Dr Thuraisamy Sooriabalan

Memorial Tributes for a Beautiful Soul

16 December 1945 – 08 November 2014

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TRIBUTE TO A BEAUTIFUL SOUL: DR THURAISAMY SOORIABALAN

A fragrant graceful soul of God

May grand gardens of roses and sweet blossoms of the divine guide your path

May the light of God surround you for all eternity

May the sweet choral music of God in heaven protect your soul

In your gentleness and kindness souls sought shelter and healing

You lived with loving quietness of the soul within God and each moment of life was a tribute to god

Joyous and loving you bring radiant light to the earth

May your soul be eternally blessed by the bliss of infinite divinity

By his Niece Dr. Vinoli Thampapillai (PhD ANU)

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Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Health and Social care Science

Cranmer Terrace London SW17 0RE

Switchboard + 44 (0)20 8672 9944 Direct +44 (0)20 9725 5959

www.sgul.ac.uk

Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran DSc PhD MD FRCS FRCOG Professor Emeritus of Obstetrics & Gynaecology 20’th September 2015

Tribute to a great Soul – Dr Thuraisamy Sooriabalan

Sooriabalan known to many as Soori was a great doctor, mentor, religious follower, and philanthropist and was extremely helpful to fellow humans. Soori was the pillar of the society and his sphere of activity extended beyond his family, friends and medical responsibility. Soori served his community admirably. If I were to describe him in two words it would be “Sacrifice and Service’.

My association with Soori was when I studied at Jaffna Central College and later in the Colombo Medical faculty. He was a good sportsman and captained the school badminton team. Even in his early days he was helpful to people taking part in many voluntary and social activities. After we qualified, although we did not have daily or weekly communication we managed to share our views and compare notes about life whenever the occasional opportunity arose.

During my last visit to Canada I met him and I visited his home and met his nice family who were so graceful to have me and spend some time with me. His conversation surrounded how best he could help fellow human beings who had difficulties in life. He was planning to do much more such activities but God has called him early to be with him.

I have heard from others about Soori’s great human spirit and deeds he has done to help others. As for me I have been fortunate to have known Soori and to have been a good friend. His help to people who had endured hardships will be remembered. Soori’s memory will linger on to everyone who had come across him as family members, friends, patients, and many others, as a person with a gentle smile and willingness to help. My prayers for Soori’s soul to rest in peace.

Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran President of the Federation Internationale Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO) Past President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG –UK) And of the British Medical Association (BMA - UK)

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Dr Thuraisamy Sooriabalan : The Humble Psychiatrist

“Soori’s untimely death was met with profound sadness by us and many others around the world. I have fond memories of Soori spanning a lifetime, during the times he lived in Victoria Road, Jaffna and studied at Jaffna Central College. He was a fine all-rounder excelling in academics, sports and music. All who know Soori would agree on the same description for Soori—that he was a kind, gentle, simple and caring person with a humble disposition. He involved himself not only with religious and business organizations in Canada, but also with people at personal levels and his graceful presence was greatly appreciated. Although Soori has left us the life he led amongst us will always be remembered with love and gratitude”.

Bala and Thiru Abraham December 2014.

If one is compelled to describe the most lasting impression they have of the charismatic, compassionate and gentle Sooriabalan is his humility. He never aspired to be above anyone else. He was dedicated to healing the sufferers with compassion and serve all in his personal and professional life with love. His capacity to empathize with people in need and lend a loving hand to ease their burden is legendary. In his personal and professional life he sought God’s guidance every day to fulfil his duties. This spirituality led him to value not only other people’s feelings and to treat everyone with respect and love, it allowed him to treat everyone as one of his own. This warmth that he gave to all was always inherent in him from childhood and remained so until the last day of his life. During the last week of his life whenever he could sum up his physical strength to speak, it was to thank all for being there for him. His prayers were for all those he could not see at his bedside but he could feel their prayers and love for him. It was never about him. Knowing his spirituality, all his friends, family and others whose lives had been touched by him would have known intuitively that he would be thinking and praying for them even if they had not been by his bedside at that crucial time. When facing his inevitable departure he remained calm and his face emanated tranquillity which only those who have experienced God’s love can express. It was as if he had heard from his maker that all will be well in this world for all his loved ones and he should come with a light heart to where his ancestors have gone. Sooriabalan’s Philosophy in life closely resembled the paradoxical commandments written by Dr. Kent .M Keith popularized by the version appeared on Mother Teresa’s wall. In some websites attributed to Mother Teresa the version is modified as the “Final Analysis”. The last two lines of this version states:

“The good you do today, people often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God; It was never between you and them anyway”.

Dr. Kent M. Keith who was the author of the original version in 1968 did not agree with these last two lines that appear in the Final Analysis version and states: Quote: “Of course this is not the original version, nor the version that was on Mother Teresa’s wall, although it is sometimes attributed to her.

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The last two lines in this “Final analysis” version trouble me, because they can be read in a way that is inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus, the life of Mother Teresa, and the message of the Paradoxical Commandment themselves. The statement that “it was, never between you and them anyway” seems to justify giving up on, or ignoring, or discounting other people. That is what Jesus told us not to do. Jesus said that there are two great commandments---to love God, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. So in the final analysis, it is between you and God, but it is also between you and “them”. And when it comes to them, Jesus made it clear that we have to love people and help people anyway. We can’t give up on them or ignore them or write them off. That is the point of the Paradoxical Commandments as well, we find meaning when we love and help people, no matter who they may be, or how difficult they may be. We find meaning by loving and helping them anyway”. End of quote.

Dr. Thuraisamy Sooriabalan’s philosophy in life was also in agreement with Dr. Kent . M. Keith’s paradoxical commandments. He helped people because they needed help and he was in a position to help. He did not judge and he did not help people because he will look good in the eyes of God. He never held an “us” and “them” view of his fellow human beings. People mattered to him and in helping people he understood the relationship between the Giver and the Receiver. In his work as a psychiatrist as many psychiatrists and psychologists (givers of treatment) would agree the giver or healer also takes some of the pain or mental anguish felt by the patient (receiver of treatment). Yet Soori gave his patients all what he could give to ease their pain. He never relented from this commitment even when the pain he absorbed affected him.

Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent M. Keith 1968

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centred.

Love them anyway If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies;

Succeed anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest of

men and women with smallest of minds. Think big anyway

People favour the underdogs but follow only the top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight; Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway

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EXTRACTS FROM THE COMMUNITY AND PATIENT ADVISORY COUNCIL REPORT- 2016 COMMUNITY OUTREACH- MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES IN SCARBOROUGH 25th November 2015 Panel of Experts:

Dr David Gratzer, Psychiatrist, TSH Faiza Khalid-Khan, Patient care Director, Mental Health, TSH Bonnie Wong, Executive Director, Hong Fook Mental Health Association Joy Fang, Health Promoter, Hong Fook Mental Health Association Samantha Chambers, Manager, Integrated care, St Paul’s L’Amourex Centre Sheeba Narikuzhy, Individual and Family Therapist, East Metro Youth Services

Concern Raised at Q & A session of the community outreach meeting: Quote from the report: Parvathy Kandasamy, community support worker from Fred Victor, raised some of the problems facing Tamil speaking mental health patients in Scarborough. According to her, after the death of psychiatrist Dr. T. Sooriabalan (who spoke Tamil), the Tamil mental health patients were in limbo and no hospital in Scarborough admits chronic cases. Even though she was told that there were two Tamil speaking mental health social workers, she said they speak little Tamil. She emphasized the need for a Tamil speaking psychiatrist or support workers who could speak to the Tamil mental health patients most of them otherwise wouldn’t understand the counselling. She has been encouraged to come to one of the CPAC meetings next year and describe the issue to the council in more detail. End of Quote from the Extract from CPAC council Report-January 2016

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Soori’s favourite Poem IF by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your master; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you have spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build’em up with worn-out tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and toss, And loose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone,

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And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: Hold on! If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty second’s worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And- which is more- you’ll be a Man, my son.

