Obituary: Former DIG Vamadevan

The funeral is on Thursday 8 June, At St Christopher’s Catholic Church Holsworthy at 10.30am. Then to Leppington crematorium at 12.30 followed by a wake at Antegra Estate restaurant at 1pm.

Vama and his wife Charmaine were very much associated with the Sri Lankan NSW Catholic Association. He lived a quiet life in Sydney. You will find interesting stories about his experience in Sri Lanka as a student of the first batch of students at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya below.

How tough cops got over tricky situations – Former DIG Vamadevan recalls police life in old Ceylon

I had three stints working in the City of Colombo. First as a young Probationer with the four others in the batch. I worked in Colombo when Mr. C. P. Wambeek was Superintendent of Police, Colombo (CPC as it was referred to in Police circles). He was a kind and amiable boss whose lessons were more by example than sermons. During this time we came across a cross section of the officers with whom we were going to work for the next few decades – the smart and the able; ones who talked their way through; the decisive and the indecisive.
This was also the time we met veterans like B. W. Perera, K. S. Perera, Algie Perera and the like. I also came to know Mr. A. J. Rajasuriya with whom I worked very closely later when he was Commandant of the Sri Lanka Police Reserve. His demise was a loss that I felt very badly. He typified those offers who took a lively interest not only in their juniors but also in their families. My feelings for Mr. Rajasuriya has been encapsulated in the appreciation I wrote after his death. Inspector (later Assistant Superintendent) H. B. Dissanayake was another interesting officer who even as the Officer-in-Charge of Modera Police station had his own horse and did’ his rounds on horse back. Hoodlums melted away from the streets on sighting him on his grey mare.

There was one particular officer who avoided taking decisions and made it into a fine art of bureaucratic administration. If an officer sent a file with a studied report asking for approval for a certain course of action, it would come back with the endorsement ‘if in order approved’. He was a good tennis player and that is probably where he learnt to keep the ball in the other person’s court all the time. It was said of him that his decision not to take a decision, was the most decisive decision he ever took.

Most senior post

My next stint in Colombo started on the 27th of January 1961 the night of the attempted coup d‘etat. The entire Officer Corps in the City Police was on remand. A helicopter was sent to Batticaloa to fetch Ivor Van Twest to head the City Police. On his arrival he was asked to choose whom he wanted as his Assistant Superintendents. I was then serving in Matugama and received a telephone message that I was tranfered to Colombo as Assistant Superintendent (Colombo West), It was the most senior post an A.S.P. can aspire to and there I was in the deep end with only 3 years service. The others with me were Vernon T. Dickman, R. C. Thavarajah, T. S. Bongso and A. Mahendran. Douglas Ranmuthugala even junior to me was Assistant Superintendent (Traffic). We were just One Superintendent and five Assistant Superintendents to manage the city of Colombo.

Here I learnt the political pitfalls of Police work the hard way. The general election of 1964 was the most difficult situation I faced and it also led to my removal from Colombo and being shunted out to Nuwara Eliya where I was put in cold storage – both literally and metaphorically. The events that led to this situation need recapitulation. The Coalition had lost the election and the U.N.P. had won. There was a time lag between Mrs. Bandaranaike handing in her resignation and Mr. Dudley Senanayake taking over as Prime Minister. Ivor Van Twest wanted me to maintain a Police presence around the Queens House (now the Presidents House) and keep it clear. A heavyweight Minister from the Coalition ordered me to move from there and swore that if I did not obey a ministerial order I would regret it for the rest of my life. His intention was to surround Queen‘s House with his own ‘goondas’ so that Mrs. Bandaranaike would not be able to go in and resign and Mr. Dudley Senanayake would not be able to be sworn in. I stood my ground and out there in the cold night we exchanged words that are best not repeated here. An hour or so later Mrs. Bandaranaike came unimpeded to hand in her resignation and sometime later Mr. Dudley Senanayake was sworn in.

