MEDICAL BATCH 62 REMEMBRANCE DAY - 2023

MEDICAL BATCH 62 REMEMBRANCE DAY - 2023 (1)

Message from Mahendra “Speedy” Gonsalkorale

“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart” – Eleanor Roosevelt.

The 30th of May is fast approaching. This is the day we remember our dear departed friends from our treasured batch. We call this our “Remembrance Day.”

Since our last Remembrance Day, we have lost five more colleagues. 

   

·         Zita Perera Subasinghe 5.10.2022

·         Victor Preethi H Rajapakse 15.10.2022

·         Mangalam Sabaratnam Krishnadasan 22.12.2022

·         Cecil Saverimuttu 26.1.2023

·         Janaka Chandana Fernando. 18.04.2023

While we recall with fond memories all our departed colleagues, I want to dedicate this year’s Remembrance Day, especially to them.

So far, we have contributions from Nihal (ND), Srianee and Kumar. 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 sadly shows signs of atrophy. 

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

 Members of the 1962 Batch who have passed away  (Revised 18.04.2023)

1.       S.R. (Sunil) de Silva
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

S R de Silva - Kumar Gunawardane

Sunil Ranjan  de Silva (SR)  The first to go

By Kumar Gunawardane

The print is very small as it has 5 columns. If you click on the post, it will appear on a new tab showing it much more clearly. Try it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain! - Speedy

J C Fernando passes away on the 18th of April 2023. Speedy

J C Fernando passes away on the 18^th of April 2023

Mahendra "Speedy" Gonsalkorale

(please read all the comments from his colleagues)

This is the 49^th Member of our Batch to depart, the last being Cecil Saverimuttu in January this year. Most of this article is derived from ND’s blog post of the 20^th of October 2020.

On my many visits to Sri Lanka, I always made it a point to drop in on JC and Sura, and we had so many memorable and enjoyable evenings. I spent a lot of time refusing his constant efforts to refill my glass of Gin and Tonic! Sadly, Covid stopped me from visiting him during his final illness. He shall remain etched in my memory as a sincere and loving friend.

As most of you know, JC suffered a disabling stroke which left him with significant right-sided weakness and dysphasia. He lost his independence and was totally reliant on carers but, most of all,  on his beloved wife Suranganie or Sura as we know her. Her courage and fortitude were legendary, and his loss will leave a big hole in her life. But knowing her and having communicated with her regularly, I know she will have the strength of character to overcome this tremendous loss. In this, she will have the support of their two daughters and their families.

“Janaka Chandana Fernando (J.C)– the name raises a smile on everyone’s face. He is a force of nature that brings happiness to everyone around him. Gregarious, sociable and flamboyant are all descriptions that come to mind to portray a person we have all come to know and love since our medical school days. He had that irrepressible bohemian flair which was associated with medical students of the 1960s. In our citadel in Kynsey Road, no one epitomised the era more than JC. He enjoyed its trappings abundantly. Being from that great institution, Royal College, he knew the large contingent from that school that filled our batch and almost filled the rest of the Faculty of Medicine. JC became a part of the Faculty sooner than most”. 

“Many will remember JC arriving at the Faculty cycle shed every morning in his Honda 50 motorcycle. The Canteen was his first port of call for the customary Tea-Punt. He was a popular guy in our batch, spoke with everyone, and was friendly. With his affable ways, JC made friends with the girls more easily. This made the rest of the boys envious. JC was never shy to speak his mind, and with his loud voice, he stood out in a crowd. Born to blush unseen, we always made fun of his jet-black skin, which he accepted with civility. For his regal demeanour, I often called him the ‘Dark Knight’. All through medical school, he wore white shirts and trousers. This enhanced the contrast no end”. Note by Speedy.  I used to call him Kalu Maththaya, and he in turn responded with “Oya Kaluma Kalu Mahaththaya!

