Features
HOTEL SCHOOL NOSTALGIA LIVES ON… – Part 21
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
The 50th Anniversary of CHSGA
On October 16, 2021 I attended another annual general meeting (AGM) of the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association (CHSGA). This week, both CHSGA and I celebrated 50 years in hospitality. As a Past President of CHSGA (1985-1986) I am proud of the work done by all my 27 predecessors and the current executive committee, which includes many of my past students of the Ceylon Hotel School (CHS). They have taken the association to 
new heights of professionalism, efficiency and innovation.
Usually, the CHSGA AGM is a three-day event of professional, social and fellowship celebrations. Due to the pandemic, we had to settle for less via Zoom; but the show went on. Considering the humble beginnings of CHSGA in 1971 at the CHS hostel with fewer than 50 members, it is impressive that CHSGA now has over 1,200 professional members and is going from strength to strength.
Like many other hospitality institutions, CHSGA is affected by the pandemic. However, its commitment to professional development of its members through centres for excellence and support to the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM) and students continues commendably. CHSHA due to previous fund-raising efforts and projects such as the Hotel Show, continues to be financially sound.
A nostalgic interview
On October 17, 2021, the 3,550-member strong (from over 100-countries) Global Hospitality Forum (GHF) hosted its first-ever online Q&A session. It was organized with the assistance from the International Tourism Volunteers Association (ITVA). I interviewed a CHS graduate of the first batch (1966-1969), who taught me hospitality 50 years ago. As a former student of Mr. Rohan De Silva Jayasundara, it was indeed nostalgic and an honour for me to do this interview. With a view of inspiring the audience, I asked of series of questions about my lecturer’s amazing career in hospitality education in seven countries. Listening to this legend in International Hospitality Education talk about his career in Sri Lanka, West Germany, Brunei, Australia, Cook Islands, Vanuatu, and Marshall Islands was a rare opportunity.
For the benefit of those who missed the webinar, the organizers will post its video clip on Facebook pages of GHF and ITVA. Encouraged with its popularity, it was decided to hold such online Q&A sessions with hospitality legends (with over 50 years’ experience in distinguished careers), every month. On November 14, the Global Hospitality Forum’s Q&A session will be with Mahinda Ratnayake who as General Manager, opened the first ever five-star resort in Sri Lanka in 1982 – Triton Hotel. These sessions are open for anyone interested, free of charge.
Interviews at Hotel Lanka Oberoi
In 1974 I did well at my first interview for a post of chef de partie at Hotel Lanka Oberoi which was getting ready to open the largest hotel in Sri Lanka. After the interview I was short listed for a kitchen practical test held at Hotel Renuka where the Executive Chef of Lanka Oberoi and his senior brigade stayed during the hotel’s pre-opening stage. The practical test was to prepare a full meal from a surprise menu given to the finalists five minutes before its commencement. I thought I did well but was not chosen. Later, I heard that the successful candidate was Das Perumpaladas, the Executive Chef of Hotel Renuka and a graduate of the CHS, three years my senior. I realized that they valued his executive chef experience in a small three-star hotel gained over three years.
A week later I was called for two more interviews – one of them at Hotel Lanka Oberoi. The other was at the head office of Whittall Boustead Ltd./Ceylon Holiday Resorts, the owners of my favourite, Bentota Beach and its sister hotel, Coral Gardens. At Hotel Lanka Oberoi I was interviewed by Mr. Joe Madawela, the charismatic Personnel Manager, who was in charge of hiring over 600 employees for the hotel opening. He told me that although I did not make it as a chef de partie, I would be a good candidate for a post such as a bar supervisor. He also told me that if I do well there, I may get an opportunity in a couple of years to be further trained at the Oberoi School of Hotel Management in India for two years. That was the key to become a hotel manager within this regional hotel chain. I agreed to think about it and get back within a week if I was interested.
Eleven years later, I met Joe for the second time. In 1985, he was managing the Queens Hotel in Kandy on a secondment from Hotel Lanka Oberoi. I was then the General Manager of the two largest hotels of John Keells Group – The Lodge and The Village, Habarana. I was also the Founding President of Rajarata Hotels Association (North Central Province). The hoteliers in Kandy were thinking of forming a similar association and sought my advice. To advise them and share our best practices from the NCP, I made a couple of trips to Kandy. I enjoyed chatting with Joe during one of those visits. He had a remarkable memory and narrated details of my interview with him 11 years earlier saying he was disappointed that I did not take his offer in 1974 as he thought that I would have done well with Oberoi. Four years later in 1989, I finally accepted an ‘expatriate contract’ offer from the Oberoi Group and became the Food and Beverage Manager of Hotel Babylon Oberoi in Baghdad, Iraq. Of the ten managers who reported to me, half were graduates of the Oberoi School of Hotel Management in India.
