A respected colleague and friend

I first met Ananda in 1963 when I was DMO Ittapana. It was my first appointment.

Ananda also came on his first appointment as an Assistant Medical Practitioner. He was a pleasant energetic young man who was keen to learn and who was kind to patients.

The passing away of his father had prevented him from pursuing his objective of qualifying as a graduate doctor.

We got along very well. He had the opportunity to read the bed-head tickets (BHT) daily as he was the person giving injections which I prescribed. This was the era when the basic antibiotics were penicillin and streptomycin. He would often ask me questions about the management of the patients.

We met in the hospital from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. From 5 to 8 p.m. we met again as we played bridge many days a week in my quarters which was in the hospital premises. The government surveyors who worked in the area were good bridge players and they gathered in my quarters to play bridge.

I trusted Ananda so much that whenev- er I left the station I handed over my quarters to him so that he could look after the patients more easily.

After two happy fruitful years at Ittapana we were both transferred out and we lost contact for some time. That was the time when there were no mobile phones.

Later, I met him as a well-respected private medical practitioner at Beliatta. He had a large clientele and was well known in the area.

He was a doctor who loved his patients and would himself administer the first dose of drugs saying ‘May you be cured’.

He was a very active Lion as was confirmed at his funeral by the Lions Clubs of Beliatta and Tangalle.

He was an important ‘dayaka’ to temples in the area. The Maha Sangha who spoke at his funeral praised him for the good work he had done.

Ananda was a family man. He was close to his wife Sirima and proud of his two sons and daughter, two of whom are doctors. They could be proud of him.

May he attain Nibbana.