Working in the City Police

But when the dust had settled, I was told that I was transferred to Nuwara Eliya because ‘a good officer’ was wanted there. But it was common knowledge that it was to make way for a friend of a friend who would be more amenable to political manoeuvers. The Daily News of August 16, 1965 had this to say:

“….At one point that night there appeared to be a definite coalition plan to scatter their storm-troopers outside Queen’s House thus preventing Mrs. Bandaranaike from entering-to resign and preventing Mr. Dudley Senanayake from entering to be sworn in.
One man stood between coalition activists and their plan: ASP Vamadevan. With a patrol car and a brace of armed policemen he ‘held’ the area near the Ceylinco building, keeping the activists from moving into positions outside Queen’s House.
At the height of the tension a rumbustious coalition Minister arrived on the scene and ordered the Police party off, using the language that could have made even a Maradana slattern blush. He also threatened the young ASP with dire reprisals.
Mr. Vamadevan did not budge, as reporters who were eyewitnesses will testify. Curiously he was transferred out of Colombo within a matter of weeks”.

While I was hibernating in Nuwara Eliya, Mr. Aleric Abeyagunawardhene was appointed Deputy Inspector-General and Nuwara Eliya was in his Range. He is one who never forgets to ‘right wrongs’ whenever he got a chance. Shortly after his first visit to Nuwara Eliya I received a official message transferring me to Colombo with immediate effect. I took the first train and I was gone.

My third stint in Colombo was as Commissioner of the City Police from 1977 to 1980. The post of Superintendent of Police Colombo is one of the coveted positions a Superintendent could aspire to. This position had been held by officers like C. C. Dissanayake (Jungle) S. A. Dissanayake (Jingle), A. C. Fernando (Auty), Harry Vanden Driesen, C. P. Wambeek, Ivor Van Twest etc. By this time the title of the post of Superintendent of Police had been changed to that of Commissioner of Police, Colombo (CPC). Since this change of name there had been many more who were in the hot seat- S. S. Joseph, H. G. Bowdewyn, Jack Van Sanden and A. C. Lawrence. Now it was my turn. I was now in the cockpit steering the policing of a city with a population of close upon a million and a Police strength of 2000 and 20 Police stations.

I had a good team. The Crime Chief was none other than Tyrell Gunatilleke, and most of the sensational cases of the time including that of the Matthew Peiris murder investigation were in his capable hands. A. C. Gaffoor was in-charge of Colombo South and Operations, and he used to work long hours into the night.

Tricky situations cropped up all the time. My task was to defuse such situations and create a climate in which my officers could carry on their good work without let or hindrance. This involved my being something of a shock absorber taking all the political bumps and jerks and telling the officers that all was fine and to carry on with their good work. This capacity to be a shock absorber is, in my view, a sine qua non for Police highups in the present political climate.

Lot of concern

One fine day all looked normal and bright until I was told that a procession was going to be taken out by Dr. N. M. Perera, the leader of the Nava Lanka Samasamaja Party and that I was not to permit it at any cost. Indications were given that even if it was necessary to open fire the procession was not to be allowed. This caused a lot of concern and intelligence was that preparations were going on inspite of the permit being refused, and that Dr. N. M Perera was going to defy the ban, taking out the procession from the Town Hall to Galle Face. The build-up was causing tension and I had to find a way out without letting it to escalate.

A couple of days before the event I thought I will make use of my good rapport with Dr. N. M. Perera and drove up to his Cotta Road home and told his ‘Appu’ (valet) to announce me and my desire to speak to him. He was still in bed and yelled out ‘Vama come in’ and asked his Appu to bring a chair up to the bed. ‘What can I do for you?’ he asked. I told him the procession he was proposing to take out was illegal and that he was putting me in a difficult situation because I was under orders to stop it at any cost. We talked about it for a while over a cup of tea and typically he wanted to help me. ‘Alright’ he said ‘it is too late to change any arrangements, I will start the procession. You come and stop me. It will be alright after that’. He then added ‘that way all parties will be satisfied’. My experience was that leaders like Dr. N. M. Perera, Dr. Colvin R. de Silva and Pieter Keuneman were easy to deal with if one approached them directly, with all the cards on the table they always listened to reason.

