Multi-faceted personality Lakshman Kadirgamar’s spiritual side

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Lakshman Kadirgamar

 


Former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was killed on 12 August 2005 by a sniper of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) concealed in the house of an unsuspecting neighbour. Kadirgamar had just completed his customary 1,000 metre swim at the pool in his residence, when the assassin struck. Two decades have passed since that fateful day but the memory of Kadirgamar lingers still in the hearts and minds of the nation. This column focuses on the man regarded by many as Sri Lanka’s finest foreign minister even as Lakshman Kadirgamar’s 20th death anniversary draws near.

I have written extensively about Lakshman Kadirgamar over the years, so much so that his only daughter Ajita has stated in her book about her father that D.B.S. Jeyaraj has written about LK possibly more than any other journalist. Ajita Kadirgamar’s eminently readable book about Lakshman Kadirgamar is titled “The Cake That Was Baked At Home.” A new edition of the book has been released this year to denote Kadirgamar’s 20th death anniversary.

According to Ajita, the book has 78 references to lines and passages from my articles. She even says on one page that she ‘would almost term me as ‘LK’s unofficial biographer’. It is against this backdrop therefore that I write on the multi-faceted personality, Lakshman Kadirgamar drawing on some of my earlier writings also.

Lakshman Kadirgamar was born on 12 April 1932 to Tamil Protestant Christian parents of Jaffna origin. But in later life he refused to conform according to those labels. He never denied that he was a Tamil, but claimed to have transcended such labels. At a time when the Tigers (LTTE) and their acolytes were trying to equate being Tamil with being a pro-Tiger, Kadirgamar stood out ‘far from the madding crowd’. For that he was ridiculed as a ‘token’ Tamil, dubbed a traitor and ultimately assassinated.

BBC ‘Hard Talk’

When the BBC ‘Hard Talk’ interviewed Kadirgamar some weeks before his death, he was asked about being called ‘traitor’. Kadirgamar responded to it magnificently. He said that all of us are given labels at the time of birth and that he too was given one. If being Tamil meant supporting the LTTE in acts like child conscription, killing opponents, denying democracy and pluralism etc., he was not prepared to do so. If that resulted in him being called traitor then he ‘would be absolutely delighted in being called one,’ Kadirgamar said.

12 April 1932

Lakshman Kadirgamar was born in Manipay, Jaffna on 12 April 1932 as the youngest of six children. His father was Samuel Jebaratnam Christian (SJC) Kadirgamar Snr, a lawyer. SJC Kadirgamar married Edith Rosemand Parimalam Mather the daughter of Edward Mather of Manipay. They had five boys and a girl.

The eldest SJC jnr or Sam Kadirgamar was the well-known Queens Counsel. Selvanathan or Bhai Kadirgamar a major in the army later immigrated to the USA. Rajan was the former Sri Lankan Navy Commander. Thirumalan or Mana Kadirgamar was a planter who died early meeting with a motor accident in Dickoya. Lakshman’s elder sister Eeswari was married to Dr. A.M.D. Richards.

Trinity

While all his brothers were educated at Royal only Lakshman went to Trinity presumably due to World War 2, where he studied from 1942 to 1950. He won many awards while at Trinity including the Dr. Andreas Nell Memorial Prize for Ceylon History – Napier Clavering Prize for English and the Ryde Gold Medal for the best all round student in 1950.

In sports he got cricket colours, was Cricket Captain – 1950. Rugby Colours – 1949. Athletics Colours – 1949 and Trinity Lion 1950. He came first at Public Schools, and broke the record in the 110m hurdles (15.7 seconds) in 1949. He won the Duncan White Challenge Cup – 1949, De Soysa Challenge Cup-1949, was Senior Prefect in 1949.

He entered the Peradeniya University and read for an LLB degree there. While an undergraduate, he won the All Ceylon 110m hurdles title in 1951 and 1952, All India Inter University 110m hurdles title and set records at Ahamedabad in 1951 and Allahabad in 1952. He was also Member of the cricket teams of the University of Ceylon and later Balliol College, University of Oxford becoming an Oxford Blue in Cricket.

