Chelliah Umapathy
A dedicated family man
Uma Mama was blessed with a very good personality, yet outside he looked like a very tough person. He was very liberal in nature and also he felt happiness in giving and sharing his wealth with others. He married my aunt Shiva in 1967 and led a very happy and prosperous life. She was a very quiet, soft-spoken, and humble lady. She was a great gift to our uncle.
With a very heavy heart, I forced myself to write this appreciation to our beloved uncle on his first death anniversary. We were very attached to him from our early childhood. On many occasions, I forced myself to write an appreciation, but inner emotions prevented me from doing so. But at last, I strengthened my heart and forced myself to write it.
Among our three maternal uncles, Uma Mama was very attached to his only sister’s children from our early days. More than an uncle, he played the role of a best friend with us throughout our life. As the last younger sibling to my mother, he was very attached to my mother as well.
When we were very small, he joined the Sri Lankan Air Force as a technical officer and served his motherland until 1983. During his tenure, he never failed to prove his sincerity and dedication. As a result, he won many prestigious awards. After retirement, he migrated with his family tothe United Kingdom.
When he was working at the China Bay Air Base in Trincomalee, he used to visit us every fortnight. We were waiting for his arrival as he used to bring big boxes of chocolates and biscuits. He was a very open-minded, outspoken, and a strict disciplinarian. He always cultivated very good virtues among us.
When we were small, he used to play so many outdoor and indoor games with us. He was very much close to my mother. As the last sibling of my mother, he was more than an uncle, as he played the role of a good playmate, friend, and mentor to us. He used to take us for outings and treated us to delicious ice cream, cakes, and grams. He was very much delighted to eat peanuts and grams.
During his vacations, he cleaned our house and polished all brass and silverware. He loved gardening and brought plants from faraway places and planted them. With my maternal grandfather, he made our ancestral house garden look like a paradise in Jaffna. Even after he migrated to the United Kingdom in 1991, he never failed to maintain close links with his earlier friends with whom he was serving at the Air force.
He was very attached to his sister (my mother) and parents (my grandparents). Until his last breath, he was concerned about my mother’s health and our welfare. Every year until June, 2019, he visited us and spent time with us. Unfortunately, we never expected that was his last visit. He never felt that we were grown-ups. He always treated us like small children and brought boxes of chocolate from London.
Until he was admitted to the hospital, he used to speak to us on alternate days. He considered us as his own children and never showed any discrimination.
He was a proud uncle who spoke about our achievements withothers. Until the end of his life, his thoughts were with us. When I spoke to him a few days before his admission to the hospital, he spoke with me full of emotions. I never thought that was my last meeting with him. We never expected his unexpected demise by the deadly COVID-19 virus, which took thousands of precious lives from this world.
Uma Mama was blessed with a very good personality, yet outside he looked like a very tough person. He was very liberal in nature and also he felt happiness in giving and sharing his wealth with others. He married my aunt Shiva in 1967 and led a very happy and prosperous life. She was a very quiet, soft-spoken, and humble lady. She was a great gift to our uncle. He was blessed with two daughters: Damayanthi and Krishanti. Both of them are very good cousins of mine.
He was a good father-in-law to both of his sons-in-law. He was a very proud and caring grandfather to all of his grandchildren. He was very attached to his only grandson Arun, who excels in his studies and completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford. Today, he is reading for his PhD. Uma Mama never failed to show his love and affection to his two granddaughters Shivani and Banu as well.
I hope Uma Mama was blessed with a very good worldly life and practised virtues. May his soul rest in peace!
His ever-loving niece,
Dr. Subashini Pathmanathan
DIG Camillus Abeygoonewardena
Steadfast and brave
The officer and gentleman
Who shined in Sri Lankan Police
One of the smartest in uniform
To adorn that high-ranking office
Through skill and ability
He brought honour to his office
With honesty and integrity
He served with rejoice
Commencing his career
In the upcountry range
In Traffic and Road Safety
Soon he gained a name
Many national events
And international frame
He skillfully handled with
Honour and fame
Being one of the assignments
in his illustrious career
He was privileged to serve
In the VIP frontier
In those challenging times
Without any fear or favour
He served President JRJ
With promptness and cheer
Another milestone
In his colorful career
Was being appointed
To Lead the northern frontier
During the height of the war
That was becoming severe
He showed his mettle
Without any iota of fear
Humaneness was in his heart
All the time
Everyone he treated with kindness
And a smile
Whilst he had friends from many walks of life
Never lost the common touch
With his unassuming style
To his family and friends
He was a pillar of strength
Reputation and respect
Was his much earned wealth
To many in distress
He did support in stealth
His greatness will remain
Our hearts as an epitome of strength!
