How Director Koelmeyer Plotted my Career Path via Astrology - S Sengamalay
According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, astrology is defined as “a pseudoscience based on the notion that the positions of the moon, sun, and stars affect human affairs and that one can foretell the future by studying the stars.”
We all got to know about our former colleague Satcunasingham’s affinity to astrology and palmistry from the posting by Paths in the Peoples section of the CIC Evergreens website. However, I do not know how many of you were aware of the indomitable faith our Director Koelmeyer had in astrology. It is likely that some of you who closely worked with him, knew.
Personally, I have been ambivalent about astrology, despite the fact that my father had got our village astrologer near Nanuoya to write in an old Monitors Exercise Book about all milestones in the lives of his four sons, as soon as they were born. I was the youngest. I remember the astrologer as a polio victim who limped along around the village with the help of a walking stick; hence, he was called “Nondi Joshier” in Tamil. People in that area had enormous respect for him as he was known apparently for his uncanny ability to predict accurately future events in the life of those who sought his help.
I recall our father keeping the Monitors Exercise Book under lock and key and nobody was allowed to read what was in it. Even he was supposed to look at it only when some important event in the family, such as: marriage, serious illness, exams in the school, major trips like pilgrimage to Kataragama etc., occurred.
I was in CIC from October 1969 till September 1972, and I learnt first-hand Mr. Koelmeyer’s affinity to astrology just before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in 1972. I had applied for an overseas job in late 1971, I got the offer of a three-year contract from a prospective employer in Zambia around the middle of February 1972 and I accepted the offer soon thereafter. But various unexpected obstacles got in the way and delayed my departure by several months.
Objections from members of my family, particularly my mother who did not think that I needed to give up a good, well-paying job in a reputed company in Ceylon (a whopping one thousand two hundred and fifty Rupees a month) and go abroad. She agreed to release me on condition that I got married first and then left. I was only twenty seven plus, and wasn’t ready to give up my bachelorhood so soon. Urging by close friends at CIC and elsewhere, with whom I had bonded so closely by then, not to leave the company or the country wasn’t much of a help in my decision-making effort. The inordinate delay in getting a national passport to go abroad only aggravated the situation.
And there was more to my dilemma. Chairman SK was advising me to stay, laying out in a methodical and persuasive manner as only he could do, my prospects at CIC as a young member of the management staff, including the opportunity to travel to Millbank, our Mecca in the UK, and perhaps other places too.
On the other hand, Director Koelmeyer felt that it was a rare opportunity for a young man like me to go abroad; hence I should leave the shores of Ceylon and explore the excitements awaiting me in other lands. Director de Saram merely wished me good luck, whatever my decision was.
The only saving grace was that my prospective employer in Zambia sent me a telegram through the post office (remember, those were the days) to the effect that they would keep the job offer open for as long as I wanted. I attributed that to “destiny” as I was struggling with the decision-making process.
I think, after watching me agonizing over the matter for a couple of months, Mr. Koelmeyear couldn’t bear it anymore. So, he decided to help me out, in his own unique way - i.e.by getting me to an astrologer and injecting some sense into me which would make it easy for me to decide, one way or the other. These days, we would call it “informed decision making” except that the information all came from the stars.
A few days before the April 14th New Year, Mr. Koelmeyer took me into his office and told me that he was going to speak about me to his astrologer in whom he had enormous faith and that I should go and see him without agonizing over the decision any longer. When I expressed some skepticism, he wasn’t pleased. He promptly called the astrologer on the phone, briefly explained my situation and asked the astrologer if wouldn’t mind him bringing me to his house in Wellawatte straight away. The astrologer consented. The next thing I remember is that Mr. Koelmeyer drove me all the way to the astrologer’s house in Ridgeway Place, near St Peter’s College, introduced me to the astrologer and asked him to study my stars and give me advice.
The astrologer, Periyakaruppan by name, dressed in his traditional Tamil Hindu “vesty”, looked like the half-naked Mahatma Gandhi, except for his darker complexion. He asked me to come to his place on the fourteenth of April, which was a few days away, as it was better to study the stars on an auspicious day. Mr. Koelmeyer was pleased that Periyakaruppan agreed to read my Horoscope in such short order and he drove me back to the office.
I showed up at the astrologer’s house on April 14th at 2 p.m. in the afternoon dressed in all white as he had asked me to. Periyakaruppan was ready for me and asked me to sit on the floor with legs folded as in a temple. First he performed the traditional Hindu rituals such as: breaking the coconut, laying the two halves on a banana leaf along with the holy ash and camphor, burning incense and then lighting the oil lamp and the camphor tablets. He closed his eyes and uttered a prayer in Sanskrit as all Hindu priests do. Then he asked for my date of birth, opened his bible looking horoscope book and got to the right page – Sagittarian born on December 9th, 1944 at 6 a.m.
As he began rattling off in Tamil, initially about some milestones in my past, he was looking at my face for approval of the accuracy of each statement. Then he started talking and singing about events that were going to happen. I had taken a pen and a blank sheet of paper with me, on the advice of Mr. Koelmeyer, and I began to frantically jot down notes, trying to keep up with the pace at which Periyakaruppan was predicting events.
Here is the gist of what Periyakaruppan said as I had noted down in Tamil in April 1969, roughly translated into English. ”You will leave this land before the year end, even if you are reluctant, you will be carried away by your stars and you will not look back, you will travel past the seven seas and fly over several lands, your future is in faraway lands and not in the land of your birth, you will go up the ladder and hold responsible positions in big places, you will marry a girl not from your tribe, you will have three children, and your tribe will increase in a distant white land, and your life expectancy will be about 79.”
Soon after that, everything began to fall into place one by one and I did leave for Zambia on September 27th 1969; the rest is history. From time to time, our oldest brother, who became the patriarch of the family after my father’s death in 1970, would refer to the good old Monitors Exercise Book whenever something eventful, good or bad, happened in the life of any of his siblings. But over the years, we haven’t paid much attention to what was written by the “Nondi Joshier.”
So much water has flowed under the bridge over the past four and a half decades; but, if you ask me now whether I believe in astrology, my answer would still be ambivalent. But, I think it would be in order to thank Mr. Koelmeyer again for giving me via astrology the vital confidence I needed towards making an important decision in a “well informed manner” at my young age.
Now that you know the rest of the story, it would be nice to hear from any of you, CIC Evergreens, your own feelings about astrology and palmistry based on interesting encounters you have had with this pseudoscience in your life. Let us make the Evergreens website livelier.
FOREVER FRIENDS - a trip down memory lane
By Dr Remy Perumal
Although we had been in regular contact we hadn't met for sometime. Hence, this 'mini
reunion' in Colombo on the 28th of January 2013, was a rare opportunity.
Eric from Vancouver, and Gaspar and I from the UK were on vacation and Selvam and
Stephen who now live in Sri Lanka, were able to join us.
Four of us, namely, Eric, Selvam, Stephen and I were classmates at St. Benedict's for most of our years in school. I joined the junior school in the mid 1940's about the about same time as Selvam and Eric, hence our friendship has spanned over six decades. Stephen joined a few years later.
That evening in January, we assembled for beer and snacks at the family residence in Colpetty and then proceeded to the Royal Colombo Golf Club, where Gaspar joined us, for Dinner. At the veranda of the RCGC, under the whirring ceiling fans which circulated the warm evening air, we took a 'trip down memory lane'. Nursing our favourite pre dinner cocktails, we delved into distant memories of those halcyon days our youth - the ebb and flow of life, as it used to be, in that elegant quarter of Kotahena, where our formative years were shaped.
This pertinent quote I hope, resonates the collective experience of that memorable evening:
".. Friendship isn't about being inseparable, its about being separated and knowing nothing has changed"
By Dr Remy Perumal
Although we had been in regular contact we hadn't met for sometime. Hence, this 'mini
reunion' in Colombo on the 28th of January 2013, was a rare opportunity.
Eric from Vancouver, and Gaspar and I from the UK were on vacation and Selvam and
Stephen who now live in Sri Lanka, were able to join us.
Four of us, namely, Eric, Selvam, Stephen and I were classmates at St. Benedict's for most of our years in school. I joined the junior school in the mid 1940's about the about same time as Selvam and Eric, hence our friendship has spanned over six decades. Stephen joined a few years later.
That evening in January, we assembled for beer and snacks at the family residence in Colpetty and then proceeded to the Royal Colombo Golf Club, where Gaspar joined us, for Dinner. At the veranda of the RCGC, under the whirring ceiling fans which circulated the warm evening air, we took a 'trip down memory lane'. Nursing our favourite pre dinner cocktails, we delved into distant memories of those halcyon days our youth - the ebb and flow of life, as it used to be, in that elegant quarter of Kotahena, where our formative years were shaped.
This pertinent quote I hope, resonates the collective experience of that memorable evening:
".. Friendship isn't about being inseparable, its about being separated and knowing nothing has changed"
The Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers
(Snippets from the life of First Generation Sri Lankans in the US) - An article written for the Sri Lankan Embassy Newsletter October 2008
By Professor S. Sengamalay
MPA (Harvard), FCA (Sri Lanka), FCMA (UK), FCIS (UK & Canada), CPA (US)
Two Remarkable Generations
Those born between 1925 and 1942 are generally referred to as the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers are those assumed to have been born between 1943 and 1960. While obviously there are exceptions, most first generation Sri Lankan immigrants now in the US would fall under one of these two categories. Contemporary Knowledge Management literature characterizes the Silent Generation as practical in outlook, dedicated in work ethic, respectful to authority, hierarchical in leadership, self-sacrificing in relationships, and civic-minded in societal perspective and the Baby Boomers as optimistic in outlook, driven in work ethic, love-hate towards authority, consensus in leadership, personal-gratification in relationships, team-oriented in societal perspective. So, how has life turned out for those belonging to these two groups who ventured out from Sri Lanka, the tiny island (about the size of West Virginia) endowed with long history, deep traditions and diverse cultures, but tarnished by ethnic prejudice and engulfed in violence, and came to the US, a large nation of immigrants, land of hope and opportunity and a bastion of democracy, but burdened by its lone super-power status and suffering from human excesses and insatiable materialism?
