Potpourri of Reminiscence

A. S. R. A. M. H. B. Kotagama

Potpourri of life as ….

• As a child/ family• Village lad• School student• University student• Professional

– Teacher/ Professor– Researcher– National and community development volunteer

• Manager of SLSM• Sri Lankan Community member in Oman• As a husband and father

Spot me …. As a child

Family and home• Born in Sri Lanka, Uva region, Moneragala District (Bintanne, Wellasa), Bibile township(Gampereliya,

Jinadasa), Kotagama village– Bibile atho, Bibile baiyo– I am a descendant of veddhas – Kotagama from Kotagama– Where the Wellasa rebellion was lead

• Parents– Farmers – Landed proprietor– Respected personalities in the village– 6 children ( Mid child of 2 elder and one younger brother, 2 younger sister)

• Team player being lead and leading too

• Father– Leader– Earned respect and gave respect– Educating children only goal in life

• Nothing less than the best• Financial planner never yet understood

– Modest lifestyle– 5S filing– Recycling– Principled but not religious– Perfectly healthy– Never let any one idle

• Mother– Calm, collected, soft spoken– Patient and Resilient– No complains endured pain– Never compared commented about children

• Mother and Father: – Perfect harmony , mutual respect

Brothers and sisters• Loku aiya (Eldest brother)

– Professor– A unique social personality (Professor should be socially known)– World acclaimed scientist, educationist – Buffo Kotagamia– Strictly principled personality – Practice what you preach: Environmentalism

• Need and not greed

• Sudu aiya (Elder brother)– Engineer farmer– Unique and mysterious– “alpetcha”– You could help thyself– Never eat a full stomach– Cats and dogs first

• Nangi (Sisters)– Teachers

• Malli (Younger brother)– Business chief executive with a doctorate– Mischievous but a great achiever

• All of us– Do not communicate with each other frequently– Talk of world issues and national development– Care for each other respectfully (as did our father)

Me as a village lad … My village

Me as a Village lad

• Village in the jungle• Hunting and fishing• Never to harm an animal: My elder brother

– Iguana– Bats

• Farming (hena and paddy farming)• The first radio, clock, riding a bicycle• Driving a 2 wheel tractor• Avurudhu• Once in 3 months a village lad

Me as a school child• Thomian (Bandarawela, Guruthalawa, Mt Lavainia)• Private, elite school• Private: How did my father pay the fee• Multi-ethinic• Elite: How did I cope associating with elites

– Stressful and felt inferior• clothes, toys, letters and parcels, extra food• Favoritisms by teachers• Had positives too

• Kota– Bullied

• Rebelled in protest by being a deviant to rules, show-off and harmed myself• Never a leader , shy and introvert• Did not participate in sports• Performed academically well in primary school

– Teacher couple took care of me as their child

• Failed OL exam• AL passed excellently

– Studied consistently– Brothers influence– Meditation– Good studious friends

My School Teachers• Mr and Mrs Godfrey (late) and Merlin Peiris (Maths

Teacher)– German injection– Walking dustbin– Adopted son

• Mrs Elepola (Social Studies Teacher)– Scrap book– Fancy dress prize

• Mr. Lekamge (Maths Teacher)– Chocolates– Sing + - = ?, BODMAS– R.L. Spittle’s Village in the Jungle

• Mr. E.L. Perera (Head Master)– The broomstick (Respect to teachers)– No special food– Daily meditation

Me as an undergraduate

Handsome guy

In action

Not my car … but a humble professor’s

University closed … black flags

U Peradeniya iconic picture

Hantane kandu yaya …

Me as an undergraduate

• University of Peradeniya: – Take-off to a positive personality

• Accepted as a leader in many spheres (societies, unions, sports)– Pay off being in an elitist school– Was accepted as an orator– Socially well known (notorious as well)

• Comparative advantage: English language– Learning English

• Excelled in academics– Pure science to social science– The loss of the third decimal

Me as a postgrad student: MSc

Me as a postgrad: PhD

Post doctoral

Me as a postgraduate student

• MSc (UPLB)• PhD (University of London)• Serious student

– Double scholarship– Best MSc, PhD thesis

• MSc Supervisor– Hit the computer with a hammer

• PhD Supervisor– Average: The typical the mythical and the non-ethical– Rub shoulders with the elites– Explain your thesis to you wife

Me as a teacher• I loved my profession as a teacher for 30 years

– Married and loved

• The pleasure of the teaching was beyond monetary remuneration• Always prepared for teaching after comprehensive reading and research

– Drinking water in a stagnant mud-hole vs of a flowing stream– Read widely/ variety– Engage yourself in reading

• Tried to update knowledge and style of presentation • Planned and prepared teaching material with great care

– Tried to contextualize to Sri Lanka– Teaching material to text books

• Tried to relate theory to practice• Student evaluations have been good

– Good teacher vs. course

• Respected the individuality of students: Never criticize/ humiliate in public

• Always consciously focused on the weak and neglected students (education for failures)

Me as a professional: Professor

• Assistant lecturer to full merit Professor– Professor at age of 42 years (youngest professor)– Promoted directly from senior lecturer to full professor

(surpassing two steps)• 5s work habits (documentation)

• Consistent commitment to work: – work was pleasure

• Balance between teaching, research and national and community development

• Presidential award on contributions to education

• Enjoyed social recognition and respect– Most deservingly disrespected respectfully

Presidential Award:Contributions to Nations Education

Me as an Professional: Chairman VTA

Me as an Professional: Chairman VTA

• Politicians are good• Hard decisions can be made• There is always a way to get things

done• Forgive and Forget– Bicycle thief– Shoe thief

• Real achievements– 3 training centers in the 3 corners of the poorest

district

Me as an Professional: Chairman SLSM

Me as an Professional: Chairman SLSM

• Attempted to introduce professionalism, policies, plans and procedures

• Attempted to focus management towards the core activity of education

• Attempted to develop a management culture of decency and respect

• Managed the institution and not individuals– Teacher-Management relationship was respectful– Have addressed issues formally: Board room and seated

• Bitter experiences– Delayed guests– Delayed official responses– Non- adherence to constitution

• Moving to the other side of the road• Persona-non-gratia

• Persist: Modeling with clay

Me in Oman: Community

Me in Oman

• Professionally– Elephant having crossed the river– Lion on monkey visa

• Sri Lankan community– Tried to be one among all– Atawaka puthu

• Involved with school management for 5.5 years

• Respected and disrespected– To respect others one must have been respected

• Empathize, show compassion, forgive

Me and my family

Me and my family

Me and my family• Dishna

– Perfect mother– Spring and flow of charity (not religiously)– Happy with simple things in life– Persevering achiever– Humorous and witty– Pretty– Taller than me!!!

• Sons: Chathura, Kasuen and Praveen– Blessed with achievements (above average) – Pinch of naughtiness– A first degree for all– Handsome and tall– Wish they would be Caring human beings

• Thankful to SLSM and its teachers for educating our children

Conclusion

• Bernard Shaw– Born crying to die with laughter

• Benjamin Button–Would one live a different life than what

one lived if born with death?

• All of us are great in one role or the other to one or other: – as children, parents, professionals–We are teachers and we are great.

Amygdala Factor: Being Great is Being Socially Worthy

• We as teachers are fortunate to have such great opportunity to be immediately and directly socially worthy.

• We teachers have a huge “Amygdala” deep in our brains.

• The Island December 27.doc

Dear Teachers

Let us make the best of what we have and make ourselves happy and others happy too.

We are teachers. We teachers have a huge Amygdala deep in our brains.

Let us be socially worthy.