Features

Dr. NM Perera’s days at S. Thomas’ & Ananda Colleges and entry into films

Published

1 year ago

2024/09/15

(Excerpted from NM – in his own words; as seen by others Edited by Prof. Colvin Goonaratna)

Somewhere towards the end of the war in 1918, I left St. Joseph’s School Grandpass, and sought admission to St. Thomas’ College, where my brothers were already boarded. Rev. Stone, who was Warden at the time, suggested that I make my application a year later, after a year at Cathedral Boy’s School, Mutwal, which was a branch of St. Thomas’ at the old premises.

I spent an uneventful year at the school to which I walked from home every morning, a distance of about three miles. My mother gave me 15 cents to spend on my lunch. I generally ate a bun with a cup of plain tea thrown in. Rest of the money I devoted to gram. After school, I trudged back home for a hefty plate of rice.

This school left no impression on me at all. Of the teachers, only one, Mr. Thambimuttu, remains in my memory. He taught me boxing. Mr. Jayasekera also rings a bell in my mind as a person who came occasionally to teach me singing. I made no headway in this.

In 1919, I went to the main College, St. Thomas’, as a boarder at Mount Lavinia. My elder brother, N.S.Perera, was already the Prefect at Coppleston House. My other brother, David, was also in the same House. Quite naturally I found myself installed at this House from the first day. Normally juniors gravitate from the ‘small houses’ like Winchester to the ‘big houses’ like Chapman and Coppleston. I escaped the hierarchical flow.

Coppleston was situated outside the bounds of the college proper. Since dormitory arrangements were still in the incubation stage, a private house was rented out as a dormitory. It was quite an old, somewhat ramshackle building with no running water. All of us had to troop to the well in the morning and there was quite a rush for the early morning ablutions.

There must have been about 40 of us in that ramshackle building with its uncemented floors. We had to march to the dining hall for morning tea and it was quite a sight to see the boys running half-dressed, unkempt, half-washed or unwashed. Some were lacing their boots as they walked, some were buttoning their clothes. Most of us were in various stages of disarray, but quite presentable by the time the hall was reached.

Needed no prodding

Of my school days, the period I spent at S. Thomas’ was the happiest. I look back to this period with genuine nostalgia. I reveled in the outdoor life it offered. As I have adverted earlier, studies came easily to me. I needed no prodding. I did enough to meet the requirements of the form-master and never thought of getting to the top of the class. It was sufficient for me that I was within the first ten.

As soon as school was over, we trooped into the dining hall for a cup of tea and a slice of bread which had a pat of butter. There might have been a sour plantain thrown in but this I cannot remember for certain, but food mattered least to us. We swallowed and gobbled and made a beeline to the cricket ground.

Cricket was the all-absorbing game. We lived for it, talked of it and dreamt of it. College was divided into two clubs. The small club and the big club. The small club was confined to the small boys and fell into four divisions. The smallest began in ‘D’ division. Every now and then, most promising boys were permitted to enter the ‘C’ division. As I showed some talent in cricket, I began with a jump to the ‘C’ division straightaway. From this, the best graduated to the ‘B’ division. From there the next step was ‘A’ division, which was a prelude to big club promotion.

All the best cricketers of the college were at the big club. We, of the small club, dreamt of the day when we would get promoted to the big club and eventually find a place in the first eleven, with the right to wear the college blazer.

Unprecedented feat

I think I made history at the small club of S, Thomas’. I was allocated to the ‘C’ division. Just above us was ‘B’ division which consisted of older boys with more cricketing prowess than us. After a few months the ‘C’ division accomplished an unprecedented and unheard of feat. We challenged the ‘B’ division and beat it handsomely. I take pride in the fact that I had a major hand in it with my bowling.

We were not content to rest on these laurels. We challenged the ‘A’ division and played on a proper matting wicket. The outcome of this match has slipped my memory, but we could not have fared too badly. We did have some good cricketers who blossomed out in college cricket in later years. Not long after this, I was promoted to the big club, but I did not stay long enough to qualify for the first eleven. I left St. Thomas’ for Ananda in 1922.

