He came from Kandy, she from Jaffna and what a match they made

James Thiagarajah Arulanantham, son of the late Rev. Gnanamuttu Rowlands Arulanantham and of the late Mary Ratnam Arulanantham passed away in California, on November 17 last year at the age of 85.

To say that he was a unique individual would be an understatement.

He came into our lives during his student days at the University of Ceylon in the mid forties and was known to us as Arul.

It was not too long after the Second World War ended that this young man from Kandy obtained admission to the University of Ceylon. His life was to change in ways he never could have imagined.

At the university, he studied science subjects that included Physics and Chemistry, in which he excelled. Attending some of his classes was a young female student from Jaffna whom he began to notice. She would arrive at the University in an old Baby Austin car that was the colour of tea with milk. It had a black canvas, top and sides, and proudly bore the number plate W 663. Anyone using it would fervently hope that it would not rain.

Students dubbed this motor car the “Flying half-rickshaw” and it was the subject of much mirth among them.

The young lady must have been made of tough material to have withstood all the teasing with good humour, even the driver and owner of the vehicle, the lady’s uncle, took it up well. In between flying in and out of the varsity and assignments, there was a blossoming romance taking place, between the young man from Kandy and the young lady from Jaffna. The next step was to contemplate marriage and they were married one December not too long after they completed their studies at the University. The lady changed her name from Miss Selvaluxmy Rasiah to Mrs. Selvaluxmy Arulanantham. Officially, but she was “Mani” to all her relatives and friends.

From then on, the twosome was known as Mani Akka and Mani Akka’s “Uncle”. Even the older generation latched on to the term “Uncle” because they found it so convenient. Some relatives did try to address him as “Arul” for a while but found it easier to join the crowd with “Uncle”.

In spite of his job at the Meteorological Department and in spite of her teaching position at Visakha Vidyalaya, they were both ever willing when help was needed by the relatives. There were many times when they slaved over a meal for a crowd when the hosts could not handle it by themselves.

Not only did Uncle become a firm part of the family but he really “embraced” the whole group of relatives. He adopted the ways of the new relatives and quickly became one of them. Whatever needed to be done in connection with the extended family was done. Whoever needed help with school subjects was helped. Much trouble was taken to steer the minds of young nieces and nephews on the right path.

Uncle’s hard work and dependability earned him the position of Director of the Meteorological Department, Sri Lanka.

Apart from helping relatives and friends Uncle and Mani Akka became involved in social work. They were active in social networking groups both in Sri Lanka and later in California.

His philosophy of serving others was amply demonstrated when he took care of his ailing wife, in a most loving way for many years.

It was a sight to behold whenever she sat in the kitchen and supervised while he obeyed her instructions in cooking. It was indeed a big blow when he lost the love of his life a couple of years ago. No other ailing person had a more devoted or loving caregiver.

Uncle would have been a good traveller on many roads. He never craved for material wealth and believed in loving all and serving all.

A loving Cousin