Commander Janaka Sylvester Ruwanpathirana retired from the navy after serving 22 years. We, officers of the 16th intake of the navy held a farewell party at western naval area wardroom to bid farewell to Janaka. His beloved wife Dishanthi and two daughters also attended the party. Our training officer, now the navy’s No two, Rear Adimiral Thisara Samarasinghe and his fair lady also were present for this occasion. It’s a sheer coincidence that Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe's elevation to the navy’s chief of staff and JSR’s farewell fell on the same day. It was jubilation over ones achievement who was a part of our navy life and a sad moment for one’s departure from us as he was an active member of 16th intake. The story of 16th intake began 23 long years ago when civilian clad youth just out of school joined this wonderful outfit of ‘officers and gentlemen’ when the gangway was lowered.
There were initially 29 officer cadets altogether who came from different walks of life. Most of the guys were Colombo schooled. Navy’s present media spokesman, Captain DKP Dassanayake came from the farthest corner of Trincomalee. Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, a no-nonsense officer, now the Navy’s number two was our training officer. I really don’t know Admiral Sam has anything to do with it being an ardent ‘Royalist’, but my batch (16th intake) was comprised of 07 Royalists. At the out set, we were kind of ‘misfits’ who happened to fit together. This ‘fitting together’ didn’t happen automatically. Lot of hard work, energy, commitment have gone in to this. Admiral Sam,our ‘Sea dad’ showed the direction and provided ample guidance. In fact it was mainly due to Admiral Sam’s efforts that were untiring and commitments of my comrades that were unwavering and steadfast, this ‘fitting together’ in to a bloody useful bunch was possible.
The whole of 16th intake family sans Athula and Kutta turned up for this bidding farewell, a sad departure. As i mentioned, the notable presence was that of our training officer 22 long years before, Rear Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe. Another conspicuous attendee was Kapila Goonathilake, a 16th intake gem who was compelled to leave us during our cadet time itself due to medical grounds. Kapila, now the Deputy General Manager of Hero Honda, makes it a habit to attend all our functions and Janaka’s farewell he never wanted to miss.
We, 16th intake officers in the Navy, are what we are today because of this finest blend of Admiral Sam’s guidance and our unwavering commitments. Today, after 23 years from our beginning, most of my comrades are holding very high positions in the Navy. We have couple of directors and deputy directors at such a young age. Navy’s media department is in the safe hands of our Dasa. Navy's innovative combat thinking of forming up of a ‘small boat operation units' gave us tremendous results in the war against LTTE Sea tigers. This ‘Rapid Action Boat Squadron’ is again led by Dasa. Navy has think it fit to entrust its ‘Sports’ aspects to agile and fine cricketer of Nalanda yesteryear; Dammika, my batch mate. All the important, Navy’s armament department is run by our tough cookie Kalana, a product of INS Dronacharya (Asia’s biggest missile and Gunnery school) and an ardent Royalist after JRJ and Admiral Sam. Navy’s ‘Departmental Tender Board’, an all important function, is in the very safe hands of Thilak. Prasanna, an electrical officer has been tasked with Research and Development, hither to an appointment exclusively reserved for X types. Kutta is in command of an offshore patrol vessle for the last two and half years rendering a yeoman service. This poor soul has been tasked to look after 'Disclipline' of the whole navy whose total cadre nears 50,000 mark. That again is a gigantic task. Thus, we 16th intake guys make our presence felt in all important ares in the navy. Like Admiral Sam, we also have created ‘many firsts’ in the annals of short history of Sri Lanka Navy.
Janaka was called by different names. He was Ruwan to some, Janaka to more close ones, JSR to some others. But unmistakable name for him by my batch make is Saja, means sergeant. Sergeant JS Ruwanpathirana was a fine footballer in his alma mater at De Mazenod Collage, Kandana. Later he captained Sri Lanka school football team. Janaka was very hardworking in any damn thing he did. He always needed excellent standard in all his dealings. He was always spic and span and ship shaped. He never tolerated ‘half cock’ stuff. His cabin he shared with Nana during our cadet years was neat and tidy. He was very methodical. He marked his cloth hangers according to the uniform type. We in the Navy have a dozen kinds of uniforms. JSR never put a pair of No 05s that is crisp white in to a cloth hanger which was marked No 06 which is navy blue. He was equally good at other tricks that is common to any ‘cadet entry’ types in the Navy. We jumped ship together , robbed victuals from the galley, stole uniforms from sailors , cheated our 'master at arms' when we did our cadet sea training, plucked Kurumba from Navy house without authority, para jumped to wardroom at midnight in search of 'precious stuff', to name a few.
