Dr. Engineer Udara Kularatne, who possessed extraordinary talents, unexpectedly passed away in the UK.

Dr. Udara Kularatne, who touched various facets of life as an engineer, an investment banker, and finally an eminent physician from Cambridge University, setting unparalleled records in Sri Lankan school education, recently passed away. The 53-year-old specialist doctor, who worked in the United Kingdom, passed away on October 18, 2026, due to a sudden heart attack at an Oxford hospital.

Known among friends by the affectionate name 'Udi', he was the son of Professor D. S. (W. G.) Kularatne, former Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Colombo, and Lalitha Kularatne, a science teacher at Kottawa Dharmapala Vidyalaya. Udara received his primary education at Kottawa Dharmapala Vidyalaya, where his mother taught, and became the island's first in the Grade Five Scholarship Examination. He later entered Royal College, Colombo, representing the 1991 batch, and was awarded the prestigious 'Donhorst' prize at Royal College, becoming the island's first in the G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination and the island's third in the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination in the Mathematics stream in 1991.

His professional journey did not begin as a doctor. He earned a first-class honors degree in Telecommunications Software Engineering from Monash University in Australia, and subsequently completed a postgraduate diploma in the same field from Oxford University with the sponsorship of Nortel. After working as an engineer at Fujitsu and Nortel in Singapore, he also worked as an investment banker in London.

The turning point in his life came at the age of 30. Inspired by his father's bypass heart surgery and the influence of Ray Godwin, a consultant radiologist, he bid farewell to his engineering and banking careers and enrolled at Cambridge University in September 2003 to study medicine. He successfully obtained his medical degree with overall distinction in 2007.

He received registrar training at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham and the Nottingham training program, and later obtained specialist training in musculoskeletal radiology from Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt hospitals. From May 2015, he served as a consultant radiologist at the University Hospitals of North Midlands, specializing in sports injuries, arthritis, bone and soft tissue tumors, as well as being proficient in ultrasound, CT, MRI, and X-ray examinations. Additionally, he served as a member and examiner of the Professional Practice Board of the Royal College of Radiologists, and also worked as a private sector physician.

Despite living abroad for several decades, Dr. Udara Kularatne's love for the Sinhala language never faded. With the participation of his mentor, Professor Carlo Fonseka, and veteran lyricist Bandula Nanayakkarawasam, he released a collection of Sinhala poetry titled 'Arunoda Seeyak' (A Hundred Dawns) during 2018-2019. He contributed lyrics to creations such as 'Sathkulu Mathin' and was also a talented singer. The doctor maintained a YouTube channel featuring his poems, stories, and creations, and in 2020, he authored a book to guide children and adults facing examinations.

He was an active member of the Sri Lankan Medical and Dental Association in the UK and frequently visited Sri Lanka to teach medical students. He referred to his wife, Binisha, as the most precious gift in his life. The Royal College of Radiologists, the Sri Lankan Medical and Dental Association, and the Royal College Old Boys' Association in the UK have expressed their profound sorrow over the sudden passing of this remarkable man, who was known among friends as humble, kind, generous, and fun-loving. The sudden demise of this polymath will be an irreplaceable loss for his elderly parents in Sri Lanka and for everyone who loved him. After Dr. Udara Kularatne's remains are brought to Sri Lanka from Britain, they are scheduled to be placed at the Jayaratne Respect Funeral Parlour in Borella tomorrow (28th), with the final rites also to be held tomorrow evening.