An officer of rare stature

It is indeed a privilege to pen this epitaph as a token of my gratitude to the late Chandra Saparamadu with whom I was privileged to be associated when he served as a Senior Superintendent of Police in the Kurunegala Division and with whom I remained in constant touch till his recent demise. I was privileged to work under him until my premature retirement as an ASP from the Police. I was indeed fortunate to meet him whenever I visited Colombo. As a mentor he always stressed that ‘the man who reads, is the man who leads.’ He encouraged us to read and write legal enactments, law reports and discuss various subject matters in order to diversify and to expand our personal lives from the culture we cultivated as Police personnel.

As Police Officers, there was joie de vivre when we served under him; we worked proudly and diligently. Duties were discharged without fear or favour as a clear manifestation of the high esteem in which we were held. Such a rare phenomenon cannot be found today. ‘Sapare’ as he was affectionately known by colleagues and ‘Chandra’ by his nearest and dearest, was indeed a man in a million.

Mr. Saparamadu never tried to outdo others; he constantly adhered to the rule of law. He led by example, acted on the courage of his own convictions and was a man of unquestioned moral uprightness. He was always immaculately turned out and on ceremonial occasions dressed in

A remembrance of my grandfather (D.H. Jayaindra Fernando) cannot be written without the mention of his greatest love; building and construction. The oldest son of Jason Fernando, he hailed from a family dedicated to the construction industry in Sri Lanka. He was the driving force behind many construction projects in Sri Lanka, such as the original Savoy cinema and Mount Lavinia Hotel, however his greatest achievement was truly a monument of love.

He spent many months travelling to Kandy, to supervise the building of the Kandy Market which was inaugurated on September 23, 1959 under the auspices of Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike. The constant visits to Kandy to the building site of the Kandy Market was also fuelled by the presence of Ms. Devika full regalia, proudly displaying his medals to set an example to his subordinates. He never sought personal gain, shunned media publicity and never lost his own identity. The bouquets and brickbats came in equal measure but he fielded them all with equal aplomb.

He had a tremendous capacity for staying cool under the most hazardous circumstances, never cracked under pressure and when he was attached to the CID, never wavered in times of crisis. Instead, he always stood tall and strong. He steered away from political leanings and never hesitated to call a spade a spade. It was his exemplary set of values that guided him to the post of Director CID. His dedication to the CID was legendary as he carried out the most stressful assignment by tackling it head on rather than delegating it. He was a man of action and always commanded his men to do their duty professionally or leave with dignity. He expected nothing but unswerving loyalty from his men.

Though we were different in rank, I kept in close touch with him and maintained a good working rapport over 30 years. We had many common interests which helped to maintain our personal association. I always cherished his company and his conversations and we grew to helping each other in good times as well as sad times.

The story of his long and meaningful career in the Police would undoubtedly fill many volumes. However, I would like to highlight a famous case in 1984. On a com- plaint made by me, the CID filed a case on the AG’s instructions against Sunil Ranjan Jayakody, at that time the powerful MP for Polgahawela. At that time, I was serving as Officer-in-Charge, selected by the Department in 1984 and transferred out within a very short period of time due to the MP.

Mr. Saparamadu, then SSP, Director CID, Asoka Wijetilake, then an Inspector who later became Senior DIG CID, tactfully and methodically handled the investigations under the direction of the Attorney General’s Department, clearing all the legal abstruse areas, lending me a helping hand every step of the way.

It was an unforgettable incident because President J.R. Jayawardene, summoned Mr. Saparamadu to his private residence ‘Braemar’ at Ward Place and requested him to produce me in order to determine the relevant facts and the veracity of my complaint. After listening to my lengthy explanation supported by facts, Mr. Saparamadu stood by me even though I was a young inspector who had fallen into serious trouble with the MP in power. The MP had protested to the President.

Mr. Saparamadu related the facts focusing on the relevant issues and after listening with equanimity, President - Jayawardene paused and said ‘OK go ahead and institute criminal charges against the MP’. Subsequently, the MP was charged in High Court in Colombo CMC 6442 by the Attorney General’s Department. Finally, the MP was sentenced to one year’s rigorous imprisonment with a fine; the judgment has gone down into a new chapter in the annals of Police history, where a Police Officer solely by his evidence fought against a most powerful government MP. Mr. Saparamadu with the then IGP Ernest Perera and DIG Personnel Mithra Ariyasinghe and a few straightforward Police Officers came to my rescue and went out of their way to see that I was not victimized further.’

Mr. Saparamadu was blessed with a brilliant visionary mind and was a pragmatic man of action. He was also a man of indomitable courage coupled with a burning ambition to succeed in his Police career, against the most unbelievable odds. From relatively humble beginnings through his love for learning and sheer hard work, he was able to reach the pinnacle of success.

His personal motto was that life is not measured merely by materialistic comforts but by basic human qualities.

Sir, before I bid you adieu, I would like to quote what I read recently, ‘’we make a living by what we get, we make a living by what we give.’’ Sir, you were the embodiment of that and I wish you to reach the highest state of enlightenment through your long voyage to attain the supreme bliss of Nirvana. Sarath Dhanapala