Monsoon Journal

Rev. Bobby Mather who served the Anglican Church of Canada succumbed to his heart ailments last Friday. He was the first Sri Lankan Tamil pastor to migrate to Canada where he touched the lives of many Tamil immigrants. Moreover, he identified himself with the Tamil Christian Church of Canada of which he served as its first pastor in the mid-eighties. He took keen interest in organizing Carol services and alumni meetings to bring the Sri Lankan communities together. He officiated in wedding ceremonies, funeral services and all functions pertaining to the Christian Tamil community.

His funeral service was held at the St.Paul  ’s Anglican Church at Scarborough. There were large gathering of people at the funeral which included members of other communities too. The tributes were paid to him by Messrs. Arudchuthan, a friend and Edwin Fitch, a close relative. He proved to be a keen servant of the Lord with numerous activities to his credit. He had a special interest in Tamil singing and proved his passion by compiling a hymn book in Tamil. While celebrating the Eucharistic service, he used to enrich it with his effective   ‘thevarams  ‘ which captivated the members of his congregation. In addition Bobby was a social worker who strived to help the poor and the needy when he was ministering at the Downtown Anglican Church. He was an adept in organizing services and has helped many pastors to prepare and print program sheets at various occasions.

The late Rev. Mather was an asset to the pastor at the Tamil Christian Church of Canada where he volunteered as an assistant as well as a member of the choir. Rajan Kadirgamar, former principal of Jaffna College, speaking at one of the viewing sessions at the Highland Funeral Home said,  ” Bobby came from a family of businessmen (Mathers) and philanthropists(Sabapathys) and he always strived to keep up to the family norms.  ” He further added that one of his grand uncles was the first indigenous bishop (Rev. S. Kulendran) of the JDCSI and another of his uncles, (Sam Sabapathy) was a mayor of the Jaffna Municipality.

He leaves behind his beloved wife Lala, son Nisho and two daughters Debbie and Rakshy to mourn his loss. A significantly large number of friends and relatives were present at his funeral function which is an indelible testimony of his untiring labours in His Lord  ’s vineyard. By: jja

by P Rajanayagam (Text of the tribute by, P. Rajanayagam, Editor of ‘Tamil Times’, on behalf of Upali’s friends and comrades at his funeral on 3 September 2009) We are gathered here today to remember, pay tribute and bid farewell to our friend, colleague and comrade, Upali Cooray, whose untimely death on 21st August 2009 has grieved us all. Upali’s professional qualifications included a BSc (Hons) in Economics (London), LLB Hons (London) and MA in Business Law at London Guildhall University. Called to the Bar in 1974, Upali practised as a Barrister. Upali was also a Senior Lecturer in Law at London Metropolitan University and taught in many areas including Immigration Law and Comparative Labour Law. Upali Cooray As a committed human rights lawyer, Upali has worked tirelessly for the unrepresented in Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. Upali’s practice has included a large amount of cases in Immigration, Employment, Criminal, Housing and Family Law. My association with Upali spans a period of over fifty years. Upali, by his natural inclinations and ideological persuasion was the classical version of “the Leftist” fighting for causes and defending cases that others would not touch. Like many of us belonging to his generation, Upali cut his political teeth in the Sama Samaja movement, beginning as a youth leaguer, then being a member, and later playing leading roles in political and trade union struggles. The 1960’s were traumatic times for the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), and for that matter the entire left and working class movement in Sri Lanka. When the majority of the leadership of the Party began to embrace the strategy of coalition politics, it was resisted and opposed by the Left Tendency within the Party to which Upali and I belonged. When the LSSP, at its historic twoday conference in June 1964, decided by majority vote to enter into coalition politics, those of the Left Tendency, which was at that time led by Edmund Samarakkody, Bala Tampo, Merryl Fernando and V. Karalasingham, broke away from the LSSP and founded the LSSP(R). Among others, Upali and I were also elected to the Central Committee of the new party. There is no doubt that the decision of the LSSP and the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CP) in 1964 to enter into coalition politics determined the fate and future of not only these parties, but also the entire left and working class politics in the country. These parties from the 1940s had been powerful bastions on the Left having substantial support with branches and youth leagues functioning throughout the length and breadth of the country. They had under their political leadership and control almost the entire working class movement. These parties had well acclaimed leaders with intellect and stature who were acknowledged as political giants even by their opponents. Even at the worst of times, these parties between them were able to win 15 to 20 seats in