Features

My Brief Career at Christ Church, Oxford

Published

5 years ago

2021/07/25

by Vijaya Chandrasoma

Christ Church has, through the ages, been a political college, having produced 13 British prime ministers, the highest number by any college in Oxford and Cambridge. They included Sir Alec Douglas-Home (1963-64), Sir Anthony Eden (1955-57) and two of the most famous prime ministers of the 19th century, Sir Robert Peel (1834-35 and 1842-46) and Sir William Gladstone (1892-94, 1886, 1880-85, 1868-74). Christ Church was also the alma mater of our own prime minister, Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (1956-59).

I started my career at Christ Church in October, 1960.

Freshmen are usually accommodated in the College quads at the House, as Christ Church is popularly known at Oxford. Eight of us freshmen were shunted to a boarding house near the Oxford railway station, appropriately named the Railway Annex. The digs were most ordinary, about a mile from the College, eight single rooms with common bathrooms, a dining room where a regular English breakfast was served; and a living area with a black and white television set, quite a luxury in those days. There was a regular bus service to Carfax, the city center, very close to Christ Church, but the first purchase for most us was a bike.

I got a transfer to Peckwater quad at the start of the Hilary term in January. Peck is one of the most prestigious quadrangles in Oxford. I shared a large, oak-paneled study with a fireplace, leading to two single rooms, which had obviously been monks’ cells in the middle ages. They had undergone few changes since. The only fixtures were a bed, a chest of drawers and a sink. Our rooms were on the third floor, with the bathrooms in the basement. So we had to make the trek down three floors in the heart of the Winter to attend to our ablutions. Unlike the common bathtubs we had got used to in our digs in London, the bathrooms at the House had showers with hot water, a luxury in those times; although hot water was not always a given. I had been compelled on many an evening to shower in icy cold water.

We had a scout who acted as our own personal assistant, who woke us up, made our beds, cleaned our rooms, looked after us when we were suffering with any ailments, mainly hangovers, attended to our laundry and generally made life very comfortable for us.

During the first week at the House, we met the Masters of the Honours degree subjects we had selected, mine being Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Sir Roy Harrod, famed English economist, held the fellowship in economics and modern history at Christ Church. He was a senior adviser to Sir Harold Macmillan, the British Prime Minister at that time. He gave us the usual pep talk, ending with the hardly traditional advice that we should ignore the university lectures, but concentrate on the weekly tutorials we had with graduate students, which he said was all that was necessary to get through our first year.

I cannot explain what caused my abject failure at Christ Church. I had always been a good student, but at Christ Church, I didn’t attend a lecture, cut most of the tutorials and hardly picked up a book. Universities in England in those days had no Counselors, so I went from day to day, bad to worse, until I failed Prelims. Twice. I couldn’t confide my predicament to my parents who were in Colombo, as I knew how disappointed they would have been. There was really no one I could have asked for advice while I was digging my academic grave. That’s not strictly true. The graduate student who was taking my weekly tutorials in Logic visited me halfway through my second term, and asked me why I hadn’t showed any interest in pursuing my studies. I dodged the question, and he went away, no doubt satisfied that he had made an effort to help me. Which he did, to no avail.

I am certain that things have changed now, but in those days, universities had no Student Counselors to help us with our problems, no facility for changing the course of the career path we had decided upon on admission, no taking a year off “to find ourselves”. British Universities did not coddle their students. You either finished the degree that you had originally selected in the mandatory number of years, or you didn’t; you either did your work or you got the hell out. It was as simple, as rigid as that. Ironically, the exact sentiment as expressed in the motto of my old alma mater, Royal College: Disce Aut Discede – Learn or Depart.

I was rusticated, which is slightly better than being sent down. I would have been able to resume my studies at the House had I passed Prelims in the future. Which I didn’t even attempt.

As one of the 26 Colleges that made up the University at that time (there are 45 today), Christ Church was breathtaking in its history and its architecture. The House boasted a number of nationally and architecturally significant buildings, including Tom Tower, the Christ Church Chapel and Tom Clock, designed by one of the most acclaimed architects in British history, Sir Christopher Wren. Tom Clock deputized as the National Clock when Big Ben of Westminster Abbey in London was out of commission.