First, who are these immigrants and what were they back home before coming here?
Thanks to the inherited British system of in-depth education, free health-care and an efficient and disciplined civil service, Sri Lanka, until around the early sixties, was endowed with social indicators such as: literacy, female primary school enrollment, infant mortality, life expectancy etc,, that were the envy of present day economic tigers like Singapore, South Korea and even Japan.
These two groups of Sri Lankans, who by and large hailed from middle class families, occupied a unique and elite status both in the public and private sectors of the country. They were high ranking civil servants managing the smooth functioning of the economy and the state apparatus, physicians and medical specialists running an efficient health-care system, accountants and financial managers who oversaw a robust plantation and mercantile sector, professors and researchers in institutions of higher learning that turned out world class graduates in science, math, medicine and agriculture, and educators in public and private schools who maintained a high level of literacy and cultivated rich traditions of scholarship and sportsmanship.
As for character, they possessed virtually every positive quality attributable to the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers, with a preponderance of dedicated and driven work ethic.
And why did they leave Sri Lanka?
Historically, there have been many reasons why people uprooted themselves from their traditional homelands and came to the New World. Immigration experts identify two types of motivation for immigration: one the Push, the need to leave in order to survive, and the other the Pull, the attraction to a new way of life.
Some of the critical factors that drove those from the Old World who came here via Ellis Island by boat are not much different from the reasons for the relatively recent Sri Lankan arrivals in the US that mostly flew in. Economic opportunity would certainly head the list for most immigrants while political freedom, religious intolerance and ethnic prejudice would not be far behind for some. But it would be fair to say that the inability of Sri Lanka, their mother land, to grow the national economic pie large enough for all its citizens to have an equitable share, rather than quarrel over the size of each group’s portion of the existing pie was a leading cause of emigration of the Silent and Baby Boomer generations of Sri Lankans to the US in the last forty years or so.
When the economic potential of Sri Lanka began to decline in the late sixties and ethnic strife began to lift its ugly head in the seventies more frequently than before, these well-to-do, middle class, mid-career professionals were the first to look for greener pastures abroad. In view of Sri Lanka’s colonial and historic ties to Britain and the liberal immigration policies that existed in some nations of the British Commonwealth such as the UK, Canada and Australia, a relatively large number of these Sri Lankans migrated to those countries.
Some, however, found the US more conducive to their ambition of finding suitable jobs in the chosen field and making a better life for themselves and their families. As one would expect, consistent with the rich tradition of positive family values and emphasis on education that prevailed in Sri Lanka for generations, safety and education of the children were primary motivators in virtually every instance.
How hard was it to leave?
Despite the promise of a better future in the US or elsewhere, the decision to leave their homeland in mid-career and endure the physical and emotional separation from their loved ones and travel to a largely unfamiliar country located half way around the world was heart-wrenching for those who left as well as for those who were left behind.
As for the country, the departure of so many of its devoted cadre of senior public servants and professionals would cause such a heavy brain drain that Sri Lanka is still reeling from its consequences. Regrettably, unlike its neighbor India, Sri Lanka’s educational and economic systems were not able to produce adequate replacements to fill the large vacuum these two groups left behind.
What do they do in the US?
A fair number of these mid-career professionals, particularly civil servants, economists and accountants, joined the Bretton Woods institutions, such as the IMF and the World Bank in Washington, DC, or the United Nations and its specialized agencies in New York.
Medical doctors and surgeons obtained employment as health-care professionals and administrators in hospitals and research institutions scattered around the US; educators and professors found high level teaching positions and fellowships in the Ivy League as well as in other elite and not so elite colleges and universities and other academic institutions. Those with business acumen thrived in every chosen trade in this land of free-market enterprise and capitalism.
By dint of their well known and dedicated work ethic, several of the Sri Lankans of the Silent and Baby Boomer generations ended up in the highest echelons of management with their respective employers and some continue to hold such positions of authority and respect to this day. The rapid progress and achievements of these groups that hailed from a relatively small country has been remarkable.
What were the obstacles in their way?
As career professionals who were used to being pampered with peons and secretarial and administrative support staff in the work place and servants and gardeners at home, it was not easy to adjust to changes in their new world where the middle-class is by and large expected to be self-supporting.
Having grown up in the tropics, the vagaries of the changing temperate weather with four seasons and the periodic adjustments needed to live in harmony with Mother Nature were painful.
Frequent travel on business, leaving behind at home their spouses and young children who had to fend for themselves, was at times a nightmare.
From a world of largely informal and personal contacts and “who you know” for achieving anything one desired, following the countless city, county, state and federal rules and regulations to get anything was a major hurdle to many of them.
From buying or renting and furnishing a house to getting the state drivers license was a challenge that had to be overcome with skill and diligence so as not to foul up the web of legal and other formalities. But much more mundane were the minor irritations when some Americans asked where they learned to speak such good English, if the accent was British, whether Sri Lanka was next to Cameroon, and often simply refused to even attempt to pronounce their typically long first and last names, be it a nurse in a hospital, teller in the bank, an officer at the department of motor vehicles or even colleagues in their diverse work place.
And how did they overcome them?
Well known among the Silent and Baby Boomer generations of Sri Lankans are their native ingenuity and self-deprecating humor, the two very artful skills that had traditionally served the community well over good times and in tiding over hardships.
What is often taken for granted, however, is their ability to communicate well in English, which gave them a crucial head-start in establishing life in the US and working towards the American Dream. While most other first generation immigrant groups struggled to learn English first before focusing their attention on other priorities, thanks to the British, south Asians, including Sri Lankans, did not have to confront this often frightful hurdle.
This advantage, coupled with their natural and acquired entrepreneurial qualities, enabled the men and women in these groups not only to secure employment at various levels but also thrive virtually in any trade or industry of their choice in this open, yet competitive environment.
Do they miss Home?
Thanks to the advances in mass communication, speedy travel, and other technological breakthroughs, being in constant touch and meeting at reasonable intervals with loved ones and friends back home and keeping abreast of developments have been relatively easy.
What is more difficult for these two groups, however, has been the burden of individual and collective life memories carried from Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was called during their time, and overcoming the nostalgia that engulfs them every now and then.
Obviously, the seemingly never-ending civil strife has caused the biggest strain, despite the long distance separating Sri Lanka from their adopted land. Like every other immigrant group, they too have founded various religious, geographic, sporting and other social associations which bring the community together with reasonable regularity in order to support charitable and other initiatives or even simply reminisce the good old days spent back home. The fund-raisers for the Tsunami victims, the annual Sri Lankan peace mass conducted in parts of the US for close to twenty years and the various formal and informal religious and other gatherings sponsored by the Sri Lankan embassy over several years have been notable examples of occasions for the community to come together.
How do they compare and contrast their homeland with the adopted land?
Apart from being technocrats and professionals, during their heyday, these two groups also formed an independent and reliable base of intellectuals for assessing the soundness of the Sri Lankan democracy and passing measured judgments on its political leadership.
It is therefore inevitable that these groups do constantly indulge in comparing and contrasting public policy and political developments in their home country in light of the relatively long democratic traditions preserved and highly valued in the US along with the foreign policy positions of the US government at any given time.
Protection of minority rights is a vital prerequisite for any democracy. The world at large has generally judged the development of countries based on how well they treat the minority groups within their borders.
In mature democracies like the US, Canada, Spain and India, governments have constantly adjusted their public policy and governance principles to accommodate the rights and nurture the welfare of their minorities. But even in such advanced democracies it is still very much a “work in progress” as the case of African Americans in the US, Quebecois in Canada, Basques in Spain and the Muslims in India constantly remind us.
Admittedly, the recent election of an African American as president of the US has elevated this country to a loftier level in its climb towards the “shining city on the hill.”
As for Sri Lanka, the struggle towards minority rights and ethnic unity began soon after its first constitution was drawn up in 1948 by Lord Soulbury, the then colonial Governor. Despite overcoming gender inequality and giving the world its first woman prime minister in 1960, the goal of building a mature democracy, in which all its citizens lived in harmony, has eluded Sri Lanka even after sixty years of independence.
Despite inheriting the non-violent traditions from the two great world religions, Buddhism and Hinduism, the two communities have not been able to come to terms with the noble concepts of a modern, enlightened democracy.
The US had to amend its constitution twenty seven times since 1789, (ten of them, the Bill of Rights, within one year) on the road to becoming a “more perfect union.” Sri Lanka has amended its constitution thirteen times and promulgated at least one comprehensive proposal for Devolution of Power in the sixty years as a nascent democracy, but without much success in inching towards its goal. Obviously, the painful struggle continues.
What do they look forward to?
Most members of the Silent Generation of Sri Lankans living in the US are now retired and the Baby Boomers amongst them are not far from doing so. They have by and large ensured that their primary objective of educating their children and providing them with a brighter future in the adopted land has been achieved.
These two groups have also seen in their lifetime and been beneficiaries of some of the greatest advancements in human endeavor, be it in eradicating diseases, concurring space, mass communication, information technology and globalization of trade and commerce.
But embedded deeply within their happiness and well deserved prosperity in the adopted land is the longstanding urge to witness a united and ethnically harmonious democracy in Sri Lanka, the land they left behind over four decades ago.
It is still the fervent hope of every Sri Lankan, irrespective of nationality, ethnicity or religion, that an amicable solution to the persistent ethnic problem that has caused the death of over 70,000 of its citizens, would be found in their lifetime.
