Bradman Weerakoon: quintessential civil servant and adorable friend and colleague

C. Narayanasuwami, formerly of the Ceylon Civil Service and retired senior professional of the Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines

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I was with deep sorrow and some shock that I learned of the demise of a distinguished civil servant and an adorable friend when I returned from an overseas visit a week ago.

I was not surprised that several complimentary tributes have already appeared in the media. Nevertheless, writing a note at a personal level reflecting on the five decades long friendship gives me some consolation and satisfaction that he is remembered for many diverse things in a lifetime of association.

My first contact with Bradman was in 1972 in the capacity of Deputy Director of Agricultural Development of the then Ministry of Agriculture and Lands in connection with a unique agricultural survey undertaken to ascertain the factors contributing to staggered cultivation of paddy, in preference to the observance of predetermined cultivation calendars in the Ampara District.

Staggered cultivation hindered agricultural productivity and seriously affected the planning and implementation of paddy cultivation programs. Mr Weerakoon initiated the survey and study in his capacity as the Government Agent of Ampara district in the early 1970’s. His sustained interest in it even after he moved out of Ampara contributed immensely to its finalisation in 1972 by which time I had assumed duties as Director of the nascent Agrarian Research and Training Institute (ARTI) which assumed leadership for the study. Suffice to say that this initial contact with Bradman matured into a longstanding collegial friendship that lasted until he passed away.