Letter receieved from Ariyadasa Yapa

We have received the following letter from Peradeniya E-fac alumni Ariyadasa Yapa.

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Dear blogger/ publisher,

I read through all articles published in this site with interest as an old student of the faculty.

I visited the faculty last during the inauguration of Professor Mahalingam Fund for supporting the final year student’s projects. I witnessed the slow or no progress of our oldest and prestigious academic institution for learning engineering.

I could not see or meet any member of the academic staff having the calibre even close to late Professor Bartholomeusz. I believe some of the current staff members are the student of this beloved professor.

Most of the people I met are motivated and involved in politics and not interested in academic activities.

No wonder why we are sliding down in our academic achievements and professional standards. I am very sad to see that the traitors like Con-Doctor Vickramabahu are highly decorated and recognised academics even in this blog.

Our faculty is a national treasure and the protection, promotion and preservation of its values, standards, prestige, achievements and reputation is the duty and the responsibility of all of us the past and present students.

Please do not allow to abuse the name of this institutions by unscrupulous cunning and opportunistic political animals like Bahu.

"The world is unsafe not because of handful of terrorists, but due to the silence of many good people”.

Thank you

Y.K.A.Yapa

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You may leave your reply to Ariyadasa Yapa as a comment below.

(image: http://letter.homeshow.info/letter-to-editor/)

Conclusion - Peradeniya eFac canteen story written by late Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz

Today we conclude "The Canteen Story" written by late Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz. Use the link below to access previously published instalments.

Part 1: Birth of an idea
Part 2: Opening moves - research and report
Part 3. The first Canteen Committee (C.C.)
Part 4: The Inner Circle
Part 5: Financial practices
Part 6: A leap forward - extension in services 

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Part 7: Conclusion

Taking what at first seemed to be no more than a wild idea of young minds from null state to fruition was, to those who shared this mission, an altogether new and exhilarating experience with dimensions that far outstripped profit. It brought home to many of us the surprising invulnerability and 'power over events' bestowed on a brotherhood bonded by mutual trust, confident of its own resourcefulness and above all driven by a common vision.

To my deep regret my search for the records of these events has proved fruitless leaving me no option but to draw these recollections from a memory misted by age and time.

If only I could name each member of this selfless band of visionaries who were my companions in this adventure, I would do so now, for it is owed to them that they be neither forgotten nor unsung. It is in their name that I address the present bearers of the torch that these precursors first set alight:

"Greetings from the past. Go well!"

END

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I would like to thank Mr. Somapala Hewavitharana, who currently lives in Perth, Australia for sending this historical account written by late Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz to eFacMemories blog.

-Moderator/eFacmemories

Canteen Story Part 6 : A leap forward - extension in services

Part 6 of "The Canteen Story" written by late Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz is published today. Use the link below to access previously published instalments.

Part 1: Birth of an idea
Part 2: Opening moves - research and report
Part 3. The first Canteen Committee (C.C.)
Part 4: The Inner Circle
Part 5: Financial practices

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Part 6. A leap forward - extension in services 

Initial plans were based on the prudent 'last case premise' that revenues were derived from tea profits alone. In practice early escalations in patronage and progressive streamlining of services and the consequential increases in revenue from tea and from sales of cigarettes and food (excluded in planning), combined to generate profits that were significantly in excess of the conservative early estimates. This outcome encouragedthe C.C. with its newfound dynamism to seek new fields for conquest.

To begin with, immediate steps were taken towards the repayment of the university loan. This was achieved in half the stipulated time! On deeper review it was decided at this point that:

a. canteen tariffs be held fixed and standards maintained despite the alarming rises in the costs of food and general supplies outside;

b. the canteen's daily menu be extended to include popular food items like hoppers and stringhoppers with customary accompaniments, as well as favored other savories - this was to make the canteen a popular breakfast center for the non-resident working staff of the faculty;

c. the canteen become a provider of quality stationary and instruments at the lowest feasible cost, to students of the Faculty who hitherto had, of necessity, to purchase these items from middle-suppliers in the private sector, at substantial expense.

To the latter end, two members of the C.C. were delegated to conduct supply negotiations with relevant authorities in the Government Paper corporation in Colombo, which was at that time the sole conduit of drawing paper to the private sector. Despite an initial display of reluctance on their part, insistent appeals and elucidations backed by explanations overcame objections and our request was finally conceded with a generous quota allocation authorized from this source direct to the C.C., enabling the latter to provide drawing paper to students of the Faculty at less than half the prevailing price.

Drawing instruments were a more complex issue. The only sources of drawing instruments up to this time were a few suppliers in the private sector who dealt exclusively with costly instruments of British manufacture. As a first step towards an alleviation of this expense, the chairman of the C.C. addressed diplomatic representatives of countries of recognized repute in the manufacture of scientific instruments soliciting their interest and seeking suggestions as to delivery and cost. The responses to this communication were prompt and encouraging. The particular response from the commercial attache of the Czech embassy was deemed, by consensus in the committee, to be the most promising and favourable. Accordingly, samples of Czech design were requested and duly provided. These were judged to be comparable in both quality and design to those already in vogue and were available at costs substantially below those prevailing. The deal was forthwith sealed at the Czech embassy in Colombo by representatives of the C.C. and orders duly placed and ratified on that occasion.

