National Trust lecture: “Exploring a district: Discovering a country”
View(s):The 75th Session of the Monthly Lecture Series of the National Trust – Sri Lanka ‘Exploring a District: Discovering a Country’ by Bradman Weerakoon will be on Thursday, July 30 at the HNB Auditorium, 22nd Floor, HNB Towers, 479 T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10 at 6.30 p.m.
The Dutch Fort on the southern bank of the Kalu ganga in the 17th century
Exploring the Districts they were posted to and writing about them was a particular contribution of the British colonial administrator. Several manuals and annual reports describing the districts, history and the way of life of its people were the result. These concise micro -studies of an area would capture the living culture of the district or province in an elegant and scholarly way while enriching the country’s recorded history. While this desirable practice has all but died out there have been reports, monographs (and novels) by current day administrators as well which have provided material of value to those curious to know more about our country’s historical and cultural evolution.
The lecture will attempt to pick out some interesting ideas from these texts and Mr Weerakoon’s personal experiences while exploring the districts during his career as a public servant, which could contribute to the writing or rewriting of contemporary history. In his retirement, a few years ago he explored the Kalutara District and focused largely on the encounter with the colonial since the 15th century which affected the lives of the people of Kalutara in diverse ways – political, economic, social and cultural. Much of Mr Weerakoon’s talk would centre round that experience.
Deshamanya Bradman Weerakoon who was born on October 20, 1930, read Economics at the University of Ceylon, and Sociology at the University of Michigan and was selected to the Ceylon Civil Service in 1954. After his initial period of ‘cadetship’ in the C.C.S he was chosen to work in the Prime Minister’s Office and served as Secretary to six Prime Ministers – SWRD Bandaranaike, W. Dahanayake, Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Dudley Senanayake and later after some years ‘out station’ and abroad, to R. Premadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe. In 1983 he was appointed by President J.R. Jayewardene to be Commissioner-General of Essential Services to handle the disruption of services after the ethnic riots. He also served Presidents R. Premadasa and D.B. Wijetunga as Senior Advisor on International Affairs.
In the 1970’s he served as Government Agent in the districts of Ampara, Batticaloa and Galle for a period of roughly two years in each area. Further information on the lecture can be obtained from the Trust Office, tel. 2682730 at the Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology, 407, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7.