“There is nothing more touching than the sight of a nation in search of its great men, nothing more beautiful than its readiness to accept a hero on trust.”
- James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American Poet, Critic, Diplomat.
Yielding to an age old, deeply entrenched tradition, we tend to record the ‘memory’ of certain events and individuals. The stark assumption on such an occasion is that, those events and individuals, are no longer around and that they have passed away – either a long time ago or fairly recently.
But, when we think about events organised ‘in memory’ of an exceptional phenomenon of the calibre of the illustrious D R Wijewardene, we cannot help but feel, that a fresh formula is called for.
The formidable aura of influence, that illustrious D R Wijewardene has left us, still remains a pulsating and living legacy.
His multifaceted contribution, has turned out to be unageingly “contemporary”.
Early in his youth, he espoused the cause of National Independence, totally discarding the pursuit of personal and private goals. Wide avenues were open to him to amass a comfortable fortune, if that was the goal he set for himself.
Instead he opted for the risky search for National Independence. Even a slight mis-step in that danger-fraught arena, would have elicited the wrath of touchy colonial powers, leading invariably either to incarceration or death.
While at his academic pursuits in London, he was propelled by a hidden agenda and a prioritized mission. Both those were unerringly directed at one specific goal – the promotion of the cause of National Independence.
Historical Lion Flag
In the course of this unswerving commitment, he achieved a singularly serendipitous ‘victory'.
He discovered the historical Lion Flag, which was brought down in March 1815, to enable the hoisting of the British Union Jack.
This historical “treasure” was found in a closet in the Royal Hospital at Cholsea of all the places.
How this precious historical object found its way into this strange location, is an utterly intriguing puzzle. Incidentally, as strange twists in history would have it, it was this Lion Flag that became the First National Flag of Independence Sri Lanka (the Ceylon).
Although he was very much at the centre of the struggle for National Independence, he never wanted any post or privileged place, for himself.
Even the founding of the Publishing House, was, in reality, an extension of the struggle for independence.
He was convinced, far sighted by, that only people blessed with knowledge will be the truest inheritors of independence. His intention was to present to the masses of this independent land, a series of publications that would enrich their wisdom, enabling them to arrive at right and proper choices.
Firmly guided by this humane and noble vision, he established Lake House.
Under his meticulous supervision and unrelaxed discipline, Lake House achieved the stature of an exemplary entrepreneurial institution in Sri Lanka.
On one recent occasion this is how I summed up this unique organisational development.
“Returning home from oversees, young D R established a newspaper publishing domain. He was fully convinced, that, information and proper knowledge should constitute the two staple assets of a truly independent nation. A well informed nation equipped with pragmatic wisdom will be the enlightened citizens, who could be trusted to make the right choices for the people and the land.
Lake House publications
As a trend-setting institution, Lake House has continued to flourish over the years, because the total establishment reflected the highly impressive austere ways of the remarkable founder.
As has been emphasised, over and over again, of the young scholar coming home, was bent primarily on making money, he could have almost effortlessly achieved that individualistic goal. But, he always, thought beyond that target and dedicated himself to the well-being of the land of his birth.
His personal discipline was astonishing. He was so keen that he never allowed either his photograph or any written reference to him to appear in Lake House publications. His “citadel” earned an exquisite reputation as a highly impressive centre of discipline, orderliness and total dedication to service. It exuded such allure, that even some new graduates preferred employment at Lake House to State Administrative Service.
Lake House, has been a trail blazer in the introduction of state of the art technologies. The Crabtree Rotary, set up to facilitate speedy printing is a tribute to his far-sightedness.
An area that remains largely forgotten is the role played by the D R Centre, to produce generation after generation of writers, administrations, scholars, who are foremost among the intellectual elites of Sri Lanka.
These traditions and processes initiated by this great personality keep on thriving fully supporting the statement that he is still a living and pulsating presence.
But, so far, the Mother Land, for whose independence he bought had and sacrificed much, has not paid him the tribute of the production of a definitive biography.
It is time that all right thinking people thought about filling this hiatus, without much loss of time. DR is, undoubtedly an unfading presence.
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