He now travels in a posh car with a nineteen serial number, but just twenty five years ago he was confined to the legendary dreadful Fourth Floor and was chained to a chair like an animal, hands and feet bound. At night he was chained to a table, beneath which he slept while above him slept one of his many torturers. They traded insults through the night.
Mahinda Wijesekera at one time considered a Lieutenant of JVP leader Rohana Wijeweera was taken into custody in the 5th of April insurgency the first of its kind in the annals of this country’s history.
Today the insurgent has done a hop step and a gigantic leap and occupies a Ministerial chair as the Deputy Minister of Shipping, Ports Authority and Rehabilitation. A handsome young man, he dresses smartly and is full of charm and sang-froid.
His is a modern day saga of strife and success.
The lad from a coastal village in Dondra learnt first at the Da Pusenen Primary School, then went to the bilingual school in Dondra and finally to the Madame Mahavidyalaya, Dondra. At that time he says simply there were no Mahavidyalayas. "My father was the Head Master of a school and my mother keeping to tradition was “gedera ekkena.”
He learnt his first steps in revolution, if it could be called that, by mingling with his peers among the fisher folk of Dondra. Theirs was, he said soberly “a relentless battle with the ferocious sea and to live one had to fight. I learnt”, said this modern day Che Guevara, “What hunger and poverty meant. It was these simple lads of the sea who put me into the deep waters of the stormy ocean and taught me to swim. No stylish swimming pools had we. I grew up with one thought, that the lives of the poor must be made better and meaningful.”
The young lad of eighteen with a silent mission in his heart met with the then communist youth leader the late Sarath Muttetuwegama, a man who was as clever as he was compassionate. Also the much respected revolutionary and communist leader Dr. S. A. Wickremesinghe whose home town was in the Matara District, influenced and nurtured the young man’s dreams of making a better world for the poor.
Mahinda Wijesekera entered the Vidyodaya University the then incipient base for revolutionary exploits. In 1966 at twenty two he stood out among the students as both a dedicated Marxist and a clever young man and was chosen the President of the Students” Union for two years. So good was this young man from the Dondra fishing village that he was re-elected President for the next two years as well.
Rohana Wijeweera who was to lead this country into its first insurgency and an attempt to topple the elected government came to the University sporting his new found Marxist knowledge from studies in Russia. “He spoke to us for well over an hour and was an inspired leader who told us at first that his aims were also to alleviate the poverty of most of the people of our country. Rohana appealed to me at the time since he too came from Kottegoda, Dondra in the District of Matara.”
“I believed him and thought that within a Parliamentary form of government he sought to bring about the betterment of the people. But latter I discovered that he was insidious and while helping me to become the first President of the Confederation of all Universities he did not reveal his real intentions to some of us, who later we found, belonged to his “B” list. The “A” list people knew that he wanted to capture power by arms and was collecting arms and ammunition to that end. It was when I revealed this to the Commission that later heard our case after four years of incarceration that I was released finally.”
“Wijeweera was persuasive and finally in 1971 convinced us that for starters we must capture power. He was a master strategist and he discovered from observation that all the police Ralahamys slept through the night while they were on duty. So he advocated that we capture the police stations and get them under our control. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna so began planning to capture all the defence forces beginning with the Police, then the Navy and the Air Force.”
“He carried a pistol and his “A” list pals also planned to abduct the then Prime Minister Mrs. Bandaranaike unknown to us. We in 1970 expected a lot from the United Left Front of which we were fully supportive. But for us novices at the game of governance we thought they were not moving fast enough. Rohana was clever to exploit this dissatisfaction and quoted examples from Russia, China, India and Indonesia.”
“He was clever, full of knowledge of international politics but ruthless since he was by nature a coward who never could shoot or take part in the dangers his followers participated in. But he was a master theoretician. He was unlike Vijaya who also had an imperative urge to reform the lives of the poor. Vijeya had not got much political sense or much political knowledge as had Rohana but he was a compassionate man and much respected for this.”
In 1971 finally they were all caught and kept on the Fourth Floor for three weeks while the police tried to extract confessions from them by the most inhuman methods of torture. “Throughout the day my feet and hands were tied to a chair and the policemen in charge took a sadist delight in kicking us. One officer, now deceased was a boxer and so he let me have a couple of punches, one of the more vicious of his punches breaking my jaw. To cover the scar I still wear this beard.” Actually the beard does embellish rather than detract from his good looks.
“I must bow my head in respect to the few gentlemanly police officers who treated us with consideration and not as football targets but as human beings. They wanted me to confess that we were planning to topple the government through military means and that we had hidden caches of weapons.
“At night I slept for three weeks under a table on the floor with my legs chained to the legs of the table. Above me slept a police officer and we traded insults for good measure.”
“Before we were tried by the Commission whose Chairman was the respected Justice T. S. Fernando we were treated like common criminals in jail.”
“A set quantity of rice was given to us with a mallun full of worms, spoilt fish and decayed vegetables. I who grew up eating fresh fish cooked at home, found it all nauseating.”
There was a man who had been in prison for ten years serving a life sentence. He had told Mahinda, the young man, “Machan, if you don’t want to leave this place wrapped up in a gunny bag then just don’t pay attention to taste and quality. Just close your eyes and swallow what you get because that is about all you will get. Also don’t take any medicines. Even for a headache they will give you luminal or some tranquillizers and in the end you will then leave this place with your mind deranged like a zombie.”
“The food was pushed to us through an opening as if we were dogs or cats. We had only the facilities of a commode. To bathe we were taken to a tank, fifty of us at a time. As the first whistle blew we had to strip and bathe. The second whistle was the signal to soap ourselves, the third one was to bathe and when the last whistle sounded we had to stop bathing. It all took around ten minutes. We exercised in the cell drawing up a time table, read only newspapers and then talked.”
