Gentlest human being and a loving father

The versatile Film, Music, Journalistic and sports personality Premnath Moraes would have celebrated his 95th Birth Anniversary on January 31. We re-produce an article carried in the 150th Year Commemorative Publication of St. Benedict’s College.Singer, Songwriter, Lyricist. Actor, Film Director, Scriptwriter, Producer. Weightlifter, Wrestler, Footballer, Cricketer, Athlete, Gymnast Journalist, Sports Editor, Creative Head and Copywriter. Commentator and Silver tongued Orator.

Believe me, the list goes on.   
Renaissance Man?  Bohemian Artist? Yes to both, but to me, most importantly, the gentlest human being one could hope to meet and the most loving father my sister Rehani or I could ever have hoped to have .   

Premnath Joseph Moraes – born Joseph Peter Moraes Fernando on January 31, 1923, was of solid middle class stock, who carried his simple and devout catholic faith right through life.   
In many ways he epitomized the essence of the very best of the Benedictine trademark ,with traits and talents that wove a rich tapestry of Arts, Sports, Humanity, Simplicity and a Christianity that was lived rather than preached.   

Abundantly blessed with talent and versatility, he was however trusting to a foolish degree and unfailingly gullible so as to be a target for exploiters and worse,resulting in the vicissitudes of economic circumstances. So it was not his largesse that beget the incredible goodwill he has left as his legacy to his Family, but rather a tribute from people of all walks of life to Premnath the man!.   
Talking of all walks of life, my Father trod many paths; a short outline of which I hope will make good reading.   

Joining the Police force soon after school, he was seconded to the CID and later advised to leave by a senior Police Officer after having spoken openly at the funeral of a colleague who had been gunned down when leading an unarmed raid on a den of vice.   

Thereafter he sought and secured a position as a Reporter with the Times of Ceylon after an interview with its Editor, Frank Moraes (father of the poet Dom), who reminded him that “the coincidence of our surnames will remain just that!” .   

 Leaving the Times of Ceylon building , Premnath was almost knocked down by a vehicle driven by his friend Sangare Sellamuttu (later Mayor of Colombo ) with whom he then got chatting and informed him of the job he had just landed . “What nonsense” said Sellamuttu , “with your looks you should be in Films, let me introduce you to Sir Chittampalm Gardiner” – good looks he had, no doubt about it, but rather than me being accused of understandably favourable bias let me quote the words used by the late, great Gamini Fonseka in a long, eloquent and emotional appreciation,   

“On those extra broad shoulders   
rested that handsome head   
of a barrel chested man   
with a wasp like waist   
His features stirred envy   
In the hearts of “stars” of his day.”   
Young Premnath (a name he then 

assumed ) was signed on as an actor and thus started a romance with the film industry which lasted over 50 years ( from 1947 to 1998 , from starring in “Kadawanu Poronduwa” (also known as Broken Promise) the 2nd Sinhala film to be produced, to Demodara Palama, circa 1997. Warada Kageda and Kapati Arakshakaya in the late forties were followed by several others .   

This was followed by a stint in Shanthiniketan the Centre of Arts north of Calcutta , the stay which was undertaken for purely aesthetic reasons, gave my father the most pleasant memories among which was seeing and hearing Maestro Ravi Shankar perform for over a hundred cumulative hours.   
The long visitation was in the company of his close friend Shanthi Kumar Seneviratne (Star and Director of Ashokamala – the first Sinhala film).   

From Shanthenikitan, Premnath moved to Bombay where he was in the famed Raj Kapoor/Nargis circle , and was close friends of Dilip Kumar (Mohamed Yusuf Khan), and closer still to one of the most beautiful Hindi actresses of the time, whose gift to him – a Gold , Universal Genève watch , I wear to this day.   

Back to Ceylon , and the man took up to singing, was contracted to the HMV label (His Masters Voice) , recorded Solo, and with Latha (Walpola) and Chitra (Somapala), of the many recordings perhaps the most famed are “Sri Lanka Rani Meniye“ ( the de facto Catholic anthem of Sri Lanka) and “Lak Deepe” .   

Here, permit me to express a son’s view albeit emotionally flavoured ; I truly believe that no one could sing Olu Pipila or Kokilayange KoKila Nade, better. Incidentally the great Sunil Shantha who immortalised these songs was also a Benedictine.   

 The Sri Lankan Nightingale Rukmani Devi once told me that she and her husband Eddie Jayamanne (both of whom were very close to him) used to badger my father to sing the 1939 classic “Over the Rainbow” at every possible opportunity, and redoubtable fellow Benedictine Ben Navaratne (argued to be the best wicket- keeper Sri Lanka or Ceylon ever produced) used to always ask my father to promise to sing “O Danny Boy” over his grave - very poignantly Ben Navaratne and Premnath Moraes are buried within yards of each other at the Jawatte Cemetery.   

On to 1953. Production Assistant (Titles were not grandiose in those days) and 2nd unit Director for Elephant Walk, Directed by William De Telle, the son-in-law of the legendary Cecil B De Mille (of Ten 
Commandments Fame) .   

Starring Vivien Leigh, Peter Finch and Dana Andrews - all Oscar Winners –(Peter Finch and Dana Andrews later, Vivien had already won hers for Streetcar named Desire). Living at the Galle Face Hotel for a full nine months, interspersed with long stays at up country locations, my father enjoyed close interaction with the best acting talent the world had to offer, with the huge bonus of frequent visits from Laurence Olivier, probably the most acclaimed Thespian and Actor who was obliged to check on his wife Vivien, who succumbed to a nervous breakdown within the shooting. 