Rockville, Maryland, USA
February 2009
(Snippets from the life of First Generation Sri Lankans in the US) - An article written for the Sri Lankan Embassy Newsletter October 2008
By Professor S. Sengamalay
MPA (Harvard), FCA (Sri Lanka), FCMA (UK), FCIS (UK & Canada), CPA (US)
Two Remarkable Generations
Those born between 1925 and 1942 are generally referred to as the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers are those assumed to have been born between 1943 and 1960. While obviously there are exceptions, most first generation Sri Lankan immigrants now in the US would fall under one of these two categories. Contemporary Knowledge Management literature characterizes the Silent Generation as practical in outlook, dedicated in work ethic, respectful to authority, hierarchical in leadership, self-sacrificing in relationships, and civic-minded in societal perspective and the Baby Boomers as optimistic in outlook, driven in work ethic, love-hate towards authority, consensus in leadership, personal-gratification in relationships, team-oriented in societal perspective. So, how has life turned out for those belonging to these two groups who ventured out from Sri Lanka, the tiny island (about the size of West Virginia) endowed with long history, deep traditions and diverse cultures, but tarnished by ethnic prejudice and engulfed in violence, and came to the US, a large nation of immigrants, land of hope and opportunity and a bastion of democracy, but burdened by its lone super-power status and suffering from human excesses and insatiable materialism?
First, who are these immigrants and what were they back home before coming here?
Thanks to the inherited British system of in-depth education, free health-care and an efficient and disciplined civil service, Sri Lanka, until around the early sixties, was endowed with social indicators such as: literacy, female primary school enrollment, infant mortality, life expectancy etc,, that were the envy of present day economic tigers like Singapore, South Korea and even Japan.
These two groups of Sri Lankans, who by and large hailed from middle class families, occupied a unique and elite status both in the public and private sectors of the country. They were high ranking civil servants managing the smooth functioning of the economy and the state apparatus, physicians and medical specialists running an efficient health-care system, accountants and financial managers who oversaw a robust plantation and mercantile sector, professors and researchers in institutions of higher learning that turned out world class graduates in science, math, medicine and agriculture, and educators in public and private schools who maintained a high level of literacy and cultivated rich traditions of scholarship and sportsmanship.
As for character, they possessed virtually every positive quality attributable to the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers, with a preponderance of dedicated and driven work ethic.
And why did they leave Sri Lanka?
Historically, there have been many reasons why people uprooted themselves from their traditional homelands and came to the New World. Immigration experts identify two types of motivation for immigration: one the Push, the need to leave in order to survive, and the other the Pull, the attraction to a new way of life.
Some of the critical factors that drove those from the Old World who came here via Ellis Island by boat are not much different from the reasons for the relatively recent Sri Lankan arrivals in the US that mostly flew in. Economic opportunity would certainly head the list for most immigrants while political freedom, religious intolerance and ethnic prejudice would not be far behind for some. But it would be fair to say that the inability of Sri Lanka, their mother land, to grow the national economic pie large enough for all its citizens to have an equitable share, rather than quarrel over the size of each group’s portion of the existing pie was a leading cause of emigration of the Silent and Baby Boomer generations of Sri Lankans to the US in the last forty years or so.
When the economic potential of Sri Lanka began to decline in the late sixties and ethnic strife began to lift its ugly head in the seventies more frequently than before, these well-to-do, middle class, mid-career professionals were the first to look for greener pastures abroad. In view of Sri Lanka’s colonial and historic ties to Britain and the liberal immigration policies that existed in some nations of the British Commonwealth such as the UK, Canada and Australia, a relatively large number of these Sri Lankans migrated to those countries.
Some, however, found the US more conducive to their ambition of finding suitable jobs in the chosen field and making a better life for themselves and their families. As one would expect, consistent with the rich tradition of positive family values and emphasis on education that prevailed in Sri Lanka for generations, safety and education of the children were primary motivators in virtually every instance.
How hard was it to leave?
Despite the promise of a better future in the US or elsewhere, the decision to leave their homeland in mid-career and endure the physical and emotional separation from their loved ones and travel to a largely unfamiliar country located half way around the world was heart-wrenching for those who left as well as for those who were left behind.
As for the country, the departure of so many of its devoted cadre of senior public servants and professionals would cause such a heavy brain drain that Sri Lanka is still reeling from its consequences. Regrettably, unlike its neighbor India, Sri Lanka’s educational and economic systems were not able to produce adequate replacements to fill the large vacuum these two groups left behind.
What do they do in the US?
A fair number of these mid-career professionals, particularly civil servants, economists and accountants, joined the Bretton Woods institutions, such as the IMF and the World Bank in Washington, DC, or the United Nations and its specialized agencies in New York.
Medical doctors and surgeons obtained employment as health-care professionals and administrators in hospitals and research institutions scattered around the US; educators and professors found high level teaching positions and fellowships in the Ivy League as well as in other elite and not so elite colleges and universities and other academic institutions. Those with business acumen thrived in every chosen trade in this land of free-market enterprise and capitalism.
By dint of their well known and dedicated work ethic, several of the Sri Lankans of the Silent and Baby Boomer generations ended up in the highest echelons of management with their respective employers and some continue to hold such positions of authority and respect to this day. The rapid progress and achievements of these groups that hailed from a relatively small country has been remarkable.
What were the obstacles in their way?
As career professionals who were used to being pampered with peons and secretarial and administrative support staff in the work place and servants and gardeners at home, it was not easy to adjust to changes in their new world where the middle-class is by and large expected to be self-supporting.
Having grown up in the tropics, the vagaries of the changing temperate weather with four seasons and the periodic adjustments needed to live in harmony with Mother Nature were painful.
Frequent travel on business, leaving behind at home their spouses and young children who had to fend for themselves, was at times a nightmare.
From a world of largely informal and personal contacts and “who you know” for achieving anything one desired, following the countless city, county, state and federal rules and regulations to get anything was a major hurdle to many of them.
From buying or renting and furnishing a house to getting the state drivers license was a challenge that had to be overcome with skill and diligence so as not to foul up the web of legal and other formalities. But much more mundane were the minor irritations when some Americans asked where they learned to speak such good English, if the accent was British, whether Sri Lanka was next to Cameroon, and often simply refused to even attempt to pronounce their typically long first and last names, be it a nurse in a hospital, teller in the bank, an officer at the department of motor vehicles or even colleagues in their diverse work place.
And how did they overcome them?
Well known among the Silent and Baby Boomer generations of Sri Lankans are their native ingenuity and self-deprecating humor, the two very artful skills that had traditionally served the community well over good times and in tiding over hardships.
What is often taken for granted, however, is their ability to communicate well in English, which gave them a crucial head-start in establishing life in the US and working towards the American Dream. While most other first generation immigrant groups struggled to learn English first before focusing their attention on other priorities, thanks to the British, south Asians, including Sri Lankans, did not have to confront this often frightful hurdle.
This advantage, coupled with their natural and acquired entrepreneurial qualities, enabled the men and women in these groups not only to secure employment at various levels but also thrive virtually in any trade or industry of their choice in this open, yet competitive environment.
Do they miss Home?
Thanks to the advances in mass communication, speedy travel, and other technological breakthroughs, being in constant touch and meeting at reasonable intervals with loved ones and friends back home and keeping abreast of developments have been relatively easy.
What is more difficult for these two groups, however, has been the burden of individual and collective life memories carried from Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was called during their time, and overcoming the nostalgia that engulfs them every now and then.
Obviously, the seemingly never-ending civil strife has caused the biggest strain, despite the long distance separating Sri Lanka from their adopted land. Like every other immigrant group, they too have founded various religious, geographic, sporting and other social associations which bring the community together with reasonable regularity in order to support charitable and other initiatives or even simply reminisce the good old days spent back home. The fund-raisers for the Tsunami victims, the annual Sri Lankan peace mass conducted in parts of the US for close to twenty years and the various formal and informal religious and other gatherings sponsored by the Sri Lankan embassy over several years have been notable examples of occasions for the community to come together.
How do they compare and contrast their homeland with the adopted land?
Apart from being technocrats and professionals, during their heyday, these two groups also formed an independent and reliable base of intellectuals for assessing the soundness of the Sri Lankan democracy and passing measured judgments on its political leadership.
It is therefore inevitable that these groups do constantly indulge in comparing and contrasting public policy and political developments in their home country in light of the relatively long democratic traditions preserved and highly valued in the US along with the foreign policy positions of the US government at any given time.
Protection of minority rights is a vital prerequisite for any democracy. The world at large has generally judged the development of countries based on how well they treat the minority groups within their borders.
In mature democracies like the US, Canada, Spain and India, governments have constantly adjusted their public policy and governance principles to accommodate the rights and nurture the welfare of their minorities. But even in such advanced democracies it is still very much a “work in progress” as the case of African Americans in the US, Quebecois in Canada, Basques in Spain and the Muslims in India constantly remind us.
Admittedly, the recent election of an African American as president of the US has elevated this country to a loftier level in its climb towards the “shining city on the hill.”
As for Sri Lanka, the struggle towards minority rights and ethnic unity began soon after its first constitution was drawn up in 1948 by Lord Soulbury, the then colonial Governor. Despite overcoming gender inequality and giving the world its first woman prime minister in 1960, the goal of building a mature democracy, in which all its citizens lived in harmony, has eluded Sri Lanka even after sixty years of independence.
Despite inheriting the non-violent traditions from the two great world religions, Buddhism and Hinduism, the two communities have not been able to come to terms with the noble concepts of a modern, enlightened democracy.
The US had to amend its constitution twenty seven times since 1789, (ten of them, the Bill of Rights, within one year) on the road to becoming a “more perfect union.” Sri Lanka has amended its constitution thirteen times and promulgated at least one comprehensive proposal for Devolution of Power in the sixty years as a nascent democracy, but without much success in inching towards its goal. Obviously, the painful struggle continues.
What do they look forward to?
Most members of the Silent Generation of Sri Lankans living in the US are now retired and the Baby Boomers amongst them are not far from doing so. They have by and large ensured that their primary objective of educating their children and providing them with a brighter future in the adopted land has been achieved.
These two groups have also seen in their lifetime and been beneficiaries of some of the greatest advancements in human endeavor, be it in eradicating diseases, concurring space, mass communication, information technology and globalization of trade and commerce.
But embedded deeply within their happiness and well deserved prosperity in the adopted land is the longstanding urge to witness a united and ethnically harmonious democracy in Sri Lanka, the land they left behind over four decades ago.
