|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 31 October 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
75th birth anniversary : 'Nandi' abided by strict moral code by Chandra Wickramasinghe
I thought of writing this little piece by way of an expression of the appreciation and respect I have for the memory of a person who was unique in many respects. The 31st of October, 2004 happens to be his 75th birth anniversary. I am not going to dwell on his academic achievements which are only too well known to his friends and associates and too numerous to be enumerated in a short pen sketch like this. I had known Professor Kodagoda, addressed by his close friends as 'Nandi', for several decades. I must turn to certain aspects of his personality which may not have been as widely known as his intellectual brilliance and his communication skills. I discovered that he was a deeply religious person, perhaps not in the popular sense, but who abided by a strict moral code imbued with ethical norms and principles enunciated by the great religious Teachers. His actions were invariably in accord with these ethical principles and had the clear stamp of a principled mind. I recall the times I had to share a room with him often in outstation towns and the conversations we used to engage in on esoteric subject areas like Truth, Death, Religion, Conventional Morality, Nirvana, Salvation, the so called Eternal Verities etc. We used to often speculate on what lay beyond, in the words of the Bard, in "that undiscovered country from whose bourn, no traveller returns"! These discussions used to go on till late in the night and his views on these matters did leave a lasting impression on me. Nandi was an intensely practical person. He was riveted to his work and believed almost religiously in achieving excellence in whatever field of activity he engaged in. This aspect of his personality is brought forth vividly in a little incident which occurred on the day the late President Premadasa was assassinated. The National Dangerous Drugs Control Board of which Prof. Kodagoda was Chairman at the time, organized a workshop at Hotel Galadari to prepare the Master Plan for Drug Abuse Control in Sri Lanka. The participants comprised academics and others engaged in the field of combatting drug abuse in Sri Lanka. The participants had split up into groups and were busily engaged in discussions on related topics when it was suddenly announced that there had been a bomb blast somewhere in Kotahena. Speculation was rife that President Premadasa had been fatally injured in the blast. I distinctly recall Nandi turning to me saying "of course Chandra, you have to leave". (I did leave immediately making a bee-line to my good friend Wijayadasa's room in the Presidential Secretariat just across the road to find Wije, true to form, busy, sorting things out with President Wijetunge by his side.) Nandi added in the same breadth quite unfazed, "I will of course stay on and continue with the workshop". This was typical of Nandi whose single minded and purposeful attention to whatever task he undertook was in many respects unique indeed. For this reason alone he was impatient and at times one might say even slightly intolerant of anyone who stood in the way of the work goals he had set down to be achieved. Quite naturally his relentless pursuit of excellence did attract a few enemies, particularly of the ilk of persons who were far less competent and incapable of making a significant impact on the particular field of activity. Envy and frustration on their part invariably led to personal denigration which is indeed an unfortunate national trait in Sri Lanka. Nandi however carried on his mission undeterred by these detractors as he well knew that what eventually mattered was the larger impact of what he did on the community and the nation as a whole. Nandi was very attached to his family. He was indeed a complete family man being very close to his wife and children who were in turn equally attached to him. During the early Nineties when the second insurgency was on, it was an advantage to have Nandi with us on our trips. His frequent appearances on TV programmes enabled the servicemen manning check-points and other barriers to recognize him instantly which enabled all of us to have easy passage without any hassle. Nandi was a person who was ready to assist the innumerable, young and old, people who sought his advice and help. Vivit post funera virtus. In his samsaric journey may be continue to play the role of the kindly ferryman helping people across troubled waters till he himself reaches the Eteral Shore. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
