APPRECIATIONS

Chella Pathmanathan: A selfless humanitarian

Chelliah Pathmanathan JP, affectionately known as “Chella” by his friends, was born on March 13, 1933, in the historic region of Puloly, Northern Province, to Shaivite parents Chelliah and Sinnachchipillai. He was a grandchild of Vinasithambi and second in the family of two, the eldest being a sister named Nagaratnam.

Pathmanathan commenced his secondary education at Hartley College, Point Pedro, in 1944, and continued until he sat for the SSC Examination in 1951. After completing his school education, he joined the government clerical service. At the age of 29, he married Annarathinam of Uduppiddy, and the couple were blessed with five children: two boys and three girls.

Pathmanathan went onto successfully complete accountancy exams that helped him advance his career as an accountant at the Department of Food in 1967. His knack for excellence saw him progress up the ladder, first as the Assistant Director at Department of Wildlife, and then Director at the General Treasury of the Ministry of Finance. It also came as no surprise that his unmatched linguistics skills saw him function as a translator and a Justice of Peace.

Pathmanathan functioned as the Secretary of the Colombo Branch of Hartley College OBA between 1983 and 1995, perhaps the most challenging times in history for the school and the Tamil community in general. His selfless commitment to his alma mater saw him become the longest serving Secretary of this Association, then as the Vice-President and finally as the Vice-Patron, a post that he held till his last breath.

Pathmanathan was also the founder secretary of the Hartley College PPA Trust since 2002 and made a significant contribution to the school rebuilding efforts, in both infrastructure and educational initiatives. Hartley boasts a constant stream of old boys and teachers/principals who provide yeoman service to elevate the level of the school, both in academic as well as extra-curricular matters.

However, if you were to name one individual who has contributed the most in the post-1983 era, especially in actively participating in rebuilding the school’s activities and working towards the consolidation of the past pupils branches both here and overseas, Chella will be the unanimous choice. The fact that the Colombo Branch was able to develop a comprehensive members’ directory was entirely due to his painstaking efforts by individually contacting all past pupils in the Colombo District by visiting them or calling them personally during challenging times. This untiring effort paved the way for the Colombo Branch to grow and acted as a catalyst to have the overseas branches follow suit.

During his tenure as the Essential Services Deputy Director, Pathmanathan was targeted by racist elements and was forced to resign after he had raised voice for equitable distribution of supplies in the areas where the minority communities predominantly reside. The Sri Lanka United Nations Friendship Organization (SUNFO) felicitated Pathmanathan and conferred him the title of “Associate Supportive Fellow” (AFSUNFO) for his service at Sri Lanka Christian Children’s Fund as a consultant.

His powerful speech at a conference hosted by Asian Resources Institution in December 2003, on the topic of “Poverty and peace”, brought him accolades and international recognition. Pathmanathan also rendered his service to vulnerable communities during his tenure as a part-time consultant at Sri Lanka Red Cross. A devout Hindu, he actively participated in all the temple functions both in Colombo as well as in Jaffna, and also assisted with many temple administrations.

Even as he fell ill during his last few years, Pathmanathan continued his untiring efforts aimed at the development of his cherished alma mater. Being a selfless humanitarian, he avoided publicity in his service to Tamil language and Hindu religious communities. He was also fearless when it came to facing the opposition of racist and opportunistic elements and raised his voice genuinely and courageously on many issues.

This appreciation is written on behalf of members of the Hartley College PPA Trust, the many branches of the PPA, the past pupils, as well as the teaching faculty of Hartley and its students, showing gratitude to selfless services by him to his alma mater.

 

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Primula: Remembering a dear friend

Primula came into our lives like a breath of fresh air. In today’s society, men are generally friendly, but the ladies are sometimes aloof, unless you are ‘a friend.’ Prim was refreshingly different—she was warm and friendly.

I first met Prim at the Hilton while listening to music. I walked past and I heard someone say, “Hello Diana”, I was about to say “You must be mistaken” when I saw the amused smile on her face. Yes, my bushy hair and dark skin, I was Diana Ross. I laughed and that was the beginning of an amazing friendship.

Primula met my small group of friends of different ages and personalities. She was a vibrant personality and soon became part of our group. She had a great sense of humour and was a lot of fun, as well as a fantastic cook, but there was more to her. Prim was pretty special: she was kind, generous, and selfless. However, no one is perfect; I am sure she had her faults, albeit too wee to notice.

No one took a taxi going out together. Prim would collect us even if we were not on her route.Visiting, she always arrived with freshly baked bread and her yummy profiteroles—Tania’s favourite. During her final days, she taught Sara to how make them and said “You have to make them for Tania”. Kind and thoughtful till the end.

The one thing we all remember is an incident at my birthday celebration. Prim arrived looking glam in a lovely outfit. The party took off and she was having a great time. Suddenly someone tripped and hurt herself badly. No friend of Prims but she dropped everything and drove the couple to the hospital. She got back to us when the party was over. A totally selfless act, which Prim thought nothing of.

During her illness, Prim had some good days and wanted to come out and join us and no one could guess how ill she was. She was incredibly brave and made the most of her days. One such occasion was at Maeve’s. Maeve had organised some fun games and Prim was so into it. Even ended up carrying her partner and dancing on a square of paper and winning the prize.

Prim had a wide circle of friends—her dance class friends had prayers and an almsgiving for her. We decided to have a small wake to celebrate her life along with her friends, Sha and Yohani. At first there was a feeling of sadness, but once we started reminiscing, we had a laugh at all the times we shared with her. Soon it was as if Prim was with us—at least in spirit.

Prim was blessed with loving and caring children. Her daughter Sara and son-in-law Nilshan flew out to be with her and spend quality time, making her last weeks happy and comfortable. Her son Mikhail arrived in time to be with her for a few days.

It is not easy to accept the fact that Prim is no longer with us. So let us say ‘Prim, we love you and miss you so very much.’ These thoughts are echoed by your friends Usha, Kalvi, Maeve, Priyeni, Rifka, Cheryl, Hertha, and Tania. Sadly, you left us too soon. If I am to believe Cheryl, we will meet again. Till then, May God be with you.

Sonja