Getting to know my brother better after his far too early exit from this world
Rajeewa was my elder brother and June 11 marks his first death anniversary. His death occurred under unusual and tragic circumstances, which created quite a stir and gave rise to a lot of conjecture in the Colombo circles. The year following Rajeewa’s demise has been difficult and one of extreme sadness for my two sisters, brother and myself. Over this period of one year, I think I got to know my brother better than ever before. As condolence messages poured in and appreciations written about him both by known and unknown persons were published, I learnt of a softer and gentler side to him, which I had not quite seen before.
Before Rajeewa’s demise he left a letter for our second brother outlining the reasons for his decision. Unfortunately this very private letter leaked out to the media causing a lot of heartache to his siblings. No sooner I read this letter I knew it was authentic. The contents written, the language used were Rajeewa inside out. He did it his way. He had mentioned that he had serious health concerns with which he didn’t wish to continue living. He said in the final analysis he had lived his life in full and since the negatives outweigh the positives he had decided to call it a day. Like Nelson Mandela he too wished to be the “Captain of his ship and the master of his destiny”.
Reading through the letter confirms how weary he was of life. He had meticulously planned his departure for nearly six months keeping it a secret from everyone. He left fulfilling all his obligations – donating to charities, funds and people, paying his income tax and credit card bills to the last cent and not owing a cent to the country or anyone else. Being the patriot he was, I feel he chose Independence Square for his exit as he wanted to gain his independence at the same place Sri Lanka gained its independence.
As a son he was dutiful and very caring towards our parents. When my mother was sick and could not manage the household, he took on the responsibility of providing meals for our parents. During his posting in Paris he got down our parents on vacation for three consecutive summers and gave them some of the best holidays they have spent. I am ever grateful to him and will never forget the way he looked after our father after our mother’s demise. Even whilst living overseas he micromanaged my father’s household and his care-givers looking into the minutest detail. There was not a thing that he missed or overlooked. He would call me from abroad to discuss how certain tasks should be carried out in my father’s household and sometimes we would argue as we didn’t necessarily agree on the way it should be done, but most often he would win and I would end up doing it his way!
As a brother he was not demonstrative or chatty, but if ever his help or advice was sought he was there. His advice was always unbiased and rock solid and has many a time held me in good stead. If he could do something he would do it and if he couldn’t he would say so without hesitation. The words “I will see” and “I will try” were never part of his vocabulary. It was always a firm “I can” or ‘I can’t”. He was guided by what was right and not inclined to bend the rules based on a person’s status or position. I still recollect when he was Country Manager of SriLankan Airlines in Colombo, I was working for a leading conglomerate and the Chairman of the Group was planning a personal trip overseas. My Supervisor at the time approached Rajeewa and requested a free upgrade for the Chairman. In the past Rajeewa had assisted to secure seats for him when flights were fully booked, nevertheless, this time it was a polite and a firm ‘no’. He said under foreign management the policy to only upgrade passengers on full fare was strictly in force and upgrades for discounted or cutrate tickets as it was in this case were not possible. Naturally his response did not augur well with my Supervisor as the expectation was he would make an exception and accede to the request, most likely because his sister was working for the company. Be it family or anyone else he would not bend the rules.
Post Rajeewa’s career in the hotel and airline industry, he decided to pursue his passion for writing during his retirement. He was a regular columnist to the Daily Island and the Sunday Island. I learnt recently that he had 322 articles to his credit, all well researched and written. Personally I feel he found his vocation in life through his writing. He voiced his candid opinion boldly without fear of repercussion. It is certainly sad that someone like Rajeewa who could have contributed to the welfare of the country decided to call it a day, when he had many more years ahead of him. Out of the several condolence messages I received, I quote two which highlight how certain people valued his writing and felt about his premature demise: “I am sad that the family has lost a brother, but more importantly the country has lost a great son of the soil. His passing away was in vain. Your brother is no more, but celebrate his life and treasure his memories and good qualities” and “You have lost a brother, Sri Lanka has lost an intelligent, forthright citizen who had the ability to analyse and articulate his honest thoughts on paper without bias or without any expectations or favour from any particular political party”.
Aiya, may you walk your sansaric journey in peace and comfort.