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Dr Thuraisamy Sooriabalan, the Healer and his Religion

As a spiritual psychiatrist committed to serve all who seek his assistance he experienced no barrier based on differences in religion, race or any other man made criteria. He was born and raised as a Hindu but throughout his life he was comfortable with people of different faiths and showed respect to all religions. He was often seen in the church and occasionally visiting the Buddhist temple close to his Victoria Road home in Jaffna and also in Kandy during his visits to see his sister.

He often spoke about God’s love and the power of spirituality in healing. He intuitively understood the difference between Spirituality and Religion. Spirituality need not have a religious dimension. . Religion is always spiritual although religion denotes to a certain faith and specific rituals that vary with different religions. He was very spiritual from his early days and considered everyone as God’s child. It was easy for him to incorporate spirituality in to his healing therapy along with the medications as long as the receiver is receptive to the concept of spirituality He wanted to be religious and he was brought up as a Hindu but could not see himself rejecting other faiths. In this context in his schooldays he began studying the Bhagavad Gita and the teachings of two Gurus; Shiridi Sai Baba and Sathya Sai baba who emphasized the oneness of God. He continued to practice and improve his knowledge of their teachings through practice in real life.

Essence of Shirdi Sai Baba’s teachings: 1. Oneness of God 2. Equality and Tolerance of all religions. 3. Mere reading of spiritual books without developing real spiritual change within one’s

self is meaningless.

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Essence of Sathya Sai Baba’s teachings: 1. Believe in God—for there is only ONE GOD though he may be called many names. 2. Perform selfless service to the poor, sick, and the needy without the thought of

“Reward” or “Fame”.

Bhagavad Gita 6:29. The one established in Yoga sees the Atman in every being and all beings dwelling in the Atman; everywhere he sees the same. 6:30. He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me — him I will never forsake and he will never forsake Me! 6:31. He, established in such oneness, who worships Me present in everything — such a yogi lives in Me whatever his activity is.

Dr Thuraisamy Sooriabalan followed these teachings all his life. He had life size pictures of Shridi Baba and Sathya Sai Baba in his marital home in Toronto Canada and prayed every day before going for work. Their teachings gave strength to his healing practice and also for his daily life.

Everyday his loving wife Vimo makes sure that Gayatri mantra is heard in the mornings from the time he gets up until he leaves home for work. Gayatri mantra again can be viewed as a form of non-denominational mantra, although it is a Vedic mantra which is an essential part of Hinduism. Unlike other Vedic mantras it is not a prayer to a particular Hindu God but is a universal prayer to illuminate the intellect. This mantra’s vibration is supposed to invoke the divine light that exist in all human beings and dispel the darkness and negative energy that

darkness in the mind brings.

Gayatri Mantra

Aum Bhur bhuvah svah Tut savitur vareniyam Bhargo devasya dhimahi Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat

Translation of Gayatri mantra: There are many interpretations of Gayatri Mantra and one by S. Krishnamurthy states: “ We meditate upon the radiant Divine light of that adorable sun of spiritual consciousness. May it awaken our intuitional consciousness.”

Sooriabalan intuitively felt the existence of this divine light in everyone he met in his life. Gary Zukav author of the “Seat of the Soul” explains that this divine light is not a physical light but a nonphysical reality that represents our consciousness; the light of our soul. Explaining nonphysical reality, Gary Zukav further explains that realizing the existence of this nonphysical reality through intuition is only possible for those who evolve from a five sensory to a multisensory human beings. In his book, Seat of the soul, he states: Quote: “The experiences of intuition cannot be explained in terms of the five senses, because it is the voice of the nonphysical world. Therefore it is not possible to understand your soul or your higher self or your intuition without coming to terms with the existence of the nonphysical reality. Knowing in the cognitive sense cannot produce proof of nonphysical reality any more than it can produce proof of God. Proof of nonphysical reality does not exist in the dimension that the rational mind seeks.” End of quote.

Sooriabalan was well known for using his intuition in understanding his patients.

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A Life Spent In Service To God, Guru And Humanity

By Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah

I consider it an honour and a privilege to be given the opportunity to deliver this tribute to Dr. Thuraisamy Sooriabalan – an opportunity I will treasure for the rest of my life. Few people that you meet, make an unforgettable impression, an indelible mark and a huge difference in your life and when departing leave you with an aching heart and a vacuum that can never be filled. That is how you must feel – I am not referring only to his dear and inconsolable family Vimo, Dhanu Aiesha, Soraya, Dushi, Gowrie and Kanchana, who had to endure the pain of being with him in his last weeks, days and hours and seeing him leave this earthly abode – but also how his peers, his gutted patients, Sai Devotees, friends and relatives must feel of their loss, as we gather here to pay our last respects to Dr Sooriabalan, affectionately known to his patients as Dr. Soori or just Baba to many of us – Baba meaning baby – an endearing pet name that his parents and sisters and those of us including my family called him way back, when we used to be in and out of each other’s home; the two families had a special love and respect for each other that’s so rare in these times. Those were the days when Baba was attending Medical College in Colombo, and I remember it was a case of exams, exams and more exams for Baba; but when he wasn’t studying, we had fun playing badminton in our compound, where the neighbours too joined in. There was no denying that his parents doted on him, their only son; he was the apple of their eye, Gowrie and Kanchana I am sure would agree.

Dr Thuraisamy Sooriabalan

Soori was a distinguished old boy of Jaffna Central College and had his early schooling at Uduvil Girls’ College. Soori passed away peacefully, in keeping with his wishes at his home on the 8th of November at 7 pm surrounded by his family, the atmosphere tranquil and serene, with sacred Bhajan songs played in the background, at an auspicious time when the 24 hour Ahanda Naama Bhajan had just begun at the Sathya Sai Baba Center not so far away. Soori knew his time had come and wanted no further treatment, wanted to be taken to his beautiful home, bravely accepting the inevitability of death, talking to his family, explaining where is what, apologising for what he was putting them through – saying sorry to Vimo innumerable times for leaving her, his soul mate of 39 years and asking Dhanu and Dushi to

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take care of their mother. It was divine intervention that his son Dushi, a Chartered Financial Analyst, who had just returned from a stint of volunteering in Cambodia after resigning his position, before he took on another job and was available to be a full time Carer for his father – the timing being perfect. Dushi was able to be the 24/7 carer for his father, attending to all his needs. Visibly moved by Dushi’s love and dedication, Soori wanted everyone to know how his son cared for him.

Some of us were witness to seeing Soori as the proud father of the groom when his son Dhanu, a Specialist in Internal Medicine married Aiesha and presented him with a granddaughter Soraya whom he only months before his passing, took for a walk in the park for the last time when he was visiting them in August in the US. He not only worked in Dhanu and Aiesha’s garden, he made a bread pudding for their wedding anniversary – one that his mother used to make for him. He simply delighted in playing the piano with Soraya, the adorable picture of the two of them – grandfather and grand-daughter – playing music together is one that touches the heart – one that’s indeed priceless!

Growing up Soori was already very religious, never failing to go to the temple on Fridays, his favourite village temple was Munniappar Koil; he had great faith in St. Anthony and became an ardent devotee of Shirdi Baba and Sathya Sai Baba from his school days. In fact there is a picture of the family that adorns their lounge with a small picture of Shirdhi Sai Baba placed beside, inside the picture frame that seemed like it was put there on purpose in the knowledge his family would always be protected by Baba. It was as if he had left his family in Baba’s hands – such was Soori’s abiding faith.

Soori has maintained to this day a tradition started by his grandfather and continued by his father to sponsor the 4th day ‘Thiru Vizha’ at the Nallur Kandasamy Koil. He did Pirathattai – a penance that involved rolling on the ground along the inner and outer perimeters of the temple – this is no easy task considering the ground was hot in that tropical weather that was the norm in the North, from where he came, in the island of Ceylon.