The whole atmosphere at St. Thomas’ at this time was pleasant and enjoyable. There was never a dull moment. The dormitory master was C. B. Paulick- Pulle who left us severely alone with little or no supervison. On Sunday morning, Rev. Stone, the Warden of the college, walked from his bungalow which was down the road by the railway crossing near the beach. He either played chess with us or draughts. He generally beat the boys at chess, I made up for it by defeating him at draughts.

My attachment to chess was induced by Rev. Stone and I am grateful to him, for it has continued to be a source of enjoyment to date. I never had the time to deviate into competitive chess. It continues to be a delectable relaxation from other work. Warden Stone also had a hand in moulding my educational career. He was responsible for diverting me from science to the classics.

He insisted that I take to Latin and Greek instead of science as my two elder brothers were already science students. We had already been inducted into Latin in fourth form. When I was promoted to the fifth form, which was preparatory to the Junior Cambridge, I was drawn into the study of Greek. I cannot say I was very enthusiastic, nor was I disposed to protest.

My elder brother, N. S. Perera, acquiesced and I fell in line. I can still remember the Greek alphabet, and the only book that has still remained in my memory is Zeno Phon Anabayis. Fortunately for me, I was moved away from St. Thomas’ before I could get absorbed into this dead language.

Gave nicknames to masters

We had some interesting characters as teachers at St. Thomas’. It was a tradition of the College to give nicknames to masters. Mr. C. V. Perera was dubbed ‘Soapa’ because it was said he had come to class half- shaved, and with soap on his face having been driven out of the house by his wife. He was a henpecked husband and generally took revenge by venting his ire on the boys.

He had a habit of slapping the boy nearest to him for a wrong answer given by a boy in the back of the class. Sometimes, he did a round of slapping for no ostensible reason that one can think of. But he

stopped short of the heftier boys who he feared might retaliate. I took the precaution of always sitting next to Dunstan de Silva, a forbidding hefty chap whom ‘Soapa’ never touched. ‘Soapa’ did our Latin and Greek.

Hilary Jansz commanded our respect because he was a strict disciplinarian. He was called ‘Herali’. O.P. Gunaratne, known as ‘La Goone’ because of his penchant for French, was also a strict taskmaster. More amiable was ‘Rambuttan’ Amerasinghe devoted to Mathematics. ‘Holman’ Ohlums was more sedate and easygoing. But on occasion he did a vicious horse-bite on the thighs of boys. Wanigasekera ‘Coolpide’ taught elementary science but was not very impressive. Mr. Arndt was volatile and aloof; he covered English literature and Greek. He had a reputation as a Shakespearean actor. He produced “Twelfth Night”, playing the part of Malvolio. I believe it made quite a hit at the time.

A man whom all of us feared was ” Nain Cotta” Navaratnam, the dormitory master of Chapman house. A short man with a short temper with a biting tongue as vicious as his mien. He kept very much to himself because he was more concerned with his law studies than teaching. He eventually passed on to practice at the bar with some degree of success.

Important watershed in life

I left St. Thomas’ College and joined Ananda in the year 1922, This sudden switch from a missionary

institution to a national institution marked an important watershed in my life. Many reasons contributed to this significant change.

Under the dynamic leadership of Mr. P de S. Kularatne, Ananda was becoming the premier Buddhist educational establishment of the country. More than that, it was in the forefront of education. It outshone other colleges in the results it achieved in public examinations. An outstanding staff gave it a pre- eminence which attracted the best talents of the student population.

Apart from Mr. Kularatne himself, we had such teachers like G. Weeramantry, T.B. Jayah, G.P. Malalasekera, C. Suntheralingam, C. S. Strange, C.V. Ranawaka, William Perera, J.N. Jinendradasa, L.H. Mettananda, G.C. Edirisinghe, etc.

Furthermore, this was the period of Buddhist revival coupled with nationalism. Mr. Kularatne himself had led the way by donning the national dress and discarding the coat and trousers as foreign to our cultural heritage. Doubtless, the ferment in India under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Motilal Nehru, Sapru Malaviya and C.R. Das fired the imagination of an institution like Ananda.

