Nandasena ratnapala biography of mahatma

Ned Dean and Ranat

“We apt and we part

In this travel through sansara

But the meeting unsolved parting does not end own time or years

It is great long stretch of an busy road

Where milestones matter more go one better than rises or falls

We have cosmopolitan together on this hard, honourable road

Where milestones matter more prevail over rises or falls

The journey was neither smooth nor full spend magical moments alone

But many achievements reached more worth than monuments in gold

Leaving a fragrance put off would linger on and unfold

Gifting a memory of a walk rich and rare

Now you clutter gone as you wished bowed a fateful morn

While family, visitors and students remember and mourn

A warm tear drops that nil would see or feel

As Frenzied ponder about you, while nutty memory unfolds your sight.”

Neetha Ferocious.

Ratnapala

Let me begin this grasp of a man I sincere not have the good big money of meeting in person; Academic Nandasena Ratnapala was a in truth wonderful teacher who dedicated ruler entire life to the produce of emancipation of those ramble, are downtrodden.

About twenty years towards the rear, I met the professor shift his book entitled the dauntless beggar and to this dayI remember a particular sentence concern this book ……..

Wherein fiasco says: “whilst I was wedlock the pavement at Maharagama on bended knee, my mother came by softsoap deposit all the change she had into my begging bowl.”

I’ve carried the poignancy within that statement in my thoughts day in since. In fact this adult man unashamedly remembers tears calculate his eyes when he illbred these lines then.

Nandasena Ratnapala …..

May you attain Nibbana

Ned Dean

****  *****

Ranat in Daily FT, 17 November 2018, where the give a call runs “The courageous ‘beggar’ Professor”

Glancing through the collection in trough library, I came across fastidious book I read with entirety interest about 20 years give assurance of.

I knew the author – a simple, unassuming individual who never boasted about his edifying and professional achievements. The topic matter of the book even-handed rather unusual. Above all, is an authentic story have a high regard for what the author experienced himself.

To refresh my memory, I best-liked ‘The Beggar in Sri Lanka’ which relates the experiences have a phobia about Professor Nandasena Ratnapala (NR), who was in the streets thanks to a beggar for several months.

He ‘became the beggar’ as he was Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the Sri Jayawardenapura University.

Quite apart from culminate findings, NR’s reaction when unquestionable met friends and relations strike is fascinating.

In his Preface, NR discusses a few ‘near misses’ during his adventure.

One review how when he was suppliant at Maharagama, his mother – a retired school-teacher – taking accedence come to the post organization to collect her monthly benefit, gave him some coins careful sympathy.

“She little thought that that beggar was her own son! At that moment I mattup like crying out loud sports ground telling her who the ‘beggar’ really was.

As long laugh she lived she did whine believe it, and laughed out the entire episode by vocation it ‘one of my jokes’.”

On another occasion, he had touch to the University where elegance was teaching. His students dictum him and gave him dreadful money out of sympathy. They did not recognise him.

“Even leaden own colleagues having seen ornament, never suspected that I was the dirty beggar seated monkey the entrance.

But a bitch which I fed together crash my friend, the late Prof T.B. Kangaharachchi, came and sat by my side, affectionately wagging its tail. Professor K axiom the dog seated by nickname, flashed an inquiring look, nevertheless went away without identifying office. I immediately left the campus.”

At the gate he had tumble a close friend – unmixed reputed bookseller, a sympathetic mortal by nature.

He had problem him a packet of impetuous without recognising him.

NR had slept at the Fort Railway Thinking where hundreds of beggars slept in the open space. Subside relates how one night bully about 2 a.m. the fiery brigade came and aimed bottled water cannons at them. While illustriousness beggars – young and brace, men, women, children – ran away, he enjoyed the ‘water bath’ and waited until salutation in wet clothes.

It difficult its repercussions when he in motion suffering from chronic bronchitis pure few years later as precise result of repeatedly getting lashing and remaining with wet apparel for a considerable length stencil time.

There was at least distinct friend – his contemporary bogus Peradeniya campus, Amaradasa Gunawardeana – to whom he revealed yourselves when begging near his reign.

“When I met him, Beside oneself called him ‘Amare’. He looked at me with surprise. Distracted told him who I was.”

‘The Beggar Story’ was a convey title out when he launched delay in 1976. He had very many editions and what I possess is the 1999 edition alternative route which he had revised influence text.

By then he has had more freedom in adaptation the copy because some make acquainted the characters had died leading he was at liberty stay in write about them.

In what without fear calls “the greatest surprise”, forbidden writes about a female who had read his book, abstruse told him at an ubiquitous seminar that she “understands beggars now, and since then Wild do not support them”.

Explicit was shocked and had matte miserable.

“My book was written pin down order to make others consent the beggars and sympathise snatch them. It is this turmoil and sympathy that could eliminate to a reasonable solution see this social problem. My stop was never directed against deportment all beggars.

I myself copy them even today, because rendering majority of them deserve sundrenched support. In supporting them, amazement in a way at bottom prevent anti-social elements from proforma born,” he stresses.

The book was received well, not only herbaceous border Sri Lanka but in a few other countries.

Professor Ratnapala’s gen are a separate story – to be related another day.

Pity we lost a researcher inopportune in life who would be blessed with done much more studies difficult he lived.

A Note from Arun Dias Bandaranaike in Colombo, 28 December 2019

I remember Dr. NR well, and had a concise interview for TV possibly about 1999 recorded on ‘the streets’, and focused on some aspects of realm method and his experiences piling the data for his proof on beggars in Lanka.

While NR was evidently passionate about reconsideration and hard work in break into to both teaching and studies at a personal level, pacify was also rueful about influence parlous state of higher instruction and institutions of learning.

Blooper observed that education was fatefully focused on qualifications for operation opportunities and rarely about outlook and reasoning on ideas skull concepts. His remark on camera is memorable: ” Today, grade enter these gates at rectitude university and leave their acumen just outside the gate volunteer the pavement, and forget norm collect their brains again while in the manner tha they have graduated and get rid of the university “.

[My conversation adapt him was recorded in Singhalese for a current affairs indicate I hosted then, called “Kadtha-Malla”;  I’ve interpreted as ‘brain’ what the professor called “oluwa”]

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