The arrival of these instruments at the canteen stores was received with jubilation among our students, and procedures were soon in place for their sale in the canteen (at one set per student) at a price which, despite a modest margin of profit, fell far below those of earlier years.

These initiatives of the C.C. were crowned with success and brought in revenues that vastly out-stripped our early timid expectations. At this stage the C.C. itself may be said to have progressed from its faltering first steps to a position of confidence and maturity, and the time for setting acceptable criteria for the disbursement of profits had arrived. After due deliberation, it was unanimously agreed that the following targets be set, subject to review in very special circumstances:

a. 30% of profits be banked in a canteen contingency fund;

b. 20% be diverted as bonus in savings accounts in the name of members of the canteen staff in recognition of their contribution to this outcome, and that

c. 50% be reserved for salaries, dues, current running expenses, and for the retention of canteen prices in an environment of sharply rising costs.

At around this time the C.C. could no longer, in common fairness, afford to ignore the substantial additional load that devolved on the treasurer from these added undertakings. He (Mr Manniyangama) continued, uncomplaining, to discharge his duties in the C.C. with his customary meticulousness and excellence, paying dearly for it in lost evenings and curtailed week-ends. The recognition of these services took the form of a monthly allowance allocated from canteen funds to the office of treasurer. This arrangement was authorized by the Vice Chancellor, who demanded to be assured that these duties were not discharged in 'official time' which, indeed, by their very nature, they were not.

In further pursuance of its mission, canteen food supplies were extended in both volume and variety and catering services were provided for faculty occasions at all levels. When funds exceeded pre-judged limits, the spill-over was often used for student awards for each year, based exclusively on academic merit.

As a further measure of service, a cheque/money order/postal order cashing facility was provided by the treasurer to all members of the faculty out of weekly canteen takings which were, by then, large enough to accommodate a scheme of this kind. Needless to say, this initiative was received with high enthusiasm by the whole community. It can be claimed that at this stage the C.C. objectives of 'quality service at low cost' were by and large met.

To be concluded with next chapter:
http://efacmemories.blogspot.com/2014/07/conclusion-peradeniya-efac-canteen.html

Canteen Story - Financial practices

Part 5 of "The Canteen Story" written by late Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz is published today. Use the link below to access previously published instalments.

Part 1: Birth of an idea
Part 2: Opening moves - research and report
Part 3. The first Canteen Committee (C.C.)
Part 4: The Inner Circle

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Part 5. Financial practices

As a matter of routine, daily sales records of tea and cigarettes and of food items provided by selected private suppliers were maintained by Mr Manniyangama and were used to confirm cash returns at the close of each day. At each weekend these daily accounts and cash collections were submitted to the Chairman for checking and acceptance. In all my years as chairman, I can recall but one instance where a discrepancy of a minor kind surfaced in the course of this exercise, whereat the deficiency was promptly made good by personal contribution. On confirmation of these weekly accounts, the cash collected was approved for depositing in a 'Canteen Account' in the Bank of Ceylon across the river.

On the last day of each month, all suppliers of canteen foods were given detailed records of their supplies in that month complemented by cash in full settlement of dues and a brief accompanying note of thanks. A few days later a meeting of the full committee was called, at which a comprehensive balance sheet setting out the current financial state of the canteen was tabled and questions of policy and practice arising from it were discussed and ratified for implementation.

These financial initiatives sewed to provide the C.C. with a capability of surprising sensitivity and flexibility, and furthermore, endowed it with a growing confidence in the use of its regulatory powers.

Continued:-

Canteen Story - Part 4: The Inner Circle

Part 4 of "The Canteen Story" written by late Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz is published today. Use the link below to access previously published instalments.

Part 1: Birth of an idea
Part 2: Opening moves - research and report
Part 3: The first Canteen Committee (C.C.)

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Part 4. The Inner Circle

While matters of broad policy were reserved for the full C.C.,  the day to day affairs of the committee were controlled by an inner executive of three, comprising the chairman (Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz), the secretary (Mr H. Somapala), and the treasurer (Mr P. Manniyangama) . In enterprises like this the contributions of the treasurer and secretary are pivotal to success. The first committee was singularly fortunate in its choices of the late Mr P. Manniyangama as its treasurer, and Mr H. Somapala as its secretary who were both to continue in these roles well into the future.

Mr Manniyangama, with his wide-ranging background in book keeping and accountancy brought a valuable and sorely needed expertise into financial management within the committee. He discharged these duties with despatch, meticulousness, and unflagging zeal, setting standards of performance that were truly noteworthy. He will, no doubt, reappear as my story unfolds.

Mr Somapala, positioned as he was at the very heart of the committee, was its central executive officer and the custodian of its memory. He too served the committee with distinction freely bestowing on it the benefits of his considerable electro-mechanical skills - his ingenious mains-powered push-button substitute for the 'lamp and paper' cigarette lighter of pre-C.C. times was just one example of this.