It is no accident that Ananda at this time sponsored distinguished guest speakers such as Mrs. Sarojini Naidu and Dr. Evans Wentz. While Mrs. Sarojini Naidu kindled our national aspirations, Dr. E. Evans Wentz stimulated the Buddhist revival. These were but two facets of the single objective of national regeneration. National independence was a sine qua non for Buddhism to regain its rightful place in the country. This trend of thought got additional stimulus from an address by Mrs. Annie Besant.

Pestering relatives

I was thus catapulted from a carefree world of sport and an alien atmosphere to a new world of intense

nationalism. In my last year at St. Thomas’, I had been smoothly inveigled into becoming a Christian as a result of some slick work on the part of Rev. G. B. Ekanayake. I was rescued just in time by the vigilance of my parents who gently whisked me away from that atmosphere.

The transfer to Ananda was facilitated also by the change of abode from St. Joseph’s Street to Maligakanda. My father decided to run away from his pestering relatives in the Grandpass area and shifted to a rented house in Maligakanda Road. There was the added reason that my elder brother, N. S. Perera, had finished his schooling. All three of us, therefore, left the boarding at Mount Lavinia.

I continued my studies at Ananda. My elder brother, David, dropped out of his studies. N. S. took to teaching for a short while before joining the Survey Department as a probationary Assistant Superintendent of Surveys, one of the first batches I believe opened to Ceylonese.

Student life at Ananda was quite different to the carefree, playful atmosphere of St. Thomas’. As a day scholar, I had not the constant companionship of students that a boarding life offers. I came bang into the problems connected with domestic life. Congested Maligakanda was not an invigorating place. There were no congenial companions close by and the lighthearted happiness I enjoyed at Mount Lavinia had evaporated.

Fortunately, we did not dwell long at Maligakanda. Within the space of a year or so, we shifted to No. 41, Campbell Place, a house with a garden in front and the rear. Father had purchased it and there we felt a sense of relief. Our neighbours were kind and friendly. I was particularly pleased because the college playground was only a few minutes’ walk from home.

With my admission to Ananda, my concentration on studies increased. I cleared both Junior and Senior Cambridge examinations without much effort though I do not think I did anything outstanding. Still, my first love was cricket. The strong predilection that I had for outdoor sport, continued unabated. Football, hockey, athletics and cadeting, all absorbed most of my waking thoughts. Studies were not neglected. I took them in my stride. When I left St. Thomas’, Latin and Greek were also left behind.

Ananda had jettisoned these dead languages and I got propelled into more exciting studies like history and geography. I was pushed into botany and chemistry as well. These latter subjects never caught my fancy, may be because the teachers were not inspiring enough.

At Ananda, after the first year, I was blossoming out as a leader of the students. Apart from the fact that as a cricketer of the first eleven, I commanded some prestige as I participated in more of the extra-curricular activities. Debating societies found in me an active member. At the fair for raising funds for the College, Mr. Kularatne would pick on me for responsible jobs. He felt he could depend on me to do my work without fear or favour.

More formative was the new atmosphere I breathed. I began to grasp the true meaning of Buddhism. Hitherto, it had been just ritual, going to temples with members of the family, reciting gathas and lighting oil lamps. Now, for the first time under the guidance of great teachers like Rev. Ananda Maithriya, Buddhist philosophy broadened my humanism. The reality of the doctrines began to penetrate the innermost recesses of my thinking. It was natural, therefore, that I observed Ata Sil on most Poya days while at Ananda.

Herein lay the great divide. Missionary education was both apolitical and anti-national, not specifically, but insidiously so. An institution like Ananda had a different tone and a different atmosphere. At Ananda, one felt the impact of everything that was happening in the country, to the people of the country. At an institution like St. Thomas’, one felt aloof and immune from the hurly burly of everyday life. I believe this was typical of most missionary schools that functioned during this time.

