Dyan Pathiravithane passes away

Former Ananda College cricketer and vice captain (1964) Dyan Pathiravithane (74) passed away in the early hours of Wednesday after a brief illness and his last rites were performed at the general cemetery Kanatte yesterday.

Dyan played for Ananda when he was only 14 years and was the baby of the side. The crowning glory of his cricket career was when he was selected to play for the Ceylon Schools XI under Anura Tennakoon against the visiting Indian schoolboys in 1964. The Indian team included among others, Mohinder Amaranath and Eknath Solkar who later became top international cricketers. He was also a promising athlete.

After leaving school he played for the NCC in the Sara trophy tournament. Dyan hails from a family of illustrious journalists and sportsmen. His father was S. Pathiravithane, the former editor of the Daily News, The Island and the Sunday Island. Dyan’s uncle was famous Tarzie Vitachchi, the former editor of the Sunday Observer and internationally acclaimed journalist and columnist. The younger brother of his S. R. (Ram) Pathiravithane was the Sports Editor of the Sunday Times and his cousin Nuri Vitachchi is also a leading journalist. In the later years this great sportsman worked as a sub editor for the Ceylon Today and he was also a columnist on cricket.

He was a genial personality who lived by example. Dyan’s elder son, Ravi, a Brigadier in the Army too represented Ananda in cricket and athletics. His younger son Charitha, a Nalandian was also a national schools athlete. Dyan leaves behind his wife Deepa and two sons Ravi and Charitha.