Individually it may be said of them, each excelled in his own special way; working together in harmony as they did, they were simply unbeatable.

The chairman's role in this executive was by and large a supervisory one, invested with the delegated adjudicatory authority of the C.C..

In special situations assistance whether in work or in views, solicited from the parent committee was readily forthcoming. In such instances the services Dr Milton Amaratunga, Mr W. Dahanayake, and in particular Dr S. Naguleswaran merit special mention.

Continued: Part 5: Financial practices

Peradeniya eFac Canteen Story Continued-

Part 3 of "The Canteen Story" written by late Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz is published today. Use the link below to access previously published instalments.

Part 1: Birth of an idea
Part 2: Opening moves - research and report

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Part 3. The first Canteen Committee (C.C.) - its composition and preliminary activities

Composition:

The first C.C. was now formally constituted and was composed of two representatives each from the teaching staff, the laboratory staff, and the administration; one representative each from the skills division and the administrative division of the workshop and finally, student representatives comprising the three initiators of this project with a floating complement of one representative from each course-year-batch in the student body.

Preliminary activities:

In the first few meetings of the C.C. deliberations were conducted and formal decisions taken, on the following subjects:

a. objectives,

b. the duties and conditions of service of the canteen staff,

c. a duty roster for C.C. members that did not seriously interfere with their academic or official duties at the faculty,

d. structural changes within the canteen to ensure smooth flow at the service counter,

e. the purchase of stores and equipment.

Decisions on each of these subjects were taken in this sequence. Managerial and assistant canteen staff were forthwith recruited by advertisement and interview, and all appointees duly apprised of the codes of personal conduct and service expected of them. The choice of Mr Jayatileke as canteen manager turned out to be a happy one. He was young and dedicated and was soon to become a trusted associate of the committee. is leadership within the canteen was executed with courtesy and a serene authority that belied his years.

Meanwhile a sum of Rs 3,000 was drawn from University funds under the agreement, and was spent on the acquisition of the necessary cutlery and crockery (with provision for breakages of the latter), and on initial stocks of sugar, tea, cigarettes, and the like.

When all this was accomplished, and the necessary structural changes were effected, a canteen service steered by a representative committee, henceforth to be known as the Canteen committee (C. C. ) of the Faculty, was firmly in place.

To be continued- Part 4: The Inner Circle

Canteen Story - Part 2 : Opening moves - research and report

Part 2 of "The Canteen Story" written by late Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz is published today. Use the link below to access Part 1.
Part 1. BIRTH OF AN IDEA

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Part 2. Opening moves - research and report

As a first step volunteers from this body were posted with permission at the service counter of the canteen for successive short periods of time to maintain a running time-demand tally through each day, over a span of one working week. From this data, reliable estimates of demand over prescribed intervals of each day of the week were readily extracted.

Detailed tea production studies were next undertaken by actual experimentation under normal canteen conditions within the canteen itself; key objectives in the exercise being quality control and production costing. These studies revealed some facts in direct conflict with the prevailing wisdom in 'experienced' canteen- management circles in the University! 

The data gleaned from these separate exercises were demonstrably reliable and served to form the basis of a feasibility report whose preparation was entrusted to the three student initiators in our small group, and which was awaited by the rest with anticipation and growing excitement.

The report turned out to be a carefully crafted, optimistic, and wholly persuasive document which established beyond doubt that the canteen services as envisaged, and all its running costs, and its entire wage commitment, were sustainable by profits from tea alone, provisional on a grant of short-term borrowing rights with a cap of Rs 5000.00, for initial investments in service equipment such as cutlery, crockery, and the like.

This document was forwarded unchanged, to the Vice-Chancellor through the Dean Engineering, for their joint approval of both the project and the requested drawing rights. The Vice-Chancellor, Mr M. J. Perera, supported the idea but insisted that full repayment of loans within six months be indemnified by acceptable guarantees.

In this dilemma, the chairman of the nascent committee offered him his personal guarantee as a token of his own faith in the project. This was accepted, and the project was truly launched.

Continued: Part 3: The first Canteen Committee (C.C.) - its composition and preliminary activities

The Canteen Story - By E.F. Bartholomeusz - BIRTH OF AN IDEA

From today we serialise "The Canteen Story" written by late Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz

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1. BIRTH OF AN IDEA

The three young men who walked into my room one uneventful evening in the late 1960's evidently had matters of importance on their minds. To my initial amazement they appeared to have come to voice their dissatisfaction with the prevailing canteen services, which were provided on private contract at the time.

Those were hard times and the fare in the canteen was understandably restricted to tea and cigarettes - its mainstay - with a few peripheral offerings of foods. The service itself had deteriorated with time and become desultory and unreliable, much to the general distress. It was evident from the preliminary remarks of the evening that the limits of tolerance had been reached, and that change was on demand. Such sentiments were widespread and by no means new but had, in the prevailing apathy, long been abandoned by the members of the faculty as a topic for serious discussion. I listened to them with puzzlement and some relief tempered however, by a troubling expectation that there was more to come. Indeed, there was!

