Features

Funny things happened at Guy’s Hospital, London

Published

2 years ago

2024/06/30

(Excerpted from Fallen Leaves by LC Arulpragasam)

While working in Rome, I happened to have severe back problems. Hence in 1970, I was hospitalized in the Rehabilitation Ward of Guy’s Hospital, London, for two months. Since this Ward catered solely to back problems, it was filled mostly with working-class patients, who had hurt their backs by falling off ladders, lifting heavy weights, etc.

In my first days, being confined to bed, I found that a tubby black nurse was going round to other patients and taking money from them. At first, I suspected some nefarious activity; but I found later that they were betting on horses, with the nurse taking their bets to the bookie outside! The nurse was amused that I knew nothing about horses, not knowing their backs from their front, the odds, etc.

Since I was living in Italy at that time, I chose a horse with a fancy Italian name, despite the nurse’s protests that it was a rank outsider, with no chance at all. My horse won at 36 to 1! My fellow patients were very impressed, thinking that this dark horse (dark fellow) knows everything about horses. So they all came to me for tips on the next day’s races – despite my protests that I knew nothing about horses. This left me desperately searching the racing sheets for horses with Italian names – which was my only claim to fame as a punter! I won on the next day; but when I lost for three days in a row, my ‘followers’ cursed and abandoned me as a fraud – which I already knew I was!

Not the tubby nurse, however! We became friends: she would tell me what horses to bet on – and I won, and won. Then we started losing. She came to me and said: ‘Mr. Arul, you are bringing me bad luck. I won’t even tell you the name of the horse: just give me the money and I will bet for you’. So I would give her money, and she would bring me more and more – to the envy of my fellow patients. After a time, I realized that I was not getting any fun out of this. I was fast becoming a ‘kept man’ – kept by the fat jolly nurse, who kept giving me more and more money! So I just gave up my ‘betting’.

By this time, I could stand and walk a bit. So I joined one of my fellow patients as a ‘tea boy’, taking morning-tea to my bed-ridden ‘mates’ (pronounced ‘mites’ by my new cockney friends). My companion ‘tea boy’ became my friend. He was a cockney named ‘Tim’, a ‘malingerer’ like me, who remained in the hospital for a long time. Due to my longer stay, I became the resident pundit on all matters, since among the less educated the more educated man is king! Meanwhile, I was becoming very popular as a ‘tea boy’, while my little knowledge came to be highly regarded. So I was ‘promoted’ to the head of the table at mealtime.

Since I was not under the British National Health Scheme, I had been given a ‘room’, because my insurance was paying for it. This happened to be a glass cubicle, appropriately screened off. This had been the nursing-sister’s room, from which she would keep a controlling eye on her nurses. The nursing-sister would consult me on how best she should run the Ward, while the nurses would duck into my room to flop into my chair – to rest their aching feet. They would then regale me with their stories, ranging from the politics of the Ward to gossip about the other nurses. After one month, I was well versed in the politics and gossip of the Ward.

One day, a nurse asked me whether I could read her palm. Jokingly, I answered, ‘Why not?’ – to my later regret. I had learned from the gossip that this particular nurse had had a serious scare the previous day. When coming to work by tube while still dark, she found herself alone in a carriage with a big man, who was aggressively exposing himself. Fearing sexual assault, she had run out of the carriage at the next station.

Briefed by this gossip, I hinted darkly that she should be careful about a sexual assault one of these days. The nurse was impressed by the ‘accuracy’ of my readings – and my fame as a palmist spread among all the nurses! As for me, I was impaled on my original sin: I could not now refuse other nurses who came to my door. And boy, did they come!

The turning point came, however, when the nursing-sister told me that her prettiest, youngest and brightest nurse was resigning, because she had just found out that she was pregnant. The next day, that same shy, pretty young nurse came blushingly to me to have her palm read. I could not escape now. I had heard earlier from gossip that her husband was a big and jealous man, with a red beard. So I told her that there was a big, jealous man with red hair in her life. Further, looking intently but fraudulently at her palm, I ‘predicted’ that in about eight months’ time, she would have a joyful event in her life.

She ran off happily to tell the others about my amazingly ‘accurate’ predictions! I, on the other hand, was left to contemplate my own chicanery! Since I could not admit to lying all this time, I abruptly declared that I would not read palms anymore – much to the disappointment of those who had missed my wonderful readings!

