The Spouses of our Batchmates and their talents - Dhushyanthi Vedavanam

The Spouses of our Batchmates and their talents.

Featuring Dhushyanthi Vedavanam, wife of the late S.Vedavanam.

Mahendra “Speedy” Gonsalkorale.

Our Batch has been exceptional in so many ways. We have kept in touch with each other both electronically and, when possible, in person. Today, I would like to shift the focus to our batchmates' spouses. Many of them have stood out for their frequent presence at Reunions and for their contributions through comments on the Blog. Many are great achievers in their chosen fields and have distinguished themselves.

Dhushy,  Veda, Krishni & Tharan

Today, I want to focus on Dhushyanthi Vedavanam, the wife of the late Sivakumar Vedavanam or Veda, as we fondly called him, who passed away on 1st July 2015. Both her children are in the Medical profession. In subsequent posts, I shall feature some of the other spouses. 

Dhushy has attended many of our London reunions and frequently commented on the Blog. She thinks highly of our Batch, but as I discovered, she is also an amazing and talented person on her own right, as well as being a sensitive and loving human being.

I am delighted to post a short, illustrated article about her gardening expertise, one of her many talents. Dhushy is a well-accomplished and well-respected Gardner. She has won many awards and prizes. I am sure you will note her philosophical attitude to life when you read her story. I have not included the names of the wide range of flowers, fruits, and vegetables that appear, but I am sure Dhushy would be happy to answer any specific questions about them in response to comments.

Background:

In 1990, a small group of enthusiastic gardeners in Biddenham decided that the village needed an organisation which would give them the opportunity to share their love of gardening with like-minded people and provide a forum for increasing their knowledge through talks and demonstrations. The first meeting of the Biddenham Gardeners’ Association (the BGA) took place at the Village Hall in 1991.

Over the years, many different speakers have visited to present a wide range of gardening-related topics. Most talks are accompanied by a presentation, whilst some take the form of a practical demonstration. All of our speakers have a particular expertise, some are well known nationally and many have been Gold medal winners at RHS shows.

“In January 2025, we were lucky to have a video presentation by Dhushy about her garden at Rose View, Main Road, Biddenham. She presented the four seasons in her garden, but before starting this video she gave us some background to her love of gardening, how the garden has grown over the years since she came to Biddenham in 2004, that the interaction with the garden and her work in it gives her great pleasure, but that she also relishes the moments when she can sit down and contemplate the results”. Dhushy moved from Durham to Bedford in 2004 to be nearer her family. It took a year to clear the garden at Rose View, which was a mixture of clay and rubble, and in the last twenty years she has focused on colour in the garden, which attracts birds and pollinators. She has 22 standard roses, more than 55 dahlias and a huge number of other plants.

In the Winter, the Cosmos and Zinnias are cleared away, and the Climbing plants and perennials are mulched. The clematis, with its creamy-speckled bell flowers, attracts pollinators in winter. The garden's slow death this season is fascinating. In January, she removes the leaves of the Hellebores so they can regenerate. Hydrangeas and winter honeysuckle which provide colour in the garden during the winter are pruned in March. Viburnums flower in the winter and are a low maintenance plant. They need to be pruned lightly after flowering. Elephants ears turn purple in the winter, evergreen lavenders, winter flowering heather and heuchera hold the borders together, with the help of saxifragia, ferns, and fatsia. There is a long privet hedge in her garden which adds texture and is a haven for wild life. As the snowdrops break through, she looks forward to spring. There is a unique beauty in the winter garden.

In Spring snowdrops followed by daffodils, tulips and then peonies start the seasons, the tulips are planted in the borders and containers and combine well with late narcissi. There are yellow and purple crocuses, bluebells, hyacinths, alliums, irises, primroses, primulas, forget-me-nots, peonies, hellebores, cyclamen, camelias. The Braeburn apple blossom also adds colour.

The Summer is a busy and beautiful time. In late May the dawn chorus is at its best, and there are many fledglings. Dhushy has in her summer garden cosmos, sunflowers, Dahlias, climbing roses (Compassion, Scent from Heaven, New Dawn, White Floribunda, Gertrude Jekyll, Ballerina), 55 varieties of Dahlia, Alstroemeria, Phlox, Hydrangeas, 34 types of Clematis, Coneflowers, Penstemons, 15 different types of Salvia, Tobacco plants, Geraniums, Hibiscus, with Lavender alongside the Roses and Dahlias.

