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!’
Yes. Sri Lanka has indeed lost a ‘national treasure!’
-Mark Amerasinghe