W.H. Bodhidasa an Appreciation by C.

Shanmuganayagam Wewelwela Hewage Bodhidasa, the late Chairman of the Krishnamurti Centre Sri Lanka, who died on November 8, 2002, was a rare personality. He was gentle, generous, soft-spoken and had a compassionate outlook towards his fellow beings. He was dedicated to the teachings of renowned philosopher and sage J. Krishnamurti. Mr. Bodhidasa was closely associated with Krishnaji from 1949 till he passed away in 1986. He was on the Reception Committee, with Dr. E.W. Adikaram and the writer that organized Krishnaji's visits to Sri Lanka in 1949, 1957 and 1980 when Krishnaji took the public by storm with his inspiring spiritual talks. Bodhi, as he was affectionately called by his friends, also visited the Krishnamurti Foundations in India, Brockwood Park, England and Ojai in the U.S.A. Bodhi first went to India in 1942 as a lad of 16, to visit the Theosophical Society Headquarters at Adyar, Madras and was invited by a business friend of his father, W.H. Hendrick, to stay at his residence whenever he visited Madras. Bodhi fell in love with his daughter Srimathi, and married her in 1951 in Sri Lanka. Bodhi graduated in arts from Utkal University of Bihar, India. Srimathi had graduated from Presidency College, Madras before her marriage and later completed a Botany honours course at the Ceylon University in 1957. She taught at Devi Balika Vidyalaya for 16 years. The golden jubilee of Bodhi's and Srimathi's marriage was celebrated by their three children, on August 26, 2001, by offering dhana to 50 Buddhist monks, who had been invited to assemble at the Mallikaramaya Temple at Dematagoda, to bless the couple. We extend our deep sympathies, on the loss of dear Bodhi, a great son of Sri Lanka and liberal internationalist at heart, to Srimathi, their three children and six grandchildren. May Bodhi be blessed with perfect peace, harmony and happiness in the higher dimension to which he has been called, after a life of dedicated service to his fellow beings.