News

Morbid musings of an octogenarian

Published

11 months ago

2025/01/12

Thilina Walpola

Royal College

by Vijaya Chandrasoma

When most human beings pass the Best By date, when they overstay their welcome on this planet, when their miserable lives, with all the aches, pains and near-unbearable conditions are kept tolerable with the miracles of modern medications, they generally fantasize about the lives they have led.

We have all heard of the old theory that, at the moment of your death, your whole life flashes before your eyes. Many of us cynical non-believers have dismissed this theory as just another fantasy, like all those creations of imagination surrounding near and after death experiences. But I was surprised the other day while reading an article on a paper called “Time, Story, and Wisdom: Emerging Themes in Narrative Gerontology”, published in 2006, by William Randall and Gary Kenyon, which gives a fresh insight into “the inside” of aging. A central perception that human beings are “narrative beings”.

This omnipresent “narratization”, even post mortem, was discovered when an 87-year-old epileptic was rushed to an emergency room after a fall in 2016, bleeding in his skull. During an EEG (Electroencephalogram), the man had a heart attack and died. “What happened next is what’s eye-popping. The scan found that the man’s brain seemed to replay memories in the 30 seconds before and after his heart stopped beating”.

Some scientists believe that the brain might continue to be subliminally active for some time – even up to seven minutes – after death, which may be the time when you relive your memories, and find a way to bid a final farewell to the world you knew and to those you loved – and perhaps even give a final middle finger to those you hated. “Or maybe it’s a process of the brain rewinding itself, revisiting the information it has accumulated in a lifetime”.

The study concludes with the importance of creating a unifying narrative of your existence, as “it may be the last thing we do when we’re alive – and even the first thing we do after we are dead”.

At my age, I tend to read up on such morbid studies, knowing full well that my Best By time is long past. In fact, I was kept alive by the aforementioned miracles of modern medication, and more importantly, by filial intervention, when I should have cashed in my chips a couple of years ago. I have since forgiven my son for prolonging this miserable existence with his constant care and attention. I believe I reached rock bottom of humiliation the other day when I visited the clinic at the local hospital. The clinic was, as usual, full, standing room only. A kindly old lady, 70-years-old if a day, grey haired, toothless, saw me, got up and said, “Aiyo, Uncle, you look very tired, please take my seat”! it sounded infinitely more pathetic in Sinhala.

Instead of such suffering such constant and shameful blows to my ancient but still vibrant ego, I could have been enjoying at least one of those glorious after-death experiences offered by the many great religions, be it savoring a single malt manna in a variety of heavens in the skies, being reborn as a scion of one of the great modern political dynasties like the Trumps or the Rajapaksas – anywhere but the paradise offering a “reward” of 72 virgins; that is my idea of the other place.

I am, of course, assuming that I will be duly rewarded for the exemplary life I have led in my long existence on this planet. This version may be questioned, even laughed at in disbelief by many, but I am sticking to my story. As I said, many of those who know the real truth are safely dead. Dead men – and women – tell no tales.

As recommended by the above study, I have been putting some order and embellishments into my past experiences, so that when my time comes and my life flashes before my eyes, and in the seven minutes after I die, they will flash in some organized structure; in a manner that is entirely my version and complimentary to me. After all, it is my brain, and no one else should have any control of my version of my past in the last moments of my life.

I had a pretty normal childhood, being fortunate enough to be born into an elite Sri Lankan family. My father was a Civil Servant, and after he completed his stint of duties in the outstations and qualified for an administrative job in Colombo, we settled in the environs of Royal College, where my mother owned a house. My father was an old boy of many Colombo schools (Wesley, Nalanda and Ananda) after his excellent primary education in the village school in Hikkaduwa.

He would have preferred that his sons attend his final alma mater, Ananda College, where he had been an outstanding student. However my mother, ever the snob, gave the excuse of proximity and persuaded my father to send us to Royal. As usual, she got her way, but with the grace that made my father believe that the decision was his, a subtly domineering quality that many Sri Lankan ladies possess.

I loved my years at Royal, enjoying wisdom of its secular system of education and the dedication of an array of brilliant teachers who equipped us with an academic background in the English medium that was second to none – globally.

