Dr. Nimal Samarasundara Thaththi : Guiding Star of my life – Ceylon Daily News

I have heard and read about many people who had lived up to the core values of humanity but my father was the one; from whom I truly experienced such a personality. He was an individual who had an abundance of human qualities and led his life in line with Buddhist Principles. My beloved father Dr. Nimal Samarasundara (Attorney-at-Law) departed from this world on June 17, 2021, and I am certain that he had reached the eternal serenity of life he had always hoped for, by now.

Dr. Nimal Samarasundara was the loving husband to Malathi and father of four children – Prabhavi, Sarasi, Sayuru and Thejanie. Hailing from a respectable family in ‘Pasdun Koralaya’, Dr. Nimal Samarasundara was born to an Ayurvedic Physician, the late Karolis Samarasundara and Licy Samarasundara and he was the fourth eldest of seven siblings. He was a respected Civil Servant and Social Worker with rare leadership qualities, a loving husband, father and grandfather.

He was a hero to all his grandchildren and I am sure that he was the role model for my children, while they were growing up. He was a loving and caring person who guided his children to become educated and responsible citizens and was undoubtedly the pillar of strength behind my success.

As his eldest daughter, I followed the footsteps of my father and joined the government service. The most important trait I inherited from my father is the ability to patiently listen to anyone who approaches me for various reasons whether those are official or otherwise. My father was a well-read personality and versatile administrator who had an in-depth knowledge in History, Buddhism, Literature, Politics and a passion for Agriculture and Music.

He had his early education at Agalawatte Bilingual Senior School and secondary education at Matugama Madya Maha Vidyalalya. He was the first student of the school to enter the University of Peradeniya through the Free Education System to obtain a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1963. He began his career as an Assistant Teacher at Panama Senior School, where he became the Acting Principal shortly after a one year. His commitment and dedication towards the betterment of the children of that school, was amply proven to me as I watched the first degree holder of that school came to our home in Boralle to pay tribute to his mentor, my beloved father, every year. He had told me that it was a challenging task to travel to Panama in early Sixties. At one time, he had to ride on a bullock cart and sleep inside a classroom without going to his boarding house until dawn when he reached Panama late at night.

Subsequently, he joined the Sri Lanka Civil Service and served as the Divisional Revenue Officer in three different divisions and as an Assistant Government Agent in number of districts. Then he successfully progressed in the ladder and became the Assistant Motor Commissioner, Assistant Secretary-Ministry of Higher Education, Senior Assistant Secretary-Ministry of Higher Education, Commissioner, Department of Official Languages and Secretary- Official Language Commission.

He reached the pinnacle of his career when he became the Secretary to the Ministry of Buddha Sasana before his retirement in 2000. Soon after the LTTE bomb blast, he was appointed as the Competent Authority of restoration work of the Temple of the Tooth Relic, Kandy and did his level best in restoring it as close as to the original state. After his retirement, he was appointed as the Chairmen of Ayurvedic Drug Cooperation for two years.

During his illustrative carrier, he had served under many leading figures such as former Prime Ministers Dudly Senanayake, Sirimao Bandaranaiake and Former Presidents J. R. Jayewardene, R. Premadasa, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Former Minister and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and Former Minister Luxman Jayakody. I strongly believe that it is his honesty, integrity and acting according to his conscious had made it possible for him to serve successfully under different leaders that bore different political ideologies.

While serving in the Administrative Service, he functioned as a Board Member to a number of institutions and establishments including the Open University of Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University, Bhikku University of Anuradhapura, Aesthetic Studies & Institute of indigenous Medicine (Colombo and Yakkela). He also had provided guidance to religious and social organisations by becoming a Governing Body Member of the Maha Bodhi Society in India, Vice President of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress and Chairmen of the Matugama Multi- Purposes Co-operation Union.

My father was a well-read personality and fond of writing. He had authored books, Kandabada Patthuwe Saahithya Saviya, Pathiraja Piriwena and Buthana Janakatha – a translation of folktales of Bhutan, apart from thesis done for his BA, LLB, LLM and PhD in Law.

He never lost his love for the agriculture and continued to engage in paddy cultivation in his home town until his demise. He was highly respected by all his siblings; he took care of them with love and affection and was to their help whenever they needed him.

He displayed remarkable level of courage and strong willpower to face the last days of his life amidst the severity of the sickness by spending his time according to the ethics of Buddhist Teachings, which he has been practising throughout his life.

With the blessings of all good deeds that you have done for Society, Friends, Relatives and family and above all towards the Noble Triple Gem, I wish and pray that you will reach ‘Supreme Nirvana’.

Until then, I wholeheartedly wish that you will be my father in all my next births.

Prabhavi Samarasundara

Thank you
http://www.dailynews.lk/2021/07/09/...l-samarasundara-thaththi-guiding-star-my-life