What is remarkable (given that this was 1953) is that Vivian’s condition was recognized , possible inability to proceed was anticipated, and EVERY scene was shot twice, one with Vivien Leigh, one without. So upon Vivien being unable to proceed with the film, the images of Elizabeth Taylor were superimposed – without her ever having visited Ceylon. Not bad for 1953!   

Two short stints as 2nd unit Director for United Artists “Captain’s Table” and “Purple Plains” which starred Gregory Peck, on to India where he was Production Manager at Gemini Studios in Madras,where most of the Sinhala Films at the time were edited, dubbed and produced. Coincidentally his uncanny look alike the Tamil film star Gemini Ganeshan got his eponymous name through association with this studio.   

Wide varied and versatile though my father’s exposure to the celluloid world, in my opinion his single most significant to the Sinhala Cinema was his unremitting efforts to get Gamini Fonseka into it, culminating in a successful introduction to Lester James Peiris who brought Gamini into Rekawa in a non-starring role – the rest – to use a cliché – is history!. Gamini never lost an opportunity to credit my father (whom he referred to as his “guru”) with his entry to films, and Lester has also endorsed the fact over the years.   

 Ironically, given his long involvement with Sinhala Cinema, Premnath won the most kudos , and International and local acclaim for Directing the Tamil Film “Vaadai Kaatru“ in the seventies, shot on the arid dunes of Pesalai. As recently as the 26th of September 2015, that redoubtable and insightful journalist , DBS Jeyaraj referred to Vaadai Kaatru as “probably the best Tamil Film” ever made in Sri Lanka .   

Now onto that integral part of Premnath’s being that merited his inclusion in this journal, Premnath Moraes the Benedictine.   

Spanning his entire school career (with a colourful rainbow of classmates who included Fr. Paul Caspersz, Dr. Reinzie De Silva and Ossie Corea), except for the last two years, (when St. Benedict’s moved to Veyangoda on account of WW 2 and my father’s family to their ancestral home in Negombo from where he attended Maris Stella).   

 He was very active in both sports and the arts, representing St. Benedict’s at Cricket and Soccer (his favourite sport, under Stanny Xavier) and as a Public Schools Athlete and was “Baseman” in the walking Pyramid of the gymnastic Troupe commanded by the formidable George Atkinson, also in the same troupe was Malcolm Fernando, father of Nalake.   

To digress for a moment from St. Benedict’s, to maintain the thread of Sports, Premnath – (at this point still known as JP Fernando or Joseph), captained football and played cricket for Maris Stella where he was appointed Head Prefect, and won the singular honour of National Colours while still a schoolboy, representing Ceylon against the Allies in weightlifting. Later on he was in training for the “Mr Ceylon” contest when a fire broke out in the Regal Cinema complex where he had an apartment, the injuries he sustained in helping put out the fire also put paid to his chances of competing and some scars remained through life.   

Back to St. Benedict’s - Involved in Film and Music and living in Kotahena down Mayfield Road (next to Dudley Thambinayagam’s family), there came to be formed at my father’s home, a Sports Club circa 1948 – euphemistically referred to as the MCC (Marylebone or Mayfield) as the case may be, detractors at the time claimed the CC stood for Cowshed Club, as the bowler on this rude pitch actually had to start his run up from within the shelter of the domestic milk provider .   

The Club became a nucleus for Benedictine social activity and my father was fond of recalling an instance where the entire Benedictine Football Team, returning from an “away” victory was carried shoulder high from the Kotahena roundabout to his home, where a feast centered around green and white string hoppers laid out by my grandmother awaited them.   

My Father was the first General Secretary of the Old Bens Sports Club and served under the Presidencies of Col. Sydney Jayawardena, Dougie Livera and Granville Perera before taking over himself and being succeeded as Secretary by his friend and classmate J.E. Benedict.   

Premnath worked tirelessly to support and build the fledgling club, and is credited with the initiation of the still vibrant Quadrangular Cricket Tournament. His roles were many, best exemplified by the manner by which different people recall his role as the annual College Sports Meets, many (as I do) remember him as the announcer, still others as the “pistol toting” starter, whilst that great benefactor of the school Ratna Mallawaractchi , recalls him as the anchor man in the old boys vs staff 
tug-of-war , again typifying his versatility .   

Journalism next and the “nume de plume” SEAROM (MORAES in reverse), is still remembered. His turn of phrase was fluent, lyrical and polished, and the rapier wit and thrust invariably found its mark in his- relished by many, dreaded by some column- “petals and pellets”. Impartial though he was for the most part, he just couldn’t contain his support for the old school and the rampaging Old Bens Basketball and Hockey and Soccer Teams gave him plenty of grist for his mill.   

As a Sports administrator in Basketball and Hockey one of his proudest moments was when he was “Chef De Mission accompanying the National Hockey Team to Delhi – with no less than 6 Bens in it.   
What about Premnath the man? Impish in humour, gullible, ever willing to help, and never holding a grudge or remembering an injustice.   

I once came across a saying, “There is nothing as strong as gentleness, and nothing as gentle as real strength“, this soft spoken, gentle man, at the height of the ’58 riots dressed up as a thug in a sarong and banian, trust a pistol into his belt and single handedly rescued an Indian film crew from a mob which had surrounded them in Kelaniya (a story told by others not him). He also – himself a Tamil (though supra fluent in Sinhala) and 60 years old at the time guided a van-load of his office workers among them several Tamils, safe to their houses all the way to Panadura and back on that fateful Black Friday in ‘83 – and never spoke a word about what he had seen or experienced that dastardly day. This was my gentle father.   

I am a rare animal – a 4th generation Benedictine, yet in College and all College related Fora I have no individual identity, I am still simply referred to as “Premnath’s son” and for that I am ever so proud.   

Pradeep Moraes.