The Sri Lankan Sojourn - The Curtain Raiser

(Okay, Okay, I need to finish this Summit story soon and I promise I’ll do it without blowing trumpets pronto)!

Richard had told me that there was a get-together at the Breeze Bar (by the swimming pool) in the evening, a welcome party for all the delegates and speakers at the Summit.  I wondered what to wear and finally settled on my uber-colourful shirt for the eve!  I didn’t want to be at the ‘do’ right on the dot.  So, went around the shopping mall, found an ATM and drew some Sri Lankan money (as I wasn’t carrying any dollars and Indian money wasn’t accepted anywhere).  But, that still had left some time on my hands.  I just walked out of the hotel thinking I’d take a stroll on the beach that didn’t look too far.  I barely had crossed the road and walked a few steps, a stranger accosted me.  “You staying at the hotel right?” 

“Yes” 

“I work as a bartender there.  Where are you going?” 

“I just thought I’d go to the beach” 

“Oh but you must first go to the gem exhibition that’s going on.  It’s the last day today.  And, they’re giving huge discounts”

“I’m not interested”

“There’s no pressure to buy. Just go and see.  You may not get such an opportunity again”.  

Before I could say anything else, he’d called an auto, spoken to him Sinhala and asked him to take to the exhibition.  “How much to pay him?” 

“Oh don’t worry; he’ll charge by the meter”.  The auto’s called tuk-tuk in Sri Lanka (like in Thailand).  The driver asked me where I’m from and I said, India.  He happily pointed to his auto and said, “This is also made in India”.  The same story would repeat each time I’d board a tuk-tuk in Sri Lanka – be in Colombo, Kandy or Dambulla.  

The so-called exhibition place was hardly any distance away and it actually was a shop.  There were neither any signs of exhibition to me nor any boards that declared discounts.  I saw a man working diligently on a jewel-cutting-cum-polishing machine.  “Can I take a picture?” I asked the men who were chatting there.  “Please sir, but also see our wares inside”.  I walked in with a heavy heart, learnt of the names of many precious and semi-precious stones and walked out promising them to come back the next day.  

The auto driver on the way back said, “That man who spoke to you to come with me doesn’t work with the hotel as you think.  He’s an agent for these shopkeepers and a drug addict”.  I had seen similar things at other places – Agra being one of them.  It was a sales gimmick I wasn’t willing to fall for easily.  But I learnt, as I interacted with other (Indian and otherwise) delegates, that many had fallen for this and had bought gems by bagsful.  

The evening at the pool-side party rocked.  My inhibitions vanished with every peg of Black Label (“just water please with my scotch” made the waiters almost pop their eyes off).  It was good to rub shoulders with the high and mighty from the various governments – 14 countries in all.  Some even displayed sparkling wit and disarming sense of humour, especially those from Maldives.  And, Sri Lankans were turning out to be really good hosts.  But when I realized the time wasn’t standing still I chose to return to my room.  

“Was there any call for me?” I asked the receptionist.  “Yes Sir.  Also, someone had come looking for you.  He’s left something for you at your room”.  “Thanks”.  

Before I left India, a friend from Chennai - Senthil - had asked me if I could carry something for his friends there and I had agreed to and brought a parcel along with me.  Also, I’d befriended another Sri Lankan.  When I reached the room I found an envelope with a letter and two SIM cards – one for the phone and another for the data card.  From a very thoughtful Charith, a pilot from the Srilankan Airlines.  I called him and discovered he lived two minutes away from the hotel.  He promised to come.  My hotel telephone rang and it was Roshan this time.  Roshan was the friend Senthil wanted me to deliver the parcel to.  “Hello Sudhir, why don’t you check your voice mail?” I had no answer to that (how would I know there would be voicemail?) He too was waiting all evening for my call while I was happily getting drunk.  “Why don’t you come now?” I asked.  He agreed to come.  

It was a happy coincidence to discover that Charith and Roshan (who arrived with Niluka) each other.  After spending a while they returned.  These three were the musketeers (along with Vishy in Kandy) who made my trip so much more memorable than it could ever have been otherwise.  

(to be continued....)

Sri Lankan Sojourn - Prologue

Being nominated to go to Sri Lanka to take part in the FutureGov SAARC Summit 2012 (held in Colombo on July 18-19) brought in mixed reactions within me.  I was elated that I was going to an International Summit where 14 Countries were participating (7 countries apart from the SAARC zone).  That was an honour.  But, going to Sri Lanka of all places?  All other colleagues were getting nominated to go to more popular, European, American or Pacific nations while I was just going next door.  I cursed my luck and felt cheated too – my mind playing the spoilsport as ever in even the moment of pride.  It reminded me of previous such disappoints too (like, missing out on Lebanon assignment and being shunted to Bhutan instead; it was another matter that I fell in love with Bhutan).

My presentation was on what I’m currently associated with – Aadhaar, the Project that aims to provide a Unique Identity to every Indian resident.  It took me a lot of effort to even take a stab at preparing the slides.  In the meantime the organizers even called in and requested if I’d be fine in sitting on a discussion panel on financial inclusion.  I agreed to it as I head the processes of Financial Inclusion and Authentication (Application Development and Operations).  I wasn’t certain if I did the right thing by agreeing to be on the panel.  Other panellists were eminent (and much senior) people – a Director General from Pakistan, a senior Joint Secretary from the Ministry of Rural Development, India and Chairman of a successful banking group in Sri Lanka.  I was certain I’d make a fool out of myself.

I barely managed to cobble together a presentation and sent across to Richard (Richard Pain, from FutureGov, the Organiser of the event, was my contact for all details, arrangements and we had lengthy conversations over the phone and multitudes of mail exchange) as the entire office was plagued by one crisis after another just before my trip.  A field study that was planned was going haywire and there were frantic VCs, conference phone calls late in the night, weekend working – apart from heartburn, disappointment, frustration, anger, accusations and counter-accusations as the problems refused to abate.  Amidst all this I had to get my Official/Diplomatic Passport done, travel to Delhi to get my gratis Visa – I requested if I could use my ordinary passport and the answer was in the negative (had they said yes, I could’ve obtained ETA online and saved on my trip to Delhi both in terms of time and money).  My tickets were another issue of concern.  I decided to fly via Chennai at the last moment so I could reach Colombo early.  Travelling from Bangalore would’ve meant I’d reach my hotel past midnight.  And, I wasn’t able to fit into any of my suits (all of them were from a time when I knew what fitness was).  On top of all this I developed a frozen shoulder.  My friends even advised me not to carry (my rather bulky DSLR) camera.  I didn't see a doctor as I didn't want to be on medication.

My flights (Bangalore-Chennai-Colombo) were eventless.  Short-haul international flights offer just beer (only if you ask, that too) and a bad snack (potato puff).  And, Chennai airport possibly is the worst of all the airports I’ve seen so far.  I arrived in Colombo ahead of time, breezed through the immigration people and walked into a car that was waiting for me.

In about an hour (exceeding expectations and warnings from my Sri Lankan friends) I reached the Cinnamon Grand, the venue of the Summit and also the hotel I was staying.  A sprawling hotel complex with its own multilevel shopping mall and apartment blocks. I had arrived.