Devaka Wickramasuriya
Tea Fields in the district with Adams Peak in the background
Planters are a unique breed in whatever part of the world they are in, and there are numerous anecdotes of their life on the plantations. Therefore, having been a Sri Lankan Tea Planter for 40 years, I wish to share some of these anecdotes, all of which are from the period when I was on plantations in the Maskeliya/Upcot District in Sri Lanka.
The tea plantations in the district, which are rated to be among the finest in the world, are in the shadow of the famed Adams Peak. The peak is a 2,243 m tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well known for the "sacred footprint", a 1.8 m rock formation near the summit, which in Buddhist tradition is regarded as the footprint of the Buddha, in Hindu tradition that of Shiva and in Islamic and Christian tradition that of Adam.
My time in the district was from 1977 to 1984 and I had the distinct privilege of serving as an Assistant Manager and thereafter a Senior Assistant Manager (“Sinna Dorai” in Tamil which in English is “Small Master”) on two of the better estates in the district namely Moray and Brunswick Estates. I recall the days in the district being the finest in my planting career and being a bachelor, did not have the restrictions that would normally have been imposed if there had been a wife around!
My initial posting in the district was to Moray Estate. The Manager (“Periya Dorai” in Tamil which is “Big Master”) was Conrad Abeysekera and the other Assistant Manager on the estate was Fred Amarasinghe. Both Mr. Abeysekera and his wife were truly wonderful people and treated both Fred and I with much kindness.
Salaries were not too good at the time and after paying your Club and Kadday (the estate grocery store) bills there was not much left. Around the 3rd week of the month both Fred and I would compare our financial situations and find that we were down to “salmon” or “eggs” with funds not even permitting the purchase of any meats or even a bottle of the spirit that cheers. Mr. Abeysekera had a very fixed programme; he left office sharp at 4.30 p.m., read the newspapers and after a bath was ready to take on the evening by 7.00 p.m.
Fred and I knowing this gentleman’s hospitality and his kindness, when things were really bad financially, used to “drop in” at his Bungalow around 7.00 p.m. His stock question to us was “any problem” and after we had assured him that there was none, he used to invite us in and before much time had lapsed we had glasses in our hands and were soon well on the way to spending a good evening which always ended with a sumptuous dinner. On finding that Mr. Abeysekera was serving us Scotch Whisky (something we could not afford to drink at that time) while he was drinking Sri Lankan distilled Coconut Arrack, which was his choice of drink, I asked him as to why he was serving us Scotch when he very well knew that we drank Arrack. His reply was, “then who is going to finish the hampers I got”. Therefore, Fred and I consoled ourselves that our unannounced visits to Mr. Abeysekera’s Bungalow were beneficial to him as well!
There was a wonderful Club in the district - The Maskeliya Club - created in 1889 - which was functioning extremely well. Both Fred and I were active members and used to visit the Club (almost 12 miles away) at least three times a week. Mr. Abeysekera however did not visit the Club very often but supported all its activities. A story that comes to mind was one during the time of the Club’s Monsoon Dance in 1978 when Mrs. Abeysekera had been asked to prepare two whole Fish in some form or the other as a part of the Supper that was to be laid out. This having being done, they were handed over to me to be taken over to the Club in Mr. Abeysekera’s car which was released to Fred and me for the night. We were taking a Clerk from Moray to help at the Bar and he was tasked with keeping the two large dishes containing the two whole fish on his lap.
Approaching Maskeliya Town there was a shout from this Clerk – “Sir, Sir, please stop the Car”. On doing so and asking him what the trouble was, his reply was “Sir, this fish knocked that fish and that fish’s head has come off”! Running repairs were immediately done on the damaged fish even after which it resembled one that had been strangled as we were just not able to get its head straight. The two fish were duly handed over to the Lady Convenor of the Club, who after inspecting them, looked at us in a suspicious manner but probably due to the look of absolute innocence displayed on both Fred’s and my faces, fortunately did not make any comment.
