Professor E. O. E. Pereira Memorial Lecture

Prof. E.O.E. Pereira was the father of technical education in Sri Lanka. He was the founder dean of the college of engineering in then University of Ceylon and was the dean when I entered the University. The traditions of academic excellence he built as the dean for over twenty years enabled hundreds of us to excel in leading universities around the world as students, researchers and teachers in various fields. We are eternally grateful to him for his leadership and guidance that made us what we are today.

Professor E. O. E. Pereira Memorial Lecture is hosted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Engineers on his birthday, September 13th, every year. I was honored to deliver the 2010 Professor E.O.E. Pereira memorial lecture to a distinguished audience in Colombo. The topic of the lecture was “Process Engineering Research on Agro-Industrial Issues in Sri Lanka”. It was based on several research and development activities that I became involved in Sri Lanka upon my return from UCDavis.

Moving into New House

We moved to the new house on September 9^th. The astrologer priest of the village temple said it was an auspicious day. The next auspicious day was in three weeks time. Everyone thought it is best to take the early date. Our crew of masons, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and finishers worked day and night to complete the upper level and did a great and timely job. We also got the approval from the local authority just a day earlier.

The astrologer gave times to leave the old house, to enter the new house and to light the first fire. He also told us to enter the new house facing east, but the main door faces west! Lighting the fire was at 11:45 am. It was followed by a treat to all.

In the evening we had three priests from the village temple visit the house and chant ‘Pirith’ to bless the new house, occupants and workers who built the house. This ritual is also to prevent evil eye being cast on the skill of the workers! Families of all the workers attended the event and the proud workers showed the product of their labor to their spouses and children. We provided dinner for all. It was a very happy evening. What a relief!

It is three weeks since we moved in. We are delighted with almost everything with the house. The scenery from the balcony is beautiful. We can see Alagalla mountain, ten kilometers away all the time. On clear days we can see ‘Bible Rock’ about 40 kilometers away! The sunset with the crimson clouds over the mountains is majestic.

Visitors from Davis, California

A group of 12 students from University of California at Davis spent one month in Sri Lanka studying tropical agricultural systems with faculty and students from University of Peradeniya. They studied rice farming in the dry zone, tea cultivation in the hill country and mixed cropping and animal farming in Peradeniya.

I was very much involved in initiating the collaboration between the two universities and was very happy with this successful outcome.

My daughters Samita and Menesha were visiting us during that time so we joined the students and Dr. Paul Marcotte for dinner in a Restaurant in Kandy.

A Goat !

A baby goat became the latest addition to our house construction site. She is very friendly and loved by all the workers at the site. She loves to have people around her.. She eats almost every plant, bread, rice and loves ‘poonac, (coconut oil cake).

We have named her ‘Tikiri’. Menesha takes her on daily walks which Tikiri likes. She did not like the bath Menesha gave her is spite of all the baby soap!

Martin Uncle

In April last year we visited Martin Uncle in Hingurakgoda, reluctantly thinking that it may be the last time we see him. He died at the ripe age of 98 in last month. He had the most colorful life among all my relatives. He was born in 1912. He became a novice Buddhist monk at the age of seven and ordained at 21.

He gave up the priesthood and restarted his life as a farmer in 1940’s. He was a pioneer in the new frontier of dryzone irrigation project of Minneriya. He became a very successful farmer and a leader among the new settlers. He was well read, outspoken and full of advice to next two generations. His advice and well wishes were sought after by relatives, neighbors, politicians and government officers alike.

He was very alert until the hour of his death. His last act was to offer good advice to his children. He was well looked after by his family, who never allowed him a minute of loneliness!

Guiding the Bride

We attend the wedding of my niece Susanthi in April. She is a doctor at Peradeniya teaching hospital and the groom Chandana in a pesticide control scientist. Wedding took place in Kandy, in Kandyan attire.

This time I had to guide the bride to ‘Poruva’or the stage. This duty is performed by an uncle. I was also the attesting witness of the marriage. We have many weddings to attend and I am expected to fulfill my father’s role at most of these!

