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Ashok Ferrey wins 2021 Gratiaen Prize for creative writing
“Always the bridesmaid and never the bride” was a comment often made by Ashok Ferrey, the sub-situ occurring not once but four times over as he was shortlisted for Sri Lanka’s most prestigious award for creative writing as follows: Colpetty People–2002, The Good Little Ceylonese Girl -2006, The Professional–written as Saroj Sinnetamby-2012, and The Ceaseless Chatter of Demons -2015. And now this year he emerged the ‘bride’! Resounding cheers and congratulations from me and the entire English reading public! Fine, commendable success, backed by perseverence and never saying ‘that’s it’ and letting his writing wrist rest.
I felt impelled to start my piece on Ferrey and the Gratiaen with his much quoted comment each time he was short listed as it is indicative of the man himself: draws fun from even failure, takes things on the bump as we say, and is happy.
This article is the result of an email cum telephone interview. I could have walked to his Flower Road, Colombo 7 home, or he to mine. But the travel restrictions imposed on us have good influences too: we decided that I ask and get replies without actually meeting and spending time that way. Hence within the article, I often quote what he wrote in answer to the questions I posed to him.
I know Ashok from quite some time back and his lovely wife Mandy who is all concern for others. Meeting her on a stroll or at the pool has her asking me in genuine concern – can you manage OK? I never missed Ashok’s evening sessions at the Closenburg Hotel during the Galle Literary Festivals, where lesser publicized Sri Lankan writers showcased their creative writing. Ashok and others also dramatized parts of novels, often his.
Family
Ashok’s father is from a well established family in Kandy, their family home being just above the Kandy Convent in Katukelle. He was an accountant and financier. Ashok writes: “My father’s ancestor was the Lord High Treasurer to the last King of Kandy. I have made light of his family history in my book The Ceaseless Chatter of Demons. The book actually takes place in the house I was currently restoring – in my other capacity as builder.
My mother was Sri Lanka’s first London-qualified beautician and quite a celebrity in her day, with a widely-read column in the Daily News of the time. (Her editor was the author and translator Vijita Fernando.) Mother would get proposals in the post from adoring fans who didn’t know she was already married; it drove my father wild. Fifty years ago, I remember meeting her teachers in England – Alfred Morris and Leida Costigan. Leida told me how she had worked for the firm Cyclax in Bond Street that did the hair and make-up for the Queen’s Coronation. They worked through the night and all those posh ladies had to sleep in chairs so their hair and tiaras wouldn’t be spoilt before the coronation next morning. This sort of commitment impressed me deeply as a schoolboy – I couldn’t imagine sacrificing my sleep for anyone, not even the Queen!”
Education
“I started life at St Joseph’s (for Catholics of the time it was unthinkable to be educated outside the Church) followed by the American School in Mogadishu, with a brief three-month stint in Nairobi. At the age of eleven I was packed off to boarding school in the UK, to a Benedictine Monastery in Sussex called Worth Abbey. Then on to read Pure Mathematics at Christ Church, Oxford University, where the Head Porter actually remembered SWRD Bandaranaike who had been at the same college 50 years before me. He called him ‘the man with the silver tongue.’”
I asked Ashok for personal information as I said it was to satisfy my women readers’ curiosity. We women love to know the ‘background’ of a person with not the curiosity that killed the cat but to place a person in correct perspective. Strong believers are we of family, breeding and school being significant in character creation and the final who you are. He replied in addition to the info on his parents: “My wife Mandy, and two children Rehan (an actor/director, who most recently acted in Funny Boy) and Francesca (known as Q, a singer/composer whose rap single ‘100K’ was released on July 6). I joke that as a proper South Asian father I long for children who are doctors, lawyers or accountants – to keep me in the style to which I was never accustomed. In fact I am incredibly proud of my two and their mind-blowing creativity!”
Creativity and innovative adventuring has been passed on by Ashok to his two children.
