There
is so much to say of this humble ‘national treasure’
Writing an appreciation of Valentine Basnayake, popularly known as
Bas, is no easy matter; not because there is little that can be said
about him, but because there is so much that calls to be said of this
multifaceted, true human being, that makes it difficult for me, alone,
to do him justice.
After qualifying MBBS, Bas, following his academic bent, joined the
Dept. of Physiology of the Faculty of Medicine in Colombo and after a
while, went to Oxford for his postgraduate studies.
It was his life-long and deep love of music – he was self-taught- that
brought the two of us together. Ever willing to help those who were
interested in music – wherever that interest lay- he helped and
accompanied me in my early days as a budding singer. It was this close
association plus our interaction over many years in the Faculty of
Medicine of the second medical school, that made us firm friends.
Many were the singers and instrumentalists he helped, often at very
short notice. He was the regular accompanist for that Meistersinger,
the late Lylie Godridge, among other singers of repute. He was much
sought after and for a long time had the reputation of being Sri
Lanka’s foremost accompanist. This latter reputation did not blunt the
humility of this truly great musician. He was also the chosen
accompanist, for the internationally acclaimed tenor Luigi Infantino
and that Sri Lankan of international repute, the cellist Rohan de
Saram, when they performed in Sri Lanka.
After some years in Colombo, he moved to Peradeniya and adorned the
Chair in Physiology at the Faculty of Medicine of the Peradeniya
Medical School. I shall leave it to others who were closely associated
with him in the Physiology Dept. to write about his contribution to
his chosen discipline. Two aspects of this contribution were known to
me; his introduction of students to Project Work and his encouragement
of a good research methodology, guided all the time by a strict
adherence to ethical principles.
In Peradeniya, he spent a great deal of time and energy in the
development and encouragement of those who were interested in music
and actually aroused that interest among those who up to that time had
paid little attention to it. He, ably backed by his close friend the
late Prof. Seneka Bibile, was responsible for the initiation and
growth of the Peradeniya P4 music group. This gathering of people
interested in music, people of all ages, performers and audience
alike, met regularly to produce music and provide entertainment which
was greatly appreciated by so many. Some children who were in those
audiences, now grown up men and women, still fondly recall those
musical evenings. The hard work of organisation was in Bas’s hands
with, in the early days, Seneka and Leela Bibile providing the venue
and eats and drinks. It was Bas’s highly methodical hard work, his
enthusiasm and dedication that kept this group alive for many years.
So popular were these get-togethers that a group of singers, among
whom were Lylie Godridge, Nimal Senanayake, Lorraine Abeysekera,
Irangani Goonesinghe and Mary Anne David, came up regularly from
Colombo for the evening, just to participate in these most enjoyable
evenings, getting back to Colombo late that same night.
Valentine Basnayake played a vital role in the Schools Biology Project
headed by Seneka Bibile. Bas ensured that students were introduced to
Biology not as a mere text-book discipline but as a hands-on learning
experience, largely through project work. I believe that he was the
first scholar to introduce MCQ’s to Sri Lanka; an experience that he
made use of in the Faculty of Medicine; being responsible for training
other staff in the formulation of sound, meaningful MCQ’s.
Furthermore, he introduced the Student Projects experience popularised
in the School Biology Project to the Faculty and ensured its
continuance for many years.
Bas was a soft spoken, gentle man who never spoke harshly to anyone.
When displeased or angry that some people disagreed with him he merely
fell silent. When he spoke, he weighed every word he used with
infinite care and precision, so that there was no ambiguity in what he
said. He held strong views particularly on educational matters and
expressed them firmly, precisely but always calmly. He made a huge
contribution to Medical Education, particularly in the field of
evaluation, long before the Medical Education Unit was set up.
As Dean of Faculty and Professor of Physiology, Bas made an invaluable
contribution to the Peradeniya Medical School. There were those who,
while acknowledging and admiring his commitment and scholarship,
claimed that at times he could be inflexible. I know personally that
this criticism was at times justifiable. During his period of
deanship, I had the pleasure and privilege of meeting him regularly
and discussing matters with him over many a cup of Nescafe brewed by
him. There were times I disagreed with him over matters that were to
come up at the next Faculty meeting. No amount of argument or
persuasion could shift him from the stand he was going to take. After
expressing his view, in that quiet, precise and firm manner of his, he
would listen to me patiently without interruption and comment. On
these occasions, I told him that I was on the grounds of our
friendship, warning him of my disagreement, but would challenge him in
open ‘Court’ if he held his ground. He just smiled and said, “Mark,
have another cup of coffee!”
Bas was a true academic, displaying those qualities that went way
beyond the holding of degrees. He was greatly admired by many a
leading scientist in the country. He was an active member of the Sri
Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science for many years. The
late Professor Breckenridge in conversation with me once said, ‘I say
men, Bas is a national treasure!
I leave to the last a unique aspect of this man. Namely, his love and
concern for all living things. Once, while walking along the corridor
with him, he suddenly stopped, bent down, gently picked up a worm that
lay across his path and as gently placed it in the adjacent garden.
His dog, resident in the Dept of Physiology, followed him faithfully
to his lectures, and sat patiently, perhaps, listening to the lecture
with as much interest as the students.
I believe- I may be wrong here- that during his time, animal
experimentation was gradually replaced by a different type of
physiology that did not involve the muscle twitch trace of a pithed
frog. I know for certain that he considered such experimentation
unacceptable and a cruelty to a helpless animal.
“Dear Bas, your long-time close friend and associate, says ‘Goodbye’
with a heart burdened with pain, sorrow and a sense of deep loss,
while giving thanks to you and the Higher Powers that be, for granting
me the invaluable gift of knowing you so well and for the pleasure I
experienced in this knowing and for the knowledge I was privileged to
glean from you.”
Yes. Sri Lanka has indeed lost a ‘national treasure!’