parliament. However, today these parties have become a pale shadow of their long, powerful and glorious past having insignificant impact on the politics of the island nation. Would these parties have suffered this fate had they avoided the strategy of coalition politics and continued to remain as champions of the Left fighting the cause of the oppressed and marginalised is a question that is worth pondering. Upali was one of the founding members of the Movement for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality (MIRJE) in July, 1979 of which Fr Paul Caspersz was the President. It was founded in the context of rising violence particularly in Jaffna where the military had been deployed, Emergency rule had been imposed and the draconian provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act had been invoked leading to widespread and gross human rights violations. Upali “was one of the moving spirits in MIRJE and a key organizer of many of its activities. He was a co-author with Paul Caspersz and me of the first MIRJE publication, “Emergency’79″, the first publication to deal with the human rights violations in Jaffna that began in 1979.” (Rajan Philips) Another report in the form of a booklet titled “What happened in Jaffna: Days of Terror” published by MIRJE graphically details of uncontrolled violence including arson that was unleashed in Jaffna May 1981 in the course of which the Jaffna public market and its shopping centre, the TULF office, the residence of the then Jaffna MP Mr V Yogeswaran and most tragically the Jaffna Public Library were set ablaze which was described by Sri Lanka’s most famous Bibliographer Ian Goonetillake as an exercise in “cultural incineration” Though well versed in the theoretical concepts of Marxism, Upali was not dogmatic. He was the quintessential political activist and campaigner agitating for causes he believed in. Upali was always in the vanguard of struggles of the oppressed people all over the world and played prominent roles in anti-colonialist, anticapitalist, anti-war and anti-racist campaigns. As the ethnic conflict escalated Sri Lanka, there was massive proliferation of human rights abuses including detention without trial, torture, extra-judicial executions and involuntary disappearances. It was during this period that Upali became one of the leading figures who set up many campaigning organisations in the UK such as the “Ceylon Solidarity Forum”, “Campaign for the Release of Political Prisoners”, “Friends of the Disappeared”, and the Committee for Democracy and Justice in Sri Lanka”. In regard to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, Upali firmly rejected the strategy of war and violence and forcefully argued for negotiated political settlement that recognised the legitimate rights of all nationalities. He denounced and campaigned against violations of human and democratic rights, political assassinations and other excesses for which successive Sri Lankan governments and the LTTE were responsible. Above all, Upali was a man of action. He believed in the capacity of the downtrodden people to make a better world by transforming the exploitative socioeconomic and political conditions to which they were subjected. Believing that organising, educating and empowering of the oppressed people was the key to their emancipation, Upali helped to creating alternative institutions. He helped in setting up a Women’s Centre and a Legal Advice Centre in the Katunayaka Free Trade Zone. He set up a Resource Centre for Community Groups with modern printing machinery and internet technologies to help community groups in mass communication. He also set up another Centre in Balangoda providing for a meeting place for Tea plantation workers. He facilitated the setting up a charity “Lanka Care” to enable bright students from poor backgrounds to further their education by the provision of financial assistance. One of his longstanding comrades, Rajan Philips, recalls an incident to illustrate Upali’s commitment to those who have been wronged or whose rights have been violated: “Once riding his motorcycle in Ratmalana, he saw a man beating up his wife on the road. He stopped the bike and scared the hell out of the bully until he promised that he would never abuse his wife again. Upali was the first male feminist I came across and I can say that he was a role model to other men in shedding the convenient shackles of patriarchy and male chauvinism.” Upali would have celebrated his 70th birthday on the 17th of this month. Sadly it was not to be. No amount of tributes to Upali would compensate for the irretrievable loss his wife Sylvia, son Alex, and daughters Samantha and Jasmine have suffered. May they be consoled that many of Upali’s compatriots will cherish his memory and his services for ever. Even in death, Upali stands tall as he has been throughout his life, a courageous stalwart of the Left and the valiant champion of the oppressed and marginalised. The casket containing his mortal remains, at his own request, is draped in the red flag with the hammer and sickle and the humanist service that is being performed today profoundly demonstrates ‘the unrepentant Marxist’ that Upali has been until his death. Today, we bow our heads and salute Upali in celebration of his life and service to humanity which he performed with courage, conviction and dedication.