Indrajith Senadhira
R.M. Fernando
A versatile sportsman
From his early days at S. Thomas’ College, Ranjit showed prowess in both studies and cricket. He was made the captain of the Under 12 and Under 14 teams. In 1959, Ranjit was selected for the First XI cricket team and played in the Royal-Thomian Tournament under A.D Fernandes. Ranjit was a stylish left-handed batsman. His batsmanship was commended in a college magazine... He was the second Moratuwite to captain the college’s cricket team and was also Head Prefect at that time.
Ranjit Mervin Fernando, who passed away on June 29, 2020, was the son of W. Reginald Fernando and Mercy Joan Fernando, and a scion of the late W. Hendrick Fernando of the ‘Moratu Sangamaya’.
Ranjit was admitted to the kindergarten of S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia. As his father was on paramedical duty at Kurunagala, Ranjit was left in the care of his mother’s cousin Lydia de Silva at Lunawa. Later, he was placed in the care of his father’s siblings at Lakshapathiya.
I took him and my faithful aide Andiris by train from Angulana to Mount Lavinia and then to S. Thomas’s College. Andiris used to take him home after school until Ranjit was old enough to look after himself. When Ranjit’s father was transferred to Colombo, he took Ranjit to school.
From his early days at S. Thomas’ College, Ranjit showed prowess in both studies and cricket. He was made the captain of the Under 12 and Under 14 teams. In 1959, Ranjit was selected for the First XI cricket team and played in the Royal-Thomian Tournament under A.D Fernandes.
Ranjit was a stylish left-handed batsman. His batsmanship was commended in a college magazine. In 1960, he played under M.L. Idroos, and captained in 1961. He was the second Moratuwite to captain the college’s cricket team and was also Head Prefect at that time.
While Ranjit was living in Lakshapathiya, he attended St. Matthias’ Sunday School and won several prizes at the annual prize-giving. He later became a Sunday school teacher, was elected as a warden of the church, and also served as a treasurer of the church. As a treasurer, his accounting background enabled him to make prudent decisions. At the recently-held Annual General Meeting of the St. Matthias’ Church, Ranjit was remembered for the wise decisions he took when he was the treasurer/warden.
At the end of his school career, Ranjit, his father, and I went to meet a paternal uncle of mine to enquire whether he could accept Ranjit as a creeper on one of his estates. He went through Ranjit’s credentials and suggested that it was better for him to become an accountant than become a planter.
Ranjit then followed a Chartered Accountancy Course and passed its intermediate examination. This qualification enabled him to become an accountant of the Ceylon Fertiliser Corporation. After some time, he was promoted to Shipping Manager. He left the corporation after rising in ranks to become its General Manager.
Thereafter, Ranjit joined CIC Holdings PLC as its Human Resources Manager and later continued as a Human Resources Consultant. He captained the respective cricket teams at both places and played cricket for Moratuwa SC under D.D. Jayasinghe. He later captained Moratuwa SC.
Ranjit was a prominent member of S. Thomas’ College Old Boys’ Association. He helped them with their payroll work for 10 years. He was also a guest of honour at the 136th ‘Battle of the Blues’, which was held on March 15, 2015. He had a long and close association with his alma mater from 1950 until his demise.
Ranjit married Preetha, daughter of J.H.L. de Silva and Julie de Silva. They became an exemplary and loving Christian couple. He was a devoted father to his two daughters Rammika and Shehara, as well as to his two sons-in-law Mandana Abeywardena and Samitha Fernando.
Ranjit was also an adoring grandfather to Devishka, Ramishka, and Shenura. They all knew how much he loved them. They were a united and closely-knit family. His sudden passing was painful to all his family and friends. It was especially heartbreaking for Rammika and Shehara and their families as they could not say their final goodbyes to him due to COVID-19 restrictions; they are living in South Africa and the UK, respectively.
On June 29, Ranjit and Preetha attended the 7:00 a.m. Holy Mass at St Matthias’ Church and returned home after the service was over. He had later collapsed while giving his dog a bath. He was admitted to the Kalubowila Hospital and was later pronounced dead. A physician had said that even if he had recovered, he would not have been able to lead a normal life. Therefore, God, in his mercy, called him home.
Ranjit had implicit faith in the Lord. With all his achievements and talents, he was a humble person who lived a simple life. He was also a very considerate and upright, and always stood up for what was right. He always maintained cordial relations with his relatives and neighbours.
May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
N.T.B Fernando
