friendship lasted until his demise in 2019. Ranjith was always full of fun. I am sure many of you would remember his erotic “Dance of the Seven Veils” at our 1997 Batch Reunion. I had so much fun dressing him up. He looked the part with his fair complexion and slim build. He had people trying to guess his identity!

Kamini (Goonewardena) Ferdinando. Hailing from Ladies College, Kamini lived up to the reputation of her Alma Mater – always dignified and smartly dressed. She commanded the respect of even our more unruly batch mates by the sheer force of her personality. I had the privilege of having her as my Co-Ho during our internship with Dr. E.V. Peiris in 1968 and our bonds of friendship forged through SCM activities were further strengthened. She had a beautiful soprano voice, which her daughter had inherited. I was delighted when her daughter and mine performed at the annual SLMA Doctor’s Concert under the pseudonym “Doctor’s Daughters” in 1995.

V. P. H. Rajapakse. He was a batchmate who chose Anaesthesia as his speciality. He was a much respected, loved consultant who practised in Kandy. What I remember most about V.P.H., however, is how our irrepressible JC nicknamed him Dr Victor Proctor Hector Rajapakse!

Irwin Herath was another batchmate who chose Anaesthesia as his speciality. I had the rare privilege of training him in Anaesthesia at Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital. I remember how we got carried away and started chatting about the good old days. He would call me Suri, to the horror of nurses in the OT. I was privileged to be his referee and help him secure employment abroad.

Sidath Jayanetti, or “Cigar” as he was popularly known, was one of the army of Royalists in our batch. Known for his prowess in Rugby, he was also an elegant ballroom dancer. I remember how he was indirectly responsible for having me thrown out of “Thanabal’s” Ward Class by his antics that made me grin and annoy the Consultant.

Sardha Jayatilake was one of the many Visakians in our batch. A rather serious and quiet personality. I remember she and I being bridesmaids at Kusuma J’s wedding. Sardha was the Chief Medical Officer at the Tyre Cooperation. Her heartbreaking experience of having her teenage son collapse and die in her arms of a brain haemorrhage made her a recluse. We lost touch with her completely and learnt about her passing almost a year later.

Zita (Perera) Subasinghe: Where do I begin .. I have so many wonderful memories of Zita. We were "body partners" in the first term as nervous medical students, dissecting the Lower limb.  We "clicked " from the very first hello. Zita was such a warm-hearted, friendly girl, and we had so many common interests, including our love for poetry, music, sense of humour, and strong faith as Christians.

She was the President of the Hank Snow fan club, and the boys used to tease her going ZZZZ when she walked into the anatomy lab, and talking to her with a nasal twang. She was skilled guitarist and poet delighting us with her personalised poems we received on our birthdays. I still have many of  them carefully preserved!

I remember how heartbroken she was when she lost her precious father, how Suji and I kept our arms around her while sobbing at his graveside in the pouring rain. I remember her being picked up by a handsome young man ( Joe )in a red sports car near the Clock tower during student days! I remember attending her wedding in Negombo, which was well attended including Rukmani Devi ! 

It was great to catch up with her in the UK , and we shared many happy times together, including the Christening of my son when she took on the responsibility of being his God mother. She was also the attesting witness at his wedding.

I was delighted when she joined the Sri Jayawardena Pura as its first Opthalmic Surgeon. It was a privilege to provide anaesthesia for her lists. I was so proud of Zita when she pioneered Laser Surgery in Sri Lanka, and also when she was appointed the President of the College of Opthalmologists of SL.

Zita was  skilled in dress design, and she created a breathtakingly beautiful bridal dress for her daughter Nisha.

Her brave battle with cancer which finally claimed her life was a lesson to all of us, facing adversity with courage, always counting her blessings and encouraging us with her realistic and brave acceptance of the inevitable. Her beautiful poems are a gift to us to treasure and comfort us.

J C Fernando: (I have written about JC as a comment in Srianee's post. Here are a few paragraphs in that post).

I, too, remember JC fondly as the talkative, lively chap he was .... He was the only one entrusted by my mother to see me home after late night events.... Block Nite,Colours Nite etc. He would willingly drop us home.. Chandra S , Kusuma J, and myself driving completely out of his way up to Mt Lavinia. He was also our transport agent for many of the Public Health trips.

As our stay in the UK was around the same time we spent many enjoyable weekends together in Epsom ( J C & Sura's home) and in Brighton where I had a town house as SR Quarters in 1980 . Our English neighbours must have been annoyed with our late night parties singing Baila . JC would dance with a full glass of whiskey balanced on his head!

On our return to Sri Lanka we kept in touch, going for dances and weekends out of Colombo regularly. In fact if not for JC I would not have had the courage to get into a pool after my THR in 2018.

Mahendra and I visited JC every Saturday for over one year spending quality time with him, till the COVID pandemic forced us to curtail our visits.The way Sura cared for JC during the long and difficult time up to his demise is truly amazing. She left no stone unturned to ensure that he got the best of care.