Soori was comfortable singing Christmas Carols, being a member of the All Schools Choir, as much as singing Hindu Bhajans – music was his life – he did not learn music in the conventional way, he played instruments by ear, we would often see him playing the accordion, it was his companion in his younger days. He even formed a band called the Living Fossils with his friends and were called to play at weddings and parties. This is not to forget gardening was a hobby he enjoyed and excelled in, the magnificent Red Maple and the beautiful Hydrangeas at the entrance to the house bear testimony to his prowess in gardening. However grief-stricken we may be, this is the time to celebrate Soori’s extra-ordinary life dedicated to serving God and Guru, his patients and humanity and taking comfort in the knowledge he is at peace, without a doubt in a special place reserved for him in God’s realm. Soori had a MRCP (Psych - UK) and FRCP Canada and served at the Scarborough General Hospital as Consultant Psychiatrist for 13 years, before moving to the Rouge Valley Centenary Health System as Consultant Psychiatrist. Dr Soori has been recognised for his work and had received many accolades including the ‘Most Outstanding Person Award’ given by the Tamils’ Chamber Of Commerce. In giving the

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award the Chamber cited his achievements – a write-up that I drafted – a summary of which I wish to share with you today: And I quote: “Dr Thuraisamy Sooriabalan the recipient of the most prestigious of CTCC awards is a distinguished member of the Tamil community and an eminent Psychiatrist. He is a leading expert in his field and much sought after and is both revered and loved by his patients. He is totally dedicated to his profession and despite his busy work schedule he has contributed immensely to ‘community health education’ and ‘resource development’ in mental health. He has initiated and conducted several workshops and forums around Toronto, to educate people in areas of mental health. He has involved himself at all levels to eradicate some of the myths and the stigma associated with mental illness. In addition he has shared his specific expertise and knowledge of the Tamil Community with other health care professionals through ‘meet your community partners’ sessions, paving the way for research projects undertaken by CAMH to study the mental health needs of the Tamil community including mental health conditions such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression and Suicidal Tendencies. The results of this comprehensive study are also being used in identifying settlement and service needs that would help in the development of such services. His many publications, articles and series of radio broadcasts on mental health including his Booklet on ‘Depression’ continues to be used as a reference. Dr. Sooriabalan believes in the holistic approach to medicine and mental health; he believes that spirituality has a role in the treatment of psychiatric illness. His spiritual beliefs have no borders as evidenced by the fact that though a devout Hindu he was a Christian too, is often seen in Christian churches playing the piano, harmonica or singing in the choir. Dr. Sooriabalan is well respected in the community. He has a passion for healing those who need it the most. He has gone beyond his call of duty to contribute his might for the benefit of humanity. Despite his enormous stature, illustrious record and exemplary achievements, he has endeared himself with all the people who come into contact with him by his simple, quiet and unassuming disposition. The community salutes this remarkable and most outstanding human being. ” End quote. To Soori his patients came first – apart from his family. According to Vimo he would wake up at 1 or 3 am to attend to his paper work, so that for example the disability benefits of his patients are not delayed. He would even skip the lunch hour at work so that his patients won’t be kept waiting in order to save some of the hospital parking fees they had to pay. He had even made sure he was up to date with patients’ files before his passing. He had no unfinished business left, except I know for a fact that a patient of his when told of his demise was so devastated that she cried out : “I won’t go to another doctor.” Another parent of a patient told me that the last time she visited his clinic on her own, the discussion centred round death and re-incarnation and that he had expressed a wish that if he was born again he would like to be in the medical profession again, serving humanity!

Soori worked on intuition and sometimes on some down to earth methods, depending on who he was treating. Once he told a parent: “get her married and she will recover.” In March Soori and Vimo went on a marathon pilgrimage, they visited 26 temples in 26 days – however gruelling it was he did not tire and received beautiful Dharshans in all the

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temples. He was bent on completing this spiritual sadhana before he was scheduled to go for tests – when it was found his liver was failing. That’s when Soori declined further treatment and wanted to be taken home.

Once when I visited Soori at his clinic, he let me take a little book that had some spiritual insights in it – this was one of a collection of mementos given to him by his patients which he kept in a glass cabinet to be seen by all. And I would like to end this tribute by quoting from this Booklet titled “Spiritual Musings”: “We have come from God; we have to mould ourselves in His real image; and ultimately merge in Him – an ideal higher than this I know not.” End quote. That virtually sums up Dr Soori’s life’s purpose.

*A tribute to renowned Canadian Tamil Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. T Sooriabalan delivered at his funeral by Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah

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Dr. Thuraisamy Sooriabalan: The Musician

Soori had a natural talent for music and singing. In his primary school days he admired his cousin Gnana (late Balasundaram Gnanashanmugam) playing the mouth organ (harmonica) and asked his parents to buy one for him. He played the mouth organ effortlessly as if he had played it all his life and delighted his family and friends. When his cousin Gnana passed away in 1997 his loving wife Vimala presented Gnana’s mouthorgan collection to Soori which he gratefully accepted though he was sad about his cousin’s passing.

In his early high school days he mastered the piano accordion, piano and guitar, all played by ear. He did not want a formal music education and did not want to sit for music exams. He played music for enjoyment for himself and others. His home during school days was always filled with his music. He and some of his friends Lakshman Gnanaprakasam and Nithiyanandarajah formed a band which they called “The Living Fossils” and delighted everyone with their performances in concerts and weddings.

Apart from playing the musical instruments he also sang in the school choir and belted off carol songs during the Christmas times when the carol singers in Jaffna went house to house to sing carols well into the night.

During his medical faculty years the heavy load of academic work limited being involved in the band but as usual he played the guitar, piano and accordion whenever he can. He also actively joined the student Christian movement in Colombo University and sung in the choir. He continued his music during his time in the UK and Canada and re-joined singing in the choir in Toronto. He sang and played piano with the combined choir of his old school, Jaffna Central College and the sister school Vembadi Girls College.

Singing had become a good therapy for him and he encouraged others to do so. He and his wife Vimo often welcomed Sai devotees to come and sing bhajans at their home. Soori understood the connection between voice and mind and also the importance of singing together with others. Even when he was unwell in 2013 he was singing in the church choir. He did so not just for his benefit but to encourage everyone to experience the joy of togetherness through singing.

Mr and Mrs Yogan and Bhuvana Mather wrote in the guest book organized as a tribute to Soori, and part of that tribute is given below.

Quote: “ I know Soori for over 55 years more closely in Toronto for 26 years. He loved music and loved to sing. He was in our church choir for 15 years. He sang in our church choir “ Good Shepherd Tamil choir in December 2013 too. He is a gem of a person; sincere, loyal and humble.” End of quote.

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Tribute by Choir member. Mrs Nirmala Theivendran, Toronto, Canada.

Soori our beloved friend had many talents besides his caring, giving, and loving nature. One such talent is his great passion for music. Music was food for him, starting from his school days. Those were the good old days in Jaffna, when he would happily and willingly join our Vembadi-Central choir group with his guitar for practice at the Town Hall. He would also sing well and play other instruments like piano accordion and piano. Here in Canada, when I approached him about joining our Vembadi-Central choir group for the All School Annual Carol service without a moment of hesitation he agreed to help out in spite of his busy schedule at work. He went out of his way to bring a few more powerful male voices from Central College. He also volunteered to be a member of the committee for All Schools Carol Service Association. He was one of the sponsors too. Such was his sincere dedication to these events. All members of our choir group sincerely miss his presence, as he was the backbone of our team. Every year when we met for practice in the month of November, no matter how busy he was he would find the time to be there on time, to sit with us, encourage us, and make it a fun moment, with his caring nature and numerous jokes. He was a friend to each and every one of us. We lost a great human being. May his soul rest in peace.

