Success story of an educator

The book - 'R.I.T. Alles - My Life' was launched on October 3, 2007

by Bogoda Premaaratne

In January 1967, I had a request from the Ministry of Education to nominate a young teacher of mine to begin a new school at Gregory's Road and build it up on the lines of Royal College of which I was the Principal.

This request was a daunting challenge because it came from a "No nonsense and no questions to be asked", man, the then Minister of Education, the Honourable I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla.

As the proposed school was going to be a primary school at the outset, naturally, I scouted for one in my fold of trained teachers. Mr. Alles was one of four teachers who came to my aid, voluntarily to teach mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology in the O'L classes for the first time in the Swabasha at Royal College in 1965.

Mathematics was allocated to Mr. Alles and in the years 1965 and 1966. He as one of the four teachers mentioned who produced in a near 100% distinctions and credits in their respective subjects.

Additionally Mr. Alles during these years was instrumental in bringing to Royal the plums De Zoysa Challenge, and the Herman Loos Challenge trophies in Cadeting, the John Tarbet trophy in athletics and the under-16 cricket championship.

In community work Mr. Alles stood out as the much accepted secretary of the Teachers Guild whose members acknowledged him as one who promoted the welfare activities of its members.

With these attributes of academic achievements both in and out of school and his personal relations with the members of the tutorial staff, I had no hesitation whatsoever to nominate Mr. Alles at the age of 34 to be the Founder Principal of D. S. Senanayake College.

R. I. T. A. (R.I.T. Alles) as I always endearingly refer to him never let me down from the very first day he took up the onerous task from the 10th of February 1967. I enjoyed reflected glory and plaudits for nominating him. In my heart he became my pride.

D. S. Senanayake school was started in Colombo on a site referred to as "Koombi Kelle". With all the arduous tasks ahead of him he never let me, the maths students of the G.C.E. O/L classes and the cadets, down.

He made it a point to have afternoon classes for the maths students who were sitting for the G.C.E. O/L examination in December, and also continued with the practices for the cadets who were getting ready to go to camp in April.

Such were the sacrifices R. I. T. A. made and the maths students and the cadets of Royal reciprocated with love in clearing the viper infested jungle in Gregory's Road. On my part 1 supplied him with every bit of stationary and even sacrificed my watcher, Danny for his security, which I did with relish.

One thing that gladdened my heart most about Mr. Alles's style of professional approach to educational discipline and management was the quality of his interpersonal relationships that he maintained with the parents, teachers and foremost with the students of the school. His school, for the most part came up out of the good-will of the parents.

He had no old boys to help, at that time. For the first time I heard a principal who could address all his students as "putha" and "puthala".

There really was no need for Mr. Alles to have written his life story on perishable paper; for the quality of his character as teacher and educator that he has indelibly inscribed deep within the hearts and minds of so many young people, will be passed on from generation to generation without his knowing it, and even their knowing it.

This is a psychological truth of which teachers and even parents are unfortunately not aware of.

I wish Mr. Alles many more years of benevolent service to our fellowmen.

From the dark side to the limelight

Child prodigy Lishan Perera released his premier novel, The Killer in December 2006. Now, more than an year later he has come up with two more horror stories - "Pure Evil" and "Time to Die". He steps into Writer's Den today for a brief chat.

The Killer, Pure Evil and Time to Die are the kind of books that run cold shivers down your spine. Why did you pick on the genre of horror?

Actually my novels are more of the thriller genre than of the horror genre. It just happens my stories have a lot of horror and violence mixed into the plot. I guess the reason for this is because I read a lot of thrillers and crime novels by authors such as James Patterson, Jonathan Kellerman, Chris Ryan, and as a result tend to write about what I know and like. I also think that many teens today enjoy fast, gripping reads, full of action, sudden twists, climatic endings and suspense.

Do you intend to write only horror books in the future too?

No, as I grow up I plan to write on a wide variety of themes and events, rather than just continue on the same track. However, presently, since I'm just building my foundation and establishing myself as an author, I've been concentrating on writing about topics I'm more comfortable with, i.e. crime, suspense and horror.

Why do you set the scenes in America? Wouldn't a Sri Lankan setting have made things more familiar for your local readers?

A lot of people ask me the same question: Why not set your scenes in Sri Lanka? Well, I guess the main reason for this is because somehow an American backdrop seems more suitable for the type of books I write.

For instance, in Time to Die, you have a professional, deadly contract killer as well as a crazed psychopath ... both equally dangerous though different in many ways. . And I think you need a giant, bustling city, full of crime and corruption, take New York for example, with a capable, advanced Police Force, like the NYPD, to make the story seem realistic. Also, a lot of kids today will find it easier to associate the stuff I write about with the US rather than Sri Lanka.

Who are your favourite authors?

James Patterson, Jonathan Kellerman, Sydney Sheldon, R L Stine, J K Rowling, Jeffery Archer and Anthony Horowitz to name a few... There is just something about their work which makes it stand out from the all the other books I read.

And I guess in a way, it is these authors who inspired me, through their masterpieces, to actually sit down and start writing.

How do you find the time to write? How long does it take to complete a story?

Since I'm a student at CIS (in year 9), juggling my writing and studies gets quite complicated at times. I really don't sit down at a specific hour and say, "Look, I'm going to write now!" simply because I don't always have the time.

