Who remembers Lt Manohara De Silva?

 

It’s more than 16 years since what is known as the thirty-years war came to an end.  Over 5 million were born after 2009 and that’s close to 20% of the current population.

Who remembers that time? Some do. Time blurs of course, but those who were old enough know what those thirty years were like. And then there are some who just cannot forget — those who lost someone they loved, someone they associated or knew.

We remember and we forget. We know numbers. We know the aggregate. We know history in sweeps. Details? Not so much. When thousands die, individual names get swept away by the enormity of it all.  And we forget.

Lieutenant Manohara De Silva was never forgotten by those closest to him. Family and friends. He joined the Army after leaving school, sometime in the year 1989. He was in the infantry. He died in action four years later.  

His school friends from Royal College remembered him. Again. There was a difference this time. They inaugurated something in his name: the Lieutenant Manohara de Silva WWV Memorial Education Scholarship. It was officially launched at the Army Headquarters. Accordingly, 12 deserving students received scholarships, each worth Rs 60,000. The plan is for them to be given this amount annually until they leave school or until they graduate from university should their academic careers extend beyond the Advanced Level. Additionally, Lieutenant Manohara De Silva’s friends hope to increase the number of scholarships in the coming years. In addition, his classmates also donated a shield for the annual inter-troop first aid competition of the scout group in his name, 'the Lt Manohara De Silva WWV Memorial Trophy.'

The ceremony was attended by the Commander of the Army, the Principal of Royal College, and members of the Group of ’89, led by Mr. Senaka Senaviratne. Senaka is well-known for his philanthropic endeavours. He’s all about Sri Lanka and a large part of his ‘Sri Lanka’ is Royal College. Innumerable are the projects he has initiated or supported over the years. Indeed, as he pointed out in his short speech, his vacations in Sri Lanka are all about work. Social work. To him it’s a debt owed, he said.

Senaka observed that his friend had made the supreme sacrifice for his country. Lieutenant Manohara De Silva, Senaka said, has paid in full the debt owed to the country and fellow citizens on account of receiving free education. That debt, as far as his friends are concerned, remains unpaid. But then again, they are conscious of what is owed and they duly pay ‘loan instalments’ so to speak.

He also mentioned the other classmate they lost during the war, Lieutenant Hisham Ousman of the Gajaba Regiment who laid down his life for his country in Welioya on the 11th of September, 1991. Hisham was one of the best boxers produced by Royal College and has the rare distinction of being adjudged Best Boxer at three successive Stubbs Shield meets, from 1986 to 1988. His friends established a boxing scholarship in Hisham’s name in 2013. They are survived by five others who joined the security forces from the Group of 1989.

For some reason nothing was done in Manohara’s name until this year. It’s inexplicable, Senaka said.

‘We are sad that we waited so long. In fact we don’t have an answer to the question of why we waited so long,’ he said.

That error has now been corrected.  In doing so, the Group of ’89 reiterated the love and deep respect they have for their dear friend. They also support students in need and in doing so keeps the memory of their friend alive. And warm.

Manohara De Silva hailed from Ambalangoda. He was a quiet boy, apparently, and never meant any harm to anyone or ever uttered a harsh word. In fact his friends had been quite surprised when they learned that Manohara had joined the Army. He is even quieter now. His memory, though, will not remain silent, for this initiative taken by his friends will give voice to many who will no doubt in turn articulate in one way or another the truth of a selfless life that nurtured them through difficult times. They will remember the name. And they will pay their own debts not just to the Manoharas and Hishams of our country but every citizen who in some small way contributed to their education. So Senaka hopes.

Twelve deserving students received scholarships during the event. This thoughtful initiative reflects the deep respect the Group of ’89 holds for their friend and aims to support students in need while keeping his memory alive.

Thirty two years have passed. Thanks to his friends, we know his name, Manohara De Silva. Lieutenant Manohara De Silva. There are tens of thousands whose names we don’t know. We owe them a debt. Senaka and his friends continue to chip away.  It won’t hurt if the rest of the country follows their suit. We are, after all, incredibly indebted.

[This article was published in the Daily News under the weekly column title 'The Recurrent Thursday']