Every Vesak and Poson her beautiful home was turned into a

Budu Medura

It is with profound sadness that I pen these lines on the demise of Malini Ratnaike. Being out of the island, I could not attend the funeral. Malini was married to my cousin Nalin, who was involved with charity work and she followed in his footsteps.

She was the elder sister of the late Sanath Amaratunge and the late Chandrani Silva. A product of Ladies’ College and Visakha, she was a talented artist and a star pupil of the late Mudliyar Amarasekera. The walls of her neat house in Queen’s Road were adorned with her beautiful paintings. Every Vesak and Poson, she converted the large hall in her home into a mini “Budu Medura.” A large serene Buddha statue was placed on a pedestal and about 30 devotees observed “sil”, and a “dhana” was provided. Erudite monks gave sermons and Dhamma talks. Discussions were led by lay speakers, including the late Mr. Alec Robertson, the evergreen Mr. Rajah Kuruppu and the young-andupcoming Shane Blok, among others.

Malini continued this practice for 17 years. With advancing age, she had to move to a smaller place. She also arranged pilgrimages to religious places. The annual “dhana” for the Sri Dalada Maligawa is etched in my mind.

She was a positive, elegantly dressed person. I associated with her closely in charity work. She was like a sister to me. She leaves three sons and grandchildren who are abroad.

Ranjinie Chandraratne