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SOORI WE MISS YOU DA! By Lakshman and Nithiyanandarajah

An early Sunday morning telephone call in November 2014 informed us that Dr T Sooriabalan, lovingly known to us (Nithi & Lucky) as Soori, has gone to be with the Lord. It was shattering news and the pain that was instilled in us will never get healed. Since then a common topic that both of us shared whenever we chatted between Australia and Sri Lanka on Skype or Viber was about Dear Soori. We often go down memory lane with nostalgia, remembering the good times we have shared with Soori. It was in 1954 that we first met Soori when we all joined Jaffna Central College in the Standard IV class, Soori from Uduvil Girls’ College and we both from Vembadi Girls’ High School. The friendship between us three began instantaneously. May be our common interests in music, drama and studies fuelled the bond between us. The talents in Soori were well recognised by our teachers at that time and many of the dramas staged at Jaffna Central had Soori acting in them. Soori was usually given the part of

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a woman because of his fair complexion, full rounded cheeks and attractive eyes. About a year after we joined Jaffna Central in 1955 a drama by the name துருவன் “(Thuruvan)” was

staged where Soori was given the role as the step mother of Nithi, who acted as a small boy. In another musical programme Soori was dressed as a Victorian girl dressed in blue puffed skirt to which other students sang “Lavender blue dilly, dilly …..” Soori’s acting in dramas did not stop with junior school. When we were in the Advanced Level class we joined the Jaffna YMCA. The YMCA staged a series of Alabama Minstrel Musical Programmes. In those programmes Soori acted in a silent comedy skit as a surgeon performing a heart operation to the applause of the entire audience. Little would he have realised at that time that one day he would be moulded into a very successful and popular doctor. Soori’s flair for music was encouraged to a great extent by Soori’s parents. When we were in the JSC class they bought him an expensive Hohner double sided harmonica, key of C on one side and F on the other side. After term examinations were over and we had play time Soori would bring his harmonica to school and play lively music to which all of us drum on our desks. Later when we entered the GCE class he was gifted with a 32 bass Crucianelli piano accordion by his parents. We still remember the day that Soori told us in class about his new gift. That evening we visited Soori at his Victoria Road residence and he gave us a demonstration performance. Simultaneously, during that period after school the three of us used to assemble in the school music room. Soori used to play tunes on the piano on the treble keys for which Lucky played chords on the bass keys while Nithi sang and drummed on the hard board back of the piano. Thus a musical trio was born. Gradually the musical trio was invited to play at parties, weddings and even stage shows. The trio however did not have any name. In 1966 all three of us were a bit low in spirit, the reason being not achieving the expected results in the examination. While the three were walking down Chapel Street, Jaffna, Soori suddenly said we are like “நடை பினங்கள (Nadai

Pinangal)”. Thus our musical group was christened, “Living Fossils” (the English translation

of நடை பினங்கள) by Soori. Originally the Living Fossils comprised of Soori on piano

accordion, Lucky on guitar and Nithi on vocals and drums. Later few other friends joined us. The debut appearance as “Living Fossils” was at the Jaffna Central College Advanced Level Annual Dinner in 1966. Soori suggested that we go for the occasion attired in full suit. None

of us had suits and we had to perform in borrowed plumes. Soori was quite good at composing tunes. The Living Fossils never practised or planned before performing at stage shows. Whenever we played non-stop music Soori will just whisper into our ears what the next song would be. If we run short of tunes he would impromptu compose a tune and whisper SooriNiLux (coined from Soori, Nithi and Lucky). Each time he played “SooriNiLux” on his piano accordion, it would be a different tune but we had perfect understanding in following him in harmony. Soori was very religious and God fearing. He was a regular worshiper at “Muniappar Samy” kovil. Although a Hindu, he also took part in many of the church activities. The St Peter’s Church carol singing was never sans Soori’s piano accordion. He was also a good singer. He

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was one of the favourites of the Late Rev. Donald Barlow, a missionary from UK, who was then the Minister at St. Peter’s Church, Jaffna.

Was Soori mischievous? Yes of course but his mischiefs were always clean ones, not harming or hurting anyone. One incident that comes to mind was when we were playing music in the veranda at Chapel Street. A group of girls passed that way, walking very slowly and Soori suddenly switched over to playing “Baby elephant walk”. The girls did not take it amiss but just giggled, laughed and went their way. Soori, however hated rowdyism. If any of our friends or anyone in his company resorted to rowdiyish acts he would immediately reprimand them.

The only time I have seen Soori getting angry was once in the Yal Devi train. Since we couldn’t get sleeperettes we boarded the train at KKS. A young boy seated a little away from us tried to be funny with a fellow lady passenger. Soori sprung from his seat and went to assault that boy. We had to intervene to save that boy. The rest of the journey, that boy was the best behaved passenger and the female passenger had the most peaceful journey! As a Medical Practitioner he was the most compassionate doctor we have ever met. He used to be very kind to the patients. Many a times when a “not so well to do” patient went to him for treatment, after examining he would send that patient off giving some money. If a patient called him even at midnight he immediately visited that patient and attended to his needs. Whenever while driving his Volkswagen car if he saw a patient standing on the road he would immediately stop and say a few loving words to them. That was Soori!

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In 1979 Soori went to England for higher studies and later migrated to Canada. Nithi migrated to Australia in 1986 and Lucky remained in Sri Lanka. Although the three of us were separated by thousands of miles, the bond between us never weakened. We still feel his presence, his breath, his movements, his smiling face, and his long fingers fleeting over the keys of his piano accordion. If we are to write all the sweet happenings in our lives together it will be several volumes of books. We have jotted down only a few of the incidents that surfaced our memory. “In the sweet by and by we will meet on that beautiful shore Till we meet, till we meet God be with you till we meet again” Dear Soori, there will be a day when we meet again and once more start singing, laughing and praising in harmony. As we conclude writing this, a song by Ned Miller which we used to enjoy singing with Soori comes to our minds. Though distant apart we sing together, strumming our guitars: “Invisible tears in our eyes, incredible pain in our hearts Indestructible memories are passing in review Impossible though things may get, improbable we will forget Indelible memories of sweet loveable you” We salute you old pal! Lakshman J Gnanaprakasam (Lucky) and Nithianantharajah (Nithi) Kanagaratnam (Nithi went on to become a prince of the Tamil Pop and is famous for many songs including “Chinna Maamiye”).

NOTE BY LUCKY

The friendship between Soori and me was not confined only to the both of us but brought a beautifully and closely knitted relationship between both families. My first visit to Soori’s house at #17, Victoria Road was on the 1st January 1959, when our JSC NPTA examination results were released. All of us passed with first division. Soori visited my home for the first time sometime later in 1959. From that period we visited each other quite frequently, usually Nithi too joining us. This slowly built a strong bond between both the families. The bond became so strong that Soori was like a son to my parents and I to Soori’s parents.

After Soori graduated as a Doctor he became our “Doctor in the family”. Whenever he heard of someone was sick at home, he immediately came home and did the needful. If the need arose he took that person to his home and gave appropriate care and treatment.

Soori and his family migrated out of Sri Lanka in 1979, but the intensity of our friendship never diminished. Soori was never good in writing letters nor was a computer savvy person but we always made use of Thomas Edison’s invention to keep in touch. An exception to Soori’s letter writing was when my uncle, Late Mr Willie Mather passed away in 1988. Soori

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wrote a long, beautiful and touching letter to my aunt. It immensely touched my aunt that she constantly talked about it till she left us in the year 2007 at the age of 101+.

Incidentally Soori’s mother and my mother were school mates at Uduvil Girls’ College but in different classes. Soori’s sister married Dodo Thampapillai, who is a relative of mine. Soori’s younger sister Kanchana and my sister Rohini are of the same age and were classmates at Vembadi. Soori married Vimo, whose family is also closely connected to our family.

My prayers are with you all, Vimo, Dhanushan & family, Duhsi, Gowri, Dodo & family, Kanchana, Sri & family at this difficult phase of your lives. Soori may not be here in his physical form but his spirit will always be there with you. There will be a day when all of us will join him. Until then let us all continue to live as one united family.

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Soori the Gardener

Soori’s love for gardening was inspired by his beloved mother and his father’s sister, Mrs Chinnamah Balasundaram. His aunt had a large rose garden at the back and another front garden with various varieties of jasmins some of which bloom in the mornings and others open up in the evenings, spreading their perfume all day and night. His mother was keen on anthuriams and roses.

Soori used to bring all kinds of cuttings from crotons, coleus to roses from his friend’s houses and watch the shoots spring up with the excitement of a small child.

