To those good old days

My friend Chutta was born on November 3, 1947 and passed away in California in early 2022. I have very happy memories of Chutta who was articled at the same time as myself in that esteemed firm Ernst & Young. Of course he went to the wrong school because of his late father, who was an outstanding teacher at Royal College, Colombo.

Chutta was a brilliant student and passed all his exams in Chartered Accountancy on his first attempt, perhaps because of the maths background he had at home.

We had such a jolly time at EY. At the December 1969 final examination, Chutta and myself were the only two Chartered Accountants who passed out. His Membership would have been 298 and mine 299.

While I decided to opt for a career in public practice he joined the prestigious firm of Shaw Wallace & Hedges Ltd. For two years we maintained a close association where he would come and have lunch with me once a week at Akasa Kade in the Ceylinco building. I still remember the Triumph car he drove.

This close relationship went on until I went to London on secondment to the EY office there, while shortly thereafter he went to Zambia which was recruiting Chartered Accountants from Sri Lanka.

Subsequently, again while I was in London in 1975, I flew to Zambia to spend a one-month holiday with my brother-inlaw, Lakshman Hettiarachchi and spent an evening with Chutta whom I found to be living a luxury life. I really enjoyed meeting him and we talked about old times.

That was the last time I met him in person.

Subsequently I heard from my old friends at EY that he had moved to California. He used to come on and off to Sri Lanka especially to do some volunteer work in the Vauniya District. Unfortunately I did not meet him on any of his visits.

I was very sad to hear of his passing away in the early part of 2022.

May he attain Eternal Peace.