Interesting stories

On major occasions which were common in Colombo, we worked hard virtually round the clock, very often starting at 6.00 A.M. and finishing at 11.00 P.M. But we always finished up at the Mess where all officers could unwind and relate their experience. Interesting stories were told and retold and everyone had a good time.

I remember the story often told of our encounter with Mr. C. R. Arndt. He was a man of few words, and he conversed more in grunts and mono syllables which made others very uncomfortable . We as Probationers had to pay courtesy calls on Senior offcers and cover the whole top echelon before the training was over. We set apart one evening each week to call on Senior Officers. The day we called on ‘Jungle’ Dissanayake was very pleasant. His wife was a perfect hostess and very kind to us. Jungle’s son T.D.S.A was present and as we knew him it helped to break the ice. We had postponed our call on Mr. Arndt until days had run out and our training program was coming to an end. Someone in the group suggested that we drop in and take a chance. It would have completed our schedule perfectly. So, the five of us dressed in lounge suits trooped-in and knocked at his Longden Place bungalow door. The unmistakable voice of Mr. Arndt inquired from inside as to who it was. One of us picked up courage and said it was the five Probationers calling on him. The door never opened, but the unmistakable voice from inside responded. ‘The first thing you must learn is to make appointments before calling on an officer’. We beat a hasty retreat. I was reminded of a Tamil proverb ‘never mind the alms; hold the dog’.

Speaking of Mr. Arndt brings to my mind a tale of him and Frank Silva, now the Inspector General of Police. Mr. Arndt was Superintendent of Police of the Northern Province, and young Frank worked with him for his Provincial Training segment. Arndt had instructions that no one was to give leave to his orderly except himself. Young Frank was signing a heap of papers that had been in his ‘In’ tray and one of it happened to be Mr. Arndt’s driver’s leave papers which too he signed. The next morning Frank had a call from Mr. Arndt inquiring whether he would like to join him on an inspection of Mullaithivu. Young Frank was very excited. It was his first long trip into the wilderness as it were. When they were ready to leave Arndt asked Frank whether he would like to drive. Frank said it would be a pleasure and sat at the driver’s seat. Mr. Arndt settled into the back seat. Driving all the way to Mullaithivu with his Superintendent in the back seat he had ample time to ponder on the message. This is why even as Inspector-General now, he never signs a paper without reading it thoroughly.

Arndt was not always at the dispensing end of such lessons. His predecessor in Jaffna was Mr. W. E. C. Jebanesan (Jebs to his friends) and as Superintendent of Northern Province he had a very liberal Travelling vote for Anti-Illicit Immigration work, something like Rs. 800/= a month, a princely figure at that time for a Police Officer. Mr. Arndt was in Headquarters as Superintendent (Headquarters). Arndt constantly raised queries on Jebs’ travelling claims and inspite of his protestations cut the vote to Rs. 500/=. Then the wheel of fortune turned full circle and Ardnt and Jebs exchanged positions. Now Jebs started asking questions about the need to use Rs. 500/= for illicit immigration work and after a long and hilarious correspondence, and despite Arndt’s protestations he cut it down to Rs. 250/=. The relevant file in Headquarters is interesting reading.

Constant protests

In Colombo there were constant protests from the public and press that the Police were like the rainbow appearing always after the storm. So, I made it my mission to tackle this shortcoming. By constantly monitoring the response time of the Police we made a good impact and figures showed that our response time was as good as any of the good Police services elsewhere. My obsession with the urgency of quick Police response soon earned me, among the lower ranks, the name ‘VAHAMADEVAN’ (Vahama in Sinhala means immediate).

