The Sri Lankabhimanya, Hon Lakshman Kadirgamar Gold Medal for excellence The ceremony to donate Money for the Medal to the Vice Chancellor, University of Peradeniya Mrs Suganthie Kadirgamar presenting the cheque to Prof Athula Senaratne, the Vice Chancellor, Universioty of Peradeniy. 15 th of August 2014 was an important day for the University of Peradeniya and especially to the Faculty of Medicine. On this sunny day, Mrs Suganthie Kadirgamar donated Rs One million to Prof Athula Senaratne, the Vice Chancellor University of Peradeniya to launch the annual SriLankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar Gold Medal for excellence to the highest achiever in the Final MBBS examination for Medical degrees, endowed by the Lakshman Kadirgamar foundation.
The award shall be given annually to the student who has recorded the best performance and obtained a 1 st class Honours at the Final MBBS examination and has shown commendable performance in extra curricular activities, during his /her undergraduate medical career. See more: How this process started: Seeds were planted for this prestigious medal in 2012, at the 34 th Annual Academic sessions of the Kandy Society of Medicine. At the inaugural Session, late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was honoured symbolically as the Chief Guest. Moved by the act of honour bestowed on the late Hon Lakshman Kadirgamar, Mrs Suganthie Kadirgamar and the members of the Kadirgamar foundation decided to offer a medal to a medical student of the faculty of medicine Peradeniya to honour the medical profession in reciprocation. This news was declared at the annual sessions, followed by the letter of offer to the Dean Faculty of Medicine. Thereafter criteria were laid down, the title of the medal was decided and the proposal went through the usual university procedure and finally got the approval. General Conditions for a medal : To award a medal the donation to the University shall be a sum of Rupees One million Eighty percent of the annual income from the above investment or a sum decided by the University from time to time, shall be utilized for the annual award and the balance added to the capital at the end of each year The Final selection of the recipient of the award shall be confirmed by the Senate based on the recommendation of the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Medicine and the Gold Medal is to be awarded at the General convocation. The First medal will be awarded at the convocation in the year 2015. This Medal money Rs One million was donated by Mrs Suganthie Kadigamar to Prof Athula Senaratne, the Vice Chancellor, University of Peradeniya in the presence of Prof M D Lamawansa, the Dean faculty of Medicine, Mr H. M. G. S. Palihakkara, a former permanent secretary to the Foreign ministry and a Board member of the Kadirgamar foundation, and the academic staff members of the faculty of medicine at the board room of the Faculty of medicine, University of Peradeniya.
Prof M D Lamawansa, the Dean Faculty of Medicine welcomed the guests and acknowledged the importance of this medal to the university and showed a glimpse of what is happening at the faculty in his speech. Prof Chandrika Jayasinghe, during whose presidency, at the Kandy Society of Medicine that this medal was offered to the faculty, gave the speech in the memory of the late Hon. Minister Kadirgamar. In her speech she highlighted the caliber of the person in whose name this award is given. She highlighted the academic brilliancy, athletic radiance and eloquence in speech of this extra ordinary son of mother Lanka. She paid a special attention to how he projected his vision for a new Sri Lanka which went far beyond the parochial boundaries of race, caste, creed and religion. She also stated that this remarkable act of generosity by the Kadirgamar foundation would remind us,at every convocation, of this most worthy fellow alumnus, that Peradeniya University has ever produced in its illustrious history. Prof Jayasinghe concluded her speech by saying I wish Srilankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar to be reborn in this island to continue where he stopped, his unparalleled, contribution to safeguard the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. Mrs Suganthie Kadirgamar explained to the audience how the process commenced and how grateful she is to the members of the medical profession who were involved and, to the members of the Lakshman Kadirgamar foundation who made the donation, to establish this annual award. At the Ceremony, Mr Palihakkara, a former permanent secretary to the ministry of foreign affairs,an another alumnus of the University of Peradeniya further emphasized the value of this award to the University and the student community, while confirming his unreserved loyalty to the University of Peradeniya. The Vice Chancellor, Prof Athula Senaratne highlighted the importance of this award to the University of Peradeniya and also stated that hereafter at every convocation his name will be called upon loudly for many hundred years to come. Finally the Vice Chancellor accepted the prize money of One million rupees for the foresaid Gold medal. It was a day with mixed feelings. Happiness was a galore, to have a medal in the name of such an esteemed person, who was also an alumnus of the university; and also a day of sadness to think that he is not anymore with us at a period we perhaps need his services most.