In Canada in his beautiful home his spring and summer days were spent on working in the garden. Indoors his wife Vimo maintained a jasmine bush in a pot which would have brought many memories of his past in his home country.

In 2014, even when he was weak with illness he set up a garden for his son Danushan and his wife Ayesha in their home in Albany, New York. He also worked on the front garden of his home in Toronto. He admired the ancient cultures for their reverence to the land and environment and loved to feel the earth and grow things for pure joy. His eyes always light up when he shows off his front garden full of White hydrangeas, a symbol of friendship and gratitude.

When he was returning to his home from the hospital in 2014 to spend his final days he requested fresh flowers for his bedroom although he was too ill to admire them while he was resting. In his final moments when he was breathing his last breath some of his grieving family members rushed around to lay out by his side some items that were very precious for him, such as the Rudraksha mala he treasured. At that moment the doorbell rang and his eldest son Danushan dashed down to answer the door in a hurry. A dear friend was there with a beautiful bunch of Red roses and the son rushed back and put those flowers by Soori’s side when he breathed his last breath.

Is it by coincidence his two lovely granddaughters are named after two beautiful symbolic flowers, Soraya, a sunflower that always faces the sun and Saroja a lotus that blooms beautifully and signifies purity, raising its head above the murky waters of the lakes. .

Soori was a lover of nature, art and music and through his enthusiasm for these he brought joy to his family and friends. When he was working in the southern part of Sri Lanka in his early days after graduation he would visit many Sinhalese villages to collect wood carvings which he later presented to family and friends. He cherished a pair of praying hands carved in Sri Lanka and presented it to his sister. Knowing his admiration for those praying hand carvings she brought it to UK when Soori and family were living in Ipswich Suffolk and then Soori brought it to his Canadian home when he migrated.

Soori missed the sounds, fragrances, colours and the feel of his homeland although he loved his adopted country Canada as well.

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Soori’s Yearning for his Homeland.

(Reproduced from Jaffna Central College Old Boys Association Toronto, Centenary Souvenir 2006)

“My Memories of Good Old Central”

Dr T. Sooriabalan MBBS, MRC psych (UK), FRCP (Old boy, past president, JCCOBA, Canada; Consultant psychiatrist, Scarborough General Hospital, Toronto)

“Heartiest Congratulations to our OBA for celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the founding of JCC, OBA in Jaffna. I am grateful to the Lord for my days at Jaffna Central, 13 years in total. Jaffna Central always had a very interesting and colourful calendar throughout the year. Athletic meets, soccer matches, cricket matches, prize giving days, H.S.C Union dinners, Saraswathy Poojas, carol service and exhibitions to name a few. As a primary school student we always looked forward to the last day of the term which our then Principal , Rev. Smith would address the students in Tamil and then distribute candies. It was not the candies that mattered but the way it was carried out term after term, year after year by the Australian missionary. At the age of 8, I learned the first steps to Baila dancing at the Central - St. John’s match - the big match of the North. What fun we had year after year at the “friendly” battles! The music of the guitars, mouth organs, accordions, bongos, and the rabanas combined with the singing and dancing of the bailas made the event more entertaining. Of course, added to

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this was the high pitched cheering by the girls from our sister school Vembadi - God bless their voice boxes.

There were some of us who wanted to celebrate the event with a kind of fermented Palmyra juice, affectionately called “panapaptan”. Some of them argued that it was a good source of vitamin B complex, which they lacked during hot afternoons.

Another event which we enjoyed during our early days was the film shows organized and shown by Mr. Victor Rajaratnam. They were mostly shown on a Friday evening and we thoroughly enjoyed the cartoons and the western cowboy movies filmed in Black and White. What a way to start our weekend.

As a cub and later as a scout I learnt quite a lot of practical things, from reef knot to real issues of life. We thoroughly enjoyed the annual scout camping held at the old park, sleeping inside canvas tents, cooking, having camp fires, singing, dancing and meeting other scouts from various schools of the Province. During our time Mr P. Manoharan was our scout master, a kind hearted, pleasant and ever smiling soul who met every criteria of the word gentleman. He was a true scout, ever ready and willing to help anybody at any time. Prize giving days were very colourful events, rewarding for those who had worked hard with their books. During the primary and middle school days I had mixed feelings about these events because I was always picked up to play the female role in the plays or in group dancing. We had days of practice under the supervision of Miss Thambiah, Miss Joseph, and Miss Somasunderam. Looking back it was fun dressing up like a girl but thank God I didn’t turn out to be a cross dresser!

Then the school sports meets: the excitement of track and field practices under the watchful eyes of Mr T. Selvarajah, along with the daily consumption of a glass of ovaltine and an egg, never thought about our cholesterol levels. Mr Navan Niles was always our favourite announcer for these events with his crispy clear, commanding voice.

The H.S.C. Union dinners were very memorable evenings for every senior student for various reasons. A chance to wear full suit on a humid evening and to dine in western style. A very formal event with full courses starting with the soup. An occasion to practice the art of using fork and knife without causing any injury to the innocent person seated next to you. There were rare occasions when the chicken on our plates suddenly became alive and landed on the plate of the other. Also a chance to listen to Mr Guitan and his band playing the good old songs of the mid-fifties and sixties, year after year. If you were lucky you may get a “ once in a life time chance” of sitting next to a student representative from one of the girls’ schools. Then of course the “ after dinner speeches” full of puns and jokes aimed at various members of the staff. We also enjoyed attending such functions in other schools and we were considered to be the “chosen ones” when picked to attend the H.S.C. Union dinner at a girls school. Needless to say it had sparked school day romances in a few who were under the influence of full moon.

On a serious note, we are thankful to the years and years of dedicated service of the teachers who taught patiently and helped us to achieve our dreams. Mrs Mathiaparanam who taught us math in middle school, Mr Nadarajah who made the boring civics and history classes into fascinating ones, Mr Rajasenan for his lively zoology lectures punctuated by the “annual jokes” and for his neat dissections of rats, frogs and cockroaches. Thanks to Mr Thiruchelvam and Mr Balasunderam for their chemistry lessons. Mr Vigneswaran and Mr

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Nadarajah for the physics education. Special mention should be made of late Mr Paramananthan, a very dedicated teacher who taught us botany and chemistry, organized botanical excursions and school picnics, and spent hours after school preparing us for the University examinations. In a material world where time was equated with money, he gave hours and hours of his valuable time free of charge.

Thanks to late Mr. E.T. Rajaratnam and Mr Ratnasingham for teaching our mother tongue. We thoroughly enjoyed Treasure Island with Mr Alagakone, our English teacher. However he puts us to sleep during civics lessons. I suppose the Donoughmore Constitution was too much to handle at that time by our 11 year old brains! We were very alert for the arithmetic class taught by Mr Velupillai, which immediately followed our napping session. The first and only time I received “Pirapam palam” was for not memorizing the thirteen times table! If I remember correctly, that day except for two students, the whole class received the “palam”. Obviously the number 13 was unlucky for many of us. However, Mr Velupillai was a very good teacher and a man with a heart of gold. On a lighter note, we may fail to go to the temple on Fridays or attend the church services on Sundays but never failed to pay our Sunday homage to the regal “Matha”. It was part of the” curriculum” for most of the Centralites. The 4 pm “arati”/”service” was very popular as we would be home by 6.30pm. Our unsuspecting parents thought we had returned from a game of cricket at the college grounds. One rupee was more than enough for the “pooja”, 65 cents for the front seat reservation in the gallery and 25 cents for a packet of peanuts. It was no wonder that when I went to England , I felt I was in very familiar surroundings.

It was standard joke during our time that any student who was sacked from his school could be accepted at Jaffna Central. Very true, but those who joked, failed to understand the compassion and sympathy shown by our principals towards these unfortunate ones. Central had students from all walks of life. The school hostel was a “mini U.N.”. Sinhalese, Burghers, Muslims and Tamils from all parts of the Island came to live and study together. I am very proud to be a product of such an institution.

