Memories of Our Loving Father
Yes, thats all he has left us with Memories . We have all tried in our different ways to cope with the grief, after the sudden demise of our father. When we were asked to write a tribute to our father, we stumbled wondering how does one write about a legend in just few pages? Our father was this great Universe who evolved around us and when that whole universe has collapsed how does one pick up the pieces?
When we took Appa to Sri Lanka for the last time, we anticipated a modest amount of crowd to visit him to pay their last respect. As the day passed and the evening faded well wishers still continued to arrive, even at 3:15 am to catch that last glimpse. We knew that Appa was well known in the Banking and financial circle, but little did we know that he had touched so many peoples heart and won their affection too. There was not a single person at his funeral, who left without praising Appa for his support and help in resolving various issues for them.
Appas knowledge was as wide as the Pacific Ocean. He was well versed in all subject matters and was talented to entertain people from various backgrounds. To us, Appa is a caring, loving and tender father, who is an irreplaceable source of strength. We could do the impossible, when he is around with his loving delicate smile, giving us words of encouragement and inspiration.
Appa believed in Procrastination is the thief of time, He always found time for everything and will never accept the answer I didn’t have time. He climbed unreachable mountains to achieve goals in his life, often facing many challenges along the way. His determination was as hard as a rock, which is unimaginable for an average person. Appa also never knew the words Cant do or tired. When we challenged him once he said:
The heights great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, They, when their companions slept, were toiling upwards in the night.
From our early age we remember Appa rising at 5:30am and going to bed late. He would wake us up early to study before school. When we get dressed in our white uniform, he will be ready in his smart business attire, which was crisp white shirt, trouser, tie and polished shoes. Although our school was on his way to work, he still made us walk, as he considered it to be healthy. When we got our end of year school reports he would bring a long stick from the front garden. We take turns to go into his office one by one utterly scared. He would examine our reports quietly. Even if we have performed well and achieved 99/100, he would ask us What happened to the last mark? He has never hit us with those sticks, but the thought of it still makes us shiver. Once all the reports have been examined he would then shower us with chocolates, pencils, designer rubbers, felt pens and many more presents.
Hard work was his motto. In a day, Appa would have achieved what an average person would have achieved for a week. After work, he would attend various meetings in many institutions, schools, welfare organisations and charitable clubs. He would still find time to take us to Victoria Park, Slave Island, Ice-cream parlours, various temples, local beeches and evening walks at Galle Face. After dinner, we would all chat about our day and then join hands in exercising Here we go round the mull berry bush, before finally retiring to bed. Appa was a great father and a strong leader for our family. He always found time for us and never missed any of our school events.
Weekends and school holidays will be accompanied by inspection visits to Bank of Ceylon branches, trips to various resorts in Sri Lanka, to our Grand fathers Tea Estate in Nawalapitiya and to his adored sisters (Darly Mamee) residence in Jaffna. When we go on picnics, Appa would drive for miles searching for a location by the waterfront with large trees for shades, so that we can enjoy our picnics. These holidays will be taken with our cousins Appu and late Nana. We would often be noisy, messy and naughty. He would put up with everything just to put a smile on our faces, but never letting us misbehave.
Our father was a well disciplined person, who has thrust discipline and religious believes in all of us. Any religious functions will be guaranteed to be performed to perfection at our home. Our mother too will always go along with our fathers wishes, giving priority to his needs. Her world revolved around him. Her life was for him, as the proverb states Behind every successful man there is a strong woman. Amma held the fort at home with pride. Mum was an admirable entertainer, a wonderful cook trained Appa and a good listener, interested in all what Dad ventured into.
Life became even more enjoyable after we came to England. We found more time with father as we were growing up. Now, he was not only our father, but a great teacher, a dear friend, a competent mentor, a guardian angel, a skilful gardener, resourceful DIY person and a fantastic cook. We spend more time at our dinner table chatting about our day at school/ work/ home. He still continued to wake us up at 5:30am (even in the cold winter mornings) to continue disciplining us. He would then bring us a lovely cup of Coffee to start the day off. At that age we did not appreciate what he was teaching us, but now that we are reflecting back, it is amazing to consider how much hard work have both our parents put into creating us.
Weekends in London would start with Appa making us a fry up breakfast and visiting the local supermarkets for all sorts of goodies. On the days we have classes he would prepare sandwiches for us to take. Afternoons were spent at various museums, art galleries and many tourist attractions or home barbecues at the back garden. As a surprise, he even took us to see the famous Mouse trap at the London Palladium.
In 1987, Appa continued to share with us his thoughts. He would tell us that 1987 would be the last year we would all be together. Then in 1988, he returned to Sri Lanka to take up his DGM post, leaving Amma to take care of us. Appa lead his life all by himself in that huge house, while all of us continued our education in the UK. We missed him immensely. Every Saturday, at sharp 6am he would ring us to find out our progress. Appa and Amma made this tremendous sacrifice by parting in two ways to ensure that we were given only the best.
Appas cooking has a special place in our hearts. Each time when Appa visited us in London, he would go out of the way to buy all the Sri Lankan vegetables we liked and prepared some mouth-watering meals. We would always end up eating more than what we had bargained for. Later, for dinner Appa would make Kulayal (left over rice, all the curries, mixed with yoghurt and pickle). He would then serve them in small bowls and the last person gets the remaining little bit fed by him. His Kulayal became very famous in London and was always in demand.Even during his last visit to London he managed to prepare a delicious potato gravy dish for dinner. Little did we know that it would be the last time we would taste it?
Going back to our early days again, our father was very creative in showing us how the world evolved. In excitement we would switch off the lights and sit around him in the dark. Appa would produce an orange, a tennis ball and a torch. He would then proceed to demonstrate to us as to how the world and the sun evolved. Little did he know that he was our world and we are lost without him? He was our ray of sunshine and now that sunshine has faded away.
So far, we have sailed through our lives effortlessly without any worries, knowing Appa was just a phone call away. First time in our lives we feel scared, whose love and guidance will we depend upon now, to carry us through the challenging roads ahead?
Appa will always be a legend in our hearts. He has divided his talents and qualities equally in all four of his children. Our father was the candle in our lives. Now that the candle has been blown away, we feel the darkness around us. We pray to God to let our Guardian Angel carry us through this darkness, until we find the light, at the end of the tunnel.
With all our love, Always yours loving:
Rajam (RA), Arul (AR), Sudha (SU) & Piranavan(PN)
Appas Last Journey To England
When he was told at 4 p.m. that I was seriously ill and they were still doing tests to find out the exact diagnosis, his world came to a stand still. He was heart broken. Normally a steady strong person became very irritable and was walking up and down. Then he made a few calls and found two seats in the flight that night. By 8 p.m. he left every thing behind the way it was and made his last journey to England.
He had travelled around the world and had sat in many long flights. However, he told me that this felt like the longest flight he has ever taken.I felt half-better already when I saw him. He gave me strength and courage to pull through this illness. Every day at 11.15am he will be by my bedside with my lunch bag. He will insist that he serve me the food and wash up after. I use to feel terrible, as told him, Dad I should be looking after you. He use to say, when you are better you can look after me, but he never gave me that chance.
