Features
Peradeniya, President of the Students Council and kidnapping Sir. Ivor Jennings
(Excerpted from The Jetwing Story and the life of Herbert Cooray by Shiromal Cooray)
Herbert Cooray joined the University of Ceylon in 1946. The university, then graduating its second generation of students, had had a slow start. Approved by the colonial government in 1912, it had not opened its doors until 1921, and still operated as a single college in Colombo. Herbert was among the first batch of students to be transferred to its new campus, recently opened at Peradeniya, by Queen Elizabeth II.
The schoolboy rebel found in the open atmosphere of university life a more appropriate theatre for his periodic confrontations with authority. Students, unlike schoolboys, are nominal adults whose right to speak out on matters of adult concern is assumed. Herbert, who had always chafed under the restraints of authority and convention, was quickly swept up by the nationalist, anti-imperial feeling then prevalent among young Ceylonese intellectuals.
His natural aversion to colonial customs and traditions flourished in this friendly soil. Soon, he was a highly visible campus activist and a candidate for president of the Students’ Council. He was also a member of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, a Trotskyite movement which he joined in 1952.
The election campaign for the presidency was Herbert Cooray’s baptism into the public eye.
It was an era of firebrands – A.E. Goonasinha, the trade-union boss and populist demagogue, set the pattern and Herbert soon showed himself as incendiary as any that came before him. By then it was 1948, and Ceylon had already gained its independence, yet nationalist sentiment was, if anything, more fervent than ever. Education and education policy became battlegrounds of ideology, and university intellectuals saw themselves as being in the forefront of the struggle. Yet the pace of change was too slow for young Herbert Cooray; his presidential campaign was founded on a platform of ‘out with the old, in with the new’.
He and his supporters worked hard, even frantically, to get him elected. While the committees he appointed set about the tasks of manifesto writing, canvassing and propaganda, Herby talked himself hoarse on platforms and in lecture halls. His funds were scanty, and he could only afford to serve tea without milk a brew whose astringency complemented his fiery speechmaking at his meetings. But people came anyway, and when the election was held and the results tallied, Herbert Cooray was found to have won the presidency of the Student’s Council of the University of Ceylon.
Thus began a difficult time for Sir Ivor Jennings, Vice-Chancellor, a man who might be thought to have had enough on his plate already. In addition to cajoling politicians, acting as a peacemaker between wrangling bureaucrats and fielding brickbats from the popular press, Sir Ivor now became the hapless object of Herbert’s unionist demands and protest campaigns. On one occasion, he was actually taken hostage by the youthful unionist and his colleagues.
Doubtless the incident was memorable for all concerned; certainly Herbert loved to regale his friends in later years with stories of how he waited in ambush with his fellow activists, followed the VC’s car down the drive, intercepted the poor man as he alighted from the vehicle and escorted him to the room where he was to be (albeit briefly) incarcerated.
Herbert also took great pride in having organized the first student strike at the university. The action earned him the wrath of his father, but by this time Herbert was well accustomed to the rebukes of his elders. His father often worried what new scrape his son would get into. In his own mind Herbert was certain of the rightness of his cause; moreover, his fellow activists and students admired and looked up to him. Many remained his firm friends for life, even as they built their own eminent and influential careers in business, politics and public service.
Amidst all this revolutionary ferment, Herbert Cooray never forgot the lesson he had learnt, many years before, from a caustic Christian Brother. He remained a dedicated student of sociology, displaying a talent for the subject that led one of his professors, James Bryce, to enlist his assistance in researching material for a monograph on the Ceylonese caste system. The book, when it appeared, carried a generous acknowledgment of Herbert’s contribution. The experience also sparked an interest in Herbert himself, who would continue to be intrigued by caste for the rest of his life.
