A self-indulgent rationale I found when I was continuing with the series on ‘Travels with Kithsiri’ that the material I had with me on this new computer ran out suddenly, and I will only be able to resume the series when I am back in Colombo, perhaps only when my old computer is restored to me. I wondered then as ...

This post continues with the saga of Ranil’s 2001 government, when I heard from his by then great admirer Ilika Karunaratne as to why he had sidelined the senior members of his party. But then I have to stop because the rest of my account of what happened, over 2002, is locked up in the computer now given for repair. ...

This post gives the reason for Lalith resigning, but also explores more about how Ranil functioned. His capacity for revenge was unlimited, and his Minister of Education also suffered as did Lalith. And so did other senior members of the party, as I found out on New Year’s Eve, though details of that must wait. The seeds of failure Lalith’s ...

This continues with the sad saga of what happened at the Ministry, though I note too much other work, for the university and the Council for Liberal democracy, and for myself. And I still have fond memories of the teacher I met at a little school in Kalutara who was so very keen about English medium. The picture is of ...

After ten posts about university work earlier in the mid-nineties, I return to my later work with Kithsiri, going into the aftermath of the General Election of 2001. I deal here with the problems that beset both the Ministry of Education and the English medium programme when Ranil Wickremesinghe became Prime Minister. Though his Education Minister Karunasena Kodituwakku was supportive, ...

Another death in this post, and then politics when the President and the Prime Minister stymied the effort of the UNP Secretary to stand by the commitment President Premadasa had entered into with him. In retrospect it was ironic that Ranil should thus have stymied Premadasa’s legacy, whereas his family had been complaining that this was precisely what Wijetunge had ...

This post ends with the death and the funeral of my grandmother. She had been ailing so it was not a shock, but it was difficult to register that the powerful personality was no more. And I describe too another death, of someone I hardly knew, but which was unexpected and tragic. The picture is of my grandmother and my ...

This looks at yet another programme, initiated by Nirmali, and also describes gathering clouds when Dorakumbura turned hostile. The second picture is of Prof Mendis Rohanadeera. Another Ministry to support, and problems at USJP Next morning I had classes at USJP and then at the Ministry of Plan Implementation, arranged by Nirmali. She had done this at the request of ...

This post records an interesting workshop at a RESC, where I slept on the floor along with the teachers, with Nirmali and other resource persons coming during the day to contribute. The pictures are of Prasad and Oranee, there sadly being none available of delightful old Mr. Rajapakse. A workshop at the Eheliyagoda RESC It was USJP classes as usual ...

This describes my last long journey with Jayantha, perhaps indeed the last. He was not in Kithsiri’s league at all, for the idea of staying overnight in Mutur frightened him so he left me and went back to Trincomalee. But once again I had a most instructive time in Mutur, this time seeing the simple homes of some of the ...

Another death followed, a particularly sad one for me for Yolande Abeywira had provided stalwart support, along with Richard, for the work of the eighties, at the British Council and before that too. And then I describe my 40th birthday party at my house, the last large birthday party I hosted at Lakmahal, for I had 40 guests. I recalled ...

This describes a visit to Girandurukotte when none of the ladies was around, and I stayed in teacher quarters. Then, after recording the death of the first British Council Representative I knew, Bill McAlpine, who had stayed on in  Sri Lanka, I look at a lovely holiday Nirmali and I had at Belihuloya though Ena who was to be with ...

I note here hazards of travel without Kithsiri, who was an excellent mechanic. When the car broke down with Jayantha driving I had recourse to towing and a lorry, but all that did allow me to spend a night with my aunt Rupa, in her lovely old house at Bataduwa, something I have not regrettably done since. And I note ...

This simply catalogues more work in various fields I have described previously, though it does not something new, a little project I had persuaded Aitken Spence which owned the Kandalama Hotel to embark on, an early example of Corporate Social Responsibiliy Endless work and at Kandalama too Thursday I spent marking IB papers and on Friday went to the UGC ...

I return after ten posts about travels with Kithsiri, now from well into the 21st century, to travels about the time when I first started working with him. So as noted these posts are edited to leave out travels with him in these long ago days. This post looks at a problem that arose in the College at Rahangala, which ...

This records my first acquaintance with the higher levels of vocational training, with a workshop at what in accordance with principles I pushed became a university a few years later. But then I record the election of 2001 which set educational reforms back given the perverse personality of the new Prime Minister. The pictures are of Priyantha Kulatunga and Neomal ...

This post notes a chance acquaintance of those long ago days whom I met again recently when he came for the launch at Lunuganga of my book about explorations with Ena. I thought then, and I think now, that Nirmali was quite right in saying he was one of the nicest persons to work at the Council after I had ...

This post notes a delightful new acquaintance I made, Pramod Talgeri of CIEFL in Hyderabad with whom I hoped for fruitful collaboration, which did not happen because of the change of government that happened later in the year. And then I mention Prof Arudpragasam, an old friend who was surprisingly hostile, I suspect because of bitterness at having been left ...

This account reminds me that I had still to work on the promotion of English writing by Sri Lankans, as to which Anne Ranasinghe had been an able successor with regard to Channels, the journal we established when the English Writers Cooperative was set up. The picture is of illustrations which I found great fun for the Health component of ...

I relate here how, in the midst of my English medium work, I had to take on more responsibilities at the university too. I was flattered when students asking me to be Dean again said, when I told them it could only be part time, that part of my time was worth all of anyone else’s. So I became Acting ...