I felt angry with god for his sudden departure. I cried for days until there were no tears left in my eyes. Then I thought, If I wasnt well then he would not have come to England, we would not have had the chance to spend 6 weeks of quality time together, talking about various things. This was the longest time we have spent since my marriage, Appa told me that he had fulfilled all his duties in his life and that he was very happy, especially after the two daughters marriage. He felt blessed to have a devoted wife, children practising what he had taught, kind Son-in-laws and lovely grand children. He also spoke about his past and his achievements. Appa advised me on how to bring up children in this fast moving world. Perhaps he knew what was coming his way.
His phenomenal kindness to others paid him off at the end. Appa did not suffer from any pain. On the 8 March 2002, I spoke to him for the last time around 2pm and he went into a coma around 4:15pm. We were lucky to have been by his bedside, holding his hands and feet, praying when he finally took his last breath gently and slipped away from us at 10:15pm.
I was heart broken when the doctors refused to let me travel with him on his last journey back to Sri Lanka. As Appa always said Everything happens for a reason, perhaps I was the reason this time. His only desire at that time was to get me better. So all I can do now is to get the strength he gave me and get better.
Rajam
Final note:
The things you taught us, we will always know, How could we not? The roots have sunk so deep All lessons of the heart that we will keep No matter who we are or where we go Kids learn from what their parents are, and so You are our book of life, the thought we reap; Only in your arms I sleep quietly; Under our words your voice sings soft and slow From you we learnt the rules of right and wrong Against which we rebelled at times, Though with regret we carry with us still. How lucky we are to have been loved so well, Even as we pushed against your will Relying on a father fair and strong.
Thank you Dad for all what you have done for us, words are not enough to express our gratitude. Kindness is your middle name and your tender love is irreplaceable. We love you Daddy and miss you dearly.
Rest in peace our darling Daddy until we meet once again.
K Sivagananathan
The sudden death of Mr. Kururnathapillai Sivagananathan in London last Saturday leaves a void in the Lanka banking scene, which will be difficult to fill for quite some time. This is not only because of his phenomenal knowledge and experience in banking, gathered for almost half a century, but also because he was a continuous innovator, who always sought ways and means of improving what banks did. It is not surprising therefore that his last act, while on leave from his workplace, was to write a new set of proposals for reforms of the financial sector.
His brilliant 42 year career, in the bank of Ceylon, where he rose to the position of Senior Deputy General Manager is a saga which is narrated with awe and admiration by all young bankers. Always prompt to work at seven in the morning, dressed in spotless white, he kept such a cracking pace of activity, never complaining, with a perpetual smile on his face. His achievements were so many. To mention just a few, he pioneered the introduction of credit cards, automated teller machines, home banking specialized travel services, securities trading, factoring, archives management and several new investment products. These have now become commonplace household words. He chaired national committees, which introduced the electronic payment systems SLIPS and SWIFT- to Sri Lanka. The banking community aptly rewarded him by acknowledging him as the President of the Association of Professional Bankers and the Chartered Institute of Bankers Sri Lanka branch; the latter recognizing him for the Gold Medal and Lifetime Award for service to banking.
After his retirement in 1995, he was invited to head the up-and-coming Janashakthi Insurance Company. It was from there that the Central Bank grabbed him in 1998 to take up the challenge of modernizing the banking and financial services in Sri Lanka.
He accepted the position at about the quarter of his salary purely because, as he said, it was a challenge and honour. It was a sheer delight to listen to Siva expounding the need for banking reforms and the nature of the reforms he had in mind. He drew inspiration from his enormous knowledge and experience of international banking.
He was helped by his talent for networking with best minds in the field, from Basel to London and New York.
Serving the nation and helping the people was the basic credo of Sivagananathan. There will surely be thousands who remember these aspects of his life. I recall the day when Siva came up with the idea of linking our Bankers Training Institute with the prestigious Chartered Institute of Bankers of London. Entrusted with the task, Siva proceeded at his astonishing pace to conclude the negotiations in a short time, which resulted in raising the national standards to international levels. The new diplomas now cost only a fraction of the London Diploma and also gave access to a degree from a British university. The education, which was earlier limited to bankers only, was thrown open to anyone who was interested in a banking career. This was, I believe, the pinnacle of Sivas reforming career and I am sure that thousands of future bankers will be indebted to him for the efficient and indefatigable manner in which he undertook this national service.
Siva had a charming family, which was a great source of strength to him. His wifes first reaction to the tragedy was, I do not know how to live without him. I am sure there will be many others who would feel the same way.
A S Jayawardena
K Sivagananathan
Siva was my friend and colleague during a period spanning four decades. I recall first meeting him at the Loans Department in the then Central Office, at Bank of Ceylon, York Street, where we worked together as Junior Officers learning the trade. He first impressed me as an exceptional example of a knowledgeable and committed banker, with a determination to reach the top at any cost. Another striking characteristic of his personality was that he had no hesitation in openly expressing his ambitions to achieve excellence in his banking career and to interact with the highest levels of the bank, then headed by Mr. C Loganathan, the first Sri Lankan General Manager.
I would also like to recall some of our colleagues in the Loans Department during that period which included officers of high calibre like Mr. D T H de Mel, Mr. C A Mathew, and Mr. P Kailanathan and Mr. Brian Forbes, under whom we were fortunate enough to work and learn the great traditions and disciplines of the Bank of Ceylon which took pride of place as the first local bank established in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). We parted company thereafter when we moved into different areas of operations within the bank.
Siva, of course, gained rapid promotions having fully qualified in the banking examinations, which were then conducted exclusively by the Institute of Bankers, London and continued to impress his superiors (sometimes to the dismay and annoyance of his colleagues) with his vast knowledge in banking, hard work and total dedication to duty.
In the early 80s, he proceeded to the banks first overseas branch in London as Chief Manager, during which period he was instrumental in obtaining Recognised Bank status for the London office from the Bank of England. He also established important links with the top banks and bankers in the City of London with his relentless zest for achievement and recognition. In keeping with his ambitions for himself and his family, he has given his children the best opportunities to get their education abroad and as a result today his two sons and two daughters have achieved much success in their chosen careers.
I still recall with nostalgia the highlights of my association with him when I took up the office of General Manager in 1988 and he was a Deputy General Manager.
My tribute to Siva, would be incomplete if I fail to mention the contribution made by him towards the 50th Anniversary celebrations of Bank of Ceylon, which continued as an ongoing project for almost one year, commencing 1st August 1989. He chaired the Steering Committee and the activities took off with the reopening of the first office of the Bank of Ceylon namely City Office by the then Prime Minister Hon. R Premadasa, (which office was first opened on 1st August 1939).
This event was significant particularly since the planning and the reopening of the building was made during a turbulent period in the history of Sri Lanka when even the banks were closed for business.
