Prof.V.K.Samaranayake - The Legacy Lives On

One of Sri Lanka’s most renowned luminaries in the IT arena bid his farewells to the country yesterday leaving a legacy that is unprecedented. Prof.V.K.Samaranayake, the Chairman of the ICTA and a forerunner in the uprising of the IT sector in Sri Lanka, passed away at the age of 68. As a person who is enjoying the fruits of this great man’s seeds, I’m inclined to write a few words in his memory.

As much as controversial some of his actions were, Prof.V.K.Samaranayake’s view was to bring home the luxuries of IT that were enjoyed by the rest of the world. His view was to use the information technology in our own way, devise mechanisms to make the technology adapt to the circumstances in Sri Lanka and to get the whole country, especially the younger generation, involved in the Sri Lankan IT evolution. The ICTA, which flourished and made considerable contribution to the Development of Sri Lanka, was his premier channel of service. The concept and the implementation of the “Nenasala” project was one of the huge leaps in the IT education sector in Sri Lanka in recent times. The Sinhala Unicode system which is now underway was one of his major interests in the recent past and invariably was one of the leading personnel who drove the concept forward.

Being an undergraduate of the institution he began, the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC), I vividly recall the assistance, the guidance and the encouragement he provided us in launching the all-island IT quiz competition that was organized by the undergraduates of the UCSC. The fact that it embraced school children from all over the country and that it was a considerably large project in blossoming the IT awareness among the school children were reasons enough to attract unconditional support from this legendary person and to make the ICTA main contributors to the project.

He will be missed, that’s for sure. As a single person who had a far fetched yet achievable vision, he will always be remembered.