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‘And gladly would she learn, and gladly teach’ Appreciation: Professor Yasmine Gooneratne My mother, Yasmine Gooneratne, passed away on Thursday night this week. She was 88 years old. Emeritus Professor Yasmine was an academic, scholar, researcher, creative writer and teacher. She was an exemplary and meticulous student at the Universities of Peradeniya and Cambridge, as well as an encouraging teacher at the University of Peradeniya and Macquarie University in Sydney. She is internationally renowned for her contributions and her insights into literature, especially the literature of South Asia and Australia. This is what is well known about this lady who is called a trailblazer and a writer of renown. She is part of a generation which produced some towering figures. Yasmine Gooneratne as a private individual left clear instructions about what she wished regarding her funeral. Her directives show a great deal about her character and her values. ‘No public ...