The then Chairman of the Bank, the present Governor of the Central Bank Mr. A S Jayawardena, will no doubt recall, that we not only had the Prime Minister opening the fully refurbished building, but also opening the archives of the Bank, which was set up in this same building to record the banks history for the first 50 years. Another key project for the 50th Anniversary celebrations was the construction of a Childrens Ward at the Maharagama Cancer Hospital. I would like to record here the Bank of Ceylon was one of the first institutions, which ventured out to undertake such an enormous and lasting community project. The bank contributed 50% and the rest of the staff contributed the balance. Siva as usual was the driving force behind the project which involved several hours, days and months of meetings of the committee, set up to coordinate and implement this project.
The ward was opened to the public after a few years by the then President D B Wijetunge and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and which to-date is a tribute to the then staff of the Bank of Ceylon and particularly to the humane nature and noble qualities of Siva.
Another highlight of the 50th Anniversary celebrations was the production of the book titled Expanding Horizons. The contribution of this book was by former General Managers, Deputy General Managers and Assistant General Managers recalling their experiences throughout their career in the bank. Siva in addition to providing the necessary facilities and logistics for its writing and publication, when he went on a private visit to London organised a special trip to meet the Banks first General Manager Mr. Mortlock, who incidentally was also the first Manager of the London Branch, to obtain his photograph and a message to be included in the publication. The contributions made by Dr. Nimal Sanderatne and Mr. A S Jayawardena, who were Chairman during this period, are also remembered and appreciated.
Our team as I recollect consisted of Siva, Kathir, Mano, Savitri, Chitrani, Thurai, Abey and late ET and we decided that we will identify ourselves as the top management of the Premier National Bank with the vision to take the bank to great heights both locally and abroad.
In the team, Siva was one of the key batsmen and batted all around holding the positions of Deputy General Manager of Banking Development, Deputy General Manager Finance and Planning and Deputy General Manager – IT and Business Development. His responsibilities in the area of business Development were to introduce new products and promote business diversification and expansion.
This was like giving him an open cheque to display his unusual skills and ability to diversify into new areas of activity in keeping with the changes in the banking environment particularly overseas. Some of the companies that were set up during this period were the Unit Trust Company (in association with the Unit Trust Company of India, Wardleys of Hong Kong, Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka and Carson Cumberbatch of Sri Lanka), Ceybank Travels Limited and BOC Property Development Limited, Lanka Archives Management Services (Private) Limited.
I still recall how the Bank of Ceylon became the first Bank in Sri Lanka to obtain the Visa Franchise and issue the first International Credit Card. Some of the first recipients of this card were top chairmen of our bluechip companies, which included Mr. Ken Balendra, the present Chairman of Bank of Ceylon.
Siva was not only a knowledgeable and enthusiastic Banker but a caring human being as well. His disciplined life tinged by his religious beliefs no doubt helped him to achieve his goals and objectives in life. He was always ahead of time and driven by his determination to achieve both for himself and the bank he served so loyally.
He was in the office at 7.00 a.m. and when he left in the evening, his work for the next two weeks would have been completed in advance and as such would be looking for more. If I had requested him to prepare a paper for me, it was either given to me late at night or done before I came in the morning to my desk. Of course, he needed recognition and I had no hesitation in giving it when and where it was deserved.
On the other hand, he never failed to visit the sick, extend a helping hand to anyone who sought his help and in particular never failed to show his gratitude to his friends and colleagues who appreciated him and the services he rendered.
Siva retired from the Bank of Ceylon in 1995 and I retired in 1996. We have both continued to serve the banking sector in different capacities. Siva was thereafter invited to work, as the Advisor to the Governor by Mr. A S Jayawardena and he considered this as the pinnacle of his glory. No wonder Mr. A S Jayawardena was so prompt in his public appreciation of Siva. We continued to keep in touch helping each other whenever we could and also helped most of our colleagues who worked with us during that era, whenever an opportunity came our way.
Sivas sudden demise is no doubt a loss to all of us and in particular to the banking sector. Whilst he achieved and excelled himself, he dedicated his life, to improve and upgrade the banking skills and knowledge among the younger generation. His efforts knew no bounds and with his close ties with the UK banking community, he was able to equate local banking standards with those of the western world. I have no doubt that his devoted wife and children will be strengthened by his exemplary and noble qualities.
Dear Siva, you have fulfilled your task as a banker par excellence and gave of your best to the community. May you attain Moksha.
Rohini Nanayakkara
I have been privileged to know Mr Sivagananathan from the time I assumed the chairmanship of the Bank of Ceylon in 1977 and spent six and half years in the Bank with Colleagues such as him. During the period, I have had the good fortune of getting sound advice and good guidance from Mr Sivagananathan and his colleagues.
I am now confining my self to the period when Mr Sivagananathan assumed the Chief Executive Officers position of the Janashakthi General Insurance Company in April 1995.
Mr Sivagananathan came into the service of Janashakthi almost from the very day he left his distinguished career in the Bank of Ceylon at the age of compulsory retirement. TheJanashakthi Insurance Company was in its infancy when he took over the mantle of office as Managing Director / CEO.As one could imagine at the inception. Janashakthi Insurance Company held title premium income and its turn-over was limited. At the same time to back our operations, we had an inexperienced but trainable staff and we continued always mindful of the bottom line set out statutorily for good insurance.
It is deed a tribute to Mr Sivagananathans financial ability and commitment that he successfully moved the company forward overcoming observed inadequacies and deficiencies with a dedication that is commendable. Whilst he was CEO of the Insurance Company he rapidly took the company forward to a greater share of business in the market that was yet not ready to support new comers into the insurance field. Te market was the product of a stagnant economy.
Mr Sivagananathan piloted the Insurance Co. through stormy seas that we encountered in the second half of the 90s, using his innovative skills and sound knowledge of business. He urged and pushed the company forward to meet challenges always observing statutory requirements laid down for insurance business. At the same time Mr Sivagananathan was committed very heavily to adequately training and motivating younger staff and thereby ensured for the future that Janashakthi could not rely on trained and disciplined staff to move forward. His achievement in this regard will always stand as a tribute to the far seeing perceptions that he had for the Insurance Company. The corporate vision of excellence in insurance was always his aim and his ground work laid during difficult days has strengthened the base of business achievement and development of Janashakthi. Under his spirited leadership and guidance the company expanded its general insurance business at a quick pace. It continues to grow on the base that Mr Sivagananathan laid to make Janashakthiacceptable to a discrimination market.
It was during his tenure of office that other competitors tried to belittle the Compnay; many the years that went by have proved them all wrong. The adequacy of our claim to be an honest open ended insurance business was very lately acknowledged by those who challenged us then.
Mr Sivagananathan always recognized that for progress the company had to livr with a balance sheet that was transparent.
He serve the insurance company to grow in market leadership. He has lit a lamp which lights us as we go forward in our business dealing.
We are now reaping the benefits of good and wise counsel that Mr Sivagananathan gave us during his career as our Chief Executive Officer. I am sure that Mr Sivagananathan has earned his rewards.
Deshamanya Nissanka Wijewardena Chairman Janashakthi Insurance Co.