My next estate was Brunswick which was a “jewel” and consisted of six Divisions - Brunswick, Bloomfield, Dunottar, Emelina, Mottingham and Caskieben. Mr. Manilal Abeyawardena was Manager and as on Moray Estate, he and his wife Srima were indeed wonderful people.
My first “field visit” with Mr. Abeyawardena was a visit to Field No: 1 C of Bloomfield Division which was being tipped after pruning. Mr. Abeyawardena having found that the tipping done was low is certain sections was furious. At this time the Field Officer of Bloomfield Division unfortunately came up to where we were and Mr. Abeyawardena on seeing him reprimanded him saying “Jiffrey look at this bloody tipping. You are only fit to be a spare p…k on a honeymoon”. Jiffrey obviously not quite understanding at that time what had been told to him replied “Yes Sir - I will get it rectified” after which Mr. Abeyawardena and I proceeded on the rest of our field visit.
That afternoon, after the effect of what Mr. Abeyawardena had dawned on him, Jiffrey was at my Bungalow, with his letter of resignation, to tell me that he had never been insulted so badly in his life before. I was able to convince Jiffrey that Mr. Abeyawardena would never have meant what he said and that it was purely due to the bad work that he had lost his temper. Jiffrey after some persuasion fortunately accepted what I told him and the matter ended there.
As the Maskeliya Club was located on Brunswick Estate, it was natural that I had to accept office at the Club and was therefore elected its Secretary. The Club’s Annual Monsoon Dance was soon upon us and as Secretary and being the closest to the Club, much of the work connected with the dance was entrusted to me. One of the duties entrusted to me was the responsibility of picking up the Cabaret artiste from the Hatton Railway Station and accommodating her in my Bungalow, in all probability due to it being the closest to the Club and for no other conceivable reason! The Cabaret artiste was chaperoned by her mother and another gentleman who claimed to be her “Uncle”. After having refreshed themselves at my Bungalow, I took them over to the Club and deposited them in the Club’s Billiard Room until it was time for her to perform.
Needless to say, being the good host that I was, I frequently checked on how she was doing and provided her with ample “refreshments” in the hope that this would enhance her performance! A very senior Manager of the district, who had consumed quite a few drinks by that time, observing my frequent visits to the Billiard Room, asked me why I was doing so and I had no alternative but to reluctantly tell him that it was due to the Cabaret artiste being there. On hearing this he walked into the Billiard Room with me following and having inspected her asked me “Devaka, as she is anyway going to perform in a short time, would she be willing to do a private performance for me now if I pay her something”. The Cabaret artiste and her mother both took umbrage at this and I had a phenomenal task in preventing them from leaving. The Manager who caused the rumpus fled “the scene of the crime” leaving me to resolve the problem on my own, which I was fortunately successful in doing.
A new Assistant Manager - Seevali Mudannnayake - who was immediately after his training arrived on Brunswick and Mr. Abeyawardena and I decided to take him down to the Maskeliya Club to “break him in” and instil into him “Brunswick traditions”. Many others too were present at the Club and a thoroughly enjoyable evening was in progress. Mr. Abeyawardena after some time insisted that Seevali, being the youngest amongst us, pours his drinks and called out to Seevali “Seevali, one finger Arrack topped up with Soda”. Seevali duly obliged and when the glass was handed back to Mr. Abeyawardena and he had taken a sip, there was a shout from him “Seevali don’t you even know what one finger is”. Seevali’s reply was “Yes Sir, one finger” with his finger extended upwards!
My final anecdote is of another Assistant Manager in the district who I will not name. All Assistant Managers were provided with Motor Cycles and this particular Assistant Manager prided himself on having an excellent knowledge of Motor Cycles. The time came when his Motor Cycle had to be overhauled and despite his Manager advising him that he should send it to a proper repair shop, he refused and decided to attend to the overhaul on his own. The news spread around the district like wildfire as no Planter had previously attended an overhaul of this magnitude on his own. We were all informed when the repair was completed and invited to witness the machine being started and brought back to life. An auspicious time was found from the local astrologer and at the appointed time, watched by most of the Assistant Managers in the district as well as his beloved wife, our friend “kick started” the machine which immediately burst into life. We were all amazed at his ability but this amazement immediately turned to shock followed by peals of laughter as when the machine was put into gear, it went backwards!!!!
