PLACES, PEOPLE & PASSIONS (3Ps)

Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
chandij@sympatico.ca

Profile

SinhaRaja is an explorer and an adventurer who has lived in war zones and reported on wars; he has explored jungles and climbed in the Hindu Kush. Historian, art historian, academic and author, he has produced some of the most important studies in recent years on the art, history, and culture of Sri Lanka. He has also enacted some of its greatest dance rituals and taught the first university course in the west on Sri Lankan Art and Architecture. His first film, the story of an expedition ‘In Search of the Malwatu Oya’, has won five international awards.

SLITHM Graduation 2023 & ‘karandu Atha’

On April 20, 2023. I was seated at a corner of the front row at the BMICH National Convention Centre, with a few veteran hoteliers. We were waiting for the Minister of Tourism to arrive as the chief guest of the annual graduation ceremony of Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM). Most of the 1,500 seats of the main auditorium were full of relatives of the new graduands, their happy parents and tourism industry leaders.

Getting bored with the long delay, my hotel industry colleague seated next to me, Gemunu Goonewardena, started talking about the roles of elephants in Sri Lanka. “Professor, do you know that elephants working hard in the fields are not used to perform religious tasks like carrying the caskets at pageants?” Annoyed with the delay in commencing the event as advertised, I did not pay much attention to Gemunu’s remark.

“Is that so?”, I made unenthusiastic response. “Yes. For an example, the famous Maligawa tusker Raja of the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, had very little work to do, except during the annual Kandy Perahera in August. Such tuskers are called with respect, ‘Karandu Atha’” — Gemunu continued to show his knowledge about elephants and our culture.

At that moment I was happy to see the large screen on the stage displaying the arrival of the chief guest and other VIPs welcomed at the entrance and ushered by the Chairman of SLITHM. Kandyan dancers and drummers were performing in front of the slow-moving VIP procession. “Look, the chief guest, that gentleman garlanded with orchids, is not the minister!” Gemunu alerted us.

Apparently, as the minister was too busy to attend the event, SLITHM had arranged a last minute substitute as the chief guest. This gentleman wore a white suit (which reminded me of the prefect’s attire for ceremonies at boys’ schools in Ceylon in 1960s). He appeared prominent among all other VIPs in dark suits, looking distinguished and walking like a king, serious, without a smile on his face. “Professor, look at him. That gentleman is certainly like a ‘Karandu Atha’!”, Gemunu whispered to my ear. I agreed.

A Keynote Speaker Par Excellence

None of veteran hoteliers seated in my row knew of this gentleman – Dr. SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda – but we were impressed when he was introduced as an Art Historian, Author, Lecturer, Public Speaker, Academic, Writer, and an award-winning Film-maker. We were even more impressed with his keynote speech – well prepared and well delivered, with a passion. I also liked his given name, the same as the greatest rainforest in Sri Lanka, which is steeped in deep legend and mystery, and since 1988, protected as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. I soon realised that, like the Sinharaja Rainforest, Dr. SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda had a mystic personality, which was not easy to analyse.

A Kandyan at a religious event

After nearly four-hours, when the graduation event ended, a few of us were invited to a post-event reception. When I saw the keynote speaker at this reception held in a very small meeting room, attended by about 50 VIPs, I was happy. He was surrounded by a few Colombo socialites who were picking Dr. SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda’s brains about topics related to their commercial interests, and close to his heart – horse-riding, eco-tourism, and indigenous food of Sri Lanka.

“Come on, Gemunu, let’s meet this interesting guy.” I approached him with some difficulty. Soon after we introduced ourselves, he introduced the ladies surrounding him to us. Although they were interesting, after greeting them quickly, I zoomed into have a good one-on-one chat with him. I broke the ice with a genuine compliment: “Dr. SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda, you delivered an excellent keynote.

Well done! I was inspired by your speech.” I He smiled and said, “Please call me SinhaRaja.” I was thinking that his name was quite a mouthful. Double barrel names are unusual in Sri Lanka, but he is an unusual person. Accomplished and versatile… in fact, truly a Renaissance Man!

