A leader among men who rose above nationalistic and religious boundaries
In the dawn of pre-Independence, Mother Lanka was blessed with several iconic leaders dedicated to the upliftment of civil society. Privy Councillor Herbert Nissanka Mendis (H. Sri Nissanka) was an unsung leader among them. Though educated in Europe, he preferred the common villager’s simple way of life. His own was a lifestyle tempered with the Buddhist way of simplicity, purity and humility. He was an intellectual who could never be bought over.
He was born in 1898 at the famous Garumuni walauwwa in Balapitiya, the only son of Diveris Mendis and Anoma Wickremeratne Soyza, followed by three daughters. After he completed his primary education at Ananda College and then Royal College, it was the joint view of the family especially that of civic leader Sir D.B. Jayatilleke that he should enrol at Oxford University and gain an expert knowledge in law. This was most fortunate as it was where he met Ceylon’s future prime minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike.
Prior to sailing to England, young Nissanka had been an ordained Buddhist monk for four years in (then) Burma and he had an uncanny knack of discerning character and the future of people. Perhaps it was that, that enabled him to see the future of young Solomon Dias Bandaranaike. The friendship that blossomed between them was the main influence in moulding a more Lanka- oriented Bandaranaike in time to come.
After his return from the U.K., he brilliantly defended and exonerated many in very difficult criminal proceedings, establishing himself in the legal sphere in the 1930s and ’40s. It is reported that J.R. Jayewardene, later Executive President of the country had understudied him as a junior lawyer.
He became so popular as one who rose above nationalistic and religious boundaries that he was elected uncontested as the Municipal Council member of Wellawatte. Subsequently he was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Kurunegala electorate in the first Parliament of Sri Lanka. It was during this period that he was also President of the Sri Lanka Buddhist Congress.
He was also nominated to represent the country at many international forums. Despite such a busy life he wrote several books – a critical analysis on the Ceylon Penal Code, the History of England, Salgala Puda Bima (the Salgala monastery) and Athugalpura Satana (the Battle of Kurunegala). He was also the editor of two newspapers – Sankha Nadaya (The Clarion Call) and ‘Hela Diwa’.
But it was for his great service as a politician and founder of the SLFP that the common man will remember him for generations to come. Being a man of liberal views, he soon realised the need of the hour – a driving force gathering the Sangha, ayurvedic physicians, teachers, farmers and workers under one humble symbol to compete with the decaying aristocratic political parties reigning then.
Sam Wijesinha, the long-time Secretary General of Parliament delivering the commemorative oration at a felicitation ceremony in 2012 said that Sri Nissanka’s liberal views, political maturity and farsightedness became manifest through his way of championing commoners by creating a platform for them through the SLFP. “Sri Nissanka was a man of wider knowledge – both local and international; the way he solved nationalistic and religious extremist conflicts without allowing them to become national calamities was truly impressive.”
His own mansion ‘Yamuna Ashram’ in Kirulapone, Colombo was the fertile ground where the young like-minded elites of the day gathered and seeds of liberal views of national progression were planned. He was truly a selfless man – he spent his wealth growing that sapling party into a giant tree and resounding national victory in the very first general election it faced. Then he selflessly entrusted its leadership to his friend SWRD, but continued to be the guiding force behind the scene.
An anecdote related by his faithful driver shows that even when he was a prominent Privy Councillor he was conscious of his fellow man. During the malaria outbreak in 1934-35, Sri Nissanka went to the affected areas to distribute medication. While returning he had swallowed quinine by mistake and had developed serious side effects. Always having presence of mind, he directed his driver to take him to the Wariyapola police station which was the closest at that point; there he officially informed the Police of the circumstances, with instructions that the poor driver not be held responsible in the event of any tragedy. However, the OIC personally transported him to the Colombo General Hospital for timely treatment, averting a disaster.
Even if we disregard all his humanitarian services, creating the SLFP alone makes him a national icon and his mansion a museum. Unfortunately current leaders do not have a correct reading of those great times. Even the table and chairs that witnessed those great moments are still there but no one is interested in preserving them for posterity.
In 1954, when the country was at a critical period, Sri Nissanka passed away at the age of 56, leaving a great void in the party. That was indeed a great loss to the country.
Nissanka’s beloved life partner Mrs Muriel Sri Nissanka and his children Yamuna, Geetha and Ranjith supported him throughout in his work. And his grandchildren, among them Dr Avanthi Nissanka Karunaratne, Prof. Randiv Nissanka Karunaratne, Ranjith Abeysekera and Devika Wickremaratne have rallied round to continue the family tradition of service.
A simple commemorative ceremony along with a book donation campaign will be held on February 26 at Methmanga Meditation Centre, Rathgama, Galle to mark his 70th death anniversary.