In Autumn the garden comes into its own. The shrubs are turning into bronze and orange. There are Cotoneasters, Cyclamen, Michaelmas daisies, Asters, Sedums, Chrysanthemums, the Dahlias continue flowering until the frosts arrive. Pansies and Violas supply colour all through to the spring, the Cotoneasters are covered with red berries, and there is a green carpet of Heather. There is always plenty to do in the Autumn, preparing for the next year”.

Dhushy’s presentation was received enthusiastically by a large audience. 

A few illustrative comments.

From Linda Truscott, Co-Chair and Membership Secretary, BGA.

Dear Dhushy,  I am writing, on behalf of the committee, to thank you for presenting the first talk of the year at the BGA.  We all so enjoyed your presentation.  It was polished, informative and so interesting.  We had so many lovely comments from our members and visitors and you must have been very pleased that it was so well received.  We are mindful that a presentation of this calibre does not materialise without a great deal of planning and preparation and we thank you for that - you got us off to a good start for 2025!

From Val Fitzhugh, Chair till 2021

From Kam, the owner of Bedford School of Photograpghy.

Your presentation was not only a testament to your hard work but also to your talent and ability to bring a vision to life. The feedback last night was all highly positive, and it’s easy to see why – the attention to detail and professionalism you brought to every aspect truly shone through. The video was really well put together and clearly a lot of intricate editing went into that. This achievement is something you should be very proud of, and it sets a fantastic example of what can be accomplished with hard work.

From Jan Page. Visiting Speakers, Raffle and Publicity.

Hi Dhushy, Well done for a very successful evening, everyone loved your video. I hope you enjoyed the evening.It was a treat meeting your children and your friends, l think they were all very impressed.Thanks again for a very successful evening

A selection of photos from her garden.

And now in her own words…..

My Thoughts and Reflections…..on my gardening and my presentation

By Dhushyanthi Vedavanam

One may wonder what prompted me to do the video on the four Seasons in my garden.

I joined the Biddenham Gardeners Association nearly five years after my move to Bedford.  A very Senior lady called Joy Bean, who was an icon in the village, virtually forced me to join.  The Secretary Norman King had earlier approached me and encouraged me to display some flowers in my garden at the Biddenham Show. I did not take much notice.

In 2013, I was approached by the Show Committee Organiser, Rosemary Harris, to enter the show. I didn’t realise the amount of work involved, but reluctantly agreed.  The show was on a Sunday. I went off to London to babysit for my daughter. I returned on the Saturday. I had to print the entry cards for the different categories- Flowers, fruits and vegetables and get my produce ready. My computer was not working.  I informed Rosemary that I would like to withdraw. She would not take ‘No’ for an answer! She offered to print the Entry Cards for me.  I was stuck wondering where to begin!

I started to prepare my production very late at night. I had no time to arrange the flowers.  I left the task for the morning. I found it a very daunting experience as this was my first attempt. I woke up at 4 am the next morning and went round my garden with a torch, picked the flowers and put them in vases. I had to be at the Village Hall by 7.45 am. We were given an hour to arrange everything on the tables before judging started.  I nearly passed out!

On reflection, I had a slight advantage over the other contestants in that I have been to so many shows and seen the presentations. I won the BGA shield and all other cups, too.  After that I entered four more years -in total five years. The last time I entered was in 2022, just after COVID.  I entered for an additional category, Photography, and won the Bradbury Cup for gaining the most points in Photography. I also won the Maurice Appleton Rose Bowl for best large Flower arrangement. The theme- the Jubilee Celebrations. I also won the best small flower Arrangement on the theme “Jewel Garden” which was done according to the specifications given

I was unable to show all the flowers, fruits, and vegetables, or all the plants, in my garden within the allotted hour. I put some photographs in an album, which was circulated at the presentation. I am showing some of those photos on the blog.

After many years of improving my garden, I realise that gardening, just like life, is a series of well-meaning cock-ups and happy accidents, unplanned successes and baffling, frustrating failures.  Happily, unlike life, gardening mistakes are rarely worth crying about. You could watch my video where I talk about losing my chrysanthemums- I can talk about it now without sobbing. I feel gardening is a low-risk hobby. Nobody gets hurt.

