Features

CONCLUSION Part ‘A’PASSIONS OF A GLOBAL HOTELIER

Published

2 years ago

2023/03/5

Thilina Walpola

CONFESSIONS OF A GLOBAL GYPSY

Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil

President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
chandij@sympatico.ca

Thank You!

This 90th episode and next Sunday’s 91st episode provide the concluding narration of the ‘CONFESSIONS OF A GLOBAL GYPSY’ column. In addition, during the last 27 months, I published nine other special feature articles in the Sunday Island. Those were on topics such as: ‘My Princess of Hospitality’, ‘Tsunami’, ‘COVID-19’, ‘Baila King and I‘, a couple on ‘China’ and stories of famous people I hosted as a hotelier (President Castro, Prince Philip, Pelé.).

I thank you for reading these 100 articles. I enjoyed sharing my personal stories with you. My life is an open book and very soon ‘Confessions of a Global Gypsy’ will be published as a book. I wanted to write this book mainly for my three children, to keep a record of their father’s unusually action-packed life of his early career in hospitality operations and management.

Hospitality industry, by accident

Last 89 episodes of this column covered 18 years of my life, from age 17 to 35. My story started on April 5, 1971, the day an armed communist revolt was commenced by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) / People’s Liberation Front against the Government of Ceylon. I was 17-years old at that time and was a grade 12 student at Ananda College in Colombo 10. On that day my life and dreams for the future changed significantly.

Throughout my 13 years at the largest school in Ceylon (Ananda College), from kindergarten to grade 12, I was a very bad student. I did not read any assigned texts, and devoutly ignored homework assignments, in order to find time for fun and games. Therefore my teachers were surprised when I passed the Grade 10 Ordinary Level government examinations in my first attempt. I was good at sports and showed some leadership qualities, both at school and in the diverse community where my family lived – the Bambalapitiya Flats.

I was also a cadet and held the rank of Corporal in my scool platoon. My dream was to join the army as an officer cadet for a two-year training program when I turned 18. I was sad when my parents told me decisively that, “a career in the Army is now far too dangerous and we do not want our only son to die at war!” I was forced to choose another career.

My parents had doubts that I would be successful at the Grade 12 Advance Level government examinations to enter a university and eventually become a doctor, an engineer or a lawyer (as preferred for their children by most parents in then Ceylon). They gave me three career choices and wanted me to pick one. My father provided some pros and cons for all three choices.

He said that, “Once the war ends, tourism has the potential of becoming a key, non-traditional industry in Ceylon. Those who earn a recognized qualification and join the industry at an early stage will have excellent opportunities. There is a Hotel School in Colombo, run by a European faculty, which offers a three-year diploma in Hotel and Catering Operations.”

As a frequent global traveller, my father had already inspired me to follow in his footsteps. He was suggesting that a career in tourism would provide me with opportunities to travel to different countries. Such opportunities were rare in developing countries at that time and not affordable to a vast majority of Lankans. As a free-spirited teenager, living in a hostel for three years and getting good ‘free’ food were also convincing and selling points from my father. I said, “OK, I will become a hotelier!” without fully realizing what that entailed.

After an unsteady start …

Soon after joining the Ceylon Hotel School, I focused on gaining industry experience at every possible opportunity. I started at the lowest ranks within the hospitality industry and did a record number of ten part-time jobs during the next three years. Although I was fired from my first job and nearly expelled by the West German Principal of the Ceylon Hotel School for bad behaviour, a few years later I concentrated on doing well in post-graduate studies in Sri Lanka and Europe. My father was correct when he predicted to my mother who was very worried about me, “Dulcie, don’t worry. Chandana is a late developer and eventually will do well.” Thank you, Thaththa!

During the first 18 years of my adventurous career, I gained experience as a dishwasher, busboy, waiter, bellboy, roomboy, receptionist, barman, cook, assistant manager, trainee chef, executive chef, food & beverage manager, resort manager, and operations manager of John Keells Hotels Group, senior lecturer, tourist guide lecturer, travel agency director and general manager of two large resorts, and food and beverage director of a five-star, international hotel. By mid 1989, in the midst of two terrorist wars in Sri Lanka, I was ready to commence a global career in hotel management.

I continued in the tourism and hospitality industry for another 34 years in different capacities, mainly as a Hotel General Manager. I was a Professor and Dean and during the last 10 years, a Leadership Consultant. I am still involved in the hotel industry and academia, but as a coach to younger generations of hoteliers and hospitality professors, with the hope that they may benefit from some of my old stories and experiences.

