Dr Jebamalai Vinanchiarachi
People are born and people die. But people’s verdict on people will never die. The verdict of the people on Wenceslaus Antony that he was a great scholar and gentle helper will never die.
The news about his unexpected death was a great shock to relatives and friends.
It will take many years for us to come to terms with the painful sorrow we all suffer.
Though my words may fail to alleviate this painful sorrow, let me try to console his wonderful family by saying that in his death an Angel was born in the family to serve them all better from Heaven.
And, as we believe, resurrection defeats death. For his friends, there is no substitute for Wenceslaus.
A blessing for all
His wisdom was a blessing to all organisations that he served.
His explicit smile was a great source of delight to his friends and relatives. And his attitude towards right and wrong was a model of personal and professional excellence, setting a model for others to replicate.
In him, I found a person imbued with good attitudes and values.
He took huge delight in serving the society in a manner worthy of appreciation.
If he could be of any help to anybody, he never ever postponed it.
He sourced happiness and joy from sharing his income with others and from rendering timely and adequate help to others.
Unparalleled Hospitality
His hospitality was unparalleled. For him, the purpose of earning and owning a house is to entertain friends and relatives. The palatable hospitality that my wife and I enjoyed during our visit to Auckland in 2015 still remains fresh in my mind.
We were always awaiting an opportunity to reciprocate the same at least in a small measure. A few weeks ago, he happened to be in my village at the southern tip of India. I was in Vienna. I requested him to stay at our villa. He enjoyed his stay and the hospitality extended by my relatives thoroughly. He called me and said that he would like to bring the family and stay for a longer period.
Quality and Integrity
He climbed the ladder of success by a dint of hard work and total dedication. He never accepted a compromise on quality and integrity. His priority accent on maintaining a high degree of professionalism in whatever he did was evidenced by his thoughts and deeds. He had a unique blend of both competency and reliability.
He always did the right thing at the right time for the right purpose in the right way and to his self-satisfaction. His self-satisfaction was always to the satisfaction of all who stood for all that was good for the society. These qualities enabled him to win the approbation of everybody, include the Pope, who conferred the highest honour upon him as a mark of recognition for all that he did for the society.
Scholarship combined with humility is dignity. We all lost a dignified friend. I am going to dedicate my forthcoming book to him. We will do many more things in memory of him. But his absence will be present.
Jebamalai Vinanchiarachi is a Former Principal Adviser to the Director General of United Nations Industrial Development Organisation based in Vienna, Austria. He was a Special Guest at the Eighth Annual Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards held on November 23, 2015 on the invitation of Wenceslaus Anthony.
