The following memorial article was originally published in the Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) in June 1999:
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Hiran Indika Ratnayake
1974-1998
An Appreciation
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Former Trinity College athletics captain and 1st XV rugby vice captain Hiran Indika Ratnayake died on October 13 of last year. He was killed on impact when the car he was driving crashed into a bridge support in Philadelphia, USA. In reporting his demise to a national audience, several newspapers in Sri Lanka mentioned a few of Indika’s sporting accomplishments, but they did not give an inkling of the considerable influence that Indika had on life at Trinity during his school years. People outside of the extended Trinity community may not know of Indika since, at the time of his death, he was just twenty-four years old and not old enough to have made a name for himself in the larger Sri Lankan society. Amongst Trinitians, however, Indika was one of the most illustrious and popular figures of his generation. As classmate Senake Gajameragedare recalls, “Indika was, in many ways, larger than life.”
Indika competed for the Trinity Athletics (Track and Field) Team from 1984 to 1992, captaining the team during his final year of eligibility. During his nine-year athletics career, he competed against—and won the respect of—the best Sri Lankan athletes of his age group. Indika appeared at the National School Games on two occasions–in 1990 and 1992—and won one silver medal and three bronze medals. In fact, in the final national athletics rankings of 1992, Indika’s Trinity team finished in third place, which still stands as the best showing by a Trinity athletics team at the National School Games during the 1990’s. Indika also achieved several top-three placings at the Sir John Tarbat Senior Public Schools’ Athletics Championship, most notably in his pet-event, the 400m hurdles. Despite finishing in third place in the Under 19 400m hurdles during the 1992 championship, Indika bettered the existing meet record for that event. His time of 56.2 seconds still stands as a Trinity record for the 400m hurdles. In addition, Indika’s 4x400m-relay team of 1992 still holds the Trinity record for the mile relay. Indika completed his athletics career as a six-time National School Games Colorsman, a four-time Senior Public Schools’ Colorsman, and a two-time Trinity College Athletics Colorsman. Controversially, Trinity’s highest sporting award, the Lion, eluded him. This was probably due not in part because of the nonchalant attitude that Indika had towards training. Indika’s opponents would probably be amazed to learn that the athlete who beat them on a regular basis did not spend more than a week or two in serious training before any meet. (Another group that would likely be amazed is the Ministry of Sports, which invited Indika to represent Sri Lanka at an international meet in 1992). It was Indika’s prolific ability to produce outstanding performances with minimal training that made him famous amongst Trinity athletes of his time. It is also worth mentioning that Indika had a keen following of female admirers amongst the athletics communities of both Kandy and Colombo. With his irrepressible smile and engaging personality, he made friends with consummate ease (except on the rugby field—see below).
Indika played rugby for Trinity College for the better part of 1985 to 1993. As the fastest sprinter in his class, he was an automatic choice as wing-three-quarter. Containing Indika was a nightmare for opposition defenses, but what made him a special player was the emotional leadership he provided to the Trinity teams he was put in charge of. (It was not uncommon for him to run all the way from the right wing to fire-up his forwards before crucial lineouts). Indika
was, in many ways, the ultimate competitor on the rugby field. He gave no quarter when he played, often showing complete disregard for his own safety. He did not hesitate to tackle players much larger than himself; in fact, he suffered considerable damage to his knee in 1993 after playing in a 1st XV game at Nittawela against his coach’s best advice. It was no secret that Indika had difficulty dealing with defeat, but fortunately, defeat for him came very rarely and probably not in part because he couldn’t stand it. Indika was so intense during rugby matches that he would often get into fights with opposition players. During his debut for the 1st XV rugby team in 1991, Indika surprised the large crowd at the Sugathadasa Stadium by enacting a martial arts pose in the middle of the field after a Thomian wing had tackled him. As teammate and classmate SP Silva recalls, during the 1993 Premadasa Tournament semifinal against Royal, it was Indika who instigated the infamous brawl that resulted in a Royal player being placed in the sin-bin. (Trinity won that game, 9-0). Indika played 1st XV rugby for Trinity from 1991 to 1993, winning colors for all three seasons. As the vice-captain of the 1993 team, he spurred Trinity to its only national championship in 1st XV rugby during the 1990’s. (Indika scored the first try in a 17-10 victory over Isipatana in the championship game). Although he did not receive a Trinity Lion for rugby, if you ask any member of that 1993 team whether they could have won a national championship without him, you will hear a resounding “no”. As SP recalls, Indika loathed running sprints at practice so much that he made “shamming” an art form, but when it came down to match time, Indika was all business; he was a tremendous asset to every team he played on.