I firmly believe that those who were fortunate to have colourful and unusually exciting careers have a responsibility to share their wealth of experience to help others. It is difficult to cover all of the experiences I have gained during my long career. Therefore, in the rest of the space I have in the two concluding articles of the ‘Confessions’ series, I will use more than the usual number of photographs to tell the story. As someone once said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Dreams in Bombay

In May, 1989, I boarded a flight from Colombo to Bombay (re-named Mumbai six years later) with 50 former employees of Hotel Lanka Oberoi. I was the only outside recruit to join Hotel Babylon Oberoi in Iraq. As I was the only divisional head (Food & Beverage Manager) in the group of new recruits, I had to assume a leadership role during the journey and settling period in Baghdad. After a night in Bombay arranged by the Oberoi Hotels, we took a second flight to Baghdad. All 50 had some level of anxiety about working in a war-torn location with a totally different culture, but we were happy with the high salaries offered to us.

Before landing in Bombay, and the short stay in that colourful city, I wrote a one-page plan for my future. I was ambitious and keen to become the General Manager of an internationally branded hotel in a few years time. Having been a senior lecturer and trained by ILO/UNDP as a trainer, I also planned to return to the academia after completing a PhD. I had already submitted a proposal for a doctoral thesis to the University of Surrey in England, where I had completed a master’s degree in International Hotel Management four years prior. The last point I included in my hand-written plan, before we landed in Iraq, was that I eventually wanted to set up a consulting firm focusing on hospitality management. I already had done a few ad hoc consulting assignments and thoroughly enjoyed those opportunities.

Nightmares In Baghdad

I did well in Iraq, opening new restaurants and organizing a series of food festivals. I also trained many young Iraqis returning to civilian life after the eight-year long war with Iran. Although I found Iraqis to be very friendly, under the rule of Saddam Hussein, Baghdad was infested with ‘plain-clothed’ government spies closely watching every movement of the expatriate workers. No one knew who was spying on whom. My family (wife and son) were well looked after by Oberoi, with full-board accommodations in a corner suite overlooking the River Tigris. Every Friday (my off day) when we went out sightseeing and meeting with friends, on our return to the hotel we realised that someone had gone through all of our belongings and deliberately left clues that our suite had been searched.

Catering to the whims and fancies of the president’s murderous, elder son, Uday Hussein, in the hotel night club and casino was a scary challenge. A major culture shock for us was getting used to the fact that most men in Iraq openly carried firearms, and all our offices were wire tapped by secret police. In spite of these challenges, I focused on laying a good foundation for my global career, whilst working in Baghdad.

Back in London

When the University of Surrey accepted me to their MPhil/PhD program, we had a good reason to move from Iraq to England. Using our contacts in our most favourite city in the world, both my wife and I quickly found good jobs in London. I was appointed the Assistant Director (to my mentor, Professor Richard Kotas) of the School of Hotel Management at Schiller International University London Campus. In this American university I learnt a lot about the North American education system. I did three days of teaching in addition to my administrative duties and doctoral research. Later, I was promoted as the Acting Director, when Professor Kotas retired. We bought a house in London and planned to settle down in England. We were very comfortable there.

Visiting Professor in Luzern

Around the same time, I commenced doing teaching assignments as a Visiting Professor of the International Management Institute (IMI) in Switzerland. That experience prepared me for the various Visiting Professor roles I held in later years in Sri Lanka, Guyana, Canada, USA and the UK.

General Manager at Mount Lavinia

As I was doing well in academia and loved teaching, I commenced thinking that I should spend the rest of my career in post-secondary education. That plan changed when Mr. Sanath Ukwatte, Chairman of Mount Lavinia Hotel offered me an expatriate, three-year contract as the General Manager. As the benefits package was very good, it was another offer that I could not refuse. When I was leaving London, the Schiller International University offered me a teaching contract for the next three summers, which I accepted, as well.

In addition to being the General Manager of Mount Lavinia Hotel, I also managed the Catering Services for BMICH National Convention Centre of Sri Lanka, and set up another subsidiary, service company as the General Manager. Having worked there as a Trainee Waiter in 1972/1973, I was very happy to return as the General Manager after 18 years. I simply loved Mount Lavinia Hotel and did some innovative projects with its 700 employees.