For the first time we embarked on an aggressive Police promotional campaign to fight traffic accidents and crime through radio jingles. My wife had a very successful Advertising Agency and she obliged with two compositions that were well received by the public. They are still fresh in my memory and are worth reproduction here. They were broadcast in all three languages.
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(By V. Vamadevan, Retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police)
The University of Ceylon at Peradeniya was the RESULT of several years of debate and planning. A few small faculties had moved in 1951, but the move of the Arts faculty scheduled for October 1952 was the big event. The Vice Chancellor during this historic move was none other than Sir Ivor Jennings, not a stranger to any arts student of Government. His books were like the Bible, and all students read and digested them. I happened to be in the first batch of Arts students to move into Peradeniya. We were to have one term in Colombo, that is June to August ’52 and then move to Peradeniya in October that year.

The selection to the University at that time was by a competitive exam followed by a viva- voce. The board of selection was invariably chaired by Sir Ivor. The time I presented myself for the Viva in March 1952 the board included, if my memory serves me right, Sir Ivor, Mr. Labrooy and Prof. H. C. Ray. I had travelled from Jaffna a week earlier and my brother had taken me to GRERO’s at Maradana a popular tailor at that time, to equip me with a white suit for the interview. I was told that satin drill was the material in vogue at the time and so that was what I was going to wear.

On the day of the interview I was the last to be called because the names were being called in alphabetical order. Along with me was Ashley Halpe who was a science student aspiring probably to be a doctor. He went in just before me, and the gentleman that he was, he waited until I finished not wanting to let me be alone on my return. May be he guessed that Colombo was new to me and that I was at sea in that environment. On our way back after the interview Ashley told me that Sir Ivor had advised him to switch from Science to Arts and study English. His wisdom was proved right when I learnt that Ashley was at a young age made Professor of English. This is a good illustration as to how important and useful those interviews were and the impact it had on students.

Our first term was at Thurstan Road campus. Ragging was not as bad as it turned out to be in ensuing years. There was good and clean fun.

There were a few of us who used to cycle from Borella for lectures. Some of the Seniors in the group advised us to carry a tie in the cycle basket. We complied, and on one of our return trips one of the seniors spotted a wedding reception in progress at the Women’s International Club Hall and asked us to put on our ties and follow him. He took us to a table and we sat down and were soon served with very delicious short-eats and we enjoyed the evening tea. All that was left to be done was to shake hands with the bride and groom and depart.

Sir Ivor used to put out notices which were a treat to read. For example, if he wanted to stop cycles being parked under the porch, the notice would read ‘You may park your cycle under the porch and pay a fine of Rs. 20’.

The first Union election for office bearers who would hold office at Peradeniya was held in Colombo before we closed for the first term. There was a lot of canvassing. The candidates were either Rightist called ‘Juntas’ or leftists dubbed ‘Trots’ or ‘Commies’. Candidates printed handbills and cards giving their names and asking voters to vote one way or the other. On the day of the count, Sir Ivor was busy collecting these cards, and some candidates were falling over one another to have the honour of seeing their cards in Sir Ivor’s hands. After the election was over a notice appeared which read “The following students who have enough funds to print election literature will forfeit their Bursaries.” The list beneath carried the names of all those students whose cards Sir Ivor had collected. Sir Ivor instilled discipline by outwitting the students.

Even at Peradeniya in the early years the freshers did not have to contend with venomous ragging. Freshers were made to stand sentry outside the halls with a broom in the ‘Present Arms’ position and salute the seniors as they came and went. They had to run errands to the girls hostels delivering flowers as instructed by the Seniors. The worst was when a insomniac Senior put them up at 4.00 a.m. for physical exercises in the court yard and barked out commands he had learnt as a senior cadet at school. How and when ragging deteriorated to the low depths of degradation to which it has descended, I don’t know.