However, being an author is serious business, and you have to be disciplined. I try to sit down in front of the computer and write a minimum of five pages a day, and somehow this task has more or less become routine.

If I have any more time left after that, I do a bit of research (for the story) or rewrite a scene I'm not too satisfied about.

The Killer, which was my first book took about two months. (Time to Die, which is 300 odd pages) took around half a year. After that I was so exhausted that I decided on a slightly shorter, simpler novel, which didn't require so much effort or research.

As a result, Pure Evil was born, and this took about a month and a half to write. Right now, I'm working on another long, very serious project titled The Dark Half. I don't want to give out the plot so early, so I wont talk much about it.

However, since I've just started writing this twisted whodunit, I will say that it'll take at least another six to seven months to complete. With luck, it should be out in about February!

You have dedicated all your books to your uncle. Tell us more about him.

My uncle, Senaka Alles, was forty six years when he died of a sudden heart attack in March 2007. In addition to my parents, he gave me a lot of inspiration and support and always encouraged me to write. He was one person who always believed in me.

He was also widely read, and so helped me with many of the actual facts and real life events (e.g. the working of the NYPD) which I included in my novels. He was my only uncle and I will always miss him...

Do you see yourself as an ordinary teenager or as someone exceptional?

Um (if I am to be rather modest!) I guess I see myself as a slightly exceptional teen, for no other reason than the fact that I was born with such a wonderful gift ... the ability to make and write stories to entertain others. Right now, I don't know what the future has in store for me, but I do know that no matter what I do or where I go, I'll always continue writing.

Writer's Den wishes him all the best.

Aditha

The invisible guest

by Tissa Devendra

Leafing through my father's collection of old journals I came across the Tenth Anniversary Number [May 1941] of "Young Ceylon" which modestly called itself 'The Most Popular Monthly Magazine in Ceylon'.

My father D. T. Devendra had written an amusing piece on a Victorian newspaper the "Colombo Observer and Commercial Advertiser" of November 25th 1847 . Most interesting is the "Caution" by John Van Twest in which he announces "For reasons concerned to myself have mutually separated from my wife from bed and board."

Having been recently involved in the Salaries Commission I realised the perennial nature of the problems we had struggled with when I read the Editor on the "Indebtedness of Clerks". He writes "This question has come up for consideration once again.

It is bound to come up periodically unless the root causes of indebtedness among Government and Mercantile Clerks are ascertained and necessary remedial measures adopted." Alas! A universal truth, as the Salaries Commission of 2001 discovered for ourselves sixty long years after this perceptive comment.

I now move on to the 'piece de resistance', or the plum in the pudding. World War II had been raging for two years in Europe but does not appear to have impinged at all on Ceylon to judge from the contents of 'Young Ceylon'.

However, one author has been bold enough to write on "The War: Some Reminiscences". The writer describes himself as "S.E the Grand Chevalier G.C.H.S, G.C.S.S etc, Gold Cross of Merit of the Society of Arts, Sciences and Letters of France; Member of the Pontifical Academy etc."

With naive immodesty he embarks on a remarkable saga of his friendship with royalty and others great and good in inter-war Europe. I quote:- "It was my good fortune to live in Europe for several years during the most momentous period of her history when great events were shaping themselves.

I was chiefly engaged in important work, political and otherwise, in the cause of my country as well as cultural and diplomatic activities in various countries including England, France, Belgium, Italy and Germany. I was brought into close contact with many distinguished and powerful personalities. I gradually won the friendship of these key men who were holding the destinies of Europe in their hands?"

"From time to time I was able to check up my knowledge with diplomats at the Vatican with whom I had intimate friendships.." Rubbing shoulders with Royalty was second nature to him

Only three quarters of the way through in this article does the writer deign to mention, briefly and in one paragraph, the war then raging in Europe. And he does so only to offer an apologia for his friend King Leopold who had surrendered Belgium to the German invader.

"It is easy for those far away from German steel to call King Leopold hard and ugly names for this act of surrender. I have known him from his boyhood having enjoyed the valued friendship of his august father King Albert.

I have associated with him in his own home. King Leopold as I knew him for over 20 years was a shy young man. I remember during that wedding week in 1926 when my wife and I were the guests of his Royal parents at the Palace in Brussels, what Queen Elizabeth his mother told me."

It is clear that the British authorities in (yet) Colonial Ceylon had not yet got down to censoring magazines. There is no other explanation for the fulsome praise this writer heaps on Leopold, whom Churchill dubbed a traitor, going unchallenged and unpunished for 'giving solace to the enemy'.

Let alone the sycophancy with which the writer quotes Marshal Petain [of Vichy] "in his memorable broadcast giving the reasons for the fall of France 'the spirit of pleasure had proved greater than the spirit of sacrifice.' Unfortunately this was too true."

This a truly remarkable narrative by a far-from-immodest gentleman whose interaction with Royalty, the great and good, in inter-war Europe does not appear to be recorded in Court Registers, official records or the memoirs of his famous "friends". As to what the writer claims he did for his country in the Chancelleries and Courts of Europe will remain the darkest of mysteries.

He seems to have been an undocumented, elusive and truly invisible "presence" at gatherings of the great.

And he has had the panache to spin his 'Munchausen fables' without fear of contradiction, in this forgotten, and yet sleepy, corner of the British Empire.