In fact, I would like to share a story about my younger brother to prove this point. His schooling at Royal was interrupted at a very young age, when my father was on assignment with his employers in London. He spent a few months in a primary school in Highgate, North London. When it was time for him to return to Ceylon (as our nation was then known), the headmaster of the Highgate school visited our home, and tried to prevail upon my father to let him continue his studies in England, rather than return to the primitive backwoods of the colonies. He said my brother had showed great academic promise in the few months he spent in the Highgate school, and his potential would be best served if he continued his academic career in England.

I guess his idea of a school in Ceylon was a mud hut with students seated on the ground and the teachers chattering native gibberish. My father politely refused this kind offer with a smile of sardonic condescension, the expression he constantly wore throughout his long life, the expression that is permanently etched in my memory.

My brother returned to Ceylon and had an outstanding academic career at Royal and at the Colombo Medical College. After teaching Pathology at the Medical College for a couple of years, he went on to emigrate to the United States of America, where he has been, for decades, the Professor of the Faculty of Medical Pathology at the University of Southern California, one of the finest private universities in the nation, if not the world. All this was the “icing on the cake, baked at home” at Royal, as referred to by the late, great Lakshman Kadirgamar.

My brother was also a non-smoker, teetotaler, never gambled in his life (except, on one occasion, when he, a lifelong Republican, backed Mitt Romney for the US presidency in 2012, to defeat incumbent President Barack Obama, against my advice) and married the first attractive woman he met. My father used to introduce him to his friends as the black sheep of the family.

My career at Royal was above average at best, though I had my moments. I was reasonably proficient in schoolwork, and went through a truncated academic career with some success. I tried my hand at every sport available in College, except for Rugby, because I have a terrible fear of physical abuse. I showed more enthusiasm than skill in the other sports I played, cricket, tennis, rowing, athletics. I think the only way to describe my prowess in sports was that I was mediocre in my versatility – or perhaps a better description would be that I was versatile in my mediocrity.

Apart from a world-class education that Royal provided, I made many lifelong friends, many of whom remain my closest friends today. A vast majority of my schoolmates have sadly left this mortal coil, hopefully to greener pastures. Many in my group made outstanding achievements in politics, commerce, academia and other careers of their choosing, which added to the already distinguished reputation of the Old School.

I was only a part of this illustrious group by association, having achieved no distinctions of my own in any sphere. However, I hope to out-achieve them by outliving them all – out of the 100 boys who gained admittance to Royal in 1952, I believe only about 20 are still alive. The odds are getting better by the month. I’m joking, of course. I wish all my schoolmates long, happy and healthy lives. Just not longer, happier and healthier than mine.

My school career at Royal was cut short, when my father accepted the aforementioned assignment with his employers in England. Space and discretion prevent me from listing the extraordinary means – the demon drink, slow horses and fast women would be the favored trifecta – which prevented me from reaching my full potential in every aspect of my life, be it my university, marriage or career. Suffice to say that I couldn’t have disappointed my parents, and myself, more.

So I will conclude this rather narcissistic narrative, which is the one I hope will flash before my eyes when the time comes, with the consolation of an ancient adage of the sport which has given me great pleasure over the years – horse racing:

“The test of a true thoroughbred is not to run fast, but to transmit the genes”. I may not have run fast, and may have run in hedonistic circles, but I have successfully transmitted my genes, in no small measure. Dumb luck and coincidence, maybe, but isn’t that what life really is all about?

All News Advertisement

Latest News

Landslide early warnings in force in the Districts of Badulla, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura

Published

6 hours ago

2025/12/14

Priyan

The Landslide Early Warning Center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued landslide early warnings to the Districts of Badulla, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matale, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura valid until 1600hrs on 14th December 2025.

Accordingly,
LEVEL III RED warnings are in force in the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Ududumbara, Medadumbara, Ganga Ihala Korale, Pathadumbara, Panvila, Udapalatha, Doluwa, Deltota and Minipe in the Kandy district, and Rideegama in the Kurunegala district.