Arunachchalam hall was called ‘A’ Hall for convenience, while some called it Al Hall because it had rooms with a cubicle and wash basins, not to mention good teak furniture. The only other hall that could boast of such facilities was Jayatilaka Hall. Activities in the halls went on into the wee hours of the morning. The common room was the centre of all activities. The radio was on all the time. Those who listened to western music looked down upon those listening to oriental music. Even among those listening to oriental music, those listening to Hindi music looked down upon those listening to Sinhala and Tamil music. There seemed to be a class distinction based on the type of music one favoured.

It was customary for left wing politicians to be invited to the Union Society to address the students followed by dinner for them at one of the halls. Dr. N. M. Perera and Dr. Colvin R. de Silva were an instant hit with the students and were listened to with adulation. Government party politicians had learnt through the years that discretion was the better part of valour and gave Peradeniya a miss. The few who ventured, like Sir John Kotelawela learnt their folly, never to be repeated.

First woman Union President

The Union society was also a forum for promising and ambitious students to make their mark. The first woman president was Sudharma Alles (later Mrs. Manthi Ranawake, and now domiciled in Australia). She steered the Union through the rough and abrasive early days in Peradeniya. R. Sundaralingam who was in later years to carve out a niche for himself in the Police, cut his teeth in the Union society. He had the distinction of being elected uncontested as the President perhaps for the first time in University history. Both sides (i.e.. the Kultur & the Trots) thought he was their candidate until the nominations were over. A tactician and strategist like Sundaralingam, appear rarely on the face of the earth.

Speaking of Union Society elections one cannot forget to mention the Hindagala boutique where the election strategies were planned and plotted. The discussions there, used to go on for hours on end. If there was any place that needed to be bugged for espionage by the Special Branch it was the Hindagala boutique.

Being a residential University, there used to be interesting after dinner debates. Father Pinto and Professor Ray were popular draws, and usually found themselves on opposite sides. Each of them, made the other the butt of their jokes, to the amusement of the students. Both were historians, Fr Pinto in European History and Prof. Ray in Indian History. Prof Ray had a humour peppered with sarcasm which was all the more stinging because of the sarcastic smile he wore on most occasions. Fr. Pinto was quick to take a swipe whenever an opening presented itself. The result was a hilarious evening.

It used to be said of Professor Ray that he took a walk in the late evenings with his walking stick, and on going home he would leave his walking stick in a corner and sleep in his bed. One day, the story goes that after yet another days walk he laid the walking stick on the bed and stood in the corner the whole night. I think this was some student’s fantasy foisted on the Professor because of his known absent mindedness.

Sports played a very prominent part in life at Peradeniya. The competitions between the Peradeniya campus and the Colombo campus were big events. Brant Little, though unpopular with some of the students, did a very good job. He was responsible for sending many of the teams overseas to take part in competitions. Thanks to him some of the undergraduates were able to travel overseas for the first time in their lives. I captained the Peradeniya soccer team and was fortunate to play under that stalwart of soccer, Peter Ranasinghe in the University soccer team and take part in the Inter-University soccer tournament at Hyderabad.

Speaking of Peter Ranasinghe, I was surprised to find him a household name in India. He had by then made a name by his dazzling play as Ceylon captain at the Quardrangular meet in Burma. He received so much media exposure that when the train stopped at wayside stations in remote Andra Pradesh, boys would come to our compartment and inquire who ‘Peter Ran-a-singh’ was. Brant Little did put the Ceylon university on the sports map of South Asia. He also made university colours a coveted achievement, and Colours Night was the biggest social event in the campus calender.

Romance

Romance was rife and the banks of the Mahaweli provided convenient retreats for young lovers. Much of the gossip was about those goings on. There were quite a few staff-student affairs which were the subject of the spiciest stories going the rounds. There were young lecturers (men) back from Oxbridge or Berkely in their new designer trousers who were the cynosure of all especially the girls. There was a Miss Tourqiot a French lady from the South of France, who was teaching French for those of us who had to do a paper in French translation for the Honours course. One of her classes had 12 students on the list, but when she came for the class she found about 100 students seated ready for the class.

