Opinion
Anura Rajapaksa, physician and musician
Anura Rajapaksa hailed from Panadura, born to RME (Rohan) and Nalini Rajapaksa. His was an illustrious family of four brothers – late Anil of Perth, Australia, late Naveen of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Priyan of Auckland New Zealand. His early upbringing was in Panadura where he started his schooling, finishing at Royal College, Colombo.
My friendship with him started at Royal College when we were in classes which included boys belonging to the different communities of then Ceylon. His parents were warm people full of warmth and hospitality. We spent weekends on a tea estate upcountry where his parents had an interest.. Anura’s warmth and friendship was ingrained in his genes!
In our teens we looked forward to the Big Match when ‘old crock’ hearses were rented from a funeral parlors to parade the streets with a ‘papare’ trumpeter whose music was supplemented by Anura who had an accordion and a drum. Vocalists included many our classmates singing with him. Anura was versatile musically and could play any instrument and sing as well.
We entered Medical School in 1963. He was in the organizing committee that resurrected the Block Concert which has been put on hold by the then Dean Prof OER Abhayaratna. Dr Joe Wijaynayagam (now in Canada) would write the play and many of us eagerly participated with stage names that cannot be published.
Anura came to Brooklyn, New York with his friend Ranjan Hulugalle in the summer of 1971. Having been here two years earlier, I picked them up from JFK Airport and broke them into the new cultural norms. They were part of the exodus at the time of the ‘Che Guevara’ JVP upheaval. Trikanthi, quite pregnant, followed him and daughter Roshini was born here in Brooklyn.
Upon completing specialty training, Anura settled in Westchester to practice Internal medicine and Critical Care. Once established, within a short period of time he purchased a home in Scarsdale NY. Being an exceptional physician, he had a great reputation and would treat many Lankan immigrants, rich or poor, who sought his services.
We kept our friendship and our passion to work hard and play hard as well. Our parties ended with a sing song with Anura effortlessly playing the piano. He was an amazing dancer and it was a real treat to watch when he took to the floor with Trika. His culinary talent was also exceptional. At Thanksgiving, Anura would complement the customary Turkey dinner with a roast Leg of Lamb done exquisitely. He was a man of many talents and did anything he put his mind to remarkably well.
The Royal Thomian match attracted many expatriates to return to relive their youth! The culmination of the week was at Ken and Swyrie Balendra’s home where we would have Anura on the accordion to lead a small band with Late Sidath Jayanneti(USA) on drums and vocal accompanists, Late Tissa Wickramasuriya (SL), Para Waran (USA), Sarath Samarasinghe(SL) and Lakshman Kaluaratchi.(SL)
Anura was involved with multiple societies which gave him access to many younger individuals who immigrated later to the US. He was a Past President of the RCOBECA (Royal College OBA East) and Past President of SLAMANA East (Sri Lanka Medical Association Of North America). He championed many charitable endeavors in Sri Lanka during his tenure. He was truly a practicing Buddhist with tolerance to all religions and people.
On a personal level, he was warm-hearted and always interested of the pursuits of the younger generation. He always found time to speak to the next generation with words of encouragement whether they were his friends’ children or those of his patients. A great example is his own daughter Roshini who matriculated at Harvard and went on to Medical School where she serves in the faculty.
I have lost a dear friend, advisor, counselor and talented musician. I will forever cherish our lifetime of wonderful memories and remember all of Anura’s innumerable contributions to my life and the lives of so many. He was truly a remarkable person, and will be forever missed.
Para
Here is what you can do!
Comedy and the ability to have a good laugh are what keep us sane. The good news to announce is that there are many British and American comedy shows posted up and available on the internet.
They will bring a few hours of welcome relief from our present doldrums.
Firstly, and in a class of its own, are the many Benny Hill shows. Benny is a British comedian who comes from a circus family, and was brought up in an atmosphere of circus clowning. Each show is carefully polished and rehearsed to get the comedy across and understood successfully. These clips have the most beautiful stage props and settings with suitable, amusing costumes. This is really good comedy for the mature, older viewer.
Benny Hill has produced shows that are “Master-Class” in quality adult entertainment. All his shows are good.
Then comes the “Not the Nine o’clock news” with Rowan Atkinson and his comedy team producing good entertainment suitable for all.
And then comes the “Two Ronnies” – Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, with their dry sense of humour and wit. Search and you will find other uplifting shows such as Dave Allen, with his monologues and humour.
All these shows have been broadcast in Britain over the last 50 years and are well worth viewing on the Internet.
Similarly, in The USA of America. There are some really great entertainment shows. And never forget Fats Waller in the film “Stormy Weather,” where he was the pianist in the unforgettable, epic, comedy song “Ain’t Misbehavin”. And then there is “Bewitched” with young and glamorous Samantha Stevens and her mother, Endora who can perform magic. It is amazing entertainment! This show, although from the 1970s was a milestone in US light entertainment, along with many more.
And do not overlook Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy, and all the Disney films. Donald Duck gives us a great wealth of simple comedy.
The US offers you a mountain of comedy and good humour on Youtube. All these shows await you, just by accessing the Internet! The internet channel, ‘You tube’ itself, comes from America! The Americans reach out to you with good, happy things right into your own living room!
Those few people with the ability to understand English have the key to a great- great storehouse of uplifting humour and entertainment. They are rich indeed!
Priyantha Hettige
After the recent disaster, a great deal of information has been circulating on WhatsApp and YouTube regarding our reservoirs, highways, etc.
In many of these discussions, people have analysed what went wrong and how the damage could have been prevented. My question is this: why do all these knowledgeable voices emerge only after disaster strikes? One simple reason may be that our self-proclaimed, all-knowing governing messiahs refuse to listen to anyone outside their circles. It is never too late to learn, but has any government decision-maker read or listened to these suggestions?
When the whole world is offering help to overcome this tragedy, has the government even considered seeking modern forecasting equipment and the essential resources currently not available to our armed forces, police, and disaster-management centres?
B Perera
A great deal has been said about Cyclone Ditwah and its impact. To my mind one important aspect of it has not been addressed.
During the 1,400 odd landslides, it washed off a vast volume of soil which entered the various water bodies like tanks, lakes, rivers and streams etc. This process has raised their water levels reducing the water holding capacities (water holding capacity has a different meaning in soil science). What it means is that they cannot hold the same amount of water as before without spilling. Therefore, a precipitation which would not have been significant then can cause spilling of tanks leading to floods now. Hence there is a possibility of experiencing more floods in the future. Due to silting the tanks will carry less water than before, thus reducing the irrigable areas under their command. They will not be able to irrigate the same extents of paddy, thus affecting production.
How do we rectify this situation? It is desilting which can be very expensive.
It is good if these are considered in future planning.
Gamini Peiris
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