Ven Kahaduwe Chandajothi

A wonderful human being

From Hapu & Fazli

The first Buddhist monk who taught at Royal was the Ven Kahaduwe Chandajothi. He taught Sinhalese Language, Literature, Sanskrit, Pali, and Buddhism and was a very kind and amiable person.

He passed away sometime in the late sixties. His body was brought to the College hall prior to the cremation. Many old boys paid their last respects there.

He was a committed teacher, scholar in Pail, Sanskrit and Buddhist civilization. Most of all he was a very kind and compassionate person.

Once, the assassinated Judge SJW Ambepitiya, asked whether it was a sin to keep two women in one house as wives. "Podi Hamuduruwo" as we called him said, "Oya Lamaya Karala Ballanna, puluwanda kiyala", and, with that he left the class.

Later we mentioned this to VP Bogoda Premaratna who called the whole class to his office and warned all of us severely for asking questions out of the subject.

When he taught us literature from the Ummagga Jathaka many were the boys who asked him so many embarrassing questions related to the “Maapata Angilla” episode of Mahoshada Pandithuma in the text. He took it in great stride and laughed with us and enjoyed the joke too without getting red in the face. I remember him saying "Oya lamayinta meka hara vena deyak hithanna baa, neda?"

His wonderful smile, that always shone about his face, his yellow robes that swished in and out of class, his valiant character that we all respected so very much in the midst of our own youth, perali-ness, and frivolity, is something, that, I am sure, we will always remember, honor and respect?

May he be Blessed and attain Nirvana!

Comments from Prasanna Mendis in Melbourne: Apr 24 2006

Brings back - digs up from the mists of time - mem's of the good monk KC.

I also did Ummagga J... possibly under Mr Munasinghe. [Others had Mr Dissanayake, VW owner; Mr Jinadasa of bush-shirt fame; Mr KC Fernando of oil-cake fame !; ] but cannot recall the yoni tale. Foreplay education at age 14 !

The thing that caused our class much amusement was Kevattaya getting a varchas pida from a bird - crow or selalihini I know not. May well be that our teacher glossed over the yoni bit !

"Pituva harawanna.." etc, who knows?

Prasanna