THE TALL FAIR GENTLEMAN IN WHITE
My first acquaintance of Siva dates back to early 1990s when those of us in the Central Bank had to seek some clarifications about a unit trust being promoted by the Bank of Ceylon. The representatives who had earlier come from the Bank of Ceylon to clarify the issues raised by the research department could not convince them adequately. It appeared that the matter was going to be closed to the detriment of the Bank of Ceylon. Then one day, a tall fair gentleman clad in white appeared in my room and introduced himself to me “I am Sivagananathan from Bank of Ceylon”. The first acquaintance itself drew me very closely to this ever – smiling gentleman whose presentation skills were above any of the great lawyers whom I knew of. The following half an hour was a very short one. But by the time it ended, we were fully convinced that the establishment of a unit trust in Sri Lanka as promoted by the Bank of Ceylon was a must for the development of the capital market of Sri Lanka at that time. Mr. Sivagananathan like a visionary and a luminary in the bar presented his case so cogently that at the end of the meeting he had commanded awe and respect from all of us. This meeting was followed by a little more than a decade of my close association with him.
Subsequent to that, I had so many encounters with Siva both in official capacities and at personal levels. Officially, he was an instant source of information on any tricky matter relating to banking. Personally, he was a great friend always willing to share his thoughts with others. His continuous advice to juniors was that they should advance their career as much as possible.
After retirement from the Bank of Ceylon, Siva had moved into insurance and had also set up a human resource development company of his own with some of his colleagues who are equally competent in that area. I was called upon by him to take up classes on many occasions when his training arm had been entrusted by many a local bank to train their staff. He was fully committed to his work and was never satisfied with what we did. He wanted us to do better and when we in fact did better, he wanted us to best the better. That was Siva in his full professional charisma.
Siva’s destiny was such that he joined the Central Bank of Sri Lanka as a Consultant on Banking and Finance. The usual reaction of people inside an institution when an outsider encroaches is to treat him with hostility. There was no exception in the case of Siva. However, Siva is an earner of friends rather than a free recipient of friends. With his charming smile, professional approach, ever helpfulness and team spirit, he very soon dissipated those hostilities, Within a short period of time, he was accepted as a member of the family just like others who had put in so many years in the bank. Then came my very close association with him.
The first was with regards to the Institute of Bankers. I was at that time just its Director of Studies and Siva was its Vice-Chairman above me. He had a good appreciation of what I have been doing and I also had a great respect for his professionalism, which I always considered far above that of mine. He became my Guru. Both of us with Mr. Ellepola, worked tirelessly under the guidance and the blessings of Governor Mr. A S Jayawardena, to upgrade the status of the Institute to that of an international ranking. The remedy came in the form of an affiliation with the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London, and through it, an affiliation with the University of Manchester. Siva was a well respected alumnus of the CIB for the final accreditation. This was in fact the first time CIB had accepted an overseas institution as its equivalent. Then I became the Chairman while Siva continued as the Vice Chairman, but I still considered him as my Guru on these matters.
The second important joint-work which both of us did was the re-structuring of the Central Bank’s Automated Clearing House into a private company jointly owned by the Central Bank and all the commercial banks. Right from the very beginning, we ran into storms. What I learnt during this period was that a problem is not a problem for Siva. A problem is an opportunity for him and for that matter a God given opportunity. With his strategic mind and tactfulness, all problems were converted one by one in to new opportunities. The final result was the establishment of the LankaClear (Pvt) Ltd to take over the clearing House from April 2002. Though this is one of very important achievements of Siva, Siva did not live to see this.
Siva is not only a professional but also a loving family man. During our free times, he talked much about his family, his sons and daughters and how he managed to raise them in a hostile world. In early February, he was very much concerned about the ill health of his daughter. Since he wanted to be by her, he left for England forthwith telling me that he would be in continuous communication with me with respect to the unfinished work that we had. He was in fact true to his word and we were e-mailing each other giving and receiving advice continuously. Then came the sad news that Siva is no more.
I am missing him very much. I know that others who know him will be doing so.
W A Wijewardena Chairman Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka and Deputy Governor Central Bank
HIS INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO THE BANKING INDUSTRY
Mr Sivagananathans sudden demise came as a shock to all of us in the banking industry.
I had the opportunity to work with Mr Sivagananathan in the early seventies at the Bank of Ceylon, Data Processing Centre and from that time onwards was privileged to associate with him very closely although we were in different institutions.
In the late eighties, when a few senior bankers informally met and discussed the possibility of forming an association for professional bankers, Siva took the lead to co-ordinate the preliminary work along with a few of his colleagues. When every thing was finalized and the Association was to be formally established, Siva was offered the position of the Founder President. However, due to his practical outlook and the consistent determination to get things going, he felt the position of Founder President should be taken up by a Head of a local bank and I was persuaded to accept same.
He later took up the presidency of the Association of Professional Bankers (APB) and continued to be heavily involved in all its activities right up to the time of his death. The Annual Convention of the APB, which has been held for several years saw Siva in a very active role. The very first high level Convention a few years ago had the Chairman of Barclays as the keynote speaker followed by the chairman of Lloyds Bank and the Governor of the Bank of England. Siva was solely responsible for arranging these distinguished personalities to attend our Conventions. In fact at the and of last years Conference, he mentioned to me that he had already arranged for former Chairman of the State Bank of India to be the guest speaker for this years Conference.
Siva was a practical banker in the true sense of the word. Whatever assignment he took over was accomplished with much success.
The contribution he made towards the development of the Colombo Centre of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, UK is well known to all of us. He was mainly instrumental in the Colombo Centre being selected as one of the best centres in the world by the Institute of Bankers UK, on more than one occasion.
One of his major contributions to our industry in the recent years was the strong link that has been established between the Sri Lanka Institute of Bankers and the London Institute.Today, young bankers are able to take up the London examination at a very reasonable cost than what it was earlier. Our young bankers have the privilege of being able to obtain a degree from London University through the membership of the Institute of Bankers Colombo. Siva played a major role in formalizing this arrangement by liaising closely between theInstitute of Bankers, Sri Lanka and the Chartered Institute of Bankers, UK.
His most recent success was the finalization of the transfer of the management and ownership of the SLACH to an entity owned by the commercial banks. He worked very hard with the Central Bank officials to get over the various hurdles and now we are on the verge of forming the company to takeover the Clearing House activities.
When he retired from the Bank of Ceylon a few years ago, many people and Institutions sought his services. Although he served for a short period outside the banking sector, our industry could not do without him and the Governor of the Central Bank made a very wise decision in calling upon him to serve as a Consultant.
Siva displayed the highest level of management skills in leadership, teamwork and achievement of results. I cannot honestly think of any other senior banker of modern times who has served our industry to the extent to which Siva has contributed. All young bankers of today owe a deep debt to him for the opportunities available to them now for development of their professional careers.
May his soul attain Moksha.
Rienzie Wijethilake Managing Director Hatton National Bank
K Sivagananathan
With the demise of K Sivagananathan, the country has lost an eminent and distinguished banker and gentleman par excellence. Immediately after perusing a draft of a list of names of Heads of Finance Institutions prepared by my Secretary for a cocktail, with his name in it, I was shocked to read about his loss, in a death notice in the press.
