12 March 2022 02:11 am Views - 2186
Segarajasingham Nagendra, known as Sega, met the love of his life when they were both children. Eight years her senior, Sega was the playmate and bodyguard of his cousin Sarla Murugaser. Both were direct descendants of Sir Ponnamabalam Arunachalam, being this illustrious Ceylonese’s great grandchildren down different lines. As they grew up the newly qualified driver Sega would give Sarla lifts home from school, borrowing his father’s HumberHawk motorcar.
Sega was a past chairman/president of the Sri Lanka chapters of the Skal Club, the Pacific Asian Travel Association and the Chartered Management Institute
Sarla’s father T.Murugaser gave Sega a fatherly lecture. Sega was instructed to look after his daughter as carefully as he himself had done, and to never move far away from him. Sega honoured both these promises. They brought up their two children, Kshirabdhi and Prashan, and welcomed their son-in-law Jekhan and their daughter-in-law
Chameli. And they enjoyed their two grandsons Karnan and Suhit.
Sega commenced his career at Ford Rhodes & Thornton, later to become KPMG. After part qualifying Sega joined Carsons Cumberbatch. Starting as a junior accounts executive he rose through the ranks to become the Senior Director. As he moved into the corporate’s upper echelons Sega became Resident General Manager of Pegasus Reef. He moved on from there to be the director in charge where Carson’s was the Sri Lanka agent for leading foreign products such as Michelin Tyres. He rose to become Carson’s Chief Accountant before he took on his
favourite role as KLM Director. His KLM role, which he held for almost 20 years, provided perks allowing him to travel extensively. He often took Sarla and their two children to the USA, Europe and the Middle East. He eventually retired from CML Edwards in 2018. Until his dying day Sega continued to be chairman and director of companies including the technology company EFutures where his son Prashan is CEO.
Sega was a past chairman/president of the Sri Lanka chapters of the Skal Club, the Pacific Asian Travel Association and the Chartered Management Institute. He chaired the Sri Lanka Pakistan and the Sri Lanka Benelux Business Councils. In 2015 he became Chairman of perhaps Sri Lanka’s most prestigious association, The Colombo Club.
Every human enjoys happiness and suffers tragedy. Sega was a leading businessman, director and chairman of many companies, patron and trustee of temples and associations. He was highly respected as an honourable man who would do his utmost to see fair play. His relationship with his wife was one of the best I have ever seen. However his greatest tragedy was losing his daughter, who suffered from pulmonary fibrosis and passed away in London in 2013 at 40 years.
At Sega’s funeral I was told by many what I already knew; that he was a very good man. That he was a people’s person. I can personally attest that he would greet the office peon as sincerely and kindly as he would an ambassador.
Sega passed away suddenly of a heart attack. He and Sarla had recently spent Christmas in England visiting his grandson Karnan and fiancée Ellie at their new home in Folkestone. Just a month before they had visited me in Jaffna; the town of their ancestors.
The World lost one of its gentlemen.
Jekhan Aruliah
(Son-in-law)