DEALING WITH UNUSUAL CHALLENGES

CONFESSIONS OF A GLOBAL GYPSY

By Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – Global Hospitality Forum
chandij@sympatico.ca

Plans Working

Having commenced three semesters prior, my studies at the University of Colombo (UoC) to earn an Executive Diploma in Business Administration (EDBA) were working well as I had planned by mid-1983. Successful completion of the EDBA was a prerequisite for me to be accepted to the first batch of the world’s first master’s degree (M.Sc.) in International Hotel Management, at the University of Surrey (UoS) in the United Kingdom.

My plan was to pass all EDBA final examinations scheduled in late July and early August, 1983, and then proceed to UK before the M.Sc. commenced in September. I organized a study group of four like-minded students (an engineer, an accountant, a marketer and myself) from the EDBA program. We all worked hard and balanced busy professional and personal lives with our studies. Those days, I only needed an average of four hours of sleep to be rested enough to handle all my many tasks. All were set for success until the ugly head of racial violence in Sri Lanka rose again.

Black July of 1983

There had been growing tension between some groups of the Sinhalese and Tamil communities of Ceylon since 1956 when the then government of Ceylon, introduced the ‘Sinhala Only Act’ for political gain. The justification for this selfish act was what some Sinhalese leaders described as resolving a prolonging imbalance in the civil service and other professions. This was a result of the ‘Divide and Rule’ strategies of the British colonizers. There were ugly ethnic riots and disruptions in Sri Lanka in 1958, in 1977 and again in 1981.

A deadly ambush by a Tamil militant group – Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on July 23, 1983, caused the death of 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers. That triggered island-wide riots, initially orchestrated by some leading politicians, but soon becoming like the monster created by Frankenstein. The pogrom eventually escalated into mass violence with significant and shockingly high public participation. The Black July riots, which resulted in hundreds of deaths and the exodus of thousands of Tamils from the country, was among the darkest chapters in the contemporary history of Sri Lanka.

From Black July 1983, a bloody civil war continued in Sri Lanka for 26 years, costing the lives of over 57,000 in the battle fronts and by frequent terrorist suicide bombings. An Indian Prime Minister, a Sri Lankan President, and over a dozen key political leaders of Sri Lanka were assassinated by the LTTE. Thirteen years after that, on January 31, 1996, during the LTTE suicide bombing of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka killing 91 people, I nearly lost my life.

Plans Destroyed

Witnessing some deadly and totally cruel acts, where I lived in the Colombo District, I was deeply saddened, disappointed and disgusted. My personal plans were also destroyed. There was frequent civil unrest, states of emergency and curfews, (as Sri Lanka once again has been experiencing in the year 2022). UoC closed and examinations were postponed, indefinitely. I felt a large dark cloud over our heads, dooming Sri Lanka as well as my plans to progress in my chosen profession.

Eventually, when UoC announced the dates for delayed examinations, it was too late for me to get accepted into the M.Sc. program in UoS. The deadline for me to successfully complete the EDBA, and remit full fees to UoS was August 1983, as their program was scheduled to commence in UK by the end of September. According to the new schedule of UoC, the EDBA examinations were to end on October 20, with results taking another 30 days to be finalized!

There was no light at the end of the tunnel for me. My family suggested that I change my plans and join the second M.Sc. batch in 1984. I was defiant and determined to maintain my original goal. “If there is a will, there will be a way!” I told my family, and thought outside the box. I called Professor Bertram Bastianpillai, the UoC Dean in charge of the EDBA program at his home, and explained my dilemma. As a new mentor of mine, who was fond of me, he clearly knew of my ambitions, and was very supportive. However, as a Tamil gentleman, he was staying at home without going to UoC for safety reasons.

“Chandana, I would like to help you, but as my car is marked by thugs outside the university, I don’t want to drive to UoC from my house in Colombo-6.” Professor Bastianpillai told me. We then agreed for me to pick him up from his home and drive to UoC in my car. During our 15-minute drive, in spite of being worried about his safety, he was always encouraging me. He told me how much he enjoyed his days in UK during his Ph.D. studies at the University of London. He also told me how he worked as a porter at the Victoria train station in London, during his doctoral student days. In his office at UoC, he did something that most academic leaders won’t do.

His urgent fax to UoS, stated: “Chandana Jayawardena is one of our best students. Given the unfortunate current situation in Sri Lanka, the University of Colombo was compelled to postpone all examinations for ten weeks. This means that Mr. Jayawardena will be late by a month to join your program. Judging from his outstanding performance during the mid-term examinations and projects, I have no doubt that Mr. Jayawardena will do well at the final examinations in the Executive Diploma in Business Administration programme. He is determined to catch up the studies of the missed month, at the University of Surrey, within a few days of his arrival in the United Kingdom.” Purely based on that unprecedented vouching expressed in his fax, I was admitted to the M.Sc. program in UK, one month late, pending the EDBA results. Thank you, Professor Bastianpillai. RIP!