We had a flutter in our well-ordered cage when a snooty middle class/lower middle-class patient was admitted to our Ward. He talked rudely to the coloured nurses and talked condescendingly down to our working-class patients. He was annoying: delivering unasked, his lofty opinions on every subject. After a couple of days, he challenged everyone to a game of chess, knowing full well that my working-class mates could not play chess. I had to take up the challenge on their behalf.

I was not a great chess player, but I was able to beat him – much to the joy of my ‘mates’. His greatest indignity, however, was yet to come. He had been given strong injections and was confined to bed. When two nurses tried to carry him to another bed, he swore at them because they were coloured. One was the tubby black nurse, who without compunction, ceremoniously dumped him on the floor, leaving him wailing loudly and flailing helplessly, begging to be carried again.

I had entered Guy’s Hospital on the promise of the Consultant (Specialist) that he would cure my back pains within two weeks. When he dragged on my ‘cure’ for two months, I realized that he could not cure me at all. Hence, I insisted on being discharged, against doctors’ advice.

Due to my long stay, I had become the administrative adviser of the nursing-sister-in-charge, the confidante of the nurses, and the friend and leader of my fellow patients. So when the time came to leave, my cockney friend Tim (my fellow ‘tea boy’) came to me with tears in his eyes, saying “Goodbye Harold, we will really miss you”. I was amazed that they had been calling me ‘Harold” all this time, without my realizing it, by mispronouncing my name ‘Arul’. My niece, to whom I had told this story, still calls me ‘Uncle Harold’ – even after 50 years!

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Features

Rethinking global order in the precincts of Nalanda

Published

19 hours ago

2026/04/21

Thilina Walpola

It has become fashionable to criticise the US for its recent conduct toward Iran. This is not an attempt to defend or rationalise the US’s actions. Rather, it seeks to inject perspective into an increasingly a historical debate. What is often missing is institutional memory: An understanding of how the present international order was constructed and the conditions under which it emerged.

The “rules-based order” was forged in the aftermath of two catastrophic wars. Earlier efforts had faltered. Woodrow Wilson’s proposal for a League of Nations after World War I was rejected by the US Senate. Yet, it introduced a lasting premise: International order could be consciously designed, not left solely to shifting power balances. That premise returned after World War II. The Dumbarton Oaks process laid the groundwork for the UN, while Bretton Woods established the global financial architecture.

These frameworks shaped modern norms of security, finance, trade, and governance. The US played the central role in this design, providing leadership even as it engaged selectively- remaining outside certain frameworks while shaping others. This underscored a central reality: Power and principle have always coexisted uneasily within it.

This order most be understood against the destruction that preceded it. Industrial warfare, aerial bombardment, and weapons capable of unprecedented devastation reshaped both the ethics and limits of conflict. The post-war system emerged from this trauma, anchored in a fragile consensus of “never again”, even as authority remained concentrated among five powers.

The rise of China, the re-emergence of India, and the growing assertiveness of Russia and regional powers are reshaping the global balance. Technological disruption and renewed competition over energy and resources are transforming the nature of power. In this environment, some American strategists argue that the US risks strategic drift Iran, in this view, becomes more than a regional issue; it serves as a platform for signalling resolve – not only to Tehran, but to Beijing and beyond. Actions taken in one theatre are intended to shape perceptions of credibility across multiple fronts.

Recent actions suggest that while the US retains unmatched military reach, it has exercised a level of restraint. The avoidance of escalation into the most extreme forms of warfare indicates that certain thresholds in great-power conflict remain intact. If current trends persist-where power increasingly substitutes for principle — this won’t remain a uniquely American dilemma.

Other major powers may face similar choices. As capabilities expand, the temptation to act outside established norms may grow. What begins as a context-specific deviation can harden into accepted practice. This is the paradox of great power transition: What begins as an exception risk becoming a precedent The question now is whether existing systems are capable of renewal. Ad hoc frameworks may stabilise the present, but risk orphaning the future. Without a broader framework, they risk managing disorder rather than designing order. The Dumbarton Oaks process was a structured diplomatic effort shaped by competing visions and compromise. A contemporary equivalent would be more complex, reflecting a more diffuse distribution of power and lower levels of trust Such an effort must include the US, China, India, the EU, Russia, and other key powers.