LEVEL II AMBER warnings are in force in the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Uva Paranagama, Passara, Welimada, Haputhale, Lunugala, Soranathota, Ella, Kandeketiya, Bandarawela, Meegahakivula, Badulla, Hali_Ela and Haldummulla in the Badulla district, Harispattuwa, Pathahewaheta, Thumpane, Udunuwara, Poojapitiya, Hatharaliyadda, Gangawata Korale, Yatinuwara, Kundasale, Akurana and Pasbage Korale in the Kandy district, Rambukkana, Yatiyanthota, Aranayaka, Kegalle, Bulathkohupitiya, Mawanella, Warakapola and Galigamuwa in the Kegalle district, Polgahawela, Mallawapitiya, Alawwa and Mawathagama in the Kurunegala district, Ukuwela, Naula, Wilgamuwa, Matale, Laggala Pallegama, Rattota, Ambanganga Korale, Yatawatta and Pallepola in the Matale district, Walapane, Hanguranketha, Nuwara Eliya, Kothmale East, Mathurata, Nildandahinna, Thalawakele, Norwood, Kothmale West and Ambagamuwa Korale in the Nuwara Eliya district, and Kahawaththa, Kolonna and Godakawela in the Ratnapura district.

LEVEL I YELLOW warnings are in force in the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Dehiowita, Deraniyagala and Ruwanwella in the Kegalle district, and Kalawana, Kuruwita, Elapatha, Ayagama, Kiriella, Balangoda, Openayake, Imbulpe, Ratnapura, Kaltota, Eheliyagoda, Pelmadulla and Nivithigala in the Ratnapura district.

News

The rights of the fishing community will never be compromised – President

Published

7 hours ago

2025/12/14

Priyan

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake affirmed that the Government will never allow the violation of the rights of the fishing community, emphasizing the State’s firm commitment to protecting both land resources and the coastline.

The President also stated that the Government will address the challenges faced by fishing communities across the country through discussion and constructive engagement, ensuring sustainable solutions while safeguarding livelihoods.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made these remarks while attending a Special District Coordination Committee Meeting held on Saturday (13) afternoon at the Mannar District Secretariat, convened to review on-going efforts to restore normalcy to public life and rehabilitate infrastructure in the Mannar District following the recent disaster.

Highlighting the urgent need for a permanent solution to flooding in the Mannar District, the President instructed officials to proceed with the proposed flood control project after conducting comprehensive studies to ensure its long-term effectiveness.

Special attention was drawn to the severe impact of the disaster on the fishing sector. It was revealed that approximately 12,000 fishermen are currently unable to engage in fishing activities due to flooding and adverse weather conditions.

The President directed that dry ration packs be provided for one week to fishing families who, although not directly affected by floods, have lost their livelihoods due to unfavourable weather conditions.

Additionally, discussions were held on engaging with the Chinese Embassy to distribute a stock of fishing gear donated by the Government of China to fishermen affected by the disaster.

Attention was also focused on illegal land encroachments within the water catchment area of the Yodha Wewa Sanctuary. The President instructed that strict legal action be taken against individuals obstructing the placement of boundary markers around the reservoir.

It was reported that 70 families in the Mannar District have lost their homes due to the disaster. Discussions were held on rebuilding these houses and identifying suitable land for resettlement. A committee will be appointed to identify the required land within the next two weeks.

The meeting also addressed the expansion of facilities at Mannar Base Hospital and other hospitals, along with restoring health services and normalizing educational activities in the district.

The President further instructed that the Rs. 15,000 assistance provided by the Treasury for schoolchildren be disbursed promptly through Divisional Secretaries, based on recommendations from Grama Niladhari officers.

Extensive discussions were also held on reconstruction of damaged roads and bridges, restoration of water and electricity supply, rehabilitation of irrigation systems, compensation for losses in agriculture and livestock sectors and supporting affected communities to restart their livelihoods without delay

The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Cooperative Development and Chairman of the Vanni District Coordination Committee Upali Samarasinghe, Northern Province Governor N. Vethanayahan, Members of Parliament S. Thilaganathan, M. Jegatheeswaran, T. Ravikaran, Sathiyalingam, Selvam Adaikkalanathan, Kader Mastan and Rishad Bathiudeen, along with other government and opposition parliamentarians.

