The Coconut Growers Association will feel a great void

Ranjit Dias passed away on October 8, after a brief illness that made him inactive for a few months. Ranjit’s parents owned large extents of coconut lands in the Divulapitiya area and had other business interests as well. His father, Percy Dias was the Chairman of the WattalaMabole Urban Council for a long period, and President of Dunagaha Coconut Growing, a large and successful business.

Ranjit was educated at St Joseph’s College, Maradana and went on to join Walker and Sons, the engineering sub-department as an apprentice. He was sent to England for further training, specialising in plantation machinery, particularly those used in the tea plantations. On his return, he had further exposure to repairs, installation and preparation of cost estimates.

After a few years, he was posted to the Hatton Branch of Walkers, where he could make the full use of his training for a long period covering the entire Nuwara Eliya District and the adjoining up country tea areas. It is there he met his wife Nirmala. They have a daughter, Nishanthi, who is a senior marketing executive at Dilmah and a son, Ramindra, presently employed in Australia

Ranjit made a committed contribution in the numerous fields he was engaged in, as a devoted member of the Mabole Church Parish Council, the Wattala branch of the Past Students Association of St Joseph’s College and the Lions movement at Wattala

It is through his assignments at the Coconut Growers Association of Sri Lanka, where he made the most significant contribution. Being the owner of a coconut estate, which he inherited from his father, he was a committed grower visiting his land every week, spending one whole day nurturing it with the best inputs to enhance production.

He played a significant role in the formation of the Coconut Growers Association, a long felt need to protect the interest of the growers, present their grievances and promote modern cultivation practices. He was elected the treasurer at the inaugural meeting of the Association, 27 years back, which was attended by a handful of growers. Within ten years, the membership grew to over thousand. In subsequent years, he was elected the Secretary, Vice President, ending up finally as President. He also served as the Editor of the quarterly newsletter. These recognitions were a testament to his hard work and commitment.

It is unlikely that his record would be equalled by any other member.

In recognition of his expertise, he was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of the Coconut Cultivation Board and of the Board of Directors of the Coconut Research Board at a later stage.

He had contacts with the members at the grass root level in Jaffna, Batticaloa, Matara, Puttalam, Kurunegala, Gampaha and other branches of the Association, travelling to participate in their Annual General Meetings and informal discussions. During the formative years of the Association, the executive committee had their monthly meetings at his residence for over two years, where, after the meeting Ranjit and his wife Nirmala warmly hosted all to drinks and dinner.

Ranjit’s demise is a profound loss to the Association and the coconut industry and would be felt by the growers for a long time. The whole membership joins me in conveying our heartfelt condolences to his wife Nirmala, daughter Nishanthi and son Ramindra. He will be sadly missed

May he rest in peace.

Denzil Aponso