Some might say ‘Ray’ is short for ‘Raymond’. It is also possible that the respondent might
pick one of many definitions of ‘ray’.
One might say, for example, ‘a line of light proceeding from a radiant
or reflecting point’, or say ‘it is the syllable naming the second note of any
major scale (the ‘English’ equivalent of the ‘Ri’ in North Indian Classical
music)’. Some might say ‘a column of
light that emanates from a beacon’. All
correct. All absolutely inadequate in
describing the ‘Ray’ whose life I am contemplating at this moment. And no, I am not talking about Charles, great
man though he was.
This is not about another Raymond among thousands of
Raymonds affectionately called ‘Ray’. It
is about a man called Philip Reyvatha Wijewardene. Another ‘Ray’ among
thousands of Rays who is no more but unlike the vast majority of those other
thousands left the trace of his passing (but not his name, tellingly) across
vast swathes of this island, its geography, its economy, culture and most
importantly its future.
In the early days of this millennium, I wrote a series of
articles profiling people who had excelled in their chosen field, tracing their
lives and work through anecdotes and achievement as they recollected over 2-3
hours of conversation (Dr. P.R. Anthonis took 7 hours and Dr. Gunadasa
Amarasekera 6, in two 3 hour sessions on consecutive days). There were three people I wanted to write
about but could not: Gamini Seneviratne and P.A. Kiriwandeniya (both related to
me) and Dr. Ray Wijewardena (for reasons of reticence). Now Dr. Ray is no more. And yet he’s in so many places and few would
ever know.
In the coming days, people who associated with him closely
and professionally would not doubt nutshell his biography. Suffice to say,
here, that if certification and titling mean anything, he could have unloaded a
lorry-load of papers, IF he was into certificate-collection that
is. If it is about ‘positions held’,
they are too numerous to fit into a 1000 word essay. He was all over the place, all kinds of
ministries, authorities, institutions, academic and otherwise, but not in a
superficial, number-making, way. He was on committees because he knew what he
was talking about and because he didn’t come to pocket a ‘participation
honorarium’. He came with ideas.
Someone, somewhere in Sri Lanka is at this very moment
using a two wheeled tractor, commonly known as ‘Landmaster eka’. That was Ray. Being practical. Being
patriotic.
He was a root seeker in every sense of the word. He delved deep, figured out cause, employed
knowledge and innovative genius and came up with solutions so simple though
profound that they probably left many wondering why they themselves couldn’t
have thought of it before.
He
was placed fourth in Yachting at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, and won a Silver
Medal at the Asian Games in Bangkok. I didn’t know this, but that too was Ray,
enjoying life to the fullest. He
designed and made aircraft and flew that.
I knew this. Yes, that’s also Ray.
Living.
Dr. Ray understood
development. He understood underdevelopment. He knew about globalization. He knew about dependency. He knew about inter-dependency. He knew of
the worth of self-reliance, its limits and how to push these limits. He knew
about food security and how this was tied to independence and sovereignty. He knew about nutritional needs, good health
and well being. He knew about energy, related dependencies and ways out.
He was not the only
one of course. Here’s the difference: he spent less time talking about it than
doing something about the problem. His work therefore was not about placard-holding
or slogan-shouting, but practical, on-the-ground intervention to restore and
develop indigenous and sustainable technologies.
He is known as the Father of Dendro Power, but that’s
essentially caricature. His life and work encompassed much more than such power
generation projects, vast as they no doubt are.
He was a determined man. An
optimist. A pragmatist. He got things
moving along directions others did not have the eyes to see. He set out for destinations that others
lacked heart to walk towards.
Ray Wijewardena was a patriot. A man who had no quarrel with
earth nor with those who desecrated it, a man who went about righting all
manner of wrongs, tirelessly, even effortlessly, without malice and most
importantly, without branding the things he touched, the things he planted and
coaxed into growing with name, telephone number and email address. He was one of those very rare human beings
who does not do business with tomorrow or the good earth. He lived and how!
There’s music. It must be Ray. Somewhere.
Ray Wijewardena, ‘antheming’ his love for this land in the most
sustainable manner: the turning of a million little wheels in the manner of
regeneration.
msenevira@gmail.com
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