It is still the fervent hope of every Sri Lankan, irrespective of nationality, ethnicity or religion, that an amicable solution to the persistent ethnic problem that has caused the death of over 70,000 of its citizens, would be found in their lifetime.
Rockville, Maryland, USA
February 2009
Sri Lanka’s Affinity to the Moon - Prof. S Sengamalay
As we, the CIC Evergreens are reminiscing the good old days from the sixties, and even before that time, by sharing our experiences at a personal as well as at the organizational level as CICers, let me see if I can elevate the experience to the national level for a change. I am sure everyone of you will remember the strange period of about four years (1966 to 1970) in the history of Sri Lanka (Ceylon then) when we occupied the unique position of being the only nation in the world which followed the lunar calendar and enjoyed Poya and pre-Poya days as public holidays, instead of the normal Saturday–Sunday week ends.
Although Ceylon had adopted and followed the once a month Full Moon day or Poya day as a public holiday for quite a long time, the proposal to replace completely the traditional Saturday-Sunday weekends with the four days directly related to the status of the moon was put forward as an election manifesto by the UNP. As we all know, the party won the election and faithfully implemented in January 1966 what it had promised.
Many of us will also remember the hardships we had to put up with in finding “illicit” alcohol during Poya and pre-Poya days and the ingenious ways by which we circumvented the prohibition and managed to continue with our happy-go-lucky way of life as Ceylonese.
While the disastrous economic consequences to Ceylon of this change in the national holiday system were lamented about by so many within and outside the country, the consequences to CIC and other similar mercantile firms by way of high demurrage charges was explained to me passionately by Mr. Navaratnam, Joe Roche and other C & F department staff in 1969 soon after I had joined CIC.
When cargo ships arrived and docked at the Colombo port, their crews, which were all foreign, did not work on Saturdays and Sundays; hence loading and unloading of cargo did not happen on those two days. On the other hand, the local port employees were off on Poya and pre-Poya days of the week and were unavailable to load or unload cargo. In effect, everyone working at the port (and others too) enjoyed not 52 weekends, but 104 of them in a year, in addition, of course, to the several other traditional holidays. Obviously, we became the laughing stock vis-a-vis the rest of the world.
Now, as we all know, one of the greatly redeeming qualities of Sri Lankans is our self-deprecating humor and our ability to tell jokes at our own expense and laugh at ourselves. Keeping in line with that spirit, the plight of the country around 1966-67 gave rise to the following joke, which I am sure many of you will remember from those days:
The race into space began with the launching of the Sputnik satellite by the Soviet Union in 1957 and the US joining the competition earnestly in 1960 spurred on by JFK’s famous call to Americans to put a man on the moon by the end of that decade. So, when Ceylon declared Poya and pre-Poya days as holidays in 1966, the space race between the two super-powers was in full throttle. Conferences, seminars and workshops were being held regularly by scientists and space experts in several world capitals discussing the pros and cons of space exploration, particularly the lunar landscape and what humans could do once they reach the moon. Not to be outdone, Ceylon too sent its representatives from the CISIR (Ceylon Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research) to participate in many of these world gatherings.
In one such conference, at the end of a day’s formal sessions, representatives from the different countries were enjoying a lighter moment at an evening cocktail, when the topic turned to what each country would do if and when they land on the moon. The American representative was the first obvious choice and he was asked what his country would do after landing on the moon. The NASA representative responded by saying that the US would develop the moon and make it into a prosperous country like America, of course with its free-enterprise system and a capitalist economy. Then everyone looked to the Soviet representative and asked him the same question. Of course, the Russian said that they would develop the moon and make it a successful communist country with ownership of the moon belonging to all Soviet citizens based on their socialist system.
And so the representatives from the different countries took their turn and responded as to what they would do when they conquer the moon, based on their own unique perspective, national aspiration and philosophy. In the meantime, the Ceylonese representative was eagerly waiting for his turn and finally he got it. He was asked the question as to what the Ceylonese would do on the moon. Without batting an eyelid, the Ceylonese representative said: “ Well, when we are on the moon, it is full moon all the time and therefore every day is Poya day which means it is a holiday and that means we do not have to go to work.”
Like everything else, the Ceylonese experiment with Poya days did end with the SLFP winning the election in 1970 and doing away with our flirtation with the moon. Of course not completely, as the Full Moon day every month has continued to be Poya day and a holiday to this day.
Going back on a Tramcar ride - By Tissa Devendra
What triggered my memory was an old (very) studio photo of my childhood self staring glumly at the camera while my infant sister timidly leaned towards me. Proudly embossed at the photo’s bottom was “Terminus Studio”. I seem to remember this venerable institution yet standing, till the early 1950s, on the triangular corner where Panchikawatta Road turned into Skinner’s Road towards Technical College.
The ‘Terminus’ of its name meant the end of the line of the very first tramway before it was later extended to Grandpass. The other establishment to honour this now-forgotten mode of public transport was ‘The Tram View Hotel’, a rather dingy tea shop opposite the Punchi Borella Bo tree. The name was probably inspired by the spanking new trams of the late 19th century as they first whooshed past the ‘hotel’ verandah.
The ‘hotel’ retained its name for many years after the last tram clattered to a nameless scrap-yard. As the craze for antiques had not yet taken root, not a single tramcar nor the hotel signboard remains to recall the trams that dominated Colombo’s roads, and carried many thousands of commuters, for well over half a century.
Tramcars seem to have been introduced into Colombo, not long after London, by a British Mayor in the late 19th century. This was an age when motor cars were unknown, the European elite sped to work in rickshaws drawn by wiry ‘coolies’ and ‘natives’ of standing trundled along in ox-drawn buggy carts. Electric tramcars would have been a sensation for the silent speed with which they moved large numbers of people to the far corners of the then ‘Garden City of the East’. Although the steam engines of the CGR carried passengers from town to town, there was no mode of public transport within the city till the advent of tramcars. It is difficult to imagine the sensation they would have caused and the panic they struck in rickshawmen and cart-bulls.
A few First Class seats up in front were reserved for Europeans – the Master Race. Henry W. Cave (Book of Ceylon 1908) devotes quite a few pages to tram travel as the best way of seeing the sights of scenic and exotic Colombo.
The reputed European (what else?) firm of Bousteads owned and operated tramcars under licence from the Municipality. A long arm mounted on the flat roof linked trams to the electricity lines that powered their silent progress. Trams were about the size of a small bus and came in two models. The earliest and commonest, illustrated here, had 10 or 12 long rows of wooden slatted benches in ‘toast rack-style’ facing forward.
The other was rather like a railway compartment with a doorway at the centre, benches along the sides and a ceiling rod for standee passengers to cling to. Some unique features distinguished the “driver’s cabin”.. The driver steered the tramcar while standing. Steering was by an impressive metal tiller with a shining brass knob as a handle. At his feet was the button for the loud bell he clanged to announce halting places and clear the tracks of carts, cyclists and pedestrians.
Two broad footboards, one above the other, ran along the length of the tramcar – for the ticket collector’s progress and steps for passengers to mount and dismount.
Trams were very passenger-friendly and had very short runs between halts. I seem to remember about 10 halts between Maradana Railway Station and Punchi Borella. In the same tradition as the CGR, most tram drivers were burly Burgher gents in impressive khaki uniforms. Ticket collectors were drawn from the ‘lesser breeds’. Sadly, there has been no Carl Muller to document the rise and fall of these knights of the tramways.
Although I spent the first six years of childhood in Colombo I cannot recollect travelling by tram at all. So it was in 1946, when I left Ratnapura for a school in Colombo, that I first encountered them with goday wonder. But I soon got reasonably adept in hopping on and off without mishap and forking out the requisite five cents! for travel between two halts. Not long after, I experienced the camaraderie of frequent tram travellers.
As I clambered on to the tram, a descending traveller pressed an unpunched ticket into my hand as a gesture of solidarity. As the son of a school principal, and not yet wise to the ways of the world, I crumpled his gift and conscientiously paid my five cents to the ticket collector. As time went on I learnt the trick of slyly sliding along my bench seat to the end furthest away from the ticket collector working his way along the footboard on one side of the tram. But this manoeuvre could be accomplished only when there were no other passengers between me and the coveted ‘escape seat’. It has to be admitted that such luck was much rarer than the boasts we made of such escapades.
For some inexplicable mechanical reason tramway lines/rails were not above ground but embedded below the road surface.This gave rise to interesting phenomena.
One was the slippage of rickshaw and bicycle wheels into the embedded rails Once he off-loaded his embarrassed passengers, the rickshawman easily lifted his rickshaw out of the rut and trotted off to the clang of the annoyed tram driver’s bell and rude remarks of unruly passengers . The other phenomenon was when a bicycle on a slippery surface wobbled into one of these ruts. Extrication was followed, as usual, by clanging of the driver’s bell accompanied by passenger hoots.
My brother, who had borrowed my bike, fell victim to this misadventure. No sooner had he pulled his bike out than a cart ran over it to the vast amusement of tram passengers and passers-by. But for a bent spoke or two my sturdy ex-Army war-horse, a relic of jungle warfare gifted by an army uncle,was none the worse for the encounter.
My loveliest memory, however, was the wondrous sight when the trams travelled at night over roads that had just been tarred and spread with the requisite layer of sand.. As the lighted tram scrunched over this sand it sparkled magically with a myriad sparks.
Somewhere in the 1950s, for some mysterious reason, the Municipality decided to scrap Colombo’s tramways. Some diehard romantics boarded the last tramcar to Grandpass, decorated it with streamers and balloons, and hired a Kotahena funeral band to dolefully belt out the Funeral March to the tramcar’s final halt.
Let this brief piece be a requiem for a charming mode of transport and a way of life long lost to belching buses, skittering trishaws and traffic-jammed cars.
I sometimes wonder whether, in the dead of night, one can faintly hear the clang of a ghostly bell as a phantom tramcar trundles past the Terminus at Panchikawatte and the Tram View Hotel of Punchi Borella on its way to rusty death.
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Thanks James, for reviving the memories! It was only last week that we were talking about the Tramcars and Trolley Buses in Colombo and our nephews and nieces were listening with wide-eyed curiosity.
