“K.N. I am really grateful for your website. It took me on a Armchair travel in my retired life to my teenage and younger days at Sri Palee. My daughter who is in Australia and my sons in Colombo did not know about my younger days, and I didn’t have time to explain either. But this article of yours certainly met a gap filling situation which I think Uncommon for anyone to experience. You are very thoughtful and you are very grateful for all your friends and teachers at school. Congratulations!.
-Mr. W.A.D. Perera
“Sri Palee is a unique Education institute with it’s own inherited characteristics. My friend K.N. Gunawardena is one of it’s eminent products. He is a symbol of gratitude. He had recognized his teachers correctly and to inculcate noble pedagogic moral into his life. He records that he had the good fortune to learn how to measure what is right and wrong from his teachers and used that as a forerunner in his life. He displays fifty years of experience and Sri Palee culture before us. Now we know more about Sri Palee than as a Horana area person. Well done treat for your alma mater.”
-Mr. W. Wickramaarachchi (Retired Director of Education)
THE “SOUL” CONTRIBUTOR TO OCIC SRI LANKA – KN GUNAWARDENA IS A SON OF SRI PALEE,HORANA
My impression about Sri Palee college, Horana goes back 1994 I have read a few books about Sri Palee. A lot of news papers articles always in praise of Sri Palee. However, I have no detailed information about the colorful activities of Sri Palee College. KNG in his article – “ Sri Palee : my recollection 1944-1959” outlines in simple English , a trail of thoughts to visualize in the mind of the reader- a vivid cross section of glorious days if the college, principles, teachers, support staff, well wishers past pupils etc. I have known KN as an eminent engineer for long years for his outstanding and pioneering contribution to television Sri Lanka. He had displayed a high degree of devotion to any subject, any activity he is involved. His attempt as an engineer to write an article about his alma mater should be admired. He is advocating a principal and a guideline of gratitude on how the past pupils of an institution should continue to treat the alma mater. His recollection amounts to reply of a video of activities of early years for the 75th Anniversary of Sri Palee.
In my service period (1972-1982) as the Sri Lanka’s first national director of the OCIC (which stands for first letters for the international catholic film organization in FRENCH founded in 1928 in Belgium Lovian University). I was looking for a technically qualified person who could be our resource persons. KNG was gods’ choice for us in OCIC Sri Lanka. He was no looking for ways and means of selling TV films equipment but las looking on how to create young film makers for Sri Lanka we fitted like hand in glove.
- The first ever Sri Lanka super 8 film festival
- Sri Lankan first Video film festival
From where so many new film makers same out this was a lasting contribution to the Sri Lanka film culture contribution by OCIC Sri Lanka – Always behind the scenes he went beyond and above the machines and above the young people creative ability as Wilmot A Perera of Sri Palee Horana did to the education of this country.
Devoting to write this article itself provides the pivotal activity of living values to be cultivated among the present student population of “any school” I wish the entire Sri Lanka Education system if possible I continue to admire him as product of Sri Palee College who had contributed yeomen service to our TV and Radio a “Community service” a possible attributor factor he had been planted by the Sri Palee College environment and the teaching fraternity. It is very rare an engineer will continue to write a descriptive article of goodwill about this alma mater in a devotional tune of this nature. I wish good luck to Sri Palee College and KNG and all the encouragement to continuing this praiseworthy exercise.
Late Susantha Tissera ( a live wire of OCIC Sri Lanka) published the story of OCIC Sri Lanka entirely it was entitled “ Sri Lankan ethos of cinema and media” clear record of KNG to the OCIC super 8, video and OCIC film school . All that is gratefully recorded on pages 420-442 he records could never been possible without KNG.
Fr. Ernest Poruthota
* First National Director of OCIC Sri Lanka (1972-1982)
* Vice- President of OCIC (Asia)
St Anthonys Church Kirimetiyagara
Kadawatha 03 Oct 2009