Well, it is nearly two decades since I left my homeland and I am very “homesick”. Through the media and others when we hear the tragic stories of our land, our hearts bleed, our eyes are dry, no more tears to shed. Oh God, forgive us for the sins of our past, please grant us peace and tranquillity. Let our younger generation live in harmony. I still hope and pray that one day we will be back in good old Jaffna to see the choc and Blue flag flying high with children playing merrily in the field. May God bless all those who have sacrificed their lives for the betterment of the students”.

End of Soori’s article.

Sadly Soori passed away in November 2014 without ever having returned to his loving homeland, Sri Lanka and has missed enjoying the 200th Anniversary of Jaffna Central college which is to be celebrated in 2016. We are sure that he will be there in spirit among all his Centralites in Jaffna when they get together for the celebrations.

Even though he never returned to Sri Lanka after he left the country in late 1979 he had never forgotten his commitment to his beloved Nallur temple in Jaffna. He continued his ancestral commitment to take charge of the fourth day night festival at the Nallur temple

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even during the long years of civil unrest when it was difficult to send money for temple activities. He was always thankful to his cousin Chanmugam Guhabaskaran (Ambi) who still lives in Sri Lanka for assisting him with this commitment. He was also thankful to his other cousin, Chanmugam Jayabaskaran (Jayam) for supporting Guhabaskaran in this task.

Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna

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Tribute to my cousin late Dr. Thuraisamy Sooriabalan.

By Chanmugam Guhabaskaran (Uduvil Sri Lanka) I knew my cousin Sooriabalan whom we call, “Baba” from childhood. I lost my mother at an early age of 8 Years and my father at the age of 20 years. Soori’s mother was one of two sisters of my mother and lived in Jaffna most of the time when we were growing up. We call Soori’s mother “mummy” and her husband “mama”. My father remarried a few years after my mother’s death. When my mother passed away Soori’s parents took care of myself and my younger brother Jayam along with Soori and Gowri. We lived with them on and off when my father had to work outside Jaffna. Mummy looked after the four of us lovingly. Soori’s youngest sister Kanchana was not born at that time. After my father’s remarriage my brother Jayam and I lived with our father and step mother in Uduvil. Soori’s parents and their three children, Soori, Gowri and Kanchana (baby) will visit us every Sunday with meat curries as my step mother was a vegetarian and cannot cook meat. My father, brother and I will enjoy Soori’s mum’s curries and Soori will ask for vegetarian food from my step mother and enjoy her food. Soori’s sister would often say that although Soori is a fussy and small eater, he eats a second lunch at our place in Uduvil on Sundays to make our step mother happy that her cooking is also appreciated. Soori was always watchful of other people’s feelings. I was at the age of 20 years and my younger brother Jayam was at the age of 16 years when our father passed away. I remained in Uduvil with my step mother and Jayam went to live with Soori’s family, in Jaffna, Badulla and then in Colombo where mama worked as a manager of Bank of Ceylon. Soon after my father’s death Soori’s father helped me to complete my GCE O levels and the next year when I was 22 years old got me a job at the Bank of Ceylon. I worked in the Bank and retired at the age of sixty. Soori was a big brother to my younger brother Jayam. Soori’s parents helped my brother to complete his GCE O Levels. My brother Jayam was not interested in a job at the Bank and wanted to be a sub inspector of police. During this period in early seventies it was very difficult for a Tamil to get job as a sub inspector of police. Soori’s parents did not think it was a good idea but Mama asked his sister’s son Late Mr Balasundaram Yogasundaram who was a lawyer and a friend of the Ratwatte family for help and he obliged and my brother got into the training position for Sub inspector of police. Mama died in February 1974 and mummy left for Australia in December 1978. My brother resigned his position later on and left to work in Dubai. Mummy passed away in 1998 in Australia and we did not meet her after she left Sri Lanka although we were writing to each other regularly. Soori had always been helpful to us and helping others came naturally to him from his parent’s example. When Soori’s parents buy nice shirts for him Soori will insist that his parents buy the same shirts for us too.

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Soori was a true devotee of Swami Sri Sathya Sai Baba. He went on pilgrimage to Puttapati, and also to South and North Indian Temples, particularly “KASI” presently called as “VARNASI”. Soori’s paternal grandfather late Mr Sinnathamby of Thirunelvelly, and Soori’s father Late Mr Thuraisamy were strong devotees of Lord Murugan of Nallur Jaffna and were in charge of the Fourth day Night Festival at Nallur Kandaswamy temple. After his father’s death Soori being the only son of Mr Sinnathamby Thuraisamy took over the Nallur temple festival commitment and carried out his obligations without fail until his death in November 2014 even though he was away from Sri Lanka since 1980. Soori left Sri Lanka in late 1979/ 1980. Even though Soori left Sri Lanka he never faltered in his commitment of food donation (Anna Thanam) during the Nallur temple festival. He and his loving wife Vimo will send the fees due for the Fourth day night festival at Nallur temple and also more money for Food donation on that day. They send the money to me and I had been paying for the Nallur temple commitments on Soori’s behalf since he left Sri Lanka. Soori never returned to see his beloved Nallur temple. Now his two sons, Dr Danushan Sooriabalan and Mr Dushyanthan Sooriabalan are continuing the family tradition and are in charge of the Fourth day night festival at Nallur temple Jaffna. As usual Soori’s wife Vimo and Children sent the money for the 2015 Nallur festival commitment and I went and paid the fees and gave the groceries for food donation at the temple as requested by Soori’s wife Vimo and sons. They are planning to visit the Nallur temple next year . Soori’s death is a great loss to the community and also to the country. May the Lord grant him everlasting peace. Chanmugam Guhabaskaran (Ambi)

Ambi on far left and Jayam on far right

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Tribute to my cousin late Dr. Thuraisamy Sooriabalan (BABA).

By Chanmugam Jayabaskaran ( Colombo Sri Lanka)

I take much pride and honour in taking this opportunity to write a message on behalf of a gentleman and a devoted Doctor. It was a great shock and pain of mind to me when I heard the news of his untimely death. Baba (Soori) is my first cousin. At the age of four when I lost my mother, self and my elder brother Ambi ( 8 yrs) were taken care of by Baba’s parents and we lived with them in Jaffna Town on and off. From that early age I came to know Baba (Soori). We were like friends. Again in the year of 1965, I lost my father at the age of sixteen. Baba’s mother, my mother’s younger sister who we affectionately call mummy became our legal guardian until we were 21 years old. We became one of Baba’s family members. The attachment was very close. Happy memories of my childhood and teenage period with him and family cannot be forgotten. After my father’s death my brother stayed on in Uduvil with our step mother but I stayed with Baba’s family. When Baba’s father (mama) was transferred from Jaffna to Badulla and then to Colombo, I too went with them and stayed. When we were in Jaffna every Sunday afternoon English movie at the Regal theatre is a must after the great lunch with Mutton Curry prepared by Mummy. Baba was a devoted Hindu and regular worshipper at Nallur Kanthan Kovil and Jaffna Kottai (Fort) Muniappar Temple. During Nallur Temple Festival period every evening he goes to temple with his friends and class mates, and I too accompany them. I used to go with him to Kathirkamam and Thirukketheeswaram Temples along with my brother. During December Christmas season, he would join the carol services with his Christian friends. Baba is very fond of western music. He plays very well the instruments like Piano, Accordion, Mouth organ and guitar etc. He and his friends had a band called “Living Fossils” and they staged many shows in Jaffna open air Theatre and at weddings. He was very good in sports too. He played Basketball, Tennis, Badminton and table tennis. In 1979 he left Jaffna after working at Tellipalai Government Hospital for further studies in medicine to U.K. and then moved to Canada with his family. He always kept in touch with me; inquire about my health, my family and my two son’s education and their career prospects. I extend my deepest sympathies to his beloved and caring wife Vimo, loving sons, Danushan and Dushy Sooriabalan and loving sisters Gowry and Kanchana. I pray to god almighty to invoke blessing upon them. “ Baba, I miss you. Rest in Peace” By Jayam Chanmugam Jayabaskaran