I came to know Sivagananathan nearly ten years ago, when I was working as a consultant to the Merchant Bank o Sri Lanka in which he was serving as a member of the Board of Directors representing the Bank of Ceylon. He contributed a lot for the rapid development of the banking industry in Sri Lanka by being responsible for introducing state of the art facilities in many fields of banking such as credit card, international trade and home banking and for updating the syllabus and structure of banking examinations in the Institute ofBankers in Sri Lanka. He was so simple and sincere, which together produced a pleasant disposition in him. He had a charm to draw his associates closely round him to his heart and never lost his trust and affection. He was much respected at the Bank of Ceylon where he was a senior Dep. General Manager (Banking Development) and in all other forums in which he participated.
For me he was an advisor and a friend. He helped me in my career development, and always instigated me to improve my technical capabilities. He helped me to practice corporate thinking and to work on a pro-active basis.
I convey my deepest condolence to his family members. C A Sarathchandra
LIFE-WIRE OF ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL BANKERS
The sudden demise of Mr K Sivagananathan is a shock to the members of the Association of Professional Bankers Sri Lanka. The Late MrSivagananathan was a Founder Member, a Past President and an Honorary Life Member of The Association. He had been a member of the council since the inception of the Association thirteen years ago, and his contributions to the success of the association, for what it is today, is commendable.
One of the most significant events organized by the Association is the annual Convention, which we commenced to celebrate from the Tenth anniversary of the Association. At the first convention the keynote address was delivered by Mr Andrew Buxton, Chairman, Barclays Bank PLC, London. MrSivagananathan was personally responsible in identifying and inviting such a banker of repute to this island for an event of a banking association. The association is proud of his achievement, and in fact, a well known Sri Lankan civil servant and a diplomat who is now living outside Sri Lanka expressed his surprise as to how we got down Mr Buxton for the convention. Mr Sivagananathan did not stop with that. He took the onorous task of identifying and inviting people such as Sir Brian Pitman, Chairman Lioyds, TSB Bank and the Rt, Hon. Sir Edward George, GBE, Governor Bank of England, to deliver the keynote addresses for the Conventions held thereafter. It is undoubtedly, an achievement as a Sri Lankan.
His attendance at meetings was punctual, present well before the time. Meetings he presided were very short. Yet, he would address all the issues that warrants attention while assigning responsibilities on different areas to the others. His capacity and capabilities in organizing is noteworthy. He used to convene many meetings before an important event, assign responsibilities and review the progress from time to time. However, on the day of the event, he would arrive on time, mingle with invitees and of course complement the other organizers before leaving, as if he was not involved in organizing. He was heavily involved in the activities of the Association and we were to propose his name as a member of te council again at its AGM which was held on 18thMarch 2002.
I personally learnt a lot from this rare gentleman from the time I was elected to the council in 1994. He was always willing to help young bankers to take-up responsibilities and challenges in the financial services industry. He had the natural talent to identify people suitable for different kinds of tasks. I can still recall a lunch at Hotel Oberoi, for which he invited me six months before I was elected as the President of the Association. Although the office bearers of the Association were elected by the members at the Annual General Meeting, it was a tradition that the Senior Vice President of the Association to be elected the president in the ensuring year. Mr Sivagananathan probably thought on those lines and at that lunch, he discussed with me the gratuity of the responsibilities cast on the President and advised me as to how I should be running the office once elected. That was the concern he had for the development of people and the progress of the Association. His service to the banking community through the Association was commendable. Even at the last moment before leaving to London, he gave me a draft copy of the Professional code of Conduct for Bankers, which he has complied on behalf of the Association. He requested me to get the opinion of the members of the Association for its further improvement. But he could not see its end.
I first met Mr Sivagananathan as a Teacher of Practice of Banking when he was holding the position of a Regional Manager at Bank of Ceylon in early Eighties. At that time I was studying for my banking examinations. I organized a private class for the students of Practice of Banking and invited MrSivagananathan who was well known for his knowledge in the subject. When I inquired him about the fees he did not quote a figure, but wanted me to remind him once the series of classes are over. After six months, when I approached him he gave me the address of three temples and I was requested to remit the fees collected directly to those temples. Those were the qualities of Mr Sivagananathan.
His loss is felt not only by the Association of Professional Bankers but also by the entire banking community. He was a great Teacher for those who wanted to broaden their knowledge. He was a Mentor for those who want to aspire in life. He was a Go-getter and a result oriented Manager. He was an achiever in achieving the unthinkable. I know, he was also a dutiful father and a husband to his children and to his wife. It does not end there.He was a Great Banker, who had humble beginnings and rose to position of Deputy General Manager of Bank of Ceylon and ended up as Consultant to Central Bank of Sri Lanka after his retirement.
In my option it is difficult to fill the vacuum created in the financial services industry by the death of Mr K Sivagananathan for a long time. His services in particular to the Association of Professional Bankers Sri Lanka will be remembered by all its members with gratitude.
May he attain supreme bliss of Moksha.
Sisira Herath President Association of Professional Bankers
Mr. K Sivagananathan
It was a great shock to hear the sudden death of Mr. Sivagananathan.
I had the pleasure of working with him at the Central Bank. His knowledge of banking and other connected subjects were remarkable. The loss of him certainly leaves a big void in the Banking Sector in Sri Lanka. We had got to know each other very well and I will miss his valuable advice as well as his warm smile.
May I express my heartfelt condolence to you and your children at this hour of grief.
Nadeem Ul Haque Senior Resident Representative IMF / Sri Lanka
A Mighty Oak
The late Mr K Sivagananathan was a scion of a respected and conservative Hindu Family. He was a dutiful parent, devout husband and an Officer of great ability. He was a mighty oak beneath whose benevolent shade so many found refuge.
In the following Institutions – Bank of Ceylon, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Janashakthi General Insurance and in the Rotary Club of Colombo Central, he achieved great heights.
His advice was valued and sought after by all and sundry. He had great qualities both of the heart and of the mind. His care and concern towards his fellow beings made him a respected person.
In Rotary he was the Charter President of the Colombo Central Club. Under his Stewardship the Rotary Club of Colombo Central won many a District Award.
He had great leadership qualities. He motivated others to work, while he, himself being a hard working person.
Death ends a life but never a relationship or the memories that will always remain locked inside us.
The loss of “Siva” is irreparable, painful and tearful. The thought of his death is poignant, but his memory is fragrant.
P Ramanathan Former Judge of the Supreme Court and Governor of the Western Province
K Sivagananathan
The news of the sudden passing away of K Sivagananathan (“Siva”) in London, the well known banker, surprised many of those who knew him at close quarters. Though he did have a reported set back in health a few months ago, it was believed that the quickly got over it in the UK. Sadly, the tall and imposing figure of Siva succumbed after nearly seven decades of life. Almost his entire post-nuptial life centered around three main areas with his wife and constant companion Jothy, their children and grand children, the Bank of Ceylon to whose growth and development his contribution was indeed substantial, the Rotary Movement and particularly the Rotary Club of Colombo Central that he personally founded and virtually headed until his death. His colleagues in the banking industry and close members of his family will doubtless offer their own tributes in due course. I, therefore, pay my humble tributes to Siva as a fellow Rotarian.
