A happy man, he lived an uncomplicated life

It was indeed a very sad moment when we heard of Ananda’s demise.

In many respects Arna, was quite a remarkable individual whom we all loved over the many years he was with us. From our boyhood days at De Fonseka Road in the early fifties, playing cricket at his home with the coconut tree as the wicket, going on cycling expeditions around the neighbourhood on his new Raleigh Bicycle, escaping to Saraswathie Lodge to buy a ‘thosay’ meal for 10 cents and sharing with all of us in the evenings when we were supposedly studying, are what we recall so vividly to this day. This close friendship continued until the very end.

He made up for his shortfalls in formal education by becoming an avid and skilled motor mechanic and becoming an engineering foreman at CFT Engineering, happily working under the French Engineer there at the time and following that up with a two year motor engineering scholarship to West Germany, where he met his first (and perhaps the last) love of his life.

In later years, after Loku Thatha (Prof. D.C. Gunawardena) passed away over 40 years ago, Arna came to live with his older sister, Lalitha Akka, who sheltered him and cared for all his needs that only a very special older sibling would have done.What she did in caring for Ananda all these years is something so special and represents a role model of a most caring and selfless sibling that we all can try to emulate.

Ananda lived in an uncomplicated world of his own and was always happy and smiling. He stood faithful to the Gunawardena Aaramaya in Slave Island which was donated by his grandparents. When he decided not to have a pacemaker fitted a few years ago, what he wanted was to have a peaceful and uncomplicated end when his time came.He therefore left us the way he wanted, at the ripe age of 80 plus.

May he attain Nibbana for the good and clean life that he led.

Kapila and Bemal

Gunawardena