I love gardening because, unlike the rest of my life, a lack of knowledge, foresight and education does not hold me back.  Nothing seems to dampen my enthusiasm. I believe that when I grow plants, every day brings a small miracle. I hope my video will encourage novice and experienced gardeners, as well as non-gardeners, to fall in love with gardening in a whole new way.

What I really want to do is help silence the inner critic in us all, that nagging voice that tells us that our endeavours are not good enough, that there is no point in trying because our efforts are doomed to failure, because we are not up to it.   Perhaps the most valuable thing that gardening can teach us is to forgive ourselves, our failures, and celebrate our successes, however tiny, whether it is the lovely red, yellow and orange tomatoes, or the spitting in the eye of a potato- it should all be fun.

I started to photograph in 2017. I joined the U3A. I didn’t own a fancy camera. Many years ago I had 35mm £20 camera from Boots - I photographed my children when they were young. I had no understanding of the technicalities or the rudiments. I was happy clicking away!!

The photographic critic at U3A, Cliff Harvey, encouraged me to get a Nikon DSLR 330D. My son got the camera for me. Cliff helped me initially set it up, and I started photographing buildings, Street photography, nature, landscapes, and my own garden, too. I was enjoying my newfound hobby. I learnt to edit with Photoshop. I then joined the Bedford School of Photography and got lessons from Rob. After some time, Kam, the owner of Bedford School of Photography, persuaded me to invest in a mirrorless camera, and I bought another Nikon Z50.  This is the camera I use with confidence. This has helped me to rediscover the quiet delight of peaceful concentration.  These offerings- gardening, cooking my produce, and photography have been done with love and in the full knowledge that I am an amateur gardener, an amateur photographer and a novice writer too.

I really hope that my hit-and-miss at these disciplines will encourage other would-be artists, writers, and gardeners to pick up a pencil, a camera, a trowel, or an idea and run with it.   Give it a go- as I did. Let’s give ourselves permission to mess up, go wrong, make mistakes and carry on. Let us turn down the volume of our inner critic, get dirt under our fingernails, paint on our cardigans, and put a big smile on our faces? Why not? We have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

In a world where our identity is constantly scrutinised, monetised and assessed, it is such a relief to know that whoever we are, we can be gardeners.

A further selection from her beautiful garden

Around September 2023, I finally agreed to talk about my garden. It took me 14 months to put it together. It is the four seasons in my garden with my background and history. Enjoy the video!

Last but not least, I would like to express my sincere and grateful thanks to Mahendra for posting my video and write-up to go with it. It was Mahen who used his gentle persuasive powers to encourage me to share this in the blog. I was rather reluctant at first but gave much thought it and finally agreed.

Let me raise a toast to Mahen for his exceptional talent and knowledge in editing and for bringing together all the interesting contributions from you all on the Blog. This requires discipline and a timely approach, and he has developed a great skill to do it. He deserves many accolades for his hard work.

He helped me immensely to format my photographs for the write-up and had face-to-face Zoom meetings amidst his busy schedule of work, which I appreciate very much. He has kept this blog going and I have no doubt his efforts are much appreciated by all the contributors. I congratulate Mahen for his tireless efforts to include the spouses of your departed colleagues. Thank you Mahen for your kindness.

NOTE from Speedy: This unlisted video is included for Blog members only. Please be kind enough not to share the link or make it Public. You can watch the video within this window. Just click on the arrow. Fortify yourself with a nice drink and have some gentle soft music in the background and make sure you are seated comfortably!

Kumar Balachandra passes away

Kumaraswamy Balachandra  passes away

It is with great sadness that I report the passing away of "Con" Bala, one of the Famous Bala Quartet - K (Con) Balachandra, S (Yankee) Balachandran, the late N (Kalu). Balakumar, the late Arul (Thatta) Balasubramanium.

He is the 65th in our Batch to leave us forever. I shall post more information when I receive them.

I like to remember him for his great sense of humour and for his contributions to many Batch Activities.

He produced or helped in -

(1) The souvenir, and helped in the organisation of the International Convention of Sri Lankan Doctors in the UK, combined with our Silver Jubilee celebration in July 1992, held at the Windsor Holiday Inn, Berkshire, England.

