Appreciation – Uditha Liyanage, a thought leader of our times
View(s):It was in early eighties. I had just started my work life and studying marketing at the same time developed a keen interest in Buddhist teachings with a sense of seriousness. I had this dilemma, as to how can one be a good Buddhist while being a good marketing professional. I posed this question to Ven. Olande Ananda who then was living at the Rockhill Hermitage Kandy, where I met him first in May 1980. His immediate response was; “It is possible and let me introduce a person who is just that” and as agreed I met this person visiting his home down Green Path, who was none other than Prof. Uditha Liyanage.
File picture of Uditha Liyanage and Philip Kotler in conversation
I think he was at Maharaja’s at that time. But our discussions were on anything but marketing. They were on the teachings of J. Krishnamurti and Buddhism. Our interest was on understanding the meaning of life and how various teachers guide us in that path. At the first meeting itself we realized that there is great chemistry. The next meeting was with Uditha’s parents who are devout Buddhists. Ven. Ananda used to stay with them when he came down to Colombo. I used to visit them very often to attend many religious activities at their home. I developed a kind of parallel relationship between Uditha and his parents. They consider me and later my wife as their own children and we became very much part of the family.
Yet in the world of marketing Uditha and I had many interactions professionally. When I started doing my MBA at PIM Uditha was lecturing there. Having got selected to do the MBA I asked Uditha what the benefit of doing an MBA is. I recall very vividly his explanation and it is what I too tell anyone who asks the same question from me. That is; once you go through the process of MBA you discover how much you can do with your time and how much capacity you have. I think Uditha brought this insight when he positioned the PIM MBA, saying ‘Be an MBA’.
Uditha was a friend, a fellow professional and a teacher as well to me. We had a deep sense of mutual admiration and love. He supervised my MBA research and his sharp analytical thinking and ability to conceptualise was amazing. Every meeting with him during the research project was refreshing and intellectually stimulating. Many of his students concur on this point.
Whether it was an introduction of a speaker of a conference or a brief keynote speech or a lengthy lecture Uditha made a masterpiece of it. His introduction of Dr. Abdul Kalam and Prof. Philip Kotler were proof of that. So much so Prof. Kotler said that it was the best introduction he ever got and wanted Uditha to share that with him.
Whenever Uditha came up with a new concept or an idea I was one of the very first he would share it with similar to the enthusiasm of a photographer who clicked a nice picture. At the same time he was open to challenging his ideas and propositions. He was never arrogant, professionally and was never dishonest, intellectually — the quality of a true academic.
As Mr. Eardley Perera said none had made the level of contribution Uditha had made to the marketing body of knowledge through research. His concepts, ideas and theories were so powerful and insightful they even received international recognition. Whether it was his doctoral thesis on Tangibility or the Strategy Quadrant or understanding the local consumer what was unique is his deep understanding of the issue, and his ability to present it in a simple conceptual frame work. His personification of the emerging Sri Lankan consumer as MOD TRADI is a case in point. At a certain forum he drove this point saying, “Mr. Marketer, if you do not know who Gunadasa Kapuge is then you have lost the plot”.
On the occasion he was conferred the Chartered Marketer Status he spoke of how grateful he was to the CIM UK, for that qualification paved the way to his academic journey. That was Uditha’s humbleness. I think the single most contribution CIM UK has done to Sri Lanka is Uditha himself.
Of the many appreciations that appeared in social media, well respected marketing professional Shehara De Silva had mentioned the following, which succinctly captures Uditha the professional: “He was an icon in the field of marketing. His intellectual output and rigour of approach is unmatched amongst his peers in the local fraternity. His interactions with enterprise and his ceaseless attempt to instill strategic intent into business practice and the Post Graduate Institute of Management (PIM), which he played a pivotal role in, are all testaments to his contribution to enabling a disciplined approach to the pursuit of corporate excellence. Above all he was a good man. Strong of opinion but measured in imposing them. Deeply private in his illness, as he was in life. May he rest in peace and the surety that his legacy to the industry and upholding the values of knowledge management to an entire generation of marketers is undisputed”.
He was a lover of music and art. He truly appreciated the classical and semi classical music and songs. In many such music programmes Uditha was in the audience. Various pieces of art that adore the walls of his house are a reflection of his advanced aesthetic eye.
I had the pleasure and privilege of sitting with him on several evaluation or judging panels. Even in those situations he was very quick to highlight the essence of the selection criteria and boil it down to a simple parameters and when it was his turn to explain the view of the judges to the audience at the awards night it was a treat, and truly an educational discourse.
From the various discussions we had I feel that deep down he was trying to find the right balance among three things namely; the passion in his academic pursuit to add new knowledge to the field of management, the passion he had towards his family, and the search for truth in a spiritual sense. In contrast to the Mega Marketing Image of Uditha there was a deeply spiritual seeker.
In his career he too had his share of challenges when he had to do what is right by the enterprise. He was misunderstood and was subjected to hatred.
Even at that trying moments he could not have hatred towards them. He only felt sorry for those and sought solace in Dhamma.
When I published my first book “Sinhalen Business” I naturally turned to Uditha for a forward. Whenever I had book launches he was there to support me and encourage me. The last such occasion was the evening event at PIM where I introduced the “Inward Bound” to the local audience. I remember with fondness how he drew the connection between morality, one pointedness and wisdom and mindfulness or being aware of the present moment. An area of Buddhist teaching he too was very interested in.
He was such a fitness freak, and most of his contemporaries admired his disciplined approach to his life. He ate in moderation and was regular in his exercises. He was a regular jogger at the Independence Square those days. I remember once receiving a call from him seeking support to set up a gym at the PIM driven by his concern for the physical wellbeing of young executives who are students of PIM. And I know how difficult it was for him to accept that his body was giving in to an ailment that was tough to fight in spite of him being so fit.
As I type these words the memories about Uditha keep coming like a flow of a river. He will be missed not only by his loving wife Sriyani and daughter Chathuri but many others. As much as the loss to the family can never be filled the loss to the nation too will be a difficult to fill. As is life the only certainty is uncertainty and that is the certainty of death. As he always strived may he realize the eternal truth and receive the bliss of Nibbana soon in this journey of Samsara that is laced with births and deaths. I am sure we have met before and will meet again as well.