Tea land Sri Lanka rises again
I am still in Asia writing about the men and women whom I had known during my years as reporter and editor of this newspaper. Some of those have died or left their homelands and others assassinated — Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv. Rajiv was assassinated by Tamil Tigers who were fighting for an independent homeland for the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka.
It was a long and bloody struggle that cost thousands of lives and nearly drained the wealth of the country that was at one time one of the most prosperous in Asia under the colonial rule of the Portuguese and the British.
After talking to Indira and Rajiv I started preparing to interview Sri Lanka’s President Junius Richard Jayewardene the much-harassed leader of the pearl-shaped island off the southern tip of India. In fact the Tamils had been brought from India by the British to work in the tea plantations. India was then as well as now the largest producer of tea in the world but at present Lanka exports more of it because the Indians consume much of their own tea. It is still their favorite beverage which I agree is probably the nicest soft drink with coffee coming next to it but not in Asia and Britain.
The Tamils remained there but were shabbily treated as second-class citizens, which upset and also antagonized them. The Sinhalese who formed the majority and adopted Buddhism from the beginning killed many Tamils, looted their shops and destroyed their homes.
Within months a civil war engulfed the island and lasted for several years. It adversely affected its export trade and nearly destroyed its flourishing tourism. The number of visitors dwindled from millions to just a few thousands and the rebellious north where the Tamils had their bases and camps was off limits.
The Tamils became too strong for the government to defeat and they claimed that 40 million Indian Tamils across the strait were aiding and supporting their kinsmen with money to buy arms and provide essential logistics, because the Lankan Tigers as they called themselves depended heavily on Indian territory, food and donations. For a long time the fight became untenable for Colombo and in fact unequal as the Tigers carried out their terror right into the financial district.
At that time I decided it was time to visit the country and try to meet with the president. He agreed.
He was reading a paper when I entered his office in Colombo. It was well guarded but no match for the Tigers had they decided to attack it.
He looked up at me as I entered his office in Colombo and said hello. He spoke softly but sadly as I started asking him about the situation which I knew was bad as news from the fronts was frustrating him. He told me point-blank that there was no change for the better and there was little to say as the country faced its worst war since its independence from Britain in 1947.
Then Lanka like India had a bright future ahead and there was no fear of a civil war. Tea exports were high and tourism beginning to thrive. Lanka was rated as one of the best places to visit as the Europeans flocked to it in increasing numbers.
He did not seem interested to continue as he spoke in monosyllables and I thought it was unfair to harass him with more questions. I changed the subject to other topics but there was little or no improvement until I decided to call it a day and leave him to his unbearable worries. It was many years before the situation improved and Lanka received better and more arms especially after the Tigers assembled two aircraft and began bombing army camps, which shocked the government as well as the big powers including India.
If the Lankan Tigers could deploy their own homemade air force, however crude, what would prevent other rebellious groups from doing the same or even better. Fortunately the government forces prevailed and the Tigers went on the defensive. Their commander Prabhakaran committed suicide and the Tigers surrendered. It is all peace and quiet at present and the jewel of a tourist land and its great tea is beginning to flourish.
Before the ruinous war Sri Lanka was the darling tourist destination for the Europeans, the Americans, the Australians and the Japanese. Its climate attracted them by the thousands. The country beaches are superb in addition to being peaceful and fairly cheap. Five-star hotels were few but other good hotels were plentiful. The Taj Hotel reigned supreme. Others included the InterCon Lanka.
When the war flared I went there and was surprised at the cheap rates of the hotels but was confined to the main district facing the sea although I could afford any hotel and eat as much as I could, including the country's great pineapple and other fruits. Going out of the InterCon and Hyatt Regency was not advisable. Hyatt was owned by an Arab gentleman from Dubai, a fine hotel that came at the wrong time. It remained practically vacant until they decided to close it down.
Now tourism has picked up once more as there aren't too many destinations like Lanka or prices to compete with its hotels and other services.
Although India produces more tea Lanka exports more than India as the Indians prefer to drink their own tea and export only the surplus.
Westerners are beginning to discover the health benefits of tea specially its antioxidant qualities.
It is a great drink provided it is not drenched in canned milk and sugar. How many beverages can beat the glory of the first cup of tea in the morning and another in the evening?
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