(2) The Souvenir of 40th Anniversary Reunion of the Graduating Class of 1967, held at The Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana, Sri Lanka. This is hugely valued as it contains the Sig photos of the Batch. 

(I stand corrected by Suri, who said, "he did not produce the Souvenir of our 40th anniversary - though he did certainly help by sharing photographs of reunions held in the UK.) 

That was done by the organising committee in SL, comprising Priya, Pram, Sriyani B, Punsiri, Ganesh, HN, Swyrie and me.

We are eternally indebted to Lama, who was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Colombo, who used his authority to release our signature photos for just 24 hours to enable us to get them scanned.

I still remember clearly how he readily agreed to do this when we met at Ganesh's daughter's wedding". 

Thanks, Suri, for pointing this out. 

But in the acknowledgements section of the souvenir, the following was stated.- "Con Bala" for masterminding the production of the souvenir.

He joined the Batch Zoom organised during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020.

Lastly, but most importantly, he and his wife, Loretta, celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 2022. Loretta has attended many of our gatherings in the UK and in Sri Lanka.

He will be best remembered as a quiet, lovable and somewhat mischievous person who brightened the lives of many.

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal"

May he Rest In Peace, and our sincere condolences go to his wife and family.

An interview with Professor Sanath P. Lamabadusuriya -in 2009

"If you are sure of yourself, stand your ground!"

An interview with Professor Sanath P. Lamabadusuriya

Ruwanthi Seneviratne, Manu Wimalachandra, Dakshitha Wickramasinghe

Student Medical Journal. Vol 2. Issue 1. December 2009.

-A note from The Blog Administrator. We welcome 2026 with a celebration of one of our most distinguished Batchmates, Sanath Lamabadusuriya, who sent me this post for publication. I hope to follow this up with posts of others who have also done remarkably well, and there are many.-

Introduction

Senior Professor and former chair in Paediatrics and former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, Professor Sanath P. Lamabadusuriya is a well-known and much-respected medical academic. He has made an immense contribution to teaching, research and the practice of medicine both in Sri Lanka and overseas. He has also been awarded a prestigious MBE by HRH Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to the field. Here, Prof. “Lama” as he is affectionately known, shares his experiences with our editorial team.

What was the initial period like?

My choice was to specialise in the medical side rather than the surgical side, since surgery never attracted me. I graduated at the top of my batch and so I had the opportunity to get my choice of appointment for internship. I chose the professorial medicine unit for the first 6 months under Professor K. Rajasuriya and for the next 6 months, to the surprise of many, I chose to work under Dr. P.R. Anthonis, as working with the professor of surgery at that time you were more a clerk than anything else. To this date, I believe I made the correct choice. Initially, the unit had an SHO, but he left during my 2nd month, and I had to take on his role as well. I had a lot of responsibility, which I enjoyed thoroughly.

How did you become an academic?

After my internship, I served at the Chest Hospital, Welisara for a period of nine months. During this time, two vacancies were advertised at the Colombo Medical Faculty: Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Pathology and Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics. I applied for both posts because I always liked the academic setting. The interviews for the Pathology post were first, and to this date I am thankful to Prof. Gerry Cooray for not selecting me!

When I went for an interview for the post in Paediatrics, I found that it was chaired by the Vice Chancellor at that time, Mr Walwin De Silva. Prof. Rajasuriya, Prof. Priyani Soysa and Prof. Chapman were also there; quite a panel! Many in the field of paediatrics had also applied for the post, but one by one they got knocked out. Prof. Soysa asked me why I didn't do paediatrics for my internship and my reply was “I did medicine for the first 6 months, so I could not do paediatrics for the 2nd 6 months”. Of course, she knew it was a hollow answer, but this was not known to the non-medical people in the panel. I was selected for the job!

What were your first experiences as an academic?

We as undergraduates never took paediatrics seriously because there were only 2 questions in the clinical medicine paper, and one could easily pass medicine without knowing much paediatrics. Therefore, I had not done much reading in paediatrics. Before assuming duties I wanted to read up, but the only book I had was a book by Prof. C.C. De Silva and Mrs. Vishvanathan, meant for mothers!

I assumed duties on the 1st of April 1969. In the beginning, I was sharing responsibilities with two house officers, and had first on-call duty for three months.

