The superstar of silk and steel

Denzil Kobbekaduwe lived down the street where we lived. His home, 177, Trincomalee Street, Kandy, served as a rallying point to many: from Trinity boarders who would scoot off and seek a respite; to Trinity’s Asgiriya groundsman Marthelis who would patronize the tavern only a squirt away; to driver Banda and the Mahaiyawa cheer squad leader Cortal dropping in to pay respects. Then there were streams of rugby players he coached seeking counselling, several of whom played years later for the Sri Lanka team and even two of them captained; and many of us simply for the pleasure of chatting with him, often late into the nights.

With his trade mark smile he opened doors and hearts and minds. His eyes –yes, those eye bags-would capture one’s attention, as they would well with affection. It was as if only you mattered to him. He had time for everyone, regardless of their station in life.

And in life he was known as the General who was one of the smartest all-rounders that the country had produced. He would often say that his ‘modest’ accomplishments stemmed from the fountain of Trinity and rugby from which he derived his credo. It was here that he learnt the rough and tumble of life: to fall and then get up; to take and give a tackle; to scrum together and move the line in cohesion; to motivate fellow players and to aspire to the impossible. It was here his talent emerged to detect and select the best in people and mould them into a cohesive unit ---a unit that would give and take a good fight; to display integrity and purpose and uphold right against might. He was the personification of these attributes.

On this August 8, the 26th anniversary of his tragic passing, it is instructive that much of the credo that he drew from, played out in his career.

In the prime of his career, as a distinguished Sandhurst graduate and Army Officer he was unfairly and embarrassingly interdicted by the UNP government in the 1965-70 period, on a false accusation of being involved in a coup. He was reinstated with dignity and an implied apology; then hailed as a national hero and elevated posthumously as Lt. General. He should surely have been a decorated General but in a way that he wasn’t was a blessing as that special rank has, in our time, been so devalued! During the period of his suspension Denzil held his head high. He took the unfair tackle as a man. He acted like a gentleman of grace. He had the wisdom to know that time and tide will bring out the truth.

Instead he focused on the more rewarding pastime of such pursuits as club rugby and the coaching of Trinity with a passion that displayed that nothing can disturb him.

Denzil’s love for sports was beyond the confines of rugby. He was inspired by Duncan White and wished to do what he could in the promotion of athletics. He not only became a board member of the Duncan White Sports Foundation but also stepped forward and organized a Peace Run in honour of White, from Vavuniya to Colombo.

On a lighter note: The Foundation distributed ‘T Shirts’ with Duncan’s monograph on it. At one point Denzil called Vijitha Fernando, who was the man behind the Foundation, and said ‘I am surprised how few people know of Duncan. A guy at the one of our relay exchanges asked ‘ Kawda Yakko may Duncan Kiyanne’? (‘Who the devil is this Duncan’!)?

As a Commanding Officer he was reputed for avoiding, to the full extent possible, damage and harm to civilians and displayed an abun- dance of compassion and humaneness. Wing Commander E. H. Ohlmus, a ruggerite himself, states, Denzil’s sense of fair play, learnt on the rugby fields of Trinity College, simply exuded from him, and would certainly have earned for the Defence Establishment every chance of a speedy and just resolution of a totally unnecessary conflict. But that was not to be for two more decades, after the fateful day in Kayts.

He did not allow himself to the sucked in by the political undercurrents that was the ‘sport’ that others indulged in. He eschewed political trappings and glamour. Yet he had the natural makings of a national leader built in the mould of a true statesman so much so that in itself may well have been the Damocles Sword that he unconsciously smelted for himself.

It was because of his innate concern for others that the Lt. Gen. Denzil Kobbekaduwe Trust was in operation for several years in his honour providing assistance to disabled servicemen and women and to the families of dead servicemen (and women) and to related village folk.

Denzil remains in the minds of millions of Sri Lankans as a soldier’s soldier, a sportsman and a superstar.

He was made of a fibre that was a rare blend of silk and steel.

M.V. Muhsin