The name of the game is name dropping, it appears. Several correspondents including the medical specialist Dr. H. B. Jayasinghe mentioned names in support of their fancy theory of rebirth while writing to this newspaper. On each of these occasions, I ventured to expose the lie to it with concrete evidence. Interestingly, the names they prefer appear to be those of white-skinned westerners almost invariably.

It is now the turn of Jagath Fernando. Writing in The Island of October 17, 2009, he states, among other things, ‘There was a programme of Sir Arthur Clerke which was telecast several years ago and that programme too had many an interesting episode which stood favourably with rebirth’.

I am saddened that this statement will undoubtedly mislead many of your unsuspecting readers. Hence, this response.

Out of loads of information in my possession, which could be utilized to set the record strait, I prefer to choose an interview Sir Arthur had with The Island newspaper itself. In its Midweek Review of December 20, 2000, Sir Arthur expressed his views on rebirth succinctly and unambiguously in his own words as follows.

‘I am not frightened of death …. I have a long- standing bias against organized religion. I don’t believe in God or an afterlife’. What bunkum you are talking of, Mr. Jagath Fernando?

Let me add that Sir Arthur left written instructions as to how his funeral should be conducted. ‘Absolutely no religious rites of any kind relating to any religious faith should be associated with my funeral’. That makes it clear that Sir Arthur did not wish his soul to be blessed to rest in peace or be reborn in heaven.

The first one I know of having left similar instructions is Dr. Abraham Kovoor who died in 1978. Sir Arthur died on March 19, 2008 at the ripe old age of 90 plus years. I am thus inclined to think that Dr. Kovoor’s attitude towards death and his funeral has had an impact on Sir Arthur’s thinking.

Having come to reside in Sri Lanka in 1956, he remained here until his death which occurred in Colombo. Let me add as well that he functioned as a member of the Advisory Board of the Sri Lanka Rationalist Association until his death.