Features

From Mt. Lavinia to Colombo Fort and then to London in six years

Published

4 years ago

2022/07/10

Thilina Walpola

74 not out – a personal memoir

Gamini Fonseka,
FCA, FCMA, JDIPMA(UK)

I was born four weeks after we won our Independence. In my infant days I did not know anything about life except that my father provided the family with everything we needed. We lived in Panadura. Later on I came to know that even a single rupee then had some value against dollars and sterling. My father used to take me for walks carrying me in his arms until we reached the Panadura bridge. I remember stopping at an ice cream parlor just opposite Panadura bus stand. My father was a Cooperative Inspector in the Public Service and was very proud of it.

When I reached school-going age, I was sent to St. Thomas’ Prep in Kollupitiya. We were a bunch of kids who played all types of sports, my favourite being cricket. There were very rich boys in our crowd and others who came from the middle class. There were Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers, and other races. We did not have any racial animosities or rivalries among us.

Three years later my bouncing baby sister joined our family. I slightly remember 1952 where there was a Hartal which led to some deaths. My father used to tell me that the cause of this Hartal was the rice ration. I did not understand this as my mother ensured that there was a plate of rice for lunch every day while breakfast was kiribath or string hoppers. Lunch/dinner was always rice and curry.

As I was an ardent cricket fan, my father took me to my first Royal-Thomian which was played at the Oval. I remember this game as P.I Peiris captained St. Thomas’. Later on in life I met Peiris as he was the Deputy Chairman of Richard Peiris and Company where we (the accountancy practice I worked for) were involved in a major restructuring exercise. The next year the Thomian team was led by BAR Weerasinghe who later qualified as a Chartered Accountant in the UK. After his return from the UK he became a manager at Turquand Young (TY) where I was articled. I slowly came to learn something about the politics and the economy of then Ceylon.

In 1956 there was a Revolution in our Island with Mr. SWRD Bandaranaike coming into power on a Sinhala Only platform which I personally think was a curse on our nation. The old left at that time had, I think, a ‘no contest’ arrangement with SWRD but were not invited to join his government which had won enough seats of its own. The left leaders had returned to Sri Lanka after their education in England, NM Perera at the London School of Economics, and others elsewhere.

They were brilliant politicians who were never able to come to power on their own. SWRD fulfilled his promise of Sinhala Only triggering an exodus of Ceylon Tamils to far away countries such as Canada and USA and to our regional neighbors mainly Singapore and Malaysia. Our Burgher buddies immigrated to Australia. These people were welcomed with open arms by their adopted countries. Gradually the suddhas who ran the plantations, mainly tea and rubber, returned either to England or Scotland. Some went to Kenya which was opening virgin lands for tea plantations.

Unfortunately, SWRD was gunned down by a monk in his palatial home in Colombo-7. I was then a student at S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia, that wonderful school by the sea. My father had by then built a house of our own at Templers Road Mt. Lavinia. I still remember that the land and house cost him Rs. 29,000. He funded this with savings from his monthly salary and a housing loan which he was entitled to as a public servant.

In 1957 a baby boy also joined our family. I remember waiting for his arrival at Durdan’s Hospital then headed by a doctor who subsequently immigrated to Australia. This particular boy was the pet of the family given the age difference between him, my sister and myself.

Thereafter, there were absolute chaos in the Island with governments changing hands like nobody’s business. Ultimately, we got a stable government under the leadership of Sirimavo Bandaranaike who was also tied to some left parties. She ruled the island for a period of seven years from 1970-77. In December 1963 I sat for my GCE O/L and after the exam we were free birds playing cricket morning, noon and evening. It was a great fun time for me personally but in January 1964 I met with a cricket accident which resulted in my deciding to do accountancy instead of law. I was Articled at Turquand Young (TY) and I left STC to join the corporate world.

TY was located at No. 59, Queens Street right opposite Central Bank. I can still remember what my father told me when he left me at the staircase at the entrance of TY on my first day there. He said,” Gamma you are now entering a new world which is the corporate world. This world will have so many jealousies, backstabbing, and other evils which you were not used to at college. However, always keep your head up, whatever obstacles you are faced with.” These words guided me throughout my life.

