Kandiah Pratheepan
1st June 1978 – 29th April 2023
The famous Tamil poet, philosopher and sage Valluvar said, “If man you walk the stage, appear adorned with glory’s grace: Save glorious you shine, ’twere better hide your face.” The meaning is that if you are born (in this world), be born with qualities conducive to fame; from those who are destitute of them, it will be better not to be born.
Kandiah Pratheepan, lived according to what Valluvar said. Pratheepan was a very down-to-earth, sweet mentor, teacher and jovial person who would always be the Centre of the attraction. He believed investing in good friendships, which he achieved until his last breath.
It was very shocking, tragic, and incredibly sad! It was exceedingly difficult to accept that Pratheepan is no longer with us!! However, he left many unforgotten memories!
Pratheepan started his early childhood education in Sacred Heart Convent Kindergarten from 1981 to 1983. He continued his primary education at Sacred Heart College from 1984 to 1988. He pursued the rest of his primary and secondary education at Hartley College, Point Pedro, from 1989 to 1997. Pratheepan was selected to university with 2A 2B as one of the best Merit students from the A/L 1997 cohort in Jaffna District.
Pratheepan’s house was our meeting spot, playground, and strategic planning location. Going to school with him was always fun for us, and he always led us from his home at Nelliady to school. While cycling to school, he entertained us with jokes and teased his friends, especially girls. He took one route to go to school and returned along Point Pedro Road to cover a different group of friends. His intention to poke fun at friends was not to hurt others but to attract and mingle with them. Perhaps this might had been portrayed negatively to the teachers, which might explain why he was not chosen as a prefect of the school in our batch.
Pratheepan was a database and an encyclopedia. He would have a depth knowledge of any topic, details about anyone and remember them for years. Even during his last days, he was very busy with our school WhatsApp group sharing his views, caring and advising his school colleagues.
Pratheepan was immensely pleasant in helping his colleagues even in school and was never reluctant to share whatever he knew with those who approached him regarding the subjects in school. It was no surprise when we learned that he was nicknamed “Kuppy Master” during his time at the University of Peradeniya. This term refers to someone who can briefly teach an entire semester subject in their own language, making it easy for others to comprehend.
Pratheepan also had a strong personality and was never afraid of trying new ventures. He took things as they came without much thinking of the consequences, and he often used the quote “வந்தா மலை போனா மசிர்” which means “If you gain, you gain a mountain, if you lose, you lose only a strand of hair” to describe his approach to life.
Pratheepan’s kindness was remarkable. We learned that he often called his friends to offer consolation and share his experiences with them, especially regarding his terrible decease. One of his closest friends was recently diagnosed with cancer while living in the UK and unfortunately passed away without seeking treatment due to fear. Pratheepan was a source of mental strength and comfort for him during that time, while being himself in discomfort.
Nevertheless, Pratheepan would never be an easy-going guy whenever necessary to fight for truth, and he was a strict teacher even before A/L. One day, during the playing at his place when one of our friends did something wrong, but Pratheepan gave him left and right till he put the snake into the bottle.
Pratheepan was actively involved in several social activities during his university days. He was the final year batch representative and passionate about Tamil cultural and Hindu religious events, actively engaging and supporting all events. Pratheepan was a devotee of the Kurinchi Kumaran Temple, and as a committee member and the Treasurer of the Hindu Students Union (2001-2002), he was actively involved in all types of activities. He was enthusiastic about sports and always ready to play football, volleyball, or cricket with his friends. In addition, Pratheepan was part of the Explorer’s Club and contributed to the creation of “வளாகத்து சுவடுகள்”, which was memorabilia summarizing the memories of every single person in his batch.
Pratheepan was an outstanding exceptional academic achiever student and the only person in his batch who received first-class distinction throughout the degree. He topped the Civil Engineering field in the final year exam and was awarded the field top and the winner of the final year subject prize for “Theory of Structures & Strength of Materials” at his convocation. Pratheepan was also an Instructor/Assistant Lecturer, and, while he was at university actively stayed at the Hindu temple, helping with temple operations.
Pratheepan obtained a scholarship to study his Master in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno, USA, from 2006 to 2008. His dedication to his craft blossomed as he served in number of roles at AECOM in Singapore and Earth Mechanics, Inc. in the USA. Then he joined the California Department of Transportation and continued his service until his demise.
Finally, having Pratheepan as our friend made us proudly pat our own shoulders and raise one inch extra because he would never let us or our alma mater down.
We would like to express our deepest condolences to his wife, Neeraja Pratheepan, children Mithran and Aakavi and other family members on behalf of A/L 1997 Batch – Hartley College.
In closing, we say goodbye to a dear friend and a remarkable person. It is a very heart wrecking moment. Abroad life split us physically into bits and pieces and threw us worldwide, leaving us with a sense of loss and a heavy heart without our dear friend Pratheepan to inspire us. Even though many of his friends could not be present at his cremation, as Hartleyites, we would like to bid farewell and pay our final respects to our beloved friend with tears in our eyes. We are grateful for the time we had with him and will always cherish the memories. Rest in peace, dear friend. You will be deeply missed forever.
The celebration of life can be viewed through the following link starting from 8:00 am (California time) on 7th May, 2023, as we pay our final respects to our beloved friend.
