Life style
Career choice in the midst of a revolution
Confessions of a Global Gypsy
By Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil Insurgency!
The 5th of April has been a bad day for Ceylon. On that day in 1942, the Japanese bombed Colombo. Exactly 29 years later, on the same day in 1971, an armed revolt was commenced by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) against the Government of Ceylon. The JVP was successful in recruiting a force of around 10,000 full-time members. Most were students and unemployed youth from rural areas who felt that their economic interests had been neglected by the government. The JVP believed that the local police stations were the government’s key element of power. Therefore, they hoped to remove this presence of power and see the local populace rise up in their support to bring about a revolution.
I was 17-years old at that time, and was a grade 12 student at Ananda College in Colombo 10. For months, we felt the tension building, with police looking suspiciously at youth in their late teens, particularly those with facial hair like me. In the opinion of police, such youth were expressing their solidarity with the JVP and sympathy with the late Che Guevara (killed 
by CIA in 1967), who was a key inspiration to the JVP. At dawn on April 5, 1971, the Wellawaya police station came under attack and five police constables were killed by the JVP. With that fatal attack a bloody war commenced. All schools were closed indefinitely, curfews were in force, and a state of emergency was declared. That day my life changed, forever…
Army?
Throughout my 13 years from Kindergarten to grade 12, I was a very bad student at Ananda College. I declined to read any assigned texts, and devoutly ignored homework assignments. Therefore, my teachers were surprised when I passed the grade 10 Ordinary Level government examinations on my first attempt. I was good at sports and showed some leadership qualities. I practiced Judo at the central YMCA, and represented the school in Rugby Football. I was average in track and field events, but was elected by my peers as one of the four Athletic House Captains.
More importantly, I was a cadet and held the rank of Corporal. During my annual cadeting trips to army camps in Diyatalawa, I decided that I would join the Army as an officer cadet for a two-year training program when I turned 18. My career ambition was to then get promoted as a Second Lieutenant at age 20, with a long-term goal of eventually becoming a General in my early-40s. That was my dream, but it was shattered when my parents had a serious meeting with me during the height of the JVP insurgency. They told me that: “a career in the Army is now far too dangerous and we do not want our only son to die at war!”. That was the end of that discussion.
Choices
I was forced to choose another career. As my parents had doubts that I would be successful at grade 12 Advance Level government examinations to enter a university, they gave me three choices and wanted me to pick one. My father provided some pros and cons for all three choices:
Visual Arts – Just like my parents, I was good in drawing, painting, and sculpture. Therefore, one option for me was to do a three-year Diploma at Heywood Art School and build a career in visual arts. My father said: “No doubt that you will enjoy it, but we are not sure if you could make a comfortable living from art in a poor country!”
Trainee in a Company – My father had some good contacts with large companies, and said that: “I can find a junior trainee job for you where you will have to start at the bottom.”
Hospitality and Tourism – My father then said that: “Once the war ends, Tourism has the potential of becoming a key non-traditional industry in Ceylon, and those who earn a recognized qualification and join the industry at an early stage of this industry will have good opportunities to do well. There is a Hotel School in Colombo, run by European faculty, which offers a three-year diploma in Hotel and Catering Operations”.
At that time, I had enjoyed meeting a few foreigners and tourists by the Kinross Swimming & Life Saving Club in Wellawatte, where I used to jog and sea bathe with a few of my buddies from Bambalapitiya Flats, without our parent’s knowledge. Therefore, the opportunity to meet European faculty was interesting to me. Living in a hostel for three years and getting good and “free” food were also encouraging selling points from my father. I said: “OK, I will become a hotelier!”, without fully realizing what that notion, really entailed.
Challenges
I soon realized that I had a major challenge in joining the Ceylon Hotel School (CHS). At that time, we rarely spoke English at Ananda College. Therefore, I became very nervous when my father told me that the education at CHS would be conducted in English with French and German as mandatory subjects. Another challenge was that at 17-years, I was underage to join CHS. Once again, I thought about other options. After two weeks of fighting with JVP, the government regained control of all but a few remote areas of the island and the war ended in June of 1971. At that point, I attempted to convince my parents that my proposed Army career would be less dangerous than what they had predicted. I was unsuccessful in convincing them.