"Well, what do you propose?" It I queried in my bewilderment, and received the astonishing reply that the E-Fac student union take over the management and direction of the canteen!

"Where, then, do I come in?" I asked in alarm. 

"We seek your support and request that you present our proposal to the Dean for his approval", they replied.

"Have any of you run a canteen or any other business for a matter of that?" I asked.

"No", they answered. "Well, neither have I. Now what makes you think that we can pull off a venture like this from our present position of total ignorance?" I ventured.

There was silence at this implied rebuke and an evident disappointment that soon kindled in me a sense of regret at being unwittingly dismissive of a proposition that might, after all, prove to be a worthwhile undertaking, if rightly approached and handled with discretion.

"Let us meet in a week", I told them finally, "this needs thinking in more depth taking into account matters like objectives, management, representation, and finance."

With that we parted.

We met a week later with our separate positions on these questions, and after lengthy discussion were able to agree that:

1. Service to the E-Fac community at all levels be the central objective of this enterprise.

2. Management be fully representative. 

3. Finance be subject to regulation by a managing authority bound by strict accountability.

4. Profit be subordinated to service.

5. Conditions of service of canteen staff be those of the permanent public service in respect of leave (both casual and medical) and tenure.

And finally, as a measure of financial prudence, that:

6. Preliminary assessments of the project's viability be based on the premise that income was derived from profits from tea alone.

A scheme structured broadly to these specifications was now formulated for the Dean's approval and I was delegated to conduct this delicate negotiation.

The Dean, Professor E.O. E. Pereira, as those who knew him well might expect, was attracted to the idea but insisted on a guarantee that the academic commitments of the students involved be in no way jeopardized by this enterprise. Such a guarantee was up to the students themselves and clearly demanded their release from the more pedestrian day to day management duties. These assurances were given in terms acceptable to the Dean and finally won us his approval. The road to implementation was now open.

News of these happenings filtered through the faculty and won us valued adherents from other sectors who joined us in setting up an ad-hoc planning committee dedicated to the task of devising strategies to guide this initiative from these hesitant beginnings to implementation.

Read Part 2: Opening moves - research and report

Faculty Canteen

Dear readers of eFacMemories Blog,

I am sure all of you have fond memories of the faculty canteen that served us in many ways during our four year stay at Peradeniya.

While all most all other canteens such as WUS, Gemba etc, functioned within the University during our time, were privately run on tender basis, the faculty canteen was run by a committee comprising of staff and students of the faculty.

I think this is still the case.

Recently I received a neatly type-written account of how this canteen venture was initiated and launched in the late 60s.

This "Canteen Story" has been written by late Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz, who has been the founding Chairman of the Canteen Committee.

Professor E.F. Bartholomeusz's "Canteen Story" was sent to us by Mr Somapala Hewavitharana, who currently lives in Perth, Australia.

Mr Hewavitharana has worked as a Research Technician in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering from 1950 for 30 years until his retirement. He has been the Secretary and the Store Keeper for the Canteen Committee since its inception.

The Electrically operated cigarette lighter, that has replaced the old method of using paper to light and littered the whole area, has been one of his inventions.

The Canteen Story by E.F. Bartholomeusz will be publish in this blog over the next few days. 

-Moderator, eFacMemories

PART 1 - BIRTH OF AN IDEA
http://efacmemories.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-canteen-story-by-ef-bartholomeusz.html

Teacher par excellence and gentleman by nature - by Kumar David

Published in www.lakbimanews.lk

There is no one mould into which all great men fit; some are remembered for an achievement or a contribution that changed the world, others for the influence they had on those who came in touch with them, still others for style, or honour, or for a job well done over a lifetime. In the narrower ambit of academic pursuit there are scholars who make valued contributions, wonderful teachers, and still others who make their students who and what they are. Then there are men for all seasons; they stand before a class with passion and erudition, they elucidate with limpid clarity, and outside class they are men of unmistakable honour, remembered not only till they shuffle off this mortal coil, but rather till those who sat in their classrooms, once upon a time, remain among the quick.

Everard Frederick Bartholomeusz, born on December 30, 1920 in Ceylon who died in the US on October 22, this year, Freddie to his colleagues and Batho to an ever appreciative retinue of students, was one of them. Those who had the privilege of schooling in the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Ceylon in the 1960s supped on the finest academic fare offered, by any university, at any time, in this country. Devotees of other disciplines, or from other vintages, may incline to say otherwise, but it is unlikely any can win the unanimous acclaim that this proposition will score among those who were there at that time.

There were giants and there were men of many colours; Professors E.O.E. Pereira and Robert Paul were giants, respected like no other across the nation’s engineering space. It is said that when Paul spoke to the Bursar on the telephone, the latter stood up at the other end of the line to say his, “Yes Sir.” Was Mahalingam (Dr, not yet Prof, in my time) more brilliant or more precise? Then nearer my age, there was brave Alagiah Thurairaja, blue-eyed boy of the academic record-books and founder of a research culture in the Faculty, who I am proud to call friend, colleague and comrade. There were others, colourful, bright, larger than life, but I have to return to my theme, Batho, who latched perfectly into this setting and its intellectual ethos. Batho’s claim to fame, apart from personal rectitude, was that his students, probably without exception, would name him as the best teacher they ever had.