He then dropped out of University, just before his final exams. This was followed by a brief spell at Law College, notable mostly in that it was here he first met the Perera family consisting of three brothers and a sister, with whom he forged lifelong friendships. Fellow Catholics hailing from Kotahena, the Pereras treated Herbert as a member of their own family. The second-oldest brother, Lucien, would later become his lawyer, confidante and business partner.
Uncertain about what career to follow, Herbert left Law College and took up a position teaching English at Gurukula Vidyalaya, Kelaniya. But the job lacked stimulation, so he decided to give the mercantile sector a try. Along with two similarly-placed friends, he joined Harrison & Crossfield’s as an Insurance Executive- essentially a salesman who received an inadequate salary eked out with commissions on the policies he sold.
He enjoyed the work and the freedom of having an income of his own, but what impressed him most was the clear link between effort and reward – the better and harder you worked, the more you earned. An instinctive meritocrat from childhood onward, Herbert had found his metier. The year was 1956, and the transformation from student socialist to successful entrepreneurial capitalist had begun.
With his first salary and commission Herbert bought a Rolex watch, which he lovingly wore for over 40 years before handing it on to his son Hiran. The watch, which cost him Rs.750, was recently valued in Switzerland; the appreciation in it was phenomenal. It was the first of many canny investments by the former campus radical.
To his parents, eager to see their restless son settle down, even a salesman’s job must have seemed like relative stability. At any rate, the job made their gainfully employed son a suitable marital prospect. In those days, Sri Lankans usually married by arrangement, and Herbert had already received several proposals. One of these bore fruit just before his 28th birthday, at All Saint’s Church, Borella, on January 17, 1957, Herbert Cooray wed Josephine Perera, a pretty 21-year old, whose father was a landowner and businessman with interests that included a bus company, coir milling and brick manufacturing. An appropriate match for the son of a building contractor!
The wedding was followed by a reception at Galle Face Hotel, after which the newlyweds began their life together at Herbert’s parents’ home in Ragama. By this time Neville- the sedate, steady elder brother who had graduated as a doctor, was married and had left the family home, leaving his parents and his younger sister Lilian. However, the family was soon to be augmented by the birth of Herbert’s first daughter, Shiromal. Needing more space, the couple moved into a house of their own at Dankotuwa in 1959, a gift from Josephine’s father. There they would stay until Herbert built his own home at Mattumagala, Welisera in 1962.
Gone were the days of rebellion and confrontation. Newly settled, Herbert now channeled his restless spirit into a penchant for travel and adventure. As a member of the LSSP, he had already visited Moscow as a youth delegate to the Annual Party Conference in 1956. Now he wanted to see more of the world. His wife, newly delivered of a baby girl, could not travel with him; instead, his traveling companions were two former university colleagues, Bandu Manukulasuriya and Sanath Saparamadu. They, too, were newly married with young families, but the prospect of a Grand World Tour was irresistible.
The trio bought one-way tickets to the UK, arriving there in early 1959. They toured the British Isles, afterwards taking the ferry to France. In Paris Herbert bought himself a brand new Peugeot 203, which became their conveyance for the rest of the tour. The doughty Peugeot carried them faithfully through many adventures and escapades along a route that took in Eastern Europe, the USSR, Afghanistan and finally India, whence a second ferry carried them to Jaffna and home.
The long journey forged a lasting bond between car and driver; though he owned many other cars (Peugeots, mainly!), the old 203 was used occasionally until the late 1980s. It even helped him start his first business, being offered as collateral to secure a bank loan in order to fulfill a building contract, in 1963.
Whatever the make of Herbert’s cars, they tended to be red. His fondness for the colour was a memento of his Bolshevik years perhaps- and also, perhaps a private, ironic comment on how far he had traveled in life since those early, idealistic days.
His father continued to worry about his younger son and wished he would settle down soon. He confided to a friend, “One day he will do me proud!”. Unfortunately his father passed away in 1964, just two years after Herbert had set up his first company, N J Cooray Builders Ltd. Herbert’s mother, a woman of great substance and courage, whom he adored and took great care of until her death, just two months prior to his own demise, believed in her son and was a constant support throughout his life. Herbert would recall the many escapades that got him into trouble with his father and then the mother coming into rescue him from further wrath.
