Ajith Chrysantha Stephen Perera, JP, CChem., FRSC (29 February 1956 – 29 October 2020) was a Chartered Chemist by profession, a scholar, a former senior manager in industry, a qualified training instructor, also a former test-match-panel cricket umpire.
The international admiration Perera has won and the national recognition he has gained have come through his achievements, acquired both in Sri Lanka and in England in different fields: cricket, analytical chemistry and quality assurance, in all of which he was academically and professionally well qualified and widely experienced.
Almost on the eve of umpiring his first cricket test match in Colombo, Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, a large wayside tree crashed on and straddled his moving car, killing his chauffeur and leaving him instantaneously a paraplegic for life.
He was a writer, speaker, author and a disability rights activist - as a fervent advocate for inclusion of all people by design - most importantly as a widely experienced and highly competent accessibility adviser and assessor, recognised by three learned societies and several reputed bodies overseas.
He was the founder and, as of 10 June 2020, held the honorary position of Chief Executive / Secretary-General]] of Idiriya, a registered, not-for-profit humanitarian service organisation in Sri Lanka.
Early life
Born to Instructor Commodore M. G. S. Perera (1 June 1917 – 10 August 1999), Founder and the First Commandant Naval & Maritime Academy Trincomalee, the First and Foremost Director of Naval Training, Royal Ceylon Navy, and former Senior Staff Captain / Nautical Instructor (Training of Deck Officer Cadets) Ceylon Shipping Corporation (1977–1983) and Maureen Johanna Perera (19 February 1924 - 22 October 2019), he has one sister, Deepthi C. J. Guneratne BSc (Botany), MSc (Soil Chemistry).
Education
Perera completed his primary and secondary education at the Royal Primary School and the Royal College, Colombo and thereafter gained BSc (Honours) from the University of Sri Lanka, Colombo in May 1975, followed by a joint MSc from the University of Colombo and the University of Birmingham, England in July 1977. He thereby qualified professionally in the field of Analytical Chemistry, specialising in the subject of Quality Assurance, in which field his outstanding contributions were internationally recognised and awarded with an honorary PhD.
Professional life: 1978–1992
Perera is a Chartered Chemist (CChem.)by profession and a Registered Analytical Chemist of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in the United Kingdom. He is a Fellow (FRSC) of the RSC of which he is an honorary life member and the former hony. secretary / treasurer (1984–1992) of its section in Sri Lanka.
He is also a life member and a Fellow (FIChemC) of the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon and a Fellow (FIQA) of the Institute of Quality Assurance UK.
His professional career started in August 1978 as an assistant lecturer at the department of Chemistry, University of Colombo. His work thereafter in the multinational pharmaceutical manufacturing industry extended for almost 14 years, from September 1978 until July 1992.
Perera started his career in industry as a production executive with Glaxo Ceylon Limited and stayed until March 1982.
Mackwoods-Winthrop Limited then hired hm as the senior manager in charge of their quality assurance and analytical control divisions until March 1989, and thereafter as the senior manager of the newly established technical services department.
Perera then changed over to the cosmetics and healthcare industry when Hemas Manufacturing Limited invited him to join them in August 1992 as the Director – Senior Manager of quality assurance and product development.
But it was only 14 weeks service there for Perera, as a freak road accident on 12 November 1992 made him instantaneously a paraplegic for life and cut short tragically, at the age of 36, his professional career that was just blossoming out.
Cricket Career: 1972 –
Considered as a unique feat, his Professional Achievements in the Cricketing Sphere have extended to almost all possible vital avenues of the game reaching often the professional levels – as a Player, Umpire, Scorer, Training Instructor and Examiner on its laws, Administrator, Writer, Author and, even an Activist promoting 'Accessible Facilities for All' at Cricket Stadia, etc.