Coming back to our political situation Mrs. B called for a General Election in 1965 and was defeated at the polls. The Dudley Senanayake government which followed introduced the Poya day calendar, an arrangement under which we were on holiday when the rest of the world was at work. We lost track of the Monday to Friday week and thought in terms of P1 to P5 and pre Poya and Poya. I thought that this was a ridiculous way of doing business. We suffered this ordeal for five years. Senanayake’s agriculture policies brought us close to self-sufficiency in rice. I respected him for his honesty and integrity and gentlemanly qualities which we are taught at our School by the Sea.

Dudley was routed at the General Election of 1970 where Mrs. B together with her Marxist and leftist allies came into power on a socialist platform. She suffered a youth-revolt in April 1971 when so many young people sacrificed their lives to no purpose and anarchy prevailed. With this uprising Mrs. Bandaranaike was pushed leftwards from middle ground and the land reforms and the infamous Acquisition of Business Undertakings Act was passed creating several Government Owned Business Undertakings (GOBUs).

In 1970 I qualified as a Charted Accountant at the age of nearly 21 years (exactly 20 years, 11 months and three weeks). I was able to cut short my articles by one year thanks to my GCE ‘A’ level qualification. Thereafter in November 1971 I was sent to London for six-months at our London office. It was a novel experience to me as from Mount Lavinia I came to Colombo Fort and thereafter went to London within a period of six years. All my uncles, aunts, grandfather etc. came to see me off at the airport and I flew to Madras and then to Bombay for an overnight stay and early next morning boarded an Aeroflot flight to London via Moscow.

It was freezing cold when I landed at Heathrow. Fortunately my mother had arranged for one of her closest friends living in London to meet me at the airport and I stayed with them initially until I found my own accommodation.

It was fun living in London all by myself. The apartment I occupied was very close to the River Thames, and it was freezing cold outside at that time of the year. The landlord showed me how to insert coins into the gas meter to make the room warmer and more comfortable. They gave me my meals for the first week. He and his wife worked as civil servants for the British Government. The landlord took me to TY’s Coleman Street office where I had to meet the Office Manager, Mr. Pinfold who briefed me on office procedures and told me to meet Mr. Turner Green, who had worked in our Colombo office and moved later to the London office. He was one of the finest gentlemen I have met in my long career in accountancy. We had a chat for about an hour; he authorized an advance payment of my salary to be claimed from Mr. Pinfold.

I remember my first audit which was WM Coopers Wine Merchants in North London. I was in charge of the audit and my deputy was a raw articled clerk who had just joined TY. He was later posted to Hong Kong and covered the firm’s entire Far East practice as the Managing Partner.

It was a long ride by London Underground and then overground train to the furthest point on the northern line. Mr. Pinfold told me that I could claim the travel expenses up and down for which he gave me a reimbursement claim form. We had a fantastic time during this audit as we were provided with a buffet lunch and plenty of wine. I enjoyed the desserts, especially the trifle dessert.

The only communication I had with my family in Mt. Lavinia was through letters which I wrote very regularly especially to my parents. I went most days to have my dinner at the Ceylon Students Center which was very near Hyde Park. I read the newspapers from Ceylon on these visits so that I was up to date with what was happening in the political scene back at home. It was then Springtime and soon in late May it was Summertime in London.

Throughout my stay in London, I was most concerned with the Ceylon scene. My assignment in the London office was over by end June. Once I was free, I took a coach tour to Europe which cost me £79. My work colleague, a Malaysian of Indian origin and I, toured Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France returning to Victoria Station in London. My friend had completed his Chartered Accountancy exams in the London office and was returning home. We had a wonderful time traveling together.

I was back in Colombo in early August 1972 and within 10 days of arrival became engaged to my wife of 49 years. I came into a tightly closed economy and saw for myself the benefits and the disadvantages of such a setup. Even though the plantations were controlled mainly by the suddhas, there were many of our Ceylon planters who took great pride in their work as did the Agency Houses and Broking Firms.

(To be continued next week)

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Features

Political violence stalking Trump administration

Published

23 hours ago

2026/04/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

A scene that unfolded during the shooting incident at the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington. (BBC)

It would not be particularly revelatory to say that the US is plagued by ‘gun violence’. It is a deeply entrenched and widespread malaise that has come in tandem with the relative ease with which firearms could be acquired and owned by sections of the US public, besides other causes.

