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Meeting India's Brigadier K.S. Chandpuri (referred to as the 'war hero'of the 1971 Indo-Pak war,) who was one of the ten 'walking judges' at the recent 14th Asian A thletic championships held here, was quite refreshing. "A film has been made on the battle where he fought," said Rukman Perera, the FIFA's Communications Director, introducing the Brigadier to me at a recent get-together at the Trans Asia Hotel and where Chandpuri and a few other delegates were relaxing and admiring the peace, tranquillity and beauty of the hotel's Beira Terrace.

Chandpuri, the International Amateur Athletic Federation Race Walking Judge, bestowed with a string of honours among those - Director (Punjab) War Decorated India and Maha Vir Chakra, Vishish Seva Medal, talked of the film on the battle he fought as having been titled 'Border' and made by J.P. Dutta. A pity the Indo-Pak war has still not been settled, he said, something keeps happening all the time and I hope it will be settled one day.

A number of war movies are, apparently, being made all the time in India.

The reason? ''Because it does motivate youth and it depicts the realities, the pros and cons of the implications of war. War has to be regarded as something costly - involving man and material. These movies do reflect the lesson that for prosperity peace is a must, said Chandpuri who is here for the first time and wishes he was here much, much earlier.

Another walking judge and that for the last 20 years was also China's Yan Wang, a teacher of physical education, University of Zhengzh who also regretted he had not been here before. ''This is a lovely country but I did not think of coming here because of the problems you people were having. Now with peace in your country and things being better, I thought I should make it, he said.

Then there was S. Govindarajoo , also a walking judge from Malaysia who had spent one week at the Trans Asia.

He said he had been to Kandy and the outskirts. He was yet another who regretted not having visited this country earlier.

He is a teacher of sports at a Secondary High School in Kulin.

And from Thailand the Land of Smiles, was Visuit Chandoony who had an apology to make. ''I am not good in English. People in Thailand say Sri Lanka people smiling all the time. I have not travelled here. After the competition, I go to bed and sleep.'' Chandoony has served as a walking judge for the past 10 years.

And Rukmal Perera was jubilant that with this sports event where a thousand athletes have arrived, our hotels are full.

"It augurs well for tourism in the months to come," he said.

Now, chicken on wheels

Last month it was ice cream. This month it is chicken. What next and how prosperous are you? I asked Ranjith Page, Cargills Ceylon( Pvt) Ltd.,'s Deputy Chairman whose launching of a 'Chicken on Wheels' project attracted much media interest recently.

But before he could answer my question, pat came the reply from Sidat Kodikara, the company's Executive Director: ''He keeps dreaming of all kinds of projects and we only carry them out. He is a great dreamer of dreams - the realisation of which dreams he believes would keep all and sundry in Lanka happy."

Page has purchased a second hand double decker for Rs 1 million for his concept of a mobile party bus - the first for any KFC franchise in the world. He has had it renovated and painted in red and blue with pictures of Colonel Sanders and some KFC dishes; and it is now ready for people like you and I who would wish to go on a double decker spree round the city of Colombo munching KFC servings of chicken, singing baila and generally having a good time when in that party mood, celebrating a birthday, anniversary or for that matter any special occasion.

The bus comes with a fully equipped kitchen on the lower deck and restaurant area on its upper.

We do chicken right, says Kodikara. And Page says so far we have been concentrating only on parties for children. It's time we thought of the adults too.

All items are prepared fresh in the bus; the food is of restaurant quality and KFC as you know maintains high standards of quality and hygiene.

Where no man is vile

Great deals are hatched with a handshake. So there is always a lot of hoop-a-loo at inaugurations, launches, presentations and what have you.Last week the talk among those who were present at the Taj Samudra to witness a presentation on the Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, was about taking the next plane to the Maldives - ''where every prospect pleases'' and no man is vile.

The Maldives is, no doubt, the ideal place for a spell away from it all, the invitees said, as they tucked into the spread of delectable eats at the cocktail which followed the presentation by the General Manager of the Maldives resort Rajesh Jhingon. He had come all the way to entice our travel trade personnel, those who travel frequently to the Maldives on business and on holiday and those still not in the know of this resort and spa which was opened last month.

Come to think of it, the big difference between our beautiful island and the Maldives is that while here in Lanka ''time waits for no man,'' in the Maldives ''time waits for you.'' It is a place where the ''only traffic you navigate is under water; where the only thing you work on is a tan; and the only people you meet are those you really want to.''

Isn't that wunderbar? Yes! I heard it all in the excellent presentation by Jhingon, delivered in his rich, cultured voice and tempting you into visiting this resort situated in the middle of one of the largest lagoons in the Maldives 'Emboodhu Finolhu,' once known as the 'three coconut island.'

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