15 June 2024 12:00 am Views - 811
He stood tall, literally and metaphorically. Tall and engaging is how many would describe him. He was a faithful friend and a compassionate human being, contrasting quite much with the general population of university students at the time. We were for the most part a bunch of wanderers with no apparent sense of purpose or time, shabbily dressed – wearing flip-flops most of the time and yet to discover the uses of combs and razors. He, on the other hand was smart, dressed tastefully, was clean shaven and always had a clear sense of direction.
Lakshitha entered University following quite a successful stint at a bank courtesy the pre-uni employment luxury accorded to our junior batches by the second insurrection of the JVP, triggered by the signing of Indo-Lanka peace accord. We were in different batches, but in the same University and same degree programme.
We would spend hours and days arguing about whether life originated by itself or whether it had telltale signs of an intelligent design. That thirty plus year old disagreement on the origins of life ended on the March 10, 2024. My beloved friend Lakshitha ventured into the greater unknown and in doing so made me realise that after my parents he is the closest human being I had to bid farewell to.
Our friendship grew after we left Moratuwa. We ran into each other very often as either trainees or resource persons of so many workshops and programmes.
His most famous slide, that which showed how the system control team of the CEB is constantly battling to keep the load and generation in a delicate balance, told a story which cannot be told even spending 1,001 nights. Clever use of graphics made him a communicator par excellence, propelling him to the unenviable position of ‘sole representative of the CEB’ on many battle grounds. He was the ‘chosen one,’ preferred by his seniors for his clarity of thought and his remarkable grasp of the subject, and by his team for his remarkable ability to take a position and defend it in any hostile forum.
Lakshitha’s ability to ‘get the message across’ was not limited to spoken Sinhala and English. He was an exceptional writer, which saw him holding the editor’s position of the prestigious Sri Lanka Engineering News (SLEN), the flagship publication of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka. He was a generous editor and invited me to write a guest column on ‘anything of interest’. Thus began my eventful journey in writing, in the shape and size of ‘The Rumbling Strip’, which also brought me much closer to him.
This young engineer was able to drive the whole team at Samanalawewa to earn the coveted ISO9001-2000 and ISO 14001-2001 quality systems certificate for the power station, the first government entity to earn these prestigious certifications. It had not stopped there. The power station has won the first place in National Safety Awards, also through a programme driven by Lakshitha.
He went on to educate the whole ‘Samanalawewa team’ about the opportunity cost of water. The tech savvy analyst in Lakshitha has unearthed the stubborn fact about rice cultivation in downstream Kalthota — 8m3 of water being used to produce a kilogram of rice. Saving any water for power generation by increasing the water use efficiency in the rice production became his top agenda. This intense search for solutions allowed Lakshitha and the Samanalawewa team to develop and introduce the SRI method ‘system for rice intensification’ to Kalthota, working closely with the farmer communities.
His engagement did not stop sharp at signing off time. A very different Lakshitha would emerge after work. He promoted and led many sports activities, especially cricket and badminton at the power station. He also arranged all night vigils whenever an important cricket match was aired on television. There was a wide screen - theatre style, food and non-alcoholic beverages all supplied by Lakshitha to the fans at his own expense and of course with the exceptional culinary skills of his lovely wife Surakshani.
His passion for human life and the well-being of the poorest Sri Lankans and struggling SMEs caused him to start a long journey into least cost generation planning.
He being a passionate teacher and lecturer both, we enjoyed our long hours together in the committee appointed to formulate the National Energy Policy and Strategies for Sri Lanka.
During this eventful period, he tried his best to recruit me to his famous ‘Dharma Kawaya’ - crudely translated to English as the ‘circle of followers of Buddha’s teachings’ to spread his new-found knowledge of Buddha’s teachings. He insisted that my day of realising the truth and giving up the three vices were not very far away, and kept on trying to lure me into the path to freedom.
I might miss out a lot if I fail to mention his relevance to the CEB’s Engineers Union (CEBEU).
Leaving the many technical capabilities of Lakshitha aside, his ability to touch and change lives for better will be remembered by many.
Being close friends, we (Lakshitha, Ajith Alwis and I) ridiculed each other’s weaknesses whenever there was an opportunity.
I hope the loved ones, the engineering fraternity and anyone whose life was touched by Lakshitha would join me in wishing Lakshitha a safe and short Sansaric journey to the serene shores of Nirvana.
Harsha Wickramasinghe, Friend