Twentieth death anniversary was on December 28 :

Dr. E. W. Adikaram: an unwavering loyalty to truth

Twenty years ago, Dr. Edward Winifred Adikaram passed away. If someone said that Dr. Adikaram was the greatest person in Sri Lankan history, it is not a surprise. Dr. Adikaram never associated with any political party during his lifetime, because he used to say that the voter who gave power to the elector, but the voter has no authority to correct the errors of the elected person.

So he abstained from voting at all elections throughout his life. He had no affiliation to any political party or politician.

He wrote a series of Sithuvili books numbering up to 58 as at the time of his death. Those books were intended to influence the reader in a revolutionary way of thinking. The mind of Dr. Adikaram was the product of a fascinating synthesis of many cultures and religious teachings. It was this blend of various traditions and influences that made him such an interesting writer, speaker, debater and controversialist. His radical views on certain issues upset many, for he was not afraid to express his unorthodox views on social, educational, religious and philosophical issues.

His convictions were deeply rooted and it is a tribute to the nobility of his character that he did not mind contradicting others, even those who were in positions of power and authority, and thereby risk incurring their disfavour. For him the only thing that mattered in life was an unwavering loyalty to truth.

And it cannot be helped if some get disturbed or offended after listening to that which one considers to be true. To the end of his life Dr. Adikaram remained an iconoclast in Sri Lanka society. There were some who much disliked him.

Once Dr. Adikaram asked "Are you a Sinhalese? If you are a Sinhalese, how do you know that? I have asked this question from many who call themselves Sinhalese. I have so far never received a satisfactory reply from any of them.

"I have also asked those why say they are Tamils, Telegus etc as to know they know that they are Tamils, Telegus and so on. From them too, I have never heard a satisfactory reply," he said. Dr. Adikaram said; "There is only one human race. We are human beings and not Sinhalese, Tamil or English. Biologically this is so. But those who are fettered with the belief that there is racial difference, are incapable of seeing this fact.

Apart from espousing, as Dr. E. W. Adikaram did the cause of freedom of thought and expression, he led a simple and exemplary life, a burden neither to himself nor to others. In his efforts to wean the young away from evil and to direct them along the path of virtue, he conceived what he called a Thinker's Movement.

This movement performs a unique service through talks and publications. Once while returning to Colombo by train after public talks in schools, university, higher educational institutes in Kandy. Dr. Adikaram was with me observing the beautiful scenery of the hill country. He showed me a 'Kaduru' tree in the middle of a paddy field and said to me that it was the most beautiful scenery he saw during that journey.

He showed a great unpleasantness toward smoking. On this journey in the train a passenger requested a box of matches from Dr. Adikaram. What for? he asked. "To light a cigarette" was the answer. "Even if I have a box of matches, I won't give it to you for that purpose, Dr. Adikaram answered fearlessly. Then he thought it appropriate to tell the passenger the unfortunate results of smoking.

On another day travelling in the train to Badulla to give public talks in Badulla he came across another passenger smoking a cigarette holding a child in his arms. Dr. Adikaram reprimanded the father severely and said, "If you want to destroy yourself by smoking, leave the child alone."

One day the organiser of the Sarvodaya Movement Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne visited him at his home and had wanted to donate a motor vehicle for his social service work. But he declined it because of Dr. Ariyaratne's habit of smoking. Getting closer and working with Dr. Adikaram is not easy. I have worked and associated with him very closely.

Naturally a person who associated with him advanced in knowledge, character and personality and was able to face difficulties and hardships in life courageously.

Left-wing political leaders like Dr. S. A. Wickramasinghe, Dr. N. M. Perera, Dr. Colvin R. de Silva, Philip Gunawardena, Leslie Gunawardene and I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla associated Dr. Adikaram very closely.

During his student days in London, Dr. Adikaram worked with some of the left political leaders. When he came back to Ceylon he was in the 'Suriya Mal' campaign.

He believed them in the ultimate aim of liberating the country from the foreign yoke but did not hold their view of the means to achieve that end and so he gave up.

Dr. Adikaram ardently supported the state free education scheme pioneered by the father of free education Dr. C. W. W. Kannangara. Education and culture should cease to be the monopoly of the well-to-do classes and no child should be denied the advantage of a good education merely because of the unfortunate circumstance of being born into a poverty-stricken family, he said.

He played a prominent role in establishing schools in the island for underprivileged Buddhist children.

Vidyakara Vidyalaya at Maharagama founded in 1937, Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda in 1940, Ananda Sastralaya at Matugama, Ananda Balika Vidyalaya at Kotte, the Maha Vidyalayas at Battaramulla, Udahamulla and Karawenella and Nigroda Vidyalaya - the Mahamaya of today established in 1941 at Nugegoda are among the institutions he helped found.

With the struggle for free education successfully concluded, Dr. Adikaram thereafter directed his efforts primarily to the task of removing obstacles to the imparting of modern scientific knowledge through the Sinhala medium. He thereby kindled an interest in science throughout the country.

He was well-known for his contributions on scientific topics to popular journals and also for his radio broadcasts on Science Journal. In 1953 he issued through the Department of Education a dictionary of technical terms for the use of students. Most of the technical terms used in science studies in our school even today are of his coinage.

His physical presence is no more but his moral teachings will be cherished all the time.

- Jayantha Wijewickrama