Features

Wrapping up the biography of Jetwing founder, Herbert Cooray

Published

2 years ago

2024/05/5

Thilina Walpola

Herbert Cooray in his later years

(Excerpted from A Man in His Time: the Jetwing story and the life of Herbert Cooray by Shiromal Cooray)

Standing six feet (180cm) tall and weighing around 220lbs (100kg), Herbert Cooray was a big man in person, as well as in personality. Handsome, despite his habitually casual appearance, his one small vanity was his hair, which remained thick and abundant well beyond middle age. He carried a comb and often used it.

His carriage and mien were such that people rarely failed to notice his presence, yet he was generally quiet and reserved. A business magazine described him as “a gentle, unassuming man with a soft spoken drawl and a charming smile.” If asked for his views, however, or if the matter seemed important enough to demand it, he could be as frank and outspoken as anyone.

Generous to a fault, he was always ready to help anyone in need, whether the petitioner was a friend, a relative, an employee or a complete stranger. Like many charitable people, he did not like to lend money, preferring to make an outright gift of it; he advised his children that, when asked for a loan by anyone, they should offer an amount they could afford to part with forever. He also advised them never to sign any personal guarantee, however pressing the circumstances, and never to violate the laws of the land in order to help somebody or themselves.

Such practical advice was typical of his approach to parenthood; he was not ambitious on his children’s behalf but allowed them to develop their own interests and personalities at their own pace. Praise and blame were both dispensed in moderation. The one thing he insisted on was that Shiromal and Hiran should complete their education.

When asked the question, “For someone who had managed over a dozen hotels singlehanded, and with careful attention to detail, wasn’t it a step in a different direction to relinquish control in the company?” (In fact many entrepreneurs do find it hard to relinquish control). His answer was, “My style of management has always been one of openness and flexibility. Certainly not the pyramid style of management. And I have always worked closely with others, many of them my good friends. So I was never the sole person with all the power. It was a new direction, yes, when my children came in, but the style of management didn’t change at all. I had built up a management team over the years, who could function well with less input from me. I could take a slower role when the children came into the firm, and I enjoyed doing that.”

Herbert encouraged his children to develop their own personalities and not be in his shadow.

Though Herbert worked hard, he made sure to devote time to the care of his family. Sundays were reserved for visits to the children’s grandparents. School holidays meant expeditions with friends to different parts of Sri Lanka, and sometimes abroad as well. He was also a spiritual person though not in the same manner as his wife.

His love of family reflected his own upbringing. He and his mother had always been especially close, and since the old lady had lived to the grand old age of 108, the relationship was also an unusually long one. Recalling his younger days, he liked to speak of the role she had played in shielding him from his father’s wrath in the aftermath of some youthful scrape.

Although he had been a student leader and political activist in his youth, Herbert Cooray was never tempted to involve himself in politics once he had chosen his entrepreneurial vocation. This is not say that he became apolitical with maturity: rather that he regarded his active contribution to politics as completed. As for his own views, he kept those for arguments around the family dining-table, and for deciding how to mark the ballot-paper every election day.

Not currying political favour might have meant missing some lucrative opportunities, but Herbert was all too well aware that such favour often comes with strings attached. Instead, he made it a point that Jetwing should engage with and support national economic and social policy with respect to tourism, the economy and other areas falling within the ambit of the group’s activities with whatever government in power. He was quick to take advantage of investment incentives offered to particular sectors by the government, as a result of which he found himself involved in a diversity of projects outside Jetwing.

Among these was a beautiful commercial orchid plantation he set up at his home during the 1970s, the government of the time trying to promote ‘non- traditional exports: Next, acres of potatoes were farmed on a leasehold land in the remote Knuckles mountain range, a security firm and even a feature film, Dandu Monara which he produced which went on to win many awards.

