My last clear recollection of Ajith de Alwis is of us meeting in the last round of the Major Division chess tournament at the Borella YMBA in 1985. I needed a draw to emerge as joint champion with Thusitha Hettigama. Ajith, at the time an undergraduate at Moratuwa University was a strong player and much better equipped with theoretical knowledge of chess openings than I was. I remember playing a tough game, a draw offer, an offer accepted and some post-game analysis where he queried what I would have done had he played a particular line from the position at the end of the game.
I might have met him once or twice but I cannot
remember. Last week, however, a mutual
friend and one of his colleagues, Muditha Senarath Yapa, shared with me
something that Ajith had written for the Financial Times, ‘Your nation is
calling you; bring your talent home’ (http://www.ft.lk/2011/02/10/your-nation-is-calling-you-bring-your-talent-home). The nimitta or let’s say ‘spark’ that
lit this particular fire was a postcard.
One of his colleagues (Muditha, I found later), had shown
him a postcard he, Muditha, had received while he was completing his PhD in the
USA. Mistaking
Muditha for an Indian (perhaps going by his name), a top Indian firm had sent
him an invitation. They had wanted him
to ‘return home’ to serve the company and India. Ajith’s observation is pertinent and I am
honoured to extend its life and reach here:
‘The simple postcard reveals an interesting story of how a
nation’s private sector wants to grow and serve its national interest too. The
challenging opportunities and career prospects are all outlined in the
company’s webpage. The information points to expanding organisations based on
research and development. It is evident that these companies invited and enable
individuals to make a mark on the world while savouring the joy of being home
again.’
About twenty years ago, my friend Nanthikesan, then a doctoral
student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told me that my father,
then Director, Manpower Resources, Ministry of Finance, had delivered a lecture
on the subject at the University
of Peradeniya (where
Nanthi was then an undergraduate). My father
had been asked to explain the reason for the ‘brain drain’. Nanthi remembered
the response: ‘poor leadership’. That’s
just one part of the story, true, but it is telling. And, as Ajith observes, it is not just
political leadership that was and is at fault but leadership in all spheres and
at all levels. Nation-building, he says,
flounders on weak leadership, as does institution-building.
Ajith just completed 25 years of service at the Moratuwa University. Muditha returned upon
finishing his PhD. There is nothing to
say that the ‘green’ of ‘Greener Pastures’ is dollar-made. What works for A may not work for B. A nation can appeal to its sons and
daughters. Men and women may choose to
listen to the call of a nation or be deaf to it.
The grass is greener on the other side of the fence, we have
heard. That’s an idiom common to lots of nations. I’ve heard that in the Caribbean people say the voodoo magic on the other man’s
island is more powerful. Many who go
don’t come back. It’s hard to put a number but ‘more than half’ cannot be
wrong. It is also true that when the
World Cup starts next week, more than half of those who chose certain greens
over others will want to know how Sanga and his Merry Men are doing.
There are those who serve the nation by serving the
world. There are those who acquire the
world and return home to share it with fellow citizens. There are those who
stay at home and pine for the world and some of them even spit upon the earth
they stand on. There are those whose bodies are located in other country and
find that their hearts or least some parts of it including perhaps heartbeat
are resident in the home they left.
There are those who want to help but don’t find the time or don’t know
how to go about it. Some have the money
but don’t trust the government to put it to good use. Some do not know that there are countless
charities doing good and important work that a state like ours just cannot
afford to do at this point, for lack of resources and personnel. It takes all kinds to make the world. It
takes all kinds to build a nation.
Ajith gives. So too, Muditha. I wonder if many of us can say the same.
This article was first published in the 'Daily News', February 16, 2011
Malinda Seneviratne is a freelance writer who can be
reached at malindasenevi@gmail.com
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