A distinguished old boy of Trinity College, Kandy, who excelled both in studies and sports, young Shanthi joined the Sri Lanka Navy as part of the 3rd Intake of Cadets in 1974, at the age of 19. He was a UK-qualified Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) underwater expert and Mine Clearance Diver (MCD), as well as a crack marksman, proficient with both rifle and pistol. He was the winner of the first President’s Cup in the Practical Pistol Firing meet in 1984. The late President J.R. Jayewardene, impressed by Shanthi’s abilities (it was his son, Ravi, who introduced Practical Pistol Firing to Sri Lanka), presented him with a .45 Colt Gold Cup Pistol as a gift. This pistol is now displayed at our Olympic-standard Navy firing range at Welisara.
In addition, he was a Navy Coloursman in Sailing and Rowing, and participated in International Sailing Regattas. His knowledge of jungle warfare and small arms was considered exceptional. He was also an avid reader. Before the advent of the Internet, he would order Jungle Warfare and gun manuals, as well as magazines, through his mother in Hawaii, USA.
All junior officers, especially those in training like myself at the time, were very much in awe of him. However, after working under him aboard the Light House Relief Vessel Pradeepa and participating in the Basses Lighthouse relief effort, he had great faith in me. When we anchored our ship at Uda Potthana Bay, we took a Gemini craft and made our way to Yala National Park (Yala Block 2). I would follow him through the jungle terrain, becoming his disciple at a very junior level. He noticed my passion for fishing and firearms and began teaching me about guns and jungle warfare. I have yet to witness a marksman like Lt. Bahar, holding a six-battery torch in one hand and a .22 calibre rifle in the other, aiming and firing accurately at night. That was the calibre of Lt. Bahar’s marksmanship. To develop such skills requires extraordinary upper body strength and agility. As a Mine Clearance Diver, trained in the UK, he possessed immense lung capacity and very strong arms. His breathing was controlled to near perfection when firing his weapon. Lt. Bahar’s exceptional hand-eye coordination came from years of hard work and training. He never missed his target. In combat, when engaging the enemy in close quarters, he placed more trust in the accuracy of his repeater shotgun in his right hand than in the US-manufactured 5.56mm M-16 Carbine slung over his shoulder. With his MCD and EOD knowledge, he even constructed his own Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
I am deeply grateful to him for the skills and knowledge he imparted to me, as they stood me in good stead when I was training the Special Boat Squadron (SBS – Naval Commando Unit) in November 1993.
It is tragic that Lt. Commander Shanthi Bahar died during a small group operation in Ichchantivu, Muttur, on 15th January 1986. He led a 10-man team to target the local EROS terrorist leadership and a terrorist safe house in the Muttur/Ichchantivu sector. All ten members of his team were junior sailors whom he had personally trained for months. The Divers of the Sri Lanka Navy helped him travel from the Naval Base in Trincomalee to Muttur in their Diving Unit dinghy boat, silently landing near the target area at night. They succeeded in killing eight terrorists (including their leader), but Lt. Commander Bahar and his Muslim informant were killed by an enemy grenade attack. We lost a great naval officer that day.
It is particularly commendable that the senior-most among these brave 10 junior sailors, Naval Patrolman (then) KG Samaratunga, took command after Lt. Commander Bahar’s death, regrouped the men, and returned to the rendezvous point with the Diving Unit boat, carrying the body of Lt. Commander Bahar. Later, Samaratunga, with tears in his eyes, said, “Sir, I did exactly what Bahar Sir had asked me to. He said that if he died, I was to take over command and bring the boys back to safety.” Samaratunga later rose to the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer and served as my Master-at-Arms when I commanded the SBS in 1993. He received his commission in 1999 and retired as a Lieutenant. He is now engaged in organic farming in Pannala. Great sailors, unsung heroes!
Lt. Commander Bahar was posthumously promoted to the rank of Commander and awarded the Rana Wickrama Medal for individual bravery in the face of the enemy. I lost my guru.