In this new atmosphere charged with nationalist feelings, the more serious side of my character was being stirred. Ananda was slowly remoulding me. Every discussion, every controversy was stirring something latent in my consciousness. In the not too distant future, these smouldering embers would be kindled and the blazing fire would help devour much of the privileges and injustices of an alien hegemony.

Came a cropper

I came a cropper at the 1924. London Matriculation Examination, the only examination I ever failed. I had offered botany as one of the subjects, and it pulled me down. So much depends on the correct approach of the teacher in stimulating the interest of the subject, that botany never caught my imagination at that time. Looking back, I think this is a pity because it can be a fascinating subject if more field work and less classroom studies are undertaken.

Anyhow, I switched from botany to logic the following year and easily cleared the hurdle. Here, I must pay a tribute to the teacher who made a vital difference to me in my studies. I refer to Mr. G. C. Edirisinghe. He generated a new enthusiasm in the study of history in particular. A keen mind, George, as we fondly called him, had read widely. He was well steeped in Gibbon and had a good grasp of the philosophy of history. He had the capacity to impart the wide knowledge he had imbibed. With history ceasing to be a dull recitation of dates, but a living comprehension of the threads that bind humanity as it moved towards a higher synthesis, I am deeply beholden to him for the help he gave me.

I left Ananda in 1925 after the inter- collegiate cricket season. I captained the team and we did fairly well as a side. We played a number of matches with other big colleges, a privilege which we did not enjoy in previous years. So strong was the prejudice against Ananda by the top missionary colleges.

A gap of five to six months intervened between leaving Ananda and joining the University College.

There was no University then. We had a College affiliated to the London University for the examinations which the students sat. Time would have been weighing on me heavily during this gap, had not chance offered me a stranger and exciting experience.

Mr. Noorbhai of Bambalapitiya had decided to screen a film in Ceylon and engaged a Bengali producer, Mr. Gupta. An advertisement appeared in the local press calling for would be actors and actresses. Partly out of curiosity, partly as a lark, I applied. To my surprise I was interviewed and chosen to take the part of the hero. I was reconciled to be allotted some minor role, and the chief role was more than my wildest dream entertained.

The location of this new film venture was in Joseph Lane, Bambalapitiya. It was a house belonging to Mr. Noorbhai situated quite close to his own abode. At this distance of time I have only a foggy memory of the place and its layout. It was bare of all furniture, and I believe Mr. Gupta, the director, sat cross-legged on a mat and interviewed me. He was a small-made shabbily dressed unimpressive man, whose knowledge about film production could not be rated very high. He wore a dhoti that does not seem to have seen the dhoby for some time.

His appearance was indicative of his limited mental equipment for the onerous task of producing a film. He might have been a technician of some sort from Bengal. Somehow or other, he seems to have inveigled the hardheaded businesses man, Mr. Noorbhai, into embarking on a doubtful venture.

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Features

Trade preferences to support post-Ditwah reconstruction

Published

6 hours ago

2025/12/15

Sahan Weerasooriya

Ditwah disaster

The manner in which the government succeeded in mobilising support from the international community, immediately after the devastating impact of Cyclone Ditwah, may have surprised many people of this country, particularly because our Opposition politicians were ridiculing our “inexperienced” government, in the recent past, for its inability to deal with the international community effectively. However, by now it is evident that the government, with the assistance of the international community and local nongovernmental actors, like major media organisations, has successfully managed the recovery efforts. So, let me begin by thanking them for what they have done so far.

Yet, some may argue that it is not difficult to mobilise the support for recovery efforts from the international community, immediately after any major disaster, and the real challenge is to sustain that support through the next few weeks, months and years. Because the recovery process, more specifically the post-recovery reconstruction process, requires long-term support. So, the government agencies should start immediately to focus on, in addition to initial disaster relief, a longer-term strategy for reconstruction. This is important because in a few weeks’ time, the focus of the global community may shift elsewhere … to another crisis in another corner of the world. Before that happens, the government should take initiatives to get the support from development partners on appropriate policy measures, including exceptional trade preferences, to help Sri Lanka in the recovery efforts through the medium and the long term.

