Kongahawita Patti Vidanage Somadasa
was in our batch and was at the Bloemfonteyn medical hostel. He passed his MBBS
and did his internship at Badulla. Subsequently he was Medical Superintendent Rathnapura General Hospital. He retired as Regional
Director Health Services, Western
Province. He had two sons
and was settled in Colombo.
He
was a fund of stories. He was born in Yatiyantota and was sent to Central
College Jaffna, where the Mr.Smith was principal. He related to me how he
took a python in a gunny sac by the train to Jaffna, to the hostel at the Central
College, Jaffna, where it became an exhibit. I would
have regular evening chats over drinks at my bungalow, at the GH Ratnapura where I was surgeon. He was staying alone in the Medical
Superintendent's quarters. One day when he was reaching for a bottle in his
wall cup-board in the quarters, he saw a cobra hissing at him and ready to
strike. He left it alone and it went away. I was staying in the Specialists
quarters situated on a higher elevation than his. Adam's
peak was visible from the porch of this quarters. We could
identify the white line of pilgrims wending their from the base to the summit
of Adam's peak, during the pilgrim season. We
would also see the line of lights lighting the way during the season from
November to July. I had a Honda 90cc motor-bike to go to the hospital.
One day at lunch time on a hot day, I arrived in my motor-bike and as I
switched off the engine and was parking the bike I heard a hissing sound. I
thought it was air escaping from a punctured tyre and looked to-wards the
source of the sound. Then I saw a young cobra with its fangs exposed and
hissing, lying on the door-step. I called to my wife and showed the cobra. True
to Sri-Lankan tradition, she addressed the cobra in polite language saying,
'Nai hamine, me lamai inne thena. Karunakarala mehin pitathventa'. (Dear Lady.
Children live here. Please go away.) We watched it slowly slither away into the
under-growth, surrounding the house. We had two German-shepherd dogs with us at
this time. If they saw a cobra they would growl at them but never attempt to
attack them. Somadasa passed away in his sleep peacefully a few years back
In the mood - A popular hit in the 1960s. Please cliick on the web-link below:-
https://youtu.be/QAa12XKTb9U
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