‘Do it correct, or leave’

My father was an ex military serviceman of the volunteer force of the British Army, a teacher and a Principal. He served his best in whatever the task he was entrusted with, no matter what it would take. His motto was ‘do it correct, or leave’.

'Thaththi' (as we dearly used to call him) was born in Galle on 02nd April 1920 into a family of seven as its second member.

Being the brother of 5 sisters, he was destined to shoulder greater responsibilities of the family due to the sudden demise of his father. This persuaded him to join the British Army based in Colombo. His dedicated services were well recognized, and in no time he won the hearts of his superiors, so much so that they invited him to England after Sri Lanka attained Independence. This offer he politely declined as he considered his stay in his motherland and looking after the family more important, a duty which he could not barter.

He opted to be in the teaching profession instead, which he considered a 'noble profession' and served as the principal in many schools of the Island.

As an eligible bachelor he was least interested in marriage, but only concerned that his sisters all settled down before he could decide on his future.

His colleagues however made an earnest attempt to find him a partner to match his thinking “I am a simple Simon , I am looking for a Plain Jane”. However fate drew him to marry my mother Constance Perera in 1966, when he was 45 years of age.

He had an amazing desire for daughters. My elder sister Rasika (Lokki) was born in 1967, and when I (Chuti) was born next. he had written in his diary “Another Queen of my heart”. Probably he would have felt like a king.

When Ammi was expecting my younger sister Nirmala (Nimmi) 8 years later, it was significant that he wished for another daughter, when

As his name implied “Amaradasa” - immortal server - he was an immortal man, who led an exemplary life. I Thank the Lord for having born as a daughter of him. His 92nd birthday falls today

everyone else anxiously awaited a son. To that extent he loved the daughters.

At a time when everything was measured in rupees and cents, he chose to give priority to appreciate human values. He advised us to forego a meal for someone who was in hunger and needed it much more.

Later years he was sworn in as a Notary Public and a Justice of Peace, he assisted those preparing for the Notaries examination by conducting free tuition classes in Thapodhanaramaya Mt. Lavinia. Most of his students achieved success at this examination. He was ever willing to go all out helping anyone but not seeking anything in return.

He possessed inherent skills in Carpentry, Agriculture, Electrical and in turning out cement flower pots, and became known as “Jack of all trades”.

He too wrote several books, among them were “Sebala Samaru- wa” “Footsteps of a Teachers Life” and “Nomaga Noyan Puthe” to name a few.

He spent his twilight years writing books and solving Sudoku puzzles. Once when we were all married and fled the nest, his popular song, which he used to hum frequently became “Raththaran Duwe” meaning an earnest plea from a father for his children to come back to relive in the family happy and contented.

He used to open up his hands and would say “My palms are clean, so nothing can go wrong with my children”. He loved his 3 sons-in-law unconditionally and adored his 5 grandchildren. He had a great love for the animals too and could easily subdue even the fiercest dog using his gentle prowess.

He never feared death as he had no attachments to anything in life. His only wish was not be a burden to any one during his life time and to breath his last peacefully.

Being very close to thaththi in the absence of my sisters who were living overseas, I was fortunate in amassing so much of fond memories of his last days which I could cherish a lifetime.

He had a peaceful death on 11th December 2011. He passed off in his sleep as he always hoped for, leaving us with fond memories of many events, which we could share with others for many more years to come.

As his name implied “Amaradasa” immortal server, he was an immortal man, who led an exemplary life. I Thank the Lord for having born as a daughter of him. His 92nd birthday falls today.

Thank you Thaththi, for moulding us into what we are today, and for inculcating true human values into our lives by being a role model. You never taught us how to live, you lived, and let us watch you do it.

It's hard to believe that three months have passed since you left us. May the good Lord grant you eternal rest and keep you under his loving care until we meet again.

- Madhuri de Silva Jayasuriya.

Mount Lavinia.