“Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance” – Dr. Samuel Johnson
Dr. Wijayatunga Mudalige Harischandra Wijayatunga’s life reflects the authenticity of these lines. He is a revered mythical scholar, author, translator, lexicographer, teacher, lawyer, Hela Wadampathi, university lecturer and politician who have achieved milestones of triumphs.
He was the compiler of the Practical Sinhala Dictionary (1982) and Gunasena Great Sinhala Dictionary, which are considered the most comprehensive Sinhala dictionaries to date. Besides compiling these voluminous works of over 2,000 pages, he also proposed scientific ideas to standardise the Sinhala alphabet. He is the leader of the Sinhalaye Mahasammatha Bhoomiputra Party. During the presidential elections of 1994 and 1999, he was the candidate of the party for the high office.
He was born on October 25, 1931 in Minuwangoda to a family of wealthy landowners with esteemed social eminence. This amalgamation of affluence and respected lineage helped him pursue, undeterred, his academic ambitions.
Defying his father’s desire to see his son become renowned in the medical field as he was an Ayurvedic Physician, Dr. Wijayatunga steadfastly and passionately pursued his scholastic exploits. He concluded his secondary education at Nalanda College, Colombo. His contemporaries at Nalanda College were Karunaratne Abeysekera, Dr. Hudson Silva, Dr. Dharmasena Attygalle, Rupa Karunatilleke, Ravindra Rupasena, Gunadasa Amarasekera and Stanley Jayasinghe.
Storehouse of talents
In 1955, the University of Ceylon conferred on him BSC degree, after which he joined the tutorial staff of Dharmaraja College, Kandy, while simultaneously teaching Chemistry at Mahamaya Girls’ College. Key to his success was that he possessed a storehouse of concealed talents. He had imbibed early in life, a unique passion for writing. He realised the first of his ambitions when he authored a book on a field in the college laboratory, with the book titled Miridiya Jivihu. It was a justification of the existence of life in plants and creatures which were not visible to the naked eye.
Dr. Wijayatunga had multifaceted talents which when harnessed were to result in lasting creative endeavours. He loved aesthetics. He was imbued with creative poetic talent and displayed his innate talents when he composed Sinhala kavi. These were compiled in a volume titled Pahan Wana Da. Amongst them was his kavi titled Gangawe Andonawa. It was his heartfelt dedication to the Mahaweli River. With a little lyrical modifications, his close friend, scholar Arisen Ahubudu composed the famous hit song of Sunil Shantha, Emba Ganga Gangawe.
At the time, forces were at work to establish Sinhala as the State Official Language. Less fervent activists were sceptical about science being taught in Sinhala. To meet the challenge, Dr. Wijayatunga determinedly pursued his vision of translating celebrated science books into Sinhala. In 1956, he translated the ‘Practical Chemistry’ by Joseph and Browning. In 1962, he published the Sinhala version of ‘Inorganic Chemistry’ by P.J. Durante, which was used by students for decades.
In 1965, he was appointed to the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI). He was the first and the only member appointed to the staff, functioning as its Secretary. Under his supervision, Divisional Committees on Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Agriculture and Chemicals, and Metrication of Sri Lanka were appointed. During his tenure, he had issued 180 standards certificates. His desire for criminal law made him join the Sri Lanka Law College as a student. He took his oaths as an Attorney-at-Law in 1973.
Sinhalese language and alphabet
Dr. Wijayatunga was a great innovator who possessed a passion for creating or pioneering fields. He discovered anomalies in the technique of the Sinhalese written alphabet. He was not totally tied to tradition; “innovate where necessary” was his guiding thought.
He proposed scientific ideas to standardise certain Sinhala letters in the alphabet and change the standard exercise books to six-ruled exercise books. The concepts in English four-ruled exercise books were thus revolutionised.
In 1990, he was conferred a doctorate for his thesis on ‘Legal Philosophy in Medieval Sri Lanka’. The Practical Sinhala Dictionary Vol. 1 by him was launched in 1982. This was further edited to compose the huge sophisticated Practical Sinhala Dictionary Vol. 2 comprising over 130,000 Sinhala words which to date is the most comprehensive Sinhala dictionary, which was launched during the Colombo Book Fair in 2017 comprising 3,000 pages.
Persuasive writer
Dr. Wijayatunga is a persuasive writer. His writings displayed deep scholasticism and in-depth analysis of the subject matter. One such was his political philosophy ‘Mahasammatavada’ (‘Great Consensus’ or comprehensive consultation) which envisages consulting all people which he described “as going beyond democracy”.
Throughout the 1980s he held various offices. Inter alia, he functioned as the Chief Editor of the tabloid Sinhala Bauddhaya (Sinhala Buddhist), Director of Sri Lanka Ayurvedic Drugs Corporation and a member of the directorate Siddayurveda College, Editor-in-Chief of the Sinhala Encyclopaedia and officer-in-charge, Sinhala version of the Legislature Enactments of Sri Lanka.
On October 25, 2021, Dr. Wijayatunga became be a nonagenarian. On this day, his Alma Mater Nalanda College felicitated him with a Zoom program Harsanda Harasara when Abhinandana special issue and Margagatha abhinandana 2021 were launched.
He has not succumbed at all to the demands of senility with the passage of time as he is still active accepting invitations for imparting his immense knowledge to university students and via electronic media. Hence, he has not diminished his value of his creative works.
Dr. Wijayatunga can look back with gratification on the trials of his past and reflect how manfully he grappled with all odds. Perhaps his message to posterity will be ‘success’ does not always elude men. To achieve it, perseverance is a pre-determinant. All Sri Lankans should hail him and follow his footsteps. Wish him superior health and longevity!