A beloved friend and one-of-a-kind human being

15th February 2023 marked two months, 60 days, 1,440 hours, 86,400 minutes, 5,184,000 seconds of darkness, sorrow, sadness, and grief caused to the family, friends and loved ones of our beloved Dinesh Schaffter, forever changing the landscape of their lives.

Dinesh was a rare, one-of-akind, gem of a human being. He was introduced to me in or about 2010 by my late father, who adored Dinesh until his last days. Four days before my father's demise in February 2018, we had to attend an inquiry in Nuwara Eliya for one of Dinesh's company matters. Being aware of my father's ailing health and knowing that he was adamant about appearing in the inquiry, Dinesh arranged for a helicopter from Colombo to Nuwara Eliya and back, and informed us that my father should not travel on the road for almost ten hours. Not only did my father enjoy appearing in the inquiry which happened to be his last, he also enjoyed the adventurous helicopter ride.

This was Dinesh. An absolutely caring, loving human being. In this selfish society, he was an absolute gentleman par excellence who thought about other people and was a ray of hope to many.

In the span of over a decade where he was an integral part of my life, Dinesh was one of the most honest people I have ever met. He had no agendas, he was always extremely fearless, very truthful, very forthright, often strict, extremely genuine, brutally honest, highly confident, ingenious, full of integrity, understanding, nonjudgmental, sometimes stubborn and adamant, extremely kind and full of love. It was a combination of qualities that I had never seen in anyone else. He was a loyal friend who only expected truthfulness, sincerity, and honesty in return.

Dinesh was the heart and soul of the Schaffter family and his loved ones. Listening to his voice would brighten anyone's day and he always had a solution or advice for anyone who sought his advice, whether it was commercial or personal.

I had my last lunch with Dinesh on 2nd December 2022. He was his usual flamboyant self. He was extremely happy and was looking forward to his holiday in the UK before Christmas and was updating me regarding his plans to move to the UK this year and how everything depended on him. I spoke to him the day before he was murdered, and we discussed many pending matters which needed to be attended to after his return from the UK after Christmas. There was nothing out of the ordinary. I am certain he had absolutely no idea that his life would end the next day.

Having said that, he always advocated for preparedness and planning for his family and friends. It was one of his ways of always taking care of everyone and should not be construed in any other way than his core character to be kind and caring. It is disappointing to say the least, that many reports have misrepresented actual circumstances. In my opinion, his confidence in himself and the love he had for his family outweighs all such challenges.

If a ship were sinking, Dinesh would have been the last person to jump, that was his character. He would have ensured that everyone else was safe before saving himself. Dinesh always wanted to be there for his family and loved ones. Dinesh enjoyed the challenges of life.

Dinesh was my pillar of strength after the demise of my beloved father and was always there for me whenever I needed him, just one phone call away. He was more than a friend and a brother to me, and indeed he is irreplaceable to many. He lifted us when we were down. He lifted our spirits when it was needed. He taught me how to fight life's hurdles and face life’s problems. His contribution to our firm and family is immeasurable and we will always remember him with gratitude.

They took our Dinesh away from us so suddenly and forcefully, but no one can take away the beautiful memories each of us have of him, memories which are immortal and which we shall cherish and keep in our hearts forever.

Dinesh will always live within each and every one of us as a legend and a hero.