I received a Colombo Plan scholarship to go to UK to do my MRCP and DCH. The British Council had arranged a course in paediatrics at the Institute of Child Health, but I informed them that I would prefer a job in the National Health Service. I applied and was selected for the post of SHO in neonatal paediatrics at the Whittington Hospital in North London. I was on call every other night, but the salary was 120 pounds, much more than the 72 pounds I would have received from the scholarship! Max Friedman, the Consultant whom I worked with didn't allow reading notes when presenting cases and this was a training by itself. During this appointment, I had to sleep in the unit if a baby was being ventilated. During this very busy and intensive appointment, I passed the MRCP (London) examination on my first attempt.

I was sent to the UK for two years, but within 6 months, I had finished the exams. I was faced with two options, to work as a registrar and get a better salary, or to get some research experience but to manage with the scholarship money. I had no one to ask for advice, and fortunately I decided to pursue research and forgo the monetary benefits. To this date, I am very happy I made that decision. 

I started reading for my PhD in 1972, with Dr. John Harries at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and Institute of Child Health. However, my leave was about to finish in 1973 so I applied for an extension of leave. The dean didn‟t like the idea but Prof. Soysa backed me and managed to get the leave extended. If they had not, I would not have stopped my PhD to come back, and my career would've taken a different course. I wouldn't have come back to Sri Lanka. 

During this period of research, I had to fall back on the scholarship allowance of 72 pounds again. I worked for the Southern Relief Service during the weekends and for the 20 hours of work I was paid 30 pounds. I was provided with a chauffeur-driven radio car, and I had to visit patients' homes because their GPs were not available. I criss-crossed the London streets innumerable times, visiting homes. 
I resumed duties at the LRH on 1st January 1975. People were happy to see me as many were not returning after foreign training at that time.

During the first 3 months, I was only entitled to a 3-figure salary, but that was more than enough. I was single, living with my parents, the bus travel cost only 25 cents either way and the lunch was Rs. 1.60, so I had a comfortable life. I brought a bicycle in my sea luggage, but arriving at the LRH in a bath of sweat didn't help my work, so I opted to get a car with a car permit. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching, and I got to know the students very closely. 

Tell us about your experience at the Galle Medical Faculty.

The Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, was established in the late 70s and I was chosen for the post of Founder Professor of Paediatrics. One of my biggest achievements there was the Cleft Palate Project, in collaboration with the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. The Co-Director of the project was Dr Michael Mars, Consultant Orthodontist, at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London. In addition to the service rendered to the patients, it also had the world's largest  database on unoperated cleft lip and palate with more than 1000 patients. It was so successful that the BBC even made a film about the project called “When to Mend Faces”. The film was televised in 1992 in a programme titled QED and won an award. 

A lady who had seen this documentary was interested in donating £250,000 for a health development project. They contacted me, but I was on sabbatical leave, and the project was awarded to the disability studies unit of the Colombo North Medical Faculty. The money was used to start a diploma course to train speech therapists, and as a direct result, we now have nearly 60 speech therapists in Sri Lanka. 

In 1988, during the final few months of my sabbatical leave in Saudi Arabia, many of my friends wrote to me advising me against returning to Sri Lanka as the political situation was unstable. I, however, returned, to the surprise of many! I had no personal threats, and I did not go on strike a single day. 

A few years later, the chair fell vacant in Colombo, and I returned to Colombo as Professor of Paediatrics.

How is your teaching experience overseas different to the one in Sri Lanka?

The British students ask questions whenever they are in doubt, whilst our students are very subdued. Foreign students also have a broad knowledge base and are more mature. They may not know the nitty-gritty of paediatrics, but you can have a decent conversation with them on just about any subject. Maybe it's our “epa” culture; there is no encouragement for anything! 

Can you give us some tips about handling children?

Handling children is an art that is developed through experience. The key to it is a conducive environment and age and gender appropriate toys. The power of toys is amazing!

Any special message to our students?

Spend more time in the wards rather than in the library; because you never know when you might need what you have seen. A x-ray of the chest which had an azygous system I saw as an undergraduate helped me in my MRCP clinicals!

"If you are sure of yourself, stand your ground!"

- Prof. Sanath P. Lamabadusuriya -