Of the characters mentioned in my story, Conrad Abeysekera and Fred Amarasinghe have left this world, Manilal Abeyawardena and I live a life of retirement in Colombo while Seevali Mudannayake is Manager of Strathspey Estate, one of the largest properties in the Maskeliya / Upcot.
Tea Fields in the district with Adams Peak in the background
Planters are a unique breed in whatever part of the world they are in, and there are numerous anecdotes of their life on the plantations. Therefore, having been a Sri Lankan Tea Planter for 40 years, I wish to share some of these anecdotes, all of which are from the period when I was on plantations in the Maskeliya/Upcot District in Sri Lanka.
The tea plantations in the district, which are rated to be among the finest in the world, are in the shadow of the famed Adams Peak. The peak is a 2,243 m tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well known for the "sacred footprint", a 1.8 m rock formation near the summit, which in Buddhist tradition is regarded as the footprint of the Buddha, in Hindu tradition that of Shiva and in Islamic and Christian tradition that of Adam.
My time in the district was from 1977 to 1984 and I had the distinct privilege of serving as an Assistant Manager and thereafter a Senior Assistant Manager (“Sinna Dorai” in Tamil which in English is “Small Master”) on two of the better estates in the district namely Moray and Brunswick Estates. I recall the days in the district being the finest in my planting career and being a bachelor, did not have the restrictions that would normally have been imposed if there had been a wife around!
My initial posting in the district was to Moray Estate. The Manager (“Periya Dorai” in Tamil which is “Big Master”) was Conrad Abeysekera and the other Assistant Manager on the estate was Fred Amarasinghe. Both Mr. Abeysekera and his wife were truly wonderful people and treated both Fred and I with much kindness.
Salaries were not too good at the time and after paying your Club and Kadday (the estate grocery store) bills there was not much left. Around the 3rd week of the month both Fred and I would compare our financial situations and find that we were down to “salmon” or “eggs” with funds not even permitting the purchase of any meats or even a bottle of the spirit that cheers. Mr. Abeysekera had a very fixed programme; he left office sharp at 4.30 p.m., read the newspapers and after a bath was ready to take on the evening by 7.00 p.m.
Fred and I knowing this gentleman’s hospitality and his kindness, when things were really bad financially, used to “drop in” at his Bungalow around 7.00 p.m. His stock question to us was “any problem” and after we had assured him that there was none, he used to invite us in and before much time had lapsed we had glasses in our hands and were soon well on the way to spending a good evening which always ended with a sumptuous dinner. On finding that Mr. Abeysekera was serving us Scotch Whisky (something we could not afford to drink at that time) while he was drinking Sri Lankan distilled Coconut Arrack, which was his choice of drink, I asked him as to why he was serving us Scotch when he very well knew that we drank Arrack. His reply was, “then who is going to finish the hampers I got”. Therefore, Fred and I consoled ourselves that our unannounced visits to Mr. Abeysekera’s Bungalow were beneficial to him as well!
There was a wonderful Club in the district - The Maskeliya Club - created in 1889 - which was functioning extremely well. Both Fred and I were active members and used to visit the Club (almost 12 miles away) at least three times a week. Mr. Abeysekera however did not visit the Club very often but supported all its activities. A story that comes to mind was one during the time of the Club’s Monsoon Dance in 1978 when Mrs. Abeysekera had been asked to prepare two whole Fish in some form or the other as a part of the Supper that was to be laid out. This having being done, they were handed over to me to be taken over to the Club in Mr. Abeysekera’s car which was released to Fred and me for the night. We were taking a Clerk from Moray to help at the Bar and he was tasked with keeping the two large dishes containing the two whole fish on his lap.
