27 April 2019 12:01 am Views - 306
Much has been written about his professional and academic contribution in the field of Taxation, as such I do not wish to add anything more to it. I shall therefore confine myself to a few personal incidents.
I had the privilege of meeting Karals at St Kitts.in the Caribbean.
I was on assignment by the Commonwealth Secretariat and attending a conference there on behalf of the government of the British Virgin Islands.
Karals, the true Sri Lankan he was, having got to know of my presence had located the venue of the Conference Hall, and until it was over had graciously waited for me in the hotel foyer..
He introduced himself and informed me that he too was on a Commonwealth assignment as the Tax Consultant to the Government of St Kitts..After exchanging the usual pleasantries he updated me with news of SriLanka in general, and of our mutual friends in particular.
When we met again it was a pleasurable and relaxing evening at the residence of Dr. Austin Fernando, who was also on a Commonwealth assignment as Consultant to the Central Bank of St Kitts.
Before Karals left St Kitts he visited me in the British Virgin Islands, and was able to meet up with Wijay and Rani, John Paul and Wally Perera, all from
Sri Lanka.
I am sure they will be deeply shocked and saddened by his demise. Karals was a formidable figure both intellectually and personally. He was a deeply religious man cultured and widely read and authored many books on Taxation.
His wit, the range of his conversation, his generosity as a host and above all his personal
warmth endeared him to a wide circle of friends. He passed away on September 7th, 1998.
Mahinda Gooneratne
Pita Kotte