I eventually applied to CHS. As I was not sure if I would do well at my first-ever interview, my father did a series of mock interviews in English, at home. I learned English words such as “cutlery”, “crockery”, and “wine” for the first time during my interview preparation. Despite this, I did terribly at the interview. There were hundreds of applicants for 28 vacancies, and I doubted that I would be chosen. During that time in Ceylon, many things happened based on “political pull” rather than the true merits of applicants. Most of the applicants to CHS were from influential families. Therefore, I was surprised when I received a letter confirming that I had been accepted to CHS. We did not talk about it, but I was convinced that my father “did the needful” to get me chosen!
Shock!
I was still not out of the woods. I had to practice a lot and improve my English before the first day at CHS. When my father finally accompanied me to the CHS hostel in Steuart Place, Colombo 3 (where SLTDA and SLITHM are located, now) on Sunday, October 10, 1971, I was in for a rude shock. Instead of a warm welcome by the second-year and third-year students, a horrible week-long ragging (initiation ritual or hazing) was awaiting the batch of 28 new students. Soon after the parents left, the ragging began.
The freshers were told that they could not address senior students by their names unless they added the words “Lord Veteran” to their names, as a mark of respect. Similarly, freshers were strictly prohibited from mentioning their own names without adding the words “Fresher F***er”. For an example, I had to introduce myself, repeatedly throughout the first week, as: “Fresher F***er Chandana Jayawardena”.
(The writer is President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
chandij@sympatico.ca )
Some more challenges followed over my memorable and eventful three years at CHS. More, next week…
Institute of Hospitality Sri Lanka
The 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the UK-based Institute of Hospitality’s Sri Lanka Chapter was held recently at the Ramada Hotel Colombo,.The event provided an evening of camaraderie , reflection of the past and present achievements,setting new benchmarks for the future
The AGM had the presence of two distinguished guests, the Chief Guest Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and the Guest of Honour British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick. Their inspiring speeches were lauded by all hoteliers who were present at the occasion
A special thanks was extended to Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality UK, along with his team, sponsors, committee members, and all attendees for making the event memorable.
Dr. Harsha Jayasingh, Past President of the Institute of Hospitality (UK) Sri Lanka Chapter, emphasised the Institute’s longstanding history and the strength of its Sri Lankan branch. “The Institute of Hospitality (IH) UK has a history of 86 years, and we are proud to be the Sri Lanka Branch. IH Sri Lanka is much stronger now with many members from all areas of the hospitality industry,” he stated.
Dr. Jayasingh highlighted the significant role of tourism in Sri Lanka’s economy,. He said tourism it is the third-largest source of revenue for the country. “Tourism accounts for about 13.3% of total foreign exchange earnings and employs 450,000 people directly and indirectly. The hospitality industry in this island of pearl holds tremendous potential for economic growth, job creations, and cultural exchange,” he added.
He also pointed out more women should be attracted to the industry and advocated for the use of technology in hospitality sector to attract the younger generation.
The newly appointed Chairman Ramesh Dassanayake spoke about the challenges faced by the industry, including the reluctance of youth to join the sector. . Dassanayake expressed concerns over the migration of staff between hotels and the overall ‘brain drain’ in the sector. ” We must maintain high standards in the hotel We must try to attract tourists to Sri Lanka, we must have with many facilities Hence, hotel schools and other professional institutions involved in skills development mustincrease their intakes,” he pointed out.
Chief Guest Sajith Premadasa emphasised the importance of eco tourism and said “We need to have an environmental policy related to tourism in place,” . .