Brilliant record

Batho was educated at St. Joseph’s College, Darley Road, and then took a First in Mathematics at the London University External BSc degree in 1942. He read for a PhD in Cambridge and graduated in 1955 in which year he also married Evelyn. Sometimes Evelyn would ride up to Sampson’s Bungalow on the pillion of Batho’s scooter to the admiring but shaded eyes of Batho’s students. They had two children, both boys.

Batho was promoted to founder Professor of Engineering Mathematics in 1965. He left Sri Lanka for Zambia in 1974. He chatted to a very junior me: “Kumar, I decided to look for a job overseas the day they introduced media-wise standardisation into university admissions; I knew my boys would never be given a fair chance.” Batho was a Burgher and he was also sensitive to broader issues of ethnic discrimination after 1956, which again raised its ugly head after 1970.

An essential aspect of Batho’s method was that his was a course in engineering mathematics, not mathematics, and his department was Engineering Mathematics. I have worked in several universities in many continents and found it difficult to get this concept across, especially when as a Head or a Dean I favoured bringing the teaching of mathematics to engineering students closer to home. It is not that teaching must be done by engineers, Batho and his successor Prof. Samuel graduated in mathematics; it is to do with the mind-set. Batho and Sammy bridged the gap skilfully by immersing themselves in an engineering culture. In class, they never slacked on formal mathematical rigour, and it was more than simply using engineering examples as illustrations, it was about academic identity.

This brings me to another matter. I am often asked about my interest in Marxism and politics. Most people assume that my background is in political science, or economics or maybe history. And this presumed paradox extends beyond my case to many engineers drawn to political theory, social and environmental issues and even active politics. The question often asked is: ‘How come so many of you engineering types have got into this trying to change the world business?’ Apart from the obvious reply that all men and women should be concerned about the world they live in, there is a deeper and truer answer. Those most fit to change the modern world are those who stand at the intersection of engineering and political science, the cross roads of science and sociology. Without an ambidextrous aptitude it is not possible to make programmatic sense in modern times.

Professors Thurairajah, R.H. Paul, Mahalingam and Batho grasped the social and political meaning of their times. I will not say that those of us engineers who came to politics did so because of these associations, there were much stronger influences at work outside, but it would be correct to say we enjoyed these interactions. Batho was not political in the usual sense of the term, but moral responsibility propelled him inexorably into the affairs of the university community. University reform proposals – sometimes wise and sometimes not, government interference bent on curbing academic freedom or breaking up legitimate student activity, and the customary quota of student unrest, would find Batho concerned and involved. Maybe drafting staff position papers; maybe wading into the thick of troubles where the respect he commanded enabled him to pacify anger; that was Batho. Unfortunately, everywhere, such interventions became tense and less productive in the context of 1971 and thereafter because it didn’t stop there. Now in Sri Lanka we live in an age of moral and social autism and the university ethos and community have decayed in proportion.

Manners are never enforceable and Batho’s life was proof of it; his gentlemanly disposition came entirely naturally and from the inside. “His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world: This was a Man!”

-Kumar David

(photo: http://www.lakbimanews.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3587:kumar-david-writes&catid=46:columns&Itemid=50)

Thank you and Goodbye Prof. Bartholomeusz by Vickramabahu Karunaratne

(Published at: www.lakbimanews.lk)

All of us who were students of Batho in the Faculty of Engineering Peradeniya were deeply affected when we got the following message from his son Brian.

“After a lifetime spent in the unselfish devotion to the interest of others Prof. Frederick Bartholomeusz peacefully went to his rest today, October 22nd 2011, at the age of 91 surrounded by his family and friends who deeply loved him. Prof. Bartholomeusz was someone who valued himself by the success and achievements of his family, friends, colleagues and most of all, his precious students. By that measure, and by his own estimation, he was an immeasurably wealthy man! He profoundly touched the life of everyone he encountered on four different continents and his friendship, wisdom, and guidance will be deeply missed.”

That exactly depicts the character of the man who not only taught mathematics to us but also gave of the best of western culture. It is he who compelled me to go into mathematics after graduating as an electrical engineer. As a partner in his department I got the opportunity to listen to his version of human ethics and culture. He emphasized the need of commitment to human ethics in politics. A simple mistake in courtesy could develop into a huge political problem, he explained. How true it is.

He was not a genius, no one made that claim, but he was the real master. Batho would not venture into teaching a subject in mathematics without becoming a master in that section. He will enter the class room like a guide who knows not only the route but also every turn and all the by ways. No question could put him in disarray. He will take your hand and will guide you into the problem, step by step.