However, a third apparent attempt on the life of US President Donald Trump in around two and a half years is both thought-provoking and unsettling for the defenders of democracy. After all, whatever its short comings the US remains the world’s most vibrant democracy and in fact the ‘mightiest’ one. And the US must remain a foremost democracy for the purpose of balancing and offsetting the growing power of authoritarian states in the global power system, who are no friends of genuine representational governance.

Therefore, the recent breaching of the security cordon surrounding the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington at which President Trump and his inner Cabinet were present, by an apparently ‘Lone Wolf’ gunman, besides raising issues relating to the reliability of the security measures deployed for the President, indicates a notable spike in anti-VVIP political violence in particular in the US. It is a pointer to a strong and widespread emergence of anti-democratic forces which seem to be gaining in virulence and destructiveness.

The issues raised by the attack are in the main for the US’ political Right and its supporters. They have smugly and complacently stood by while the extremists in their midst have taken centre stage and begun to dictate the course of Right wing politics. It is the political culture bred by them that leads to ‘Lone Wolf’ gunmen, for instance, who see themselves as being repressed or victimized, taking the law into their own hands, so to speak, and perpetrating ‘revenge attacks’ on the state and society.

A disproportionate degree of attention has been paid particularly internationally to Donald Trump’s personality and his eccentricities but such political persons cannot be divorced from the political culture in which they originate and have their being. That is, “structural” questions matter. Put simply, Donald Trump is a ‘true son’ of the Far Right, his principal support base. The issues raised are therefore for the President as well as his supporters of the Right.

We are obliged to respect the choices of the voting public but in the case of Trump’s election to the highest public position in the US, this columnist is inclined to see in those sections that voted for Trump blind followers of the latter who cared not for their candidate’s suitability, in every relevant respect, and therefore acted irrationally. It would seem that the Right in the US wanted their candidate to win by ‘hook or by crook’ and exercise power on their behalf.

By making the above observations this columnist does not intend to imply that voting publics everywhere in the world of democracy cast their vote sensibly. In the case of Sri Lanka, for example, the question could be raised whether the voters of the country used their vote sensibly when voting into office the majority of Executive Presidents and other persons holding high public office. The obvious answer is ‘no’ and this should lead to a wider public discussion on the dire need for thoroughgoing voter education. The issue is a ‘huge’ one that needs to be addressed in the appropriate forums and is beyond the scope of this column.

Looking back it could be said that the actions of Trump and his die-hard support base led to the Rule of Law in the US being undermined as perhaps never before in modern times. A shaming moment in this connection was the protest march, virtually motivated by Trump, of his supporters to the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021, with the aim of scuttling the presidential poll result of that year. Much violence and unruly behaviour, as known, was let loose. This amounted to denigrating the democratic process and encouraging the violent take over of the state.

In a public address, prior to the unruly conduct of his supporters, Trump is on record as blaring forth the following: ‘We won this election and we won by a landslide’, ‘We will stop the steal’, ‘We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn’t happen’, ‘If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.’

It is plain to see that such inflammatory utterances could lead impressionable minds in particular to revolt violently. Besides, they should have led the more rationally inclined to wonder whether their candidate was the most suitable person to hold the office of President.

Unfortunately, the latter process was not to be and the question could be raised whether the US is in the ‘safest pair of hands’. Needless to say, as events have revealed, Donald Trump is proving to be one of the most erratic heads of state the US has ever had.

However, the latest attempt on the life of President Trump suggests that considerable damage has been done to the democratic integrity of the US and none other than the President himself has to take on himself a considerable proportion of the blame for such degeneration, besides the US’ Far Right. They could be said to be ‘reaping the whirlwind.’

It is a time for soul-searching by the US Right. The political Right has the right to exist, so the speak, in a functional democracy but it needs to take cognizance of how its political culture is affecting the democratic integrity or health of the US. Ironically, the repressive and chauvinistic politics advocated by it is having the effect of activating counter-violence of the most murderous kind, as was witnessed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Continued repressive politics could only produce more such incidents that could be self-defeating for the US.

Some past US Presidents were assassinated but the present political violence in the country brings into focus as perhaps never before the role that an anti-democratic political culture could play in unraveling the gains that the US has made over the decades. A duty is cast on pro-democracy forces to work collectively towards protecting the democratic integrity and strength of the US.

