“SENANAYAKE, THE GOOD SAMARITAN” – By Des Kelly

  It was indeed a proud political name, in the Ceylon I remember. Prime Minister Donald Stephan Senanayake, born 1883, and died in 1952, from wounds incurred in a tragic fall from his favourite horse, which unfortunately tripped, due to an unnoticed hole on the Galle-Face green, throwing this highly popular P.M. completely off.

Don Stephan was a U.N.P. (United National Party) Stalwart, 

highly educated both in English & Sinhala, was voted in as the Island’s first Prime Minister, and, not only did a superb job, but looked the part, as far as I was concerned. A truly distinguished Statesman, taken too soon.

          D.S. Senanayake was succeeded by his eldest son. 

Dudley Shelton Senanayake, immediately after the death of his father, was also popular with the people, as I remember, but could not follow in his dad’s footsteps, because of the lack of political experience, that his “old man” possessed in plenty, and also because of ill-health, which eventually convinced him that he would be happier, minus the responsibility that this Prime-Ministership entailed.

          However, getting away from the Political Scenario,

Dudley Shelton Senanayake was a likeable, friendly, man,

as this little “personal-story” goes. Here then, for all the readers of eLanka, far & wide, is “Senanayake, The Good Samaritan, born in 1911, and died, aged 62, in 1973.

 Desmond Kelly.
(Editor-in-Chief)  eLanka.

In the role of a Good Samaritan Dudley Senanayake

Source:Island

It was the general election of 1970 and Dudley had been there all night at the Kegalle Kachcheri, when he received an urgent message to come down to Colombo.

Soon after the result of the Dedigama Electorate was announced into his Hearld Gold and pelted down to Colombo. (He had a reputation of being a fast driver).

On the way, an old woman put up her hand signalling Dudley to stop. She was with her daughter who was in an advanced stage of pregnancy — at the “onnamenna” stage.

Dudley promptly stopped the ear, got down and helped them to the car. Thereafter he sped to the Warakapola Hospital where immediate medical attention was given.

The old woman thanked Dudley profusely and said that though she tried to stop several cars, not one of them had obliged. Then she fished out a five rupee note from her “hambiliya” (a small purse) and offered it to Dudley saying “Aney driver mahattayo! this is all that I can afford to give you”. Dudley did not accept it but gave her a fifty rupee note saying that she would need it. She was reluctant to accept it saying “Driver mahattayo! how could I accept such a big amount of money? And, besides it is also morally incorrect to do so”. Having persuaded the woman to accept it, Dudley got into his car and sped off. All the time, this drama was being eagerly watched by the hospital staff, And, when the Matron of the hospital told the woman that he was Premier Dudley Senanayake, she could hardly believe it and was lost in thought.

In the meantime, some of his friends and well-wishers had gathered at “Woodlands” to see him back that morning.

His faithful valet Carolis was a nervous wreck, impatiently waiting for his beloved master, at the main gate.

At last Dudley’s car drew up under the porch. It was covered all over with posters, some with the portraits of Mrs. Bandaranaike.

A few weeks passed by. The old woman’ and her family members including the new born one, paid a visit to Dudley at his Colombo residence, to offer their grateful thanks to the Good Samaritan.

They also brought with them, some sweet oranges which they had plucked from the tree in their garden.

That was all they could afford!

His Humility

A friend of mine, his wife and one of their young nephews, then just a little boy, today a doctor, arrived at one of Colombo’s multistorey hotels to attend a wedding, one evening. This was in the late 1960s, and Dudley Senanayake was the Prime Minister. As my friend, his wife and their nephew got into the hotel lift, my friend saw the Prime Minister, accompanied by a solitary bodyguard, walking towards the lift. “There’s Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake,” said my friend excitedly pointing the distinguished figure out to his wife.

With a smile all round, the Premier and his bodyguard got into the lift. As the lift began to ascend, the little boy asked his uncle, in a very audible whisper, (in Sinhala)..”M-aamay, is this really Dudley?” My friend and his wife froze in horror and embarrassment at this audacity, but, with a chuckle, the Prime Minister put out his right hand, and speaking in Sinhala to the little chap, said “Yes, putha. I am really Dudley. How d’you do?” and solemnly shook hands with the boy “What school do you go to?” then asked Dudley, and puffing out his chest proudly, the little boy said, “Royal!”

“Ah a very fine school,” said Dudley, and in a tone of mock sorrow, added; “unfortunately my parents sent me to S. Thomas’!”

His father too faced a similar situation.

One day one of his father’s senior officials had gone to see the Prime Minister, accompanied by his little son. After gazing at DS for some time, the boy very audibly asked his father, “Who is that old man with the moustache?” The acutely embarrassed official apologised profusely to the Prime Minister for his son’s rudeness, and DS had replied that was a grandfather and he loved the naive comments of little children.

“Actually as a matter of fact,” DS said with a twinkle in his eye, “my moustache is my grandchildren’s favourite plaything!”

The Prankster

During his student days in London, Dudley and a Ceylonese friend of his, were cycling down a street there, on their bicycles, when they were copped.

His friend rode away, leaving Dudley to face the music. He then thought that he would have the last laugh and readily gave all the “information” sought.by the traffic police.

About 10-days later, his friend was noticed to appear in court for a traffic offence.

Some Priceless Gems

When Maitripala Senanayake (who was married to ex-journalist Ranji Handy) was speaking against the Reasonable use of the Tamil Bill in Parliament, Premier Dudley equipped. “The Member for Medawachchiya is for Sinhala Only by day, and the Reasonable Use, of Tamil by night!”

Speaking on the same Bill, Stanley Tillekeratne (who was short in stature) said that at the voting, there would be a split in the ranks of the UNP

Dudley shrugged, and with a deadpan expression said I concede that the Hon. Member for Kotte, could see splits at eye level owing to his diminutive size

When the irrepressible fair member for Borella – Vivienne Goonewardena, continued to heckle Dudley, while he was speaking in Parliament, he paused fora while and said “Mr. Speaker ! Right throughout my life, I have found it impossible to tackle the other sex, hence my state of single blessedness

It was just after the by-election, held on the death of the sitting member, the Poet of the Revolution, Somaweera Chandrasiri. The UNP did not expect to win it, but thanks to the three – cornered contest it did.

Subsequently in Parliament, SLFP leader, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, by adding the figures polled by the SLFP candidate and the independent candidate (also an anti-UNP) attempted to prove that the “progressive forces” had actually won the by – election, while the UNP, going by the figures she had given, had lost it.

When she sat down after her weighty treatise, the UNP Chief Dudley rose, and with his eyes twinkling said gravely, “Madam, I wish you many more victories of that nature.”

The Gourmandiser

Stories were many about how Dudley indulged in some hefty meals.

When his mother felt that Dudley as a child was overeating, she admonished him. Then his father would intervene to say that growing children should be allow d to eat as much as they liked and properly fed. However, his mother saw to it that whenever there were guests, Dudley was served last.

At this time he was a boarder at the St. Thomas’ College hostel,

And it so happened that the hostel warden was not there that day, when breakfast was being served. There were 120 stringhoppers on the table, when his fellow hosteller challenged Dudley to eat them all at one sitting, saying that he would be given a grand lunch at the Mount Lavinia Hotel, if he succeeds and to reciprocate it if he fails.

Dudley first drank a glass of water before he began eating the string hoppers.After sometime he finished eating all the stringhoppers watched by his shocked friends.

Then he got up from his seat and seeing some plantains on the table, ate two of them too!