Bala Tampoe:

Champion of life

By Kalakeerthi Dr. Edwin Ariyadasa

“The shortest and surest way to live with honour in the world, is to be in reality what we would appear to be; all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice and experience of them.” - Socrates (469-399 BC) Greek philosopher

Everybody (almost everybody) knows, that I am politically non-partisan. It has always been that way. In a professional life, spanning more than six decades, I never held membership in any trade union. Nor have I ever been a member of any political party.

Never have I been in the hurly-burly of demonstrations and risings, exposed to the routine range of repressive measures. Such expressions as 'strikes', 'boycotts', 'picketings', “walkouts', 'faceoffs', and 'lockouts' have not been associated with my style of life.

Given this kind of background, one may very well ask, what prods me to produce this elegiac monody for the late great Bala Tampoe? From the moment, Bala, left behind all storms and strifes of life, wrapped in the cold embrace of death, men and women from all walks of life expressed their sorrow, in many voices.

This variety of messages of condolence made it starkly clear that he had impacted upon the people, not only as a trade union leader, which is his widely known social role.

Praise

A professional in that category invariably elicits both praise and insult almost in equal measure. For such people, rivals are galore. Opponents are plenty. But, in the instance of Bala Tampoe, his passage was never even slightly marred by any sour note.

His professional missions made the asphalt jungle almost his natural habitat. Bala's eagerness to settle issues, the yearning that propelled him to seek avenues to redress grievances, converted crowded meeting places and agitated gatherings, into challenging venues. These varied posthumous tributes, from a wide array of individuals and organisations, invariably tempt us to take a look at his personality evolution with a fresh keenness.

I share the same birth-year (1922) with him, though I am seven months younger.

His father's status as an official in the state sector of British India, would have added at least a modicum of privilege, to his childhood. But, whatever that may be, he would have acquired an emphatic touch of self-will, quite early on. This incipient trace matured as years passed by and experiences accumulated, into a fierce and of course an aggressive brand of independence. The dramatic transition from the forth-right assertion of one's own independence, into the dedication to the championing of the rights of others, would have taken place as a matter of course.

Masses

Many leaders of his calibre who acquire the capacity to dominate the fate of masses as a built-in segment of their trade union involvements, are easily led to seek power and influence for themselves.

Being unusually active in the field of intricate trade union politics, for decades, Bala Tampoe remained above the temptation to be personally ambitious. To my mind, this moral victory was determined largely by an inner austerity and disciplined self-restraint.

This is proved by his lifestyle of reclusive simplicity.

Those who know him intimately tell us that he continued to use his faithful Volkswagen motorcar for long years. Even in his advanced old age he was not at all averse to the idea of riding the pillion of a motor cycle.

To those complex negotiations that were called for, to settle disputes, Bala Tampoe brought an academic refinement. He was widely read-extensively travelled and had effortlessly reached a peak, where he was ensconced as a trade union guru.

Effective weapon

He was adept in the wielding of the most effective weapon of trade union leaders - fiery oratory, that was decidedly spell binding.

He totally eschewed cant and hypocrisy and deeply resented those when they appeared in others.

He cultivated honesty and integrity not as ornaments meant for display but as irreducible components of his inner being. He diligently cherished his principles, without even a wee trace of compromise to affect them.

He discarded all efforts at ego-boosting. The masses whose cause he championed throughout a long life-time, automatically sensed his genuineness.

Leaders in a vast array of fields learnt to admire this exemplary, self-denying champion of the masses.

An unfading brand of patriotism enlivened the totality of his character, giving his strenuous exertions and sustained efforts a wholesome meaning and purpose.

Appearance

Sixty years of committed service, exposing himself to sun rain and storms, seemed to have taken a marked toll on his physique. Like a pebble rolled about by ocean-waves, his body took on a faded and eroded appearance. But, the accumulating years could never affect his intellectual stamina, or the sharpness of perception.

As the ageing process continued, his visage began to resemble that of a keen-eyed eagle.

Until his last breath, Bala Tampoe was a champion of the masses. And, without any hesitation, I would add Bala was an unassailed champion of life. He deserves this recognition because he enshrined happiness in the lives of many who had lost all hope.

But, it has to be recorded with undiminished sadness, he tragically failed in his negotiations with Mara (Death).

Those who know Bala, will undoubtedly aver that he will come to terms even with this final challenger.