Founding IHS as the Managing Director

I then conceptualized and opened the International Hotel School (IHS) of Sri Lanka within the Mount Lavinia Hotel, as the Founding Managing Director in 1991. It was a ‘Swiss-style’ functional hotel school, and the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. We secured five international accreditations/pathways for further education for IHS graduates in Europe and North America. IHS also launched Sri Lanka’s first Executive Diploma in Hotel Administration. In 2023 – the 32nd year of the school, I was appointed as a Director of IHS Guild.

The accreditation of IHS by the world’s largest professional body for hospitality managers – Hotel and Catering International Management Association (HCIMA) in the United Kingdom, opened many door for Sri Lankan hoteliers. IHS created the foundation to form the Sri Lanka Chapter (international group) of HCIMA. In 1991 I was elected as the Founding Chair of HCIMA – Sri Lanka.

IHS also led the establishment of Hotel Skills Improvement program of the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL). As the Chairman of this committee, I led the training of ‘On the Job Trainers’, with a team of top hospitality educators in Sri Lanka. It was an ambitious program, in spite of prolonging civil was in Sri Lanka continuing to affect tourism. It was considered a best practice in Asia and we were invited to share the concept at major regional conferences.

Setting up a Consulting Consortium

After I completed my three-year contract at Mount Lavinia Hotel, I had two career choices. I applied to all top international hotel corporations and indicated that I am looking for a General Manager position anywhere in the world. At the same time, I founded a consortium of hotel consultants in Sri Lanka. Our team of consultants which I led, included three other well-known Sri Lankan Hoteliers – Hiran Serasinghe (former General Manager of Ramada Renaissance), Damayantha Kuruppu (hotel equipment expert) and Kamal Happuwatte (hotel training expert and later, the Principal of the Ceylon Hotel School). While negotiating to take over two resort hotels for management, four of us did our own individual consulting assignments. Such a consortium was a new concept in Sri Lanka in 1994.

Consultant to the Chairman of Galle Face Hotel

From end of 1993, my main individual consulting assignment was at the Galle Face Hotel. I felt honoured, when the Chairman of the hotel company – the late Mr. Cyril Gardiner sought my advice as a Resident Consultant to further develop this world-famous iconic hotel established in 1864. I enjoyed working for this legendary businessman, and found it very interesting. A few months after I commenced my work at the hotel, when I was offered a General Manager post by the largest British hotel company – Forte PLC, Mr. Gardiner was very kind to release me from his assignment. “Don’t worry about leaving us so soon. Chandana, as a Sri Lankan hotelier, you have made me very proud!” he said.

General Manager in Guyana & the Amazon

In 1994, Forte PLC sent me to South America to manage two of their hotels – the only five-star hotel in the capital city of Guyana and an eco-resort in the Amazon Rainforest. In Guyana I set up a few new subsidiary companies, including a horse-riding school, and the first ever hotel school of Guyana where I was Principal. I also worked as a Visiting Professor of Tourism Marketing at the University of Guyana. I opened and curated an art gallery in the most prestigious venue in Guyana – at the lobby of the Guyana Pegasus Hotel.

Jamaica, the land I lLove…

My next assignment was to manage the largest hotel in the capital city of Jamaica. There, I had an amazing three years filled with exciting events, quality assurance initiatives, innovative training, and above all, joy of providing hospitality to over 100 celebrities. With my team, we won several prestigious awards – for food, events and eventually as the first ever hotel in North America to be awarded ISO 9002 in 1998.

After 1998, I left hotels to join academia again and to complete my doctoral studies. In 2007, I returned to hotel management briefly, when I opened the largest, five-star hotel in Guyana as the General Manager, and Consultant to the government. There, with my team of consultants from Canada, I was responsible to train 300 hotel workers and host the Rio Summit which was attended by 18 heads of state. During my hotel career I served 35 heads of state/government.

Having married a Jamaican, I consider Jamaica as my fourth home (after Sri Lanka, Canada, and the United Kingdom). Jamaica is very close to my heart.