After a five-minute chat, owing to some common interests such as art, history, writing, public speaking, lecturing and cinema, we clicked and mutually enjoyed our brief chat. He also liked when I joked about how Gemunu compared him to a ‘Karandu Atha’. Before we parted, we agreed to meet again prior to my return to Canada. Gemunu invited SinhaRaja to join me and two mutual friends for a full-day excursion to ‘Ceylon Culinary Trail’ in Ingiriya in a week’s time, just before my departure from Sri Lanka. SinhaRaja promptly accepted.

The very next day, I shared the links to some of my recent publications with him, and in return, SinhaRaja e-mailed Gemunu and me some links showcasing his recent work, including a YouTube file of his 2019 film: ‘In Search of the Malwatu Oya’ which was an artistic documentary about an adventurous 164-kilometre journey he took on the second longest river in Sri Lanka with a few other adventurers. Starting from the holy mountain of Ritigala, they travelled to the heart of an ancient civilization, the Raja Rata (Land of the Kings) to enter the Bay of Mannar of the Indian Ocean. It is the story of Sri Lanka’s most historic river and the beginning of an ancient civilization. I was not surprised it won five international awards.

‘Ceylon Culinary Trail’ Experience in Ingiriya

A week later, we commenced our trip to Ingiriya early in the morning picking up SinhaRaja at his house near Kotte. Our discussions in the car covered many interesting topics, including poetry. He was thankful when I presented a signed copy of my latest published work: ‘Emotions’ a book of visual poetry. When we arrived at Ingiriya, I realized that Sinharaja was familiar with the customs and rituals of the village, far better than other excursionists there.

After the welcome, and breakfast including dishes made with rare local ingredients, we were taken on a guided tour along a village trail through a rubber plantation. I then realized that SinhaRaja was much physically fitter than the rest of the group from Colombo and Canada! Despite a couple of breaks and drinking some refreshing young and king coconuts in between, we were exhausted by the time we returned to our base in Ingiriya. It was a hot and humid day.

“Sir, you will certainly feel better if you have a dip in this natural pool” – our guide (the husband of the host and cook) showed us a beautiful bathing spot connected to a gently flowing stream towards the Kalu Ganga. Without wasting any time, SinhaRaja got into the water, and we followed him. That cool water and toddy served to make us hungry for a highly anticipated lunch prepared with some ingredients previously unknown to the members of our group.

Topics of Conversation

Over a tasty authentic lunch experience enhanced by singing of old songs and folk poems by our lady host, we did not feel the time pass by. After lunch we engaged in a long conversation about various topics. SinhaRaja listened to our views more than expressing his own. We stayed there chatting for a long time through a sudden welcome downpour that lasted till early evening. It was a wonderful day with some great food for the belly and food for thought.

On our way back to Colombo SinhaRaja and I talked about some common aspects of our lives, the times we both lived and studied in England. I did my three levels of post-secondary education in England over a few decades with long breaks in between. In his case, SinghaRaja has done his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees at one go! That was impressive, but I was more fascinated when he told me: “I never went to primary, middle, or upper school. I was home-schooled.”

SinhaRaja was surprised to hear that I was a special apprentice at the Dorchester under the great Chef Anton Mosimann. He was even more surprised to hear that I was a management observer at Le Meridien Piccadilly in London and that hotel’s two-Michelin star restaurant – Oak Room. “I used to dine in that restaurant with a girlfriend during my doctoral studies at the King’s College” he confided.

Our last topic of conversation that day was my wine and spirits studies in Europe. Just before we dropped him off at his house, he was asking me questions about my studies on whisky production in Scotland in 1982, when I was on a UN/ILO Fellowship. “I have a very old bottle of an expensive Japanese whisky, at home, which I’d like to taste with you.” He invited me home. “I was an expert 40 years ago… I don’t drink too much now.” I told him. “I insist my friend. Be my guest!” he persuaded me to spend an hour in his house looking at his collection of books, paintings, and old photographs. The Japanese whisky was also great. After that we kept in touch regularly and I sent him ten questions for this article:

A Connoisseur in Paris

Q: Out of all the places you have visited in Sri Lanka and overseas, what is your favourite and most interesting place?

A: One of the more interesting experiences was journeying to the dry, dusty teak forests of

Western India in search of the Asian Lion. The Gir Forest, in Gujarat, is the home of the

Asian Lion which once roamed the whole of Asia. Hunted to extinction under the British,

Asian Lions were preserved by an Indian prince, in a remote corner of Western India, still relatively unknown.

