Deshamanya P. Ramanathan

Fitting example to future generations

It is timely that the country remember the Ramanathan legacy that enrich the local metropolis of Colombo and suburbs in the 20th century. Late Justice P. Ramanathan was the remaining relic of the Ramanathan legacy up to the threshold of the century. As a Sri Lankan Tamils by birth the generations of Ramanathans have been able to co-exist with the Sinhala majority with ease in the city of Colombo.

Today many politicians look to our cricketers as an example for national reconciliation and co-existence but do not recall the healthy times the Ramanathans, Arunachalams and Ponnambalams have had in the 20th century in this respect. In a society of tremendously heterogeneous of mixture of racial ethnic and religious groups living together have a tremendous bearing on the life and times of Ramanathans from the time of the British who left Ceylon to its native.

It is fitting example even to the future generations of the 21st century yet to be born to have a leaf from the Ramanathan legacy that was moduled and followed by contemporary national leaders like late Neelan Thiruchelvan and Lakshman Kadirgarmar. They paid a heavy price by trying to do this in Colombo, but they would be setting an example for the times yet to be born to keep the Ramanathan tradition alive.

Prof. G. L. Peiris former Vice Chancellor of the Colombo University a close admirer of the Ramanathan family declared at a Ramanathan memorial lecture in Colombo that above all the qualities of late Justice P. Ramanathan he admired, the quality of humility in the person. He maintained that this family tradition had no ill will towards the Sinhala Buddhists or Muslims. Prof. Peiris addressing the lecture declared that he lived upto the famous English idiom that "One must not be one". Late Justice Ramanathan excelled in many disciplines.

He was a senior judge of the Supreme Court, Chancellor of the University, Chief Minister and finally the Chairman of the Human Rights Commission, the position he held upto his passing away.

The former V.C. said that his influence by Buddhist philosophy of Upeka which made him to live a simple life and the embodiment of the Hindu training prescribed in the 'Bhagawath Geetha' is established beyond reasonable doubt in the life and times of P. Ramanathan. His tolerance compassion and understanding, interwoven in this life style is a pride to the late Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan of Sri Lanka who heads this legacy and who stood by the Sinhala Buddhists in 1915 riots.

It is timely that in the way out sought to national reconciliation the life and times of Ramanathans surface out like a vibrant philosophy.

Bandula Nonis , Co-ordinator, Weeramantry International Centre