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TRIBUTE FROM A CLASSMATE AND DEAR FRIEND By Mr V. Ganesh (Colombo Sri Lanka)

(A school mate and neighbour, Vice Patron, Colombo Branch of Jaffna Central college –OBA- 2014, Sri Lanka, Retired Chief buyer—Unilever Ceylon, CEO Nawaloka Group of Companies.) Dr Sooriabalan lovingly known as Soori and I came to know each other from 8 years old in 1958. We have been close to each other until the seventies when he left the shores of Sri Lanka. Thereafter we had been getting news of each other every now and then but our careers and the political problems in Sri Lanka did not allow us to meet each other. Soori is married to a sister of another friend of mine Clough Rajasingham. In 2007 I was in the UK Clough Rajasingham tried to connect me to Soori in Canada by phone but he was away. I never got to speak to him. We had been as thick as thieves from grade 4 to Advanced level and beyond. Soori’s house in Victoria road Jaffna was within 75 yards from my house in 1st cross street and I used to spend most of my evenings at Soori’s place. I came to know Soori’s mother as well as Soori’s two sisters, Gowry and Kanchana very well. I not only made friends with his father I too joined the Bank of Ceylon whilst Soori’s father was working at a senior level in the Bank of Ceylon. Soori’s father was a mentor to me and we had a close friendship. During our school days we were both like inseparable twins, we became Cubs, later Boy Scouts and have been together on “ chip for jobs”. We both became members of the Jaffna YMCA in our senior school days. Both of us along with Lakshman Gnanaprakasam became the members of the YMCA “ Alabama Ministerial Show” and performed even at his old school, Uduvil Girls College. All three of us were music lovers. In the mid-sixties both Soori and I were made College prefects. Although I was up to mischief during my school days Soori despite being my good friend was always well behaved and was never up to any mischief. About 10 meters from Soori’s house was another classmate of ours Dr. Sabaratnam Sivakumar, who too was a good friend of ours. After Soori and I left school we were in the same boarding house at Shruberry Gardens, Bambalapitiya, Colombo 4. He was studying for his University admissions and gained admission to the medical faculty in Colombo and I was working in the bank and moved on to Unilever Ceylon. I deeply regret that we did not have the chance to meet again after he left the shores of Sri Lanka. Now he has left our shores for good and maybe we will meet some day. “May he Rest in Peace”, whilst we cherish his memories forever. (Tribute was originally presented by V. Ganesh during the memorial service for Soori at Moor Road Church, Colombo 6 on the 23rd of December 2014, organized by Lakshman Gnanapragasam, Rajan Evarts and Dr Nalini Sivapalan)

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TRIBUTE FROM A LOVING COUSIN By Dr. Balasundaram Balakrishnan (Australia)

MBBS (Ceylon), DO London, FRCS (England) FRACS (Australia)

I thank the family of Dr. Thuraisamy Sooriabalan for requesting me to write a tribute for my cousin Dr. Sooriabalan, for the anniversary of his demise. Indeed it is an honour and privilege to submit this tribute. I remember attending my cousin’s parent’s wedding when I was six years old. At that time it really confused me as to which wedding party I belonged to. The groom, my uncle Mr Thuraisamy, was my mother’s older brother and the bride, my mami, was my dad’s first cousin who lost her dad at a very young age and with her two sisters, Alice and Darly, mami grew among my dad’s family as one of them. Sooriabalan was affectionately called Baba by his family and relatives and as Soori by his friends and others. His parents were living in Thirunelvely when he was born and we were his neighbours and I have known him since. The family left Jaffna after a year to Colombo because of my uncle’s employment. He then returned to Jaffna as assistant manager of Bank of Ceylon Jaffna branch and Soori was ready to begin his primary education at Jaffna Central College. At that time all four of us in my family were attending the same school. Even though we were at different levels at school he had the opportunity to have more contact besides the usual family get togethers; thereby he got to know us quite well. Once he mentioned in a family celebration that he was inspired to play Harmonica after watching my eldest brother Gnana and myself playing it. He was a talented musician and went on to play piano and other musical instruments. After graduating from Colombo Medical faculty, he had the opportunity to serve in Jaffna and was posted to Tellipalai hospital. During this time he met most of our relatives whom he has never met before and he was a very popular doctor as well. After serving in Jaffna he proceeded to England for his post graduate studies. There he obtained his membership in psychiatry. Thereafter he went to Canada as consultant psychiatrist, employed first in North Battleford Saskatchewan for two years and then settled in Toronto. He became a well-known psychiatrist in Toronto and was also popular through his radio talks on Hindu religion. We kept our contacts with our visits to Canada and vice versa by him and his family to Australia. On two occasions I had significantly long telephone conversations with him. The first one was when he was very ill due to his own negligence in year 2000. Fortunately by God’s grace he recovered well. During that time I was able to advise him on health matters. He also mentioned that he is indebted to my late younger brother Siva (Appu) whose regular visits and companionship helped him to overcome his illness. The second occasion for a long phone conversation was when he spoke to me to invite our family for his eldest son Danushan’s wedding celebration. During this conversation he expressed his admiration for my dad and his affection for my mum and the respect he has for me and my brothers and sisters which I felt was mutual among us. At that time I felt he was not only my closest cousin by birth but one among Balasundaram family in “thought” and “deed”.

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He was a loving husband to Vimo, affectionate father to Danushan and Dushy, and a loving father in law to Ayesha and a doting grandfather to Soraya. He was aware of the arrival of his other granddaughter Saroja and had conveyed his joy to Saroja’s parents Danushan and Ayesha. He was a respected person among his friends and was an ever helpful individual to others. “A LIFE THAT TOUCHES OTHERS GOES ON FOREVER”

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TRIBUTE FROM A LOVING BROTHER IN LAW Prof Dodo J. Thampapillai (LKY school of Public Policy NUS Singapore)

I remain forever grateful to Soori – fondly known as Baba in our family. In terms of relationship he is my brother-in-law. But, Baba was far too past being a mere relative by marriage throughout his lifetime. He was a genuine friend who was always there at a time of need. The usual terminology pertaining friends is that of one lending a supporting hand. But Baba was a tower of strength. I was welcomed into the Thuraisamy family in 1972 when Gowry and I were engaged. At that time, Baba (Soori) was a final year medical student. Topic of conversation at their home then regarding Baba was his genuine concern for the patients who could not afford a single square meal. Baba was distressed to hear his teaching physicians advise such poverty ridden patients to have an egg and an orange each day. He would complain at home about these patients’ sheer inability to afford nourishing food. His father would give him money (Baba was a full time student) to give to some of these patients. But it was not possible to sustain such charity from home. Baba also tried to organize a collection from his fellow students and this too was not sustainable. He gradually accepted the reality of poverty in Sri Lanka and was determined to do his lot after his studies. He did. Right throughout his professional life he helped the needy – more often than not by giving up his spare time. Subsequent to our engagement and prior to our wedding, my father-in-law suffered a stroke when he went to Jaffna from Colombo. Baba had just completed his MBBS study and was to commence his internship. But Baba’s first task was to take care of his father at Jaffna Hospital, day and night until Appah recovered. This was a very difficult task given that the wards at Jaffna Hospital did not have any facility for relatives to be beside a sick patient. Baba simply slept on a chair. When we were getting married Baba also resolved the dilemma of giving the bride away at Church. My parents insisted on a Church Wedding. While my father-in-law was recovering from his stroke, Baba warmly stated despite being a strong Hindu, “I will give the bride away as I see God in a Church as well as in a Kovil”.

Baba representing his father at St Peter’s Church, Jaffna on our wedding day

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My father-in-law died on the same day (20th February 1974) as I left for Australia for my postgraduate studies. I was to learn of this only later. Baba was at the airport with Gowry when the news came through and Baba had to convey the sad news to Gowry who was pregnant at that time and take her to Jaffna. On his return to Jaffna the next day, he carried out the funeral with the help of his relatives particularly late Balasundaram Yogasundaram. He then slipped into his father’s role and took care of Mummy, his teenage sister Kanchana and also my pregnant wife - his sister Gowry. He was working at Laxapana at that time and the rest of the family was in Jaffna. So he came every fortnight to Jaffna to ensure that everything was proceeding smoothly for the family. He took care of my wife Gowry during our daughter’s birth and was the man of the house for four females including my baby daughter. Baba was the first father-figure my daughter had known until she was six months old.