The 32nd AGM of the Institute of Hospitality UK, Sri Lanka Chapter, was a testament to the strength and potential of Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry. The insights and commitments shared during the event set a new benchmark for the future.(ZC)
Pix by Thushara Attapathu
Life style
He recognizes human identity beyond boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
Visit of Sri Gurudev to Sri Lanka
Humanitarian, spiritual leader and Global Ambassador of Peace Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Sri Gurudev) was in Sri Lanka on a three day tour on the invitation of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dinesh Gunewardene. Gurudev who inspired a wave of volunteerism and service to moot one of the largest volunteer-based organisations in the world – The Art of Living – visited the various projects under the aegis of the foundation and launched twelve vocational and technical centers around the island. He was accompanied by thousands of followers from Sri Lanka and around the world.
Gurudev who visited Sri Lanka for the sixth time also had a first day cover launched in honour of his visit. He is a strong proponent of spreading happiness, using the unique Sudarshan Kriya, yoga, meditation and practical wisdom to unite people, empower individuals and transform communities. His programmes provide techniques and tools to live a deeper, more joyous life, while his non-profit organisations recognize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
The Art of Living which has more than 30,000 teachers and over one million volunteers across 180 countries has touched in excess of five hundred million people around the world. CNN called it “Life Changing” and The Washington Post headlined it, “Fresh air to millions”.
In Trincomalee, Gurudev met with war victims and had a heartwarming engagement with the children from the children’s homes run by the Foundation. He also visited the Koneswara Temple in Trincomalee and graced the Kumbhabhishekam at Seetha ecogPnize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion. Amman temple at Nuwara Eliya. He held discussions with the trustees on the progress of the foundation’s social service projects, while also holding a special event – Ekamuthuwa – attended by a large number of dignitaries and his devotees from around the world.
His time with the Prime Minister was spent discussing the prospects of unity in diversity and uniting Sri Lanka by adding happiness into the formula of living. In addition he had discussions with the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, prominent business stewards and civil society leaders.
by Zanita Careem
Envison your dream wedding day come to life at the Epitome Hotel, a prestigious city hotel in Kurunegala offering an unrivalled luxury rendors experience for weddings.
The venue is designed to embody opulence and luxury from all quarters for a spectacular wedding in kurunegala,Thier ballroom is the largest banquet facility in Sri Lanka It can be divided into six luxurious pillarless wedding halls on the ground floor and 25pax smaller banquet halls.
It can be easily named as a five star heaven in the heart of the city contributing to a myriad of immense experiences tailored to inspire and delight wedding experiences.
From opulent décor set up to exquisite table decor, lavish food, every detail is meticulously curated to spark your imagination and ignite creativity for a perfect wedding. The previous prestigious wedding shows season one and season two attracted large crowds
were unique events which gave the wedding vendors and potential clients had an opportunity to connect and interact with each other. Beyond being a showcase it was a chance for the wedding vendors to unite and contribute to the vibrancy of the wedding industry. The wedding show covered all area of the bridal industry providing a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became the most popular bridal exhibitions in Kurunegala.This bridal exhibitions allowed brides and grooms to experience first hand the products and services available from suppliers in Sri Lanka
These wedding shows held at The Epitome created a benchmark and gave an opportunity for vendors to create connections to the utmost satisfaction said Harshan Lakshita Executive Director. of the magnificent Hotel
Our wedding shows featured experts and professionals in every field‘ It covered all areas of the bridal industry provided a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became most popular bridal exhibition in this region.We are always open to everyone to join us at our wedding shows in the future. It is an opportunity to discover the incredible talent within our local wedding and bridal vendors to make meaningful relationships and plan thier special day at our breathtaking hotel The Epitome said General Manager Kavinda Caldera
The Epitome Hotel’s bridal show which will be held end of June will buzz with great ideas,advice and inspiration for all those who plan thier dream wedding
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The Hotel Epitome’s Wedding Season 3 will marked excellence, celebration and inspiration for those in the wedding industry. The exhibition halls will resonate with ideas on exquisite bridal wear to decor, florists , photography etc and showshowcase the rich tapestry of talent within the local wedding industry. .
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