JC was tenacious, competitive and single-minded. He knew what he wanted and did what was necessary to achieve his goals. Once he had an idea in his head, there was no letting go of it. He is often frank and candid, and this attracted controversy. In any argument, He was persuasive. JC was never a pushover and fought his corner to the very end. These are characteristics of competitive sportsmen, as indeed a sportsman he was, excelling in Athletics at Royal. Despite all this, he was charming, helpful, kind, and well-liked.

Gaining entrance to the Faculty of Medicine in the 1960s was a gargantuan task. The available spaces were limited. There were hordes of applicants, and the competition was fierce. To gain entrance to the Faculty of Medicine demanded much more than intelligence and the Midas touch. JC was one of several fine sportsmen and women in our batch who had the grit, determination and strength of character to be successful.

He had tremendous enthusiasm for social events in medical school. Being a fine musician, many of us got to know JC at social functions. We sang and danced at the memorable and raucous evening booze-ups in the Men’s Common Room. My abiding memory at these events is the lithe figure of the ‘Dark Knight’ strumming his guitar, singing in graphic detail the itchy tale of “the dance of the phthirus pubis”. His signature song was “Saima cut wela” a tragic tale of a beginner’s hangover and an effective home remedy. He sang “Suranganee-ta malu genawa”, tempting fate long before they became a pair!! He capped it all with an enduring contribution to the Final year trip making the days brighter and the nights merrier.

Both Sura and JC, after a stint in the UK, forged successful careers in Hong Kong. There his work in Orthopaedic Surgery flourished, and he was greatly valued and respected. The demanding concerns for their two daughters' education eventually curtailed those happy times.

We all recognise our batch as a tribe, and the deep friendships are akin to a form of tribalism. Both JC and Sura are faithful to the tribe and their old friends. They have been enthusiastic, generous and hospitable entertainers to the multitude of winter visitors from our batch and our medical community in Colombo. They have had a fascinating life together, working in several countries and enjoying a good social life. Their two daughters have done them proud. 

JC has had a rewarding professional career. We have enjoyed his company, humanity and joie de vivre. Rarely boring or predictable, sometimes outrageous, JC was excellent company. Through his achievements, he has made his mark in the history of that great school. His was a good life well lived, and he has left fond memories which will always be treasured”.

Acknowledgements: I thank Nihal D Amarasekera (ND) for permission to use his blog article. ND was keen to express his appreciation to JC while he was still with us. I also know that JC was very touched by it.

Ref: https://colombomedgrads1962.blogspot.com/search?q=J+C+Fernando

Dr Zhivago Remembered by Dr Nihal D Amerasekera

Dr Zhivago Remembered by Dr Nihal D Amerasekera

The Russian Revolution began during the First World War in February 1917 due to the inefficiency and corruption in the Tsarist government. Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in the hope that the unrest would subside. Then the Russian aristocracy and nobility ran the country until the October Revolution. The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, started the insurrection to overthrow the provisional government. Bolsheviks seized control of the government in Russia and later became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 

The author Boris Pasternak was born in Moscow in 1890. His father was an illustrator for Leo Tolstoy, and his mother was a concert pianist.  Although he started his masterpiece soon after World War II, the epic story was completed in 1956. Dr Zhivago is one of the most enduring love affairs of the 20^th century. He dared to convey the truth about the disorder and unrest in the country, which enraged the Communist Party. He was denounced as a traitor and could not get the Soviet publishers to publish it. Pasternak took the risky step of smuggling the manuscript to Italy, where the book was first published in 1957. The book soon became an international bestseller. Pasternak won the Nobel Prize for literature in the following year. He was compelled to refuse the award. The book was not published in the USSR until 1987. Although the Communist regime allowed him to leave the country and live in exile, Pasternak wanted to remain in the Soviet Union. 