“Break, break, break, On thy cold gray stones, O Sea! And I would that my tongue could utter The thoughts that arise in me”. It is with a deep feeling of sadness that I write about my classmate and friend Shanthi who passed away peacefully on July 28th at her residence in Nallur,Jaffna. Shanthakumari Vignarajah nee Rajadurai, known as Shanthi to her relatives and friends, and I were GCE-Advanced level students at Jaffna College (JC), Vaddukkoddai from 1970-73. Our friendship continued after JC days and her marriage to Vignarajah who also became a good friend of mine. She was senior lecturer in English at the University of Jaffna. Her Husband is the High Court Judge in Jaffna. Shanthi was one of the few persons on this earth who understood me well. She was a friend with whom one could talk freely about any issue and receive a sympathetic hearing and at times help and non-judgemental advice. It is with a sense of loss and sorrow that I pen this a month after her demise. Several memories were revived these days when thinking about her and I want to share them here as a personal memoir cum tribute to this wonderful person and friend. Jaffna College I remember vividly our first meeting some thirty-nine years ago. It was not very pleasant. JC is famous for its ragging and as a fresher at Howland Hostel I had undergone quite a lot of it on my first evening/night as a boarder. Now it was my first day at school and it was the turn of the dayscholars to engage in ragging. At one point Shanthi came up to me and tried to converse. It was her innate friendliness reaching out to this “new” student. I was however suspicious and thought she too was plotting to rag me. So I was taciturn and simply rebuffed her. Shanthi was annoyed and turned away. I learnt later that she described me as “proud and arrogant” to others. But as the days progressed we became good friends. Life in a co-educational institution like Jaffna College was a fresh, interesting experience for me. The friendships that I formed at JC have proved durable and enduring. Of the girls at JC, Shanthi was the one I was closest to. Both of us had turned our backs on a “science” education that was the craze in Jaffna and opted for the Arts. We offered the same subjects at the AL-Tamil, Logic, Goverment and English. English classes JC at that time was divided as secondary and collegiate. We were in the secondary section but our principal Rajan Kadirgamar had made special arrangements for us to follow English classes at the Collegiate. So Shanthi, Soori (now a lawyer in Britain) and I went over each day to the undergraduate or collegiate section for English. Our teachers were the Rev. Allan Gilberg an American missionary and the legendary JH Ariyaratnam who was also the Registrar at that time. The pride of Jaffna College then was it’s Library one of the best of its kind in South Asia. Only undergraduate or Collegiate students could use this.Secondary school students were not allowed to use this Library and had to avail of a much smaller one. Since we were following English classes at the undergraduates section we were also granted the privilege of using the big library. Shanthi felt that we should utilise that Library only for studies related to English and not for the other three subjects as she felt it was not fair by our fellow classmates at the secondary section who were denied such access. I agreed and so we did not use the better equipped undergraduates Library for the other subjects. As we both studied the same subjects we had the same free periods too. Apart from this we were both Christians and members of the choir, SCM and Student YMCA. Both of us engaged in Tamil and English oratory and essay competitions.We represented the College at Valigamam west zonal and Jaffna district competitions. Romance In fact the first time I saw Vignarajah was when he turned up at Jaffna Hindu College for an all-Jaffna district awards ceremony where Shanthi and I were prize-winners. Vignarajah who had studied at the JC undergraduates section was now a Law student. His romance with Shanthi had begun at JC. Though I knew about him, this was the first time I saw Vignarajah. Needless to say Shanthi was mercilessly teased the next day. The Arts classes were in a block opposite the laboratory and could be reached via a narrow staircase. Neither the Principal nor vice-principal ever came up there on sudden “inspection”. So we had a free run there chatting, arguing, teasing and even singing. Our class master then was Subramaniam Jebanesan who later became Jaffna College principal and the CSI Bishop of Jaffna. I remember Shanthi’s favourite Tamil film song those days was “Thennankeetru Oonjaliley” sung by PB Sreenivas and Janaki in the film “Paathai Theeriyuthu Paar”. It was written by Jayakanthan and music composed by MP Sreenivasan. Her favourite English song then was “oh wouldn’t it be luverly” the Marni Nixon-Audrey Hepburn-ensemble song in “My Fair Lady”. I can still hear Shanthi singing the lines “All I want is a room somewhere” and “Lots of chocolates for me to eat”. She could also play the guitar. Shanthi had a Hawaian guitar and used to strum quite well. She used to go to Manipay