Use of Trade Preferences to support recovery and reconstruction

In the past, the United States and the European Union used exceptional enhanced trade preferences as part of the assistance packages when countries were devastated by natural disasters, similar to Cyclone Ditwah. For example:

After the devastating floods in Pakistan, in July 2010, the EU granted temporary, exceptional trade preferences to Pakistan (autonomous trade preferences) to aid economic recovery. This measure was a de facto waiver on the standard EU GSP (Generalised Scheme of Preferences) rules. The preferences, which were proposed in October 2010 and were applied until the end of 2013, effectively suspended import duties on 75 types of goods, including textiles and apparel items. The available studies on this waiver indicate that though a significant export hike occurred within a few months after the waiver became effective it did not significantly depress exports by competing countries. Subsequently, Pakistan was granted GSP+ status in 2014.
Similarly, after the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal, the United States supported Nepal through an extension of unilateral additional preferences, the Nepal Trade Preferences Programme (NTPP). This was a 10-year initiative to grant duty-free access for up to 77 specific Nepali products to aid economic recovery after the 2015 earthquakes. This was also a de facto waiver on the standard US GSP rules.
Earlier, after Hurricanes Mitch and Georges caused massive devastation across the Caribbean Basin nations, in 1998, severely impacting their economies, the United States proposed a long-term strategy for rebuilding the region that focused on trade enhancement. This resulted in the establishment of the US Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), which was signed into law on 05 October, 2000, as Title II of the Trade and Development Act of 2000. This was a more comprehensive facility than those which were granted to Pakistan and Nepal.

What type of concession should Sri Lanka request from our development partners?

Given these precedents, it is appropriate for Sri Lanka to seek specific trade concessions from the European Union and the United States.

In the European Union, Sri Lanka already benefits from the GSP+ scheme. Under this arrangement Sri Lanka’s exports (theoretically) receive duty-free access into the EU markets. However, in 2023, Sri Lanka’s preference utilisation rate, that is, the ratio of preferential imports to GSP+ eligible imports, stood at 59%. This was significantly below the average utilisation of other GSP beneficiary countries. For example, in 2023, preference utilisation rates for Bangladesh and Pakistan were 90% and 88%, respectively. The main reason for the low utilisation rate of GSP by Sri Lanka is the very strict Rules of Origin requirements for the apparel exports from Sri Lanka. For example, to get GSP benefits, a woven garment from Sri Lanka must be made from fabric that itself had undergone a transformation from yarn to fabric in Sri Lanka or in another qualifying country. However, a similar garment from Bangladesh only requires a single-stage processing (that is, fabric to garment) qualifies for GSP. As a result, less than half of Sri Lanka’s apparel exports to the EU were ineligible for the preferences in 2023.

Sri Lanka should request a relaxation of this strict rule of origin to help economic recovery. As such a concession only covers GSP Rules of Origin only it would impact multilateral trade rules and would not require WTO approval. Hence could be granted immediately by the EU.

United States

Sri Lanka should submit a request to the United States for (a) temporary suspension of the recently introduced 20% additional ad valorem duty and (b) for a programme similar to the Nepal Trade Preferences Programme (NTPP), but designed specifically for Sri Lanka’s needs. As NTPP didn’t require WTO approval, similar concessions also can be granted without difficulty.

Similarly, country-specific requests should be carefully designed and submitted to Japan and other major trading partners.

(The writer is a retired public servant and can be reached at senadhiragomi@gmail.com)

by Gomi Senadhira

Features

Lasting power and beauty of words

Published

6 hours ago

2025/12/15

Sahan Weerasooriya

Novelists, poets, short story writers, lyricists, politicians and columnists use words for different purposes. While some of them use words to inform and elevate us, others use them to bolster their ego. If there was no such thing called words, we cannot even imagine what will happen to us. Whether you like it or not everything rests on words. If the Penal Code does not define a crime and prescribe a punishment, judges will not be able to convict criminals. Even the Constitution of our country is a printed document.