India could serve as a credible convenor capable of bridging divides. Its position -engaged with multiple powers yet not formally aligned – gives it a degree of convening legitimacy. Nalanda-the world’s first university – offers an appropriate symbolic setting for such dialogue, evoking knowledge exchange across civilisations rather than competition among them.

Milinda Moragoda is a former cabinet minister and diplomat from Sri Lanka and founder of the Pathfinder Foundation, a strategic affairs think tank could be contacted atemail@milinda.org. This article was published in Hindustan Times on 2026.04.19)

By Milinda Moragoda

Features

Father and daughter … and now Section 8

Published

19 hours ago

2026/04/21

Thilina Walpola

Members of Section 8

The combination of father and daughter, Shafi and Jana, as a duo, turned out to be a very rewarding experience, indeed, and now they have advanced to Section 8 – a high-energy, funk-driven, jazz-oriented live band, blending pop, rock, funk, country, and jazz.

Guitar wizard Shafi is a highly accomplished lead guitarist with extensive international experience, having performed across Germany, Australia, the Maldives, Canada, and multiple global destinations.

Shafi: Guitar wizard, at the helm of Section 8

Jana: Dynamic and captivating lead vocalist

He is best known as a lead guitarist of Wildfire, one of Sri Lanka’s most recognised bands, while Jana is a dynamic and captivating lead vocalist with over a decade of professional performing experience.

Jana’s musical journey started early, through choir, laying the foundation for her strong vocal control and confident stage presence.

Having also performed with various local bands, and collaborated with seasoned musicians, Jana has developed a versatile style that blends energy, emotion, and audience connection.

The father and daughter combination performed in the Maldives for two years and then returned home and formed Section 8, combining international stage experience with a sharp understanding of what it takes to move a crowd.

In fact, Shafi and Jana performed together, as a duo, for over seven years, including long-term overseas contracts, building a strong musical partnership and a deep understanding of international audiences and live entertainment standards.

Section 8 is relatively new to the scene – just two years old – but the outfit has already built a strong reputation, performing at private events, weddings, bars, and concerts.

The band is known for its adaptability, professionalism, and engaging stage presence, and consistently delivers a premium live entertainment experience, focused on energy, groove, and audience connection.

Section 8 is also a popular name across Sri Lanka’s live music circuit, regularly performing at venues such as Gatz, Jazzabel, Honey Beach, and The Main Sports Bar, as well as across the southern coast, including Hikkaduwa, Ahangama, Mirissa, and Galle.

What’s more, they performed two consecutive years at Petti Mirissa for their New Year’s gala, captivating international audiences present with high-energy performance, specially designed for large-scale celebrations.

With a strong following among international visitors, the band has become a standout act within the tourist entertainment scene, as well.

Their performances are tailored to diverse audiences, blending international hits with dance-driven sets, while also incorporating strong jazz influences that add depth, musicianship, and versatility to their sound.

The rest of the members of Section 8 are also extremely talented and experienced musicians:

Suresh – Drummer, with over 20 years of international experience.

Dimantha – Keyboardist, with global exposure across multiple countries.

Dilhara – Bassist and multi-instrumentalist, also a composer and producer, with technical expertise.

Features

Celebrations … in a unique way

Published

19 hours ago

2026/04/21

Thilina Walpola

The attraction on 14th July

Rajiv Sebastian could be classified as an innovative performer.

Yes, he certainly has plenty of surprises up his sleeves and that’s what makes him extremely popular with his fans.

Rajiv & The Clan are now 35 years in the showbiz scene and Rajiv says he has plans to celebrate this special occasion … in a unique way!

According to Rajiv, the memories of Clarence, Neville, Baig, Rukmani, Wally and many more, in its original flavour, will be relived on 14th July.

“We will be celebrating our anniversary at the Grand Maitland (in front of the SSC playground) on 14th July, at 7.00pm, and you will feel the inspiration of an amazing night you’ve never seen before,” says Rajiv, adding that all the performers will be dressed up in the beautiful sixties attire, and use musical instruments never seen before.

In fact, Rajiv left for London, last week, and is scheduled to perform at four different venues, and at each venue his outfit is going to be different, he says, with the sarong being very much a part of the scene.