1. The document provides an autobiographical summary of the author's life in 3 sentences or less for each major life stage or role: as a child growing up in a village in Sri Lanka, as a student through school and university, as a teacher and professor, as the chairman of various organizations, and as a family man. 2. It describes his upbringing in a rural village, experiences in elite private schools, academic success through university, and career spanning over 30 years as an educator in Sri Lanka and abroad. 3. The author reflects on the meaning and importance of being a teacher and using the role to be "socially worthy" by helping students and others.

1. Potpourri of Reminiscence
A. S. R. A. M. H. B. Kotagama

2. Potpourri of life as ….
• As a child/ family
• Village lad
• School student
• University student
• Professional
– Teacher/ Professor
– Researcher
– National and community development volunteer
• Manager of SLSM
• Sri Lankan Community member in Oman
• As a husband and father

3. Spot me …. As a child

4. Family and home
• Born in Sri Lanka, Uva region, Moneragala District (Bintanne, Wellasa), Bibile township(Gampereliya, Jinadasa), Kotagama
village
– Bibile atho, Bibile baiyo
– I am a descendant of veddhas
– Kotagama from Kotagama
– Where the Wellasa rebellion was lead
• Parents
– Farmers – Landed proprietor
– Respected personalities in the village
– 6 children ( Mid child of 2 elder and one younger brother, 2 younger sister)
• Team player being lead and leading too
• Father
– Leader
– Earned respect and gave respect
– Educating children only goal in life
• Nothing less than the best
• Financial planner never yet understood
– Modest lifestyle
– 5S filing
– Recycling
– Principled but not religious
– Perfectly healthy
– Never let any one idle
• Mother
– Calm, collected, soft spoken
– Patient and Resilient
– No complains endured pain
– Never compared commented about children
• Mother and Father:
– Perfect harmony , mutual respect

5. Brothers and sisters
• Loku aiya (Eldest brother)
– Professor
– A unique social personality (Professor should be socially known)
– World acclaimed scientist, educationist
– Buffo Kotagamia
– Strictly principled personality
– Practice what you preach: Environmentalism
• Need and not greed
• Sudu aiya (Elder brother)
– Engineer farmer
– Unique and mysterious
– “alpetcha”
– You could help thyself
– Never eat a full stomach
– Cats and dogs first
• Nangi (Sisters)
– Teachers
• Malli (Younger brother)
– Business chief executive with a doctorate
– Mischievous but a great achiever
• All of us
– Do not communicate with each other frequently
– Talk of world issues and national development
– Care for each other respectfully (as did our father)

6. Me as a village lad …
My village

10. Me as a Village lad
• Village in the jungle
• Hunting and fishing
• Never to harm an animal: My elder brother
– Iguana
– Bats
• Farming (hena and paddy farming)
• The first radio, clock, riding a bicycle
• Driving a 2 wheel tractor
• Avurudhu
• Once in 3 months a village lad

11. Me as a school child
• Thomian (Bandarawela, Guruthalawa, Mt Lavainia)
• Private, elite school
• Private: How did my father pay the fee
• Multi-ethinic
• Elite: How did I cope associating with elites
– Stressful and felt inferior
• clothes, toys, letters and parcels, extra food
• Favoritisms by teachers
• Had positives too
• Kota
– Bullied
• Rebelled in protest by being a deviant to rules, show-off and harmed myself
• Never a leader , shy and introvert
• Did not participate in sports
• Performed academically well in primary school
– Teacher couple took care of me as their child
• Failed OL exam
• AL passed excellently
– Studied consistently
– Brothers influence
– Meditation
– Good studious friends

12. My School Teachers
• Mr and Mrs Godfrey (late) and Merlin Peiris (Maths Teacher)
– German injection
– Walking dustbin
– Adopted son
• Mrs Elepola (Social Studies Teacher)
– Scrap book
– Fancy dress prize
• Mr. Lekamge (Maths Teacher)
– Chocolates
– Sing + - = ?, BODMAS
– R.L. Spittle’s Village in the Jungle
• Mr. E.L. Perera (Head Master)
– The broomstick (Respect to teachers)
– No special food
– Daily meditation

