Our Founder President AoA (UK) Dharmawardena

It is sad to record the demise of our first President, KGERW Dharmawardene, who shared the first year Presidency with Dr Jeeva Siriwardena. Born as the third son to a comfortable home in Kahanawita, Dehiowita, his full name read as Kahanwita Gama Eti Ralalage Wimalaratne Dhamawardene. His father too had attended Ananda. The family subscribed to the newspaper Sinhala, set up by the British Theosophical Society which forged his thinking and commitment to Independence movement from a young age.

After an initial spell in Nalanda, he and his brothers joined Ananda in 1944 when the school moved to Gampaha as a wartime security measure. Winning early recognition for quick wit and intelligence, he was chosen to lead both English and Sinhala debating teams. He was in one of the first batches to enter the newly constructed Ceylon University in Peradeniya where he read Philosophy and Humanities. After a spell as a Labour Officer he served as an officer in the Ceylon Army before coming to London in the early sixties. He was attached to Inner Temple for his law studies which was followed by a period in teaching. He found his niche in the motor trade as the director of the firm he set up importing and exporting vehicles. As an independent entrepreneur, he found time and means to take an active role in religious activities.

Dharme rose to the challenges of founding the Association of Old Anandians in keeping with the Buddhist traditions of tolerance in the early eighties. He had the good fortune of having a group of friends active in many fields, a supportive wife Malati, who had authored the school text in Bio Sciences and two responsible children. His son Harsha, a Science graduate with Rolls Royce training, later took up the burgeoning family business and the daughter Bavani runs her own GP practice in Kensington.

Many Londoners besides Anandians acutely felt the need for an organisation to uphold the culture and traditions of Sri Lankans and our school Ananda. The erudition of The Buddhist Theosophical Society rose to the challenge. Dharme and the group of Association of Old Anandians shouldered the tasks of setting up meetings by concentrating on Avurudu Ulela, Festival of Cricket and many fixtures among old school cricket teams. I recall Major NLC Perera’s son, Akila, first Captain, gifting the shield for FoC and Dharme gifting the cup for Ananda Vs Nalanda Old boys encounter in London.

A devout Buddhist, committed to a contemplative life as a vegetarian, Mr Dharmawardene regularly observed Sil and generously contributed to many causes dear to him and fellow Anandians. He was amongst the first to organise supporting activities for the Temples with generous donations. In 1982, he inspired the initiators to start up the Thames Buddhist Vihara in Selsden, Surrey.

He took great delight in following the Sri Lankan Cricket scene lending enthusiastic support to annual In Festival of Cricket for Sri Lankan schools from its inception. He gifted a bowling machine to Ananda for the Cricket development squads. When Sri Lanka won the Cricket World Cup in 1996, he was ecstatic and proudly out bid the competition at the annual dance to purchase the Cricket bat with signatures of the winning team.

He was well informed on world affairs and had a vast library on Sri Lanka and its history. He took great enjoyment rebutting baseless separatist and terrorist claims with facts and figures from many historic reports and commission reports of more recent events with unquestionable authority.Recognising his many services to Sri Lankan causes he was made an island wide Justice of the Peace. He delivered the Olcott Lecture at the London Buddhist Vihara in 2002.

Compiled by Tissa Wellappili with support from Harsha Dharmawardene - 3 Dec 2020.