A mother’s lullaby contains snatches of sweet and healing words. The effect is immediate. The baby falls asleep within seconds. A lover’s soft and alluring words go right into his or her beloved. An army commander’s words encourage soldiers to go forward without fear. The British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s words still ring in our ears: “… we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender …”

Writers wax eloquent on love. English novelist John Galsworthy wrote: “Love is no hot-house flower, but a wild plant, born of a wet night, born of an hour of sunshine; sprung from wild seed, blown along the road by a wild wind. A wild plant that, when it blooms by chance within the hedge of our gardens, we call a flower; and when it blooms outside we call a weed; but flower or weed, whose scent and colour are always wild.” While living in a world dominated by technology, we often hear a bunch of words that is colourless and often cut to verbal ribbons – “How R U” or “Luv U.” Such words seem to squeeze the life out of language.

Changing medium

Language is a constantly changing medium. New words and forms arrive and old ones die out. Whoever thought that the following Sinhala words would find a place in the Oxford English Dictionary? “Asweddumize, Avurudu, Baila, Kiribath, Kottu Roti, Mallung, Osari, Papare, Walawwa and Watalappan.” With all such borrowed words the English language is expanding and remains beautiful. The language helps us to express subtle ideas clearly and convincingly.

You are judged by the words you use. If you constantly use meaningless little phrases, you will be considered a worthless person. When you read a well-written piece of writing you will note how words jump and laugh on the paper or screen. Some of them wag their tails while others stand back like shy village belles. However, they serve a useful purpose. Words help us to write essays, poems, short stories and novels. If not for the beauty of the language, nobody will read what you write.

If you look at the words meaningfully, you will see some of them tap dancing while others stand to rigid attention. Big or small, all the words you pen form part of the action or part of the narrative. The words you write make your writing readable and exciting. That is why we read our favourite authors again and again.

Editorials

If a marriage is to succeed, partners should respect and love each other. Similarly, if you love words, they will help you to use them intelligently and forcefully. A recent survey in the United States has revealed that only eight per cent of people read the editorial. This is because most editorials are not readable. However, there are some editorials which compel us to read them. Some readers collect such editorials to be read later.

Only a lover of words would notice how some words run smoothly without making a noise. Other words appear to be dancing on the floor. Some words of certain writers are soothing while others set your blood pounding. There is a young monk who is preaching using simple words very effectively. He has a large following of young people addicted to drugs. After listening to his preaching, most of them have given up using illegal drugs. The message is loud and clear. If there is no demand for drugs, nobody will smuggle them into the country.

Some politicians use words so rounded at the edges and softened by wear that they are no longer interesting. The sounds they make are meaningless and listeners get more and more confused. Their expressions are full of expletives the meaning of which is often soiled with careless use of words.

Weather-making

Some words, whether written or spoken, stick like superglue. You will never forget them. William Vergara in his short essay on weather-making says, “Cloud-seeding has touched off one of the most baffling controversies in meteorological history. It has been blamed for or credited with practically all kinds of weather. Some scientists claim seeding can produce floods and hail. Others insist it creates droughts and dissipates clouds. Still others staunchly maintain it has no effect at all. The battle is far from over, but at last one clear conclusion is beginning to emerge: man can change the weather, and he is getting better at it.”

There are words that nurse the ego and heal the heart. The following short paragraph is a good example. S. Radhakrishnan says, “In every religion today we have small minorities who see beyond the horizon of their particular faith, not through religious fellowship is possible, not through the imposition of any one way on the whole but through an all-inclusive recognition that we are all searchers for the truth, pilgrims on the road, that we all aim at the same ethical and spiritual standard.”

There are some words joined together in common phrases. They are so beautiful that they elevate the human race. In the phrase ‘beyond a shadow of doubt’, ‘a shadow’ connotes a dark area covering light. ‘A doubt’ refers to hesitancy in belief. We use such phrases blithely because they are exquisitely beautiful in their structure. The English language is a repository of such miracles of expression that lead to deeper understanding or emphasis.

Social media

Social media use words powerfully. Sometimes they invent new words. Through the social media you can reach millions of viewers without the intervention of the government. Their opinion can stop wars and destroy tyrants. If you use the right words, you can even eliminate poverty to a great extent.