Having been boarded at a house by the Maradana/Borella main road, during early 50's, they were a common sight to me. Wish they continued with them, no pollution (electrically powered) and no noise (trolley buses)... how peaceful it would be now. Neil
There is story that A.Y.S. Gnanam when dealing with metal scrap while sleeping in St.Anthony's Church in Kochchikade bought all the trolley buses from the scrap yard for peanuts. He knew that somewhere in the body of the CAR were brass sheets to reinforce the body or something. That is how he made millions by selling pure brass sheets/strps or whatever. He made his empire, the St. Anthony's group. He derived the name of his business to respect the place that provided him shelter when he was homeless. How far this story is true I don't know. CecilThere is some truth to it. I worked for the man. Actually he had retired, and I worked for his son Gunaseelan. My last stint ere emigration. James
Thanks a lot, James, for spotting this article and sharing it with us. How wonderful to relive those peaceful times, even in our nostalgic dreams.
I remember travelling by tram, usually from Maradana Railway station to Armour St.Jnc. and walking the rest of the way to St.Benedict’s. You could easily jump in and out as the speed was very schoolboy commuter friendly ! Sometimes the antenna like pole jumped off the overhead cable and the tram stopped. The driver would get it back on line with a special stick to the accompaniment of a few catcalls and hoots ! I don’t think there were any accidents involving tram cars as you could get out of the way easily. I think that the trams disappeared with the coming into office of Mayor V.A. Sugathadasa , who brought in the brand new double decker Trolley buses. These were very comfortable and like the buses of today but powered by electricity. I wonder why they disappeared ………Bosco
I guess the cheaper gasoline brought about the demise of the electric cars. Now we have gone the full cycle and with opec calling the (terrorist) shots, pollution and all, who knows, there maybe the reappearnce. James
Tks.James for sending me too on a nostalgic ride in the trolley bus/tramcar since it was connected to Colombo North very closely.The piece by Tissa Devendra surely rings a bell for those of us who had the luxury of commuting in these vehicles in the yesteryears. In addition to the Grandpass run trolley buses also plied from Fort to Kotahena when I worked for ICI. Eric
I can recapture the melancoly drone of the funeral band from Kotahena accompanying the tram car on its farewell journey to Grandpass. We had a driver by the name of Shaw(no relation of GB) who was good enough to offer Bens a free run from Maradana to Kotahena when we were fleeing the wrath of the Josephians after our Soccer 'Big match' at Darley Road. Oh for the memories! Cecil
The Jaffna Library June 17, 2012 - Charles Santiapillai
Although the Jaffna man’s mind is preoccupied with money and matrimony, yet the thing that he treasures most above everything else is education and scholarship. For a Jaffna man, it’s the books, and not dogs, that are his best friends. He would pay more attention to a good book than to his dissatisfied wife. Books keep him company both in times of happiness and distress. They are one of the main sources of his knowledge. The best and inexpensive place for easy access to books has always been the library. Within a square mile of where I lived in Jaffna, there were six churches, six colleges, six cinemas and just one Public Library to indoctrinate, educate, entertain and enlighten us. The Jaffna library represented the single greatest archive and a veritable treasure house of accumulated knowledge.
The origins of the Jaffna library can be traced to the generosity and foresightedness of a book lover named K.M. Chellappah who in 1933 began sharing the collection of his books among friends and fellow men with the view to enhancing their knowledge. This generous gesture was highly appreciated by the local community which then decided to build a proper library. A committee headed by the then District Judge as Chairman, Rev. Dr. Isaac Thambiah as Vice-chairman, and K.M. Chellappah & C. Ponnambalam as Joint Secretaries was formed on June 9, 1934. The committee decided to collect or buy as many ancient ola leaf manuscripts as possible from the villages of Jaffna and other areas where Tamil culture thrived.
The embryonic Jaffna library was opened on August 1, 1934 with a collection of just 844 books and about 30 magazines and newspapers in a small room at Hospital Road, opposite the present electrical sub-station. From here the library was moved to a rented house on Main Street near the Town Hall in 1936. Books could be borrowed on a payment of a nominal sum of Rs. 3 as membership fee. It had a starting capital of Rs. 1,184 and 22 cents largely from the efforts of Mr. Chellappah. The Jaffna library became hugely popular among the people, both young and old.
Nothing succeeds like success and there was a clamour for a much larger and a more permanent library to cater to the insatiable appetite of the Jaffna man. At a meeting convened by the first Mayor of Jaffna, Sam Sabapathy it was decided to hold a carnival and a music festival featuring some of the most popular Indian artistes to raise funds for the library. It was a huge success. One of the leading and most active members of this committee was none other than that indomitable Irishman, Rev. Fr. Timothy M.F. Long, Rector of my Alma Mater, St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna. He was so efficient that the only difference between him and a saint was that he delivered miracles faster.
Fr. Long worked tirelessly to obtain funds for the library. He even asked that famous cartoonist of that time, Collette to do a sketch of him with a begging bowl! The one million rupee Library fund was entirely Fr. Long’s idea. I was just eight years of age and I remember well the fabulous Yarl Vinotha Carnival that was held in 1952 to raise funds. It was a great success and brought in Rs. 68,000 – a huge sum then - for the Library fund. Fr. Long then went into top gear and became the unelected advocate for the library. He started knocking on the doors of several influential people such as the then American Ambassador, Mr. Philip K. Crowe and the then British High Commissioner, Sir Cecil Sayers who provided funds generously. Thanks to the irresistible charm of Fr. Long, Mr. W.G.F. Gunstone of that famous publishers of London, W.H. Smith & Son, undertook to supply books at special discount varying from 25 cents to 50 cents. The Asia Foundation donated lots of books.
The library committee invited the leading specialist in Library Science, Prof. S.R. Ranganathan from Delhi to develop the library to international standards, and for that well known authority of Dravidian architecture and the then architect to the Madras Government, V.M. Narasimhan to design it. The foundation stone was laid on March 29, 1953. It was a red-letter day for everyone in Jaffna. In the meantime, Fr. Long was working overtime.
He was able to secure for my late father, Mr. S.F. Santiapillai who taught Latin (for the seminarists) and English at St. Patrick’s College, a Fulbright Scholarship in 1955 that enabled him to go to the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Cleveland, Ohio (USA) for advanced training in library science. In recognition of the untiring efforts of Fr. Long, the grateful public honoured him by erecting his statue in front of the library.
With the completion of the first stage, the Jaffna Public Library was declared open on 11 October 1959 by the then Mayor, Alfred Thuraiappah. Later a Children’s section was opened on 3 November 1967. Under normal circumstances, it’d be very difficult to keep a Jaffna man quiet, but inside the library, the staff saw to it that he kept his mouth shut and read. The librarians were strict but helpful and knowledgeable. They looked after their books with great devotion. There were about 97,000 books and over 10,000 manuscripts. Some of the books were priceless. In particular, "Yalpana Vaipava Malai" written by the Tamil poet Mayilvagana Pulavar in 1736 was irreplaceable since the library had just one copy! In addition, the library had in its collections, several old manuscripts, some of which were written on dried palm leaves and stored meticulously in special sandalwood boxes. There were also hard to replace books on herbal medicine, miniature editions of the Ramayana epic, copies of the now extinct Tamil language newspapers, microfilms of the Christian Missionary journal "The Morning Star" published in the early 20th century. Thus, as a repository of knowledge, culture and history, the Public Library came to represent the pride and dignity of the Jaffna people.
On the night of 31 May 1981, while Jaffna slept, all these precious collections were consigned to the flames when the Jaffna Public library was set on fire by a few misguided individuals who could not realize that what they were destroying was a part of their own heritage as well. It is this failure to appreciate the fact that the Jaffna library was a national treasure that belonged to everyone in the country that led to this tragedy. Before the Jaffna people could wake up and realize the horror of their loss, the entire nation had lost much of its ancient history, literature and learning. That night one of our distinguished teachers at St Patrick’s College, and a well-respected linguist, Rev. Dr. H. S. David died of a heart attack on being informed of the terrible tragedy. On hearing of the infamous literary bonfire, Fr. T.M.F. Long who worked so tirelessly and contributed so much to establish the Jaffna Library reacted with intense grief and suffered a heart attack and died a broken man in Australia. The destruction of the Jaffna library stunned the nation, but it also broke the cultural heart of the people of Jaffna.
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First Day in ‘Paradise’ - Dr. Harold Gunatillake
This article is appropriate to be read by those expatriates the world over, aspiring and dreaming to return to their motherland, at least on a trial basis, to give it a go, thinking of those cherished by-gone memories, most of us experienced in our youth and after.
This article may be perused by those happily settled in other countries, never to return types, but they will be wasting their precious time in reading this article, as inevitably will make wrong prejudiced impressions, perhaps due to some bitter feelings of some past episodes.
This article may not be beneficial for those intending to visit ‘The Paradise’ on a holiday, as they would return over-fed, enjoying the extravagant hospitalities of well-wishes, friends and relatives, over-feeding with the traditional unhealthy starchy food, such as fried rice, pittus, indiappans, godhas, Nasi Goren, and among others, not tasted perhaps since they left the ‘sinking ship’, in the sixties.
One would hear the holiday-makers say, “We had a ball, enjoyed thoroughly meeting old friends, relations, and found people being so friendly”. Those respective lavish hosts would not have indicated the struggle they go through, battling so hard to make ends meet, in this so called ‘paradise Isle’.
You need to live in the country to feel the impulse of the people, assess the cost of living, the merits and hardships of daily living, and whether compatible with your lifestyle, if you wish to plan in the future to settle in the paradise for an easy going lifestyle. Having a ball on a package tour does not give any impressions of the local conditions when it comes to the ‘nitty gritty’ of survival.
Then, there are the 5 star hotel types holidaying on package tours, spending their time in air-conditioned environments, relaxing in beech hotels, sightseeing the ruins, and invariable a trip to Yala to see the wild elephants and the spotted tigers. They return home quite satisfied with their sojourn, praising the paradise to the hilt, and contemplating on the next tour to the island.
