{"id":119348,"date":"2021-10-18T16:20:31","date_gmt":"2021-10-18T23:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=119348"},"modified":"2021-10-18T16:20:31","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T23:20:31","slug":"remembering-political-giants-dr-sa-wicks-and-his-assistant-aadusena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/10\/18\/remembering-political-giants-dr-sa-wicks-and-his-assistant-aadusena\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Political Giants : Dr SA Wicks and his Assistant Aadusena"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Garvin Karunaratne, former G.A. Matara\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

An extract from an\nunfinished novel- a piece of fiction, but \ntruly portraying Dr Wicks and Aadusena at work. Dr Wicks is no longer\nwith us and Aadusena was murdered during the second JVP insurrection days by an\nunknown assassin. However they stood for the people, worked with them. That was\nhow most Members of Parliament and their Assistants worked.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

               \nIt did not take long for Vasanta to find the office of the Member of\nParliament. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was\na small office  next to the  Cooperative s Union. The door was open and he\nentered with great trepidation, not knowing what would happen. The manner he\nwas treated like a criminal at the AGA\u2019s office \nbore forebodings of defeat and disaster. If not for the timely\nintervention by the disapathy who happened to be there, he may have been\narrested by the Police..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The door was open and he knocked. He\nheard the words, Do come in\u201d and he took a few steps forward. He could\nactually feel his heart beat fast and a sheer uneasiness crept into his entire\nbeing. He was shivering.  What was his\nnext experience going to be, he wondered. \nWhatever it was,  he had to endure\nit. He stepped forward and saw a stocky well built man in his forties. Vasanta\nwas greeted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Ayubovan, Do come in and sit with\nme\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          It was a calm and composed voice,\nflowing with kindness. Ayubovan was the Sinhala word for may you live long and\nVasanta was certain that the person he was meeting would be kind. The office of\nthe Member of Parliament was a political office and Dr Wickrema belonged to the\nCommunist Party. All that Vasanta had learned from the text books he pored over\nat Peradeniya was that members of political parties only supported their\nmembers, and he was not a member of any political party.  At the AGA\u2019s office  anyone should be welcome but here there was\nno such rule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Son, what brought you here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The very tone of the voice built up a\nchord of communication and he was certain that he would not be thrown out. He\nwas taken aback at the kindness that flowed in the few words that were spoken.\nHe looked at the person, a stocky, well built, with a rough face and lengthy\nlocks of unkempt hair that looked more like the mane of a lion. He could not\nfor a moment believe his eyes, as to how a person looking so rough could speak\nso kindly. His voice crept into his entire being into his blood, sinews and\ngave him courage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I like to meet the Member of\nParliament\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Son, you cannot meet him today\nbecause he is not here. But if you come on any Saturday you can be certain of\nmeeting him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          What \ntime must I come?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Come in anytime. He will be here like\na prayer at eight in the morning and he will not leave this place till he has\nmet everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I will come on Saturday\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I too will be here. I am Adusena.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Thank you sir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          You do not have to sir me. We are here\nto serve you. I am the Chairman of the Akuressa Council and also work as the\nAssistant to Dr Wicks, the Member of Parliament. Can I know from where you\ncome. How is it that I have never met you earlier?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            I live on the Hulandawa Estate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            How come, I never\nmet you there.  We go that way very often\nto speak to the workers..\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I was a scholarship student at\nRahula, Matara and have been spending the last four years studying at\nPeradeniya.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Vasanta did not want to speak any\nmore.  He bowed down to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Ayubowan. Please come on Saturday. I\nwill wait for you, young lad. \u201d said Adusena. \nVasanta reciprocated in turn,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Ayubowan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