Even before I came to encounter him, his name, his reputation as a totally committed Rotarian and able organizer preceded my eventual personal meeting with me, a full year after I joined Rotary movement in 1984. When I joined the Rotary he was away building the London branch of Bank of Ceylon to be the vibrant banking institution in the competitive world that it is, dominated by not merely,”The Old Lady of Thread needle Street” but certainly the giants of finance in that great international hub of world banking – London – a task that he fulfilled to the expectations of his hierarchy in Colombo. When I did come face to face with him in 1985, he fully measured up to my perceptions of a leader of men-tall, fair and imposing in his trade.
The passage of time in the interim brought home to me illustrations of his total devotion to Rotary as a means to building comradeship among professionals.
This element of friendship is an instrument to accomplish social service-to help those less fortunate around you under the Rotary flag. He used his tremendous influence as a banker to serve the sick. The needy and the poor in society through Rotary. What he achieved during the nearly quarter of a century in terms of tangible services to the marginalized will take many pages to fill.
Being punctual, a non-smoker, a non-drinker and a devoted family man are features by which he inspired young Rotarian s.
He lived to reach those high ideals set by Rotary where utmost integrity is demanded in your profession to satisfy that cardinal credo in Rotary “Services before Self”. Though Rotary rules restrict the term of a president generally to one-year Siva’s considerable knowledge of Rotary enabled him to advise and offer direction as the factor President to almost every president in the history of the club. He also holds a record of sorts by helping to create several Rotary Clubs in the country. Until the mid 1980′s when Sri Lanka was “clubbed” as a district together with parts of southern India, Siva was a popular Rotarian amongst visiting Rotarian’s from our big neighbor.
Many senior Indian Rotarian s were hosted in his hospitable home where they in lighter vein would describe as “the Colombo Hilton”. So in his way the versatile Rotarian he was, Siva also helped in the development of international relations yet another high priority goal in Rotary objectives.
The Rotary movement in the country somehow could not forget methodology by which his enormous influences organizational skill, all talents could have been utilized to serve Rotary at the highest levels.
The large gathering of Rotarian’s at Kanatte who came to bid their find adieu to their Rotarian comrade, was testimony to the love and esteem Siva had generated and sustained in his many years in this useful social body. When his wife Jothi learnt of his death she understandably exclaimed, ” I do not know how to live without him”.
The sentiments expressed by her in many ways represent the forlorn feelings of many Rotarian’s his club – rendered poor and saddened by his sudden demise.
A Kandappah
K Sivagananathan- Doyen of Banking Industry
The sudden and untimely demise in London an 8th March 2002, of Kurunathapillai Sivagananathan, affectionately called Siva by his friends, came as a shock to all, Particularly to his friends and colleagues in the banking and financial sector. The concil members of the Association of Professional Bankers- Sri Lanka (APB) were looking forward to hearing from him in London the name of the eminent banker he was planning to arrange as a guest speaker for the forthcoming 14th Anniversary Symposium of the APB on the theme “Banking in Transition – Issues and Challenges ” for which only a week before he left for London he arrnged with the Veteran Indian Banker Mr. Narasimhan, a former Governor Reserve Bank of India and the Chairman of the Indian Banking Commission to be the Chief Guest. Alas! What we heard was unbelievable and plunged the entire membership in to deep sorrow.
Siva joined Bank of Ceylon in 1953 at the tender age of 18. He completed his Diploma in Banking Exam (AIB London) in 1961 and subsequently was awarded the ‘Fellow’ of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London (FCIB), in recognition of his contribution to the Banking Industry. He rose to the position of Deputy General Manager within a short period by his vision, dedication, sheer hard work and sacrifice. He held several important, positions in the bank and headed several technical committees. In view of his experience, knowledge and commitment the Board of Directors appointed him to act for the General Manager on several occasions. The Position held by him in the banking and financial sector are far too many to mention here because of the space constraint, but to give and indication, some of them are given below.
Director, Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka Ltd. Chairman, MB Financial Service Ltd. Director, Lanka Securities (Pvt) Ltd. Director, Capital Development and Investment Co Ltd (CDIC) Founder Director and advisor till his death, Unit Trust Management Company (Pvt) Ltd. managers of Ceybank Unit Trust, and Ceybank Century Growth Fund. Member, Governing Board-Ceylon Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (CISIR) Managing Director and CEO, Janashakthi General Insurance Company Ltd. Chairman, Steering Committee on Sri Lanka Inter Bank Payment System. Chairman, Steering Committee – SWIFT Chairman of several Bank of Ceylon Technical Committees including the Chairman of the 50th Anniversary Committee, celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the Bank of Ceylon. Promoter, Founder Member, Council Member and President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers London (CIB)-Colombo Centre. Founder Member, Council Member until his death and President of the Association of Professional Bankers – Sri Lanka. Executive Committee Member of the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA), the apex body of 34 Professional Organizations in Sri Lanka. Executive Committee Member of the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka. Chief Examiner, Institute of Bankers Sri Lanka (IBSL). Deputy Chairman, Institute of Bankers Sri Lanka. Banking and Financial consultant, Central Bank of Sri Lanka. In recognition of the services rendered by him to the Banking Industry in general and the APB and CIB London-Colombo Centre in particular, he was conferred the “Honorary Life Membership” by the APB and the “Life Time Award” by the CIB London-Colombo Centre. Siva was instrumental in obtaining the recognition from the CIB London the formation of the Colombo Centre which under his leadership came to be recognized several times for the award of the prize for the best “Local Centre” completing with local centers in UK and abroad.
I came to know Siva in the early fifties when we used to rush from the office in the evenings to Ceylon Technical College to attend lectures for the Banking Exam (AIM London), only to return to office after lectures to finish the day’s work. In those days we had to struggle had to complete the AIB examination due to the lack of sufficient textbooks, examination materials and lectures conversant with the banking subjects. Our close association continued until Almighty snatched him. We worked together in the Bank for about 38 years in various capacities and committees, until I joined the Unit Trust as the CEO, on his initiative. In fact, the unit Trust is yet another example of his vision and creativity.
Siva was mainly responsible for introducing many electronic banking products for the benefit of the Bank of Ceylon’s customers. He was also responsible for popularizing the brand name “Ceybank” and succeeded in identifying the product “Ceybank” with Bank of Ceylon through the formation of Ceybank Travel Centre, Growth Fund, to name a few.
Siva portrayed the profile of a strict disciplinarian and a taskmaster, yet accommodative and was possessed of a kind heart. He mingled freely, from the lowest to the highest in the Banking fraternity and social strata with consummate ease. As banker he was par excellence in knowledge and skills, devoted and dedicated to his duties and always punctual to work and social functions. He discharged his responsibilities with the highest degree of professionalism and enthusiasm without fear or favour.
I have closely associated with Siva’s family after his marriage to Thanajothi (Jothi) Siva’s achievements and success in life were due mainly to the encouragement and support given by Jothi who was a constant companion and guide to him. Siva took a very keen interest in his children’s education, which enabled them to obtain high professional and academic qualifications and achieve great success in their respective fields of disciplines.
