Former Daily Mirror Editor EP de Silva’s birth centenary

by Manik de Silva

November 20, 2022, marked the birth centenary of EP de Silva who had a long and a career as colourful as his personality. His son, Lalin, a former planter asked me to write something about EP to mark this event, perhaps due to the fact that I am among the very few journalists still in harness who worked together with his father, though never for the same newspaper group. I was a Lake House man during the first stage of my career and now continue working for Upali Newspapers. EP was never connected with either of these group of publishers, his career being confined to newspapers of the former Times of Ceylon Ltd.

We quickly became friends and although I was not and still am not a drinking man, EP, whenever he had money, was fond of taking his Times friends to what was then the Bamboo Bar at the Taprobane Hotel (Now GOH). I too was invited though I was not a Timesman. It’s hard to forget EP’s strategy often employed in those days.

“Agoris (a waiter friend of his) kavuda ada kussiye inney? Dias innawada? (Who’s in the kitchen today, is Dias there?) If Dias was on duty, EP would hand over two rupees (money had a totally different value 50 years ago) and say meka Diasta deela kiyanna Times ekay Silva mahattaya dunnai kiyala.” (Give this to Dias and tell him Mr. Silva from the Times sent it).

After that there were many more devilled prawns plates on the plates served at our table than what others got!

His stories were galore. He once narrated a yarn of how a teacher colleague from Polgahawela – EP worked as a teacher before he switched careers joining the Lankadipa as a reporter – came to him seeking assistance for getting a transfer. EP had a close friendship/relationship with Badi-Ud-Din Mahmud, the then Minister of Education.

He took the teacher to the Ministry and talked to the minister he called ‘Buddy’ about the problem at hand. The conversation, as EP reported it subsequently, went something like this.EP: “This is my old colleague and he desperately needs this transfer. Could you please help, Sir?”

Minister: “Silva, you have been of great help to me at times and at other times done me much damage. I’m wondering whether to take the help or the damage into account.”

EP: “The late Mr. Bandaranaike would have always considered the help.”

Minister: (Minuting on the transfer application) “Alright, I will follow the Bandaranaike policies.”

He had a number of influential friends in politics and outside. Once Dr. N.M. Perera who used to drive a Peugeot 203 then couldn’t get a set of tyres for his car due to the rigid import controls then prevailing. He asked EP whether he could help. EP spoke to the well known bookmaker and night club operator Mubarak Thaha who got the tyres. EP delivered these in Thaha’s van at NM’s home and the LSSP leader asked, “What’s the damage?”

“No, Sir, he won’t take the money.”

“I say EP, either tell me how much the tyres cost or otherwise take them away.”

So EP went to Thaha and told him that NM was insisting on paying. Thaha responded, “How can I take money from Dr. Perera?”

So as EP told his friends, “Monawa karannada machan, ithin mama cheque eka thiyagaththa!” (What to do, I kept the cheque!)

Mr. R Premadasa, I think it was before he became president, used to telephone EP at four – 4.30 a.m. very often. EP knew all the political gossip, what was happening and where and Premadasa, a very early riser, picked EP’s brain often. I remember visiting EP at a private hospital during his last illness and asking him: “Did the PM come to see you?” He held my hand and said in Sinhala: “Deparak awa. (he came twice.”)

From the Lankadipa EP moved to the Daily Mirror, I think it was during the time Reggie Michael was editor. Eventually EP became editor of that paper himself and was incumbent when governments changed in 1977 and the Times was placed under a Competent Authority (CA), Paul Perera who was to later become a cabinet minister. EP knew that various tale carriers would go to the CA with all kinds of stories about him (EP).

So as EP told me, he beat them to the gun. He went to Perera and told him what he was expecting to be conveyed and when the palaveni kelan karaya (first tale carrier) went, the CA responded with a terse “I know.”

His acquisition of English language skills enabling him to move from a Sinhala paper to the Daily Mirror is worth narrating. He once worked in the Prisons Department and had access to judgments delivered by Supreme Court judges. “What better teachers of English,” he used to say. He also had a story from his school days at St. John’s, Panadura, when the boys were taught changing sentences from the active to the passive tense.

One boy ill with mumps was absent from school at the time. When he returned, and was asked by the teacher, forgetful of his earlier absence, to change ” the man milked the cow” from active to passive, he got an answer “the cow milked the man!”. EP’s add on naming the culprit: “These are the fellows who got into the Civil Service.”

The stories about EP are legion. He had a wide range on contacts including the prime minister, ministers and top businessmen one of whom was Mr. Edmund Cooray, the head of Browns. Cooray was often attacked in the LSSP daily newspaper, Janadina, and he wanted EP to help bring him and Janadina Editor Sarath Nawana together to make peace.

I was in EP’s room in a Colombo private hospital when Cooray visited. Nawana too dropped in at around the same time, but not all EP’s diplomacy could bring the two antagonists together. EP had a crate of beer under his bed to treat his friends!

I was the Colombo correspondent for the U.S. news agency, Associated Press, when a Martinair plane carrying Indonesian pilgrims to Mecca crashed into the Seven Virgins mountain range near Theberton Estate, Maskeliya, killing all on board. The phone at my home rang in the dead of night and walking out of my bedroom, I groggily picked it up.

It was EP on the line saying “a plane has crashed near Maskeliya, it’s a good story for your agency machan. I’m very busy and have to go.” I staggered back to be with the news just given to me not registering and fell fitfully to sleep wondering whether I had dreamed there was such a call. Not falling asleep I woke up predawn, went downstairs to the doorstep and picking up the Daily News did not find the story there.A short while later, riding my scooter to report to the Observer where I worked at 7 am, I saw Daily Mirror posters screaming about the crash. It was no dream. EP had tipped me off on a scoop I never had.