Appreciations

 I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla: He was courageous

This article is specially written for the 110th birth anniversary of late I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla which fell on January 3, 2018.

It has been 45 years since I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla, author, translator, orator editor, and a Sinhala scholar, honest politician, former Education and Cultural Affairs Minister from 1965-1970, passed away.

Iriyagolla was born in the Iriyagolla village in Dandagamuwa, Kuliyapitiya, on January 3, 1907. His full name is Imiya Mudiyanselage Raphiel Abayawansa Irriyagolla.

He was an old boy of the then Ananda College at Colombo. He created a new political era of delivering truth openly to the masses and also to Buddhist monks. He was highly associated with E. W. Adikaram L. H. Meththananda, Prof. Senarath Paranawithana, Prof. G. P. Malalasekara, Dr. Ananda Guruge, and P. de S. Kularatne etc.

Iriyagolla was married to Rani Gunasekara, who was born in Matale.

After completing his formal education, he joined the Sri Lanka Police Department and became a Police inspector, but due to his talents, he give up the Police service and became the editor of a Sinhala newspaper. He later became the editor of the Sinhala Baudhdhaya newspaper under Maha Bodhi Society of Sri Lanka.

Iriyagolla's life was enlightened due to his courage and association with late Anagarika Dharmapala. During this period, Iriyagolla himself became a life member of the Mahabodhi Society, Paramawinnantha Buddhist Association, and All Ceylon Buddhist Congress.

During his younger days, he was able to publish his book named Manuthapaya. Later, he wrote a another book named Devathapaya. Iriyagolla then became a politician after the independence of Sri Lanka. Iriyagolla first contested in the Dandagamuwa Electorate in Kuliyapitiya. He became the Member of Parliament for Dandagamuwa in 1952 as an independent candidate due to his popularity among the masses.

In 1953, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, the then Home Affairs Minister in the UNP government headed by the late D. S. Senanayake Cabinet, left from the United National Party and formed the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP). Iriyagolla was close to Bandaranaike during this period and contested in the Dandagamuwa Electorate under the MEP. He won with a high majority. After the election results were announced in 1956, Bandaranaike became the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and Iriyagolla was sworn in as the Deputy Minister of Industries.

He later left the MEP in 1959 and formed his own political party: Samajawadhi Mahajana Peramuna. Iriyagolla contested in the 1960 March elections under his own political party under the symbol of the eye. He was able to nominate candidates under his new political party to all the electorates in the country, but only he was able to win the 1960 March elections; all his other candidates lost the elections. As he was the only MP representing the Mahajana Samajawadhi Peramuna in Parliament in March, 1960, Iriyagolla joined hands with the UNP.

During this period, he understood the good qualities of the then UNP leader Dudley Senanayaka and worked hard for the UNP to come power. Dudley Senanayake assigned Iriyagolla to work at Srikotha, the UNP headquarters.

Senanayake requested Iriyagolla to contest under the UNP in the 1965 elections for the Kuliyapitiya Electorate. Iriyagolla won with a good majority in 1965, and Senanayaka selected Iriyagolla as the Education and Cultural Affairs Minister of his Cabinet.

As the Education and Cultural Affairs Minister, Iriyagolla rendered a yeoman service to the nation between 1965-1970. Iriyagolla set up universities in the country and provided training to youths to engage in employment, setup the Buddhist Pali University in Anuradhapura for Buddhist monks to obtained higher studies in the Dhamma and Pali. He also managed to restore the Sigiriya frescoes after it was damaged by an unknown character.

He composed songs to promote patriotism among schoolchildren and made arrangements to play those songs prior to the opening time of schools. Hundreds of Siyawasa school libraries were also opened, the shortage of teachers was quelled, and teacher assistants were recruited to provide teachers with the proper training. His name remains unforgettable even today, as he was the pioneer behind the establishment of the D. S. Senanayaka and Mahanama Colleges in Colombo.

His two sons, namely Gamini Iriyagolla (civil servant) and Dr. Deva Iriyagolla both have passed away, but his three daughters, namely Pushphamala, Sama, and Sagarika, are living happily; all of them well-educated in different fields to render services to country in order to fulfill what Iriyagolla taught. His daughter-in-law Indrani Iriyagolla is engaged in social work, performing a eminent service for the welfare of women in Sri Lanka.

I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla's name would not be forgotten, even decades into the furture. We should pay our gratitude to his great service rendered to our country to maintain high discipline in our universities and schools as a father to all students.

He was thus named because of his honesty, integrity, sincerity, and enthusiasm towards the people and the nation. I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla should be treated as the most outstanding straightforward political leader produced by the sathkoralaya of Sri Lanka since Independence.

May you attain the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana.

W. A. C. P. Wijayaratne

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To Chrissie: until we meet again

I met you so many years ago at a picnic, and when I saw you,

My heart went pang at that time, realizing little that I had started a journey long

I walked up to you, you smiled and looked at me with mischievous eyes

And handed me a cup of tea,

This was the first of billions of cups you would hand me, my love It took some time to realize that the pang was love—my first love

It was my greatest joy to hear you say Dennis, I loved you at first sight

But the romance was taboo, and many tried to break our bond

It was then that we realized that our strong bond would never die

When they would not compromise, we left to face the world together

When you left, Chrissie, you were crying, but never did you look back, my love

Your pain would not die, because you lost so much, my love

But I proved to be strong, and so did you; we withstood the storm together

Later, I became the best son-in-law father and everyone accepted us

Now, all united and happy as could be, love had won

My mother, Ann, met us at the door and gave her blessing

She asked, Chrissie, are you hungry, dear?; while Chrissie ate, she stitched a gown

The only woman I ever loved before Chrissie was my mother

And on the 15th of May, you became my wife; we were so happy

Then five children did we have, and we were complete

With our little bundles of joy growing up until an accident

Did shatter our lives

My darling Ruvani, the youngest,

Was crushed, but we had more happy years together but she

Left us twenty years later; now, she is with Chrissie in the stars My Chrissie, did you not promise me that one day, we would die together?

I had made all my plans to be with you; now I am lonely, in the dark

Then God made a miracle when my three children did step in

With all their love, the darkness abated

Now I sit in the dark some times and close my eyes

And there you are, by my side again, laughing and talking

Like we first met, as if you never left

I will be joining you soon, Chrissie, and this time My darling, we will never part

Dennis