As we progressed putting one, two stripes on our shoulder, JSR gradually turned out to be an excellent officer. He was tough. He was firm in his acts. He always pulled up people the moment he noticed some thing wrong with them. He corrected many faults in the Navy system. He was always accountable for his actions and made sure transparency in all his dealings. Not only that, he demanded same from others; be they juniors, pears or superiors. Because of this, not all were very fond of Janaka.
Janaka had his more than fair share of operational time at sea. He commanded Fast Gun Boats, Dvoras (Fast Attack Craft) among many other. Sea was like second home to JSR. He loved sea. He always ensured that all machineries on board ships he commanded were in running condition. His crew was always worked up to meet any contingency at sea. On board ship, Saja demanded excellent standard from all. And story below bears testimony in ample terms.
In 1994, I commanded P 455; an Israel built Fast Attack Craft (Dvora) and Janka was in command of P 457. One day, we both were on night patrol in the Delft channel. Around 8 pm, we observed on our radars, two LTTE boats coming out from Delft Island. Delft was controlled by LTTE during that time. These two sea tiger boats were presumably proceeding to Pooneryn area. We both planned to engage enemy boats in the middle of channel. Both Dvoras were brought in to ‘action station’ and we both engaged the sea tiger boats with maximum fire power. On being attacked, 02 sea tiger boats altered course and dashed towards Punkuduthivu Island compelling us to give a chase. Janaka went ahead of me and ran aground very close to Punkuduthivu Island. He requested assistance from me and I promptly obliged. But due to pitch darkness and choppy seas, I was unable to pull him out. Enemy sensed that we were in trouble. Couple of sea tiger boats surrounded us to attack. We both kept our heads cool without getting panic and kept enemy at bay until next day morning. We were pretty aware that reinforcement couldn’t arrive from Kankasanthurai (KKS) before first light that was some 80kms away. It was almost 12pm next day before we could pull out Janaka’s Dvora to safety. Situation could have been a catastrophe for the Navy if Janaka didn’t act bold with a clear sense of mind keeping his head straight under those extreme difficult and dangerous conditions.
I was fortunate enough to make the farewell speech at the party. I made a brief but well fitting speech to give due recognition and credit for an officer who sacrificed his prime youth in the noble cause of protecting mother Lanka. In my speech, I quoted Martin Luther King Jr, who echoed that “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamour of bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people”. My buddy janaka never kept silence in the vicinity of any wrongdoings. He had the guts to fight against them. He always stood on his feet and stod his ground even under very strenuous conditions.
It was Admiral Sam who taught us, ‘Duty is the greatest business of a sea officer. All other private considerations must give way to it…. How ever painful it may be. Sergeant simply lived by every wold of above statement. He always put Navy before him. What is good for Navy was simply good for him. If some damn body wants to be a Naval officer, he should be honest , disciplined, professional, loyal and a gentleman. If you are not all of them, simply forget to be a Naval officer. I am pretty sure that he was all of them. That is why he was a fine Naval officer in the first place. Underneath Janaka’s toughness and steelness, there was a genuine character inside. His genuine concern for people who worked under him was simply unmatched. Genuine concern for men under you is nowadays becoming a kind of rare commodity even in an unique place like Navy. This fine combination of toughness and genuine concern for men under you maketh a fine military leader.. And that amply suits JSR. In a society where individual characters has very ‘deadly combinations’ Sarja’s is a rare one.
I never failed to mention the contributions and sacrifices his beloved wife Dishanthi did throughout their family life of 14 years. She was the towering strength behind him who provided all the encouragement to JSR, firmly holding the family fortress. Dishanthi was the source of inspiration for Janaka. She sometimes even acted like a beacon or a light house to give clear directions when Janaka was sailing in difficult circumstances. In my speech, I remarked how understanding and empathetic Dishanthi was when JSR was going through some difficult times. Saja was compelled to engage in other things to make ends meet and keep the home fire burning. Dishanthi was at hand to lend all help. I even narrated a story about the ‘overcooked brinjol curry’ we enjoyed when we went to JSR’s Moratuwa house just after his marriage. Since then doors of JSR’s humble abode is always open to us in the 16th intake. Dishanthi is a terrific cook now as she learnt the fine art of food preparation. When I made my speech, i noticed tiers welling in the eyes of Dishanthi and later my daughter Ridmi told me that Dishanthi fell in to an uncontrollable sob.
Admiral Sam also spoke few words about Janaka and our batch. What else can we expect from Navy’s No 02 than his ‘acceptance’ that the 16th intake is the flagship of the present Navy. Admiral Sam presented a fitting memento we made for Janaka. We are pretty sure that he will find a suitable place to keep that 'cannon' in his humble abode which sure to bring lot of sweet memories many more years to come.