In the hearts of the Trinitians of his time, however, Indika will be remembered for much more than his sporting achievements. During his time, he was one of the most popular and well known members of Trinity’s student body. As classmate Sumedha De Silva recalls, “from our junior school days, Indika was very much the big man on campus (BMOC). Even then he commanded some serious respect from his colleagues as a great sports star as well as for being the king of the block.” During the short interval and lunch interval, Indika was the chief organizer of lively inter-class activities. From conventional games such as cricket, football (with a tennis or rubber ball), tap rugby (with a ball or blackboard duster), and cutthroat marbles, to more extreme contests such as inter-class skirmishes (full contact, with no rules), Indika was the driving force. Those scrappy interval games provided some of the fondest memories that Indika’s classmates have of their junior school years.
Even as a new arrival in the Upper School, Indika was at the center of any number of roguish activities. Classmate Amjaad Jhan remembers the relay races (with twigs for batons) between classes in Year 7 around the Siberia block and the exhilarating ‘pittu’ games from Year 7 to Year 11. Describing the great ‘pittu’ encounters of Year 9, Senake remembers how “no one was spared, and we [Indika’s classmates] all got the point-blank treatment at one point or another; Indika used his pace-bowling action to deliver even greater pain than usual to the unlucky ones and there were hardly a few.” Indika was also one of the premier pranksters in his class, so much so that his classmates had plenty to laugh about during free periods (or even while the teacher was in class, on more than a few occasions!). As SP recalls, Indika so perfected the art of burping that the sound of his awesome belches became as familiar as the school bell. Fact is, Indika got bored easily, so he would try new tricks to entertain both himself and his classmates who were more than happy to join in. As classmate Sunishka Ponnamperuma recalls, “Indika was so full of life all the time that I don’t think I could have that much of life even in ten life times.”
Although Indika was an intense competitor–even on the playground–he genuinely cared about his classmates, a fact that they have not forgotten. As Sumedha recalls: “In Grade 6 or 7, Indika initiated a fund for one of our classmates who had trouble paying his school fees for that term. In all, I believe that we raised enough money for our classmate to remain in school for the entire year.” Indika was the proverbial “friend in need”—always at hand when his classmates needed support, and always ready to tackle their problems. Whenever any of Indika’s classmates was about to get into a fight with an older student (this was a regular occurrence), Indika could always be counted on for backup. In fact, he loved rallying his classmates for such encounters; often getting everyone involved into all sorts of trouble with the authorities! As far as his classmates are concerned, however, the important fact is that he had their back when they needed help. When one classmate accidentally damaged his family car (while his parents were out of town), Indika introduced his classmate to an emergency car repair shop where his classmate got his car fixed in time to avoid serious trouble.
Indika was appointed a School Officer of Trinity College in early 1992 and promoted to the rank of School Prefect in late 1993. In this capacity, he put his immense popularity and considerable influence to very good use. Indika enjoyed an excellent rapport with the staff at Trinity; he often joked with them as he would with friends his own age. Of course, Indika did not allow his appointment as a School Officer to alter his exuberant lifestyle; true to form, he found ways to leave school after his morning officer duties were complete. As SP recalls, Indika routinely scaled the school walls to watch films at the Odeon Theatre, but he hardly ever got caught! Since Indika was himself a rebel at heart, he understood how to handle students with behavior problems—opting to talk instead of antagonize. Students listened to Indika; he had a knack for connecting with people of every age.
Indika was one of the most memorable characters from the school days of an entire batch of Trinitians. He enriched their Trinity experience with his inimitable style. Indika’s classmates mourn that he has been taken away from them, but they continue to cherish the many memories that he left. As Senake recalls from a meeting with Indika in Washington DC of last April, Indika wanted to live “a life without regrets” by “doing the best he can and by doing the things that were in his heart”. As a student of architecture at Temple University in Philadelphia, Indika was on track to achieve his goals, but one can only speculate about the great things he could have achieved had he had not died so young. It is sad that Indika will not be around when his classmates recall the “good old days” of 1993 and before, but there is no doubt that they will remember him. In their minds, he is truly unforgettable.
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Aruna Ranaweera ’93
On behalf of the Trinity College Kandy Class of 1993
Addendum
At the 1992 TCK Upper School Prize Giving held in February 1993, H. I. Ratnayake was presented the award for Games All-Round Excellence, the most prestigious annual sports award at TCK.
In December 1999, the TCK Class of 1993 initiated a scholarship in honor of Indika. Since 2014, the H. I. Ratnayake Memorial Scholarship (HIRMS) has been specifically awarded to the recipient of the Games All-Round Excellence award at the annual TCK Middle School Prize Giving.
Visit the TCK93SF homepage for the list of current winners of the HIRMS.