Features
Some memorable moments with Hatha
“The sorrow we feel when we lose a loved one is the price we pay to have had them in our lives.”
– Rob Liano
By Susantha Hewa
It was somewhere in the late 1980s that I saw the street-drama legend, Kalakeerthi Dr. Gamini Haththotuwegama. One evening, he came to our area leading his drama troupe. I went to see the play which took place in a spacious courtyard of a nearby temple. Being a trained English teacher at the time and also drama lover, I was looking for an opportunity to meet him and, perhaps, with some luck, to join his drama troupe. That evening, I was able not only to see the great man but to have a few words with him. A year or two later, in 1992, I entered the University of Peradeniya to read for the English special degree under a programme available for trained English teachers with G.A.Q. There, I had the privilege of closely associating with him as an undergrad. Incidentally, although I couldn’t join his street-drama troupe, I keenly participated in his drama training programmes.
Hatha, as he was popularly known, was impressive in many ways: looks, gait, manner and talk. He was full of spirit and anyone who sees him wouldn’t forget him for a long time: sharp features, expressive face which ideally suits an actor, penetrating glance and a bass voice. He often wore shabbily, but any outfit sat on him nicely. Usually, he walked fast enthusing vigour and confidence, laughed heartily and talked unaffectedly. He always had time for a friendly word and a joke, and guffawed uninhibitedly no matter where he was. Among his students he was more a friend than a teacher. He was outgoing and sociable and kept his distance only when he happened to have a cold.
Of course, I was a keen participant in his training sessions conducted at a small theatre behind the arts faculty canteen. An assortment of students from many departments and faculties gathered at this place for training in the evenings. My friend Dayasiri, who was one year my senior, and I hardly missed any of these sessions.
As he often started directing a play with no script or clearly defined plot, the training sessions were pure merriment. Taking a few students at a time he assigned them their roles in a setting so that the ‘drama’ started spontaneously without anybody having any idea of the dialogue or the direction it would take. These situations turned out to be hilarious because our lack of experience as actors often made us say the wrong thing and do something patently inappropriate in response to a prompt given by one of us. Those who were privileged to watch without being the ‘victims’ had a hearty laugh at the totally unexpected turns the scenes often took, and Hatha thoroughly enjoyed such stage hazards and was the loudest to laugh. However, those who laughed at the expense of their poor colleagues’ disastrous mistakes couldn’t afford the luxury for a long time, for nobody knew whom Hatha would pick on at the next moment to become unwitting entertainers. However, fun aside, Hatha quickly saw the potential of some such ‘tragedies’ – tragedies on the part of the actors – and would lead a discussion as to how they could be made captivating moments in the play being practiced.
There were about 50 or, often, more students participating in each session. Hatha would sit with us on the floor with his inseparable bag beside him. He would chat away till the others come, one by one, or in twos or threes. It’s a meeting place for students from almost all faculties. Often, he got us to sing songs of popular stage plays, including Maname and Sinhabahu, with him and his deep voice outdid the collective voices of all of us. Some of us who didn’t have even an ounce of music in us sang aloud confidently because our individual unmelodic voices were drowned in the sea of voices. However, one day, those who pretended to sing under cover were all exposed because that day Hatha asked us to sing individually. I was among those who were teased with a friendly wink, “Now mind you. Don’t open your mouth, hereafter”.
In Nimnaye Dumaraya, Dayasiri and I played the roles of the bull (Kilariya) and the carter, who had an affectionate relationship in which the bull was often smarter than the carter, who was regularly outwitted by the former. In the opening scene, the bull (Dayasiri) was standing alone on the stage irritably waiting for the carter (me), who happened to be unusually late (according to the script). I was to come on stage when Kilariya said something irritably about my getting late. However, Dayasiri had forgotten the lines and, unfortunately, could not hear the prompter who repeated the line aloud.
It was a moment of suspense not only for the unfortunate Kilariya and the carter, but also for Hatha sitting in the first row scratching his cheek impatiently. He was a bit upset but was enjoying our predicament with an impish smile. The audience was beginning to feel that something was wrong and after a suspense of about 15 seconds (which was an eternity), Kilariya blurted out something, which, unfortunately, was not the one he was supposed to say. I entered the stage and was at a loss without being able to give a suitable response to Kilariya, who was glaring at me in total misery! I can’t remember how we managed to pass that moment without a catastrophe. At the end of the play – which went on successfully after the initial glitch – we didn’t know how to laugh. Dayasiri was the butt of loving ridicule. Hatha was the most amused. He said “Oh, don’t tease him so much for forgetting his line; after all he was a bull; the most convincing bull I have ever seen on stage”.
A few days after the play, we started practicing for “Beckett Nopitata”. It was a mime and he had told us about the theme and described the plot. Once again Dayasiri and I had the opportunity of working together to improvise a scene. Dayasiri and I stood in front without knowing exactly how to start. We all had a hearty laugh when Hatha shouted, “Now, now, Dayasiri! You are no longer the bull in this!” Hatha was the loudest to laugh at his own joke. Poor Dayasiri could only glare at us!
Hatha was an endearing person with a rich fund of humour. He was a consummate actor and trainer. Many of us had had no previous experience in acting but his expertise, friendliness and easygoing, jovial manner helped us to quickly shed our inhibitions and become tolerably good in acting. His method of getting us to improvise in different settings gave all of us an important sense of belonging, which proved to be vital in the production of a play.
Hatha had the habit of lightly smoothing his hair backwards with his fingers with a chuckle when he managed to get his students to improvise a scene to his satisfaction. It was fun to imitate him behind his back when he had to walk out for a few minutes to attend to some matter. If he happened to suddenly walk in while one of us was mimicking him, everyone would have a hearty laugh and we had to do a lot of explaining when he asked why we were so amused!
It was a few days before the final exam and we treasured it if there was a cancellation of a lecture. We wanted every minute of our time to go back to our notes and brush up our memory and writing. That day Hatha was late for a lecture and we looked forward to scooting out to do some quick revising to prepare for a paper only a couple of days away. As we were leaving the room, Hatha walked in with an apology for being late and started the lecture. There were only five of us and for some reason he wanted us to step into the office where we all sat in a circle around a table.
He started the discussion of Othello, but we were in no mood for a lecture no matter how interesting it was. Even Shakespeare himself wouldn’t have wanted us to stay on. We were all desperately passing glances at one another in the shared feeling of getting home as soon as possible and to sit with some of our untouched notes. It was a revision lecture and Hatha was enthusiastically lecturing totally oblivious to our unease. Suddenly, one of us scribbled something on a slip of paper and passed it to the next. When it came to the last person all were nearly suffocated without being able to laugh aloud. Everybody was finding some excuse to hide the tears of smothered laughter. The note read, “O heavy hour …!”
We were all choking because, although Hatha didn’t have a clue to what’s happening, there were other lecturers in the office watching our ‘drama’ with a keen interest!
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 . )
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