It was almost wee hours in the next day when the farewell party ended after so much of wining, dining, story telling, embracing, tears welling and much more. I want this brief account titled 'departure of a comrade' on Janaka be terminated by quoting charismatic US president JFK. In 1963, he said...“I can imagine no more rewarding career. And any man who may be asked in this country what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction; I served in the United States Navy”. And dear Janaka... you can proudly say that you were a member of SLNavy; an vibrant, active and a fighting Navy. If anybody doubts your contributions and sacrifices.... simply tell that… you are from 16th intake.
There were initially 29 officer cadets altogether who came from different walks of life. Most of the guys were Colombo schooled. Navy’s present media spokesman, Captain DKP Dassanayake came from the farthest corner of Trincomalee. Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, a no-nonsense officer, now the Navy’s number two was our training officer. I really don’t know Admiral Sam has anything to do with it being an ardent ‘Royalist’, but my batch (16th intake) was comprised of 07 Royalists. At the out set, we were kind of ‘misfits’ who happened to fit together. This ‘fitting together’ didn’t happen automatically. Lot of hard work, energy, commitment have gone in to this. Admiral Sam,our ‘Sea dad’ showed the direction and provided ample guidance. In fact it was mainly due to Admiral Sam’s efforts that were untiring and commitments of my comrades that were unwavering and steadfast, this ‘fitting together’ in to a bloody useful bunch was possible.
The whole of 16th intake family sans Athula and Kutta turned up for this bidding farewell, a sad departure. As i mentioned, the notable presence was that of our training officer 22 long years before, Rear Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe. Another conspicuous attendee was Kapila Goonathilake, a 16th intake gem who was compelled to leave us during our cadet time itself due to medical grounds. Kapila, now the Deputy General Manager of Hero Honda, makes it a habit to attend all our functions and Janaka’s farewell he never wanted to miss.
We, 16th intake officers in the Navy, are what we are today because of this finest blend of Admiral Sam’s guidance and our unwavering commitments. Today, after 23 years from our beginning, most of my comrades are holding very high positions in the Navy. We have couple of directors and deputy directors at such a young age. Navy’s media department is in the safe hands of our Dasa. Navy's innovative combat thinking of forming up of a ‘small boat operation units' gave us tremendous results in the war against LTTE Sea tigers. This ‘Rapid Action Boat Squadron’ is again led by Dasa. Navy has think it fit to entrust its ‘Sports’ aspects to agile and fine cricketer of Nalanda yesteryear; Dammika, my batch mate. All the important, Navy’s armament department is run by our tough cookie Kalana, a product of INS Dronacharya (Asia’s biggest missile and Gunnery school) and an ardent Royalist after JRJ and Admiral Sam. Navy’s ‘Departmental Tender Board’, an all important function, is in the very safe hands of Thilak. Prasanna, an electrical officer has been tasked with Research and Development, hither to an appointment exclusively reserved for X types. Kutta is in command of an offshore patrol vessle for the last two and half years rendering a yeoman service. This poor soul has been tasked to look after 'Disclipline' of the whole navy whose total cadre nears 50,000 mark. That again is a gigantic task. Thus, we 16th intake guys make our presence felt in all important ares in the navy. Like Admiral Sam, we also have created ‘many firsts’ in the annals of short history of Sri Lanka Navy.
Janaka was called by different names. He was Ruwan to some, Janaka to more close ones, JSR to some others. But unmistakable name for him by my batch make is Saja, means sergeant. Sergeant JS Ruwanpathirana was a fine footballer in his alma mater at De Mazenod Collage, Kandana. Later he captained Sri Lanka school football team. Janaka was very hardworking in any damn thing he did. He always needed excellent standard in all his dealings. He was always spic and span and ship shaped. He never tolerated ‘half cock’ stuff. His cabin he shared with Nana during our cadet years was neat and tidy. He was very methodical. He marked his cloth hangers according to the uniform type. We in the Navy have a dozen kinds of uniforms. JSR never put a pair of No 05s that is crisp white in to a cloth hanger which was marked No 06 which is navy blue. He was equally good at other tricks that is common to any ‘cadet entry’ types in the Navy. We jumped ship together , robbed victuals from the galley, stole uniforms from sailors , cheated our 'master at arms' when we did our cadet sea training, plucked Kurumba from Navy house without authority, para jumped to wardroom at midnight in search of 'precious stuff', to name a few.
As we progressed putting one, two stripes on our shoulder, JSR gradually turned out to be an excellent officer. He was tough. He was firm in his acts. He always pulled up people the moment he noticed some thing wrong with them. He corrected many faults in the Navy system. He was always accountable for his actions and made sure transparency in all his dealings. Not only that, he demanded same from others; be they juniors, pears or superiors. Because of this, not all were very fond of Janaka.
