I was woken early in the morning on 2 August with a message “can you confirm?” followed by a call. Even before I could attend to that call, another call came in. People from across the globe messaged me to confirm if the “rumours” that they had heard were true, since the relationship between both of us was that of a ‘father and a son’. The call from Canada was continuously ringing. The Editor of the prominent Tamil weekly from Toronto (Canada Uthayan), ‘Logan’ Logendralingam was on the line. His brief call told me that he had information that Wimal Sockanathan was no more and wanted to confirm it. It was deeply disturbing.
My immediate call was to Wimal Sockanathan’s wife who confirmed the tragic incident, albeit, the details were sketchy. I was told that “he died in a train accident”. That made it even more disturbing.
The calls continued and I kept confirming his demise globally. One of my earlier calls was to his contemporary and close friend B.H. Abdul Hameed, another globally recognised broadcaster, who immediately shared the news on his Facebook (FB), quoting me, which subsequently went viral.
As recently as May of this year (2023), I was with Wimal Sockanathan in Jaffna and Colombo for the release of his latest book, a compilation of his weekly columns in Sri Lanka’s premier Tamil daily ‘Virakesari’ titled ‘London (England) il irunthu Wimal’. The Dean of the Arts Faculty at the Jaffna University, Prof. S. Raguram who presided over his book release, spoke about the close relationship that we both had. “They know each other so close that Sockanathan told all those involved in the book launch event to discuss all aspects with Siva anna (elder brother) and that once he approves, it is akin to approval by him. That relationship and confidence amazed me and I have not come across such a bonding among two professionals who are not related.”
The admiration between us was mutual.
Unrealised Canada launch
We were discussing the next launch of his books in Canada over the last few months. The Editor of the Canada Uthayan was coordinating. The launch scheduled in June was postponed due to all of our other commitments and subsequently rescheduled for 14 October. The venue was booked and the draft invitation was ready. Wimal anna consulted me on every single aspect of the event. And, he and the Editor of the Canada Uthayan were particular that I participate in the event, which has now become an unrealised dream. “There is no Rama without Hanuman,” he told me when I asked about my presence at the Canada event.
We have been to cafés and coffee shops together where we used to discuss Tamil films, classical music, contemporary issues, and of course, broadcasting. Many a time, he has expressed his disappointment over the poor diction and rendering of news in the Tamil media and used to regret the rot that started with the media in Tamil Nadu.
Many like me, in the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), would turn to him for advice when we are stuck for certain Tamil words while translating English news copies and other stories from Sri Lanka. Not a moment would he hesitate to render such advice.
Wimal anna was a food lover and has never failed to appreciate if it is good and suits his palate. His passion for Thosai remained.
Our personal rapport extended beyond the BBC office. At my invitation, he travelled to Chennai, India, to attend my daughter’s wedding and was deeply moved by the way he was honoured by our family which he posted on his FB page along with pictures.
He was a deeply religious person and was at the forefront of charity work and donated to temples and other noble causes.
Sockanathan was a lawyer by profession and a broadcaster by passion. He was energetic and ebullient, always keeping people around him cheerful with his sharp wit and humour.
His voice transcended countries and continents and captivated audiences in the Tamil world. He was well known for his punctuation and pronunciation.
Apart from being a popular radio news reader and of late, on television too, he was a drama producer, actor, author, and stage compere. He was a popular face in the London Tamil cultural circuit.
He started his broadcasting career at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and was producing and presenting various programmes including a children’s programme and radio dramas, and film music-based features, which were a popular source of entertainment at the middle of the last century.
Later, even as he moved to London half a century ago, to pursue his higher studies in law, his passion for broadcasting continued in him. Sockanathan was a news reader with the BBC Tamil Service – Tamilosai - which came to an end in 2017, mostly working on weekends and holidays.
He never faulted on air and always had the perfect diction and a good sense of time while reading his news and never inconvenienced the person on the other side of the studio. Irrespective of his age and seniority in the broadcasting circle, he was a rare breed who maintained punctuality.
Apart from being with the BBC Tamilosai, he was also a news reader and presenter in the London-based broadcaster International Broadcast Centre. He never struggled with translations while converting world news from English to Tamil. Even tricky global stories were never a challenge for him, as he was in tune with global news and current affairs regularly and had the ability to translate a piece of global news in such a way that it makes easy understanding for the Tamil audience.
Such was his broadcasting abilities that he was invited by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam leadership in Vanni to train young Tamil journalists. His earlier book ‘Vanoli Kalai’ serves as a handbook for upcoming broadcasters.
He was reasonably proficient in Sinhala too, but never ventured to broadcast in it.
Extraordinary humour
Sockanathan was a weekly contributor to Tamil outlets in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Sri Lanka including the most popular Tamil daily ‘Virakesari’ from Sri Lanka. His articles in the London-based ‘Puthinam’ titled ‘Wima nil pakkangal’ and ‘London il irunthu Wimal’ in Virakesari were a reflection on global contemporary issues relating it closely to the Sri Lankan Tamils living abroad.
While he finalised his weekly columns for various outlets, mostly, I used to be the first one to read them. He used to send the manuscripts to me which I typed and sent back. Subsequently, we used to do it via calls.
His natural instinct of ingrained humour added value to the articles and sustained interest in reading. Colleagues in the BBC who worked with him will never forget his hospitality.
The solicitor office that he and his wife administered in Croydon was always busy with immigrants not only from the Tamil countries but other parts of the globe as well. Though they dealt with a vast variety of cases, they were among the leading solicitors specialising in immigration-related services in the City of London.
A popular Tamil radio voice has faded into eternity. And with it, I have lost a very close personal connection of over two decades.
(The writer is a journalist and the World News Editor at The African Gazette)