The choice of using powerful words is yours. However, before opening your mouth, tap the computer, unclip a pen, write a lyric or poem, think twice of the effect of your writing. When you talk with a purpose or write with pleasure, you enrich listeners and readers with your marvellous language skills. If you have a command of the language, you will put across your point of view that counts. Always try to find the right words and change the world for a better place for us to live.

By R. S. Karunaratne
karunaratners@gmail.com

Features

Why Sri Lanka Still Has No Doppler Radar – and Who Should Be Held Accountable

Published

1 day ago

2025/12/14

Thilina Walpola

Eighteen Years of Delay:

Cyclone Ditwah has come and gone, leaving a trail of extensive damage to the country’s infrastructure, including buildings, roads, bridges, and 70% of the railway network. Thousands of hectares of farming land have been destroyed. Last but not least, nearly 1,000 people have lost their lives, and more than two million people have been displaced. The visuals uploaded to social media platforms graphically convey the widespread destruction Cyclone Ditwah has caused in our country.

The purpose of my article is to highlight, for the benefit of readers and the general public, how a project to establish a Doppler Weather Radar system, conceived in 2007, remains incomplete after 18 years. Despite multiple governments, shifting national priorities, and repeated natural disasters, the project remains incomplete.

Over the years, the National Audit Office, the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), and several print and electronic media outlets have highlighted this failure. The last was an excellent five-minute broadcast by Maharaja Television Network on their News First broadcast in October 2024 under a series “What Happened to Sri Lanka”

The Agreement Between the Government of Sri Lanka and the World Meteorological Organisation in 2007.

The first formal attempt to establish a Doppler Radar system dates back to a Trust Fund agreement signed on 24 May 2007 between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). This agreement intended to modernize Sri Lanka’s meteorological infrastructure and bring the country on par with global early-warning standards.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on March 23, 1950. There are 193 member countries of the WMO, including Sri Lanka. Its primary role is to promote the establishment of a worldwide meteorological observation system and to serve as the authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, and the resulting climate and water resources.

According to the 2018 Performance Audit Report compiled by the National Audit Office, the GoSL entered into a trust fund agreement with the WMO to install a Doppler Radar System. The report states that USD 2,884,274 was deposited into the WMO bank account in Geneva, from which the Department of Metrology received USD 95,108 and an additional USD 113,046 in deposit interest. There is no mention as to who actually provided the funds. Based on available information, WMO does not fund projects of this magnitude.

The WMO was responsible for procuring the radar equipment, which it awarded on 18^th June 2009 to an American company for USD 1,681,017. According to the audit report, a copy of the purchase contract was not available.

Monitoring the agreement’s implementation was assigned to the Ministry of Disaster Management, a signatory to the trust fund agreement. The audit report details the members of the steering committee appointed by designation to oversee the project. It consisted of personnel from the Ministry of Disaster Management, the Departments of Metrology, National Budget, External Resources and the Disaster Management Centre.

The Audit Report highlights failures in the core responsibilities that can be summarized as follows:

· Procurement irregularities—including flawed tender processes and inadequate technical evaluations.

· Poor site selection

—proposed radar sites did not meet elevation or clearance requirements.

· Civil works delays

—towers were incomplete or structurally unsuitable.

· Equipment left unused

—in some cases for years, exposing sensitive components to deterioration.

· Lack of inter-agency coordination

—between the Meteorology Department, Disaster Management Centre, and line ministries.

Some of the mistakes highlighted are incomprehensible. There is a mention that no soil test was carried out before the commencement of the construction of the tower. This led to construction halting after poor soil conditions were identified, requiring a shift of 10 to 15 meters from the original site. This resulted in further delays and cost overruns.

The equipment supplier had identified that construction work undertaken by a local contractor was not of acceptable quality for housing sensitive electronic equipment. No action had been taken to rectify these deficiencies. The audit report states, “It was observed that the delay in constructing the tower and the lack of proper quality were one of the main reasons for the failure of the project”.