Janaka had his more than fair share of operational time at sea. He commanded Fast Gun Boats, Dvoras (Fast Attack Craft) among many other. Sea was like second home to JSR. He loved sea. He always ensured that all machineries on board ships he commanded were in running condition. His crew was always worked up to meet any contingency at sea. On board ship, Saja demanded excellent standard from all. And story below bears testimony in ample terms.
In 1994, I commanded P 455; an Israel built Fast Attack Craft (Dvora) and Janka was in command of P 457. One day, we both were on night patrol in the Delft channel. Around 8 pm, we observed on our radars, two LTTE boats coming out from Delft Island. Delft was controlled by LTTE during that time. These two sea tiger boats were presumably proceeding to Pooneryn area. We both planned to engage enemy boats in the middle of channel. Both Dvoras were brought in to ‘action station’ and we both engaged the sea tiger boats with maximum fire power. On being attacked, 02 sea tiger boats altered course and dashed towards Punkuduthivu Island compelling us to give a chase. Janaka went ahead of me and ran aground very close to Punkuduthivu Island. He requested assistance from me and I promptly obliged. But due to pitch darkness and choppy seas, I was unable to pull him out. Enemy sensed that we were in trouble. Couple of sea tiger boats surrounded us to attack. We both kept our heads cool without getting panic and kept enemy at bay until next day morning. We were pretty aware that reinforcement couldn’t arrive from Kankasanthurai (KKS) before first light that was some 80kms away. It was almost 12pm next day before we could pull out Janaka’s Dvora to safety. Situation could have been a catastrophe for the Navy if Janaka didn’t act bold with a clear sense of mind keeping his head straight under those extreme difficult and dangerous conditions.
I was fortunate enough to make the farewell speech at the party. I made a brief but well fitting speech to give due recognition and credit for an officer who sacrificed his prime youth in the noble cause of protecting mother Lanka. In my speech, I quoted Martin Luther King Jr, who echoed that “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamour of bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people”. My buddy janaka never kept silence in the vicinity of any wrongdoings. He had the guts to fight against them. He always stood on his feet and stod his ground even under very strenuous conditions.
It was Admiral Sam who taught us, ‘Duty is the greatest business of a sea officer. All other private considerations must give way to it…. How ever painful it may be. Sergeant simply lived by every wold of above statement. He always put Navy before him. What is good for Navy was simply good for him. If some damn body wants to be a Naval officer, he should be honest , disciplined, professional, loyal and a gentleman. If you are not all of them, simply forget to be a Naval officer. I am pretty sure that he was all of them. That is why he was a fine Naval officer in the first place. Underneath Janaka’s toughness and steelness, there was a genuine character inside. His genuine concern for people who worked under him was simply unmatched. Genuine concern for men under you is nowadays becoming a kind of rare commodity even in an unique place like Navy. This fine combination of toughness and genuine concern for men under you maketh a fine military leader.. And that amply suits JSR. In a society where individual characters has very ‘deadly combinations’ Sarja’s is a rare one.
I never failed to mention the contributions and sacrifices his beloved wife Dishanthi did throughout their family life of 14 years. She was the towering strength behind him who provided all the encouragement to JSR, firmly holding the family fortress. Dishanthi was the source of inspiration for Janaka. She sometimes even acted like a beacon or a light house to give clear directions when Janaka was sailing in difficult circumstances. In my speech, I remarked how understanding and empathetic Dishanthi was when JSR was going through some difficult times. Saja was compelled to engage in other things to make ends meet and keep the home fire burning. Dishanthi was at hand to lend all help. I even narrated a story about the ‘overcooked brinjol curry’ we enjoyed when we went to JSR’s Moratuwa house just after his marriage. Since then doors of JSR’s humble abode is always open to us in the 16th intake. Dishanthi is a terrific cook now as she learnt the fine art of food preparation. When I made my speech, i noticed tiers welling in the eyes of Dishanthi and later my daughter Ridmi told me that Dishanthi fell in to an uncontrollable sob.
Admiral Sam also spoke few words about Janaka and our batch. What else can we expect from Navy’s No 02 than his ‘acceptance’ that the 16th intake is the flagship of the present Navy. Admiral Sam presented a fitting memento we made for Janaka. We are pretty sure that he will find a suitable place to keep that 'cannon' in his humble abode which sure to bring lot of sweet memories many more years to come.
It was almost wee hours in the next day when the farewell party ended after so much of wining, dining, story telling, embracing, tears welling and much more. I want this brief account titled 'departure of a comrade' on Janaka be terminated by quoting charismatic US president JFK. In 1963, he said...“I can imagine no more rewarding career. And any man who may be asked in this country what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction; I served in the United States Navy”. And dear Janaka... you can proudly say that you were a member of SLNavy; an vibrant, active and a fighting Navy. If anybody doubts your contributions and sacrifices.... simply tell that… you are from 16th intake.
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