It is indeed an honour to express these views about Professor Wimal G Balagalle who is not only a renowned professor in the academia but also a main pillar of success of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. One cannot do justice to this great scholar without looking back at the origin and historical development of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura which is steeped in tradition- mainly the Pirivenas education developed by the Buddhist Sangha of Sri Lanka. At the turn of the 20th Century, there were two premier Pirivenas in Colombo, of which one was the Vidyodaya Pirivena.
It had already gained both national and international acclaim as a higher seat of learning mainly due to such erudite scholars as the Most Venerable Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Maha Thera, Most Venerable Heiyanthuduwe Siri Dewamiththa Maha Thera, Most Venerable Mahagoda Gnanissara Maha Thera, Most Venerable Weliwitiye Soratha Maha Thera, Most Venerable Baddegama Piyarathana Maha Thera and Pandith Don Andiris da Silva. The University of Sri Jayewardenepura evolved to its present status from Vidyodaya Pirivena when it was bestowed university status in 1959. Professor Balagalle was in the forefront, assisting the Most Venerable Welivitiye Soratha Maha Thera in this transition. Therefore, this historical context is a good point of departure for this small note because, for me as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, or in fact, for anybody who has affiliations to this university, it is not possible to make a fair assessment of Prof. Balagalle and his work without referring to this historical milieu.
Contribution to Sinhala language
Deriving from both the traditions of higher education- the institutions developed by the Buddhist Sangha in Sri Lanka – the Pirivenas Education and the other from the British traditions of religious and secular universities – University of Peradeniya, Prof. Balagalle is a unique blend of wisdom and education, tradition and modernity, and academic brilliance and prudent application.
Using his erudition on oriental languages and language study which had been nourished by such Buddhist scholars as the Most Venerable Boruggamuwe Revatha Maha Thera, Most Venerable Baddegama Piyarathana Maha Thera, Most Venerable Weliwitiye Soratha Maha Thera, Most Venerable Palannaruwe Wimaladhamma Maha Thera, Most Venerable Dehigaspe Pagnaasara Maha Thera and Most Venerable Kalukondayaye Pragnasekara Maha Thera, whose pupil Prof. Balagalle was, he could make a distinctive contribution to the study of Sinhala language in many forms and in many capacities. This is amply reflected in the volumes of writing Prof. Balagalle has produced at different stages of his life and in the diverse positions he occupied as lecturer in Sinhala at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Head of Sinhala Department of the same university, Professor of Sinhala, and also Dean of the Faculty of Arts of the same university.
Some of his writings are pioneering works on Sinhala language which include Basha Adyanaya Ha Sinhala Wiyawaharaya (1995), Sinhala Basha Adyana Ithihasaya (1998) which won the state literary award in those respective years. The two books, Sinhala Bashawe Sambawaya Ha Parinamaya (1992), and Sinhala Bashawe Prabawaya Ha Prawardanaya (1996), explore the genetic relatedness of Sinhala from a comparative historical linguistic perspective and attempt to locate Sinhala in the typology of Indo-European languages. Another classic, Sinhalaye Vaag Vidyathmaka Swarupaya (2001) which is a translation of Wilhelm Geiger’s ‘The Linguistic Character of Sinhalese’ critically examines Geiger’s work with outstanding analytical depth and new insights. All these are excellent research studies on the historical development of Sinhala as well as the linguistic character of Sinhala language.
In addition to these, Prof. Balagalle’s scholarly articles such as Sinhala Bashawe Ithihasaya Aewiseema (Vidudaya, 1960), Sinhalayehi Sagnaka Akuru (Sanskruthi, 1983), amply demonstrate not only his application of internal contrast in linguistic reconstruction of Sinhala language or Sinhala Phonetics, but also the extensiveness of his scope. His extensive range and oriental learning is further illustrated in such works as Panchathanthra Anuwadaya (1950), Sinhala Sthupawansa Saskaranaya (with Prof. Wimala Wijayasuriya, 1964), and Paerani Indiyawe Sahitya Vicharaya (Sahitya, 1958). This is in addition to his scholarly contributions to the Ministry of Education Pirivena Section, Educational Publications Department, Board of Consultants to Educational Publications, Glossaries, as Editor in Chief of Sinhala Dictionary Office during 1994-2001, and to many other similar institutes and projects of national significance.
No doubt, what made this mammoth contribution possible was his scholarship in oriental languages, excellent command of English, training in Linguistics with some of the outstanding linguists of Europe, and beneath all that, a sincere commitment to give his best to the discipline, to the university, and to the nation at large.
Great scholar
As an eminent linguist, Prof. Balagalle could reconcile the Sinhala linguistic tradition with Modern Linguistic thought that gained much prominence in the 20th Century. Thus, his descriptive work and critical insights into Sinhala grammar, Phonetics and Phonology, Historical Comparative Linguistics, and Semantics and Pragmatics, both in the form of individual and cross linguistic studies amply demonstrate not only how much he had been enriched with the necessary theoretical knowledge but also his propensity to immerse in Field Linguistics.
The debt that the University of Sri Jayewardenepura owes to this great scholar is not a small one. Being one of the students of Vidyodaya Pirivena, and later to render his service to the same institution when it gained university status in 1959, to play such a pioneering role in the early stages of its education and to continue that commitment till today even after his retirement is indeed a rare blessing that our university has received. In particular, the Sinhala Department of the university was the most benefitted as Prof. Balagalle involved in curriculum design, recruitment of suitable staff, and above all with respect to dissemination of knowledge.
No doubt, the acclaim that the Sinhala Department of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura has received as an outstanding department can be attributed to the pioneering role of Prof. Balagalle which inspired even the next generation of eminent scholars of this department. This is not all. With his 32 years of service at the university, Prof. Balagalle has become an excellent resource person as both the academics and those who are in administrative positions in the university sill consult him on matters related to the history of the university pertaining to administration, rules and regulations, university traditions, staff, and many other areas in addition to matters of academic interest.
As an invited member of the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Balagalle still contributes to the university with his brilliant insights into oriental languages and the rules of Sinhala grammar. The quickness with which he recollects things, responds to questions, and makes corrections, together with his graceful demeanour make Prof. Balagalle an intellectual par excellence.
Let me conclude this small note by referring to this famous quote by Warren Buffett, an American business magnate which fittingly reflects the University’s debt to this great person- “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
Add new comment