Siva’s noteworthy contribution o the APB was his Chairman-ship of the organizing committee of the annual conventions. Because of his popularity, international connections, charming disposition, steering qualities and persuasiveness he was able to bring to Sri Lnaka the following eminent bankers to be the chief guest at the 10th 11th and 12th Annual Convention re-spectively of the APB.
Andrew Buxton,
Chairman Barclays Bank PLC London Sir Brian Pitman Chairman Lloyds TSB London
Mr. K Sivagananathan
Mr. K Sivagananathan, the Vice Chairman of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka, passed away suddenly in London. To all those who knew him he was called Siva and was a well-known person in the Banking and finance industry. He joined the Bank of Ceylon in mid fifties and developed an interest in banking and excelled in that field. During the early sixties, he was one of the few who obtained the Associateship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London by passing the Diploma in Banking. Later he was awarded the Fellowship for his contribution to banking education and industry.
He was with the Bank of Ceylon for approximately 40 years, rose up in the ladders working in all fields of banking and finally retired as the Deputy General Manager and also acting General Manager. He was selected to serve as the Country Manager of the London branch and during his stay, he got the Bank of Ceylon its own premises and also charter recognition. He was always innovative and assertive that most of the banking products at Bank of Ceylon were introduced by him. His updated knowledge in banking and the related fields was so extensive that he was a walking library for reference.
He was a good friend to all and was so popular that many a time he was elected to the office of President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Colombo Centre and the Association of Professional Bankers of Sri Lanka. He was the founder member of these two organizations and was also the council representative of the Colombo Centre to represent at the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London.
On his retirement from Bank of Ceylon he accepted an appointment as Managing Director of the Janashakthi General Insurance Co.Ltd. and while serving there, he was selected by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to function as a Consultant in Banking & Finance. This appointment gave him the opportunity to be elected as the Vice Chairman of this Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka and his contribution to restructure the activities were so immense that he expended all his expertise and knowledge to bring the institute to greater heights of recognition to be in par with the CIB London. He was instrumental to the link of the IBSL with CIB, London, for the restructure of the examinations and for the MOU signed between the IBSL and CIB. His dream was that one day our institutes examination standards should be either on par with or above the foreign examinations. He had a long programme of promotional work for the institute and thereby paving way for banking community and student population.
One of the rare qualities in him ever that he was ever prepared to assist for the well-being of the banking community and also to all others who deserved assistance, and never failed to keep to appointments.
A disciplinarian with high religious belief be always strived for excellence and in all times was dedicated to work and work alone to produce desired results.
His untimely death is a great loss to the banking industry and to all his friends and to all those who know him. The banking community will miss him very much. His sudden and untimely demise has left a vacuum in our midst at a time his services were mostly needed by the banks and bankers.
May the attain Moksha.
H M R Ellepola Secretary General IBSL
Kurunathapillai Sivagananathan
The sudden demise of Mr K Sivagananathan is an irreplaceable loss not only to his family, but also to the banking and financial sectors.
I had the privilege of meeting him at Galadari Hotel, Colombo in May 2001 at a seminar for the officers of banks and financial services institutions.
He had organized and conducted several seminars and training programs for the benefit of those in the banks service and even after retirement he had delivered lectures on banking for the development of skills of bankers. The vast knowledge and experience in banking had contributed much in his endeavours.
He rose to the level of Deputy General Manager in the Bank of Ceylon through his hard work, dedication and loyalty to the institution. He worked in many branches of the Bank of Ceylon including London Branch.
He was the pioneer who introduced the new technological products to the Bank of Ceylon when he held the office of Deputy General Manager.
He was punctual, dressed in immaculate white and always with a pleasant smile. He was a silent observer, good decision maker, motivator, facilitator and above all had all the traits of a leader.
Mr Sivagananathan retired from the banks service in the year 1995. After retirement he was appointed as Managing Director of Janashakthi General Insurance Co. Ltd. In 1998, he was offered the position of the Consultant to the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and continued in this position until his death in March 2002.
The experience he had gathered during his tenure of office running for four decades in the Bank of Ceylon and the knowledge that he possessed raised him to the position of consultant to the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
We pray God to grant solace to his family at this time of bereavement.
May he attain Moksha.
K K Arunmainayagam Senior Manager Bank of Ceylon Jaffna
K Sivagananathan
Kurunathapillai Sivagananathan was born on April 27, 1935, passed away in London after a very brief illness on March 8, 2002.He hails from a very distinguished Hindu family in KKS. Both his parents were teachers.
He joined the bank of Ceylon, when he was only 18 years old and retired in 1995 as the Deputy General Manager. During this period he served the Bank of Ceylon in many important positions. He was the Manager of Matale and Pettah Branches. Thereafter, he held the position of the Regional Manager for the Kurunegala District. Then he was posted to London as the Manager of the London Operations of the Bank of Ceylon.
After working for five years in London, he was promoted as the Assistant General Manager and was in charge of Banking Development. In this position he introduced Credit Cards to the Bank of Ceylon. In 1989 he was promoted as the Deputy General Manger and took charge of the Information Technology department. He was responsible for many firsts in the Bank of Ceylon.
On retirement from the services of the bank of Ceylon he accepted the position as the Managing Director of Janashakthi General Insurance Company. At the time of his death he was a Consultant in Banking and finance for the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. He was the architect of the Unit Trust Industry in Sri Lanka and a distinguished Rotarian.
It is very often said that our lives are marked by interplay of inexorable fate, unexpected circumstances and imponderable factors and that a kind providence has given me the opportunity and rare privilege of associating closely with Siva. In fact he was a disciplinarian, simple, straightforward and sincere.
He was extraordinarily free of prejudice, malice and viciousness. He was a man of compassion. In moments of need, nobody left him with their hands and hearts empty. He had a genius for friendship.
Siva was a person with practical pragmatic and humanitarian approach to problems, who was willing to seek out and accept solutions wherever they could be found. Indeed, he was one of the greatest bankers in Sri Lanka with multifaceted and multidimensional personality who towered above his contemporaries. He possessed a natural vision and Hindu outlook that embraces everyone irrespective of race, creed and religion. He rose above narrow parochialism, communalism, regionalism and sectarianism.
His life has been a intriguing tale of perseverance, courage, self- realization and unwavering determination to put things right. H leaves his wife and four children all of them are holding top positions in the UK.
After lifes fitful fever, he sleeps well William Shakespeare MACBETH
Kumaraja Thurairajah
K Sivagananathan
K Sivagananathan passed away recently at the age of 67. He was the first manager of Bank of Ceylon, Matale branch, which was established in the early seventies.
Sivagananathan was very kind to those who went to him for assistance. He was soft spoken and had flair to befriend a person the moment he spoke, to him that is how, he was able to increase the clientele of the bank in such a short time.
After putting the Matale Branch to shipshape he was transferred to the Pettah Branch of the Bank of Ceylon. After working in various capacities in the Bank of Ceylon he was promoted to the position of Deputy General Manager which post he held until retirement. The vacuum created by his demise is difficult to fill. My family joins me to convey our heartfelt sympathy to Mrs Sivagananathan and Children on the irreparable loss.
