Somar Wijayadasa Courtesy The Island

Kuru as a cadet sergeant and Queen’s Scout meeting the Queen at India’s 1961 Republic Day.

A talented son of Sri Lanka, Dr. Mahinda Kurukulasuriya (1942-2025) passed away peacefully in Vientiane, Laos on 29 January 2025 – with his daughter Liza by his side. According to his wishes, a three-day memorial service was held in a Buddhist temple in Vientiane, Laos.

Among close friends, he was fondly referred to as ‘Kuru” and as Dr. Kuru” among his professional colleagues.

He was born in 1942 to a wealthy family in Nakulugamuwa. His father owned the Ruhunu Transit Bus Company that was nationalized in 1957.

Kuru had his Education at Mahinda College, Galle, where he excelled in studies, sports, and athletics. In 1961, as a Cadet and a Queen’s Scout, he had the rare opportunity to greet Queen Elizabeth II at the Republic Day Celebrations in New Delhi.

After a 13-year hiatus of losing cricket matches to Richmond College, in 1962, Mahinda College under Kuru’s captaincy won a memorable victory against Richmond.

In 1962, he won a Scholarship to pursue engineering studies at the Moscow State University. That same year, I met Kuru in Moscow, and we forged a friendship that lasted 65 years.

Kuru married his University batch-mate Elena – an amiable person who also completed her Ph.D. and the rare Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degrees along with Kuru. She predeceased him in 2015 leaving two equally brilliant daughters who live in Europe.

Kuru’s education abroad opened up the world for him to explore. Upon his graduation in 1968, he returned to Sri Lanka and worked for the River Valleys Development Board (RVDB). From 1971-1976, he and his wife Elena were appointed as water engineers in Zambia. They returned to Moscow and completed their Ph.D.’s. Kuru returned to Sri Lanka in 1979 and worked for the Mahaweli River Development.

Later, he worked on United Nations assignments as a senior engineer and Program Manager in Zaire, Congo, Maldives, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. He was fluent in English, Russian, French, Burmese, Khmer and Thai, and he excelled in his UN assignments.

In 2006, he garnered another Ph.D. from the Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture of the Peradeniya University. Over the years, he wrote several books, including his memoirs One Drop of my Sweet Sweat”.

Upon his mandatory UN retirement, the Government of Laos – aware of Kuru’s technical expertise, commitment and integrity – persuaded Kuru to lead several key development projects in Laos. It allowed Kuru to continue working with the perks of a UN official, and the Government took good care of him as he was away from his native Sri Lanka, and his beloved family. He had many Laotian friends.

Above all, he was kind and friendly to everyone he knew. Despite many achievements, Kuru was the most virtuous and unassuming person I came across in my life.

Kuru is survived by his sisters Indra and Lalita, daughters Angelika and Liza, and his wife Seuth and his son Souminta.

His family and friends will miss him dearly. Yet, we shall cherish his memory forever.

May he attain the supreme bliss of Nirvana.

Somar Wijayadasa