I did most everything else during my brief stint at the House. I have many wonderful memories of the sports in which I participated. I was a member of the Christ Church boat which competed and finished second in the 1961 Torpids, held at the end of the Hilary term. The training for this test was pretty rigorous. We had to run to the boathouse through the Christ Church Meadows, do about half-an-hour of warm-up exercises and then row four miles along the Isis, a tributary of the Thames, with our coach following us on a bike on the pathway alongside the river screaming instructions and insults at us.

There’s a funny story about the problems we faced when the hot water gave way in our showers at Peck. The bow (the guy at the back end of the boat) of the Christ Church crew was a friend, who also had his digs at Peck. I confided in him the torture I had to endure on some evenings, when, after four hours of rowing, the hot water had run out in our bathrooms, and I was compelled to shower in icy-cold water. He looked at me in puzzlement and said,

“I don’t know what you are talking about, old chap. I have my showers every Saturday morning, and there is plenty of hot water during the weekends”. We rowed at least four miles, ran perhaps a half a mile from our boathouse in the Meadows to the House, five evenings a week. And he showered once a week!

Oxford was not much better on the food stakes. Except for the first term which I spent at the Railway Annex, which provided breakfast, all our meals were in the Great Hall. Historically impressive surroundings, terrible food. Lots of bacon and eggs, baked beans, transparent slices of beef, bread and potatoes, so many potatoes. Hardly a suitable diet for a Sri Lankan raised on rice, stringhoppers and spicy curries. I would have killed for an occasional pol sambol! There were no cooking facilities whatsoever in our rooms, so like in London, I fell on the last resort of Indian food. I patronized an Indian restaurant at the Turl called, if memory serves, the Taj Mahal. The owner/manager offered me all I can eat Masala Chicken for seven shillings and sixpence, about 40 new pence after the Brits went metric in 1971. Or about six rupees in Sri Lankan currency, at the then rate of Rs. 13.33 to one sterling pound. Given my appetite, I feel the Indian owner of the restaurant fed me out of kindness, certainly not for profit.

We were allowed 45 pounds sterling per month (Ceylon Rs. 600) by the Exchange Controller in those days, which was sufficient for all expenses, tuition fees, books, room and board. The cost of this type of education at either Cambridge or Oxford these days would be in excess of 2,500 sterling pounds a month!

I was on the Christ Church tennis team and we played various colleges with mixed results in the Summer. The only game that I remember was the match we played against the lady’s team of the Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club. We got trounced by some very attractive ladies.

We also had a “social” cricket team called the Warrigals, named after what I later learned was a wild, untamed horse, of which I was a member. We played informal one-day (not 50-over, that format hadn’t yet been invented) matches against other colleges at Oxford, and even a couple at Cambridge. The Christ Church cricket grounds were famous, being the alternative used for First Class matches when the University Parks were, for any reason, not available. The Christ Church ground was the venue used when the touring Australians played the University in 1961.

The Warrigals organized a memorable ten-day tour of Kent villages in the Summer of 1961, playing on village pitches and sleeping over at village pubs. We had a wonderful time. I used to be a mediocre off spin bowler, who neither spun nor turned the ball. But one freak ball I bowled caught a rough patch, probably hit a stone and turned a mile from outside the off stump to just clip the leg bail. The few spectators, inebriated enough to cheer anyone, shouted “Goonesena, Goonesena” when I took this wicket. To be even drunkenly compared to the most accomplished Ceylonese spin bowler in England of that time was a heady moment for me, even though my swarthy skin-color played no little part in the comparison.

I was the star of the College badminton team because no one else played the game. I also led a pretty busy social life, partying, drinking and gambling with the best, activities hardly conducive to a successful academic career.

Perhaps I can claim a Sri Lankan, if not a world, record of being offered places at three of the finest universities in the world, Oxford, Cambridge and St. Andrews, and ending my academic career without a first degree. My father said that I would regret this failure for the rest of my life, and he was right. I do, to this day.

More than anything, I regret I did not give my parents the pride of their son graduating from the most prestigious university in the world. Especially as I know now exactly how much that wonderful feeling means to parents. Pride that all my children have filled my heart with. Pride that no one can take away from me.