__________________________________________________________________-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

_________________________________________________________________________-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Vasanta got up early on Saturday and\nwent to meet the Member of Parliament. By the time he reached Aadusena\u2019s office\nthere were around twenty five people and more were flocking in every minute.\nThey were of all ages, young, elderly and the old. Some were supporting\nthemselves on sticks, hardly able to walk. Some wore clean clothes, but others\nwere in rags. It was a medly of life, a real cross section of people in want,\nstruggling to live, a scene that he had never before imagined or seen in his\nlife. He had studied politics as a subject for the degree, but never imagined\nthe real face of day to day politics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The office of the Member of\nParliament was bustling with activity. He saw a whole hoard of people\nsurrounding  Aadusena, who could not be\nseen, but whose voice was clearly heard. \nVasanta felt that he should \nsomehow creep through and mark his presence. That proved a difficult\ntask because people were huddled everywhere. like matchsticks in a box. He\nwaited not knowing what to do. All of a sudden he heard Aadusena\u2019s voice very\nclearly,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Ayubovan, our lad from the Hulandawa\nEstate. Son, do take a seat.  The Member\nof  Parliament will come in any  time now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Aadusena\u2019s welcome words kept\nreverberating in his ears for quite a time. It was so different from how he was\ntreated at the office of the AGA the other day. The people on hearing Adusena\u2019s\nwords looked hard at him and heaved  to\nthe sides making room for him to get to Adusena.  He walked towards Adusena who held his\nshoulder with a firm grip, a grip that conveyed a sense of welcome that he had\nnever sensed earlier. It was a firm bond that held them  bound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Thank you sir,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I have once told you not to sir me.\nLet me not have to tell you again. I belong to the Communist Party, the party\nof the people at large. We are all comrades, all equal. Do take a seat and\nwait. The Member of Parliament will be here soon, but you will have to wait a\nwhile. There are very old and disabled people and he will meet them first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I can wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          It was very interesting to see\nAdusena at work. He moved with the people greeting everyone with a kind smile\non his face, bowing to them. May you live long was on his lips again and again.\nTo the young men he would grab their shoulders and move them forcefully towards\nhis chest. To girls and women he would greet them with clasped hands, uttering\nsister, mother as appropriate. Some were addressed  as brother, father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was all a scene from real\nlife, a scene which touched him to the extreme, a scene which he had never\nexpected to see, a scene that was really close to his heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          To add to the medley, a monk walked\nin . Adusena rushed to his table and brought out a white cloth which he draped\non a chair and greeted the monk prostrating at his feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

         \nWhat has brought you to us. You should have sent me a message and we\nwould come to the temple to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

           I know you are busy and I want to\nsee the Member of Parliament\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

           He should be here any minute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

