Memoirs of a doctor
“Memory is the treasure-house of the mind”. - Thomas Fuller
Someone famously but anonymously said this:
“The glory of summer is best appreciated, when one is shivering in
winter’s cold.”
Dr. Lakshman Abeyagunawardene’s Memoirs, seem to derive directly from
an identical situation. The main title of his book is “From Hikkaduwa to
the Carolinas”. He adds an elucidatory second title: “Memoirs of a
Reluctant Expatriate.”
Ten thousand miles away from the land of his birth, memories from
‘good old Sri Lanka’, kept on flooding his soul. The present volume,
represents an expanded version of those fond home-thoughts. His
professional sojourn in the distant carolinas, provided him with the
proper perspective to adore and esteem the allure and the appeal of the
place he always calls home. Recollections gushed forth, from the depth
of his being. There was no need to recourse to notes. What remained to
be done, was to impose book-form, upon the contents.
Briefly, that is the process that ensured the genesis of this book.
The pages are crowded with memories of persons and places.
He narrates the evolution of certain places in the spirit and the
style of a dedicated historian. One could feel a sense of affection
coming through those descriptions.
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Dr. Lakshman
Abeyagunawardene |
The author hails from Hikkaduwa - a township in the South of Sri
Lanka. It is quite a noteworthy “hail”, because Hikkaduwa is replete
with a rich lore, centring upon great scholars, affluent families and
many who achieved national stature. Dr. Abeyagunawardene, traces the
ramifications of his own family. He, quite modestly, considers himself a
residual legatee of the vast achievements of those earlier stalwarts of
Hikkaduwa, who shone at various levels of life.
Personally I cherish the author’s narration of the history of the
area that is well-known as Manning Town, where, according to the author,
he lived a good part of his childhood. Since I am currently resident at
Manning Town flats, the author’s detailed descriptions of that area,
with a touching sense of intimacy, fascinated me no end. The author’s
in-depth recounting of the phases of evolution of Manning Town, is
eloquent testimony to his impassioned attachment to his childhood
haunts.
The key to his close involvement with the life at Manning Town, is
his memory of the house numbers, in many instances.
As you continue to progress through his memoirs, you cannot help but
be overwhelmed by his phenomenal dexterity to recall the details of the
places he had known, while growing up.
Recounting his schooling phase, the author takes the reader to his
days at Ananda College.
His undiminishing loyalty to Ananda is enshrined in his resounding
statement: “I found that greatness in a school does not depend on the
locality. My Alma mater, would have flourished anywhere on earth as an
outstanding seat of learning!”
We meet the author next, as an Assistant Science Teacher, at
Talatuoya Central College. It is there he experienced the thrill of
earning his first salary. As a dutiful son, he bought a
twenty-four-Rupee silk saree for his mother and a fourteen Rupee Hentley
Executive shirt for his father, using his first pay.
There were only the minor preliminary steps, towards the entry into a
wider world of massive challenges and trying ups and downs.
The latter half of the Memoirs, is, in effect, a chronicle of his
main professional career, as a Doctor of Medicine. It records the story
of his professional postings both here and abroad.
The total “Memoirs”, speak of a gentle, humane practitioner of
medicine, deeply engrossed in the way of life of people. The large
number of personalities, mentioned by name in this book, makes it a
unique work. It is, veritably a “Who’s Who” of people, who flourished in
various fields of like, during the decades, this work focuses upon.
For all you know, your name too is likely to figure here, in some
context.
The calm restrained style of writing, makes the book eminently
readable. Although the work traces the progress of a professional
practitioner of medicine, the major and minor events, that the author
has had to wade through, make it, strangely enough, as absorbing as a
work of fiction. The cliche, that fact is stranger than fiction may be
apt here.
There is, for instance, the episode in which the author is caught up
in a plane crash. This real-life tragedy and the miraculous escape of
the author, unscathed, but for a swollen ankle, add a dramatic depth to
the whole narration.
Professional travels, took the author to various parts of the world.
His narration of these tours, gives the work the feel of a “travelogue’
as well.
The total impression given by the ‘Memoirs’, is that the reader has
been given the opportunity to meet a cultured professional, who has an
intense love of his mother country and a marked ardour for serene
domesticity. In his concluding segment, we come upon the author as a
voyager who has reached a calm haven, after tumultuous travails. He
nursed the dream, that the day he and his wife will live in retirement,
in Sri Lanka. He reinforces this resolve by saying that “my homeland
attracted me like a magnet”.
The work comes in an elegant hand-cover version. And, all the
author’s experiences are available to the reader at Rs.750. This is
indeed a memorable Memoir.
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