There is much debate and controversy about whether Dr Zhivago is a true story. Although considered a romantic novel, Pasternak has indeed admitted that Olga Ivinskaia is the enigmatic Lara in his book. His mistress Olga is the woman he loved until he died in May 1960.  A series of love letters, manuscripts and poems by Pasternak that were sold at Christie’s in London show their separation and imprisonments and their affection for each other all through Stalin’s purges and hardships. 

Dr Zhivago is a story of the most convulsive events of the 20^th Century and is one of the finest books of our time. I read this masterpiece as a young doctor in the late 1960s. The book records the Czarist oppression and also the horrors of the Bolshevik revolution. The descriptions of the people, the events and the breathtaking scenery brought those characters to life. This sweeping saga indeed changed the way I saw the world forever. It is a story of human passion and the love for his country then in such turmoil. The complex and continuously evolving social and cultural landscape make the love story a compelling read. Caught up in the cataclysmic events of the revolution, Yuri Zhivago’s life is truly tragic. The shuddering loss of innocence and the trials and tribulations of Lara’s life during this dark period is described in heart-rending detail. So little was known about life in Russia then. Pasternak gave us a peek into this mysterious country and its people in their darkest times. Like the great Russian writers Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Pasternak had the ability to write a story with great passion, emotion and patriotism. 

Dr Zhivago, the film was directed by David Lean, a master of the sweeping historical epic and was produced by Carl Ponti. The long 3-hour film was released in 1965 and became one of the most successful films in movie history. The star-studded cast of Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chapman, Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness and others made it one of the finest films ever made, winning 5 Oscars and becoming a box office hit. I was mesmerised by the beauty and charm of the scenery and the cinematography, along with the passionate and heartfelt performances. Julie Christie’s fine portrayal of Lara and Omar Sharif’s indelible performance as the young doctor brought the story together to make the film one of the finest I have watched. I felt the pain and the anguish when Yuri Zhivago deserted the partisans and walked back home, tired and bewildered, through a Siberian snowstorm.  Much of the film was made in Spain. Some of the scenes of the Siberian winter were done in Finland and Canada. The loneliness and the sweeping Siberian storms in the vast expanse of the inhospitable Varykino are so beautifully shown in the film. There are clips of the pre-revolution gaiety and the grandeur of the palaces of the rich and the hopelessness and the despair of the poor in Moscow. These extreme images of inequality help us to compare this with the harshness of what was to follow. This does grab the true spirit of the time so perfectly. Dr Zhivago is a masterful motion picture that captures the lives of a few families caught up in the revolution. It does so perfectly in such intimate and harrowing detail. 

The melodic Lara’s theme that is played all through the film, on and off, was composed by Maurice Jarre. Due to time constraints, David Lean gave him 10 weeks to compose the music. Jarre spent a weekend in the mountains above Los Angeles, where he found the inspiration for the music. He included a Balalaika to give the melody an authentic Russian feel. The music of Lara’s theme has a certain timeless quality. It has something inherently powerful that draws me to it. The melody digs deep into my consciousness and becomes part of me. Hence the theme remains one of my special favourites. The music expresses so completely and brilliantly the vast romanticism of the story. Even now, when I hear the melody, It takes me back to the film and the desolate icy wilderness of Siberia, the beautiful snow-capped Ural Mountains and Yuri and Lara’s final moments in Varykino. 

 The sadness of the civil war in Russia was a hundred years ago, and the conflict and the suffering of the people is hopefully at an end. The film and the music together make for a motion picture that can truly class itself as epic and a classic. It is a film who’s like we will not see again. Incidentally, Paul Francis Webster wrote the lyrics to Lara’s theme in 1966 and has been popular ever since. 

Dr Zhivago is not a film made to evaluate Czarist Russia and Communism. It is merely a story of those caught up in the complexities of the colossal impact of the revolution. The film starts and ends with Alec Guinness as Yevgraf Zhivago, Yuri’s stepbrother. He wanted to seek out the daughter of Yuri and Lara. When questioned by Yevgraf, the girl, Tanya Komarova, refused to answer. But he discovered that she was a musician and played the Balalaika. It is then he makes the enigmatic final statement of the film. “It’s a gift”. Yuri’s mother was a fine musician and played the Balalaika. 

