Do not wear borrowed feathers

Danger of wearing borrowed feathers

(This is a true story.  Locations are correct. However names of individuals were changed to protect the innocent) 

The year was 1972, the beginning of  Mahaweli project. First phase was Polgolla and the second phase was the Bowatenna complex.  Bowatenna  complex consisted of a dam across Amban Ganga and a four and a half Mile long tunnel to convey the water to North Central Province. Head of the tunnel was at Naula and the tail was at Lenadora.

Basically people in Lenadora did not like the Mahaweli project for a valid reason. There was no benefit to them from the project. Mahaweli water flows through their backyard to Huruluwewa and Kalawewa. without giving them  water. Further most of them lost their land to the project work, receiving minimal compensation. This anger trickled down to the people who worked on the project.

Lenadora was a primitive village. There was no electricity. People used kerosene lamps. At night villagers used to carry flash lights when going from field to homes.

People who worked on the project were mostly young ones who wore trousers. Village folk used to wear sarongs.  Naturally  young females of the village got attracted to trouser clad boys who came from the city.

It was a Monday. Early morning, around seven a mob of villagers surrounded the Mahaweli office.  They demanded that the office be closed and all those who work on the project sent back to where they came from.

The storey went like this. Previous night one influential farmer returned to his home around 6:30 pm. after hard days work in the field.  His house was partially constructed like many houses in the area. There were three rooms in the house. The front room had only window frame. There was a table and three chairs in this room.

As he entered the house he looked at the front room. He saw his 14 year old daughter with a young man. This man jumped through the window and ran away. With his dimmed flash light he got a glimpse of the man. The stranger was wearing trousers. As such there was no ambiguity that he is one of the people who worked for the project, and not a village folk. This incident mingled with similar incidents made it possible for the man to gather a mob to attack the Mahaweli office.

The senior project engineer(SPE) could not handle the situation.  At that time Naula had only four telephones. One at the police station, one at Mahaeli office one with the MP and one at the hospital.  Telephone numbers were two digits unlike 10 digits today. Our telephone number was 17. No direct dialling. One has to 'book' a call and wait. Generally waiting time was about 2 hours.

Mahawli office was privileged to have a radio link. We communicated with our head office via the radio. SPE  contacted  the head office and told about the incident and said that the situation was very serious. Head office instructed him to find the culprit and dismiss him immediately. So the SPE asked all those who are in the age range 20 to 30 years to come to site office immediately.

An identification parade was carried out to identify the person. Father of the girl, Kusuma identified the man as Ruwan who was a technical assistant(TA). TA was furious. He denied and said that he never left his official residence previous evening.  At this twin house there were two engineers and five TAs. Two of the  TA's who were sharing the quarters confirmed that they were playing bridge with Ruwan from 6 pm till about 9 pm the previous night. However the farmer (Kusuma's father) said that there is no doubt that this is the person. He further said that he had a flash light and chased the man in the dark. However the young man managed to escape.

Ruwan  told the SPE that he is innocent. But the villager's eye witness was more powerful than Ruwan's denial. When informed the head office of the outcome of the parade Ruwan was transferred to Kalawewa with immediate effect. He was given only one hour to pack things up. As he left in his jeep villagers who were gathered jeered and were shouting anti Mahaweli slogans.

It is a common practice that when a person leaves the site a farewell party is given.  But Ruwan was not given one. There was no time for a party. So after about two weeks later a farewell party was organised for Ruwan. Only young engineers and TAs were invited for the party. There was more than enough liquor. Sanath, a recently graduated lived in the adjoining house. After about two hours into the party Sanath,  told Ruwan that there is a secret that he need to disclose. What is it Sir? 'I am the one who went to Kusuma's  house that evening'  What? What

Then why is that farmer identified you without any doubt?  Ruwan had a beautiful batik shirt. White. red and black. That day afternoon Ruwan washed this shirt and had it on the clothes line for drying. When Sanath was on his way to Kusuma's house he saw this shirt and wore it.  After returning he put it back on the cloths line. Unfortunately following day morning Ruwan wore the same shirt to the identification parade.   So in reality farmer identified the shirt and not the individual.

