Features

Two admirable Women of Nerve

Published

4 years ago

2021/12/19

Leelananda de Silva lent me the copy of Nerve he had been gift-posted by one of the book’s authors with the inscription ‘To Leelananda and Rukmal: two people who have known me from the time I was a child! For your love and support – Thank you!’ signed Indira, dated Sept 2021.

Martha Piper and Indira Samarasekera authored this book titled Nerve – lessons on leadership from two women who went first published by ECW Press, Toronto, in 2021. It carries a Foreword of three pages by The Right Hon Kim Campbell, 19^th Prime Minister of Canada. (Avril Phaedra Douglas ‘Kim’ Campbell QC, was PM from June to November 1993, and is politician, diplomat, lawyer and writer, only woman PM of Canada so far). 297 pages of text are followed by fairly extensive Notes and Index. It is a truly wonderful book containing loads of advice to women of all ages – mainly career women. They differentiate between men’s and women’s attitudes in going far and forward in careers; present general opinions on various issues while quoting from what has been said and written about such issues. Much autobiographical details of both Piper and Indira delightfully personalize the book and ensure avid reading. Style of writing too contributes to this plus factor of the book.

Martha C Piper, Canadian academic and administrator, was 11^th President and Vice Chancellor of the University of British Columbia from 1997 to 2006 and innovatively guided the university to be one of the best. She was the first woman President of UBC.

Indira Samarasekera was on the Faculty of the university and was nominated by Martha to the post of Vice President /Research. She considers Martha to be one of her chief mentors. From UBC she moved to the University of Alberta as 12^th President and Vice Chancellor in 2005. In 2015 she left her post but has served on several prestigious committees and boards.

The book – Introduction

The Introduction, written by both authors we presume, starts with the sentence “Women are notoriously ambivalent when it comes to leadership. They often ask us ‘Should I seek or accept this leadership opportunity or should I forego it?’” The authors then proceed to clarify what they have to say. “. …for women there is a recurring thread connecting these three phases of leadership: nerve – developing your nerve to lead, drawing upon your nerve when leading and finding the nerve to reinvent yourself when you no longer are leading. Nerve is the personal attribute that we believe is not only required to lead but also is often missing in women… Nerve to be true to yourself, nerve to take a path less traveled; nerve to go first, nerve to act decisively, nerve to redefine yourself.” Toward the end of the Intro they write: “We propose that nerve not only needs to be acknowledged but also actively cultivated by woman leaders. Without nerve, women worry about being liked and keeping everyone happy. Without nerve, women are prone to avoiding the tough decisions and to forgoing their principles in the face of adversity.”

The final paragraph clearly sums up their intention and aim in collaborating on authorship. “This book is a reflection on leadership, how it differs for women and men and what it takes for women to excel as leaders. It is also part memoir… It is our hope that by sharing our experiences as women leaders who went first, we will encourage the next generation of women to find the nerve to step up and lead with confidence, strength and conviction.”

Format

Martha and Indira have adopted a unique style of arrangement of the text. It is in three parts under the titles; Developing the nerve to lead; Leading with nerve and Life after leading: the nerve to redefine yourself. Each of these is sub-sectioned to chapters; Part 1 having 5, Part 2 and 3, 6 chapters each; all sequentially numbered 1 to 16. In each chapter you get a general section: opinion of both etc. Then each tells the relevant section of her life under subtitles Piper, Samarasekera. This scheme is often repeated in each chapter. Finally is a Lessons Learned section, which carries guidance, directly and indirectly.

Content matter is excellent and completely relevant to the stated aim of the authors – to help women to develop sufficient nerve to progress and reach heights not only in their careers but in life and living too. The most outstanding fact is that they don’t make taking career risks and going forward easy or simple. They deal with risks and throughout the book compare men and women in their attitudes, ease of upward mobility (no ease but difficult all the way for women). They instruct too but certainly not as prideful women who succeeded through brains, experience and qualifications, and having plenty of nerve of course, but as two women with attendant frailties, admittedly far less in them than in most women.

To me, now past going up the hierarchical ladder of career success and all that, the autobiographical sections were most eagerly read and appreciated. They reveal trials and tribulations met and crossed; obstacles over-reached and worries overcome; never mentioning their superior natural attributes. Career development and raising and caring for families and support of husbands go hand in hand. However, they do admit to serendipity shedding winning surprises. Martha Piper had and is in a very happy marriage with two children. Indira had marital problems through insidious incompatibility though on the surface her husband and she – brainy, academically qualified persons – seemed ideally suited to each other. She truthfully tells us how she made a trip to Sri Lanka to consult her parents and grandmother when contemplating divorce; the father advised giving preference to personal and career advancement; her grandma hinted an unhappy marriage was not worth continuing. But not by even one sentence does Indira blame her husband or belittle him. Fortunately their divorce was amicable and they continue to maintain strong family ties as parents with their two children and their families.

The authors make clear distinction between issues, terms and of course men and women in careers and life. For example in Part I the terms ‘mentor’ and ‘sponsor’ are clearly explained and demarcated.