Approaching Maskeliya Town there was a shout from this Clerk – “Sir, Sir, please stop the Car”. On doing so and asking him what the trouble was, his reply was “Sir, this fish knocked that fish and that fish’s head has come off”! Running repairs were immediately done on the damaged fish even after which it resembled one that had been strangled as we were just not able to get its head straight. The two fish were duly handed over to the Lady Convenor of the Club, who after inspecting them, looked at us in a suspicious manner but probably due to the look of absolute innocence displayed on both Fred’s and my faces, fortunately did not make any comment.
My next estate was Brunswick which was a “jewel” and consisted of six Divisions - Brunswick, Bloomfield, Dunottar, Emelina, Mottingham and Caskieben. Mr. Manilal Abeyawardena was Manager and as on Moray Estate, he and his wife Srima were indeed wonderful people.
My first “field visit” with Mr. Abeyawardena was a visit to Field No: 1 C of Bloomfield Division which was being tipped after pruning. Mr. Abeyawardena having found that the tipping done was low is certain sections was furious. At this time the Field Officer of Bloomfield Division unfortunately came up to where we were and Mr. Abeyawardena on seeing him reprimanded him saying “Jiffrey look at this bloody tipping. You are only fit to be a spare p…k on a honeymoon”. Jiffrey obviously not quite understanding at that time what had been told to him replied “Yes Sir - I will get it rectified” after which Mr. Abeyawardena and I proceeded on the rest of our field visit.
That afternoon, after the effect of what Mr. Abeyawardena had dawned on him, Jiffrey was at my Bungalow, with his letter of resignation, to tell me that he had never been insulted so badly in his life before. I was able to convince Jiffrey that Mr. Abeyawardena would never have meant what he said and that it was purely due to the bad work that he had lost his temper. Jiffrey after some persuasion fortunately accepted what I told him and the matter ended there.
As the Maskeliya Club was located on Brunswick Estate, it was natural that I had to accept office at the Club and was therefore elected its Secretary. The Club’s Annual Monsoon Dance was soon upon us and as Secretary and being the closest to the Club, much of the work connected with the dance was entrusted to me. One of the duties entrusted to me was the responsibility of picking up the Cabaret artiste from the Hatton Railway Station and accommodating her in my Bungalow, in all probability due to it being the closest to the Club and for no other conceivable reason! The Cabaret artiste was chaperoned by her mother and another gentleman who claimed to be her “Uncle”. After having refreshed themselves at my Bungalow, I took them over to the Club and deposited them in the Club’s Billiard Room until it was time for her to perform.
Needless to say, being the good host that I was, I frequently checked on how she was doing and provided her with ample “refreshments” in the hope that this would enhance her performance! A very senior Manager of the district, who had consumed quite a few drinks by that time, observing my frequent visits to the Billiard Room, asked me why I was doing so and I had no alternative but to reluctantly tell him that it was due to the Cabaret artiste being there. On hearing this he walked into the Billiard Room with me following and having inspected her asked me “Devaka, as she is anyway going to perform in a short time, would she be willing to do a private performance for me now if I pay her something”. The Cabaret artiste and her mother both took umbrage at this and I had a phenomenal task in preventing them from leaving. The Manager who caused the rumpus fled “the scene of the crime” leaving me to resolve the problem on my own, which I was fortunately successful in doing.
A new Assistant Manager - Seevali Mudannnayake - who was immediately after his training arrived on Brunswick and Mr. Abeyawardena and I decided to take him down to the Maskeliya Club to “break him in” and instil into him “Brunswick traditions”. Many others too were present at the Club and a thoroughly enjoyable evening was in progress. Mr. Abeyawardena after some time insisted that Seevali, being the youngest amongst us, pours his drinks and called out to Seevali “Seevali, one finger Arrack topped up with Soda”. Seevali duly obliged and when the glass was handed back to Mr. Abeyawardena and he had taken a sip, there was a shout from him “Seevali don’t you even know what one finger is”. Seevali’s reply was “Yes Sir, one finger” with his finger extended upwards!