In October 2012, when the supplier commenced installation, the work was soon abandoned after the vehicle carrying the heavy crane required to lift the radar equipment crashed down the mountain. The next attempt was made in October 2013, one year later. Although the equipment was installed, the system could not be operationalised because electronic connectivity was not provided (as stated in the audit report).

In 2015, following a UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) inspection, it was determined that the equipment needed to be returned to the supplier because some sensitive electronic devices had been damaged due to long-term disuse, and a further 1.5 years had elapsed by 2017, when the equipment was finally returned to the supplier. In March 2018, the estimated repair cost was USD 1,095,935, which was deemed excessive, and the project was abandoned.

COPA proceedings

The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) discussed the radar project on August 10, 2023, and several press reports state that the GOSL incurred a loss of Rs. 78 million due to the project’s failure. This, I believe, is the cost of constructing the Tower. It is mentioned that Rs. 402 million had been spent on the radar system, of which Rs. 323 million was drawn from the trust fund established with WMO. It was also highlighted that approximately Rs. 8 million worth of equipment had been stolen and that the Police and the Bribery and Corruption Commission were investigating the matter.

JICA support and project stagnation

Despite the project’s failure with WMO, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) entered into an agreement with GOSL on June 30, 2017 to install two Doppler Radar Systems in Puttalam and Pottuvil. JICA has pledged 2.5 billion Japanese yen (LKR 3.4 billion at the time) as a grant. It was envisaged that the project would be completed in 2021.

Once again, the perennial delays that afflict the GOSL and bureaucracy have resulted in the groundbreaking ceremony being held only in December 2024. The delay is attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.

The seven-year delay between the signing of the agreement and project commencement has led to significant cost increases, forcing JICA to limit the project to installing only one Doppler Radar system in Puttalam.

Impact of the missing radar during Ditwah

As I am not a meteorologist and do not wish to make a judgment on this, I have decided to include the statement issued by JICA after the groundbreaking ceremony on December 24, 2024.

“In partnership with the Department of Meteorology (DoM), JICA is spearheading the establishment of the Doppler Weather Radar Network in the Puttalam district, which can realize accurate weather observation and weather prediction based on the collected data by the radar. This initiative is a significant step in strengthening Sri Lanka’s improving its climate resilience including not only reducing risks of floods, landslides, and drought but also agriculture and fishery“.

Based on online research, a Doppler Weather Radar system is designed to observe weather systems in real time. While the technical details are complex, the system essentially provides localized, uptotheminute information on rainfall patterns, storm movements, and approaching severe weather. Countries worldwide rely on such systems to issue timely alerts for monsoons, tropical depressions, and cyclones. It is reported that India has invested in 30 Doppler radar systems, which have helped minimize the loss of life.

Without radar, Sri Lanka must rely primarily on satellite imagery and foreign meteorological centres, which cannot capture the finescale, rapidly changing weather patterns that often cause localized disasters here.

The general consensus is that, while no single system can prevent natural disasters, an operational Doppler Radar almost certainly would have strengthened Sri Lanka’s preparedness and reduced the extent of damage and loss.

Conclusion

Sri Lanka’s inability to commission a Doppler Radar system, despite nearly two decades of attempts, represents one of the most significant governance failures in the country’s disastermanagement history.

Audit findings, parliamentary oversight proceedings, and donor records all confirm the same troubling truth: Sri Lanka has spent public money, signed international agreements, received foreign assistance, and still has no operational radar. This raises a critical question: should those responsible for this prolonged failure be held legally accountable?

Now may not be the time to determine the extent to which the current government and bureaucrats failed the people. I believe an independent commission comprising foreign experts in disaster management from India and Japan should be appointed, maybe in six months, to identify failures in managing Cyclone Ditwah.

However, those who governed the country from 2007 to 2024 should be held accountable for their failures, and legal action should be pursued against the politicians and bureaucrats responsible for disaster management for their failure to implement the 2007 project with the WMO successfully.

Sri Lanka cannot afford another 18 years of delay. The time for action, transparency, and responsibility has arrived.

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of any organization or institution with which the author is affiliated).

By Sanjeewa Jayaweera