In 1992, Herbert bought into a finance company. By 1995, he had gained a controlling interest in it. With the help of another young man he saw a great deal of promise in the and he set about turning it into a strong, successful business. Today, Trade Finance and Investments Ltd. is a well-known, profitable and reputable part of Sri Lanka’s financial landscape, and is listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has commended the company for the exemplary manner in which it is run. As a result of the financial sector consolidation plans of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the shares of the company have just been divested to another party in 2014, in keeping with the regulations of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

Herbert Cooray was a man of his time and one ahead – a time when deals were made over a beer or a glass of whiskey and sealed with a handshake. Businessmen of his generation relied far more on their intuition than the managers of today, whose decision-making is supported by powerful analytical and predictive tools, information technology and teams of highly-qualified specialists. Today’s decision-makers are certainly more fully informed than their predecessors, but it is arguable whether or not they are better informed as anyone who has ever had to make an important decision quickly can testify, too much information – too many items to consider – can impede thought rather than facilitate it.

Entrepreneurs in Herbert’s day often had to guess and finesse their way through a project or deal. In the process they acquired a sort of businessman’s intuition, sensitivity to situations and nuance of character that often produced results as good as ‘by-the-numbers’ decision -making we practice in the 21st century. Entrepreneurs have been described as “driven, creative individuals [who] know plenty about battling adversity. They have overcome infrastructure and regulatory hurdles to start their businesses. Often they’ve fulfilled an unsatisfied demand and in many cases, actually built demand by introducing new products to the market.” This is true of Herbert too.

Of course- one could guess wrong. Herbert, no less fallible than the next human being, made his own errors of judgment. He was once used by the new board of directors of an under-par hotel in which Jetwing had a stake: Herbert had brought his people in and turned the hotel round, but was then coaxed to sell the Jetwing stake to the incoming board in exchange for the promise of a long-term management contract. The shares changed hands in a transaction greatly to the new directors’ advantage, but the management contract never materialized.

He made other errors too, and at times was simply overtaken by events. A major hotel project begun during the ceasefire period ran into innumerable delays of a bureaucratic nature; debts built up while opportunity slipped away. By the time the hotel was complete, the tsunami and a resumption of hostilities had sent tourist arrivals plummeting again. It was some time before things could be back on an even keel.

But such are, and have always been, the vicissitudes of entrepreneurship. It is in the long term that the story is told, and in the long term – in the end the story of Herbert Cooray and Jetwing is a story of remarkable success gained through hard work, integrity, pragmatism and self-confidence.

It is a story of which the final sentence has yet to be written. Though Herbert Cooray passed away on June 7, 2008, just two months after his beloved, long-lived mother, his legacy, and the enterprise he built live on; the latter informed and inspirited by the former. For as long as visitors to Sri Lanka find their experience of the country enhanced and their lives enriched by the efforts of Jetwing people – at a hote, in transit or on tour – his spirit will live on, touching the lives of all those who come into contact with his legacy.

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Features

Cricket and the National Interest

Published

14 hours ago

2026/05/5

Sahan Weerasooriya

The appointment of former minister Eran Wickremaratne to chair the Sri Lanka Cricket Transformation Committee is significant for more than the future of cricket. It signals a possible shift in the culture of governance even as it offers Sri Lankan cricket a fighting possibility to get out of the doldrums of failure. There have been glorious patches for the national cricket team since the epochal 1996 World Cup triumph. But these patches of brightness have been few and far between and virtually non-existent over the past decade. At the centre of this disaster has been the failures of governance within Sri Lanka Cricket which are not unlike the larger failures of governance within the country itself. The appointment of a new reform oriented committee therefore carries significance beyond cricket. It reflects the wider challenge facing the country which is to restore trust in public institutions for better management.