Features
High govt. revenue and low foreign exchange reserves High foreign exchange reserves and low govt. revenue!
Government has permitted, after several years, the import of motor cars. Imports, including cars, were cut off because the government then wisely prioritised importing other commodities vital to the everyday life of the general public. It is fair to expect that some pent-up demand for motor vehicles has developed. But at what prices? Government seems to have expected that consumers would pay much higher prices than had prevailed earlier.
The rupee price of foreign exchange had risen by about half from Rs.200 per US$ to Rs.300. In those years, the cost of production of cars also had risen. The government dearly wanted more revenue to meet increasing government expenditure. Usually, motor cars are bought by those with higher incomes or larger amounts of wealth. Taxes on the purchase of cars probably promote equity in the distribution of incomes. The collection of tax on motor cars is convenient. What better commodity to tax?
The announced price of a Toyota Camry is about Rs.34 million. Among us, a Camry is usually bought by those with a substantially higher income than the average middle-income earner. It is not a luxury car like a Mercedes Benz 500/ BMW 700i. Yes, there are some Ferrari drivers. When converted into US dollars, the market price of a Camry 2025 in Sri Lankan amounts to about $110,000. The market price of a Camry in US is about $34,000, where it is usually bought by income earners in the middle-middle class: typically assistant professors in state universities or young executives. Who in Lanka will buy a Camry at Rs.34 million or $110,000 a piece?
How did Treasury experts expect high revenue from the import of motor cars? The price of a Toyota Camry in US markets is about $34,000. GDP per person, a rough measure of income per person in US, was about $ 88,000 in 2024. That mythical ‘average person’ in US in 2024, could spend about 2.5 month’s income and buy a Toyota Camry. Income per person, in Lanka in 2024, was about $ 4,000. The market price of a Camry in Lanka is about $ 133,000. A person in Lanka must pay 33 years of annual income to buy a Toyota Camry in 2025.
Whoever imagined that with those incomes and prices, there would be any sales of Camry in Lanka? After making necessary adjustments (mutatis mutandis), Toyota Camry’s example applies to all import dues increases. Higher import duties will yield some additional revenue to government. How much they will yield cannot be answered without much more work. High import duties will deter people from buying imported goods. There will be no large drawdown of foreign exchange; nor will there be additional government revenue: result, high government foreign exchange reserves and low government revenue.
For people to buy cars at such higher prices in 2025, their incomes must rise substantially (unlikely) or they must shift their preferences for motor cars and drop their demand for other goods and services. There is no reason to believe that any of those changes have taken place. In the 2025 budget, government has an ambitious programme of expenditure. For government to implement that programme, they need high government revenue. If the high rates of duties on imports do not yield higher government revenue as hypothesised earlier, government must borrow in the domestic market. The economy is not worthy of raising funds in international capital markets yet.
If government sells large amounts of bonds, the price of all bonds will fall, i.e. interest rates will rise, with two consequences. First, expenditure on interest payments by government will rise for which they would need more revenue. Second, high interest rates may send money to banks rather than to industry. Finding out how these complexities will work out needs careful, methodically satisfactory work. It is probable that if government borrows heavily to pay for budgetary allocations, the fundamental problem arising out of heavy public debt will not be solved.
The congratulatory comments made by the Manager of IMF applied to the recent limited exercise of handling the severity of balance of payments and public debt problems. The fundamental problem of paying back debt can be solved only when the economy grows fast enough (perhaps 7.5 % annually) for several years. Of that growth, perhaps, half (say 4 % points) need to be paid back for many years to reduce the burden of external debt.
Domestic use of additional resources can increase annually by no more than 3.5 percent, even if the economy grows at 7.5 percent per year. Leaders in society, including scholars in the JJB government, university teachers and others must highlight the problems and seek solutions therefor, rather than repeat over and over again accounts of the problem itself.