Fantasising was the pastime of many of the students. Most of the time the other party wasn’t even aware of an admirer’s longings. Such students were referred to as Psychoing so and so. Their relationships were referred to as “50% through”.

Hiking was a very favourite leisure activity in those early days. Come Saturday, boys and girls get snack packs ready and start assaulting the Hantane peak. Some of those ‘Hikes’ comprised of very large groups. I went on a hike with about 40 members of ‘A’ Hall and we climbed the Balana peak. It was a twin peak with a beautiful sight of the Balana Pass below and a panoramic view of the Kadugannawa pass and the railway embankment. It was from the Balana peak that Kandyan scouts used to keep a look out for the Portuguese, Dutch and later British troops advancing on Kandy. On the slightest sighting, signals by drum were passed in relays to the palace in Kandy to make preparations to take on the enemy.

Food in the halls of residence was very good by normal standards. The Wardens did a good job and the servants were very courteous and helpful. Breakfast was very often bread and poached eggs with quite a few variations. Lunch was a solid rice and curry meal. Dinner was normally a western dish such as steak and potatoes with a good dessert. We were looked after very well by any standard. In ‘A’ Hall we were fortunate to have Dr. D. E. Hettiarachchi as warden assisted by Raja Gunasekera and Tom Wikramanayake. They were devoted to their work and very approachable and understanding of student attitudes.

One big event that brought notoriety to the Peradeniya campus was the hartal of 1953. The students indulged in the usual demonstrations and slogan shouting which brought them face to face with the Kandy Police. The Police went into their usual Riot drill formation and brought down the batons on a mob that until now had thought the whole thing was great fun. The result was bleeding heads and quite a few spending the night in Police cells. The next day some of the students who had never taken part in the demonstration were wearing Arm slings and walking about the campus past the girls hostels like heroes back from the front. The unfortunate students who were in the Police net, had to face court cases. Thanks to Dr. Colvin R. de Silva who appeared free for their defence, they were acquitted.

This sequel had an unfortunate impact on me. One of the prime accused had my surname. In the campus he was known as “Hartal Vama” while I was ‘Vama’ unadorned. But outside the campus, I had to pay the price everywhere I went. And, when I joined the Police and got my first appointment as A.S.P. Kandy I had a difficult time convincing some of the Police officers that it was not I who had spent two days in the same Police cell that I was now supervising.

When the last year approaches, everyone panicks about a job. The more affluent students apply to overseas universities for Post-graduate courses. The less affluent write to the Principals of their ‘Alma Maters’ asking for teaching positions in their old schools. The guiding principle being ‘if you cannot study, start teaching’.

Whatever job or position one gets on graduation, hope springs eternal in the human breast. So, everyone has a bash at the Civil Service exam irrespective of whether they have a chance or not. Even if one missed the civil there were other posts such as D.R.O., D.L.O. Income Tax Assessor and other jobs that might come your way. The Civil Exam is probably the last occasion where you meet old friends and from then on it is each for himself, and God for us all.

PERADENIYA CAMPUS

Where the mighty Mahaweli meanders along
Where the verdant canopied rain trees throng,
Where the road to Galaha winds through the valley,
There my heart reposes. To leave – a folly?
The Senate building stands on stilts concrete,
Like a gaunt reminder of past cities of the East,
Flanked by hills where fine teas grew
Now replaced by Halls, great and new.
Mars and Marcus, the hills dominate,
And Sanghamitta, a ‘walled-off Astoria’ made
To secure ‘gals’ in their pristine youth,
From nasty barbs and males uncouth.
A bridge too narrow, for traffic vehicular,
Spans the river, now so popular
An avenue for boys of Akbar Nell-Hall,
To meet the girls under willows tall.
On the grounds where once golfers strode,
Stands a faculty, today the abode
Of lads and lasses, Lanka’s pick
Learning the art of healing the sick
The scene has changed,
The trees have grown,
Oh how I love,
To be there again!
(Author of Poem & Copyright Dr. Peter Seneviratne)