We enplaned in Sydney airport at 4.10pm. on a Friday and reached Singapore after 8 flying hours. At the customer counter in Kingsford Smith airport in Sydney, we were told that there was no QF 31 flight scheduled on that day, our itinerated flight, and another plane had been substituted –QF 1, and we were told that our names may not be listed on that plane. That lovely lady in well clad uniform gave us the fright of Moses before even we began our destination. She mumbled so, and fortunately was having been confirmed on this new flight. This is when you thank the Lord, if you believe in him.
I must say that the QF flight was very comfortable with no bad experiences, and parts of the plane never fell off, as did happen on this airline in the recent past. We were transit in Changi Airport for two hours, and then got into EK 349, the worst flight I have got into in my life. The explanation is simple.
Most airlines schedule the oldest ramshackle little planes on flights to Colombo, from or to Kuala Lumpur, or Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong. The services on these flights are presumably substandard, may be that would be the way third world countries are treated. From those respective cities mentioned the international flights to first world countries are of a different efficiency plus, plus, class.
We landed in Katunayaka Airport at 2am. You always get the impression that ‘Bandaranaike airport’ is the most congenial and convenient, well planned airport out of most airports you visit. There is no rush at this airport; everybody walks at his own slow speed, and the distances to walk is just approximately 200 yards and no further to the first Immigration check point .One could hear the soft Sinhala music in your tired ears as you walks through and the ambience with dim lights is pleasing. You look around; any staff member on duty, doing seems to be nothing, will offer you a welcome smile. Even, the odd soldier seen in uniform smiles and welcomes you.
Immigration boys in white uniform give the visitor a welcome smile even during those early tiring hours and the paper work is done quickly to exit fast, and the loud sound emanating from the stamping of your passport makes you feel that the worst barrier is over.
At the custom barrier, if you are the dual type the officers don’t even bother to look at you, even though you may be carrying loads of dutiable and other goods.
One thing that bothers me is that you walk through the liquor section to exit to your baggage collection, reflecting a wrong impression among the religious sort of people, mainly being a Buddhist country where Lord Buddha encouraged people to abstain from alcohol, whenever possible. I wonder what goes through the minds of the Buddhist clergy when they pass through this ‘alcohol not free zone’. My wife even with the tiring, long journey through space becomes so active in purchasing ad lib quota of alcohol, even though she is a TT, no other airport will permit.
Returning to your destination home from the airport is well organised for you, if you do not have private transport, even during early sleepy hours of the morning.
For your comfort at the first stall on your right as you enter the public visitors area, you could book your air-conditioned van or any other mode of transport just for Rs. 3000.00 (Au $ 25) to the city and other outstations, may be a bit more.
You would notice the calmness and the few vehicles on Negombo/ Colombo road at this hour. Police do an excellent job by nabbing the reckless drivers and other shady characters.
You reach home or your apartment about 4 o’clock in the morning, and make attempt to get some sleep till sun-rise.
The heat is unbearable, after being used to the colder and less humid climates in Australia.
We get up in the morning, drowsy and exhausted like a drunkard due to lack of sleep, and then the first day in Paradise begins.
Living in Wellawatte is an advantage, driving down to Colpetty on Marine Drive takes less than 10 minutes. Our favourite super-market is at Cresscat. First hour parking is free, and you purchase all the provisions that are required to last at least two weeks. This includes most of the imported foods you enjoy in Australia, a few cans of local beer, and a full smaller size trolley load will cost you Rs.8, 000.00 (Au. $ 70). This is when you begin to appreciate the value of the Aussie dollar (Rs 130.00 B.R.), in the paradise, as no way you could purchase a trolley load of provisions, not even half a load down under for that bill.
After relaxing with a refreshing cup of tea, you drive to the fish market. Again, we are lucky in Wellawatte, as there is an excellent fish market in front of Roxy Cinema, nearing the Dehiwala Bridge.
Our bill on the purchases was as follows:
Large prawns 1.02 k. Rs. 800.00
Seer head 1.11 k. Rs.357.76
Paraw 0.626k Rs.569.00
Seer fish-sliced 1.02 k Rs.1,418.64
Seer fish cut cubes 1.062 Rs. 1,465.56
Total amount Rs. 4627.62 (Aus $ 40)
Then, we went the same evening to Wellawatte New Market to purchase more fresh vegetables. The market has been opened a few months back costing the government Rs 40 million. The market is in the ground floor. Vehicular parking is on 4 levels, charges Rs 40 per hour, parking fees.
The market is clean, specious, no flies, and stray dogs. The ceiling is very high, quite cool inside, with fans working full blast, and the sea breeze keeping the premises cool even on one of the hottest days we visited.
The whole lot of vegetables seen in the picture were purchased for Rs. 700.00, equivalent to about six Aus. Dollars. Sri Lankan grown vegetables are much smaller than the ones available in Australian markets. Also the Sri Lankan vegetables seem to be more organic, as less fertilizer is used in the plots.
Thus ends our first day in Paradise, quite exhausted.
Hello CIC Evergreens: I want to share with you some of my thoughts after I read the beautifully, passionately, yet humorously, written articles posted in our website sometime ago - The Jaffna Library by Charles Santiapillai and First Day in Paradise by Dr. Harold Gunatillake.
Reading about the dreadful manner in which the Library was "consigned to the flames" without the individuals (were they really humans?) realizing that "they were destroying part of their own heritage" reminded me of the dastardly manner in which the Taliban blasted away with dynamite the Buddhas of Bamiyan carved on the hillsides in Afghanistan in 2001.
The common factor in both instances - misguided religious or racial fanaticism. The difference - UNESCO has been trying to restore the Buddhas; but who can bring back the lost collection of the unique books and knowledge that went up in flames in Jaffna? I have been to Jaffna only once, sometime in the mid-sixties with my room-mate Alalasundaram at the Ramakrishna Mission Students Hostel in Wellawatte.
When we approached the Jaffna Library, Alala who knew of my habit of frequenting the Colombo Public Library, said to me: "If you go in, you wouldn't come out." So, we decided to look at it from the outside and moved on. Thank you Charles for reminding us all "Lest we forget." What a tragedy?
I read with nostalgia the experience of Dr. Gunatillake on his visit back to Sri Lanka. Wherever we live now, the longing to be in what is still "home country" to most of us, never goes away. Although our tolerance level has diminished over the years, partly due to aging and partly, I suppose, to the relatively better organized way of living abroad, just the experiences, from the time we land at Katunayake (may be at Mattala one of these days!) until we board the return flight again, are so special, enjoyable and memorable.
Talking of tolerance level, having gotten used to drinking beer from a sixteen ounce bottle, I find it extremely difficult to finish a bottle of Lion Larger or Three Coins while on visits to Sri Lanka. Whenever I am with my friends in any of our old watering holes and the waiter brings and leaves even a few bottles of Lion Larger or Three Coins on the table, I feel full just looking at them. My friends tease me saying that I have gone "softy" because we do not remember me having any problem gulping down two or three of those large bottles beer in an evening in the good old days when I lived in Sri Lanka. Now, I scold myself: "How the hell did you do it?" Thank you Harold - you too seem to have had that problem as you talk of buying "a few cans of local beer" on the first day.
I will certainly read and comment on the other lovely, revealing and friendly articles and stories posted on the website as soon as I find some time. Thank you Evergreens for enriching the website with your contributions; I think that is the best way to say "Thanks" to Elmo and the other Founding Fathers of this marvelous platform we all share. Senga.
Hi Mr.Sengamalay, Your comments on the articles by Charles Santiapillai and Dr.Harold Gunatileke evoke a wave of nostalgia in all of us who are peacefully nestled in foreign climes. Re the Jaffna Library the damage as you rightly infer is beyond recompense; knowledge unfortunately cannot be 'rehabilated'.
I guess all of us expatriates share the sentiments expressed by Dr.Gunatileke in endeavouring to adjust ourselves whilst holidaying on 'home turf'. Whilst on holiday in February I met up with a few of my classmates from UK after 50 long years at the Royal Colombo Golf Club. The consumption of the spirit that cheers was abysmal compared to what we guzzled during those happy go lucky days in Ceylon/SL .However one does experience that indescribable feeling of being at 'home sweet home' and that stands unique. Eric
Lylie Godridge - ‘No wine and women, but plenty of song’ - Sunday Times article
No matter how little his name is heard these days, even a tiny inclination to western music will have you “knowing” at the mention of Lylie Godridge. Back before choirs and musical ensembles blossomed like mushrooms and a-capella was the fashionable kind of singing to do, he was making musical history in our little island.
Now, it is reported, some ask if the LG Singers are from LG at Abans! “It was a good opportunity for us to learn that humility must go hand in hand with what we do,” laughs current choirmaster (and Lylie’s son) Willie Godridge. And far from being an insult to the choir, it seems a testimony to Kalasuri Lylie’s character and integrity as a musician that the LG Singers aren’t a famed choral ensemble.
Even as a young boy, John Lylie Godridge, born March 4, 1928 to a poor family in Kotahena, showed clear signs of musical genius. His beautiful treble earned him scholarships to school and the attention of scores including the then Governor of Ceylon, Sir Andrew Caldecott. Already more than familiar with stage performance and radio air-play, at 23 he was made a soloist in the Colombo Philharmonic Choir’s rendition of Bach’s ‘St. Matthew’s Passion’, earning the chance to meet the likes of Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten.
In 1981 Lylie was commissioned by President J.R. Jayawardene to tour the world as Sri Lanka’s Singing Ambassador, and in 1993 honoured with the Kalasuri title. Scores of music lovers remember him for his mellow baritone, others for his skill at all things musical, but despite all his worldly achievements, most remember Lylie Godridge for his jolly, unassuming nature, his humility, and his gentleness. While any of us would have grabbed the opportunity to make a fortune and rise in society, Lylie Godridge, despite his “star” qualities, remained true to his conviction that as his musical abilities were a gift from God, he must use them as a gift to God. He placed his commitment to Christianity above every kind of achievement, moving further and further away from profit-making ventures. Though to some his choices may have seemed peculiar, to those he inspired, there was no replacement.