Q: Out of all the inspiring people you have met, who inspired you most to become an explorer and an adventurer? 

A: Nihal Fernando, Sri Lanka’s greatest photographer. He and his protegee, Luxshman Nadaraja, taught me to see the land, instead of just thinking about it. Through Nihal Fernando I learned that Sri Lankan civilization, its art and architecture was inextricably linked to its environment. One cannot see one without the other.

Q: What was the most memorable experience you had during your undergraduate, graduate and doctoral studies in the United Kingdom?

A: Driving a MG Roadster Classic sports car with the top down in winter. It was memorable

because it gave me pneumonia. The other was being held by my arms and legs by four English thugs, who sang “Michael Row the Boat Ashore” as they banged my head against a car. I was saved by an old lady who attacked them with her umbrella. My other formative memory is discovering the work of Sri Lanka’s two great art historians – Ananda Coomaraswamy and Senake Bandaranayake in the library at the School of Oriental and African Studies.

An Aristocrat at The Derby in Epsom Downs, England

Q: What was the most challenging experience you had as a Visiting Fulbright Scholar in the USA? 

A: Being stopped at Madison airport by security because I was wearing cufflinks. As the alarms went off, everyone screamed “he has metal in his shirt” and pointed their guns

at me. I had to take the cufflinks off and roll them across the floor. Afterwards, they asked me, “What are they for, why are you wearing them”. I said: “To hold my sleeves together” They felt sorry for me. “Son, this is America. We have buttons here!”

Q: As a student of the early phases of British expansion in India during the 18th century, can you single out one main scholarly contribution you have made to the body of knowledge?

A: I made a study of one of the first Englishman to write a history of India.

Q: What were your main discoveries during your time at Ridi Vihare to study medieval Sinhalese culture?

A: Apart from patience, self-control, and self-discipline, I also learned to appreciate Kandyan Art. I grew to realize that it was not “folk art” and began to see it for what it was, a form of miniature painting: meticulous, precise, and controlled.

Q: What was the most challenging experience you had as a reporter during the final stages of Eelam War IV?

A: Trying not to jump into the air when explosions went off near me. The challenge was trying not to show terror in front of men who coped with fear every day.

Q: Can you explain the inspiration for and the most memorable experience during the making of ‘In Search of Malwatu Oya’?

A: The inspiration was the magic of the unknown, of going back into time. Memorable, as we were travelling in long canoes. I have never been so close to so many crocodiles for so long.

Q: What were the different approaches you took in producing two of the great works on Stanley Kirinde and George Keyt?

A: Both are huge ambitious works of art and scholarship. One project was hugely thorough and had great resources behind it. The other was done at the height of Covid, the Aragalaya, a time of no power, no fuel, no food, no order and now, no money.

Keyt was an outsider and a rebel. Kirinde was an insider and like most insiders, he was conservative and more conformist. Kirinde was part of an ancient culture and a living civilization. Keyt was the product of a recent and derivative colonial culture. At a time when colonial culture was dominant, Keyt went out of his way to reject it and embrace a totally different world. This makes him quite unique.

As there have been many studies on Keyt, our objective was to show works of art which were not published before, and which were not widely known. At the same time, we sought to look closely at the influences behind Keyt’s life and art which have not been so well studied and are not so well known.

With Kirinde, almost everyone went out of their way to help. With Keyt it was different. Great international auction houses and collectors all over the world went out of their way to help. However, in Sri Lanka two local organizations went out of their way not to help. One was an organization associated with the legacy of George Keyt, the other was an organization associated with the legacy of Lionel Wendt. Needless to say, both organizations have gone out of their way to assist and work with foreign scholars and experts.

Q: You told me that you do not like to use the term: ‘coffee table books’ in describing your works on Stanley Kirinde and George Keyt. Why?

A: History of Art is a serious intellectual and scholastic discipline, which entails the study and analysis of the visual arts. It seeks to understand art, sculpture, architecture, craft, and decoration, in their cultural and historic context.

The term coffee table is used mainly in Sri Lanka because people do not like to read. Sri Lankans generally prefer books with pictures which they can glance through without too much effort. They then keep them on long low tables for everyone to see. That is why we call them coffee table books. In the rest of the subcontinent, people not only look at the pictures, but they also read about them and think about them.

Next week, 3Ps will feature a Lawyer, CEO, and a Tourism Visionary …