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A Lesson in Leadership from Ratmalana

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The Rain-Soaked General: A Lesson in Leadership from Ratmalana In an era long before the instant gratification of SMS, WhatsApp, or email, life moved at the pace of a handwritten letter. Landlines were a rare luxury, and the arrival of a formal envelope from the college principal was an event of significant gravity.   Such was the case during one long school vacation more than five decades ago, when a letter arrived requesting our presence for a special duty: welcoming a visiting head of state at the Colombo Airport, Ratmalana .   The Journey to the Tarmac Dressed in crisp school uniforms, my brothers and I headed to college. The Principal, Mr H.C.L. De Silva , received us with a warmth that spoke of genuine appreciation. In those days, a principal’s rapport with his students and the leadership shown by senior prefects like my elder brother formed the backbone of the institution.   We were bundled into a classic Route 102 (Lunawa – Kotahena) double-decker bus, ...

Why "Lost and Found" is the Ultimate Masterclass in Customer Service

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The Crucible of Conflict: Why "Lost and Found" is the Ultimate Masterclass in Customer Service The evolution of Sri Lanka's national carrier, from its 1979 inception as Air Lanka under Singapore Airlines' tutelage to its modern identity as Sri Lankan Airlines, brought about significant structural shifts.  In the early 1980s, the "Customer Service" umbrella was vast, encompassing everything from Cargo to Inflight Services. Amidst these changes, a piece of advice from a Singaporean manager stood out: "If you really want to master customer service, you must work the Mishandled Baggage counter." At the time, the weight of that statement wasn't fully apparent. It was only years later, while working for a lean foreign carrier where multitasking was a necessity, that the wisdom of that advice became crystal clear. The 100% Conflict Ratio In most airline departments, the atmosphere is generally positive. At the check-in desk, perhaps 99% of pas...

How to Manage a Sudden Influx of Wealth

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Managing a sudden influx of wealth, whether through inheritance, property sale, or a business exit, requires a shift in mindset from earning to preserving .   In the current Sri Lankan economic landscape, where inflation and currency fluctuations are constant variables, the goal is to transform a "momentary win" into a "generational legacy."   Here is a strategic guide on the 10 must-do and 10 must-not-do actions to protect your windfall.   10 Must-Do Actions   1. Execute a "Financial Cooling-Off" Period Before making any major moves, place the funds in a high-yield liquid account or a short-term Fixed Deposit (FD) for 3 to 6 months. This prevents impulsive decisions driven by the "high" of the windfall and allows you to adjust to your new reality. 2. Build an "A-Team" of Professionals Sri Lankan tax laws and property regulations are complex. You need an independent Tax Consultant , a Reputable Lawyer (specialising in co...

කුණු කන්දල් සහ අපේ මානසිකත්වය

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කුණු කන්දල් සහ අපේ මානසිකත්වය: ආගමික භක්තියට එහා ගිය සමාජ වගකීමක් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව වර්තමානයේ දේශපාලන , සමාජීය සහ ආර්ථික වශයෙන් දරුණු අර්බුද රැසකට මුහුණ දී සිටියි. නමුත් මේ සියල්ල මැද අපේ රටේ බහුතරයක් දෙනා එතරම් තැකීමක් නොකරන , එහෙත් අනාගතයට දැඩි බලපෑමක් එල්ල කරන එක් ප්‍රධාන ගැටලුවක් තිබේ. ඒ අපේම කුණු කසළ නිසි ලෙස බැහැර කිරීමට අප සතු නොදැනුවත්කම සහ නොසැලකිලිමත්කමයි. නිවසින් ඇරඹෙන පාරිසරික හානිය බොහෝ නිවෙස්වල සතිපතා පැමිණෙන කසළ එකතු කරන්නන්ට තම අපද්‍රව්‍ය ලබා දෙනවා වෙනුවට , ඒවා තම වත්ත ඇතුළතම පුලුස්සා දැමීමට මිනිසුන් හුරු වී සිටිති. තම තාප්පය ඇතුළත කුණු පිළිස්සූ විට එම දුම සහ දැලි ද තම සීමාව ඇතුළතම පවතිනු ඇතැයි ඔවුහු මුළාවෙන් සිතති. නමුත් සැබවින්ම සිදු වන්නේ එම විස දුමාරය මුළු පරිසරයටම පැතිර ගොස් බරපතල සෞඛ්‍ය සහ පාරිසරික ගැටලු නිර්මාණය කිරීමයි. පොදු ස්ථාන සහ උත්සව අවස්ථා අපේ රටේ ජනතාව විශාල වශයෙන් එක්රැස් වන සෑම තැනකම පාහේ දකින්නට ලැබෙන්නේ අසෝබන දසුනකි. සිරිපා කරුණා කරන සමය , මහනුවර ඇසළ පෙරහැර හෝ වෙනත් ආගමික උත්සව , ක්‍රිකට් තරඟ , එළිමහන් සංගීත ප්‍රසංග සහ වෙරළ තීරයන් අද වන විට අපේම ...

How Colour Sculpting Can Transform Your Life

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  The Prism of Perception: How Colour Sculpting Can Transform Your Life We often treat colour as a mere aesthetic choice—a coat of paint or the shade of a sweater. However, scientific research suggests that colour is a silent language that speaks directly to our endocrine system and the ancient, emotional parts of our brain. From the "Blue Light" that keeps us awake to the "Green Effect" that sparks creativity, understanding colour psychology isn't just for interior designers; it’s a tool for biological hacking. 1. The Science: Why We "Feel" Colour When light hits your eyes, it sends signals to the hypothalamus , the part of the brain responsible for releasing hormones and regulating body temperature, sleep, and appetite. Long Wavelengths (Red/Orange): These require more "adjustment" from the eye and are perceived as more stimulating. They trigger the sympathetic nervous system (the "fight or flight" response), slightly increasing ...