… To be concluded next Sunday under the theme:

‘Missions of a Global Professor’ …

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Features

The Great and Little Traditions and Sri Lankan Historiography

Published

18 hours ago

2025/04/2

Sahan Weerasooriya

Prof. Obeyesekere

Power, Culture, and Historical Memory:

History, broadly defined, is the study of the past. It is a crucial component of the production and reproduction of culture. Studying every past event is neither feasible nor useful. Therefore, it is necessary to be selective about what to study from the countless events in the past. Deciding what to study, what to ignore, how to study, and how deeply to go into the past is a conscious choices shaped by various forms of power and authority. If studying the past is a main element of the production and reproduction of culture and History is its product, can a socially and culturally divided society truly have a common/shared History? To what extent does ‘established’ or ‘authentic’ History reflect the experiences of those remained outside the political, economic, social, and cultural power structures? Do marginalized groups have their own histories, distinct from dominant narratives? If so, how do these histories relate to ‘established’ History? Historiography today cannot ignore these questions, as they challenge the very notion of truth in History. Due to methodological shifts driven by post-positivist critiques of previously accepted assumptions, the discipline of history—particularly historiography—has moved into a new epistemological terrain.

The post-structuralism and related philosophical discourses have necessitated a critical reexamination of the established epistemological core of various social science disciplines, including history. This intellectual shift has led to a blurring of traditional disciplinary boundaries among the social sciences and the humanities. Consequently, concepts, theories, and heuristic frames developed in one discipline are increasingly being incorporated into others, fostering a process of cross-fertilization that enriches and transforms scholarly inquiry

In recent decades, the discipline of History has broadened its scope and methodologies through interactions with perspectives from the Social Sciences and Humanities. Among the many analytical tools adopted from other disciplines, the Great Tradition and Little Tradition have had a significant impact on historical methodology. This article examines how these concepts, originally developed in social anthropology, have been integrated into Sri Lankan historiography and assesses their role in deepening our understanding of the past.

The heuristic construct of the Great and Little Traditions first emerged in the context of US Social Anthropology as a tool/framework for identifying and classifying cultures. In his seminal work Peasant society and culture: an anthropological approach to civilization, (1956), Robert Redfield introduced the idea of Great and Little Traditions to explain the dual structure of cultural expression in societies, particularly in peasant communities that exist within larger civilizations. His main arguments can be summarized as follows:

a) An agrarian society cannot exist as a fully autonomous entity; rather, it is just one dimension of the broader culture in which it is embedded. Therefore, studying an agrarian society in isolation from its surrounding cultural context is neither possible nor meaningful.

b) Agrarian society, when views in isolation, is a ‘half society’, representing a partial aspect/ one dimension of the broader civilization in which it exits. In that sense, agrarian civilization is a half civilization. To fully understand agrarian society—and by extension, agrarian civilization—it is essential to examine the other half that contribute to the whole.

c) Agrarian society was shaped by the interplay of two cultural traditions within a single framework: the Great Tradition and the Little Tradition. These traditions together provided the unity that defined the civilization embedded in agrarian society.

d) The social dimensions of these cultural traditions would be the Great Society and the Little Society.

e) The Great Culture encompasses the cultural framework of the Great Society, shaped by those who establish its norms. This group includes the educated elite, clergy, theologians, and literati, whose discourse is often regarded as erudite and whose language is considered classical.

f) The social groups excluded from the “Great Society”—referred to as the “Little Society”—have their own distinct traditions and culture. The “Great Tradition” represents those who appropriate society’s surplus production, and its cultural expressions reflect this dominance. In contrast, the “Little Tradition” belongs to those who generate surplus production. While the “Great Tradition” is inherently tied to power and authority, the “Little Tradition” is not directly connected to them.

g) According to Robert Redfield, the Great and Little Traditions are not contradictory but rather distinct cultural elements within a society. The cultural totality of peasant society encompasses both traditions. As Redfield describes, they are “two currents of thought and action, distinguishable, yet overflowing into and out of each other.” (Redfield, 1956).

At the time Redfield published his book Peasant Society and Culture: an Anthropological Approach to Civilization (1956), the dominant analytical framework for studying non-Western societies was modernization theory. This perspective, which gained prominence in the post-World War II era, was deeply influenced by the US geopolitical concerns. Modernization theory became a guiding paradigm shaping research agendas in anthropology, sociology, political science, and development studies in US institutions of higher learning,

Modernization theory viewed societies as existing along a continuum between “traditional” and “modern” stages, with Western industrialized nations positioned near the modern end. Scholars working within this framework argued that economic growth, technological advancement, urbanization, and the rationalization of social structures drive traditional societies toward modernization. The theory often emphasized Western-style education, democratic institutions, and capitalist economies as essential components of this transition.

While engaging with aspects of modernization theory, Redfield offered a more nuanced perspective on non-Western societies. His concept of the “folk-urban continuum” challenged rigid dichotomies between tradition and modernity, proposing that social change occurs through complex interactions between rural and urban ways of life rather than through the simple replacement of one by the other.