Growth must not only be fast and sustained but also exports heavy. The reasoning is as follows. This economy is highly import-dependent. One percent growth in the economy required 0.31% percent increase in imports in 2012 and 0. 21 percent increase in 2024. The scarcity of imports cut down the rate of growth of the economy in 2024. Total GDP will not catch up with what it was in (say) 2017, until the ratio of imports to GDP rises above 30 percent.
The availability of imports is a binding constraint on the rate of growth of the economy. An economy that is free to grow will require much more imports (not only cement and structural steel but also intermediate imports of many kinds). I guess that the required ratio will exceed 35 percent. Import capacity is determined by the value of exports reduced by debt repayments to the rest of the world. The most important structural change in the economy is producing exports to provide adequate import capacity. (The constant chatter by IMF and the Treasury officials about another kind of structural change confuses the issue.) An annual 7.5 percent growth in the economy requires import capacity to grow by about 2.6 percent annually.
This economy needs, besides, resources to pay back accumulated foreign debt. If servicing that accumulation requires, takes 4% points of GDP, import capacity needs to grow by (about) 6.6 percent per year, for many years. Import capacity is created when the economy exports to earn foreign exchange and when persons working overseas remit substantial parts of their earnings to persons in Lanka. Both tourism and remittances from overseas have begun to grow robustly. They must continue to flow in persistently.
There are darkening clouds raised by fires in prominent markets for exports from all countries including those poor. This is a form of race to the bottom, which a prominent economist once called ‘a policy to beggar thy neighbour (even across the wide Pacific)’. Unlike the thirty years from 1995, the next 30 years now seem fraught with much danger to processes of growth aided by open international trade. East Asian economies grew phenomenally by selling in booming rich markets, using technology developed in rich countries.
Lanka weighed down with 2,500 years of high culture ignored that reality. The United States of America now is swinging with might and main a wrecking ball to destroy that structure which they had put up, one thought foolishly, with conviction. Among those storms, many container ships would rather be put to port than brave choppy seas. High rates of growth in export earnings seem a bleak prospect. There yet may be some room in the massive economies of China and India.
Consequently, it is fanciful to expect that living conditions will improve rapidly, beginning with the implementation of the 2025 budget. It will be a major achievement if the 2025 budget is fully implemented, as I have argued earlier. Remarkable efforts to cut down on extravagance, waste and the plunder of public funds will help, somewhat; but not enough. IMF or not, there is no way of paying back accumulated debt without running an export surplus sufficient to service debt obligations.
Exports are necessary to permit the economy to pay off accumulated debt and permit some increase in the standard of living. Austerity will be the order of the day for many years to come. It is most unlikely that the next five years will usher in prosperity.
By Usvatte-aratchi
An Ikebana exhibition in aid of pediatric cancer patients
This Ikebana exhibition by the members of Ikebana International Sri Lanka Chapter #262, brings this ancient art form to life in support of a deeply meaningful cause: aiding the Pediatric Cancer ward of the Apeksha Cancer Hospital, Maharagama and offering hope to young warriors in their fight against illness.
Graceful, delicate, and filled with meaning—Ikebana, the Japanese art of floral arrangement, is more than just an expression of beauty; it is a reflection of life’s resilience and harmony. “Blossoms of Hope”, is a special Ikebana exhibition, on 29th March from 11a.m. to 7p.m. and 30th March from 10a.m. to 6p.m. at the Ivy Room, Cinnamon Grand Hotel and demonstrations will be from 4p.m. to 5p.m. on both days.
Each floral arrangement in this exhibition is a tribute to strength, renewal, and love. Carefully crafted by skilled Ikebana artists, who are members of the Chapter. These breathtaking displays symbolize the courage of children battling cancer, reminding us that even in adversity, beauty can bloom. The graceful lines, vibrant hues, and thoughtful compositions of Ikebana echo the journey of resilience, inspiring both reflection and compassion.
