Anusha David spotlights the hottest styles and statements in and around Sri Lanka – from political leaders to celebrity CEOs, masters of the game to fashion icons and stars of the silver screen and stage. Here are society’s leaders talking about the determination, vision, smarts, competence and professionalism that makes them No 1.

The inaugural interview and column with Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.




Q. What’s the happiest or proudest moment in your life?
I won’t say happiest, but some of the happy moments have been when my children did well in their studies. Look at all the others and see how far educated their children are – some have all kinds of boru degrees from thutu dekay universities. But my children went to two of the best universities in the world. I am happy and proud because since Sunethra, Anura and myself, my two children are the most educated politician’s children in this country – the three of us and then the two of them.
I’m also very proud that we were the most educated leaders’ children. But even prouder than that is the fact that we were brought up to be simple and honest, and we lived up to the way we were brought up.

Q. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
Perhaps the best compliments I have received are from my two children who tell me I’m the best mother and also describe to me why they say that.
 

Q. How do you like to relax? What are your hobbies and special interests?
Read, chat with friends over a glass of beverage. I love the theatre and the cinema –Whenever I go to London I sometimes see two or three films a day. I love reading. I also enjoy writing – both my sister and I used to get the essay prize for English and Sinhala at school. Now I’m unable to play tennis because I have a very serious spinal problem. So I swim, walk, and exercise in the gym room when I can persuade myself to do it.
 
I love embroidery. When I’m alone in the evenings I do tapestry, which is very, very therapeutic.


Q. Which single book has greatly influenced you, and why?
I can’t answer that because I’m a person who has varied interests and it will be many, many books. However, there was one book that influenced me when I was bringing up my kids alone in London after Vijay was killed – “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit” – by Judith Kerr. It’s a very touching, deeply emotional but beautifully written book about Nazism and its horrors. I got my two children to read it and I don’t think I had to do much more for them to be against all that is racist and anti-democratic.

Q. Who were your heroes or role models when you were a child?
Film stars – My sister, brother and I were very interested in cinema from a very young age. My favourite actor was Rock Hudson until I discovered he was gay – I was terribly disappointed.

Q: You played a very strategic role in President Mathripala Sirisena’s election victory. How personal was it for you?
I don’t think it was personal, it was mainly political for me. I was very concerned about the way the country was going, the destruction that was wrought in all the valuable institutions of our country by the Rajapakse regime. I was silently watching for seven years, refusing to get involved for many reasons – the major one being that I thought once you retire from an important job like the one that I did, it’s not nice and it looks a bit cheap to come back and start telling people what to do and start interfering. Once you leave it must be final – that was my intention.

But things kept getting worse, people on the streets, normal ordinary people, started asking me aren’t you going to come back to save the nation? Leaders of society, professionals, intellectuals, and artists would ask me. Finally I thought I can’t keep refusing forever, although I refused adamantly to contest. I was then asked “Who else can do it?” To which I replied, “I’ll find a good person”, and that’s how it happened.

I would say the biggest part of the reason for me to return to politics and get so fully involved is because I care for the people and the country. What was going on was just horrendous and I couldn’t take it. Though people kept saying “You’re the only one who can rectify matters”, I didn’t think I was the only one because I’m humble, however I knew I could play an important role. 
 

Q. Since your return to politics, how do you see your role shaping out in the future? Do you see yourself once again becoming the President?
Definitely not. Quite definitely not. I would like to play a role, which I am doing to some extent at the moment, but in a more official manner. We have to live up to our promises; so I will only play a role to ensure that what we promised the people– such as good governance –becomes a reality. For that I may have to assume some kind of official position – not President or Minister, but where I could review things and report to the President and Prime Minister. That’s about all that I will do. At the moment I am doing it unofficially. The President, Prime Minister, and I – there’s something called the ‘High-Level’ Committee – we meet whenever required.

Q. In your view what’s the road ahead – a return to a two-party system or national coalition governments?
I think definitely a national government. We have tried the two-party system which has not worked and is so contentious here. Even in India it’s the same. We kill each other over it.
 

Q. What is the hardest part about leading people?
The opportunism and betrayals of those who are close to you. And I’ve had a lot.

By close, I mean people whom I have built from nothing, including Mahinda Rajapakse. I didn’t build him from nothing, he had started to build himself up, but nobody would have made him the Prime Minister or President if not for me. The way he harassed me, betrayed me, and really went for me. I was so hurt and used to think “Why, why, why. Why is he doing this to me?” Then I realized it was because they had decided that they would do anything they wanted and not run the country properly. Having Chandrika around was a big burden for them because I would have spoken out. He banned every single MP, Minister, elected representative of the party, in parliament, in the cabinet, in the provincial councils, in the pradeshiyasabhas from talking to me. They used to run when they saw me. They used to send me messages saying “Very sorry madam, but this is the story.” So he isolated me. Mahinda also closed down my office, which left me hugely disadvantaged. He harassed me no end, thinking I would be scared – but I wasn’t then or now.

Q. What do you regret the most in your political career?
The loss of freedom and mainly the loss of  being able to just live freely. I’m a Bohemian at heart. I can just wear a pair of jeans and go and sit on the pavements. I’ve done that a lot until I assumed big positions and became a VIP. That’s what I regret most. Related to that, I regret the fact that I made my children lose their freedom and I had no time for them. I regret that and they resent me for that – still. However we are very close and we have a very good relationship. Also the fact that I brought someone like Mahinda into power from nowhere.


Q. How did your husband Vijay Kumaratunga inspire you?
He was humble, honest, but also proud of his achievements. He was scrupulously honest. And brave. He never said no, because he didn’t know what fear was. Those are inspiring characteristics to have around you.

Q. What advice did your parents give you that you best remember?

Actually our parents never gave us advice. We learnt by watching them, by example. I can remember some things that have stuck with me, and all of them relate to being humble. Once when I was young, I got angry with a maid servant and gave her a little slap. My mother slapped me back in front of her, saying I was never to dare do it again. And then the other example was when she was Prime Minister. We were at Temple Trees and my sister, brother and I were only given one vehicle to use. Once my sister had taken the vehicle to see some friends and I urgently needed to go to a friend’s house to study, so I asked for a second vehicle. At that time I think the entire Prime Minister’s fleet must have been six or seven vehicles. Leaders at the time were still simple and humble. Unfortunately, that was changed by JR Jayewardene. I asked for a second vehicle, went out and came back to find my mother was standing with her hands on her hips, I can still visualize her. She asked me who I thought I was, asking for a second vehicle – “You have been given one vehicle for all three of you. You can’t go around making demands like that. This is state property.” That has always stuck with me. That’s the way in which we were not advised but made to know how we should behave.
 

Q. What do your children think about your return to politics?
They hate it. Both my children were completely against my return to politics, I told my children that I was not contesting but only helping. My daughter, who is very intelligent and to the point, said that whether I contested as the Presidential candidate or helped in a big way, it would be exactly the same for Mahinda, who would know that I could tip the balance. They were very against it. I remember sending them a text on the morning after the elections – there was no sound from them, they knew we had won – saying “Hi kiddos, we’ve done the impossible. I hope some day you will be proud of your mother.” My daughter was so angry that she still hasn’t answered it. My son is a much more emotional person, and he answered saying “Of course we’re proud of you and we have always told you that. But please don’t take up any further responsibility. You have done your job. Now move out.”

So amidst their scolding, I told them I couldn’t move out immediately. I would have to help set up the new government because, apart from Ranil, there was no one else who had been in government in a big way – the others had been Ministers. I still haven’t had a response to that.