An offer from Bentota Beach Hotel
When I went for the interview at Whittall Boustead, I was immediately offered the post of Trainee Executive Chef (number three in the kitchen) at Bentota Beach Hotel. Mr. Gilbert Paranagama, the Director in charge of their two hotels told me that the management of the hotel was impressed with my work during my recent CHS internship. He made a good offer of a 500-rupee salary and free board and lodging at the executive quarters within the hotel. I was very pleased and accepted the offer. He also briefly introduced me to the Company Chairman, Mr. Sanmugam Cumaraswamy, a well-known Chartered Accountant and businessman.
Leaving Colombo
When I gave notice and handed over my resignation from Havelock Tourinn, the General Manager, Mr. C. Nagendra was very disappointed. He was shocked that someone would leave the position assistant manager of a city hotel to become number three chef in a resort hotel. However, having made my career plan, I was convinced that I was making the right move. Leaving Colombo was not easy. It was my birth place and I lived there for the first 20 years of my life. With my career move, and the desire to live in different parts of Sri Lanka, I knew that I would miss my family, friends, Judo club, many social events and entertainment.
I kept in touch with many of my CHS friends now scattered around the country and students from junior CHS batches who were continuing in Colombo. The friendships that commenced in 1971 at CHS, have now continued for over 50 years. Since 2011, I administered a private Facebook group I founded. It is branded as ‘CHS Lord Veterans’, where nearly 100 CHS colleagues who graduated with the original three-year diploma between 1969 and 1976, are connected around the world. The members of this exclusive group regularly share past, present and future posts. Most are retired now and sadly over a dozen have passed away in recent years. Another recent initiative is a WhatsApp group branded as, ‘Seftonites – 66-76’ exclusively for those CHS colleagues who lived in our good old hostel – Sefton, named after an original expatriate faculty member. This WhatsApp group is very active with several general posts and comments every day. The bonding we made at CHS is very special and the CHS nostalgia lives on…
A Brief Romance in Negombo
In between my departure from Colombo and settling in Bentota, I had a free long weekend. I planned to spend it at the Katunayake airport bidding farewell to my CHS batch mate, Neil Maurice who was migrating to Australia. Almost all our batch came to this farewell and we made it a ‘one for the road’ booze party at the airport to the displeasure of the airport security guards. Our ‘Dutch courage’ certainly helped us to bravely ignore them.
After that, I planned to spend two days at Blue Oceanic Hotel in Negombo with two friends. One of my high school mates, Ruvan Samarasinghe (now the Managing Director at Jetwing Hotels) was the Manager of this first hotel built by Mr. Herbert Cooray for his Jetwing Group. One of my batchmates, Sunil Dissanayake (now the CEO of BMICH) was the Front Office Manager. Like all Sri Lankan hoteliers, Ruvan and Dissa were very hospitable. They hosted me generously.
On my first evening at Blue Oceanic, Ruvan invited me for dinner after drinks at the bar. A few young Swedish tourists who were very friendly asked why we were laughing so much and joined our table. A 19-year-old girl, whose nickname was Blondie, asked me, “Chandi, what kind of music is played by the hotel band?” When I told her that it was Calypso from Trinidad and Tobago, she asked me, “Can you dance to this music?” “Yes, I will show you.” I was quick to grab her before my friends got ideas and took her to the dance floor to show her how it’s done. We later went for a long care-free, barefoot beach walk counting fishing boats and the stars on a beautiful moon-lit night.
I met those friendly tourists again the next morning and ended up hanging out with them on the beach the whole day. The next day I had to leave early for Bentota to begin my new job at Bentota Beach Hotel. When I said goodbye, Blondie promised “I will write to you” and did so regularly for the next three years. We became pen pals until she returned to Sri Lanka in 1977 for a three-week holiday in search of her soulmate. Blondie was my first ‘serious’ girlfriend.
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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