I took this example at one of my engineering ethics lectures at the University of Ruhuna. I asked the students who was wrong. Who was unethical. These were some of the answers I got

SPE - not conducted a thorough investigation

Mahaweli head ofice - Took a quick decisions without properly studying the case

Sanath - should have told the truth and saved innocent fellow subordinate

Ruwan - visiting a young girl without consent of her parents

The Girl - Majority of the class said that it is girl's fault. She knew the truth and was silent.

This incident took place in 1972, 45 years ago. Since then

The SPE went to USA, university of Texas at Austin to do his PhD and did not return to Mahaweli

Ruwan, worked his entire life at Mahawli. Last year passed away after a brief illness

Sanath is retired as a  deputy director of Mahaweli when he retired

Kusuma, married a sarong clad boy from Naula.

Seventy years on planet earth

Thank you for all those who sent birthday wishes.  For those who don't know, I turned 70. A long life. It is a good time to turn back and look at what I did with the life that was given to me. I lived my life.

I was born at Pimbura Government Hospital, Agalawatta. My father was the head master(that is what they were called those days) and mother was a school teacher. Both of them were teaching at a small Sinhala mixed school at Gomarankadawala  in Trincomalee  district. I started schooling at the age of 3. Those days there was no age limit. If you can walk, then you can go to school.

My parents used to get transfers to different schools in the island, mostly in rural areas. When they get a transfer, whole family moves and settled down in the new village. This resulted me to going to 14 schools in Sri Lanka. Shortest at Kalutara Holy cross one and half days and longest 5 years at Matale science college.    

I entered the engineering faculty from Matale science college. Science college had only five classes. One SSC prep two GCE (O/L) and two GCE(A/L). Prep class had only two subjects. Mathematics and English for the whole year. Those days there was only one engineering faculty. I wanted to follow electrical engineering degree, but my father wanted me to do civil engineers. I guess it were the civil engineers he saw roaming around expensive jeeps and attracting respect from the community.

After a short spell of instructorship at the Peradeniya university,  joined Mahaweli Project. Under detections from French consultants I specialised in explosives.  Naturally for construction. I worked as the senior project engineer of Bowatenna project.

After five years at Mahaveli I got a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to goto USA to study for my PhD. I joined the University of Texas at Austin. I choose hydropower engineering. My research committee had professors from electrical, civil and mechanical engineering department. My research project was sponsored by the United states army corp of engineers. Professor Leo R Beard, the author of HEC series of programmes was my supervisor. The topic I selected made me to follow several modules in the Electrical Engineering Department

After completing the PhD I worked as a consultant for USAID mission, American Embassy , Colombo.

After two years at USAID joined Moratuwa University as a senior lecturer in the Department of Civil engineering.  While at MOU I worked as a consultant for various public and private sector organizations in Sri Lanka and overseas.

In 1990 I took sabbatical leave and went to Saudi Arabia. There I worked as a mathematical modeller for King Abdul Aziz Air Base(KAAB) in Al Khobar. This airbase housed the command centre of the Gulf War' I got exposed to most modern military hardware at that time. Within the KAAB there were three American bases.

In 1995 migrated to Australia. In Australia I worked for Spatial Info, a private company developing GIS software. Subsequently at RMIT university. Worked part time at Victoria University, Melbourne.

In 2009 retired from RMIT university and joined University of Ruhuna, Galle Sri Lanka. At Ruhuna, I taught at Civil, Electrical and the IS departments.   Introduction to Astronomy was a popular module where the students were exposed to Vedic Astrology and astronomy. I retired from Ruuna in 2016. While at Ruhuna, I participated in some Radio and Television programs. Some of them created lot of discussion.

In the final analysis my  education was paid by poor people in Sri Lanka and (higher education) by poor people in USA. I paid my debt to Sri Lankan people. But will never get an opportunity to pay  back the debt I owe to poor people in USA.

 For those who do not know I have taught at four engineering Faculties in Sri Lanka. Don't forget Oluvi!

So now I am retired. A big thank you to all helped me to achieve my goals and beyond.