To Shehan Karanathilakata with love

Last Updated on October 22, 2022 by Lankae Cast

Machan Shehan, you are the most loved and hated person in the island these days.

Some call you a traitor. Some are threatening that they will take revenge when you come to Sri Lanka. Some are questioning where you were during the war. Guess I can answer that question. We were both young copywriters at Grants Advertising during the thick of the war. I remember, we designed campaigns to educate people on peace and reconciliation. We addressed both Tamil and Sinhalese communities. We launched campaigns to collect funds to help the needy, trapped in border villages like Kabithigolleva and Welikanda. We managed to stop the war for two days, including the North and East, to vaccinate kids to prevent Polio.

You have been writing books for nearly ten years. But you came into focus amongst the majority just last week, after winning the Booker Prize. I doubt that even one percent of those who are slandering you have touched your book, other than seeing it in the newspapers. 368 pages of your book are filled with contemporary political assassinations. They must be stories you have heard and felt. They can also be pulled from your pandora box. Whatever it may be, what you have written is true. It is the truth that you have experienced.

Even though your book is not worth a penny to social media heroes, people who read the book love you, Machan. The speech you delivered at the awards night was just right. All of us read the lines in between well. Machan Shehan, do not return to this island again bro. Stay where you are. How lucky to be in a country where you can kiss the queen consort, rather than wasting your time on an island where people don’t know to appreciate works of art.

Love you dearly Machan
Vishnu Vasu