Vaitialingham Rasanayagam was an ENT surgeon at the General Hospital, Colombo. He was born on 19 January 1919 in Alaveddy, Jaffna, the eldest son of Murugesu Vaitialingam, who worked for Colombo Electric Tramways, and Meenadchiamma. He was educated at St Joseph’s College, Colombo and then joined Ceylon University College in 1937. He passed the premedical examination in June 1938 with first class honours and was awarded the University premedical medal. He gained his MB BS in September 1943, was placed first in the order of merit, gained distinctions in medicine, surgery and midwifery, and several gold medals. He was then a house officer at the General Hospital, Colombo, the De Soysa Lying in Home and the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital. At the beginning of April 1946, he was appointed as a district medical assistant at the Karawanella Hospital, Ruwanwella. In October 1947, he became a demonstrator in anatomy in the faculty of medicine, Colombo. He passed the primary FRCS examination held in Colombo in December 1948 and was given a scholarship by the Ceylonese department of health to go to the UK to train in ear, nose and throat surgery. He left for the UK in December 1949. He gained his diploma in laryngology and otology in June 1950 and the FRCS in November 1950. He returned to Ceylon in January 1951 and was appointed as an ENT surgeon at Kurunegala Hospital. In July 1955, he became an ENT surgeon at the General Hospital, Colombo, a post he held until he retired in 1972. After his retirement, he went into private practice. In 1983, he emigrated to Australia. Vaitialingham Rasanayagam died on 27 December 2013 at the age of 94. He was survived by his wife, Jeyalakshmy née Sivaguru, whom he married in August 1945, their two daughters, Malathy and Myurathy, their son, Shivaraj, their grandchildren Arjuna, Anandhi, Logan, Shankari, Narendran, Shivani and 12 great grandchildren.