Friendship ends in tragedy

by Ananda Agalakada

Friendship is a beautiful and fragile relationship. Our friends are our pillars of strength and give us the much-needed support and comfort that we seek in life. Spending time with true friends is one of the greatest joys in the world. In fact, the very foundation of friendship between two people is based on mutual trust and understanding.

Another key basis of friendship is mutual sharing and help between friends. Friendship usually gives us the first lesson in “sharing” in our lives.

However, if these qualities of sharing and striving to help each other in a friendship ends in tragedy, it is one of the saddest things in life.

Nilantha and Dharmasena were friends in the true sense of the word. They shared everything, even the closest family secrets and strived to help each other at all times. Nilantha was a strapper and was a well-known cyclist who had won many competitions during his hey day. He was a pleasant person and was ready to help anyone in need. He was a popular due to his accommodating mannerisms. Dharmasena was his good friend and Nilantha loved Dharmasena's children like his own.

The 54-year-old Nilantha was a father of four. His wife Somalatha was not employed but looked after her family well. Asanga was Dharmasena's eldest son. They resided in Anamaduwa where Nilantha had a hardware shop in the town. He had good business as the customers trusted him.

Mylanta's son, Asanga was notorious and kept bad company. His associates were riff-raff from the village who were up to no good. They indulged in nefarious activities and escaped by a whisker from the long arm of the Law. Asanga's father was a decent man and did not want his son to keep the kind of company he was keeping. All the time he kept complaining to his friend Nilantha that his son was not heeding his advice. Asanga smoked, gambled and consumed liquor not heeding the advice and pleadings of his parents.

On one fateful day tragedy struck Nilantha. His son said “My father was in his hardware shop with a few of his friends. The shop is on the Chilaw road. At about 8.30 pm I received a call saying that my father was being attacked. As soon as I went to the scene I saw someone leaving my father's shop in a hurry”.

“The people who had gathered there told me my father had been stabbed. At that time I understood that my father's friend Dharmasena's son had attacked my father and stabbed him.”

“I came to know later that my father had advised Asanga to behave himself and not to trouble his parents”.

A heated argument had broken out between my father and Asanga. He was under the influence of liquor at that time and did not heed his advice. It might have been at this time that Asanga would have stabbed my father. He had stabbed him with a knife known as a “Rambo knife” his son said. Dharmasena on hearing the news had rushed to the hospital where his friend was taken. It was too late because by then his friend had passed away. Dharmasena could not control his emotions and wept while thumping the concrete floor of the hospital with his fist. He could not believe that his son had stabbed his friend. His agony was compounded when he heard the altercation was due to Nilantha trying to help his family.

Dharmasena’s grief knew no bounds. His heart wrenching cries were hard for even the others to bear. Dharmasena too was later admitted to hospital. Dharmasena wanted to end his life but he had to fulfil his obligations and he was prevented from ending his life.

Anamaduwa police arrested Nilantha over the killing.