           These are two lads who have just\ngraduated from the University and I want to get them into jobs. Their parents\nare my dayakayas- benefactors and I can vouch for their character. They are\nwell brought up children and can be trusted..\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vasanta thought all was lost.\nHe had no connections to the Member of Parliament other than Aadusena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          All of a sudden a car screeched to a\nhalt. There was a split second silence and everyone  stood up. It looked as if  the world of human life, with all its misery\nhad got off to a sudden start. Aadusena rushed out and greeted an old\ngentleman, who walked with measured steps. \nHe greeted the monk, bending down on all fours. The monk spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I have brought you two graduates of\nour Univcrsity at Ruhuna. They passed out this year and they come from very\ngood families, who are my dayaka- benefactors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          My Government is approving the\nDivisional Development Councils Programme these days and we will be recruiting\ngraduates soon..\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then addressing Aadusena he\nsaid:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Make a note of their names and\naddresses and when applications are called get them application forms to fill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Thank You\u201d said the monk. I will\ntell the lads to be in touch with Adusena.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I will look after that task.\u201dsaid\nAadusena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The monk stood up and Dr Wickrema\nbowed down and worshipped him.. Aadusena called for the driver of the car of\nthe Member of Parliament and asked him to drop the monk at his temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Vasanta stood aside. He thought the\nMember of Parliament would perhaps be \ngiving him that same answer. For a moment he wondered. That monk\npersonally knew the Member of Parliament. However in the manner that Aadusena\nspoke he seemed to have  a better chord\nof oneness though he had actually met him only once earlier. He stood aside and\nstrained his ears to see people speaking to Dr Wickrema and getting replies. Dr\nWickrema greeted all of them, made them sit and listened to them carefully,\nallowing them to pour out their hearts content. Then he would call Adusena and\nask him to contact someone and take necessary action. At times he telephoned an\nofficer and sorted the problem out. Some of the old people had no one to\nsupport them and the Dr Wickrema arranged for them to get admission to an Old\nFolks Home run by the State. Adusena was ready with a pad of paper to write out\nletters which were immediately signed by Dr Wickrema.  Some even cried that they had no money for\nsustenance. Out came a letter by Aadusena recommending them for a Public\nAssistance grant, Once in a way, to a very few that had a touching story, Dr\nWickrema would put his hand into his pocket and find a five rupee note and hand\nit over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Take this any buy yourself some milk\ntoday\u201d he would say and see them off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Vasanta could not imagine the human\nsuffering that was unfolding before his eyes. To Aadusena and Dr Wickrema it\nwas something they were very familiar, but to Vasanta it was like- the life to\nwhich he belonged. If his mother did not slave day in and day out tapping\nrubber trees the three of them would be destitute.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          It was late in the evening when\nVasanta was introduced to Dr Wickrema by Aadusena. All the people had left and\nit was a talk between him, Aadusena and Dr Wickrema. Dr Wickrema had  not taken any lunch. He had been drinking\ntea. Vasanta had not had  anything but he\nwas used to it because generally there was no food at home. Aadusena poured\nsome tea into three cups and Dr Wickrema offered him the cup with both hands.\nVasanta felt honoured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          This is a lad from the Hulandawa\nEstate, a Rahula scholar who has just returned from Peradeniya. He came and met\nme last Tuesday and wants to find a job\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Be in touch with the GA\u2019s office and\nbe certain to give him an application for the post of Development Assistant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Yes. I have made a note of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

           Then Dr Wickrema addressed Vasanta. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

           I come often to Hulandawa. I know\nthe entire staff there and none of them have any children at any university. The\nSuperintendent has no children.  How have\nI missed you all these years?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

           Sir,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

           Stop calling me sir, We are\ntogether all equal as comrades\u201d quipped Dr Wickrema very sharply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

           Vasanta was stunned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I am sorry sir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Go ahead and tell me. Who is your\nfather and what is he doing on the Hulandawa Estate?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

           \nMy father died long ago and my mother is Menike and she is a rubber\ntapper and we live in Cooly Line No 61. That is where I was born.\u201d Tears poured\ndown his eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Do not cry lad, That is enough. I\ncan figure out that you are telling the truth. I am due to meet the disapathy\nsoon when I will ask him to select you as the Development Assistant for my\narea. You can take it from me. I will get that done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

           Dr Wickrema stood up to leave and\nboth Aadusena and Vasanta got up. As Aadusena got hold of Dr Wickrema\u2019s bag, Dr\nWickrema took two steps towards Vasanta, gripped his shoulders and hugged him.\nThat conveyed to Vasanta the very fact that Dr Wickrema would support him. He\nfelt something coming out of Dr Wickrema to him, pervading his entire body. He\nhad never felt that way earlier. Communication links were not reduced to words\nand written on paper. A kind glance, a grab on a shoulder, a shaking up and all\nlooked  well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Dr Wickrema left. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I\u2019ll see you soon. We will soon\nwork together.\u201d Dr Wickrema told Vasanta as he left.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Garvin Karunaratne, former G.A. Matara\u00a0 An extract from an unfinished novel- a piece of fiction, but  truly portraying Dr Wicks and Aadusena at work. Dr Wicks is no longer with us and Aadusena was murdered during the second JVP insurrection days by an unknown assassin. However they stood for the people, worked with them. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-by-garvin-karunaratne"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119348\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}