Legends of law and commerce-by KKS Perera
Dr. Colvin R. de Silva and Philip Upali Wijewardene
Source:Dailynews
February is special because it marks both the birth and death of two remarkable Sri Lankans. Though they lived very different lives, Dr. Colvin R. de Silva and Philip Upali Wijewardene had surprising similarities.
Dr. Colvin R. de Silva was a revolutionary lawyer and politician. Philip Upali Wijewardene was a bold businessman. What’s interesting is that both were born in February and both died in February. They were both extremely talented and ambitious, and both left a lasting mark on Sri Lanka – just in completely different ways. Both men emerged from Sri Lanka’s elite class and shared the distinction of being Royal College alumni. Colvin attended London University. Upali, grandson of the renowned Helena Wijewardena, also attended Royal College before earning honors in Economics at Cambridge University in 1956.
At Royal, both crossed paths with another future political colossus, J.R. Jayewardene. Colvin’s relationship with JRJ was particularly noteworthy: they were classmates and boxing companions who faced each other in the ring during an inter-house bout in 1925. That early sporting rivalry would transform into lifelong political opposition, as the capitalist JRJ and Marxist Colvin found themselves on opposite ends of Sri Lanka’s ideological spectrum.
Upali’s connection to JRJ was familial, they were cousins. This proved crucial when the UNP came to power in 1977 and President Jayewardene appointed him Director General of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission. The appointment married family connection with genuine brilliance, Upali’s performance stunned Irish engineers during technical meetings establishing the Katunayake Investment Promotion Zone, as he grasped complex problems in seconds.
Yet their responses to privilege diverged completely. Colvin, studying Economics/Law in the early 1930s, absorbed Marxist ideology and returned as a dedicated Trotskyite, determined to dismantle the very colonial systems that had educated him. At 27, his doctoral thesis “Ceylon under the British Occupation” laid groundwork for his lifelong opposition to imperialism. His famous quip: “The Sun never sets on the British Empire: for God does not trust them in the dark.”
Upali embraced capitalism with audacious fervor. After leaving Lever Brothers following a heated argument, leaving his salary on the table, he purchased a sugar ball-making machine and established Delta Toffee with his grandmother’s support. Where Colvin saw systems to overthrow, Upali saw markets to conquer.
Masters of Their Crafts
Both achieved legendary status through exceptional talent and unwavering determination.
Colvin’s 1936 defense of Australian communist Mark Anthony Bracegirdle in a historic habeas corpus case humiliated the British legal fraternity and powerful white planting community. At just 30, he demonstrated legal acumen that would define his career. He excelled equally as politician and lawyer, genuinely masterful at both crafts.
Upali’s boardroom confrontation with Shaw Wallace & Hedges revealed similar brilliance. Having acquired Ceylon Chocolates Ltd, he demanded they modify the Kandos chocolate formula to suit local palates or lose distribution rights. When the Europeans refused, he simply seized the rights himself. Shaw’s Director Eric Shattock conceded with grudging admiration: “This guy is too smart for us.” Upali later admitted: “I joined Lever Brothers as a management trainee just to learn how large multinationals work.” Like a chess grandmaster, he had been studying his opponents all along.
Both possessed prophetic vision their contemporaries failed to appreciate until tragedy proved them prescient. Colvin’s 1956 speech against the Official Language (Sinhala Only) Bill stands as one of history’s most tragically ignored warnings. He asked: “Do we want an independent Ceylon or two bleeding halves of Ceylon which can be gobbled up by every ravaging imperialist monster?” His formulation was stark: “One language, two nations; Two languages, one Nation.”
He warned with devastating foresight: “If you mistreat them, if you oppress and harass them, you may cause to emerge in Ceylon… a new nationality to which we will have to concede more claims than it puts forward now. It is always wiser statesmanship to give generously early instead of being niggardly too late.” The subsequent decades of ethnic conflict, culminating in brutal civil war, vindicated Colvin’s prophecy horrifically. Had Sri Lanka heeded his counsel, the island’s history might have been profoundly different.