Jaffna!

Jaffna, capital of the Northern province was not accessible by land from south for more than a decade because LTTE controlled a vast stretch of land in-between. The civil war ended in May 2009 and the land link, route A9, was opened a few months ago for civilian traffic.

Jaffna became a very popular attraction for people from the south, about 200 bus loads visiting daily. We joined the multitude for the April holiday season. We joined a four-day organized guided tour, our first in Sri Lanka, because this is very much like visiting a distant (260 miles) foreign country with different language,.religion and culture.

The signs of war were every where, roofless houses, top less palmyra trees and land-mine warnings. People were very friendly every where. Everyday life seemed almost normal. We saw very few cars. People ride bicycles everywhere, which is very practical in the flat terrain.

Miles of causeways linking islands, vast farming areas in Kopay, Hindu kovils in Nallur and Vallipuram, Buddhist temple in Nainativu by boat, reconstructed Jaffna public library, Dutch fort, bottomless well in Puttur were all part of the tour. We even saw the house where LTTE leader, Prabakaran was born and raised. This house was destroyed a few days later!

Jaffna seems about 20 years behind rest of the country but will catch-up soon. It was good to see before everything changes.

House with a View III

We completed all the brick and concrete work of the house after seven long months. Roof is the next big item.

On March 25^th , our foreman Karune and carpenter Deepal set the top ridge beam for the roof at the auspicious time given by the Buddhist priest in the village temple. It was preceded by the rituals of lighting lamps, burning incense, etc., and followed by a feast of traditional Sri Lankan delights to all the crew and some neighbors!

Treat for Elders

We sponsored a lunch for residents at an elders home in Kandy. This home operated by a Buddhist organization houses about hundred males and females. They are supplied with everything by the organization and well wishers. They help with household chores.

We were quite impressed by the service provided by this organization, we decided to donate new clothes to all the residents to celebrate the New Year in April.

Caucasian Chalk Circle

When the Drama Festival at open air theatre (Wale Sellam) commenced for the second time we realized that an year has passed since we came to Sri Lanka. We saw four plays including my favorite ‘Caucasian Chalk Circle’. This is an adaptation of a play written by

German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht.

The final act of Azdak's judgment is the theme of Buddhist Jathaka Story and also a story in Old Testament.

Visitor from UC Davis

We planned for many years to conduct a course for students from UC Davis on tropical agriculture at University of Peradeniya, but were unable to launch it due to war situation in Sri Lanka. War having ended we are finally conducting the course in July 2010.

Paul Marcotte, Associate Director of International Programs at UC Davis visited Sri Lanka in January to finalize arrangements. We visited University Dry Zone Farm Campus with Paul.

I am happy about the success of this program which I helped initiate while at UC Davis. We all hope it becomes an annual event!

Presidential Elections

On January 26^th Sri Lanka conducted the 6^th presidential election. Incumbent Mahinda Rajapakse won the election by a wide margin. About 72% of the eligible voters cast their vote. The election was clean and peaceful even though the campaign was not.

Mr. Rajapakse was the strong favorite in rural Sinhalese areas while opposition was favored in big cities and Tamil areas. This result is a tremendous vote of gratitude by the Sinhalese villagers for ending the 27 year old civil war. The villages sacrificed and suffered disproportionately during the war. I visited dry zone villages three days after the elections and they were still celebrating!

Reports in international media seem to accentuate the negatives, continuing the habits developed during the civil war while the country is enjoying the stability and peace.

House with a View II

We are making steady progress in building the house. We hope to complete most of the structural work before the current dry season end in May. The picture shows the site in early January.

New Year

We welcomed the year 2010 by visiting a nearby Buddhist temple. Renuka took care of the rituals while I took some photographs.

Dunhinda Falls

I had to visit a tea factory in the hill country for a research project. On our way we visited picturesque Dunhinda water falls. The waterfall, which is 210 feet (64 m) high gets its name from the smoky dew drops spray, (Dun in Sinhala means mist or smoke) which surrounds the area at the foot of the waterfall.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunhinda_Falls