Each chapter is prefaced with a quotation. I personally love quotations. Those in the book are culled from various sources ranging from William Shakespeare, Eleanor Roosevelt, Henrik Ibsen, Marilyn Monroe, Steve Jobs, Bill Clinton and several others.

Style of writing

The manner in which they write is excellent and thus makes for eager, absorbed reading. It is conversational, never pedantic or ‘written from above’. Though vocabulary of both is extensive, the use of the correct word or term does not deter a near beginner-of-understanding- English, to read with full understanding. Many instances of using standard expressions (I avoid the word clichés) enrich the language. Examples abound: “The feminine revolution was in full swing”; “I was over the moon.”

In their Lessons Learnt sections in each chapter they advice but with not even a trace of preaching or indicating they had no issues to struggle against. They don’t really write from a distance but speak one to one, like older and more experienced sisters speaking to younger ones.

Both authors make much of the term serendipity, particularly Indira whose entire future career materialized from a chance meeting with a friend of a friend of her father’s. The most used word in the book is ‘nerve’. Not very far behind is ‘serendipity’.

The Sri Lankan author

You can read plenty on Indira Samarasekera in Internet. I will briefly sketch her bio. Born in Colombo on April 11, 1952, to ENT specialist father – Dr A C Arulpragasam, she was the first of four siblings. Her great-grandfather is Dr S C Paul, first Ceylonese surgeon practicing in Ceylon. The family moved to London when her father went over for further qualifications. She was three years old and loved school there. In 1958, on return to Ceylon they were confronted with racial turmoil and shifted to Jaffna. She schooled at Chundukuli briefly and then went to Vembadi Girls’ School; in 1973 moved to Ladies’ College, Colombo.

She excelled in math and physics and entered the Engineering Faculty, University of Moratuwa and graduated brilliantly. Winning a Fulbright Scholarship she moved to Davies, University of California, now married at 23 to co-doctorate student “Sam” Samarasekera. She met a friend of a friend of her father’s who invited the couple to Canada assuring Sam employment. This meeting they almost missed saying they were too busy to go out for lunch. She studied metallurgy, and did ground breaking research in steel. I need not say she reached the pinnacle of academia; it’s obvious from the little I have written. She is a grandmother now, ‘reinvented’ with nerve.

The two authors selected to quote Kamala Harris in their concluding chapter: “While I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last.” Their example and advice is to those others and all women. Nerve is a must read, particularly by our career conscious girls and women, not only because it is most interesting and instructional but because one of the authors – a brilliantly successful woman – is one of our own.

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Features

Maduro abduction marks dangerous aggravation of ‘world disorder’

Published

21 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Venezuelan President Maduro being taken to a court in New York

The abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US special forces on January 3rd and his coercive conveying to the US to stand trial over a number of allegations leveled against him by the Trump administration marks a dangerous degeneration of prevailing ‘world disorder’. While some cardinal principles in International Law have been blatantly violated by the US in the course of the operation the fallout for the world from the exceptionally sensational VVIP abduction could be grave.

Although controversial US military interventions the world over are not ‘news’ any longer, the abduction and hustling away of a head of government, seen as an enemy of the US, to stand trial on the latter soil amounts to a heavy-handed and arrogant rejection of the foundational principles of international law and order. It would seem, for instance, that the concept of national sovereignty is no longer applicable to the way in which the world’s foremost powers relate to the rest of the international community. Might is indeed right for the likes of the US and the Trump administration in particular is adamant in driving this point home to the world.

Chief spokesmen for the Trump administration have been at pains to point out that the abduction is not at variance with national security related provisions of the US Constitution. These provisions apparently bestow on the US President wide powers to protect US security and stability through courses of action that are seen as essential to further these ends but the fact is that International Law has been brazenly violated in the process in the Venezuelan case.

To be sure, this is not the first occasion on which a head of government has been abducted by US special forces in post-World War Two times and made to stand trial in the US, since such a development occurred in Panama in 1989, but the consequences for the world could be doubly grave as a result of such actions, considering the mounting ‘disorder’ confronting the world community.

Those sections opposed to the Maduro abduction in the US would do well to from now on seek ways of reconciling national security-related provisions in the US Constitution with the country’s wider international commitment to uphold international peace and law and order. No ambiguities could be permitted on this score.

While the arbitrary military action undertaken by the US to further its narrow interests at whatever cost calls for criticism, it would be only fair to point out that the US is not the only big power which has thus dangerously eroded the authority of International Law in recent times. Russia, for example, did just that when it violated the sovereignty of Ukraine by invading it two or more years ago on some nebulous, unconvincing grounds. Consequently, the Ukraine crisis too poses a grave threat to international peace.

It is relevant to mention in this connection that authoritarian rulers who hope to rule their countries in perpetuity as it were, usually end up, sooner rather than later, being a blight on their people. This is on account of the fact that they prove a major obstacle to the implementation of the democratic process which alone holds out the promise of the progressive empowerment of the people, whereas authoritarian rulers prefer to rule with an iron fist with a fixation about self-empowerment.