for extra classes. It was amusing to see her cycle all the way to Manipay lugging the guitar along. Popular The cyclist Shanthi was a familiar sight in the JC environs .She would smile at those she knew while cycling and even greet juniors with a “how are you”? Shanthi was like a sister to many younger girls at JC and immensely popular with them I have been pleasantly surprised on many occasions when old girls of JC would come up and tell me “You were in Shanthi Acca’s class”. Other than being classmates Shanthi and I were also members of the same “red” house- Hastings. At that time Abraham or “green” house used to romp home as champions in the Track and Field Competitions. But in 1972 Hastings House was the champion. Both of us were in the Atheletic squad and I recall the winners trooping down triumphantly to Shanthi’s house on College lane, Vaddukkoddai for a party. Later, to celebrate our victory , we went on a picnic to Valalai. Shanthi’s father JP Rajadurai was a well-known figure at Vaddukkoddai. He was a retired postmaster and used to ask us questions and go off without waiting for our answers. Her mother, a smiling, friendly lady was graciously hospitable to us hostellers when we dropped in at their house occasionally. Shanthi was the youngest in her family. The eldest was her brother Walter who was working at Browns in Colombo when I was at JC. He had later gone to the middle-east . After returning Walter worked in Kilinochchi for CARITAS. But he suffered a heart attack and passed away last September. Shanthi’s sisters were Thamaraikumari who was a home science teacher at JC then. Arasakumari the other sister was a student at JC. She was one class higher to us. They are now in Britain and Denmark respectively. Shanthi was not only the pet but also the pride of her family. The young idea The student unions or associations at JC had names such as Academy. Lyceum, Brotherhood and Forum. Academy was for the AL students. Shanthi and I were on opposite sides when debates were held in the academy. Both of us competed to be student speaker at the annual academy dinner. I won by a solitary vote. But Shanthi was magnanimous on another matter. JC has a college journal that was published each term from 1936. The Tamil version was called “Ila Gnayiru” and the English one “The Young Idea”. Being effectively bi-lingual both of us were on the editorial boards of both. Shanthi was senior to me on the editorial board of “The Young Idea”. At one point she was entitled to be the editor on account of her seniority. Yet she was willing to be a joint editor with me. So both of us were co-editors in 1972 of the journal . This was my first taste of being “editor” thanks to Shanthi. Our first “employment” was also a joint venture at JC. We were asked to teach English to some of the junior students by the principal. We were paid for this and it was the first time we ever got financial remuneration for something we did. I remember the joint treat we gave our friends at the tuck shop after getting our first “salary”. An inevitable feature in a coeducational school like JC was the coupling of boys and girls. A boy and a girl would be paired off for some, any or no reason at all. They would be teased and heckled and “honourably mentioned” when Baila songs like “tarare tara poduda” are sung. Given the fact that Shanthi and I had many things in common it was but natural for both of us to be “linked” by others. This was a source of private amusement to us. Shanthi’s romance with Vignarajah had commenced in 1968 in her early teens. Despite being at the receiving end of many jokes, the love of her life was Vicks. Shanthi’s full name was Geetha Geraldine Shanthakumary. She was born on February 18th 1954. I too was born in the same year but a few months later. Vignarajah was elder to us but both he and I have the same birthday, May 21st. Both Shanthi and I gained admission in 1973 to the University at Kelaniya for a BA degree in humanities. But I did not enter university and instead chose to go “off the beaten track”. Shanthi was deeply disappointed at my decision but accepted it. As I mentioned earlier she was one of the very few who understood me well. My habit of not being in touch for a while and then suddenly turning up used to irritate her. “You can’t walk in and out of people’s lives like this” she would reprimand me. But she learnt to tolerate it and accepted me as a friend with all my faults. That was Shanthi. Bread and wine In 1978 when the Italian author Ignazio Silone died, Shanthi presented me a copy of his famous book “Bread and Wine”. In that she had underlined certain sentences and paragraphs pertaining to the protagonist Pietro Spina and his teacher Don Benedetto. Shanthi said she recognized Spina in me. I don’t think I deserved such a compliment but it was certainly flattering to hear her opinion. She followed my career closely. She was not happy about my leaving the Tamil daily “Virakesari” and joining the English newspaper “The Island’. She felt I would not be given enough freedom to write there. But she changed her mind after a while and became a fan of my weekly column “Behind the Cadjan curtain” in the “Sunday Island”.

