Carlo Fonseka, true son of the soil

By Rohan Mathes

Born on 4th March 1933, to land-owning wealthy parents, in the village of Ballapana, Divulapitiya,the late Carlo Cashmier Fonseka had his early and secondary education at Maris Stella College, Negombo and later at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo. From his childhood, Carlo had demonstrated his unique skills and excelled not only in his classroom studies but also extra-curricular activities such as music, drama, oratory, sports, arts and aesthetics.

He entered the Colombo medical faculty in 1956 while he was a youth of 22 years. With his exposure to people of all walks of life and comparatively an intellectual society, therein, he blossomed into a creative, free and an independent thinker, realist and a profound socialist of the highest calibre.

He was then not solely a medical doctor but an ardent supporter of Marxism, Socialism, Materialism and Rationalism et al and even laid the foundation for his very own Carloism. He soon became a prolific campaigner against all forms of religious, cultural and socio-ethnic mythical beliefs and practices of the day, such as traditional and popular fire-walking which he openly and fearlessly challenged and opined that divine power was superfluous for it. After much controversy and hair-splitting arguments in the media and the society at large, on the said subject, he finally emerged victorious. He was a firm believer of the Kalaama Suthra preached by the Gauthama Buddha and strived his best to practice, propagate and uphold it during his lifetime.

He climbed up his illustrious career ladder, from medical student to lecturer and later, Dean of the Ragama Medical Faculty. He had been a keen student and follower of that renowned humanist and Socialist Professor Senaka Bibile, to whom he had later rendered his fullest support to implement his reforms in the Pharmaceutical trade that was earlier exploiting the masses with their unfair pricing of drugs. Albeit Dr. Carlo was at the helm of his profession as a Doctor, and had the option of transforming it to a very lucrative career, he, true to his words took up the hard path towards charity and treated his patients free of charge , a unique and scarce attribute.

He steadfastly maintained his stance on the SAITM issue in which he in his wisdom, perceived that the medical degree awarded by it was not worthy of SLMC recognition and registration.

The late Carlo Fonseka had amply demonstrated his aesthetic and literary skills together with his comrades, notably Tissa Abeysekera, in the film “Viragaya”, to name just one from an array, to his credit.

The late Professor Fonseka strived hard to bring about a paradigm shift in society for its betterment, sans any form of racial, communal and religious strife or hatred. Nevertheless, it proved to be an arduous task for him, in a society as ours, where racial, religious and ethnic discord and tension prevails and fraud, nepotism, corruption, gender inequality, unfounded, unscientific mythical beliefs and a culture of impunity et al reigns in our resplendent land.

Carlo was undoubtedly a humanist, a caring and loving husband and a father and a gentleman par excellence. Nevertheless, he held his own unique views and opposed some established standard norms of the society, which may have aroused concern among some.

Until his demise at the ripe old age of 86 years, on September 02 2019, he had been the pioneer and in the forefront of the Sri Lanka Rationalist Movement and been a tower of strength in all its affairs and activities. To demonstrate our heartfelt gratitude towards his yeoman service rendered to the Rationalist fraternity, the Rationalist Association has reserved the “Chair”, for him, at an event on September 20 2020. However, this seat remained vacant and this vacancy will continue for evermore.

He bade farewell to all of us, unseen and unsung, sans any formal or informal rituals practiced at a funeral. His mortal remains were handed over to the Ragama Medical Faculty for research instead. Therefore, his closest kith and kin, all his associates, including students, comrades and followers of a lifetime were deprived of paying their last respects to him.

Nonetheless, Carlo Fonseka was a renowned intellectual, an erudite sholar and an eloquent speaker, a university Don, a dynamic social activist, an artiste, a lyricist, politician and above all, a profound humanist who had carved a formidable void that has resulted in an irreversible loss to all who knew him, especially in an era and an environment where such an epitome of reform, was badly needed. He will live in our hearts perpetually. Adios, sweet prince Carlo.