“Once the Commission began trying us things were better and we were given books to read, better food and toilet facilities and were treated like civil prisoners.”
“I argued my own case before the Commission and they were certain that some of us knew nothing about a conspiracy to overthrow the government by force of arms.
Mahinda later in 1976 enrolled as a student at Law College.
In 1981 when the split took place within the SLFP with Anura and Maithripala on one side and Vijaya and Chandrika on the other Dixon Silva asked the young lawyer to join the SLFP to fight Parliamentary elections and try to bring about reforms through getting a seat in Parliament. “When I was young my father had said a boy must have the gift of the gab and a girl beauty and purity. Well I did have the gift of the gab and on the Fourth Floor the police called me a “kata karaya”, he laughs.
In 1980 Mahinda married Ajantha, a Sports Officer and has three sons and a daughter.
So twenty five years after having helped to write a part of our history the young man at fifty two has become an unassuming man of the Establishment.
The trappings of office like a nineteen series car and a well appointed air-conditioned office do not hinder Mahinda Wijesekera from being above all a simple man unspoilt by power and position.
Are Sri Lankan tastes changing? A decade ago it was mostly Indian or Chinese food one opted for when eating out, and households were content with the somewhat limited range of goods sold in the nearby grocery stores.
However, in more recent times there has been a dramatic shift in consumption patterns. There is a demand for imported foodstuffs with housewives buying up market exotics ranging from sesame sauce to asparagus. This is evidenced in the variety of goods displayed on supermarket shelves. The Kollupitiya supermarket for instance also has exotic canned foods, juices and vegetables not found in municipal markets etc. The restaurant scene in the city too is fast expanding with Japanese, Mediterranean and Korean cuisine being some of the latest additions to the city's dining-out choices.
What then is the reason for this change? This shift in consumption patterns is because Lankans travel overseas often especially to tourist spots in South Asia and Europe where they sample the authentic food of these countries.
Therefore, having enjoyed these different types of food, they are not averse to continuing this pattern after returning home. Also Lankans tend to be more adventurous in their choices as a look at the variety of exotic dishes on menu cards would indicate.
According to Firdouz Hassen, Business Development Manager, Cargills (Food City), imported goods are demanded by 10-15% of the population, usually the upper middle classes and upper classes. "Although we have eleven supermarkets, special goods are sold in our outlets in Majestic City, Staples Street and Kandy, which cater to the urban population. Frozen juices, i.e. fruits that are condensed and frozen are popular. Frozen vegetables, such as cauliflower and beans, are also in demand on a regular basis. Although expatriates prefer to have goods such as the "Berri" juices they are familiar with, these products are also popular among the Lankans", he said.
Hassen says the main reason for the popularity of these goods is the fact that they are convenient, some being pre-cooked and therefore easy to prepare.
"The Fruit Shoppe" in R.A. de Mel Mawatha, Colombo 3, which was opened last year has a wide range of imported fruits from India and Australia, as well as local fruits. Mohamed Rizwan, Manager of the shop said that one or two containers of fruits are imported monthly and some of the fruits are sold wholeasle to retailers. "There is a very high demand for our fruits with the majority of our customers - housewives and expatriates - calling and calling again. Our prices are similar to that of the supermarkets", he added.
While these goods cater to a somewhat select section of the population the many restaurants in Colombo, are more within the reach of the average customers.
"Mama Aida's" in Kynsey Road which was opened six years ago, serves specialist Middle-Eastern food. According to Najah de Saram, partner of the restaurant, the client base consists of locals and a large cross-section of the expatriate community, who have a knowledge of Middle-Eastern food. The ingredients used consist of several spices and herbs and are therefore suited to the local palate, with suitable reductions in the chilli content. These ingredients are imported from the Middle-East and special dishes that are served include "Tabouleh, Baba Ganoush, Felafel, Humus and Tikka Bread".
Ms. de Saram said that the restaurant came into existence when people connected to her family tasted their food and requested that it be made available to the public. Although the restaurant is rather small and can seat around 35-40 people, it has a regular clientele, specializes in catering at special functions and provides a delivery service.
"Restaurant Kolio" at Hotel Empress provides authentic Korean food. Food and Beverages Manager and Acting Duty Manager Lawrence Michael said that the restaurant was opened eight years ago, its main aim being to cater to the Korean expatriates in Colombo. "We also wanted to promote Korean food in Sri Lanka" he said.
Michael said that food is served in the traditional Korean style with a platter being served on the table. The barbeque is also done on the table when Korean dishes such as "Pajan" (an omelette with chopped pork and prawns) are served. Korean liquor called "Sojo" is also served as an appetizer.
Another addition to Colombo's restaurants is "San Remo" which provides a variety of Mediterranean cuisine that is gaining popularity among the public. Japanese food too is no longer eaten purely by the Japanese expatriates, but is catching on with dishes such as "Sushi" "Tempura" and even the traditional raw fish being demanded on a regular basis.
Food promotions are held on a regular basis at some of the leading hotels, offering cuisine from specific regions such as North India. At the Oberoi, these promotions are held to coincide with the National Days of different countries.
At the Hilton, food promotions are held monthly in the different restaurants. The Lotus Restaurant has a different theme every day, like for instance "Turkish Flair" which was held recently. This included Turkish cuisine while a traditional belly dancer was also flown down.
So if you're tired of rice and curry, just take a stroll down Duplication Road and your appetite will sure be whetted by the many different food avenues open to you
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