She remembered the salient points in each article and would reel them off from memory. It was not always praise and at times there would be constructive criticism that I valued highly. There was one thing that Shanthi “hid” from me. This was her concern and anxiety for my personal safety. While she never expressed anything of that sort to me openly, I learnt after her demise that she had been regularly praying for me for many, many years. Characteristically she never ever told me this. I was talking to her sister Arasakumari on the phone when she revealed that Shanthi had been constantly praying for my safety. Shanthi had said that while my articles were interesting and informative I was also endangering myself by writing them. I was touched immensely when Arasakumari told me that Shanthi had asked her sister to continue praying for me after she was gone. I embarked on a journalistic career while Shanthi was reading for her degree. When working for the “Virakesari” I once compiled a feature interviewing young, educated women. Since everyone was saying the “usual, restrained” stuff I thought of interviewing Shanthi as I knew she would be boldly outspoken. True to form Shanthakumari Rajadurai came out with some new, radical thoughts. She advocated a legally enforceable domestic code for households so that men could not exploit or control women. Shanthi’s views evoked a loud outcry. Many critical letters were sent to the paper. Though Shanthi had strong views on the rights and emancipation of women she was not an ardent feminist. She was quite independent and chartered her own course but did not articulate her views stridently. In a sense she belonged to the “dual” tradition of a working woman cum wife-mother. Notwithstanding her radical outlook, the varsity lecturer Shanthi was the typical housewife at home cherishing and looking after husband and children. She was a loving mother and devoted wife. The woman who once advocated a domestic code pampered her husband at home. It was a labour of love. Jaffna University After passing out Shanthi was for a brief period an instructor at Kelaniya. She then went to the Jaffna university English department and went on to become senior lecturer. At one stage she became acting head of the English department. Meanwhile Vignarajah had taken his oaths as an attorney at law and begun practising in Jaffna. The lengthy love affair was to reach a happy conclusion. They married despite some opposition over an inter-religious union. Their family backgrounds were vastly different. She was a Christian while Vignaraja was from an orthodox Hindu family that retained hereditary trusteeship over a Moolai temple. Apart from the fact that both were JC alumni and that their fathers had been postmasters, there was very little in common between them. But then despite these differences they got along well. Shanthi left her Vaddukkoddai home and went to Moolai, Chulipuram to live with her husband. Naturally, there were many adjustments to be made. But Shanthi rose up to the challenge and transformed her life in accordance with changed circumstances. With the birth of their children life indeed changed for the better. The eldest was a girl Sangeetha followed by two boys Shavendra and Sanjendra. I recall carrying Sangeetha as an infant in 1981. Shanthi laughed and laughed seeing my nervous clumsiness and discomfiture with her baby. I think the last time I saw the kids was in 1987. I saw Shanthi for the last time in Colombo in 1988. Both Sangeetha and Shavendra are in the UK while Sanjendra is a lecturer in the Law department of Jaffna university. Sangeetha is married to Uthayashangar her cousin. Shanthi became a proud “ammamma” when their child Uthesan alias Timmy was born. Whenever I visited Jaffna in the eighties of the last century I made it a point to visit the Jaffna university. The two persons I went to meet there specifically were both at the English dept. One was AJ Canagaretna, The other was of course Shanthi. Moolai residence I have also stayed with Shanthi and Vicks at their Moolai residence at times. Sometimes for several days at a stretch. Even my younger sister who also studied at JC has stayed with them. It was very fortunate that Vignarajah and I communicated easily with each other and became friends soon. Thus I was a welcome guest with the family. There is a saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed. Shanthi and Vicks were exactly that. There was a time when I was faced with an “emergency” of sorts and required urgent help. Shanthi got to know about it and together with Vignarajah provided assistance on their own without my even asking for it. Unfortunately I was slow in discharging my obligations due to unexpected developments and as a result they had to undergo difficulties till I did so fully. But Shanthi’s faith in me never faltered during those days.Her strength indeed was her unshakeable faith. In her God and religion, her family, friends and humanity in general. The LTTE was ruling the roost in Jaffna from the mid-eighties of the last century. This was a time when the legal profession in Jaffna was hit drastically. The practice of law virtually ceased and members of the black-coated fraternity swelled the ranks of unemployed. Later the LTTE established its own courts, lawyers and judges. Like many other lawyers, Vignarajah too was affected. Shanthi was then a tower of strength to him and the family. She was sustained by her faith. Shanthi was always a religious person but had later on become evangelized as a born