Boris Pasternak continued to write prose and poetry until the very end of his life. He died of lung cancer in May 1960. Although the regime kept the news low-key, many thousands who admired his work attended the funeral. He is revered like the great Russian writers Pushkin, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. At his funeral, despite the presence of the KGB and officials, a young voice recited Boris Pasternak’s banned poem called “Hamlet”. The coffin was lowered amidst cheers and the tolling of church bells. To this day Pasternak’s grave remains a shrine for the Soviet dissident movement.

Singlish and its fascination. Mahendra Gonsalkorale

Singlish and its fascination

Mahendra “Speedy” Gonsalkorale

It is hard to believe that 60 years have passed with indecent hurry since we entered that seat of learning and education, the Faculty of Medicine, in what was then Ceylon, The change from Ceylon to Sri Lanka is an illustration of how language evolves. Everything evolves, and language is no exception. It is not just proper nouns but ordinary nouns, adjectives, and verbs as well. There are many ways in which new words are added to any language. They may be invented; or formed by joining existing words, but the commonest method is through the adoption of words from other languages. The English language is full of words derived from French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and the languages of the sub-continent. Singlish is used to describe the unique language used in Sri Lankan circles. It is the quite quaint and inventive introduction of words and expressions derived from Sinhalese and Tamil mainly, to the English spoken by Sri Lankans. Singlish is particularly engaging in the way English words are pronounced and in some instances, the formation of a new word with both English and Sinhalese roots. Language is more than the transmission of knowledge; it is deeply rooted in culture. 

I was tempted to write this article after I had an interesting exchange with Srianee (Bunter to most of you!) when we discussed Shehan Karunatilake’s Booker Prize-winning “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida”. Shehan makes liberal use of Ceylonisms such as aiyo, aney, no, what to do, ponnaya, kolla, lokka ,suddha, yako, chik, nakath, preta, mara poet, and even “hutto”!(p163), talking cock, pittu, “I know” I know men”. Bloody nonsense men”.  Shehan’s book is well worth reading as a literary masterpiece. Still, it is even more appealing to us Sri Lankans for observations such as on page 4 when he says, “Sri Lankans can’t queue. Unless you define a queue as an amorphous curve with multiple entry points.” 

This rekindled my latent interest in this area and I began to read the book “Trials and Transition- in the Island in the Sun” by one of Sri Lanka’s greatest satirical humourists, the journalist Tarzie Vittachi, better known as Flybynight. We are old enough (and young enough!) to remember him. His articles were enhanced with brilliant comic illustrations by the famous Aubrey Collette. The book I refer to was published in 1962, coincidentally our year of entry! I am grateful to Sarath Perera who lent me his copy.

Tarzie Vitattachi has written many other books, including Emergency 58 Ceylon, which won him the Magsaysay Prize in 1959, The Brown Sahib and The Fall of Sukarno. His newspaper columns included  "Bouquets and Brickbats" and "Fly by Night" in the Ceylon Daily News. He was the youngest Editor (32 yrs.) of the oldest Newspaper in Asia, The Ceylon Observer. He was only 72 years when he died in 1993. If you like to know more about his illustrious career, please access Wikipedia. His prose is full of humour, satire, metaphors, and clever manipulation of words. His style reminds me so much of P.G. Wodehouse, and I strongly suspect that he was influenced by him. 

I like to quote directly from his book, and I hope I can tempt you to read his books and give some thought to any medical words that have crept into Singlish. 

Mothers have for generations prayed for “Ruva athi duwek ho kata athi puthek”. 

Sir John arrived at a funeral with only one bodyguard. “As the ancient Sinhalese philosophers put it: What to do child, napuru kalata”. 

