Tribute to a treasured grandfather

Donald Nugawela was many things in life; an avid reader, creative writer and above all, a caring, gentle-hearted husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather with a great sense of humour. He never grumbled about anything, was a very sensible, practical man with the patience of an ox and a real knack of cheering up anyone who was down in the dumps.

He always had a strong passion for literature, and his career at a newspaper organisation reinforced this more firmly. He regularly contributed to many local English newspapers and magazines, writing articles on nature, social issues, appreciations and even the occasional poem. In fact, his literary habits were what drew us closer, because it was a shared passion. He was a true cruciverbalist - there was never a crossword puzzle left unsolved in any publication that came his way. He would also wait eagerly for me to buy a new stash of books, and devour them in a matter of days. In fact, rushing off to my grandparents’ place to drop off some new books used to be something I really looked forward to, because it also meant a long chat with snacks. He really enjoyed this book swapping business, and even had three books saved for me in his last days.

He would tell me tales of boyish antics that he would get up to with his brothers during their schooldays at Trinity College and St. Anthony’s College Kandy, of catching pigeons on rooftops, playing tricks on teachers, getting ‘copped’ while driving the little car his grandfather had given him and getting off due to a hilarious misunderstanding. He and his friend had explained to the cop that they were speeding because someone was “anticipating their arrival”, which the cop interpreted as “Anti-ta saneepa

na” (Aunt is not well – in Sinhala) and told them to hurry up and get to her….

He always had a stack of anecdotes up his sleeve! He was also an excellent storyteller, and when I was small, he would take me on walks and tell me stories of “a little brown doggy” because he knew I loved dogs. As trivial as they may seem, I will always treasure those memories. It seems like just yesterday that he was laughing and chatting with us, although it has now been a year since he left us.

I am glad that he got the chance to visit his ancestral home, the Aluth Walauwa in Nugawela, Kandy, now a boutique hotel called ‘Manor House’, in December 2016. It was with great nostalgia that he strolled around the gardens and examined every inch of the house, giving my cousin and I the grand tour of the place; he even showed us the “birthing room” where he and all his siblings were born. At the end of our stay, he told my grandmother and I that he did not think he would be able to return there because the memories were simply too overwhelming…

He was an epitome of good health during the entirety of his life, with only a short stint in hospital towards his latter days. His sense of humour certainly remained until the very end. On June 1, 2019, just about three months short of his 92nd birthday, he passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by family.

He has written appreciations for so many people that it only seemed fitting that he got to have one of his own, and I hope that I was able to do justice to his cheery personality because he would have wanted us to remember the good times and have a laugh. Let me conclude with one of his own writings...

“It is my wish that none should grieve,

For I have only stepped out for a while,

To each of you to lovingly fetch, The forget-me-nots we together tended.

They should not be left to wither away,

Nor in the years condemned to die,

For it is we the people who die, And leave behind us

The forget-me-nots.”

May he attain the supreme bliss of nibbana!

Dr. Dinusha Weerawardane