HMS Samaranayake, who made a name for himself in the field of Tourism passed away recently after a short period of failing health.
Sam entered the Peradeniya University in the mid-fifties from Rahula College. Matara, even though a major part of his secondary education was at Rohana Vidyalaya in a suburb of that town.
He was truly a village lad with his origins from Gandara where his father was a well established grocer. When the father’s fortunes suffered a setback he had to contend himself with an accessible school. He was fortunate that a graduate in the Classics who carefully looked into the language aspect of his students had become the head of the school.
Sam made himself eligible to read for a special degree in Economics. What is noteworthy, however, is that he was selected to pursue studies in statistics for his area of specialization, the only student to enjoy this position. In fact, even in the year following, only one student managed to achieve this distinction. It is his remarkable mastery of mathematics that gave him this rare opportunity.
Sam’s career in the public service commenced at the Department of Statistics. When tourism was recognized for its economic potential and the Tourist Board was established to vigorously exploit this potential, Sam’s background in statistics paved the way for him to get a foothold in the Board. So, Sam abandoned figures - which, as Sarath Amunugama jokingly mentioned at the launch of Sam’s book, ‘A Lifetime in Tourism’, some of them continued to embrace! But, his work in the Tourist Board proved that what matters is what you do with the figures and not the figures themselves: much intricate analytical work was carried out by Sam and his team, behind the scene, to clear the ground and lay out a growth path for tourism, salvage it from the backwaters and carry it forward to become a commanding height of the national economy.
His competence and commitment propelled him in the Board, until he became, in the fullness of time, its General Manager and finally, Chairman.
Sam found his life’s partner while working in the Department of Statistics. The couple was blessed with two sons and a daughter - all high achievers in their chosen fields.
Sam was a man of sterling qualities and good values. He was Bestman at my wedding. When he missed our son’s wedding, to compensate, he hosted the young couple as well as the old, at the ‘Culture Club’ Kandalama for a week-end - an undertaking way beyond a pensioner’s purse. He unashamedly acknowledged a great debt to his famous namesake ‘Practical English’, a work, in spite of the early reservations expressed by purists to this approach to learning the Queen’s English - has served generations of students to attain an acceptable standard in English. He expressed his gratitude by attending a recent commemorative event on that author in spite of health concerns.
Sam was one of the early heart by-pass patients. This intervention gave him a long period of good health. More recently, his health deteriorated on many fronts - so much so that he often expressed a strong desire for his life to come to an end. He was spared any period of agony and his life came to a peaceful close with his loving daughter and her husband in attendance, a melancholy consolation.
Sam was a light-hearted man, full of laughter, who drank delight in the company of his children, grandchildren and friends. We will greatly miss him. May he attain Nibbana.
HPW