Creative writing
I posed the questions: ‘When did you start writing as a must-give-into impulse? Is it only prose you write?’ He replied thus:
“Through most of my life, writing was absolutely the last thing on my mind. I was a Maths nerd who ended up a builder. At the tender age of forty-two the stress of my father’s cancer and death drove me to pick up a pencil and a Raheema’s exercise book: the writing just poured out of me. That tale of my very personal grief is told in the new book The Unmarriageable Man.
“Sadly, I write only prose. The truth is that I am scared of poetry. It is a phobia from schooldays. I am frequently asked if I write poetry – because readers think they hear a certain music in the prose. But if so, this is totally unplanned! However I do love reading other people’s poetry out loud. I am called to do this quite frequently – I used to love reading Anne Ranasinghe’s or Ramya Jirasinghe’s poetry to audiences.”
Yes, that comment people made is correct; Ashok uses words not plain direct but with a poetic slant in style. But to me what emerges from most of his books is the sheer joy and fun of living with the writer often moving to the laughable angle of happenings or people or things.
I asked him whether he writes according to a routine or timetable – disciplined in fact or as many do –mostly freshers in creative writing – whenever the need/urge comes upon one. Here quoted is his answer:
“I am lucky. I have other disciplines to fall back on. I design and build houses, and my actual day job is that of Personal Trainer. The writing only happens in those chaotic spaces in-between. I write when I feel the almost biological need to, and when I do actually begin, the process is very fast – five months or so for that first draft. For instance, much of The Professional was written during a back-packing holiday in Portugal. Every evening we arrived at whichever hostel we were staying at, and I would write my 400 words; and edit it next morning before we caught the bus to wherever next. While I napped on the bus the next few pages would form in my head, ready for that evening’s writing.” That is wonderful! A most unusual writer is Ashok Ferrey. I suppose it is proof that a very busy schedule calls for such as getting lost in the mind, through creative writing in this case.
Innovatory moves
I know Ashok has been involved in innovative inaugurations of literary happenings in SL, so I enquired specifically about the sessions at Closenburg Hotel, during GLFs.
“I always felt that the Galle Lit Fest never adequately showcased homegrown Sri Lankan writers. This was because Sri Lankan audiences, I was told, only came to listen to foreign writers! So every year at the festival I organized a parallel event called Stories at Sunset, where the cream of Sri Lankan writing was showcased. This was a fringe event and hugely popular – there were always audiences of two to three hundred – putting paid to the theory that Sri Lankans only came to listen to foreigners.” He made room for novice writers too.
‘Could you please comment on English creative writing in SL?’ was my final request via email. “Last year I was one of the judges of the Gratiaen Prize. Perhaps it was because of Covid, with many people having time on their hands: the number of entries was huge! What most struck me was the range of writing, the many diverse types of book entered. We actually gave the prize to a medical thriller, Carmel Miranda’s Crossmatch. This venturing into other genres is I think a very good thing – it shows that the ‘profession’ is maturing. In other words, Sri Lankan writing is no longer only about pretty young girls in chintz, skipping through paddy fields to the sound of flute and drum.” Typical Ashok Ferry comment: light, a mite sarcastic, fun impregnated but hitting the nail on the head.
The 2021 Gratiaen Prize winning novel
The Unmarriageable Man has protagonist Sanjay de Silva approached by a busybody dame at his father’s funeral with the supposition he would go overseas; which he does. He lives in London in the 1980s and becomes a builder developing and selling, at profit, houses he buys and converts to apartments. He completes 84 flats while love and other accompaniments of life assail him; love, disappointment and pain woven in. “Grief is only the transmutation of love, of the very same chemical composition…”
The famous playwright Sir David Hare commented on the publication: “This fabulous chronicle of Sri Lankan youth sparkles with Ferrey’s characteristic lightness of tone, which smuggles in huge emotional impact.”
“A wonderful writer” was Alexander McCall Smith’s comment. McCall Smith, one of the world’s most prolific and best loved authors, was a professor of medical law and then moved to full time fiction writing.
Need anyone say anything more?
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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