My final anecdote is of another Assistant Manager in the district who I will not name. All Assistant Managers were provided with Motor Cycles and this particular Assistant Manager prided himself on having an excellent knowledge of Motor Cycles. The time came when his Motor Cycle had to be overhauled and despite his Manager advising him that he should send it to a proper repair shop, he refused and decided to attend to the overhaul on his own. The news spread around the district like wildfire as no Planter had previously attended an overhaul of this magnitude on his own. We were all informed when the repair was completed and invited to witness the machine being started and brought back to life. An auspicious time was found from the local astrologer and at the appointed time, watched by most of the Assistant Managers in the district as well as his beloved wife, our friend “kick started” the machine which immediately burst into life. We were all amazed at his ability but this amazement immediately turned to shock followed by peals of laughter as when the machine was put into gear, it went backwards!!!!
Of the characters mentioned in my story, Conrad Abeysekera and Fred Amarasinghe have left this world, Manilal Abeyawardena and I live a life of retirement in Colombo while Seevali Mudannayake is Manager of Strathspey Estate, one of the largest properties in the Maskeliya / Upcot.
Devaka Wickramasuriya has worked on some of the best tea plantations in Sri Lanka. During this time, besides being a conscientious worker, he was actively involved in the social life normally associated with a planter and has served on the Committees of many plantation district clubs and associations.
He also continued with his school day passion of Rugby and Captained his district Rugby Club and was also selected to be a member of the Up-Country Rugby team. He also served as Deputy President of the Ceylon Planters Society as well as held the post of General Manager – Plantations of Carsons Agro Services Limited, a company that was selected to manage plantations in the 1st stage of privatization of estates in Sri Lanka. His last post in the plantation industry was as Chairman of Elkaduwa Plantations Limited, a state-owned and managed Regional Plantation Company.
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story - a story always told with great seriousness, no matter how funny -
always true (always), maybe a tall tale, long, short, impossible,
scary, funny or exciting but never dull. You will find yourself
transported to another world!
Happy reading! Cheers to the spirit of Indian Tea!
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Very, very entertaining! Read it aloud to my husband and son, who split their sides laughing!
ReplyDeleteEncore!
Glad to read this delightful piece from a man’s point of view. It really is so different from what we mems experienced and saw from the confines of the bungalow and club. Combine both and we’re going to get a well rounded narrative on Tea Life!
ReplyDeleteHear, hear!!
DeleteHow wonderful to read about life on the Sri Lankan tea estates, but it seems to me that tea planters are truly 'brothers under the skin' wherever they may be, as they share similar experiences and personalities! Thanks for sharing these anecdotes, Mr Wickramasuriya
ReplyDeleteGreat entertainer ! Mr Wickramasurya is right when he writes Tea planters anywhere on this earth have so many anecdotes to share. There is universality that binds the community . Reading the interesting story one feels it it happened with us too. It reminded me of my first club catering... the cabaret evening at Misa club.... welcome aboard Mr. Wickramasurya. we wait to hear more from you.
ReplyDeleteDelightful reading....so many lighthearted moments...!
ReplyDeleteIts wonderful how Indian Chai Stories has gone global!
Wonderful reading about the lovely times.Brings back happy memories of Sri Lanka as were in Dickoya for almost 3 years when my husband was on an assignment with Watawala Plantations.
ReplyDeleteExtremely entertaining
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this article. Though my stint as Tea Planter during early part of my Technical career in early 70's was quite short comparatively (Engineer Asst. Manager, Lungla Tea Estate, Duncan Brothers), I also have several stories to tell. Now that I am retired from my Technical professional career (almost 30 years) in Oil & Gas industry here in Texas, USA I am tempted to start writing my own story - which is still quite vivid in my memory. Thanks for sharing all of your personal experiences. Best Regards............. Kalim Ullah
ReplyDeleteA very humorous and well told tale!
ReplyDelete