again Christian. It was this faith that made her strong and brave in times of trouble. One incident stands out in memory. Views on LTTE Vignarajah was closely associated with the TULF leader Appapillai Amirthalingam and was involved in politics then. Amirthalingam himself was in India. The tigers were angry with Vignarajah for organizing a meeting to commemorate Amirthalingam. One day Shanthi was returning home to Moolai after work. When the mini-bus stopped at the junction before her stop she saw a crowd there. To her shock, Shanthi saw Vignarajah’s motor cycle on the ground and some tiger cadres surrounding her husband belligerently. She jumped out of the vehicle and ran to the spot. Arguing vehemently with the tigers, Shanthi managed to persuade them to let them go. It was like Savithri of the Puranas saving her husband Sathyavan from the clutches of Yaman. Later I asked her what gave her the courage to do so. She said that she had no time to think and only saw that her husband was in trouble. She was also sure that God would protect her. Such was her faith. In 1995 the Sri Lankan Government established its writ over Jaffna again. The Judicial system was gradually restored. Vignarajah himself mounted the bench first as a magistrate and then as District judge. Currently he is the High Court judge in Jaffna. Shanthi’s prayers were answered. However she continued at the University till March this year when she had to stop working due to her ill-health. Shanthi was quite candid with her views on the LTTE. She disapporoved of many tiger activities and never hesitated to articulate them when necessary. But the LTTE too tolerated this “dissent” because the tigers knew Shanthi was simply being honest and had no hidden agenda. Selva Gajendran the TNA Jaffna district Parliamentarian was at one time the LTTE run student union president at the Jaffna university. On one occasion a foreign journalist interviewed Gajendran and requested Shanthi to interprete. She obliged. At one point the journalist asked Gajendran whether it was possible for LTTE critics to survive in Jaffna. Gajendran then pointed to Shanthi and said “Yes. Madam here, is one such example”. Prize giving Shanthakumari Vignarajah was one who helped others and gave of her time to deserving causes. Shanthi has helped numerous people in need generously. All these things were done quietly without any publicity. She played a significant role in the activities of the peace council and high security zone committee in Jaffna. Many officials were impressed by her but she always shunned the limelight. A rare occasion where Shanthi sought the limelight was denied her recently. The Vignarajahs were invited as chief guests for the annual Jaffna College prize giving. Shanthi was to give away the prizes. Shanthi had studied at JC from grade 1 to 12 and was very fond of the crimson and gold.Having received prizes year after year in School, the opportunity of handing them out would have been relished by her. She had some years ago proposed the vote of Thanks at the prize giving. But despite Shanthi’s determination her health did not permit it. So it was her daughter Sangeetha who stood in for her and distributed the prizes. But Shanthi’s name is on the prize giving day programme. Among the many things I admired the Vignarajahs for was their attachment to their land and people. Shanthi and Vicks stayed in Jaffna amidst much trouble and violence undergoing terrible hardship and suffering. Both could have easily gone abroad as their siblings are all in foreign countries. They did not want to desert Jaffna and remained rooted to the soil rendering service to their people. I salute them both for that. To be with god Sadly Shanthi was afflicted with cancer and had a breast removed a few years ago. However this was only a reprieve and there was a malignant resurgence that proved fatal. Her condition deteriorated rapidly and her days were numbered. Her children and sister returned to Jaffna to be with her. The pain was terrible but Shanthi bore it all with her customary grit and tried to be cheerful. Once again her faith was her strength. She waited for the end with the supreme confidence that she was going to be with God. This is what she told family and friends frequently Shanthakumari breathed her last at 7. 15 pm on July 28th. Her husband, three children and grandson were around her as she bade farewell. Her sister from Denmark had been with her for several weeks but had gone to Colombo for a brief visit when Shanthi passed away. Shanthi had three wishes as her end drew near. She wanted her sister Arasakumari to be with her during her last days. She wanted her family to be with her when she died. She wanted to be buried at Vaddukkoddai by the side of her parents. All her wishes were fulfilled. Though Shanthi had become an evangelical Christian the CSI bishop of Jaffna Rt. Rev Daniel Thiyagarajah consented to her burial at Vaddukkoddai. There was a service at Cathedral Church, Vaddukkoddai and Shanthi’s remains were laid to rest at the Church cemetery. In her own words Shanthi is now with God. I am indeed blessed to have been her friend. She was one who understood me well, tolerated my faults, gave of her friendship and never demanded anything in return. Such souls are rare in this world. I thank God for Shanthi as she abides with the almighty. My thoughts are with her family and friends. “Break, break, break, At the foot of thy crags, O Sea! But the tender grace of a day that is dead Will never come back to me”. Courtesy: dbsjeyaraj.com