The appointment of Eran Wickremaratne brings a professional administrator with a proven track record into the cricket arena. He has several strengths that many of his immediate predecessors lacked. Before the ascent of the present government leadership to positions of power, Eran Wickremaratne was among the handful of government ministers who did not have allegations of corruption attached to their names. His reputation for financial professionalism and integrity has remained intact over many years in public life. With him in the Cricket Transformation Committee are also respected former cricketers Kumar Sangakkara, Roshan Mahanama and Sidath Wettimuny together with professionals from legal and business backgrounds. They have been tasked with introducing structural reforms and improving transparency and accountability within cricket administration.

A second reason for this appointment to be significant is that this is possibly the first occasion on which the NPP government has reached out to someone associated with the opposition to obtain assistance in an area of national importance. The commitment to bipartisanship has been a constant demand from politically non-partisan civic groups and political analysts. They have voiced the opinion that the government needs to be more inclusive in its choice of appointments to decision making authorities. The NPP government’s practice so far has largely been to limit appointments to those within the ruling party or those considered loyalists even at the cost of proven expertise. The government’s decision in this case therefore marks a potentially important departure.

National Interest

There are areas of public life where national interest should transcend party divisions and cricket, beloved of the people, is one of them. Sri Lanka cannot afford to continue treating every institution as an arena for political competition when institutions themselves are in crisis and public confidence has become fragile. It is therefore unfortunate that when the government has moved positively in the direction of drawing on expertise from outside its own ranks there should be a negative response from sections of the opposition. This is indicative of the absence of a culture of bipartisanship even on issues that concern the national interest. The SJB, of which the newly appointed cricket committee chairman was a member objected on the grounds that politicians should not hold positions in sports administration and asked him to resign from the party. There is a need to recognise the distinction between partisan political control and the temporary use of experienced administrators to carry out reform and institutional restructuring. In other countries those in politics often join academia and civil society on a temporary basis and vice versa.

More disturbing has been the insidious campaign carried out against the new cricket committee and its chairman on the grounds of religious affiliation. This is an unacceptable denial of the reality that Sri Lanka is a plural, multi ethnic and multi religious society. The interim committee reflects this diversity to a reasonable extent. The country’s long history of ethnic conflict should have taught all political actors the dangers of mobilising communal prejudice for short term political gain. Sri Lanka paid a very heavy price for decades of mistrust and division. It would be tragic if even cricket administration became another arena for communal suspicion and hostility. The present government represents an important departure from the sectarian rhetoric that was employed by previous governments. They have repeatedly pledged to protect the equal rights of all citizens and not permit discrimination or extremism in any form.

The recent international peace march in Sri Lanka led by the Venerable Bhikkhu Thich Paññākāra from Vietnam with its message of loving kindness and mindfulness to all resonated strongly with the masses of people as seen by the crowds who thronged the roadsides to obtain blessings and show respect. This message stands in contrast to the sectarian resentment manifested by those who seek to use the cricket appointments as a weapon to attack the government at the present time. The challenges before the Sri Lanka Cricket Transformation Committee parallel the larger challenges before the government in developing the national economy and respecting ethnic and religious diversity. Plugging the leaks and restoring systems will take time and effort. It cannot be done overnight and it cannot succeed without public patience and support.

New Recognition

There is also a need for realism. The appointment of Eran Wickremaratne and the new committee does not guarantee success. Reforming deeply flawed institutions is always difficult. Besides, Sri Lanka is a small country with a relatively small population compared to many other cricket playing nations. It is also a country still recovering from the economic breakdown of 2022 which pushed the majority of people into hardship and severely weakened public institutions. The country continues to face unprecedented challenges including the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah and the wider global economic uncertainties linked to conflict in the Middle East. Under these difficult circumstances Sri Lanka has fewer resources than many larger countries to devote to both cricket and economic development.

When resources are scarce they cannot be wasted through corruption or incompetence. Drawing upon the strengths of all those who are competent for the tasks at hand regardless of party affiliation or ethnic or religious identity is necessary if improvement is to come sooner rather than later. The burden of rebuilding the country cannot rest only on the government. The crisis facing the country is too deep for any single party or government to solve alone. National recovery requires capable individuals from across society and from different sectors such as business and civil society to work together in areas where the national interest transcends party politics. There is also a responsibility on opposition political parties to support initiatives that are politically neutral and genuinely in the national interest. Not every issue needs to become a partisan battle.