Baba putting gold bangles for our daughter on the 31st day of her birth

Fortunately when I arrived in Jaffna in December 1974 to take my family to Australia, Baba was registered in marriage to Vimo and on the day we were leaving Jaffna, we also received the news that he would be transferred to Tellipalai in Jaffna.

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After we had settled in Australia for some years, in year 1977 we attempted to organize immigration for Mummy and Gowry’s sister Kanchana who was then unmarried. Baba refused to agree with this idea and said that he would leave for UK only after his sister Kanchana was married and his mother was in a safe place. His sister Kanchana married in late 1978 with the help of Vimo’s mother, Mrs Alice Balasingham and her brother Clough Jeyasingam. Gowry went to Sri Lanka in December 1978 and brought mummy to Australia. It was only then that Baba left for the UK in late 1979. In 1984 when I was going on sabbatical leave with my family to Germany and Canada, Baba looked after Mummy in the UK. Mummy returned to Australia after we had returned from the sabbaticals. In 1987, Baba came with his family to Australia for the first time after migrating to Canada. We were in Wollongong NSW at that time and had an enjoyable time with Baba and his family. Mummy had settled into a retirement home in Wollongong by that time. Baba and his wife Vimo were always in regular communication with Mummy giving her emotional support. When Baba and his family moved to Toronto mummy visited them and had a wonderful time.

Mummy outside Baba’s family home in Toronto

I took up an appointment at Macquarie University in Sydney in 1991 and we moved to Sydney. But Mummy refused to move from Wollongong as she liked the routine there. By 1997 Mummy’s heart was failing. Yet she still would not move to Sydney to be close to her two daughters. When she came for a short break to Sydney in December 1997, she had to be admitted to the hospital in Concord by her other daughter Kanchana. Baba came immediately to see Mummy. Her heart condition was not readily treatable and she was

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discharged without any new treatment. Baba managed to convince mummy to move from Wollongong to a nice retirement village in Sydney and she complied. Mummy fell ill again five months later in May 1998 and was hospitalized again. She was terminally ill at that time and Baba rushed back again to be by her side. After two weeks doctors told him that she needed to be moved to a palliative care facility. Then Baba along with his two sisters searched and found a suitable nursing home where mummy was admitted. Having helped mummy move into the nursing home, Baba returned to Toronto, Canada in the first week of June 1998. Within a fortnight of Baba’s return to Toronto Mummy passed away on the 28th of June 1998. Despite his many commitments in Canada and the exhaustion of frequent long distance travel to and from Sydney, Baba returned to Sydney without delay. He fulfilled his duty as a son by completing the funeral rites for his mother. Knowing his commitment to his patients it would have been a difficult time for him to be away for such a long time. But he never showed any of his concerns to us and treated us with love and care as he had always done. He performed all his family duties with his usual gentle smile without any complaints and completed his responsibilities with grace. When Baba returned to Toronto he took his mother’s photograph that was taken during our wedding and set it on the bookshelf in the main bedroom. The photograph was never moved from that position until he passed away in that room in November 2014. He was a devoted son to his parents and took all the responsibilities after his father’s death and carried out all his duties with love. He did the same with the family he created with his loving wife Vimo and left her and their two sons Danushan and Dushy in comfortable positions when he passed away

Baba with his two sisters at the airport after his mother’s funeral

Baba and his sister Gowry would often have in depth discussions whenever they found the time which invariably coincided with someone in the family being sick. It was virtually impossible for Baba to spend that much time away from his patients. Gowry visited Baba in the year 2000 when he was seriously ill with peripheral neuropathy and Baba had to unwillingly take time off work. He took time off again and came to Australia in 2005 when

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my family needed him. We will never forget the help he gave us in 2005. The siblings had long conversations from the heart in those times. My wife Gowry went to Toronto again in August 2013 when he informed her that he was to have a heart by-pass surgery. He was ill at that time and had an inkling of a suspicion that it may not be his heart. Baba and Gowry had discussions on several things regarding life, death, spirituality, religion and his concern about his patients at that time. They also discussed Baba’s commitment regarding a specific Nallur temple festival event and succession of this commitment. Baba did not have a by-pass surgery in the end. By the time Gowry and I met with him again the following year during August-September 2014, he was in hospital after complications stemming from liver surgery and was too ill to talk. However he summoned his strength to call his wife Vimo and son Dushy to one side and Gowry to his other side and me at the foot of his bed and spoke for a long time of his wishes regarding how he wanted to pass away. By this time he has accepted his call to be with God. It was very difficult for his loving wife Vimo and son Dushy to hear such talk. We had to assure Baba that all will be done as per his wishes - while being aware that Vimo, Danushan and Dushy were all hoping that Baba will recover. It was heart breaking. However when the inevitable time came, they summoned their courage and did everything as Baba had asked of them and more. Baba passed away peacefully leaving all of us with a void that cannot be filled. We miss him immensely but take comfort in the fact that his life is an inspiration for all of us. His spirit remains with us. Rest in Peace Baba - We will meet again. Dodo

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Extracts from Bhagavad Gita 13:11 Constancy in spiritual search; striving to gain the true wisdom

— all this is acknowledged as true; everything else is ignorance! 13:12 I will reveal to you what has to be known, and, having been

known, brings one to Immortality: this is Supreme Brahman, Who has no origin and is beyond the limits of existence and non-existence (of beings).

13:13 His hands, feet, eyes, heads, mouths are everywhere; omniscient, He abides in the world, embracing everything.

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13:14 He has no organs of perception, yet He perceives everything; having no attachments to anything, yet sustaining all beings, free from the three gunas and using the gunas,

13:15 Inside and outside of all beings, staying in calm and yet acting elusive in His

subtlety, being always near and yet at the unspeakable distance — such is imperishable He!

13:16 Not divided among beings and yet existing separately in everyone, He is cognized

as the Helper of all. He embraces all beings with Himself and guides them in their development.

13:17 About Him, about the Light of all lights, it is said that He is beyond the darkness.

He is Wisdom, the Goal of every wisdom, cognized by wisdom, residing in the hearts of all!

13:18 Such are the “field”, the wisdom, and the object of wisdom, in brief. Having

known them, My devoted disciple cognizes My Essence. 13:19 Know that both purusha and prakriti have no origin. Know also that

advancement in the gunas happens thanks to one’s existence in prakriti. 13:20 Prakriti is considered as the source giving origin to causes and effects. And

purusha is the cause of experiencing pleasant and unpleasant. 13:21 Being in prakriti, embodied purusha necessarily merges with the gunas that

originate on prakriti. An attachment to a certain guna is the cause of incarnation of purusha in good or bad conditions.

13:22 Observing, Supporting, All-receiving, the Highest Ruler, also the Divine Atman —

this is how the Supreme Spirit in this body is called. 13:23 He who cognized thus purusha, prakriti, and the three gunas — in whatever

conditions he lives — he is not subject to new births anymore!

Glossary.

Brahman: Holy spirit

Gunas: Aggregate of qualities primarily of human souls. There are three gunas:

tamas –dullness, ignorance; rajas—energy and passion, sattva—harmony,

purity

Prakriti: cosmic matter in the collective sense

Purusha: cosmic spirit in the collective sense

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At every turning of my life

I came across

Good friends,

Friends who stood by me

Even when the time raced me by.

Farewell, farewell

My friends

I smile and

Bid you goodbye.

No, shed no tears

For I need them not

All I need is your smile.

If you feel sad

Do think of me

For that’s what I’ll like.

When you live in the hearts

Of those you love

Remember then

You never die.

By Rabindranath Tagore

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Sooriabalan (Son of the Sun) shining his light on all his family and friends.

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