The concepts of the Great and Little Traditions gained prominence in Sri Lankan social science discourse through the works of Gananath Obeyesekere, the renowned sociologist who recently passed away. In his seminal research essay, The Great Tradition and the Little in the Perspective of Sinhalese Buddhism (Journal of Asian Studies, 22, 1963), Gananath Obeyesekere applied and adapted this framework to examine key aspects of Sinhalese Buddhism in Sri Lanka. While Robert Redfield originally developed the concept in the context of agrarian societies, Obeyesekere employed it specifically to analyze Sinhala Buddhist culture, highlighting significant distinctions between the two approaches.

He identifies a phenomenon called ‘Sinhala Buddhism’, which represents a unique fusion of religious and cultural traditions: the Great Tradition (Maha Sampradaya) and the Little Traditions (Chuula Sampradaya). To fully grasp the essence of Sinhala Buddhism, it is essential to understand both of these dimensions and their interplay within society.

The Great Tradition represents the formal, institutionalized aspect of Buddhism, centered on the Three Pitakas and other classical doctrinal texts and commentaries of Theravāda Buddhism. It embodies the orthodoxy of Sinhala Buddhism, emphasizing textual authority, philosophical depth, and ethical conduct. Alongside this exists another dimension of Sinhala Buddhism known as the Little (Chuula) Tradition. This tradition reflects the popular, localized, and ritualistic expressions of Buddhism practiced by laypeople. It encompasses folk beliefs, devotional practices (Bali, Thovil), deity veneration, astrology, and rituals (Hadi and Huunium) aimed at securing worldly benefits. Unlike the doctrinally rigid Great Tradition, the Little Tradition is fluid, adaptive, and shaped by indigenous customs, ancestral practices, and even elements of Hinduism. These Sinhala Buddhist cultural practices are identified as ‘Lay-Buddhism’. Gananath Obeyesekera’s concepts and perspectives on Buddhist culture and society contributed to fostering an active intellectual discourse in society. However, the discussion on the concept of Great and Little Traditions remained largely within the domain of social anthropology.

The scholarly discourse on the concepts of Great and Little Tradition gained new socio-political depth through the work of Newton Gunasinghe, a distinguished Sri Lankan sociologist. He applied these concepts to the study of culture and socio-economic structures in the Kandyan countryside, reframing them in terms of production relations. Through his extensive writings and public lectures, Gunasinghe reinterpreted the Great and Little Tradition framework to explore the interconnections between economy, society, and culture.

Blending conventional social anthropology approach with Marxist analyses of production relations and Gramscian perspectives on culture and politics, he offered a nuanced understanding of these dynamics. In the context of our discussion, his key insights on culture, society, and modes of production can be summarized as follows.

a. The social and economic relations of the central highlands under the Kandyan Kingdom, the immediate pre-colonial social and economic order, were his focus. His analysis did not cover to the hydraulic Civilization of Sri Lanka.

b. He explored the organic and dialectical relationship between culture, forces of production, and modes of production. Drawing on the concepts of Antonio Gramsci and Louis Althusser, he examined how culture, politics, and the economy interact, identifying the relationship between cultural formations and production relations

c. Newton Gunasinghe’s unique approach to the concepts of Great Culture and Little Culture lies in his connection of cultural formations to forces and relations of production. He argues that the relationship between a society’s structures and its superstructures is both dialectical and interpenetrative.

d. He observed that during the Kandyan period, the culture associated with the Little Tradition prevailed, rather than the culture linked to the Great Tradition.

e. The limitations of productive forces led to minimal surplus generation, with a significant portion allocated to defense. The constrained resources sustained only the Little Tradition. Consequently, the predominant cultural mode in the Kandyan Kingdom was, broadly speaking, the Little Tradition.

(To be continued)

by Gamini Keerawella

Features

Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence: The Silver Jubilee of SLIIT – II

Published

18 hours ago

2025/04/2

Sahan Weerasooriya

Founded in 1999, with its main campus in Malabe and multiple centres across the country—including Metro Campus (Colombo), Matara, Kurunegala, Kandy (Pallekele), and Jaffna (Northern Uni)—SLIIT provides state-of-the-art facilities for students, now celebrating 25 years of excellence in 2025.

Kandy Campus

SLIIT is a degree-awarding higher education institute authorised and approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Ministry of Higher Education under the University Act of the Government of Sri Lanka. SLIIT is also the first Sri Lankan institute accredited by the Institution of Engineering & Technology, UK. Further, SLIIT is also a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and the International Association of Universities (IAU).