The LG Singers (now careful to call themselves the Lylie Godridge Singers!) seem a reflection of the dear old man who started them up and kept them going to his very last days in 1998. And this character that refuses to be affected by ambition and remains simple is what sets the LG Singers apart from (boldly we say) all other vocal ensembles in Sri Lanka. Willie remembers their heyday when Christmas time alone was packed with upto 15 performances, and a year’s work probably involved close to thirty nights of singing. From there the LG Singers have come to rare performances made only on request, but their spirit remains the same.
The choir is just heading into its 50th anniversary, and from its birth at 2A Allen Avenue, Dehiwela on May 15, 1962, hardly anything has changed, not even the practice/rehearsal (both words are inaccurate, really!) schedule. As many of the “boys” (very much so at heart at least!) put it, they look forward to the weekly session. Whether they are preparing for a performance or not, Tuesday evening 6 p.m. is the “sacred” time “like Sunday mass” as Eshantha de Andrado, member of 25 years, puts it. “It’s like the boys club” laughs Willie, “without the wine and the women, but plenty of the song.” And the songs themselves have hardly turned over.
A special thanksgiving service celebrating the 50th anniversary of the LG Singers will be held on May 19 at St. Paul’s Church on Kynsey Road, Borella starting 6 p.m. Of the nearly 20 spiritual numbers they plan to sing that night, Willie says only two have been added to the repertoire after he took over from “Pater”. ‘Swing Low’, ‘Nobody Knows’ and ‘Let the Heav’n Light’ are among the popular spirituals on the programme while those like ‘Rock-a My Soul’, ‘Spiritual Medley’ and ‘Sinner Man’ are the LGs’ favourites, the ones Willie laughs they have “possessed”.
Negro spirituals have always been the LGs’ forte, but over the years they’ve built up a vast repertoire of a-capella numbers ranging from classical to contemporary styles. The LGs staggering commitment to music and to the man behind their music – nearly every Tuesday of the year for 50 years is no small feat! –and if nothing else, has taken them places. They have performed in Galle, Jaffna, Batticaloa, many times in Kandy and twice in fact in India. A potential performance in Israel though it never materialized still speaks volumes for the strength of the choir. Through all this, not one of the LGs has ever profited a cent or intended to do so, all proceeds from their performances being donated to charity.
Even as they celebrate their 50th anniversary this year with a thanksgiving service and not a gala performance at a grand venue, the LG Singers honour their founder’s vision of music as a “gift from God” that must be shared, not made use of. Lasantha Tennekoon, Choirmaster at Trinity College, Kandy has teenage memories of the LGs as “a jolly bunch of people” and Lylie Godridge as a man who understood the “true spirit” of music and simply “wanted music to live on” in people’s lives. For Shanthilal Perera, who has been with the LGs now for 26 years, he “can’t really think of anything that has changed”. Paul Bibile one of the twenty-odd singers first invited to form the group, remains the only original member who still sings with them. At 79 going on 80, his voice is unbelievably steady and firm, and one is unlikely to find him catching his breath whether he sings or speaks or works one of his two jobs. If he is any indication of the level of vocalist produced and breath and voice control demanded by the LGs, then one cannot help but be impressed.
Funnily enough, not many of the LGs see themselves as musicians, and according to Willie, some of the current members were not even quite sure they were capable singers until they started singing with the choir. This is one of those “things” about a genuine love for music, that while sharing the love and joy of a good listen, one inevitably also shares something of one’s gifts and talents in the capability to produce. It works like love; giving increases the receiver’s ability to give. And so they sing and sing and sing...for themselves undeniably, for God inevitably.
After joining CIC as a Management Trainee, Tilak Karunaratne went on to become a leading businessman in Sri Lanka. In late 2011, he was appointed Chairman of the country's Securities and Exchange Commission. In mid-August 2012, after serving only eight months in the position, he submitted his resignation citing political pressure brought upon him.
Below are extracts of an interview given by him to a Sri Lankan newspaper.
Q: What made you accept the position in the first place?
Well, I’ve known the President for a long long time. We’ve been in the same party for a long time together. We’ve been buddies and in a way that we’ve worked together to strengthen the party when it was in the doldrums and to bring it back to power. But unfortunately, I had to leave when Anura Bandaranaike joined the UNP in 1994. I’m a very close friend of Anura and at that time I thought I shouldn’t let my friend down and crossed over whereas, the President decided to stay on. When you look back, I would say he took the right decision. Anyway, since I rejoined the party, the President had been offering me many posts. Before Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda went to Japan as an Ambassador, he offered me that post. However, I very politely turned down (the offer) saying that I want to be in Sri Lanka and I’ve other involvements. Anyway, I’m no diplomat. You can see from the way I behave. I’m not inclined to satisfy all the parties which is part of the game in diplomacy.
Then after some time, before Harry Jayawardena was appointed Chairman of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), he offered me that post. Again, I said very politely I don’t want, because petroleum has been a den of thieves and rogues. And I did not want to go and make my henchmen. Then, there was a vacancy in the High Commissioners Post in London and the President offered me that. Again I rejected that offer. So I’ve been constantly saying no to all the offers that came my way.
However, last year, when the President came as the Chief Guest to the 125th Year Anniversary celebrations of Ananda College on my invitation (as I’m the President of the Old Boys Association), he said “Tilak, don’t say no this time. I think this is an ideal opportunity for you. You have been an investor for a long time in the stock market and you know the workings of the stock market, therefore accept the position as SEC Chairman.”
Since, I’ve been saying no to him all this time I was at the time reluctant to say no to him, so I said, give me 48 hours to decide. So I thought about it and consulted my wife and children about it who were not in favour of it at all. But, still I thought about it and I said I will accept it and work purely in an honorary capacity. No job, no car, no chauffeur, no petrol, no mobile phone, nothing….and I also said that I want my independence and I said I would like to do as per the objectives of the SEC Commission’s Act and want to achieve those objectives impartially without fear or favour. So the President said “no issues Tilak, at all. I know the way you conduct yourselves and just sign it”. So on December 7, last year, I assumed duties.
Q: When do you think you faced your first obstacle after you took over?
At the first commission meeting itself, I knew what was happening. There were some investigations which had been put into cold storage. So when Director, Investigations came and reported that he had not been doing very much during the last six months or so, I asked him why? And he said I was made to understand that I should not proceed with these investigations! So I asked the Commission Members whether there was a Commission decision like that. They said no, but said an unofficial indication was given that we must go slow on those. Then I said No and this can’t happen like that because as a regulator, it’s our job to bring to book the wrongdoers in the capital market and therefore we have to restructure.
All the Commission Members, to their credit, agreed to this and we opened all these files. And that got ‘lot of people’ worried. If they are innocent, they do not have to worry, you know? So from that day in January, they have been working to somehow discourage me with the investigations through various close friends of mine whom they had contacts with. I don’t want to pick names but some of them who came to me were very powerful people who said, “Tilak, you know, go slow on these, he is a pal of mine. They’ve invested a lot, so you know, take it easy kind of thing”. So I said, I’ve come here to do a job and I cannot go easy or slow on anything. I am fast tracking in fact! That made them very annoyed. And from that time, they’ve spared no pains to push me out. I never gave it or entertained their pleas since investigations were necessary.
Q: Was all the management staff of SEC cooperative to the stance you took?
By and large they were cooperative. But, I might say that our Director Investigations was not very cooperative. That’s another story which I don’t want to elaborate on. Overall, he was very slow on the draw. So therefore I appointed a ‘surveillance committee’. The idea behind this was rather than one man handling it, I picked two other directors and we formed a committee so that this committee could go into the inquiries.
Q: Can you update on the inquiries the Committee has heard so far?
Now actually, most of the inquiries are at their final stages and there are 17 ongoing inquiries including the NSB – TSB deal.
Q: Despite the statistics that show that broker firms still have a large pool of unutilized credit, it is learnt that some broker houses have been demanding further credit expansion. Can you elaborate why?
Yes. It is only a very few brokers and not all, who have been working hand in glove with this ‘mafia people’ who have been agitating for credit. Actually there is almost Rs. 7 billion of unutilized funds in the system that is still available. But, some of these brokers have fully used and even exceeded their limits. So they have been clamouring for more credit.
Q: What happened at the recent meetings you had with the President and Dr. P B Jayasundera?
Yes. the President called up the brokers, these ‘so called’ investors, Chairman and Commission Members of SEC, Chairman and Directors of CSE for a meeting. We didn’t know what it was about but we were asked to come. However, when we went there we found that the ‘other side’ was asked to come with a powerpoint presentation. It was made by Dilith Jayaweera. But we were never told about this presentation beforehand and we thought it would just be a discussion involved.
One more thing, I don’t think the President was aware of this at all and I don’t blame him at all. But, even the seating arrangements, the brokers were called in first and they occupied the main head table. Except for me and the CSE Chairman, Krishan Balendra, whom I quickly got to sit next to me, except the two of us and the stockbrokers, none of other stakeholders were seated on the main table. My commissioners and the CSE directors were all over the floor. So you see, that is not the way to treat respectable people. I don’t know who made these seating arrangements but it clearly showed that it is going to be one-sided.
Then the President invited Dilith to make the presentation and the presentation itself was a full blown attack on us. Very unreasonable and unjustifiable attack on the SEC with full of hatred and venom. I replied to as much as I can, because I was the last man to speak after listening to all of this patiently where some investors and brokers also spoke. But, because their’s was a powerpoint presentation and mine was a verbal presentation, I could not meet everything. The playing field was not level.
After that meeting, Dr. Jayasundera had another meeting as a follow up to the previous meeting. In that meeting, both Mr. Krishan Balendra and I didn’t speak and the brokers spoke. That meeting was more or less on the budget proposals, the pre-budget meeting.
Q: How was your meeting with COPE?