Oxford

After getting his Bachelor’s degree in law Kadirgamar passed the Advocates final first in order of merit. He then served as secretary to Justice ENA Gratiaen. He later went to England, becoming a Barrister of the Inner Temple and entering Balliol College Oxford.

He made history in Oxford getting elected as President of the Oxford Union. Four Sri Lankans have been Presidents. They are Kadirgamar (Trinity), Athulathmudali (Royal), Noordeen (STC), and Jeyasundharie Wilson (Methodist), the only woman President from Sri Lanka.

In 1958 during the communal violence Lakshman Kadirgamar when interviewed by the media in the UK said that SWRD Bandaranaike was only a “politician” and not a “statesman” because of the violence. The next year, Lakshman was instrumental in getting a portrait of SWRD hung up at Oxford. The tradition is that any Oxford Union President who becomes head of state gets a bust. Since SWRD was only treasurer of the union he got a portrait. SWRD however was assassinated a few weeks before he was to visit Oxford for the ceremony. In his absence it was left to Lakshman to do the honours.

Many years later Lakshman Kadirgamar’s portrait was unveiled at the Oxford Union on 18 March 2005 by Rt. Hon. Lord Chris Patten of Barnes CH, Chancellor of the University of Oxford. It was then that Lakshman remarked famously “the cake was baked at home”.

In the history of the Oxford Union, he was the 15th office bearer whose bust or portrait is displayed in the Union building. Kadirgamar was also made Hon. Master of the Inner Temple-1995 – the second Asian to be made so after former Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Angela Malik

While at Balliol Kadirgamar married an artist Angela Malik of French-Pakistani descent. They had two children. The daughter is Ajita Perera the well-known media personality. Kadirgamar’s son, an architect, is named Sriraghavan Jebaratnam Christian but is generally known as Ragee.

In later years Kadirgamar divorced his first wife and married again in 1996. He married Suganthi Wijeysuriya, a senior lawyer.

JVP insurgency

After returning to Sri Lanka in the sixties from Oxford, Lakshman Kadirgamar went about building a lucrative law practice. He specialised in commercial, industrial, labour and administrative law. Then came the JVP insurgency of 1971. This had a profound impact on Lakshman. Though not affected directly, the JVP revolt made Lakshman feel that he should go abroad.

He felt that life in Lanka was going to turn worse with the advent of the JVP. How very prophetic! But ironically enough the very same Lakshman who left Sri Lanka due to the JVP found himself on the best of terms with the “rathu sahodarayas” 33 years later. The JVP found in Lakshman a sincere friend and guide while Lakshman recognised a “like-mindedness” on some issues. The recent turn of events resulting in the JVP-led NPP ruling Sri Lanka may have delighted him if he were alive today.

Intellectual property

Lakshman relocated to Britain. He pursued a legal career from 1971 to 74 during which he showed keen interest in human rights. In 1973 he was the special representative of Amnesty International investigating the Buddhist-Catholic violence in Vietnam. In 1976 he became consultant to the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva. In 1978 he joined the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and served as its director till 1988. He was the virtual adviser on intellectual property to developing nations of Asia-Pacific.

He also travelled widely. In the early eighties he was in an airplane that crashed in Athens, Greece. Kadirgamar survived miraculously by jumping through the emergency exit. He broke several bones and was bedridden for three months.

Lakshman Kadirgamar returned to Colombo in 1988 and reestablished his legal practice. He concentrated as earlier on industrial, labour and commercial law and of course intellectual property law. Another less known fact was that Kadirgamar was a discreet consultant avoiding limelight in a number of cases affecting Tamil detainees. He also proffered legal advice to some Tamils affected in the violence in procuring compensation.

Chandrika Kumaratunga

The “second coming” of Chandrika Kumaratunga to Sri Lanka in the early nineties of the last century heralded a new dawn for ethno-politics in the country. There were high hopes that a negotiated settlement to the ethnic crisis was in sight. It was a period of idealistic fervour. It was in such a climate that Kadirgamar decided to enter politics in support of Kumaratunga. Lakshman deciding to join the SLFP in 1994 was a significant development, as his family members had been staunch UNP loyalists.

