KAPUGEDARA’S FRIEND’S REBIRTH

Chamara Kapugedara’s friend who was in Kandy had been re-born in, Devinuwara close to Matara

A story of one of cricketer Chamara Kapugedara’s friend who has been schooling with him at Dharmaraja College in Kandy has been reborn is been reported from Matara, Devnuwara. His name has been Iesara who has been reminding of his previous birth as well as of Chamara Kapugedara. He has told that he has been residing in Kandy. Kapugedara has mentioned of one of his friends named Thilanga who had died of drowning and he has told:
“We were then small. He played cricket with me and we were in the under 15 team. We went on a tour to India together. He has also visited our home. Thilanga passed away during a sports meet time. I heard that news while we on cricket practice. We went to Lewella River where his drowned body was  found.”
Bonsa Bharathie is Iesara’s elder sister who was famous at Devnuwara for telling about her rebirth. She has told about her brother’s story of rebirth to ‘Rivira’ newspaper this week.
“When my brother was about three years old, he started telling that he is from Kandy. He didn’t tell this very often but he used to say about it suddenly. Then he told that he wants to see his mother in Kandy. When he was able to talk fluently, he told the stories of how the Temple of Tooth Relic was attacked by the LTTE and about Natha Devale. By that time, he has never been taken to Kandy.
When he was small we used to go to see the ‘perahara’ organized by Devnuwara Sri Vishnu Devale and he used to dance to the tune of the Kandyan music. He danced as if he has learned Kandyan dancing and then we realized that he was telling about his past life. Whenever he mentioned about Kandy, all our family members used to ignore him because we feared of losing him as he was the only boy in our family. Then I thought of recording everything my brother told me with the time. As he grew up he insisted in going to Kandy making us all scared. When he went on saying that he wants to go, I persuaded my parents because I feared of him getting sick. We went to the Temple of theTooth relics. When we tried to worship at the second floor, my brother grabbed my hand and took me to the ground floor saying that he wants to show something to me. He took me near the statue of gems and explained a lot of details about it.
There was a monk near the statue and asked him as to how he knew such a lot of details. My brother answered at once and told him: “I know because I was in Kandy,” The monk took permission from father to talk to my brother and questioned my brother. He answered them as if he has been living for a long period of time. He told what he remembered about the museum and he told that one of his friends had some photos of the damaged temple after the temple had been attacked by the LTTE. Then we came out of Temple of Tooth and he touched the wall around the lake and told that it is called the “Wall of clouds”(Walakulu bemma.)Those were things he has never heard before.
He told that wanted to go home and asked us to follow his lead saying that he knows the route. He stopped near a big tree pointed at the road and told us that it is called Mosque Road and we saw that a house has been flattened on to  the ground. My brother started crying and we realized that it had been his house. He was silent for some time. We asked from the neighbours and they told that the house has been broken downt by the government.
Later on we got to know that his dead body too has been kept in that house. Then, he took us to some other places as well. Some of his friends have gone abroad or were not at home. Then we met two three wheeler guys and after hearing his story they were able to recognize him. He told everyone he met that he needs to see his mother. He also said that: I am a child of Lord Buddha. I have saved the lives of animals that have been dying. I was a vegetarian. Lord Buddha will help me find my mother and father. Thus, everyone tried their best and they were able to find a Samurdhi Officer. She was a friend of Thilanga’s sister and she called his sister and told the story. They were asked to come to the Devon Hotel.
His mother and sister arrived soon after they received the message. My brother called “Amma” at the moment he saw his mother in the previous birth. We explained the story to that lady and my brother too added bits and pieces in between. He told that he remembered the orange shirt his mother has bought him to wear for Ranga’s wedding. That lady cried loudly and told us that it was last shirt she has bought him before his death. She also told her that she is not angry with him for going for a bath without informing him. She hugged my brother and cried. Iesara’s qualities have been similar in both lives and the stories told by Iesara had been proved to be true as his mother had approved of all of them.
He has been Thilanga Madhushan Ranasinghe. Thilanga’s mother had been Mangalaika Kasthuriarachchi.
“I was filled with joy to hear that our son has come looking for me. I saw him at first at the Devon Restaurant and I knew him by the looks. He recognized me and his sister and later on he visited our home. His father was very sick at that time and he was very happy to see the son. My son studied at Dharmaraja College and he was talented in rugby, cricket, music, athletics, and dancing. He was the first in the class. He loved cricket so I encouraged him into sports. His talents can be seen in this birth as well. He had two sisters and now he has three. He loved me a lot and he was religious. He used to worship Lord Buddha every morning and to go to Temple of Tooth every day. He used to help me with house work more than the girls. He was a bit naughty and may be because he did sports.
When he first came to Kandy looking for us, he asked for his bat. I had given his bat to another kid but I asked it from him to give to my son. He passed away on the 31st of January 2001. He told me that he has to go for practices and that he will come for lunch by 2 O’ clock. I got the news that he had drowned near Lewella in  the Mahaweli River.
I held bodhi poojas for my son from the day he passed away and left us. I prayed that I will be able to see him somehow. My prayers came true and when I saw Iesara first I knew it was my son. Iesara is a bit fairer than my son other than that they are the same. I took off the garland I have put on Thialnga’s photograph. Now I feel that my son is back. Iesara visits us on every vacation and I feed him rice from my own fingers. Iesara was taken as my eldest daughter’s ‘page boy’ at her wedding. We are very close now. We visit them in Matara and they visit us in Kandy. He visited some of his friends on one visit to Kandy. Chamara Kapugedara who plays for the Sri Lankan team was in my son’s class. Chamara has spoken to Iesara but they haven’t met but Iesara has met Chamara’s parents. “
“Chamara and my son played together. They went on a tour to India once. Thilanga has visited our home and there are photos which they have taken together. Thilanga walks to the school round the lake. We meet him on our way after dropping Chamara to school. Thilanga was a very talented boy. Chamara called and told us that Thilanga had drowned in the river. Iesara visited us recently. He stepped in calling us Chamara’s parents. He spoke to us for a long time. Chamara’s mother Bridget Kapugedara and his father, Lalith Kapugedara recalled their past and gave evidence to prove this incident.
Chamara recalled his memory and told us that he too can remember Thilanga with whom he has playing cricket. He passed away during sport meet. I was in cricket practice when I heard the news. He has drowned and passed away in the water itself. We heard about his rebirth after about 4 years from his death. He has visited our home and I was on a tour to New Zealand at that time. I haven’t met this boy but my mother told me that he looked at the photos taken of both  us together for a long time. My mother also said that he looked similar to Thilanga.
Iesara is talented just like Thilanga and his talents are shown at Devnuwara which used to be in Kandy. He is schooling at Matara St. Servatius College and that too has been due to his talents. Thilanga and Iesara are different only by their names. Thilanga’s annual alms giving is not held anymore. Thilanga who has passed away on the 31st of January 2001 has been born on the 31st of January 2002 and thus it calls for a ceremony to celebrate his birthday. Even though Iesara is born in Devinuwara he still loves Kandy and that’s why he keeps insisting his parents to sell their house and to buy one in Kandy. It is still difficult to figure out whether to call him Thilanga or Iesara.

Newspaper article: Nelusha De Silva