Following article was originally published by the Asian Tribune, a website run by K.T. Rajasingham, in 2008. The article based on Kshenuka Senviratne who was the Sri Lanka high commissioner ( appointed) in London, at that time. Today she appointed as the secretary of the Ministry of Foreign affairs, which described by many political analysts as the most divested decision ever made in the whole history of the ministry.
( January 17, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The party has been described in the superlatives by the organizers close to Dr. Harshi Boralessa, who wanted to have an evening of dancing revelry as a "fitting" farewell to the representative of the bourgeois of Colombo 7, who also happened to be her niece the inimitable High Commissioner of Sri Lanka , now back in Colombo, who stubbornly did not wanted to leave London without one more controversy.
It was indeed revelry of outlandish and eccentric dancing representing the ruling classes of Cinnamon Gardens where the High Commissioner had been brought up and educated in the pre-1956 style- that was hailed as the superlative subculture of then Ceylon’s ruling classes. It was the popular author Martin Wickramasinghe who claimed in a thought provoking essay that the privileged “Brahmin Class” has collapsed in the dawning era of the toiling common masses in the elections of 1956.
Whatever the author said, there had been no collapse of the Brahmins and no true representation of the ancient civilization was evident, especially at this binge in “the magnificent, Grade -1 listed Baylis House in Slough,” England, the home of our former masters, even when the chief guest was a sari clad Lady - representing Sri Lanka ruled by a government, publicly professing-“Mathata Thitha” a total abstinence of alcohol in public functions. Regardless of official policy alcohol flowed freely putting out performances of wild dancing- similar to break dancing types– as if that is our national art of performances. Sari clad High Commissioner Kshenuka Senviratne’s wild, risqué, queer and shambling dancing was such a hit among some- it is now dubbed ‘Komasaris Sanniya’. Friends of the event said, it was the ‘Mother of all Diplomatic Dances.’
A give away community newspaper very sympathetic to Seneviratne, called the onlookers of the top diplomat’s wild performance “the cre’me de la cre’me of the Sri Lankan community in the UK ”. Commenting on the people who enjoyed the wild evening the newspaper said, they “proved once again that quality is far superior to quantity when it comes to events of this nature.” The newspaper called the woman a multi-talented one who knows her short beat music and steps.
The community newspaper "News Lanka" said the top diplomat took the stage alongside popular music band Exceed- who were fantastic as ever-to belt out a few baila numbers – just what the doctor ordered for ailing Sri Lanka!
News Lanka published a photograph which has now become popular, in which the senior lady diplomat performing a wild dance gleefully aided by the head of Sri Lanka ’s Protocol Division, S. S. Ganegama Arachchi and her Defense Counsel Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe.
The London correspondent of the pro-UNP Sirasa , Vijitha Alles was the master of ceremony.
The newspaper said the distinguished guests who witnessed the Sri Lankan culture as exhibited by Seneviratne and company were Hon. Mayor of Slough Raja M.Zarait, Rob Anerson, leader of the Slough Borough Council, Sadar Ali , Chairman Labor party and Councillor Firza Mathloob.
According to the newspaper the “cre’me de la cre’me of the Sri Lankan community” included Mr.Maxwell Keegal who managed his transfer to New York with a concocted intelligence report to the Ministry - a Kshenuka blue-eyed boy, Chanaka Olagama of the Sri Lankan Air Lines, Mike Cook of the UK Sri Lanka Business Council, and the other Kshenuka blue eyed boys.
Courtesy: Asian Tribune