“Myeee, child, I was at St Bridget’s with Sirima”. “Sirima who?”  She did not know anyone with that sort of godayatik name. “Sirima child, Sirima Bandaranaike”. “Anney yes, why didn’t you say so”. “She had some nice qualities about her, no?”. “Ye-e-s child”. 

The Yeighty Club and the As-As-Cee.

A conversation goes like this- “Banda is a brilliant speaker, both in English and Sinhalese”

“Yes, he is ambidextrous”. 

Doctors who had found no good in Banda’s administration of the Health Ministry, and said so volubly at meetings of the GMOA, were now tripping over their own stethoscopes in their efforts to assure him of their everlasting loyalty and confidence in him as Prime Minister. 

Tarzie Vittachi on the assimilation of Sinhalese words into English. 

“There are several Sinhalese words that have become an integral part of the English Idiom used in Ceylon. There are also English words and phrases which are given a distinct Sinhalese flavour and used most effectively in conversation. There are also English words pronounced in such a distinctly Sinhalese way that they acquire a new force and meaning when used by Ceylonese. 

In my opinion Ceylonisms in English have reinvigorated and reinforced the English language used in Ceylon in much the same way and with much the same effect as Americanisms have enriched the English language used in America. 

It is useless trying to teach Ceylonese to talk English English; remember the schoolboy who had been taught that the past participle of put was not putten. One day he took a peep into his neighbour’s exercise book and exclaimed, “Sir, Sir, Sir, here this boy has put putten where he should have putten put!” 

The fly by night investigation bureau has combined a glossary of Ceylonisms. 

patas means without delay

putting parts means playing up.

Pul (rhymes with Gull)  means poor, uninteresting.

Hoo-ha  means trouble noise fuss.

Koloppan means big trouble

Thoopi (hat) means hat but it means also disaster.

Gori is a catastrophe

Gundu is a fast one a trick

jus’ be means mind your own business

putting a break is the same as putting a tuck , meal break.

Prada means low grade dull.

Galtic means a hard nut to crack type. 

Catch a proctor is mean that in Ceylon, you never retain a proctor but you always catch a proctor and put a case . (Put is used so much in Sri Lanka – put a party, put a word etc)

Suskala means at once

Abbott is a singlish gem of recent manufacture. Derived from Ayah, became ayah-bit (or piece of Ayah) which became a-bit which has now become abbot.

Godayatick means a person who is unfashionable not westernised, rural

Gintu means verve, spirit, guts; strength; rollicking. 

Shape a delightful Singlish word meaning adjust or arrange. For example the bus conductors tells the lady who was occupying a seat in which he wants to pack another passenger “Nona tikak shape vela vaadi wenna”-  lady can you change your shape to accommodate another on that seat. (Note: These days “shape” also means to arrange or get something – mama eka shape karranang) usually as a favour.

Bandaka speed means very fast and smooth. 

Tarzie Vittachi is a great fan of Shakespeare (and English literature in general). If you read the book, you will be amused by his contention that William Shakespeare is really a Ceylonese by the name of Villiong Shakesper-r-ra from Galle. “Of course, our brothers in the North said that he is actually Shakesperiyanayagam and the Muslims swore that he was in fact Vilcassim Sheikh Sufeer! 

This is just a sample and I look forward to more from you, the Readers.

The Aftermath By Dr Nihal D. Amerasekera

The Aftermath

 By Dr Nihal D. Amerasekera 

I remember so clearly the mingled excitement and joy on our first day of independence from British rule. This period heralding freedom and uncertainty will always stay in my mind. The 4^th of February is a very special day and has remained so since. This narrative is not a thesis or treatise on the political and economic changes since independence. It is merely a reflection on how the changes affected and touched my life and the lives of others in the years that followed. 

