Old world charm enriched by old school employee
A familiar and well loved face at the Bandarawela Hotel: Marasinghe Mudiyanselage Piyadasa
With nine younger siblings to be fed, 16-year-old Marasinghe Mudiyanselage Piyadasa from Wewathenna, Bandarawela, could not be a carefree adolescent. As the Loku aiya the family responsibilities weighed heavily on young Piyadasa’s shoulders. It was 1968, when the young lad climbed the little hillock leading to the imperial Bandarawela Hotel to seek his fortune. “The grandeur of the place quite unnerved me at first but having a cousin already working there offered some solace,” recalls smiling Piyadasa, nearly half a century later!
The young ‘gardener’ who arrived for a two-rupee daily wage, rose up in the ranks at the celebrated hotel to become a legend himself. If the tale of Bandarawela Hotel is a colourful one, so is its present restaurant Captain’s. So much so the place has not permitted its faithful employee to call it a day even after his ‘official retirement’ a few years back.
Dressed in a crisp white metal-button adorned uniform, he carries himself regally despite being as busy as a bee in the restaurant. Just as much as the hotel has preserved its colonial charm with minimal changes over the years and change of management from time to time, Piyadasa has sealed his popularity among seasoned guests- both local and foreign.
Since its inception in 1893 as a subsidiary of Miller & Co to its present Aitken Spence management, Bandarawela Hotel has been known as a property of character. Relics from the past such as the very first British-made pressure cooker, telephone of yore, and ‘four feet’ long metallic bathtubs, transport a guest to an era gone by. Interestingly a 1938 advertisement of the property flaunts “bedrooms with running water and bathroom attached.’ Its walls and corridors also hold memories of ‘constitutional-making’ in the island. Sir Oliver Goonetillake recalls in his writings the late night sessions after dinner at the Bandarawela Hotel when Sir Ivor Jennings read the draft constitution of 1947 ‘line by line grilling (him) with questions’ to the ire of an English planter who stormed in shouting that they were disturbing his sleep!
Having served several general managers, Piyadasa fondly recalls some of the progressive men including the first General Manager he served- Mr. R. Amarasinghe and Mr. Jeganathan who turned tables by lobbying for meals for the hotel staff irrespective of their rank. “Until the early 80s no staffer, not even the restaurant staff was provided with meals. It was only tea which was provided and the then GM, Mr. Jeganathan lobbied with the company management to provide the entire staff with meals.”
The hotel which was predominantly patronised by the Europeans till the late 70s had no place for Lankan cuisine till about mid-80s says Piyadasa explaining that boiled vegetables, baked potatoes and roast beef were the norm. “European guests were very stylish and dressed with care especially for dinner.” As Piyadasa recalls, in the 60s, a full course western dinner cost less than fifteen rupees!
Colonial heritage: The very first British-made pressure cooker
Piyadasa was inspired by another legend associated with the hotel- P. Selladurai who also made history as a long serving employee. Piyadasa who eventually came under the wing of Selladurai, (then the Chief Restaurant Steward) as a young waiter, was inspired not only by his dedication but also by his labours to walk the extra mile to make a guest feel at home. “If he found out that a guest was celebrating a special occasion such as a birthday or an anniversary during a stay here, he would surprise him/her with a special cake or a delicacy.”
“For me and most of my contemporaries, it was an on-the-job training. We were self-taught to understand with our sixth sense the needs of a guest. We treated any guest as if he/she walked into our own home,” says Piyadasa.
Waiting on the porch steps of the Bandarawela Hotel till the wee hours in the morning for the debonair star of the silver screen- Gamini Fonseka to turn up after ‘shooting’ is a treasured memory for Piyadasa. For him it was almost a ritual to serve the star his customary cup of coffee despite Gamini urging him not to break rest for his sake!
It was in 2002 when Azmath Hamid, the present General Manager of Bandarawela Hotel came into contact with Piyadasa. He was then serving the hotel as the Front Office Manager. “Piyadasa never considered himself as an employee when he treated his guests, especially children, some of them who have had the great fortune of bringing their own children to this hotel to be fondly treated by Piyadasa.” Mr. Hamid also notes that Piyadasa has a great memory in remembering the rooms and the food, special guests including some of the notable politicians and actors preferred. “He had been the first choice employee to look after distinguished delegations,” says the GM who applauds this faithful colleague as a man full of warmth who continues to inspire junior colleagues. “Piyadasa is undoubtedly a legend.”
The soul mate of his dear Somawathi, a dutiful father of three daughters and a doting seeya of six grandchildren, Piyadasa makes many feel envious of the bliss of contentment he enjoys. The simple man reminds one of George Bernard Shaw’s words while passing through the then Ceylon: ‘the beauty of this land is surpassed only by the beauty of its people; everyone there looks an original.” Piyadasa is certainly one of those ‘originals…..’