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Features

‘The devil is in the details’ in West Asian peace

Published

17 hours ago

2026/06/18

Sahan Weerasooriya

President Donald Trump at the current G7 summit in France. Evelyn Hockstein/Getty Image

It is obviously too early for an outpouring of joy over the seeming cessation of hostilities between the main antagonists in West Asia. While the prospect of there being a measure of calm in the region is being welcomed by considerable sections of the international community, what is ‘on the table’ currently is only a Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran to give peace a chance. The hard part in the peace effort remains to be achieved.

In the Middle East of today we have one of the most complex conflicts to break out in modern international politics and the observer would be naive in the extreme to expect a facile and early closure to the tangle. Yet, for the sake of the world’s publics who have been hurting badly in the prolonged hostilities one could only hope that the US-Iran MoU that is expected to be signed by the sides on Friday would lead eventually to a substantive peace. The world’s thanks are due to Pakistan in this connection for its sustained support in the peace drive.

While the sides have agreed to a ceasing of hostilities in the most general terms and have reached accord on the facilitation of uninterrupted oil and gas supplies to the rest of the world, for instance, the ‘devil will prove to be in the details’ in an envisaged comprehensive peace settlement. It is these details that would make or break peace if the negotiations go on in earnest.

Nevertheless, the details would need to be worked out consensually in a spirit of compromise with an eye to the greater good of the world community. Realpolitik or a narrow focus on solely the national interest among the protagonists, for example, would need to give way to a measure of humanity that would encompass within it a consideration of the overall well being of the world. In other words, it is statesmanship that would crucially matter.

The next few weeks would establish whether humanists are ‘asking for far too much’ when they broach the questions at issue in these terms. Yet it is essentially self interest and national security considerations of the first importance that drove the conflict from even prior to February this year and these questions would need to be taken up and resolved to the satisfaction of the US and Iran in the main if some headway is to be made towards a durable settlement.

The nuclear issue would prove to be the proverbial Gordian Knot. From a realistic viewpoint, Iran could not be expected to be without a potential nuclear deterrent in the face of perceived nuclear threats emanating for it from the West and Israel. In the short term, Iran would need to possess this deterrent to a measure, within a mutually agreed international legal framework maybe, until wide agreement is reached on the nuclear tangle. Specifically, Iran’s immediate threat perceptions with regard to her nuclear-powered rivals would need to be defused during initial negotiations.

Ideally it is a world free of nuclear weapons that must be aimed at but since this goal cannot be achieved in the near or medium terms, unfolding negotiations would need to ensure Iran’s absolute security in a world of powers that continue to swear by the nuclear deterrent, if it is to give up the suspected latter capability.

However, it is to the degree to which the present nuclear powers divest themselves of this capability that Iran could be put at ease on this score. Accordingly, it is nothing short of a complete elimination of nuclear weapons from the world that could dissuade keenly security conscious states from developing nuclear weapons of their own with a mass destruction capability.

This is the number one dilemma the international community needs to grapple with going forward and it is to the extent to which it resolves it that a nuclear weapons free world could be envisaged. No doubt, an uphill challenge.

Compelling Israel to support the present negotiatory process constitutes another grueling challenge for the US. Currently the Iranian position essentially is that a Middle East peace is inseparable from a normalization of the security situation in Lebanon. That is, the present Israeli attacks on the Hezbollah presence in Lebanon must cease if a comprehensive peace is to be realized in West Asia.

However, Israel is showing no signs of drawing back from its attacks on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon since the security of the Israeli state is being seen as threatened by the militant group. Co-opting Israel into the negotiatory effort therefore would turn out to be a matter of paramount concern for the US.

Moreover, elements in the rightist administration in Israel are seeing the current peace efforts as a ‘sell out’ to the enemies of Israel. They would have none of it. It is left to be seen how the US would be managing these virtual storm centres in the diplomatic process that could very well bring down the overall purported peace drive.

A recent pronouncement by US Vice President J.D. Vance points to yet another problem area in the US’ current peace overtures. He said that, ‘Regional peace and stability includes stopping the funding of terrorist organizations.’ He was obviously referring to the support extended by Iran to Hezbollah when he mentioned ‘terrorist organizations’ but he has given fresh life to the age-old conundrum of ‘Who is a terrorist?’ by these words.