As the dust settled from the tragedies of WWII, the wind of change swept across the Indian subcontinent with the surge of national consciousness. With the clamour for freedom, the British withdrew from Ceylon.  On the 4^th of February 1948, the administration and the flag changed overnight.  It is acknowledged by historians that the authority was transferred by the British democratically, constitutionally and peacefully. Our armed forces marched gallantly on the Galle Face Green in full view of the elegant and dignified old Parliament building that housed the Legislative Council.  We now had our freedom, and our destiny was in our hands. The National Anthem of Sri Lanka which generates so much emotion, passion and patriotism, was first performed exactly a year later in the Independence Memorial Hall at Torrington Square.

Looking back the transition post-independence was never easy or seamless.  Some of the changes to the constitution and the later Acts of Parliament were not for the benefit and welfare of all Sri Lankans. The Sinhala only act of 1956 had a lasting impact on the country and the lives of every citizen. The violence and the war that ensued caused loss of lives, great hardship and mass migration. 

I grew up through the dying embers of colonial Ceylon.  There began an interminable conflict between British values and post-independent nationalism. Meanwhile, the schools in the big cities encouraged us to maintain British ways. In many affluent homes, English remained the spoken language. British culture, manners and mannerisms were well entrenched in Ceylonese society. Some of it changed slowly and others never. Still at school, we were discouraged from speaking in Sinhala or Tamil. “Godaya” was a term reviled by all.  The word “Swabasha” was used as a derogatory expression.   

The British colonization of Ceylon was mainly for reasons economic, political and religious. They introduced their own social structure and aristocracy, to help in their administration. This social hierarchy was added to our own class and caste system.  These hereditary titles and privileges prevailed all through the British period. After independence, the aristocracy declined, but slowly. Even now a few families dominate the political parties and a few parties dominate the political arena. This created several ruling political dynasties. The class culture declined haltingly. However, with every general election, the voice of the people began to be heard with ever-increasing force until the emergence of the age of the common man. Many welcomed the triumph of meritocracy, but they were less enthusiastic to accept the power of the people.  

Up until our country’s independence, University education and studies in medicine and law were for the privileged classes. The professionals were educated in the top schools and came mostly from the upper echelons of Ceylonese society. In 1948 the cultural transformation began and when I joined the Medical Faculty in 1962 it was at the tail-end of this remarkable era.  In our batch, we had the rich and the poor and the many in between.  There were those from different ethnic and social classes.  Although I would like to think elitism didn’t exist in Medical College of our time, the cliques and exclusive parties of a privileged few would say otherwise. That was the way society had turned us out. We often rose above those differences.  What age has taught me over the years is that we are all different. But it is important we are equal.  

My generation grew up with these rapidly changing cultural attitudes and beliefs, and I, too was caught up in the transition. Sometimes we felt stranded in ‘no man’s land’.  The Colombo schools hung on to British values a lot longer.  English classical and popular music remained in their curriculum.  So did ballet and English drama at the expense of our own.  In many ways, we were fortunate to get the best of both worlds. It seems we were better prepared for life.  English is a universal language, and our early exposure to this at home and at school made our professional lives so much easier.  

 There was a resurgence of local songs, dances and drama, which gradually gained popularity after independence.  Those lost arts took a lot longer to be revived. We must be grateful to those village schools that maintained Sinhala and Tamil traditions and preserved the arts for posterity.  After independence, the wide gap that existed between the schools of the big cities and villages narrowed considerably. Television and the digital age have brought knowledge far closer to everyone. We must retain our national identity and values whilst accepting what is good and wholesome from the rest of the world.  

During the post-independence surge of nationalism, I was living and schooling in Colombo. One that I remember so clearly was the change in street names. The British names changed overnight into local names.  I recall being confused and disorientated by this rapid switch. These names had some historical context which was lost forever. Some of the changes were most welcome, like Victoria Park to Vihara Maha Devi Park. The cost was borne by our sagging economy. As a new nation, we got our culture and dignity back by changing the country’s name from Ceylon to the Republic of Sri Lanka, in 1972. While remaining a democracy, in 1978, we acquired a Presidential system modelled on France.  Ceding power to a single person could be a recipe for disaster. Instead, we should have enshrined the fine French motto in our constitution of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, to live by those laudable principles. 