Features

22nd Anniversary Gala …action-packed event

Published

23 hours ago

2026/04/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

The Skyliners: Shanaka Viswakula (bass), Mario Ranasuriya (lead guitar), Daryl D'Souza (keyboards) and Kushmin Balasuriya (drums)

The Editor-in-Chief of The Sri Lankan Anchorman, a Toronto-based monthly, celebrating Sri Lankan community life in Canada, is none other than veteran Sri Lankan journalist Dirk Tissera, who moved to Canada in 1997. His wife, Michelle, whom he calls his “tower of strength”, is the Design Editor.

According to reports coming my way, the paper has turned out to be extremely popular in Toronto.

In fact, The Sri Lankan Anchorman won a press award in Toronto for excellence in editorial content and visual presentation.

However, the buzz in the air in Canada, right now, is The Sri Lankan Anchorman’s 22nd Anniversary Gala, to be held on Friday, 12 June, 2026, at the J&J Swagat Banquet Convention Centre, in Toronto.

An action-packed programme has been put together for the night, featuring some of the very best artistes in the Toronto scene.

The Skylines, who are classified as ‘the local musical band in Toronto’, will headline the event.

Dirk Tissera and wife Michelle: Supporting Sri Lanka-Canada community events, in Toronto, since launching The Anchorman
in 2002

They have performed and backed many legendary Sri Lanka singers.

According to Dirk, The Skylines can belt out a rhythm with gusto … be it Western, Sinhala or Tamil hits.

Also adding sparkle to the evening will be the legendary Fahmy Nazick, who, with his smooth and velvety vocals, will have the crowd on the floor.

Fahmy who was a household name, back in Sri Lanka, will be flying down from Virginia, USA.

He has captivated audiences in Sri Lanka, the Middle East and North America, and this will be his fourth visit to Toronto – back by popular demand,

Cherry DeLuna, who is described by Dirk as a powerhouse, also makes her appearance on stage and is all set to stir up the tempo with her cool and easy delivery.

“She’s got a great voice and vocal range that has captivated audiences out here”, says Dirk.

Chamil Welikala, said to be one of the hottest DJs in town, will be spinning his magic … in English, Sinhala, Tamil and Latin.

Both Jive and Baila competitions are on the cards among many other surprises on the night of 12 June.

This is The Anchorman’s fifth annual dance in a row – starting from 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 – and both Dirk and Michelle, and The Anchorman, have always produced elegant social events in Toronto.

“We intend to knock this one out of the park,” the duo says, adding that Western music and Sinhala and Tamil songs is something they’ve always delivered and the crowd loves it.

“We have always supported Sri Lanka-Canada community events, in Toronto, since launching The Anchorman, in 2002, and we intend to keep it that way.”

No doubt, there will be a large crowd of Sri Lankans, from all communities, turning up, on 12 June, to support Dirk, Michelle and The Anchorman.

Features

Face Pack for Radiant Skin

Published

23 hours ago

2026/04/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

* Apple and Orange:

Blend a few apple and orange pieces together. Add to it a pinch of turmeric and one tablespoon of honey. Apply it to the face and neck and rinse off after 30 minutes. This face pack is suitable for all skin types.

According to experts, apple is one of the best fruits for your skin health with Vitamin A, B complex and Vitamin C and minerals, while, with the orange peel, excessive oil secretion can be easily balanced.

* Mango and Curd:

Ripe mango pulp, mixed with curd, can be rubbed directly onto the skin to remove dirt and cleanse clogged pores. Rinse off after a few minutes.

Yes, of course, mango is a tasty and delicious fruit and this is the mango season in our part of the world, and it has extra-ordinary benefits to skin health. Vitamins C and E in mangoes protect the skin from the UV rays of the sun and promotes cell regeneration. It also promotes skin elasticity and fights skin dullness and acne, while curd, in combination, further adds to it.

* Grapes and Kiwi:

Take a handful of grapes and make a pulp of it. Simultaneously, take one kiwi fruit and mash it after peeling its skin. Now mix them and add some yoghurt to it. Apply it on your face for few minutes and wash it off.

Here again experts say that kiwi is the best nutrient-rich fruit with high vitamin C, minerals, Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E, while grapes contain flavonoids, which is an antioxidant that protects the skin from free radical damage. This homemade face pack acts as a natural cleanser and slows down the ageing process.