Former Observer staffer remembered

It is difficult to write about a person with whom you have moved closely with for the simple reason that his memory brings a tear to one's eyes. Sarath Madduma was an erstwhile colleague and I met him in my first stint at Lake House when I joined the Daily News as a sub editor in 1998. He was well read, kept abreast of current events and his knowledge of past events was phenomenal. He was well up with the news. Many were the times he would share this information with us. His sense of humour knew no bounds. He could find something to laugh at over anything. This was simply Sarath.

When I moved to the Sunday Observer he left the Daily News. Subsequently, after a break he joined the Sunday Observer and we were together again. He would make us laugh with some of the things he said.

Everyday at lunch time he would go Borella to Upawansa hotel for lunch. He would say "the food is good there". These words still ring in my ears because I used to persuade him to eat somewhere nearby instead of trekking all the way to Borella but till his last few days he would drag himself to Upawansa for a meal. Sarath was earlier employed at the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation as a translator for over 30 years.

Sarath was honest to a fault and discharged his duties with diligence. He had a good command of the English Language but never failed to use the Dictionary to check out words which very few do these days. He left an indelible mark in our minds and we miss his joviality. We at the Sunday Observer editorial were saddened by the fact that we could not make it to his funeral because being a Sunday newspaper we don't work on Sundays and Mondays and by the time we were aware of his death the funeral rites were already over:

May his Samsaric journey be short.

His third-month pinkama falls on September 21 and the sermon will be held on the previous day.

- Fahima Farisz