To the Netanyahu government the Hezbollah and other militant organizations fighting Israel are ‘terrorists’ but from the viewpoint of the Iranian regime they are ‘freedom fighters’. This seemingly insurmountable definitional issue would not only stubbornly bedevil the peace effort but could even figure in bringing about its collapse, unless judiciously handled.

Thus, it’s the thorny details that need to be watched to keep the West Asian peace process afloat, once it gets going in earnest. There is no doubt that US President Trump would be receiving a considerable amount of support from the G7 in this historic peace undertaking and his personal appeals to the grouping currently meeting in France for continuous support are likely to elicit a positive response from it.

Likewise, Trump would need to appeal to also the BRICS countries if almost total global support is to be garnered for the peace drive in West Asia. BRICS’ solidarity with the US and the West is likely to carry considerable weight with Iran and other Eastern actors who are key to a sustained peace drive in the Middle East.

Features

Sri Lanka’s elephant paradox: Govt. counts tourism dollars while playing a dangerous numbers game: Expert

Published

17 hours ago

2026/06/18

Sahan Weerasooriya

At a time when Sri Lanka is enjoying a resurgence in wildlife tourism, with elephants remaining the undisputed stars of the country’s national parks and one of its most marketable natural assets, elephant conservationist Supun Lahiru Prakash has sounded a stark warning: the nation is in danger of losing the very species that helps attract millions of tourism dollars while sustaining some of the island’s most important ecosystems.

Supun says repeated claims by authorities that Sri Lanka’s elephant population is increasing, despite the absence of a final survey report and amid continuing elephant deaths, risk creating a misleading narrative that could undermine conservation efforts and encourage retaliation against elephants.

According to Supun, the issue is not merely about numbers. It is about political priorities, scientific credibility and the future of one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic species.

“Repeatedly claiming that the elephant population is increasing appears to be an attempt to hide the Government’s inability to manage the rising annual elephant death rate and the complications of human-elephant conflict,” Supun said.

For decades, the Sri Lankan elephant has been a symbol of the country’s rich natural heritage. It is the centrepiece of wildlife tourism, drawing visitors from across the globe to national parks such as Yala, Udawalawe, Minneriya, Kaudulla and Wilpattu. International wildlife documentaries, tourism campaigns and social media promotions frequently place elephants at the heart of Sri Lanka’s nature tourism brand.

Yet, according to Supun, the country’s conservation policies do not reflect the value of the species.

“On one hand, the Government is enjoying increasing tourism revenue, and elephants remain one of Sri Lanka’s most important wildlife attractions. On the other hand, narratives are being promoted that could encourage retaliation against the very species that contributes significantly to the country’s tourism industry,” Supun said.

According to the First Countrywide National Survey of Elephants conducted in 2011, Sri Lanka had 5,879 elephants. However, official statistics show that 4,167 elephants died between 2012 and 2024.

Supun stressed that these figures represent only the deaths officially recorded by the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

“In a context where more than 70 percent of the country’s elephant population reported in 2011 has died within 13 years, it is difficult to accept claims that the population has increased,” Supun said.

The conservationist pointed out that elephants have the longest gestation period among land mammals and that scientific studies have reported increasing interbirth intervals among female elephants together with high calf mortality.

“When such biological realities are taken into consideration, claims of a dramatic increase in elephant numbers become difficult to understand,” Supun said.

Supun believes that repeated references to increasing elephant populations risk fuelling public hostility towards elephants, particularly among farming communities already affected by crop raids and property damage.

“Such claims can create the impression that elephant populations are exploding and thereby promote retaliation against elephants as well,” Supun said.

According to Supun, Sri Lanka’s elephant crisis cannot be understood solely through population estimates. The real issue lies in the country’s failure to address human-elephant conflict through long-term, science-based solutions.

Sri Lanka continues to record among the highest levels of human-elephant conflict in the world. Every year, hundreds of elephants and dozens of people lose their lives as competition for land and resources intensifies.

Despite the scale of the crisis, Supun says authorities continue to rely on strategies that have repeatedly failed.

Lahiru Prakash

These include driving elephants into protected areas, strengthening electric fences to confine them there and allocating additional manpower to maintain fencing systems.

Supun was also critical of several proposals that emerged from district-level discussions on conflict mitigation, including the sowing of paddy and corn using Air Force drones and the planting of fruit orchards within protected areas.

