SEVAKA YOHAN DEVANANDA – A MEMORY THAT SHOULD BE KEPT ALIVE – SUNANDA DESHAPRIYA
Yphan Devananda with disappeared journlists Prageeth’s wife Sandaya Eknligoda and their son
Yohan at the protest against abduction of journalist Poddala Jayantha (2009)
( Devasarana, has been Yohan’s dream and life)
16/03/2016
Sevaka Yohan Devananda was laid to rest in his “nest”, the grounds of Devasarana in Ibbagamuwa, Kurunegela district. There is no doubt that the ground that welcomed each morning with smell of Sepalika flowers would have warmly welcomed his body.
I first heard of Fr. Yohan from my mother in 1971. He had gone to visit my house with members of the community protection front, during the time I and my sister were in prison in relation to the 1971 revolution. Ms. Suriya Wickramasinghe was also part of that team. He had gone several times after that too. Due to his personality, my mother had given the name of Yohan to a son born to our family’s second generation.He introduced himself as “Sevaka (one at service / servant) and one of his greatest examples was his determination to continue his mission despite setbacks and failures. To my knowledge, he never regretted choosing social service as his life journey.