Batho was convincing

Batho never took no for an answer, if he was convinced that he was in the right track. He thought that mathematics was the best for me and that was the end of the discussion. Then he convinced me that I should go to Cambridge, where he did his higher studies. As a revolutionary I thought that London is the best place for me, the magnificent city which gave recluse to both Marx and Lenin. What about the library, still probably the best in the world. What about Manchester then, the birth place of proletarian campaigns for universal franchise, centre of the strike of cotton workers where Engels wrote about the condition of workers? Prof. did not object to my political commitments. He was a large man who could accommodate others interests and commitments. With his genuine shrewdness he came out with a list of revolutionaries of various kinds who studied at Cambridge. Newton, Russell, Darwin, Keynes and even famous communist spies were there. He made me speechless and I was bundled up and sent to Cambridge. I am so grateful to him for pushing me in the right direction.

He belonged to the elite of burghers in Lanka who gave their life to improve the culture and social practice in this society. This line starts with , I believe, Dr Christopher Elliott, who was the owner of the “Ceylon Observer” in 1846. Elliott was accused by the Governor of Ceylon, Viscount Torrington of “touring the country in an assumed capacity as a redresser of grievances and encouraging dissatisfaction among the Ceylonese”. Thus he took the first step in the struggle of 1848. Though much is said about Puran Appu and Gongalegoda Banda, very little is said about the struggle that started in Colombo in 1848.

In addition to Prof Bartholomeusz three other burghers come to my mind as people who influenced my life and also served the country in their own field.

Pieter Keunaman, in spite of his coalition politics remained a committed socialist and a friendly cultured person, always ready with good advice.

Prof E O E Pereira led engineering education at the university level. He was the Dean of the Engineering Faculty in our time.

I met Tony van der Poorten in 1967 when we invited him for a lecture at the Arts theatre at Peradeniya. He was sharp and logical, and was able to push a number of us to study Marxism seriously.

The Memorial Service

I attended the Memorial Service for the late Prof. Bartholomeusz held at St. Phillip Nehri’s Church, Colombo on 10th of November. I met some of my batch mates after a few decades! It was a moment of sorrow and joy. Batho was a loyal Christian with a powerful sprit that took my self, an unrepentant non believer, almost before the god that he believed in. Thank you Batho, I feel that you are still here.

-Vickramabahu Karunaratne

(Photo: http://www.lakbimanews.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3588:dr-vickramabahu-karunaratne-writes&catid=46:columns&Itemid=50)

A rendezvous with Professor E Frederick Bartholomeusz (Batho) - Maximus Jayantha Anandappa

(First published at: http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=38921)

Professor Munidasa P Ranaweera’s recent glowing tribute to the late Professor Everard Frederick Bartholomeusz (1920-2011) titled "Engineering Mathematics Professor, a Great Mentor and Lifelong Inspiration" prompted me to add this personal note on "Batho" as we all affectionately called him during our university days.

The distinguished Founder Professor of Engineering Mathematics at the University of Peradeniya who passed away on Oct 22 in Phoenix, Arizona in US was a livewire of engineering education and was one of the brilliant lecturers instrumental in maintaining the very high standards that the Faculty of Engineering was renowned for during the heyday or the golden age of Peradeniya. Prof Batho was an essential part of the Peradeniya university landscape and the campus teaching culture. His concern for student welfare was legendary.

Mine is not a studied tribute or a eulogy to Prof EF Bartholomeusz. These are thoughts that came to my mind the moment I heard that the great man, the great teacher is no more. This short note is based on just one fortuitous meeting that I was destined to have with "Batho" as a student. This meeting is like a snapshot of the quintessential "Batho" and what he stood for as a teacher and a mentor.

To me "Batho" was the epitome of the ideal professor- eloquent, stylish, well mannered and charismatic for his age even though he had passed 50 during our time. With his well groomed beard and moustache he was almost like a character from a book. The way he paraded on the podium during lectures explaining a knotty problem or a complex principle with passion and simplicity and then how he rushed towards the blackboard to write his notes neatly was a sight to behold. In addition to be renowned for clarity, his lectures were also like an enthralling lesson in English language.

Ironically this rendezvous with Prof Batho would have never taken place, had I continued my studies in the Faculty with the same vigour and interest I had when I did my ALs. My interest in Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy and Evolution were supplanted by my passion for literature and the works of the Great Russian masters had taken the centre stage. I spent a fair bit of time devouring the great masterpieces and even tried my hand in writing fiction in Sinhala, luckily without success. This passion for literature continued through my university tutelage, very strongly in the first three years. Engineering bored me. Also shaped by certain personal circumstances, I was dreamy, wistful and pensive. My heart and mind were elsewhere. I considered myself homesick and waited for the slightest diversion however empty or trivial- to take me away from the books.

In the second year (1973), though I generally attended lectures, my interest had waned considerably. However there were a few exceptions. I did not mind attending Prof Mahalingam’s lectures because he made Theory of Machines and engineering look so easy. I was drawn to "Batho’s lectures for a different reason. Usually seated in a back row, I admired the way he expressed himself, his idiosyncratic gestures and his command of English. At times it was like watching an episode of a drama. His lectures on Classical Mechanics which included the Conical Pendulum in our third year (1974) were something that I vividly remembered for a long time.

