From Trinity to tea and military: Mileposts in Madu’s life
Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.
When the wind blows, we do not know where it came from; nor do we know where it went. As if taken by a gust of wind Madu’s life was taken away suddenly, leaving a grieving wife and children and many friends and relatives.
Madu or Nimal Theekshana Madugalle to give his full name, and his wife Sita, had just joined their daughter and son and their families in Sydney, when within weeks his life was snuffed out.
Madu’s parents were descended from two aristocratic Kandyan families – the Madugalles of Udispattuwa and the Rambukpothas of Badulla. He had one sibling, an older brother Rihaal.
Both brothers had the distinction of playing in the same Trinity College rugby team in 1959 under Denzil Kobbekaduwa and in 1960, under Eric Roles. Both were speedy wing three quarters. Theekshana played for Trinity from 1959 to 1962, being the vice captain in 1961 and 1962. Some of his team mates in the Trinity rugby teams were Denzil Kobbekaduwa, Eric Roles, Jayanthissa Ratwatte, Tony Buultjens, Gamini Fernando, Malcolm Talwatte, Jayantha Jayewardene, Noel Brohier, Kavinda Ellepola, A N P Fernando and C H Seneviratne.
He was also a good athlete representing Trinity at the Public Schools Meets from 1959 to 1961. He captained the Trinity athletics team in 1961. Some of the other athletes representing Trinity at that time were L.C.R. de Silva, Gamini Ranaraja, Jayantissa Ratwatte, M.C.M. Fazeel and Rodney Geddes.
Madu took to tea planting as a career and was on estates in the Kandapola, Agrapatana and Nuwara Eliya districts. Towards the end of his planting career, he managed a group of estates for the Kelani Valley Plantation Company.
Madu enlisted in the Ceylon Rifle Corps as a volunteer. He served in the war zone at Vadamarachchi during the height of the war with the LTTE.
Madu met and married Sita Dias and they immediately became soul mates. Their love for each other and their children was unbounded. As Edgar Allan Poe has said ‘they loved with a love that was more than love’. Theeks and Nanga, as they called each other, led an exemplary life as parents and friends.
Madu was proud of the achievements of his two children and lost no time in telling his friends of what they had done. He loved his three grandchildren very much. For over three years he spent almost all his time single handedly looking after his eldest grandson Aryn.
Madu was quiet by nature but had an extensive knowledge and deep understanding of anything worth knowing. He was kind and sensitive. He was a good friend. He certainly was one to me.
Our sympathies and love go out to Sita, Chamilka and Rajiva in this time of their extreme sadness at the sudden loss of their husband and father. Farewell Madu my lifelong friend. May you have a pleasant journey through Samsara and may you attain Nirvana!