Nevertheless, regime-change, wherever it may occur, is a matter for the public concerned. In a functional democracy, it is the people, and the people only, who ‘make or break’ governments. From this viewpoint, Russia and Venezuela are most lacking. But externally induced, militarily mediated change is a gross abnormality in the world of democracy, which deserves decrying.

By way of damage control, the US could take the initiative to ensure that the democratic process, read as the full empowerment of ordinary people, takes hold in Venezuela. In this manner the US could help in stemming some of the destructive fallout from its abduction operation. Any attempts by the US to take possession of the national wealth of Venezuela at this juncture are bound to earn for it the condemnation of democratic opinion the world over.

Likewise, the US needs to exert all its influence to ensure that the rights of ordinary Ukrainians are protected. It will need to ensure this while exploring ways of stopping further incursions into Ukrainian territory by Russia’s invading forces. It will need to do this in collaboration with the EU which is putting its best foot forward to end the Ukraine blood-letting.

Meanwhile, the repercussions that the Maduro abduction could have on the global South would need to be watched with some concern by the international community. Here too the EU could prove a positive influence since it is doubtful whether the UN would be enabled by the big powers to carry out the responsibilities that devolve on it with the required effectiveness.

What needs to be specifically watched is the ‘copycat effect’ that could manifest among those less democratically inclined Southern rulers who would be inspired by the Trump administration to take the law into their hands, so to speak, and act with callous disregard for the sovereign rights of their smaller and more vulnerable neighbours.

Democratic opinion the world over would need to think of systems of checks and balances that could contain such power abuse by Southern autocratic rulers in particular. The UN and democracy-supportive organizations, such as the EU, could prove suitable partners in these efforts.

All in all it is international lawlessness that needs managing effectively from now on. If President Trump carries out his threat to over-run other countries as well in the manner in which he ran rough-shod over Venezuela, there is unlikely to remain even a semblance of international order, considering that anarchy would be receiving a strong fillip from the US, ‘The World’s Mightiest Democracy’.

What is also of note is that identity politics in particularly the South would be unprecedentedly energized. The narrative that ‘the Great Satan’ is running amok would win considerable validity among the theocracies of the Middle East and set the stage for a resurgence of religious fanaticism and invigorated armed resistance to the US. The Trump administration needs to stop in its tracks and weigh the pros and cons of its current foreign policy initiatives.

Features

Pure Christmas magic and joy at British School

Published

21 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Students of The British High School in Colombo in action at the fashion show

The British School in Colombo (BSC) hosted its Annual Christmas Carnival 2025, ‘Gingerbread Wonderland’, which was a huge success, with the students themseles in the spotlight, managing stalls and volunteering.

The event, organised by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), featured a variety of activities, including: Games and rides for all ages, Food stalls offering delicious treats, Drinks and refreshments, Trade booths showcasing local products, and Live music and entertainment.

The carnival was held at the school premises, providing a fun and festive atmosphere for students, parents, and the community to enjoy.

The halls of the BSC were filled with pure Christmas magic and joy with the students and the staff putting on a tremendous display.

Among the highlights was the dazzling fashion show with the students doing the needful, and they were very impressive.

The students themselves were eagerly looking forward to displaying their modelling technique and, I’m told, they enjoyed the moment they had to step on the ramp.

The event supported communities affected by the recent floods, with surplus proceeds going to flood-relief efforts.

Features

Glowing younger looking skin

Published

21 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Hi! This week I’m giving you some beauty tips so that you could look forward to enjoying 2026 with a glowing younger looking skin.

Face wash for natural beauty

* Avocado:

Take the pulp, make a paste of it and apply on your face. Leave it on for five minutes and then wash it with normal water.

* Cucumber:

Just rub some cucumber slices on your face for 02-03 minutes to cleanse the oil naturally. Wash off with plain water.

* Buttermilk:

Apply all over your face and leave it to dry, then wash it with normal water (works for mixed to oily skin).

Face scrub for natural beauty

Take 01-02 strawberries, 02 pieces of kiwis or 02 cubes of watermelons. Mash any single fruit and apply on your face. Then massage or scrub it slowly for at least 3-5 minutes in circular motions. Then wash it thoroughly with normal or cold water. You can make use of different fruits during different seasons, and see what suits you best! Follow with a natural face mask.

Face Masks

* Papaya and Honey:

Take two pieces of papaya (peeled) and mash them to make a paste. Apply evenly on your face and leave it for 30 minutes and then wash it with cold water.

Papaya is just not a fruit but one of the best natural remedies for good health and glowing younger looking skin. It also helps in reducing pimples and scars. You can also add honey (optional) to the mixture which helps massage and makes your skin glow.

* Banana:

Put a few slices of banana, 01 teaspoon of honey (optional), in a bowl, and mash them nicely. Apply on your face, and massage it gently all over the face for at least 05 minutes. Then wash it off with normal water. For an instant glow on your face, this facemask is a great idea to try!

* Carrot:

Make a paste using 01 carrot (steamed) by mixing it with milk or honey and apply on your face and neck evenly. Let it dry for 15-20 minutes and then wash it with cold water. Carrots work really well for your skin as they have many vitamins and minerals, which give instant shine and younger-looking skin.