Page 29 - Ganesh Arunasalam

Gurusamys
We loved Chithappa for the unique qualities he had — he stood apart and offered unconditional compassion to others. He suffered many ailments over the years, but we always admired him for his sheer determination and warrior-like spirit, who pushed aside any pain or discomfort and skipped to his next adventure.
On his most recent visit to Colombo, as usual Chithappa was invited to our home for dinner. I asked him if he would mind being a guinea pig — I was going to try making hoppers for the first time. In accepting the challenge, he joked, “do you think it’s going to be that bad?” As it turned out, my trial hoppers were perfectly palatable, though perhaps not restaurant quality. Chithappa gave his remarks by way of his classic constructive criticism, as he slowly broke up the hoppers into small pieces before eating: “luckily my teeth are still strong”. He had Gnani and I in fits of laughter.
We were so thrilled to have them at my brother’s wedding in America. Again he surpassed expectation when he took responsibility for dressing the groom. He carefully and patiently pleated the silk shawl and produced a beautiful thalappa.
Theny
I remember when I first met Mama. It was my first job interview and he picked me up in his black Mercedes, wearing a long coat and hat. He looked like a hero. Mama was also there for me for my first driving test, telling me to be assertive and not be nervous. On my father’s birthday party last year in Jaffna, Mama spoke about how I looked after him after his stroke – something I thank God I was able to do.
Sathyah Thevapalan
I vividly remember the fun times at the Jaffna Hospital house, in Mannar and many times Ganesh Mama played table tennis with us at Chava. More than anything, we remember the love and affection he showed upon Appa. Appa always felt that Ganesh Mama was his brother, than his cousin. We will always be grateful to Mama and Mami for all that they did.
Maitreyi Janarthanan (Daughter of V N Navaratnam MP)
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