Lalitha. K. Witanachchi, veteran teacher, talented journalist, award winning author

by Dhilmini Palipane

A unique event took place at College House, University of Colombo, a few years ago when seven distinguished Alumni of the University of Ceylon, Colombo, were felicitated for their attainments in their respective fields and for their distinguished service to the country. They were Prof. Carlo Fonseka, Tissa Devendra, Iranganie Serasinghe, Deloraine Brohier, M. Saldin, Dr. C.R. Panabokke and Lalitha K. Witanachchi.

The President and Executive Committee of the Alumni Association, University of Colombo at its 34th Annual General Meeting made a presentation to each of these alumni “in proud recognition of their achievements and contribution to the nation as distinguished alumni of the University of Ceylon, Colombo.”

Of the seven recipients, award winning writer Lalitha Karalliadde Witanachchi was a teacher for 30 years and a journalist of the Daily News for 12 years. She had her education at Hillwood College, Kandy, and entered the University of Ceylon, Colombo, winning the “Geography Exhibition” in December 1945. She received her degree in Geography Special, having obtained a Grade A in her subsidiary subject Economics.

Soon after graduation she joined the staff of Good Shepherd Convent, Nuwara Eliya, teaching English and Geography, besides taking extracurricular activities such as tennis, “Little Friends”, and even acting as Akela for the young scouts as there was no male Scout Master!

After her marriage in 1951 she joined her husband who was a District Land Officer, at Anuradhapura. At that time, this was a station which had no electricity or water service. There were very few graduates serving here, and she was invited by the Director of Education to teach at the Central College, Anuradhapura, which had a dearth of teachers. At first she was reluctant, as she had her first baby to look after, but after much persuasion agreed, in order to help these children from the dry zone who were scholars and hindered due to the lack of English teachers.

Thus from October 1953 she became a devoted teacher, the first graduate teacher of Central College, Anuradhapura, still honoured by her loyal students of the 1950s, who to this day never fail to invite her to their Past Pupils’ Reunion, in gratitude for her unstinted efforts to teach them English, Geography and History, even after school hours. Many of her students entered the University and served the country, among them C. M. Medduma Bandara who became Emeritus Professor and Vice Chancellor of Peradeniya University.

Her husband served in various districts in the country, and she joined him, teaching in different schools in Nuwara Eliya, Anuradhapura, Kalutara, Kurunegala, Kandy and Colombo, finally as a Senior teacher at Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo.

She obtained the Diploma in Education from the University of Peradeniya, and after teaching in Sri Lanka for 30 years she joined the public service of Sokoto State of Nigeria and was appointed Senior Master of English at Haliru Abdu Teachers’ College of Bernin Kebbi. After two years she returned to Sri Lanka and was selected as a journalist on the Features Desk of the Daily News, where she proved to be an excellent writer.

In 1984 she was awarded the First Prize in the Short Story Contest for New Writing by the Linguistics Department of Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, for her short story “The Truth”, based on the happenings of “Black July” of 1983. On a visit to Sydney she was invited to address the prestigious Sri Lanka – Australia Association on her literary activities. In 1992 she won the State English Writing Competition for her Eight Short Stories and in 1993 the Arts Council of Sri Lanka English Writing Competition- awarded her the prize for her short stories for children Rays of Sunshine.

The same year, she was co-winner of the first Gratien Award for her book The Wind Blows over the Hills. She also won the Esmond Wickremasinghe Award for Journalism for her article “My Days at Anuradhapura Central College”, commemorating 50 years of free education in the country.

In 1993 at a unique event held at Bandarawela by the Governor of Uva Province, to honour those born in Uva Province for their achievements in their respective fields, Lalitha Karalliadde who was born in 1927 at Bandarawela, was presented the Uva Erudites Award for being the first woman graduate from Uva.

After retiring from the Lake House Group of Newspapers/Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd, she continued as a freelance journalist. She became a founder member of Sahanaya National Council for Mental Health, and was a Secretary of the Working Girls’ Hostel of the National Foundation of the Freedom from Hunger Society.

She also taught English at Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) to senior Government Servants as well as to the orphans at the Sri Lankadara Society, Wellawatte. She began teaching Buddhism in English for children studying in internationals schools, at the Dhatumalu Temple, Kohuwela, headed by Rev. Pitigala Sonuththara Thero. She taught English to the young monks in the temple as well, including Rev. Soratha Thera, now a senior monk of Jetavanarama Temple in Birmingham, UK, and to Tumpalata Dharmaratne Thero who was studying at Vidyodaya, entered Sorbonne and is now at a temple in Paris.

She is also an active member of the Past Pupils’ Association of her old school Hillwood College, and a welcome guest of the Anuradhapura Central College Past Pupils’ Association and the Visakha Vidyalaya Past Teachers Association.

On July 30th, 2011 she received the Kala Bhooshana State Award. On June 30th, 2016 she was one of the seven recipients of the special awards given by the Alumni Association of the University of Colombo, “in proud recognition of their achievements and contribution to the nation as distinguished alumni of the University of Ceylon, Colombo.”

I watched with pride and joy as this beautiful, noble, gracious lady of 89 years was bestowed this honour by the University which she entered at the age of 18, for the special reason that she is my grandmother. She met her husband Douglas Witanachchi, my grandfather, at the University. My late grandfather and my mother Neelanjani and I are also alumni of the University of Colombo.

Our hearts are full of affection, gratitude, appreciation and honour for her as she has been a devoted wife, and is a caring mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, who has led a good and responsible life in dignity, intellectually alert and of service to others. She now spends her time in true retirement, managing her own affairs, visiting her children overseas, reading, and playing Scrabble with my mother, working crossword puzzles and solving Sudoku, and above all studying the Majjima Nikaya and the Samyutta Nikaya translated by Bhikku Bodhi, which she says “will lead her to the unique path of spiritual emancipation.”

(This article was first published in this newspaper in ept. 2016. Mrs. Witanachchi passed away at age 95 on Sept. 26)