Sri Lanka cricket occupies a special place in the national consciousness. At its best it once united the country and gave Sri Lankans a sense of pride and international recognition. Restoring integrity and professionalism to cricket administration can therefore become part of the larger task of national renewal. The appointment of Eran Wickremaratne and the new committee, while it does not guarantee success, is a sign that the political leadership and people of the country may be beginning to mature in their approach to governance. In recognising the need for competence, integrity and bipartisan cooperation and extending it beyond cricket into other areas of national life, Sri Lanka may find the way towards more stable and successful governance..

by Jehan Perera

Features

From Dhaka to Sri Lanka, three wheels that drive our economies

Published

14 hours ago

2026/05/5

Sahan Weerasooriya

Court vacation this year came with an unexpected lesson, not from a courtroom but from the streets of Dhaka — a city that moves, quite literally, on three wheels.

Above the traffic, a modern metro line glides past concrete pillars and crowded rooftops. It is efficient, clean and frequently cited as a symbol of progress in Bangladesh. For a visitor from Sri Lanka, it inevitably brings to mind our own abandoned light rail plans — a project debated, politicised and ultimately set aside.

But Dhaka’s real story is not in the air. It is on the ground.

Beneath the elevated tracks, the streets belong to three-wheelers. Known locally as CNGs, they cluster at junctions, line the edges of markets and pour into narrow roads that larger vehicles avoid. Even with a functioning rail system, these three-wheelers remain the city’s most dependable form of everyday transport.

Within hours of arriving, their importance becomes obvious. The train may take you across the city, but the journey does not end there. The last mile — often the most complicated part — belongs entirely to the three-wheeler. It is the vehicle that gets you home, to a meeting or simply through streets that no bus route properly serves.

There is a rhythm to using them. A destination is mentioned, a price is suggested and a brief negotiation follows. Then the ride begins, edging into traffic that feels permanently compressed. Drivers move with instinct, adjusting routes and squeezing through gaps with a confidence built over years.

It is not polished. But it works.

And that is where the comparison with Sri Lanka becomes less about what we lack and more about what we already have.

Back home, the three-wheeler has long been part of daily life — so familiar that it is often discussed only in terms of its problems. There are frequent complaints about fares, refusals or the absence of meters. More recently, the industry itself has become entangled in politics — from fuel subsidies to regulatory debates, from election-time promises to periodic crackdowns.

In that process, the conversation has shifted. The three-wheeler is often treated as a problem to be managed, rather than a service to be strengthened.

Yet, seen through the experience of Dhaka, Sri Lanka’s system begins to look far more settled — and, in many ways, ahead.

There is a growing structure in place. Meters, while not perfect, are widely recognised. Ride-hailing apps have added transparency and reduced uncertainty for passengers. There are clearer expectations on both sides — driver and commuter alike. Even small details, such as designated parking areas in parts of Colombo or the increasing standard of vehicles, point to an industry slowly moving towards professionalism.

Just as importantly, there is a human element that remains intact.

In Sri Lanka, a three-wheeler ride is rarely just a transaction. Drivers talk. They offer directions, comment on the day’s news, or share local knowledge. The ride becomes part of the social fabric, not just a means of getting from one point to another.

In Dhaka, the scale of the city leaves less room for that. The interaction is quicker, more direct, shaped by urgency. The service is essential, but it is under constant pressure.

What stands out, across both countries, is that the three-wheeler is not a temporary or outdated mode of transport. It is a necessity in dense, fast-growing Asian cities — one that fills gaps no rail or bus system can fully address.

Large infrastructure projects, like light rail, are important. They bring efficiency and long-term capacity. But they cannot replace the flexibility of a three-wheeler. They cannot reach into narrow streets, respond instantly to demand or provide that crucial last-mile connection.