Since its inception, SLIIT has played a pivotal role in shaping the technological and educational landscape of Sri Lanka, producing graduates who have excelled in both local and global arenas. This milestone is a testament to the institution’s unwavering commitment to academic excellence, research, and industry collaboration.

Summary of SLIIT’s

History and Status

Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) operates as a company limited by guarantee, meaning it has no shareholders and reinvests all surpluses into academic and institutional development.

* Independence from Government: SLIIT was established in 1999 as an independent entity without government ownership or funding, apart from an initial industry promotion grant from the Board of Investment (BOI).

* Mahapola Trust Fund Involvement & Malabe Campus: In 2000, the Mahapola Trust Fund (MTF) agreed to support SLIIT with funding and land for the Malabe Campus. In 2015, SLIIT fully repaid MTF with interest, ending financial ties.

* True Independence (2017-Present): In 2017, SLIIT was officially delisted from any government ministry, reaffirming its status as a self-sustaining, non-state higher education institution.

Today, SLIIT is recognised for academic excellence, global collaborations, and its role in producing IT professionals in Sri Lanka

.A Journey of Growth and Innovation

SLIIT began as a pioneering institution dedicated to advancing information technology education in Sri Lanka. Over the past two and a half decades, it has expanded its academic offerings, establishing itself as a multidisciplinary university with programmess in engineering, business, architecture, and humanities, in addition to IT. The growth of SLIIT has been marked by continuous improvement in infrastructure, faculty development, and curriculum enhancement, ensuring that students receive world-class education aligned with industry needs.

Looking Ahead: The Next 25 Years

As SLIIT celebrates its Silver Jubilee, the institution looks forward to the future with a renewed commitment to excellence. With advancements in technology, the rise of artificial intelligence, and the increasing demand for skilled professionals, SLIIT aims to further expand its academic offerings, enhance research capabilities, and continue fostering a culture of innovation. The next 25 years promise to be even more transformative, as the university aspires to make greater contributions to national and global progress.

Sports Achievements:

A Legacy of Excellence

SLIIT has not only excelled in academics but has also built a strong reputation in sports. Over the years, the university has actively promoted athletics and competitive sports by organising inter-university and inter-school competitions, fostering a culture of teamwork, discipline, and resilience. SLIIT teams have secured victories in national and inter-university competitions across various sports, including cricket, basketball, badminton, rugby, football, swimming, and athletics. SLIIT’s sports achievements reflect its dedication to holistic student development, encouraging students to excel beyond the classroom.

Kings of the pool!

Once again, our swimmers have brought glory to SLIIT by emerging as champions at the Asia Pacific Institute of Information and Technology Extravaganza Swimming Championship 2024. They won the Men’s, Women’s, and Overall Championships. Congratulations to all swimmers for their dedication and hard work in the pool, bringing honour to SLIIT.

Winning International Competitions

SLIIT students have participated in and excelled in various international competitions, including Robofest, Codefest, and the University of Queensland – Design Solution for Impact Competition, showcasing their skills and talent on a global stage.

Here’s a more detailed look at SLIIT’s involvement in international competitions:

Robofest:

SLIIT’s Faculty of Engineering organises the annual Robofest competition, which aims to empower students with skills in electronics, robotics, critical thinking, and problem-solving, preparing them to compete internationally and bring recognition to Sri Lankan talent.

Codefest:

CODEFEST is a nationwide Software Competition organized by the Faculty of Computing of Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) geared towards exhibiting the software application design and developing talents of students island-wide. It is an effort of SLIIT to elevate the entire nation’s ICT knowledge to achieve its aspiration of being the knowledge hub in Asia. CODEFEST was first organised in 2012 and this year it will be held for the 8th consecutive time in parallel with the 20th anniversary celebrations of SLIIT.

University of Queensland – Design Solution for Impact Competition:

SLIIT hosted the first-ever University of Queensland – Design Solution for Impact Competition in Sri Lanka, with 16 school teams from across the country participating.

International Open Day:

SLIIT organises an International Open Day where students can connect with distinguished lecturers and university representatives from prestigious institutions like the University of Queensland, Liverpool John Moores University, and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Brain Busters:

SLIIT Brain Busters is a quiz competition organised by SLIIT. The competition is open to students of National, Private and International Schools Island wide. The programme is broadcast on TV1 television as a series.