Upali’s warnings came from business acumen. Close friends cautioned that attacking established politicians through his newspapers, that veterans wouldn’t tolerate a newcomer upstaging them. But sycophants surrounding him offered opposite advice. The warnings came to naught. His mysterious disappearance on February 13, 1983, sparked immediate speculation about sabotage, with Minister Lalith Athulathmudali later suggesting it as most likely.
During World War II, Colvin was imprisoned in Bogambara Prison for opposing what he called an “imperialist’s struggle.” He escaped and became an exile in India, forming the Bolshevik-Leninists Party while writing underground articles as “Lily Roy.” Even in his eighties, his fighting spirit remained undimmed. In 1987, President Jayewardene, banned May Day rallies, Colvin defied emergency regulations and led protests from the front, ending hospitalized after being hit by a tear gas canister. The photograph of JR visiting his octogenarian classmate captured the complex relationship between
Under Upali’s leadership, Kandos established factories in Malaysia and Singapore, achieving market dominance within two years and expanding to Hong Kong, Thailand, and Australia. At its peak, Kandos owned thousandsof acres of cocoa plantations in Malaysia. Malaysian immigration officials knew him only as the “King of Cocoa.” His diversification into the “Unic” radio, gems, and vehicle manufacturing, the Upali Mazda and Upali Fiat became household names, demonstrated entrepreneurial fearlessness.
Both entered politics, but with vastly different foundations and fortunes. Colvin became the first president of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) at its 1935 inauguration, the island’s oldest political entity. He served Parliament representing Wellawatte-Mount Lavinia and later Agalawatte from 1965-77, always competing on principles regardless of electoral results. His opposition to the 1948 Citizenship Bill that disenfranchised Indian estate workers showcased his unwavering commitment to justice over political expediency.
Upali’s political trajectory began with his cousin’s ascension to power. When the UNP swept to victory in 1977, President J.R. Jayewardene appointed him Director General of BOI, recognising both family ties and exceptional capability. By 1981, however, politics had replaced business as his central passion. He founded The Island and Divaina newspapers, launching fearless attacks that spared no one, not even the government led by his cousin. Finance Minister Ronnie de Mel and R Premadasa-PM regularly thundered against him in Parliament.
February’s Claim
Both men’s deaths came in February, separated by SIX years and circumstances. Colvin passed away on February 27, 1989, after five and a half decades of public service. His revolutionary thoughts remain profoundly relevant to Sri Lanka’s current challenges. He left a legacy of principle, prophecy, and unwavering commitment to justice, a humanist who championed abolishing the death penalty, arguing that life is the one thing the state cannot return or compensate once taken.
Upali’s end remains shrouded in mystery. On February 13, 1983, his Lear Jet vanished at 27,000 feet over the Straits of Malacca. Despite extensive international search operations involving multiple nations, only one piece was found: a right outboard wheel. At forty-five, he left behind a fortune, wife Lakmini Ratwatte (niece of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike), and inheritance battles resolved only in 1999.
Through his disappearance, the full extent of Upali’s charisma became apparent. The man in the street felt proud that a countryman could venture into the world and succeed with such panache. Four decades later, he remains Sri Lanka’s greatest entrepreneurial legend, a symbol of ambition, innovation, and tragic mystery. Colvin’s legacy is equally powerful but differently constructed. His prescient warnings about ethnic division, his defense of the marginalized, his legal brilliance, and his unwavering principles established him as a statesman of indisputable honesty and integrity who always led from the front.
February claimed both these extraordinary sons of Sri Lanka, one through natural death after a long life of service, the other through inexplicable vanishing at the height of his powers. Colvin, the revolutionary who fought systems; Upali, the capitalist who conquered markets. Both brilliant, both fearless, both prophetic, both ultimately validated by history. Their parallel lives in the same month remind us that greatness takes many forms, but always demands courage, vision, and the willingness to challenge the impossible.
kksperera1@gmail.com
