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| Sunday, 17 October 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Police legends Aries the Adonis Inspector Aries Fernando was my schoolmate at Ananda College, Colombo as my batchmate, when we joined the Police Department as Sub-Inspectors of April 20, 1959. He was affluent and came to seek admission to the Police Training School, Kalutara, in his father's private car, whilst the rest of us came in hired or friends' vehicles.
He had an admirable tall physique like 'Adonis', with muscles protruding from head to toe. He was also an Acrobat and we saw many instances Aries in full uniform, with his feet towards the sky and palms on the ground, walking the corridors of the Senior Staff Mess at the Police Ordinance, Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, to the tunes of popular Sinhalese songs and sing them loud for the batchmates to hear. The end result of this breaking into song was that Aries failed the Weekly Examination, but his batchmates who closed the books and listened to his songs passed the Exam. He was a humanist and once told me that his wife Shanthi, a Government School Teacher by profession was not paid during school holidays and that he was having a trying time. I too joined him and said I am aware of this fact because my parents were also Government Teachers and they too did not receive any salary during the school holidays, over which all of us had a hearty laugh. On one Christmas eve, I was invited to lunch by Aries. As usual we exchanged greetings and I shook hands with his wife and noticed that her hand was dripping wet. "Hey, why is your wife's hand wet" I asked Aries. "She's just been to the toilet" he said. "Thank God, I shook her right hand" I said in relief. "Bandu", said Aries, "She is a left hander. She does wit her right hand everything you and I do with the left hand". I immediately made one beeline to the nearest wash basin. He had a break in service when he did a stint in the Middle East for a few years. He has since retired and now lives with his wife, children and grandchildren, in contentment at Angulana. Bandula Seneviratne, Supdt. of Police (Retired) |
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Aries had College and Public School Colours for athletics. His events
were 100 yards, (no meters then 200 yards Relay and 400 yards. He too was
a Physical Culturist who successfully contested the 'Mr. Ceylon' (then)
Tall Man Class Contest and was placed first in 1958.
