Prof. Asoka Bandarage

Alas, many outstanding Sri Lankan scholars, journalists and social change activists have passed away in recent months. Here, I would like to honor a few of them personally known to me, some known more closely than others. While I am not able to do justice to the breadth and depth of each of their respective contributions, I will mention just a few of their works specifically focused on building peace, justice, and harmony in Sri Lanka.

Sirima Kiribamune

Beloved teacher and long-time friend, Sirima Kiribamune, a professor at the University of Peradeniya, passed away on December 27, 2021.

One of the foremost historians on ancient Sri Lanka, she wrote a number of seminal articles based on extensive archaeological and literary evidence demythologizing popular concepts on the origin of the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict. For example, in Tamils in Ancient and Medieval Sri Lanka: The Historical Roots of Ethnic Identity”, she discussed the falsity of the Aryan-Dravidian dualism: The division of people speaking these two groups of languages into distinct racial types is not valid even for India and less so for Sri Lanka” (Ethnic Studies Report, January 1986).

Ananda Wickramaratne

Ananda Wickramaratne, also a former University of Peradeniya professor, subsequently based in the USA, passed away in September 2021.

He was a leading scholar on the British colonial period in Sri Lanka. In publications such as The Roots of Nationalism: Sri Lanka (Karunaratne and Sons, 1995), he explored how British divide and conquer policies, especially in education and religion, reinforced communal consciousness and identities creating structural imbalances that led to conflicts in post-independence Sri Lanka.

S.W.R. De Samarasinghe

S.W.R. De (Sam) Samarasinghe, who passed on November 24, 2021, was also a former faculty member of the University of Peradeniya, subsequently based in the USA.

An economist, he published numerous papers with insightful observations on the costs of the armed conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE and the need for peaceful resolution. For instance, in ‘The Political Economy of Internal Conflict in Sri Lanka”, he concluded that …the Sri Lankan case supports the theory that it is not grievance but viability of rebel groups that determines the duration of rebellions” (Netherlands Institute of International Relations, 2003).

Hassina Leelaratne

Generous colleague and a graduate of the Department of English at the University of Peradeniya, veteran journalist Hassina Leelaratne departed on October 31, 2021.

After moving to California, she co-founded the Sri Lanka Express newspaper in 1980 with her husband, well-known journalist, Deeptha Leelaratne. Sri Lanka Express provided Sri Lankan Americans a sense of community through news and analyses of developments in both Sri Lanka and the United States. After Deeptha’s death in 2006, Hassina, a courageous writer and community activist, continued to publish Sri Lanka Express, reporting on a wide range of important issues not covered elsewhere. Articles, such as “Southern California Buddhist Temples Hit by Thieves in Middle Eastern Garb” (Sri Lanka Express, March 29, 2021) and US interfered in 4 elections in Sri Lanka to help the UNP says American professor” (Sri Lanka Express, April 30, 2017), are examples that highlight her wide ranging-concerns.

Bandula Jayasekara

Bandula Jayasekara, who died on March 5, 2021, was both a seasoned journalist and an outspoken diplomat.

Jayasekara served as chief editor of the Daily News from 2006 to 2007, as Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, and as Sri Lanka’s Consul General in Toronto, where he played a crucial role during the final stage of the Sri Lankan armed conflict. Upon his return to Sri Lanka, he worked as a host of the influential Pathikada program on Sirasa TV, helping to broaden perspectives on important issues.

In the last stage of his life, while stricken with leukemia, he called on young journalists to, Get out of the internet. Don’t just copy and paste. Go to the field, do research, and raise awareness; give something beneficial to the society.”

He also courageously shared thoughts and emotions on dying that are rarely heard in the media. He left saying, My last appeal is to raise awareness, help improve palliative care and help medical specialists to improve the quality of life of poor terminally ill patients and their families” (Daily News, February 12, 2021).

Kamal Rajapaksa

London-based Kamal Rajapaksa was active since the 1980s in several organizations working to protect Sri Lankan interests. He passed away in May 2021.

Although public reports of his contributions are absent, his communications and commitment to Sri Lanka were widely known on Sri Lankan internet forums. As one of his fellow activists put it: Kamal was the epitome of the silent warrior patriot who never engaged in arguments in any Public Forum; he made his concerns and complaints objectively and directly to the Highest Destinations without any party-political fear or favor.” 

Jivinida De Silva

Jivinida De Silva, who resided in both Staten Island, New York, and the wilderness areas of Sri Lanka, passed away on November 28, 2021.

A community activist and naturalist, he contributed to numerous Buddhist organizations. He also engaged in communication and public efforts to counter LTTE propaganda and broaden international understanding of the Sri Lankan conflict.

Douglas Wickramaratne

Douglas Wickramaratne, who died on December 1, 2021, was a London-based public figure.

Wickramaratne was the founder-President of the Sinhala Association in the UK, which he organized to promote Sinhala culture and, more importantly, to provide the ‘international community’ with a balanced perspective on Sri Lanka. A well-informed, eloquent speaker and a courageous activist, he participated in innumerable media interviews, debates, and forums in the UK and elsewhere to challenge LTTE terrorism and the Tamil separatist movement. An indefatigable worker, he traveled to Geneva many times to attend the United Nations Human Rights Council sessions to help safeguard Sri Lanka’s interests.

His efforts led to a period of needing protection by Scotland Yard, due to threats from the LTTE for his single-handed exposure of LTTE falsehoods and propaganda. Wickramaratne also helped form the Overseas Sri Lankans’ Organization for National Unity in Melbourne in 1983, and the World Federation of Sri Lankan Associations in Toronto in 1984, serving the latter as its first President.

Collective legacy

Each of the recently departed colleagues mentioned above held different professional and ideological perspectives on Sri Lanka. Yet they shared a common commitment to peace, social harmony, and service to the country.

May their collective legacy of concern and action prevail to help others overcome apathy and despair over the current realities in Sri Lanka and the world.