The British ruled us since 1815 and managed Ceylon as they did their own. Honesty and dignity in public life was expected. Respect for law and order was sacrosanct. Any deviation from the straight and narrow was stamped on hard and fast. The independence of the judiciary was guaranteed by the State. Judges were free to exercise their judicial powers without political interference. Nepotism, bribery and corruption have been the bane of politics and public life in Sri Lanka since independence. Now they seem to have entered every aspect of public life. Sadly, I watch with growing incredulity that people take this behaviour to be the acceptable norm. Bribery and corruption cause immense hardship to the many whilst enriching a few. Transparency in governance is important and promotes accountability. Our colonial rulers, with our own politicians, established a welfare state. Although now fraying at the edges this was a remarkable achievement. We have a fine health service to serve the hopes and expectations of the people. The provision of free education gave the poor and the village folk upward mobility for a better life. 

The economic downturn began in the mid-1950s.  We have been teetering on edge ever since until the current crisis. As a teenager in the 1950’s I well remember the political mess and the endless workers’ strikes which didn’t help our economy. Successive governments tried to get to grips with the finances by imposing draconian import restrictions with limited success. Two insurgencies and a long ethnic war were a serious drain on our meagre resources. As an undergraduate and thereafter working in the health service, I experienced the endless problems that ensued. It was a surreal existence. Many who were skilled and educated could not find employment. Although expectations differ, everyone wants and deserves a good life. The 1950’ and 60’s saw the mass exodus of the Burgher population. They were a wonderful asset to our country and provided an extra dimension to life in Sri Lanka. Like many of us lost all hope and belief this situation would ever end. This, together with our youthful impatience, what resulted was a massive brain drain of the country’s intelligentsia. 

Politics is the process of deciding who will have the power to make the decisions that affect us all. People hate those who pollute, cheapen and abuse this process. Politicians cannot please all of people all of the time. But reneged promises and unkept pledges become the ones that people love to hate. We expect honesty and transparency from politicians.  Politics and politicians veil enormous power and prestige all around the world. It is a noble profession stained by dishonesty, greed and corruption. Governments cannot function without them.  The murky politics of the developing world is an enormous hindrance to progress and providing a better life for its people. When our neighbouring countries have surged forwards, we have remained stagnant. We cannot maintain this status quo.  Something must change and soon. In a democracy like ours the people get the politicians they elect, for better or for worse. I wish political science is a compulsory subject in all schools. This will educate the would-be politicians of their duties and commitment and enlighten the would-be voters of their needs and obligations. 

The country has endured tremendous hardships since independence but nothing as severe as the current crisis. For many their lives have been a remorseless grind. History will expose the truth about people's power, which has been neglected by the leaders who ruled our country. Sri Lankans are an intelligent people with a high literacy rate. We have the resilience and the flexibility to survive adversity and misfortune. We have come through tough times but have much further to go.  We now recognize conflict and fear and the consequences of poor monetary policies and bad economic planning.  I hope we have learnt from the mistakes of the past.  Respect for law and order and honoring the tenets of democracy will enhance our reputation as a nation to receive the assistance we need.  The premise that we are all equal, whatever the ethnicity or religion is important. We must all unite and work together for our future peace and prosperity

Identity and self-image - teachers and students in our days. Mahendra Gonsalkorale

Identity and self-image - teachers and students in our days

Mahendra "Speedy" Gonsalkorale

Philosophers and religions debate whether or not a self exists. Is there a soul which persists after death in the afterlife? Plato firmly believed in the self, formed through the acquisition of knowledge while Aristotle believed in an eternal soul which formed the basis of self. The Buddhist philosophy does not accept a permanent soul and refers to a stream of consciousness which manifests as body-mind entities through many lives. The question, "Does the death of a person result in the birth of another?" remains unanswered. It is quite ironic that a lot of self-deniers spend a lot of time telling their not-existent selves that there is no self and follow courses and seminars on how they should not worry about self as self does not exist. Who knows? I don’t.