R M L Ratnayake
My Dearest Friend
It would not be easy for me to accept Siva is no more, as we shared the same room from the day he joined Bank of Ceylon and our friendship began. Going to office, for every meal and other routine events together tied our friendship more family. I told Siva my youthful ambition to buy an Omega wristwatch, a symbol of status for government Officers those days, which was beyond my reach with my meager salary. Siva voluntarily fulfilled my ambition, handing over his entire Bonus that he got from the Bank on being successful in the AIB exam.
Our Bachelor days were a mixture of odd thing, when I tried to test his observation capacity by asking him to tell, pointing to a particular design, how many of them are on the carpet of our living room. The answer was spontaneous and it was the correct one. My curiosity brought another query as to how many squares were on the window grill that was behind him. Again his correct answer astonished me. This exhibits his concentration and observation power surrounding him.
My transfer to out stations did not affect our meeting often. When I got married, to surprise I found that my wife was his class mate at NadeshwaraCollege (KKS). Even after his marriage, Siva continued our bound by visiting us ion Negombo where I was stationed at the time. When their eldest childRajam was born, she was brought first to our home for blessings.
Siva being a strong Hindu Devotee goes to the Temples near him, whenever he had the time. Occasionally he used to pick us and go to MunneswaramTemple, which we combined as a Worship trip cum picnic. We used to take our food, which Siva proves his expertise here too-by making aKulaiyal(mixing all the curries and rice together and making balls)and serving all, that was really palatable.
Whenever we visited Colombo, not only he insisted that we stay at his residence but also he and his wife would go all out to see that we had a comfortable stay, thus we enjoyed their unreserved hospitality too. Siva never enjoyed going to movies but after his marriage and a child, he made sure that his wife went with us and he would wait outside looking after the child until the show was over, to enable his wife to enjoy the movie without any disturbance.
I had a problem with my vision in 1999, Siva made sure that I got the best treatment in India, by voluntarily filling my financial gap too. His penultimate letter from London, he invited us to spend a month with him from mid-March and to show his keenness stated that he will be thankful and grateful. I wonder whether it was an intuition or invitation to point out that particular date Mid-March or was it an advance notice to be here for his last rituals. My heart sinks further deep, when I find the night before his death 08.03.2002, ha has hand written a personal letter to me and my wife, which was his last deed that I will relish all my life as my Selfless, Sincere, Eternal friends Last will.
I pray to Almighty Sannathy Murugan to bless his Soul Rest in Peace.
K A SinnathuraiJ.P Retired Asst Supdt of Mails (Postal) Puttur East Puttur
My Dear Thatha,
You were very close to me. I really really love you and now that you are gone, I will still love you they way I always did in my heart. You may think that I will forget you but I won’t. I will always remember you. I am sure no one will forget you for the person you were. There will be no one to teach me and help me on my project like you did. You taught me many things like how to handle the world and brought me up differently, unlike others. Every time you came to London you would take me out and make sure I enjoyed myself. Every summer since I was two years old, you would take me to Sri Lanka. It would always be wonderful. You bought me ice cream, took me to the beach and so many lovely hotels. You took me to Galle-face and flew kites with me, and took me bike riding. You made sure I was happy but still disciplined me. There had never been a year where I had not enjoyed myself until this year when there won’t be anyone. I don’t think there is anyone in the whole wild world as kind and loving, as you are Thatha. You were very nice to everyone and thats what I like best about you.
You were in the very middle of my heart. I know I must move on but I still will love and remember you. I know you will always be with me and guide me. You will be my guardian angel and brightest stay in the whole universe. Before you left us, you gave me a beautiful letter which I will treasure in my heart forever. It was so lovely and your wishes will be granted. I will study very hard for you and do my best in everything. Thank you for the times you spent with me patiently which I will remember even when I grow up.
I may not be able to see you but I know you can see me. I love you Thatha.
Yalini Grand-daughter age 8
To Colombo Mama, with Love
Dear mama, I don’t know if I told you, What a great man you were. That, to me, You were ten feet tall And bigger than a mountain.
Did I tell you? How I looked forward to your visits? How I worried when you arrived? That my greatest fear, Was your disappointment?
Remind me, if I asked you, For memories of your past, Of stories of your life, What did you love to do? What inspired you?
Now time has taken away, My right to ask, To wonder and laugh. My questions can only be, Whispered into the wind.
I whisper in hope, That they will reach you, One day in heaven And you would know our love, And the love you left behind.
Love, Pillai and Thenu.
Dearest Brother
The shock of hearing that my brother had passed away was extremely hard for me to handle. Memories I had of him were very loving and it makes me proud every time I remember them. The one person who guided me through life was no longer there to help me. The bond that we had was very touching. He was everything an older brother was supposed to be, a leader, a guardian, an advisor, and much more. We came from a loving family consisting of four brothers and two sisters. Our father Mr. A. Kurunathapillai was the Principal at Nadesweara College Jr. at Kankesanthurai. At a young age, our father passed away and my eldest brother became the dominant person in the house. His name was Siva but all the older individuals would refer to him as Rasa, which means the king. He set high standards for all of us to follow.
Anna always made sure we were all right and every now and then inquiring about our health, job, and how the children are doing. While I was doing my G.C.E O/ Level exam, my brother came from Colombo for vacation. Our family always gave him royal treatment. The day I walked him to the railway station for his journey back to Colombo, he told me about how he has strived hard to achieve success in life. The walk was about ten minutes and he used the time to give me advise about the value of education and about the role I played in the future of the family. The way he talked was unique, he never forced anyone to follow his advice but it was something great about him that just seem as it was the right thing to do. In that small amount of time, he influenced me to change my life to establish a purpose in my living. When I was admitted to the Institute of Chartered Accountancy, he helped me get into an audit firm. He advised me to join the Maharaja Organization. As my oldest brother, he helped me a lot in arranging my marriage.
Upon his saner advice, I decided to leave Sri Lanka and move my family to Canada. Moving to a new country was hard for us but my brother would always call to make sure we were all right. In 1997, I produced a Tamil education video called Tamil Aaram. I personally invited him to preside the meeting at the release of the video. He accepted my invitation with hardly any hesitation and gave us a lot of moral support. As my kids grew older, he would often advice them too about the value of education. It brought back memories of the same thing he would tell me. My kids were proud of the things he had accomplished and looked upon him as a role model. As my writing career developed, he encouraged me to compile and publish in the form of a book. I invited him to come to my book release in April 2002 and he happily accepted my invitation.
We are really sorry that his untimely a sudden demise had made it not possible for him to be there physically but I am sure his soul will be there on that day with his perpetual smile, blessing me. Anna, I dearly admire you for everything you have done for me. I know I wouldnt be here if I never took your strong advise. Along with my family, Mala, Aruchunan, and Annanth, you have a solemn sanctuous place in our hearts. You are a special man who will always be remembered for the caring love you gave us all.
Your Loving Brother Kuru Aravinthan