General Anuruddha Ratwatte was a sports promoter par excellence

by Hafiz Marikar

Today 27th Sunday, is going to be the last journey, of Gen. Anuruddha Lewke Ratwatte commonly known as Anuruddha was a Sports Promoter, Municipal Councillor, Member of Parliament and Minister.

He started his politics with UNP and served the Municipal Council at the start as a UNPer, and later crossed over to SLFP. He had his education at Trinity College, born on 14th July 1938, he passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 73. He was the son of late Harris Lewke Ratwatte, former Diyawadana Nilame of the Maligawa and Ex-Member of Parliment - UNP for Mawanella. Anuruddha too was a Nilame and acting Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple of the Tooth.

I had a sportingly knitted association with late Anuruddha Ratwatte for more than 30 years. It was C.H. Seneviratne and I who mooted the idea, during the SLRFU presidency of Y.C. Chang organised a Kandy Schools Old Boys Rugby Carnival from 28th July to 1st August, 1986 and the Winners Cup was donated by family of late Harris Lewke Ratwatte, the winners received this handsome cup and the winners were Old Trinitians led by late Harris' grandson Ashan, so he was proud to receive the late Harris Ratwatte Cup at the end from then Mayor of Kandy late Tilak Ratnayake. For this tournament Anuruddha and his brother Dennis gave a big hand.

In the field of sports he was a great promoter of all sports, he played Rugby for his Alma Mater, Kandy Sports Club thereafter, held the post of General Secretary - Kandy Sports Club in the early 1970s. Later became the Chairman of the “Kandy Sports Development Foundation" in the hills promoting and funding sports in the district. He gave leadership to the sports development foundation for over a decade collecting huge sums of funds through sponsorships to support sports development at grass roots level with the concept “Gamata Kreeda".

He did a lot for the promotion of rugger for Kandy SC, OTSC and Kandy Youth SC and also was the pillar behind to re-structuring and development of the Bogambara Stadium when it was under the Kandy Municipal Council, but now this stadium comes under the purview of the Sugahtadasa Stadium, Colombo.

In Kandy, his ancestral home town, where he was born, thousands are expected to turn up for the funeral of the late. Anuruddha who will be cremated today at the historic Bogambara Stadium at 4 pm. The entire town was spontaneously decorated with white flags and banners in honour of him.

Anuruddha was blessed with a heart of gold. He was quick to respond to any one in distress, was very generous kind and attended to needs of many of his followers. That was why literally thus many people shed tears as they filed past his remains.

Death came to Anuruddha most unexpectedly, with much sorrow to thousands of others reminding us the words of the Buddha in the Dhammpada.

He leaves behind his wife Carmen, sons Lohan, Mahen, Chanuka and several grandchildren.

‘Na Anthalikke na Samuddamajjhe
Napabbatanam Vivaran pavissa
Na vijjati so Japatippadeso
Yatthathita nappasahettha maccu.

Not in the sky not in mid ocean, not in a mountain cave is found that place on earth where abiding one will not be overcome by death. (Dhammapade Stanza 128)