We got huge endorsement from the COPE. Normally they do not give any government institution such endorsement. The Chairman of COPE, Dew Gunasekera, at the time came to me congratulating saying that we have done an excellent job. He wanted me to continue and assured their fullest support. I told them what I wanted was more teeth. The present SEC Act, which is way too old, compared to the regulatory Acts in the Asian region, has to be amended as a priority to give more independence to the regulatory body.
Q: Some allege that during your tenure, you had concentrated too much on the regulatory aspect and not the development aspects which led to the pressure being exerted. How would you respond to this criticism?
That is not true at all. Despite my short stint of eight months, some of the things that we have done to develop the market, what is in the pipeline and what needs to be done for the future were far more greater than what has been done during the same span of time previously. We have done a lot to develop the market. On the other hand, the regulatory aspect is also important. Going into the wrong deals and inquiring and restraining them are also important. Then only foreign investors will come.
Q: Was the SEC contemplating on taking legal action against the offenders?
Yes, we could have filed action against them if we found that they were guilty. Another impediment we have is that according to our jurisdiction, such malpractices can only be heard in criminal courts and not civil courts. As you know it is hard to prove a case under criminal action compared to the civil cases. In the other countries, we have both.
Q: Some say that you were over regulating the market which created a sense of fear psychosis?
It’s a myth created by this stock market mafia. I totally reject that. We have not come with anything. From the time I took over, we have been relaxing rules. Regarding the credit rule, earlier it was T+5 then we went up to T+30 and recently we even relaxed it upto T+120.
Q: Some say that you were not diplomatic and secretive about the investigations?
That’s completely false. We have been secretive. Even when COPE asked me to come up with the names, we have not revealed anybody and we have been secretive.
Q: Any final thoughts?
I would like to thank all the members of my staff including my commission members for all the support they gave me to achieve the objectives of my organization. I am also thankful and grateful to the Chairman and Directors, the Chief Executive and members of the staff of the Colombo Stock Exchange who helped me to carry out my duties during my tenure. Except for one or two all the others have been 100% behind me and very enthusiastic and very keen to work for the betterment of the organization. It was a great time we had together and I was very happy to have been there
Below are extracts of an interview given by him to a Sri Lankan newspaper.
Q: What made you accept the position in the first place?
Well, I’ve known the President for a long long time. We’ve been in the same party for a long time together. We’ve been buddies and in a way that we’ve worked together to strengthen the party when it was in the doldrums and to bring it back to power. But unfortunately, I had to leave when Anura Bandaranaike joined the UNP in 1994. I’m a very close friend of Anura and at that time I thought I shouldn’t let my friend down and crossed over whereas, the President decided to stay on. When you look back, I would say he took the right decision. Anyway, since I rejoined the party, the President had been offering me many posts. Before Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda went to Japan as an Ambassador, he offered me that post. However, I very politely turned down (the offer) saying that I want to be in Sri Lanka and I’ve other involvements. Anyway, I’m no diplomat. You can see from the way I behave. I’m not inclined to satisfy all the parties which is part of the game in diplomacy.
Then after some time, before Harry Jayawardena was appointed Chairman of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), he offered me that post. Again, I said very politely I don’t want, because petroleum has been a den of thieves and rogues. And I did not want to go and make my henchmen. Then, there was a vacancy in the High Commissioners Post in London and the President offered me that. Again I rejected that offer. So I’ve been constantly saying no to all the offers that came my way.
However, last year, when the President came as the Chief Guest to the 125th Year Anniversary celebrations of Ananda College on my invitation (as I’m the President of the Old Boys Association), he said “Tilak, don’t say no this time. I think this is an ideal opportunity for you. You have been an investor for a long time in the stock market and you know the workings of the stock market, therefore accept the position as SEC Chairman.”
Since, I’ve been saying no to him all this time I was at the time reluctant to say no to him, so I said, give me 48 hours to decide. So I thought about it and consulted my wife and children about it who were not in favour of it at all. But, still I thought about it and I said I will accept it and work purely in an honorary capacity. No job, no car, no chauffeur, no petrol, no mobile phone, nothing….and I also said that I want my independence and I said I would like to do as per the objectives of the SEC Commission’s Act and want to achieve those objectives impartially without fear or favour. So the President said “no issues Tilak, at all. I know the way you conduct yourselves and just sign it”. So on December 7, last year, I assumed duties.
Q: When do you think you faced your first obstacle after you took over?
At the first commission meeting itself, I knew what was happening. There were some investigations which had been put into cold storage. So when Director, Investigations came and reported that he had not been doing very much during the last six months or so, I asked him why? And he said I was made to understand that I should not proceed with these investigations! So I asked the Commission Members whether there was a Commission decision like that. They said no, but said an unofficial indication was given that we must go slow on those. Then I said No and this can’t happen like that because as a regulator, it’s our job to bring to book the wrongdoers in the capital market and therefore we have to restructure.
All the Commission Members, to their credit, agreed to this and we opened all these files. And that got ‘lot of people’ worried. If they are innocent, they do not have to worry, you know? So from that day in January, they have been working to somehow discourage me with the investigations through various close friends of mine whom they had contacts with. I don’t want to pick names but some of them who came to me were very powerful people who said, “Tilak, you know, go slow on these, he is a pal of mine. They’ve invested a lot, so you know, take it easy kind of thing”. So I said, I’ve come here to do a job and I cannot go easy or slow on anything. I am fast tracking in fact! That made them very annoyed. And from that time, they’ve spared no pains to push me out. I never gave it or entertained their pleas since investigations were necessary.
Q: Was all the management staff of SEC cooperative to the stance you took?
By and large they were cooperative. But, I might say that our Director Investigations was not very cooperative. That’s another story which I don’t want to elaborate on. Overall, he was very slow on the draw. So therefore I appointed a ‘surveillance committee’. The idea behind this was rather than one man handling it, I picked two other directors and we formed a committee so that this committee could go into the inquiries.
Q: Can you update on the inquiries the Committee has heard so far?
Now actually, most of the inquiries are at their final stages and there are 17 ongoing inquiries including the NSB – TSB deal.
Q: Despite the statistics that show that broker firms still have a large pool of unutilized credit, it is learnt that some broker houses have been demanding further credit expansion. Can you elaborate why?
Yes. It is only a very few brokers and not all, who have been working hand in glove with this ‘mafia people’ who have been agitating for credit. Actually there is almost Rs. 7 billion of unutilized funds in the system that is still available. But, some of these brokers have fully used and even exceeded their limits. So they have been clamouring for more credit.
Q: What happened at the recent meetings you had with the President and Dr. P B Jayasundera?
Yes. the President called up the brokers, these ‘so called’ investors, Chairman and Commission Members of SEC, Chairman and Directors of CSE for a meeting. We didn’t know what it was about but we were asked to come. However, when we went there we found that the ‘other side’ was asked to come with a powerpoint presentation. It was made by Dilith Jayaweera. But we were never told about this presentation beforehand and we thought it would just be a discussion involved.
One more thing, I don’t think the President was aware of this at all and I don’t blame him at all. But, even the seating arrangements, the brokers were called in first and they occupied the main head table. Except for me and the CSE Chairman, Krishan Balendra, whom I quickly got to sit next to me, except the two of us and the stockbrokers, none of other stakeholders were seated on the main table. My commissioners and the CSE directors were all over the floor. So you see, that is not the way to treat respectable people. I don’t know who made these seating arrangements but it clearly showed that it is going to be one-sided.
Then the President invited Dilith to make the presentation and the presentation itself was a full blown attack on us. Very unreasonable and unjustifiable attack on the SEC with full of hatred and venom. I replied to as much as I can, because I was the last man to speak after listening to all of this patiently where some investors and brokers also spoke. But, because their’s was a powerpoint presentation and mine was a verbal presentation, I could not meet everything. The playing field was not level.
After that meeting, Dr. Jayasundera had another meeting as a follow up to the previous meeting. In that meeting, both Mr. Krishan Balendra and I didn’t speak and the brokers spoke. That meeting was more or less on the budget proposals, the pre-budget meeting.
Q: How was your meeting with COPE?
We got huge endorsement from the COPE. Normally they do not give any government institution such endorsement. The Chairman of COPE, Dew Gunasekera, at the time came to me congratulating saying that we have done an excellent job. He wanted me to continue and assured their fullest support. I told them what I wanted was more teeth. The present SEC Act, which is way too old, compared to the regulatory Acts in the Asian region, has to be amended as a priority to give more independence to the regulatory body.
Q: Some allege that during your tenure, you had concentrated too much on the regulatory aspect and not the development aspects which led to the pressure being exerted. How would you respond to this criticism?
That is not true at all. Despite my short stint of eight months, some of the things that we have done to develop the market, what is in the pipeline and what needs to be done for the future were far more greater than what has been done during the same span of time previously. We have done a lot to develop the market. On the other hand, the regulatory aspect is also important. Going into the wrong deals and inquiring and restraining them are also important. Then only foreign investors will come.
Q: Was the SEC contemplating on taking legal action against the offenders?
Yes, we could have filed action against them if we found that they were guilty. Another impediment we have is that according to our jurisdiction, such malpractices can only be heard in criminal courts and not civil courts. As you know it is hard to prove a case under criminal action compared to the civil cases. In the other countries, we have both.
Q: Some say that you were over regulating the market which created a sense of fear psychosis?
It’s a myth created by this stock market mafia. I totally reject that. We have not come with anything. From the time I took over, we have been relaxing rules. Regarding the credit rule, earlier it was T+5 then we went up to T+30 and recently we even relaxed it upto T+120.
Q: Some say that you were not diplomatic and secretive about the investigations?
That’s completely false. We have been secretive. Even when COPE asked me to come up with the names, we have not revealed anybody and we have been secretive.
Q: Any final thoughts?
I would like to thank all the members of my staff including my commission members for all the support they gave me to achieve the objectives of my organization. I am also thankful and grateful to the Chairman and Directors, the Chief Executive and members of the staff of the Colombo Stock Exchange who helped me to carry out my duties during my tenure. Except for one or two all the others have been 100% behind me and very enthusiastic and very keen to work for the betterment of the organization. It was a great time we had together and I was very happy to have been there