All In for the Future

Although, UoS, allowed me to join the M.Sc. program one month late, they included a strict condition. When UoC finalized the grades for the EDBA program, I was required to pass all courses above average. UoS letter of acceptance clearly indicated that; otherwise, I would be removed from the M.Sc. program. In that scenario, I would have lost financially (university fees, two air tickets for my wife and me, rent in UK, etc.) as well as, my reputation. Nonetheless I gambled and took a chance.

After converting all of my savings from mediocre Sri Lankan salaries over the previous nine years to pay my university fees in Sterling Pounds, I was still short. To bridge the gap, I sold my old car and took a loan from my father-in-law. My wife left her job in Colombo, and we were prepared to throw everything into the effort. As the spouse of a full-time international student in UK, my wife was authorized to work full time. The British High Commission in Colombo informed me that I too could work part-time. We planned our UK living budget, based on the assumption that we would find work in London, easily and quickly. We were willing to do any type of work. Although, we were a little nervous to be totally out of our comfort zone, we were optimistic and liked the challenge. We reckoned that unless we try, we would never make it.

Advice by Four Mentors

Throughout my career, I was fortunate to have excellent mentors. In 1983, prior to my departure to UK, four of them gave me some useful advice.Pearl Heenatigala, Director/Principal of the Ceylon Hotel School (CHS), thanked me for my service as a Senior Lecturer of CHS. After saying goodbye, she surprised me with some parting words. “Chandana, after you complete your masters, why don’t you re-join CHS as the Vice Principal?” We agreed to keep in touch.

Professor Bertram Bastianpillai advised me to join a Ph.D. Program soon after completing the M.Sc., while focusing on an academic career in a university. “There are no hoteliers with doctoral degrees in the world, outside of the USA, and you will do well with such a qualification.” He planted a seed in my mind.

Stefan Pfeiffer, the German national who was named the hotel opening General Manager of the Galadari Meridien Hotel contacted me, before my departure from Sri Lanka. I knew him when he was the General Manager of Hotel Lanka Oberoi in the late 1970s. He returned to Sri Lanka during the pre-opening year of the Galadari, the only hotel in Sri Lanka to open with 500 five-star rooms. Although I never worked with him, he was keen that after my studies in UK, I join the Galadari. We agreed to keep in touch. When I returned to Sri Lanka, he offered me a middle management position at the Galadari which I did not accept. Eventually, I joined his team as a senior manager and worked with him for a short period of time in 1986.

Malin Hapugoda (Hapu), then the General Manager/Director for Ceylon Holiday Resorts Limited, and a former boss of mine, called me the day before I left Sri Lanka. “Chandana, when will you be back in Sri Lanka?” he asked. When I told him that I may be back within two years, he made an open-ended offer to me. “The new Coral Gardens Hotel will be opened in 1985 with 156 rooms. I would like you to open this four-star hotel as the Manager. The job is yours. Call me when you return.” I was most grateful to Hapu for such an offer.

Considering Options for the Future

I was very pleased with the offers and suggestions from my mentors. However, I wanted to keep my options open without committing to anything concrete. I also wanted to find useful part-time employment during my graduate studies in UK, which was the most important next step to have a positive cash flow while in UK. I was hoping to explore opportunities with the world’s largest hotel and catering company at that time, Trust House Forte Hotels in UK, where I worked as a Management Trainee in 1979.

Just before my departure to UK, I heard that Taj Hotels of India recently acquired two hotels in London. Taj group had just opened a five-star hotel in Colombo – Taj Samudra. I immediately asked for an appointment to meet the General Manager of this hotel, and managed to meet with an Indian national, Yezdi Kathrak, who was the Resident Manager of Taj Samudra. He was very helpful, and gave me a letter of introduction to the General Manager of Baily’s Hotel in London, then owned and managed by the Taj Hotels. That letter resulted in securing my first part-time job in London, in 1983.

My First Good Bye to Sri Lanka

Between 1979 and 1982, doing five overseas trips covering 20 countries was fun. My departure from Sri Lanka in 1983, however, was very different. We were leaving our birth country for a longer period of time, without any clear plans to return after a couple of years. The civil war that had started in Sri Lanka, made the uncertainty greater. Peace and stability are essential prerequisites for tourism and for those who are employees in this global industry.

In the early 1980s, we led a very busy life, professionally and socially. Therefore, my good bye round included, meetings with an unusually large number of people. I said good bye to members of the family, my students, work colleagues at CHS, fellow students of UoC and the Tourist Guide Lecturer program, business associates of Streamline Services (Pvt.) Ltd., where I was a director, my clients whom I served as a consultant, fellow office bearers of the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association, TV commercial producers and fellow national Judokas. On October 22, 1983, we left Sri Lanka after an emotional roller coaster.