13. Me as an undergraduate

14. Handsome guy

15. In action

16. Not my car … but a humble professor’s

17. University closed … black flags

18. U Peradeniya iconic picture

19. Hantane kandu yaya …

21. Me as an undergraduate
• University of Peradeniya:
– Take-off to a positive personality
• Accepted as a leader in many spheres (societies,
unions, sports)
– Pay off being in an elitist school
– Was accepted as an orator
– Socially well known (notorious as well)
• Comparative advantage: English language
– Learning English
• Excelled in academics
– Pure science to social science
– The loss of the third decimal

22. Me as a postgrad student: MSc

23. Me as a postgrad: PhD

24. Post doctoral

25. Me as a postgraduate student
• MSc (UPLB)
• PhD (University of London)
• Serious student
– Double scholarship
– Best MSc, PhD thesis
• MSc Supervisor
– Hit the computer with a hammer
• PhD Supervisor
– Average: The typical the mythical and the non-ethical
– Rub shoulders with the elites
– Explain your thesis to you wife

26. Me as a teacher
• I loved my profession as a teacher for 30 years
– Married and loved
• The pleasure of the teaching was beyond monetary remuneration
• Always prepared for teaching after comprehensive reading and research
– Drinking water in a stagnant mud-hole vs of a flowing stream
– Read widely/ variety
– Engage yourself in reading
• Tried to update knowledge and style of presentation
• Planned and prepared teaching material with great care
– Tried to contextualize to Sri Lanka
– Teaching material to text books
• Tried to relate theory to practice
• Student evaluations have been good
– Good teacher vs. course
• Respected the individuality of students: Never criticize/ humiliate in public
• Always consciously focused on the weak and neglected students (education for
failures)

27. Me as a professional: Professor
• Assistant lecturer to full merit Professor
– Professor at age of 42 years (youngest professor)
– Promoted directly from senior lecturer to full
professor (surpassing two steps)
• 5s work habits (documentation)
• Consistent commitment to work:
– work was pleasure
• Balance between teaching, research and national
and community development
• Presidential award on contributions to education
• Enjoyed social recognition and respect
– Most deservingly disrespected respectfully

28. Presidential Award:
Contributions to Nations Education

29. Me as an Professional: Chairman VTA

30. Me as an Professional: Chairman VTA
• Politicians are good
• Hard decisions can be made
• There is always a way to get things done
• Forgive and Forget
– Bicycle thief
– Shoe thief
• Real achievements
– 3 training centers in the 3 corners of the
poorest district

31. Me as an Professional: Chairman
SLSM

33. Me as an Professional: Chairman
SLSM
• Attempted to introduce professionalism, policies, plans and
procedures
• Attempted to focus management towards the core activity of
education
• Attempted to develop a management culture of decency and
respect
• Managed the institution and not individuals
– Teacher-Management relationship was respectful
– Have addressed issues formally: Board room and seated
• Bitter experiences
– Delayed guests
– Delayed official responses
– Non- adherence to constitution
• Moving to the other side of the road
• Persona-non-gratia
• Persist: Modeling with clay

34. Me in Oman: Community

36. Me in Oman
• Professionally
– Elephant having crossed the river
– Lion on monkey visa
• Sri Lankan community
– Tried to be one among all
– Atawaka puthu
• Involved with school management for 5.5 years
• Respected and disrespected
– To respect others one must have been respected
• Empathize, show compassion, forgive

37. Me and my family

40. Me and my family

53. Me and my family
• Dishna
– Perfect mother
– Spring and flow of charity (not religiously)
– Happy with simple things in life
– Persevering achiever
– Humorous and witty
– Pretty
– Taller than me!!!
• Sons: Chathura, Kasuen and Praveen
– Blessed with achievements (above average)
– Pinch of naughtiness
– A first degree for all
– Handsome and tall
– Wish they would be Caring human beings
• Thankful to SLSM and its teachers for educating our children

54. Conclusion
• Bernard Shaw
– Born crying to die with laughter
• Benjamin Button
– Would one live a different life than what
one lived if born with death?
• All of us are great in one role or the
other to one or other:
– as children, parents, professionals
– We are teachers and we are great.

55. Amygdala Factor:
Being Great is Being Socially Worthy
• We as teachers are fortunate to have
such great opportunity to be
immediately and directly socially
worthy.
• We teachers have a huge “Amygdala”
deep in our brains.
• The Island December 27.doc

56. Dear Teachers
Let us make the best of what we have
and make ourselves happy
and others happy too.
We are teachers.
We teachers have a huge Amygdala
deep in our brains.
Let us be socially worthy.