Visitors will not only experience the tranquility and elegance of Japanese floral art but will also have the opportunity to make a difference. Proceeds from “Blossoms of Hope” will go towards enhancing medical care, providing essential resources, and creating a more comforting environment for young patients and their families.
This exhibition is more than an artistic showcase—it is a gesture of kindness, a symbol of solidarity, and a reminder that hope, like a flower, can grow even in the most unexpected places. By attending and supporting “Blossoms of Hope”, you become a part of this journey, helping to bring light and joy into the lives of children who need it most.
Join in celebrating art, compassion, and the Power of Hope—one flower at a time.
The famous St. Anthony’s Church feast this year was held on 14 and 15 March. St. Anthony, as per Catholic belief, gives protection and looks after fishermen and seafarers like me. Many Buddhist seafarers are believers in St. Anthony and they usually keep a statue of the saint in their cabins in the ship or craft.
St. Anthony died on 13th June 1231 at age of 35 years, at Padua in Holy Roman Empire and was canonized on 30 May 1232 by Pope Gregory IX.
I was unable to attend last year’s feast as I was away in Pakistan as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner. I was more than happy to learn that Indians were also attending the feast this year and there would be 4,000 devotees.
I decided to travel to Kankesanturai (KKS) Jaffna by train and stay at my usual resting place, Fort Hammenhiel Resort, a Navy-run boutique hotel, which was once a prison, where JVP leaders, including Rohana Wijeweera were held during the 1971 insurrection. I was fortunate to turn this fort on a tiny islet in Kytes lagoon into a four-star boutique hotel and preserve Wijeweera’s handwriting in 2012, when I was the Commander Northern Naval Area.
I invite you to visit Fort Hammenhiel during your next trip to Jaffna and see Wijeweera’s handwriting.
The train left Colombo Fort Railway Station on time (0530 hrs/14th) and reached KKS at 1410 hrs. I was highly impressed with the cleanliness and quality of railway compartments and toilets. When I sent a photograph of my railway compartment to my son, he texted me asking “Dad, are you in an aircraft or in a train compartment? “
Well done Sri Lanka Railways! Please keep up your good work. No wonder foreign tourists love train rides, including the famous Ella Odyssey.
Travelling on board a train is comfortable, relaxed and stress free! As a frequent traveller on A 9 road to Jaffna, which is stressful due to oncoming heavy vehicles on. This was a new experience and I enjoyed the ride, sitting comfortably and reading a book received from my friend in New York- Senaka Senaviratne—’Hillbilly Elegy’ by US Vice President JD Vance. The book is an international best seller.
My buddy, Commodore (E) Dissanayake (Dissa), a brilliant engineer who built Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Plants for North, North Central and North Western provinces to help prevent chronic kidney disease is the Commodore Superintendent Engineering in the Northern Naval Area. He was waiting at the KKS railway station to receive me.
I enjoyed a cup of tea at Dissa’s chalet at our Northern Naval Command Headquarters in KKS and proceeded to Fort Hammenhiel at Karainagar, a 35-minute drive from KKS.
The acting Commanding Officer of Karainagar Naval Base (SLNS ELARA) Commander Jayawardena (Jaye) was there at Fort Hammenhiel Restaurant to have late lunch with me.
Jaye was a cadet at Naval and Maritime Academy, (NMA) Trincomalee, when I was Commandant in 2006, NMA was under artillery fire from LTTE twice, when those officers were cadets and until we destroyed enemy gun positions, and the army occupied Sampoor south of the Trincomalee harbour. I feel very proud of Jaye, who is a Commander now (equal to Army rank Lieutenant Colonel) and Commanding a very important Naval Base in Jaffna.
The present Navy Commander Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda had been in SLNS ELARA a few hours before me and he had left for the Delft Island on an inspection tour.
