He
is known. To family, friends and comrades-at-arms. And fellow inmates
at Ranaviru Sevana. Corporal H.R. Ratnayake hails from Dambemeda, a
village located between Ratnapura and Embilipitiya. He joined the Army
on the 17th of May, 1995. He put his life on line for country and fellow citizen.
I
don’t know his battle-field story.I don’t know what he left behind when
he joined the Army. I don’t know what he acquired in addition to
salary. I don’t know of the rigors of training. I know nothing of the
thoughts that crossed his mind, his hopes or his fears, the bruises and
the bleeding, the trials that make up battle-field experience, the
heroics and his grief of losing friend and comrade.
All
I know is that his entire world went black three years later. He was
rendered totally blind by a blast on the Pranthan-Mullaitivu Road at
approximately 1.00 am on the 29th of November, 1998. I know
that a few days ago, Cpl Ratnayake won the National Chess Championship
for the Visually Handicapped.
He
was introduced to the game by the ‘Anda Jana Seva Mandalaya’, the
authority dedicated to serving the visually handicapped, through the
good offices of the Ranaviru Sevana. This was in the year 2000. His
teacher was Mr. Sumanapala, who was a civilian blind from birth.
Now
there are those who play blindfold chess. They are not visually
challenged in any way. They’ve played long enough, studied thousands
upon thousands of position and are therefore able to visualize the 64
squares and the potential for magic therein without any difficulty. It
is different when your first encounter with the game is through touch.
In fact, thinking about it, I feel it is impossible for someone who
‘sees’ to understand how easy or difficult it is for someone who does
not.
Cpl
Ratnayake picked up the game. It captured his imagination. He spent
hours playing and learning. He became reasonably good at chess. He
even went to India in 2003 to participate in a 16-nation tournament,
winning 4 out of the 7 games he played.
I
didn’t know of Cpl Ratnayake until a few months ago. I didn’t know
that there were many blind servicemen who played chess. Not until a
close friend of mine took me to Ranaviru Sevana to show me the amazing
lives led by those who have given so much and incapacitated themselves
just so we can all live limbed, seeing, hearing, fear-free lives. It
was humbling and empowering to learn about how they overcame injury,
trauma and the shattering of life-dreams. Each serviceman at the
facility has an epic story. Each story would evoke admiration, each
inspire the nation to be more determined in efforts to validate, again
and again, the sacrifices made by the particular individual and of
course those of the thousands who have gone forever from this land and
from collective memory.
A
few days before the tournament, Cpl. Ratnayake called me to clarify
something. A few days later, my friend called me. She was excited and
said that two young men from the Ranaviru Sevana, Ratnayake and Upul
Indrajit had made it to the Semi-Finals. She wanted me to talk to
them. I didn’t have much to say except a simple elaboration of ‘All the
best’. That evening, Cpl Ratnayake called me to share with me the joy
of having won the event. Indrajit finished 4th, courtesy a
mis-application of rules pertaining to time controls. Major Dushyantha
Yapa, a live wire at the Ranaviru Sevana who had helped whip up
enthusiasm for the game, had lost at an earlier stage of the tournament.
I am sure they shared Ratnayake’s joy.
Cpl
Ratnayake, by the way, is a three-time National Draughts Champion (among
the visually handicapped). Speaking strictly for me, I just cannot
imagine the effort and commitment that this young man must have expended
to learn these games, practice, develop techniques and play well enough
to emerge as champion. I can only assume that it is this same
commitment that helped this nation prevail over the world’s most
ruthless terrorist outfit and that this is exactly what will help stop
those who harbour insidious designs on our resources, labour, cultural
preferences etc.
The
nation knows the leaders, appreciates the sacrifice, sweat and blood
shed and so on. The political leadership too. It is easy to celebrate
the collective and necessary too. We are, nevertheless, indebted to
each and every man and woman who laboured one way or another to bring us
the peace and create the fear-free environment we enjoy today. Cpl
Ratnayake is one among many, yes, but let’s raise a cheer to this
remarkable young man, who exemplifies those qualities that saw us
through our darkest days and will save us in the future too, as they
saved our ancestors and a civilization from all kinds of marauders in
all kinds of disguises.
You’ve
made your wife Surangani and your 6 year old child proud of you. All
the rest of us are too. And so, Cpl Ratnayake, Sir, take a bow. And may
the 64 squares conjure more magic than meets the naked eye of us lesser
mortals.
[First published in the Daily News, September 2, 2011, under the title 'Cpt H R Ratnayake won the war for us]
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