Most humans, by nature, have a sense of self. The little infant looks at himself one day and sees that he has a separate body and that others around him also recognise him as a separate entity and then the realisation, “it is Me, it is I!” dawns. A sense of self and identity are interwoven. A sense of self often gives rise to a strong desire to project an image of the right kind to others around you. This is more than physical, although the physical aspect is of great importance (traditionally to women, although men are not excluded). The desire to be seen variously as attractive, intelligent, powerful, creative, influential, charismatic, talented, and to be loved, admired, feared, and respected are all aspects of self-image. The quickest way into someone’s heart is to say how wonderful he/she is, and the fastest way to be excluded is to say how awful they are! Of one admired by somebody but hated by most, it is often heard said by this somebody who loves the unloved one, “He/she is not such a bad person after all as he/she really likes me” (He likes me, that is what matters!). We spend a lot of time and energy pushing our identity as we wish it to be seen, and it can vary according to the time and situation, i.e., context. The tyrannical teacher in the Ward, who appears to have forgotten how to smile, is all sweet and honey at the party he gives at the end of the “sig” at his home in the all-important presence of his beautiful wife as she fusses over us. Many of us, whether we like it or not, are like that- we are multiple personalities within an ever-changing body in an ever-changing world.

I now turn to identity and image as applied to some of our teachers in our Faculty days.

One group (typical examples are Path Cooray, Prof Rajasuriya, and Prof Ranasinghe wanted to cast an authoritarian image demanding respect and obedience.

A second group, as personified by Lester Jayawardena, Oliver Pieris, Dr  Lionel, Dr Wijenaike, preferred the image of the knowledgeable and brilliant teacher. They generally also cast an image of friendliness without losing hierarchical respect.

A third group appeared unconcerned with physical aspects such as formal dress (a feature of Group 1) and wore comfortable clothes rather than formal, such as an open shirt without a tie. Persons like Bull Seneviratne, Carlo Fonseka belonged to this group. They were also generally kind and cheerful

Then there was the fourth Group who seemed to hate the job they only did for reasons other than the love of teaching and were content to spit out without being concerned whether the spit landed where it was intended. I leave you to guess who I am thinking of!

Looking at our own Batch, we had the Romeos who were well dressed and well groomed, the gregarious who craved to be liked, wanted and admired, the scholastic who revelled in being recognised as “clever buggers”, the aggressive who walked with a stagger and purveyed his territory and picked fights with competitors, the meek who were always hiding and disappearing, the insecure ones looking for compliments, admirers and anybody willing to be his friend, the studious who had no genuine interest in his colleagues, or for that matter, in any person, probably ending up in a laboratory or morgue.

Among the girls, there were the beautiful who knew they were beautiful and attractive but took great pains to pretend they were not thinking that way and others who didn’t want to pretend and relished the hungry looks of easy prey. Some liked the boys but thought it best not to reveal this, although they sometimes wore very revealing dresses! There were the not-so-attractive who resented the attention given to the attractive and cultivated an air of indifference. Some girls were sadly not gorgeous and pretended that they didn’t care as they came here to be doctors one day, not somebody’s wife, and those who had an overpowering desire to pollute the atmosphere around them with overpowering scents and perfumes which heralded their appearance and lasted long after their disappearance.

But we all liked to be liked, and we all didn't want to be ostracised. The image we wanted to display was affected by these human wants.

And all this was a microcosm of the actual world around us! Long live those memories.

I hope to see lots of comments on my light-hearted essay.