Initially the person who persuaded Kadirgamar to join politics was Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam of the TULF. He was ably supported by the lawyer Manouri Muttetuwegama – wife of Sarath Muttetuwegama (CP) and daughter of Colvin R. de Silva (LSSP) – in this mission.

SLFP National List

Lakshman was placed on the SLFP national list in 1994. The only Tamil candidate of the SLFP with a chance of winning the hustings was lawyer Ketheeswaran in the Wanni. Kethees was the former TULF Urban Council Chairman in Vavuniya. But he did not win. So Kumaratunga had to appoint one Tamil as national list MP. This naturally was Lakshman.

The new Government had a majority of one through Up Country Peoples Front Tamil MP Chandrasekharan’s support. He and Kadirgamar were the two Tamil representatives in the Kumaratunga Government initially. Kumaratunga offered them both deputy-minister posts as she wanted to restrict her cabinet to 20. Chandrasekharan accepted but not Kadir.

Lakshman who rarely projected himself as a Tamil did so then. He pointed out that his community would consider it an insult if he was only to be given a deputy-ministership. Chandrika agreed. It was a choice of Justice or Foreign Affairs. Lakshman wanted the latter. He felt he was immensely equipped for it.

Foreign Minister

Kadirgamar proved subsequently that he was the best man for the job. In the post-independence years Defence and External Affairs portfolios were the preserve of the Prime Minister. It was under JRJ in 1977 that a departure was made and ACS Hameed became foreign minister.

It is broadly acknowledged that Kadirgamar was the best foreign minister the country ever had. To many people, Kadirgamar was the best foreign minister because he spearheaded an anti-Tiger drive. But the man’s greatness was in cleaning up the Augean stables prevailing in the ministry due mainly to the cronyism of his predecessors.

It was another Tamil, Sir Kandiah Vaithiyanathan as permanent secretary who set up a modern foreign service after Independence. It was Lakshman Kadirgamar who restructured and professionalised the service. Those who worked with him from Permanent Secretary to office aide would vouch for this.

Another of his achievements as foreign minister was restoring good relations with India eroded greatly under Jayewardene and Premadasa. Of course Indo-Lanka relations were always good under the Bandaranaike dynasty but the role of Kadirgamar cannot be discounted lightly in this restoration.

India

It must be pointed out that Kadirgamar’s affinity towards India and recognition of its pivotal importance in the region was based on enlightened self-interest with emotional underpinnings. Apart from the political aspects there was the spiritual aspect bordering on the personal.

In Lakshman’s intellectual and spiritual journey Indian philosophical thought became heavily influential. Lakshman had evolved into an inter-faith person. He was greatly enamoured of India’s greatest son Gauthama Buddha and this was no pretension caused by contemporary political compulsions.

Celestine Fernando lecture

Many years ago on 9 October 1992, Lakshman Kadirgamar delivered the Rev. Celestine Fernando Memorial address. The theme of that address was “The Social Relevance of the Bible for, our times in a non-Christian society.” He observed then “Different creeds are the historical formulations of the formless truth. While the treasure is one and inviolable, the earthen vessel that contains it takes the shape and colour of its time and environment.”

The Celestine Fernando lecture caused some controversy in Christian circles because of the glowing references to Lord Buddha. Lakshman observed then: “Among the inspiring treasures of the human spirit is the memory of Gautama, the Buddha. His hold over the imagination of millions of our fellow beings is immense; his inspiration to braver and nobler living for centuries is incalculable; his contribution to the refining of the spirit of man and the humanising of human relations is immeasurable. And yet, attempts were made by men fighting under other flags, earnest lovers of their kind no doubt, to destroy the memory of that great soul, to terminate his influence. We can only attribute those efforts to prejudice, to ignorance.”

According to someone present at that lecture Kadirgamar’s main thesis was that Christianity shared many common values and teachings with Buddhism and that Jesus had been influenced by the teachings of the Buddha. These views correspond to the thesis in the famous book by the German theologian, Holger Kersten titled ‘Jesus lived In India – His unknown life before and after the crucifixion’.