Commander Jaye was very happy because his Divisional Officer, when he was a cadet, was Vice Admiral Kanchana (then Lieutenant Commander). I had lunch and rested for a few hours before leaving Karainagar in an Inshore Patrol Craft heading to Kachchativu Island by1730 hrs.
The sea was very calm due to inter-monsoon weather and we reached Kachchativu Island by 1845 hrs. Devotees from both Sri Lanka and India had already reached the island. The Catholic Bishop of Sivagangai Diocese, Tamil Nadu India His Eminence Lourdu Anandam and Vicar General of Jaffna Diocese Very Rev Fr. PJ Jabaratnam were already there in Kachchativu together with more than 100 priests and nuns from Sri Lanka and India. It was a solid display of brotherhood of two neighbouring nations united together at this tiny island to worship God. They were joined by 8,000 devotees, with 4,000 from each country).
The church
All logistics—food, fresh water, medical facilities—were provided by the Sri Lanka Navy. Now, this festival has become a major annual amphibious operation for Navy’s Landing Craft fleet, led by SLNS Shakthi (Landing Ship tanks). The Navy establishes a temporary base in a remote island which does not have a drop of drinking water, and provides food and water to 8,000 persons. The event is planned and executed commendably well under Commander Northern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Thusara Karunathilake. The Sri Lankan government allocates Rs 30 million from the annual national budget for this festival, which is now considered a national religious festival.
The Indian devotees enjoy food provided by SLN. They have the highest regard for our Navy. The local devotees are from the Jaffna Diocese, mainly from the Delft Island and helped SLN. Delft Pradeshiya Sabha and AGA Delft Island. A very efficient lady supervised all administrative functions on the Island. Sri Lanka Police established a temporary police station with both male and female officers.
As usual, the Sinhalese devotees came from Negombo, Chilaw, Kurunegala and other areas, bringing food enough for them and their Catholic brothers and sisters from India! Children brought biscuits, milk toffee, kalu dodol and cakes to share with Indian and Jaffna devotees.
In his sermon on 22nd December 2016, when he declared open the new Church built by SLN from financial contributions from Navy officers and sailors, Jaffna Bishop Rt Rev Dr Justin Bernard Ganapragasam said that day “the new Church would be the Church of Reconciliation”.
The church was magnificent at night. Sitting on the beach and looking at the beautiful moon-lit sea, light breeze coming from the North East direction and listening to beautiful hymns sung by devotees praising Saint Anthony, I thanked God and remembered all my friends who patrolled those seas and were no more with us. Their dedication, and bravery out at sea brought lasting peace to our beloved country. But today WHO REMEMBERS THEM?
The rituals continued until midnight. Navy Commander and the Indian Consul General in Jaffna Sai Murali attended the Main Mass.
The following morning (15) the Main Mass was attended by Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and his family. It was a great gesture by the Navy Commander to attend the feast with his family. I had a long discussion with Indian Consul General Jaffna Sai Mulari about frequent incidents of Indian trawlers engaging in bottom trawling in Sri Lankan waters and what we should do as diplomats to bring a lasting solution to this issue, as I was highly impressed with this young Indian diplomat.
The Vicar General of the Jaffna Diocese, my dear friend, Very Rev Father P J Jabarathnam also made an open appeal to all Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen to protect the environment. I was fortunate to attend yet another St. Anthony’s Church feast in Kachchativu.
By Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne WV,
RWP& Bar, RSP, VSV, USP, NI (M) (Pakistan), ndc, psn,
Bsc (Hons) (War Studies) (Karachi) MPhil (Madras)
Former Navy Commander and Former Chief of Defense Staff
Former Chairman, Trincomalee Petroleum Terminals Ltd
Former Managing Director Ceylon Petroleum Corporation
Former High Commissioner to Pakistan
Showers above 50 mm can be expected at some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts.
‘Deshabandu is on SLC payroll’; Hesha tables documents
LG polls on 06 May
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