During the 2nd Year which led to the Part 1 examination, I did the absolute minimum with regard to the coursework and in preparing for the examination. I was naïve and eager to believe what the seniors used to say: "Part 1 Mathematics is something that you do not have to worry. "Batho" is very lenient and reasonable- if you do well in other subjects and have touched a bit of mathematics, "Batho" will "push" you in the exam". A very convenient comforting thought in deed. I built my strategy to pass Mathematics on this plan and was sure that it was going to work.

Being convinced that leniency of Prof Batho is the way to get through Mathematics I did well in other four or five subjects. When the exam time came despite my poor record on submitting home tutorials or attending the class tutorials, I had the audacity to study (really the "last minute cram") just one section (Matrices and Determinants) out of six or seven possible sections from which you would be tested. I went for the examination, convinced that whatever I would score in this single section which I did not master anyway, will be good enough to secure a pass. I did not then realize that I was stretching my luck a bit too much.

I am sure I did quite well in other subjects. Not surprisingly when the results were released I was "referred" in Mathematics. Prof Batho’s leniency theory had not worked. I had no choice but to make up my mind to do the repeat examination which was due in mid year during the vacation. I continued with the normal business of going for third year lectures when word spread that Prof Batho had wanted to personally meet all the students who had either failed the Part 1 examination or got referred in Mathematics.

No one dared to disobey Prof Batho. One day during the mid morning tea break, I plucked up courage and strolled up to the entrance of the staff room located in the upper floor of the Faculty main office to meet Prof Batho. I cannot recall who met me at the door. Whoever it was undertook to go in to the staff room to announce my arrival. After a few agonising minutes, Prof Batho appeared at the door walking quickly as he always did. I think he had his usual cigarette in his hand. While approaching me he was looking at me intently with a serious but a concerned expression. For a moment I even thought he looked worried. Without saying anything, he guided me to the corridor by taking a few steps so that we would not obstruct the entrance. Possibly he also wanted to ensure that the conversation took place in "private". Then he bent his head towards me indicating that he was ready to listen to me. More than 37 years gone, with no diaries kept, I can not requote our conversation verbatim, but what he said left such an indelible impression in me I can vouch that our conversation did not deviate much from what is quoted below:

"Sir you had wanted to meet those who got referred in Part1 Mathematics and I am one of them" My tone must have been submissive.

Still with that "worried" or concerned look, he started talking in a measured tone: "I recall I passed (conceded a pass) every one who had scored about 30 marks in Maths, if they had passed other subjects. There was another category of students- those who scored less than 30 marks but had attended the lectures and had done the home tutorials. I passed all of them too". He paused for a while and then said more emphatically: "And there was another- a third category- those who scored only around 20 marks but had submitted their class tutorials, home tutorials and attended the lectures. I passed all of them too". With that he touched his forehead with his palm to express regret and exclaimed in a rather dramatic fashion gesticulating with both hands as if he was in the lecture room: "There must have been something terribly wrong with my teaching".

He looked genuinely upset when he uttered the last sentence and it cut deep into me. Whether it was my moment of vanity or stupidity or naivety, I managed to offer these words more with the intent of "comforting" him: "Sir to be honest, I went for the exam without studying Maths at all. I am sure I can get through in the repeat examination. I promise I will study seriously for the repeat examination"

Surely he must have been relieved. I vividly remember his parting comment: "Once you sit the repeat examination can you come and tell me how you fared?"

I made it a point to study all the topics, and sat the repeat examination in the vacation and did quite well.

After answering the repeat examination, keeping my rendezvous with Batho I made a re-appearance in the staff room and happily announced "Sir I did my repeat examination and I think I did well to score enough marks; to get 60 or 70 marks"

This meeting showed the concern and the genuine respect Prof Batho had for his students- there was not a word of blame or even a hint of dissent in his tone. On a similar situation, at best most lecturers would indulge in saying the obvious about the wisdom of studying. Some would even scorn or belittle you with sarcasm. Widely regarded as the best lecturer then, his humility and self awareness was such that he was even prepared to concede that his lecturing may not have been good enough as I could not score even 20 marks! What a way to comfort a student! Thinking now he was like the forgiving father in the parable of the Prodigal Son. I am sure it is this very humane way of dealing with the students and his father like affectionate approach that made "Batho" a cut above the rest and made him such an endearing person to the student. A pity that this great man had to soon leave the Faculty in search of greener pastures in Zambia denying us the opportunity of further association.

Prof Batho belonged to a bygone generation of academics and teachers now almost extinct. Others of the same ilk were Prof EOE Pereira, Prof A Thurairajah and Prof S Mahalingam - all different and contrasting personalities but great teachers in their own right. EOE had just retired before our time and we were not fortunate to study under him, but we have heard of his deeds.

Prof Batho interacted with the students seamlessly with tact, finesse and grace. His social upbringing naturally gave a western outlook to his conduct, mannerism and speech. These traits though appealing also had the potential to alienate him from those who were not nurtured in these values. The majority of the students were not from that background. "Batho" had broken this barrier effortlessly even though he probably never spoke a single word of Sinhala or Tamil. The warm words of affection and regard added by former students on the Online Memorial to him bear testimony to this.

