Sri Lanka, March 9 -- Now in the twilight zone, as each day dawns, it seems I miss my father more; he was a compassionate man, brilliant as a doctor and writer. It was none other than my father who instilled the love of reading and writing in me, which still remain as my favourite pastimes.

He was born on February 25, 1904, and was four years old when his father, the late Dr W.H. De Silva passed away. The latter was the first Ceylonese to qualify as a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in Ophthalmology, and was previously an undergraduate at the University of Aberdeen. He rendered his services free-of-charge to the Government of Ceylon, and organised the first Eye and ENT Clinic at the Grenier Hospital in Colombo. My so...