So it is possible that Kadirgamar was increasingly attracted to the teachings of Buddha. But this seems more a milepost on an intellectual journey. He was very much a private person in his religious faith.

Praying alone

On the day that Lakshman was sworn in as minister in 1994 in the early hours of the morning, a man was seen praying alone in the Buller’s Road, Anglican Cathedral. The then Bishop, Kenneth Fernando was walking in when he noticed this. That man was Lakshman Kadirgamar.

While his fundamental Christian faith remained he had evolved into one accepting the universality of religion though Christian dogmatists would dispute this.

“Lanka Academic”

Let me conclude this article with a few excerpts from an interview given by Lakshman Kadirgamar many, many years ago. The “Lanka Academic” website had a question and answer session with Kadirgamar. Some of his observations then revealed his thinking on some crucial issues. Some of the viewpoints may be outdated in a post-war, post-LTTE context. However there are other views that are very relevant in the current context where – Kadirgamar’s one time admirers – the crimson comrades wield power and are advocating a new Constitution.

On federalism

“The PA is for a federal-type structure which could give minorities, and particularly the Tamils, ample autonomy in their regional affairs without allowing the disintegration or break up of the Sri Lankan State. Therefore, two principles are important –

1. to allow autonomy as much as it is necessary;

2. to ensure safeguards against any type of disintegration, break away or secession.

We also believe that given current international developments and the challenges that our country is facing we need to have a rather strong system at the centre as well.”

“Therefore, we propose considerable power sharing at the centre in addition to devolution of power to the regions or the periphery. There are several minorities in the country and their geographical spread is such that we need to ensure a full measure of human rights and safeguards and their participation at all levels of government from periphery to the centre.”

“There is another factor that we have to take into account. There is a system of federalism in India which is not as broad as in many Western countries. What was primarily in the minds of the Indian Constitution makers when they devised a federal form of government for India was to preserve the unity and integrity of that country without allowing for its disintegration.”

“This principle applies to South Asia in general considering the existence of several secessionist movements in our midst. We also have to take into account our own evolution towards a federal type of system since the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1987. We already have in place some extensive measures of devolution of power, of course, with major structural impediments. … But the whole matter needs further and fuller discussion on a national scale in the light of evolving events on the ground in the North and East which throw doubt on whether the LTTE truly wishes to have a federal form of government, notwithstanding public statements to that effect”

On discrimination against Tamils

“There was a time when, for instance, the use of Tamil for official purposes was not recognised and there was discrimination against the Tamil-speaking community in respect of education and employment. The Tamils had grievances. That cannot be denied. The situation is much better now. But since independence the ethnic policy of successive governments has been characterised by a lack of foresight, mismanagement and broken promises – the Bandaranaike/Chelvanayakam pact and the Dudley Senanayake/Chelvanayakan pact are examples.”

On LTTE and armed struggle

“As for your question whether the Sri Lankan Tamils would have been better off if the LTTE did not drag the country into a bloody civil war, my personal view is that socio-economic and political questions can never be resolved by war. But one must try to understand why a generation of young Tamils who had witnessed unsuccessful satyagraha campaigns and other peaceful attempts to secure redress for their grievances came to the conclusion that there was no alternative but to resort to arms. “

“However, as the armed conflict has progressed it has become increasingly clear that war cannot resolve the problems that led to war in the first place. Many Tamils, even those of a moderate persuasion, hold the view that if the LTTE had not taken up arms the question of a negotiated settlement of the ethnic problem would never have been considered by any government in the South. The same group of moderate Tamils would, I am sure, now say “enough of war”; the armed conflict must end; a solution must be found through negotiations.”

“As for the homeland question I do not think the vast majority of Tamils, whether they presently live in Sri Lanka or abroad, would prefer to live under Mr. Prabhakarn’s rule, rather than in a free, democratic, united Sri Lanka where the rights of minorities are adequately safeguarded”.

(The writer can be reached at [email protected].)

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.