Adieu dear colleague and friend!
Dr Maithree Rajapaksa was in his prime (a life condition which lasted many more years since ) when he anaesthetized Ayoma. I hardly knew him then, but from a senior to a newcomer consultant, he was friendly, comforting and reassuring. I instantly liked him, but because of the gap in our ages, I always called him “Dr Rajapaksa”, till I saw him last. He was a person I liked to have around, both inside and outside an operating theatre.
That would have been in the mid-’90s. In 1998, when I joined the tight bunch of Kandy Consultants he was the first to invite me to his place in Ampitiya for a memorable dinner. Those days he enjoyed a good drink, a good non–veg meal and a sing-song. He loved the same oldies I loved and very soon, I learnt all the lyrics of his favourites,
and the like, and we always gravitated to the same corner for every party and trip.
During those early days, he anaesthetized for my lists in the hospital and the private sector, and during and in between the cases we shared what was in the grapevine and in general circulation. We always had a very lighthearted theatre atmosphere, and inspite of the flying bone dust, the incessant hammering and screwing, the chatting and hearty laughs lasted the length of the list.
Dr Rajapaksa was a legend in our time. He was well-respected, the perfect handsome gentleman, a popular teacher, and a very dependable anaesthetist who always respected the varied whims and fancies of the surgical kind. He was a diplomat, who never hesitated to offer his hand to settle arguments and banter which also are traits too common to surgeons. He was a fine organizer, in the hospital and outside events. He was a gentle leader who took up the position of various socio-educational institutions centred on doctors. He dressed immaculately and made a fine, head-turning couple with Shanthi, in those events.
We worked side by side till his retirement, and I witnessed the gentle mellowing of his youthful ways with his advancing years and the ailment. He gave up many of the finer vices, and became a religious person, almost imperceptibly. Yet he never intruded into our ways to spoil the fun. That was Dr Rajapakse.
He made a sizable contribution to every KSM social event. He directed a comedy for every KSM family get-together and I also had to join the bandwagon of consultants such as Lionel, L Weera, Ananda, Chandrika and WAL Wicks in these dramas of satire. It was amazing to see the effort he put into these dramas, from script-writing to directing and acting. I just can’t fathom how he managed to get all these stage-shy cronies to act under the limelight, acting the fool in front of all their family members! Last time I was dressed up like a lady wanting plastic surgery and he was the surgeon who was attending to me, I had to caution him many times to stop giggling at me, at the sheer mirth of seeing an ageing baldie, made-up like a pretty lady, heels and all! What lovely memories.
Dr Rajapakse was a wild-life guy, but then, he was an elephant guy. I am a bird guy who is mortally scared of elephants. So I can understand why we were not partners in wildlife ventures. But I know he loved his travelling inside the country, the same way I love my travels and travails.
Dr Rajapakse sought my opinion on a variety of Orthopaedic problems. Treating him was done always with my hands tied, as he did not want drugs because of his ailment. The consultations were long but contained mostly matters not at all related to his problem. I knew he wanted reassurance and he knew that I would not give him drugs. Sometimes, he very apologetically would contact me for matters related to his relatives, and all those consultations and treatments ended up with home-grown delicacies like fine kitul treacle, jaggery, avocadoes and mangoes from his garden and yummy sweetmeats from the kitchens of his relatives.
I know you wouldn’t want me to write a pompous appreciation but would have preferred something light-hearted like this. Dear Dr Rajapaksa, friend and colleague, you have left us. I will miss you and so will hundreds of your friends, colleagues, and students. You have left us but your memory will never be forgotten.
Dear colleague, may your journey through samsara be short and may you attain the highest bliss of Nibbana. May you be at peace.