Appreciation:

March 17, 2013, 7:42 pm

With the absorption of the Jaffna Co-operative Provincial Bank Ltd by the Peoples Bank in 1971, Mr S. Dharmarajeswaran became a People’s Bank staff member where a ‘co-operative banker’ became a "people’s banker". Our association however commenced with the prolonged trade union action of 1972. Though there were anomalies in his absorption his worth as a useful officer material was soon recognised and he continued to enjoy signing powers as an officer though absorbed in the staff assistant grade.

A very sincere and knowledgeable worker and his services were much sought after by the Managers wherever he worked and later by the regional managers of the North. Though he was in the supervisory staff grade the Regional Managers made use of him to represent the Bank in all the relevant conferences, co-ordinating with the Co-operative department as well as the Secretariat.

He was able to join the Co-operative Bank in a grade above the entry point grade. His work has always been as second in command and as the officer preferred to act for the manager.

He had his secondary education at the Christian College, Kopay. He cherished the privilege he had of associating with E. C. A. Navaratnarajah, a Principal and his immediate neighbour. His tertiary education through the Jaffna College,  to read for a Chemistry Special degree at the London University,  had to be curtailed due to changes in the family fortunes with the passing away of his father.

He had the rare privilege of being flanked by nine siblings and an equal number of in-laws. His father retired as Assistant Government Agent, Batticaloa and his father-in-law was a retired Principal. He was blessed with a son Dharmeegan who had his secondary education at Hindu College Jaffna and  graduated from the Colombo University and is now a software engineer in Kuwait.

Dharmarajeswaran was the Treasurer of the Northern Province Banks’ Pensioners’ Welfare Association, an umbrella organisation of all the retirees of the  Banks functioning in the North.

I will be failing in my duty if I do not   pay the deserving tribute to his trusteeship as Treasurer ,for it was the most fruitful decade and no other such  Association can boast of a bank balance that enables the association to function without funds other than the derived income from the perennial deposits created and safeguarded by Dharmarajeswaran. This alone is enough to perpetuate his memory among the bankers for generations to come.

Though he fell sick in spite of his active schedule, his ever-loving and dutiful better half, his loyal and duty conscious  son and loving siblings and in-laws  rallied round him and nursed him and got him, the best medical attention. In spite of their efforts to resuscitate him he passed away on the 14th of March 2013, after completing fifteen years as a retired banker, trusted and respected,  as if he was continuing as a banker in service.

 R. Suntharalingam

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