Also present were the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Northern Province Chief Secretary D. Murugesan, Mannar District Secretary K. Kanageswaran, senior government officials, and representatives of the security forces.

Latest News

Prioritize rebuilding the livelihoods of disaster-affected communities – President

Published

7 hours ago

2025/12/14

Priyan

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to give top priority to restoring the livelihoods of communities affected by the disaster. He emphasized the need to expedite compensation payments for damages and to take immediate measures to revive the agriculture, fisheries and industrial sectors.

The President further directed that all compensation payments for crop damage be completed before December 25.

These instructions were issued during a special District Coordinating Committee meeting held on Saturday (13) morning at the Puttalam District Secretariat.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake described the recent cyclone as one of the largest disasters the entire country has faced in recent times. He commended the dedicated efforts of the tri-forces, Police and public officials in restoring the lives of affected communities. The President noted that, thanks to their commitment, a significant portion of essential infrastructure including electricity, water supply and roads has already been rehabilitated.

He further emphasized that the Government’s ability to provide such substantial compensation to disaster-affected communities is the result of the strong fiscal discipline of the Government.

Taking into account the challenges that have arisen in the distribution of allowances and aid so far, the President instructed Divisional Secretaries to ensure that compensation is provided strictly to eligible recipients and to fully intervene to prevent any deviation from this policy under any circumstances.

During the meeting, the rehabilitation of damaged highways and bridges in the district was discussed in detail. The President inquired into issues arising during these reconstruction efforts and provided on-the-spot solutions in consultation with the relevant officials.

The construction of the Lower Kala Oya Bridge was also discussed. The President instructed that a temporary bridge be built to meet the needs of the tourism sector. He emphasized that all construction activities should be carried out with a thorough understanding of necessity and proper structural assessments.

The President further highlighted that previous large-scale projects were abandoned without delivering tangible benefits or the intended outcomes. He stressed that future infrastructure development should focus not only on regional needs but also on the broader economic benefits for the country as a whole.

The President inquired about the ongoing efforts to restore electricity supply in the district and emphasized the need to complete these works without delay.

He also reviewed measures being taken to re-establish water supply and instructed provincial authorities to intervene promptly, noting that current well cleaning efforts in the district are insufficient.

Regarding agriculture, the President inquired about preparations by local farmers for the upcoming Maha paddy cultivation. He directed officials to swiftly create a conducive environment for farming, minimize the amount of abandoned land and explore alternative methods to ensure productive use of farmland.

He instructed that all compensation due to farmers be disbursed before December 25, that payments be made regardless of whether the land is in reserves or legally protected areas, and that systematic measures be implemented to prevent cultivation on reserved lands.

The President also highlighted the need for comprehensive soil conservation programmes in areas such as Kalpitiya.

The President emphasized the need to provide fair compensation to those engaged in the livestock sector in order to restore their livelihoods. He also highlighted the importance of obtaining accurate ground-level data and stressed the necessity of introducing legislation to ensure the registration of all livestock farms.

Due to the disaster, 627 houses in the district were completely destroyed, and 20,813 houses sustained partial damage. The President instructed that compensation for the affected families be expedited, emphasizing priority resettlement on government land. Where government land is unavailable, he directed that Rs. 5 million be provided to each family for the purchase of alternative land.

For those whose houses were completely destroyed, the President directed that new housing projects be implemented in a manner that ensures ownership of a house valued at Rs. 5 million for each beneficiary.

Attention was also given to the fisheries sector. Discussions were held on providing assistance for the repair of damaged fishing boats, as well as implementing fair compensation and concessional bank loan schemes for prawn farmers.

President Dissanayake also inquired into the operations at Chilaw Hospital. Authorities informed him that patient admissions and the functioning of several units could resume by next week.

Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government and Chairman of the Puttalam District Coordination Committee Chandana Abeyratne, Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody, North Western Province Governor Tissa Warnasuriya, Government and Opposition Members of Parliament from Puttalam District, Local Government Representatives including the North Western Provincial Secretary, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Puttalam District Secretary, Divisional Secretaries, Government Officials, and Security Forces Representatives were present at the event.