Oh! Colombo 

There is never a dull moment in Colombo. At the best of times it is all about slandering another human being or digging up some dirt on the human being. Whoever it may be, one is assured that it is always about some person, be it a man or woman, who is successful and making a mark in the country and the world. A happy and successful family is the source of great envy among Colombo society that it is becoming actually quite disgusting. 

Visiting an upscale private club in Colombo, you first notice the assortment of high end vehicles in the parking lot. Considering the tax paid for these vehicles, you know that they cost a fortune. This then leads to the assumption that the club is a hangout for the more affluent in our society. However, this is not the case. It appears that the times of the truly well-educated and learned gentlemen who stepped through such portals are no more. Membership is now held by the nouveaus riches in the city. This was confirmed when once walking into a club with a very honourable lawyer I was told by him that the vehicles parked outside did not necessarily reflect the calibre of most of the membership. 

Such clubs are run by an elected committee that serve their term on an honorary basis. During their term, most committees try their best to up the standard of the club. The committee of a club that has certainly upped its look and standard is now facing huge turmoil with vile accusations being alleged against it by its members and, in turn, the committee members disparaging each other. Emails flying around slandering and tarnishing the members of the committee and their families certainly brings down the level and the tone of the members of the club. This is not the first time such situations have incurred in such institutions nor will it be the last. The situation in this particular club has reached such disgusting levels that settling the dispute in a gentlemanly manner now seems quite out of reach. 

I met up with Trixie recently and learned that she was following the current saga keenly. She was most surprised at the people who were casting the aspersions, since she felt that they themselves were neither astute nor had the reputation of freshly driven snow. Trixie, who keeps away from all of such horrors, also related to me how a friend had once persuaded her to join a group at her club to play a game mah-jong. Trixie, who expected it to be a pleasant outing, found that she was playing mah-jong with a brood of vipers. 

Considering that such club politics are among the supposedly elite and educated in Colombo, we wonder why we are surprised at the shenanigans of the supposedly uneducated types who hold office in great establishments.