While walking briskly in the corridor whether he was trying to make eye contact with you with that sincere or somewhat worried look in his face, or whether when he was gesticulating impressively and passionately on the podium as part of a lecture, there was no question that every student regardless of his social standing was simply drawn to "Batho". He was by far the most loved lecturer during our time.

Quoting Shakespeare:

"To gild refined gold,
To paint the lily
To throw a perfume on the violet
To add another hue unto the rainbow
Is wasteful and ridiculous excess"

Trying to describe Batho with adjectives or superlatives is a similar excess.
We were indeed fortunate that we were his students.

By Maximus Jayantha Anandappa (1972-75 Batch)

(image: http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/)

Eulogy - Professor E. F. Bartholomeusz by Munidasa P. Ranaweera

Engineering mathematics professor, a great mentor and lifelong inspiration
(First published at: http://sundaytimes.lk/111030/Plus/plus_04.html)

Professor E. F. Bartholomeusz, Founder Professor of Engineering Mathematics at the University of Peradeniya, passed away on October 22 in Phoenix, Arizona, in the US. He was one of the most respected academics at the University of Peradeniya, and was a great teacher, much loved by all of his students. He touched the lives of everyone he encountered all over the world. He will be deeply missed.

Everard Frederick Bartholomeusz was born on December 30 1920. After his secondary education at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo, he followed the London University External degree courses and obtained a BSc (mathematics special) degree with First Class Honours in 1942.

Later he obtained an MSc (mathematics) degree from the same university. In 1950, he joined the newly established Faculty of Engineering, University of Ceylon, as an Assistant Lecturer, and in 1952 he proceeded to the UK to do research at the University of Cambridge.

In Cambridge, he worked in the famous Cavendish Laboratory, associating with top researchers, such as G. I. Taylor. His research was on surface waves, dealing with reflection of long waves at a step, the reflection of plane waves at a submerged barrier, and the general motion of a fluid in a damping medium under gravity.

He obtained his PhD in 1955, and his seminal paper, “Reflection of Long Waves at a Step”, was published in 1958 in the Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society and referenced in the Encyclopaedia of Physics.

In 1955, he married Edith in Cambridge and returned to Sri Lanka to become a Senior Lecturer attached to the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Peradeniya (then University of Ceylon) and was in-charge of teaching Engineering Mathematics.

He was appointed Professor and Head of the newly created Department of Engineering Mathematics in 1965. He held these two posts till 1974, when he left the University of Peradeniya to become Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Zambia. He spent 16 years in Zambia before moving to the US.

When the Department of Engineering Mathematics was created in 1965, it had only two cadre positions; a professorship and an assistant lectureship. So the only tenured member in the Department was Prof. Bartholomeusz, and he had to develop the new department single-handed. This he did admirably with great care, foresight and dedication.

Professor Bartholomeusz was one of the most respected and admired teachers of the faculty. He was a master in the classroom and he had the ability to retain the attention of all his students on any lecture topic, however complex or abstract. It was a pleasure to listen to his fluent and precise delivery style and the students knew what note to take down because they were carefully dictated or neatly written on the blackboard, in the form of Chapter 1, Section 1, Sub Section 1.1 etc.

He always related mathematics to engineering, and used examples from engineering practice to illustrate the application of mathematical methods. He would teach a very powerful method of analysis and say that applying it to solve a simple problem where simpler methods are available is “like using a battle axe to crack an egg”. Disturbing him in class was considered a cardinal sin. Many of his students, including myself, consider him the best teacher they ever had.

While handling a very heavy undergraduate teaching load in his department, he continuously updated the syllabi with the most current topics, and also conducted postgraduate courses for his junior staff. One of his favourite postgraduate courses, which I had the good fortune to follow, was on the Mathematical Theory of Elasticity.

In addition to his academic contribution to the Faculty, he also contributed immensely to its welfare. One of his most noteworthy contributions was the setting up of the Faculty Canteen. He was the driving force behind it and he played a pivotal role in formulating its management structure and extending its services to provide quality food as well as stationery and drawing instruments at low prices. Thanks to his efforts, the Engineering Faculty Canteen is the best run and maintained canteen in the Peradeniya University today.

Prof. Bartholomeusz had an excellent rapport with students and he considered it very important for a teacher. He had a well balanced view of the things happening in the university and in the world, and his advice was often sought by students, staff and administration, to tackle tricky situations.

In appreciation of his long, dedicated and outstanding service to the Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, the Peradeniya Engineering Faculty Alumni Association (PEFAA) felicitated him in 2007.

He leaves behind Edith, his loving wife of 56 years, and his sons Brian, Geoffrey and Michael. All three sons have PhDs and work in the US. Professor Bartholomeusz would have been 91 this year.

“Few like them for all the time
All like them for a few time.
Rarely comes the category
All like them for all the time.”
Professor Bartholomeusz was one of the rare people who falls into the last category. May he rest in peace.

Prof. Munidasa P. Ranaweera

(Photo: http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/)