Markandu uncle, out dearest family friend since 1970s from Pallai. One of the top and decorated Tamil civil servant. A practicing Hindu but in work honesty was his god and straight forward, no compromise public service was his religion. Even after retirement President R Premadasa personally requested him to head a department under his administration for his honesty, integrity and empathy. We have many loving memories but the ones I always cherish are our trip to Nallur theere festival from Pallai, when we were in Batticalo you visited us and took me and my Father to Pothuvil had a sea bath at Arugam Bay most importantly the day before we left Pallai to Batticalo you gave us a big dinner and when we were leaving you started crying loudly you and my father has been always very close