Inter-University Dance Competition:

SLIIT Team Diamonds for being selected as finalists and advancing to the Grand Finale of Tantalize 2024, the inter-university dance competition organised by APIIT Sri Lanka. The 14 talented team members from various SLIIT faculties have showcased their skills in Team Diamonds and earned their spot as finalists, competing among over 30 teams from state universities, private universities, and higher education institutes.

Softskills+

For the 11th consecutive year, Softskills+ returns with an exciting lineup of events aimed at honing essential soft skills among students. The program encompasses an interschool quiz contest and a comprehensive workshop focused on developing teamwork, problem-solving abilities, leadership qualities, and fostering creative thinking.

Recently, the Faculty of Business at SLIIT organised its annual Inter-school Quiz Competition and Soft Skills Workshop, marking its fifth successive year. Targeting students in grades 11 to 13 from Commerce streams across State, Private, and International schools, the workshop sought to ignite a passion for soft skills development, emphasising teamwork, problem-solving, creativity, and innovative thinking. Recognising the increasing importance of these soft skills in today’s workforce, the programme aims to fill the gap often left unaddressed in the school curriculum.”

The winners of the soft skill competition with Professor Lakshman Rathnayake: Chairman/Chancellor, Vice Chancellor/MD Professor Lalith Gamage, Professor Nimal Rajapakse: Senior Deputy Vice – Chancellor & Provost, Deputy Vice Chancellor – Research and International Affairs Professor Samantha Thelijjagoda, and Veteran Film Director Somarathna Dissanayake.

VogueFest 2024:

SLIIT Business School organised VogueFest 2024, a platform for emerging fashion designers under 30 to showcase their work and win prizes.

T-shirt Design Competition with Sheffield Hallam University:

SLIIT and Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) UK collaborated on a T-shirt designing competition, with a voting procedure to select the best design.

SLIIT’s Got Talent

: The annual talent show, SLIIT’s Got Talent 2024, was held for the 10th consecutive year at the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre on 27th September 2024. SLIIT’s Got Talent had the audience energised with amazing performances, showcasing mind-blowing talent by the orchestra and the talented undergraduates from all faculties.

Other events:

* SLIIT also participates in events like the EDUVision Exhibition organised by the Richmond College Old Boys’ Association.

* They hosted the first-ever University of Queensland – Design Solution for Impact Competition in Sri Lanka.

* SLIIT Business School also organised the Business Proposal Competition.

SLIIT Academy:

SLIIT Academy (Pvt.) Ltd. provides industrial-oriented learning experiences for students.

International Partnerships:

SLIIT has strong international partnerships with universities like Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), The University of Queensland (UQ), Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), and Curtin University Australia, providing opportunities for students to study and participate in international events.

(The writer, a senior Chartered Accountant and professional banker, is Professor at SLIIT University, Malabe. He is also the author of the “Doing Social Research and Publishing Results”, a Springer publication (Singapore), and “Samaja Gaveshakaya (in Sinhala).

Features

Inescapable need to deal with the past

Published

2 days ago

2025/04/1

Sahan Weerasooriya

The sudden reemergence of two major incidents from the past, that had become peripheral to the concerns of people today, has jolted the national polity and come to its centre stage. These are the interview by former president Ranil Wickremesinghe with the Al Jazeera television station that elicited the Batalanda issue and now the sanctioning of three former military commanders of the Sri Lankan armed forces and an LTTE commander, who switched sides and joined the government. The key lesson that these two incidents give is that allegations of mass crimes, whether they arise nationally or internationally, have to be dealt with at some time or the other. If they are not, they continue to fester beneath the surface until they rise again in a most unexpected way and when they may be more difficult to deal with.

In the case of the Batalanda interrogation site, the sudden reemergence of issues that seemed buried in the past has given rise to conjecture. The Batalanda issue, which goes back 37 years, was never totally off the radar. But after the last of the commission reports of the JVP period had been published over two decades ago, this matter was no longer at the forefront of public consciousness. Most of those in the younger generations who were too young to know what happened at that time, or born afterwards, would scarcely have any idea of what happened at Batalanda. But once the issue of human rights violations surfaced on Al Jazeera television they have come to occupy centre stage. From the day the former president gave his fateful interview there are commentaries on it both in the mainstream media and on social media.

