Obituary - Dr. Tissa Senaratna

Tissa Senaratna, a native of Mathugama, Sri Lanka was selected by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1970 to follow a 5-year course in Agriculture at the Russian Friendship University in Moscow, on a full scholarship. He was just eighteen (18) years old then. He excelled in his studies and passed out with an M.Sc in Agriculture with (first class) Honors in 1975. He specialized in Plant Physiology. On returning to Sri Lanka he was employed by the Department of Agriculture as a Research Officer and served at the Regional Agricultural Research Center, Mahailluppallama. For a short period, Tissa worked as lecturer in University of Peradeniya as well. He also got married around this period to Rajini, a Sri Lankan graduate from the same university who was his junior by a few years.

After around 2 years of service at the Department of Agriculture, Tissa was offered a scholarship to read for his M.SC and PhD at the University of Guelph, Ontario Canada. Having obtained his Ph D he continued to stay in Canada availing a faculty position in the Plant Science Department, with the family. During this time, Tissa became a co-inventor of a process to develop "artificial" seeds by introducing a certain combination of nutrients and growth regulators to tissue cultured embryos. This groundbreaking research was patented in 1993. His work was well recognized by the international scientific community and he was once rated as one of the 10 most outstanding people in Canada. He also won the prestigious McLean award for his ground breaking research in Embryo Culture. During this time, Tissa had to face some unfortunate moments in his personal life and moved to Perth, Australia to take up residence there. In Australia, he worked at the Kings Park Botanical Garden as a Principal Research Scientist. Later he joined the University of Western Australia as a member of the faculty. He has published many research papers and also supervised many PhD students in the field of Plant Physiology who have themselves become highly successful scientists.

Tissa had many talents and was a very lovable character. He was an excellent student, a musician, an orator and most importantly a man with a kind heart. He always wore a smile on his face and had a great sense of humor. Whenever he talked to someone who has been with him in Russia, he gave the feeling that he cherished every moment he spent in Russia more than anything else. In him we saw a great scientist and but as any other human being he had to live in this society facing many day to day challenges. No one of us ever expected his untimely death. Tissa could have contributed much more to the world at large through his great research work in the field of Agriculture.

Always bigger than life, Tissa stood out among others on account of his intelligence, sharp wit and sociable nature. One can only wonder how such a vivacious person could have been so sad inside, for it would seem that Tissa had all those things one could possibly hope for in life. Let us cherish the lovely memories Tissa left behind in all the hearts he had touched during his lifetime.

Tissa's son Nilan has already graduated and is employed. Daughter Nilmi is a third-year Environmental Science student at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

His relatives, spouse; children and all his friends can be proud of his achievements. We will not receive any more long phone calls from Tissa. He has decided to bid farewell to all of us in his own way,

We would agree that when someone is born to this world he or she cries in pain but it is so much joy to others to welcome the newborn. Reverse may be true when one departs.

Although Tissa is no more with us, our memories about the good times we spent together will be there for ever. We shall miss him.

May he attain Nibbana

Note: Tissa'a funeral was held on September 01, 2009 in Perth, Australia among a large gathering of Sri Lankans and academic staff and students of various Australian Universities. ASLGSC was represented by Nihal Liyanage who gave an eulogy on behalf of the Association.