“Such proposals fail to address the real ecological and social dimensions of the conflict,” Supun said.

While welcoming reports that the Government intends appointing a national-level mechanism to tackle human-elephant conflict, Supun said the challenge required intervention at the highest level of government.

“Given the gravity, complexity and geographical spread of human-elephant conflict, appointing any committee other than a Presidential Task Force is not useful,” Supun said.

He argued that a Presidential Task Force chaired by either the President or the Secretary to the President would be better positioned to overcome the bureaucratic delays and institutional fragmentation that have hindered previous efforts.

Supun also stressed the urgent need to restore and protect elephant corridors and home ranges that allow elephants to move safely across landscapes.

He cited the Koholankala elephant corridor in Hambantota as one example where removing obstacles could help reduce conflict while improving habitat connectivity.

At the same time, Supun questioned policies that permit the allocation of forest lands in areas identified by environmental assessments as crucial elephant ranges and movement corridors.

“The opening of elephant corridors and the protection of elephant home ranges must be carried out scientifically and consistently if they are to succeed,” Supun said.

Beyond tourism, Supun emphasised the ecological importance of elephants.

“Elephants are ecosystem engineers. Through their feeding habits and movements, they help maintain habitats that support numerous other species. In many ways, they create safer and healthier environments for wildlife,” Supun said.

According to Supun, protecting elephants means protecting entire ecosystems and the biodiversity upon which Sri Lanka’s wildlife tourism industry depends.

“By protecting elephants, we are also protecting the biodiversity that makes Sri Lanka one of the world’s premier wildlife tourism destinations,” Supun said.

As Sri Lanka seeks to expand tourism earnings and strengthen its reputation as a wildlife destination, Supun believes the country faces a defining choice: continue with policies that have failed to stem elephant deaths and human-elephant conflict, or embrace a science-based conservation strategy that safeguards both people and wildlife.

Without a fundamental shift in policy and political will, Supun warned, Sri Lanka risks losing not only one of its most iconic species but also the ecological and economic benefits that elephants continue to provide.

“The suffering of both farmers and elephants will only intensify unless meaningful action replaces rhetoric,” Supun said.

By Ifham Nizam

Features

Top Model of the World 2026

Published

17 hours ago

2026/06/18

Sahan Weerasooriya

Back-to-back victory for Colombia

Katherine Castaño of Colombia claimed the Top Model of the World 2026 crown, securing a historic back-to-back victory for her country. Angelica Sanchez of Puerto Rico was named first runner-up, and Eunice Deza of the Philippines finished as second runner-up.

Katherine was crowned by outgoing titleholder Natalia Garizabal Vera of Colombia.

Several special category awards, and subsidiary titles, were also presented during the Top Model of the World 2026 pageant.

These awards recognised excellence in modelling, peer support, and regional representation.

Primary Subsidiary Titles

Sri Lanka’s Netalie Withanage: Top 16 at
the grand finale

Miss Globe 2026: Valentina Tabares (Ecuador) — Awarded to the contestant who perfectly balances fashion modelling with traditional beauty queen qualities.

Queen of Europe 2026: Mia Danielle Williams (United Kingdom) — Given to the highest-ranking candidate from a European nation.

Special Awards Recognition

Audience Iconic Award: Charly (Dominican Republic) — Won via the official public online vote, granting her a fast-track direct entry into the Top 6.

Exotic Model of the World: Angel Emeka (Nigeria) — Awarded for exceptional editorial presence and strong runway performance.

Best Body Award: Thailand — Voted directly by fellow contestants at the Flow Spectrum Hotel. The highest-ranking runners-up for this category included Zambia, South Africa, Colombia, and Ghana.

Angelica Sanchez (Puerto Rico): 1st Runner-up

Final Placement

Winner: Katherine Castaño (Colombia)

1st Runner-Up: Angelica Sanchez (Puerto Rico)

2nd Runner-Up: Eunice Deza (Philippines)

Top 6 Finalists: Included contestants from the Dominican Republic, Romania, and Germany.

The pageant, known for focusing on professional modelling careers over just beauty, brought together 36 models from around the globe for two weeks of runway, photoshoots, and cultural events.

Sri Lanka’s Netalie Withanage walked among 36 of the world’s best and powered her way into the Top 16 at the grand finale.