There seems to be a sustained effort to keep the issue alive. The issues of Batalanda provide good fodder to politicians who are campaigning for election at the forthcoming Local Government elections on May 6. It is notable that the publicity on what transpired at Batalanda provides a way in which the outcome of the forthcoming local government elections in the worst affected parts of the country may be swayed. The problem is that the main contesting political parties are liable to be accused of participation in the JVP insurrection or its suppression or both. This may account for the widening of the scope of the allegations to include other sites such as Matale.

POLITICAL IMPERATIVES

The emergence at this time of the human rights violations and war crimes that took place during the LTTE war have their own political reasons, though these are external. The pursuit of truth and accountability must be universal and free from political motivations. Justice cannot be applied selectively. While human rights violations and war crimes call for universal standards that are applicable to all including those being committed at this time in Gaza and Ukraine, political imperatives influence what is surfaced. The sanctioning of the four military commanders by the UK government has been justified by the UK government minister concerned as being the fulfilment of an election pledge that he had made to his constituents. It is notable that the countries at the forefront of justice for Sri Lanka have large Tamil Diasporas that act as vote banks. It usually takes long time to prosecute human rights violations internationally whether it be in South America or East Timor and diasporas have the staying power and resources to keep going on.

In its response to the sanctions placed on the military commanders, the government’s position is that such unilateral decisions by foreign government are not helpful and complicate the task of national reconciliation. It has faced criticism for its restrained response, with some expecting a more forceful rebuttal against the international community. However, the NPP government is not the first to have had to face such problems. The sanctioning of military commanders and even of former presidents has taken place during the periods of previous governments. One of the former commanders who has been sanctioned by the UK government at this time was also sanctioned by the US government in 2020. This was followed by the Canadian government which sanctioned two former presidents in 2023. Neither of the two governments in power at that time took visibly stronger stands.

In addition, resolutions on Sri Lanka have been a regular occurrence and have been passed over the Sri Lankan government’s opposition since 2012. Apart from the very first vote that took place in 2009 when the government promised to take necessary action to deal with the human rights violations of the past, and won that vote, the government has lost every succeeding vote with the margins of defeat becoming bigger and bigger. This process has now culminated in an evidence gathering unit being set up in Geneva to collect evidence of human rights violations in Sri Lanka that is on offer to international governments to use. This is not a safe situation for Sri Lankan leaders to be in as they can be taken before international courts in foreign countries. It is important for Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and dignity as a country that this trend comes to an end.

COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION

A peaceful future for Sri Lanka requires a multi-dimensional approach that addresses the root causes of conflict while fostering reconciliation, justice, and inclusive development. So far the government’s response to the international pressures is to indicate that it will strengthen the internal mechanisms already in place like the Office on Missing Persons and in addition to set up a truth and reconciliation commission. The difficulty that the government will face is to obtain a national consensus behind this truth and reconciliation commission. Tamil parties and victims’ groups in particular have voiced scepticism about the value of this mechanism. They have seen commissions come and commissions go. Sinhalese nationalist parties are also highly critical of the need for such commissions. As the Nawaz Commission appointed to identify the recommendations of previous commissions observed, “Our island nation has had a surfeit of commissions. Many witnesses who testified before this commission narrated their disappointment of going before previous commissions and achieving nothing in return.”

Former minister Prof G L Peiris has written a detailed critique of the proposed truth and reconciliation law that the previous government prepared but did not present to parliament.

In his critique, Prof Peiris had drawn from the South African truth and reconciliation commission which is the best known and most thoroughly implemented one in the world. He points out that the South African commission had a mandate to cover the entire country and not only some parts of it like the Sri Lankan law proposes. The need for a Sri Lankan truth and reconciliation commission to cover the entire country and not only the north and east is clear in the reemergence of the Batalanda issue. Serious human rights violations have occurred in all parts of the country, and to those from all ethnic and religious communities, and not only in the north and east.

Dealing with the past can only be successful in the context of a “system change” in which there is mutual agreement about the future. The longer this is delayed, the more scepticism will grow among victims and the broader public about the government’s commitment to a solution. The important feature of the South African commission was that it was part of a larger political process aimed to build national consensus through a long and strenuous process of consultations. The ultimate goal of the South African reconciliation process was a comprehensive political settlement that included power-sharing between racial groups and accountability measures that facilitated healing for all sides. If Sri Lanka is to achieve genuine reconciliation, it is necessary to learn from these experiences and take decisive steps to address past injustices in a manner that fosters lasting national unity. A peaceful Sri Lanka is possible if the government, opposition and people commit to truth, justice and inclusivity.

by Jehan Perera