That is why, even in a city that has invested heavily in modern rail, Dhaka still runs on three wheels.

For Sri Lanka, the lesson is not simply about what could have been built, but about what should be better managed and valued.

The three-wheeler industry does not need to be politicised at every turn. It needs steady regulation — clear fare systems, proper licensing, safety standards — alongside encouragement and recognition. It needs to be seen as part of the solution to urban transport, not as a side issue.

Because for thousands of drivers, it is a livelihood. And for millions of passengers, it is the most immediate and reliable form of mobility.

The tuk-tuk may not feature in grand policy speeches or infrastructure blueprints. It does not run on elevated tracks or attract international attention. But on the ground, where daily life unfolds, it continues to do what larger systems often struggle to do — show up, adapt and keep moving.

And after watching Dhaka’s streets — crowded, relentless, yet functioning — that small, three-wheeled vehicle feels less like something to argue over and more like something to get right.

(The writer is an Attorney-at-Law with over a decade of experience specialising in civil law, a former Board Member of the Office of Missing Persons and a former Legal Director of the Central Cultural Fund. He holds an LLM in International Business Law)

by Sampath Perera recently in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Features

Dubai scene … opening up

Published

14 hours ago

2026/05/5

Sahan Weerasooriya

Seven Notes: Operating in Dubai

According to reports coming my way, the entertainment scene, in Dubai, is very much opening up, and buzzing again!

After a quieter few months, May is packed with entertainment and the whole scene, they say, is shifting back into full swing.

The Seven Notes band, made up of Sri Lankans, based in Dubai, are back in the spotlight, after a short hiatus, due to the ongoing Middle East problems.

On 18th April they did Legends Night at Mercure Hotel Dubai Barsha Heights; on Thursday, 9th May, they will be at the Sports Bar of the Mercure Hotel for 70s/80s Retro Night; on 6th June, they will be at Al Jadaf Dubai to provide the music for Sandun Perera live in concert … and with more dates to follow.

These events are expected to showcase the band’s evolving sound, tighter stage coordination, and stronger audience engagement.

With each performance, the band aims to refine its identity and build a loyal following within Dubai’s vibrant nightlife and event scene.

Pasindu Umayanga: The group’s new vocalist

What makes Seven Notes standout is their versatility which has made the band a dynamic and promising act.

With a growing performance calendar, new talent integration, and international ambitions, the band is definitely entering a defining phase of its journey.

Dubai’s music industry, I’m told, thrives on diversity, energy, and audience connection, with live bands playing a crucial role in elevating events—from corporate shows to private concerts. Against this backdrop, Seven Notes is positioning itself not just as another band, but as a performance-driven musical unit focused on consistency and growth.

Adding fresh momentum to the group is Pasindu Umayanga who joins Seven Notes as their new vocalist. This move signals a strategic upgrade—not just filling a role, but strengthening the band’s front-line presence.

Looking beyond local stages, Seven Notes is preparing for an international tour, to Korea, in July.

Bassist Niluk Uswaththa: Spokesperson for Seven Notes

According to bassist Niluk Uswaththa, taking a band abroad means: Your sound must hold up against unfamiliar audiences, your performance must translate beyond language, and your discipline must be at a professional level.

“If executed well, this tour could redefine Seven Notes from a local band into an emerging international act,” added Niluk.

He went on to say that Dubai is not an easy market. It’s saturated with highly experienced, multi-genre bands that can adapt instantly to any crowd.

“To stand out consistently you need to have tight rehearsal discipline, unique sound identity (not just covers), strong stage chemistry, audience retention – not just applause.”

No doubt, Seven Notes is entering a critical growth phase—new member, multiple shows, and an international tour on the horizon. The opportunity is real, but so is the pressure.

However, there is talk that Seven Notes will soon be a recognised name in the regional music scene.