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The other side of Mahela

The captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team talks about life, love and tough choices :

PERSONALITY: When one thinks of Sri Lankan cricket the name Mahela Jayawardena definitely comes to mind. Ever since his debut in 1997, the master batsman had displayed fine technique and excellent temperament, keeping cool under grave circumstances and displaying supreme confidence in his abilities.

However it was not Mahela the elegant right-hander who sat laid back and confident before me, but Mahela the simple yet determined youth who joined in for an exclusive interview for "Friday Pulse".

Q: Describe yourself in a few words.


DYNAMIC ROLE: Skipper Mahela Jayawardana
Picture by Kavindra Perera

A: I'm a very simple person, very much focused on whatever I take up. I am also very open and will probably say whatever I have to say straight to a person's face. I expect the same sort of treatment from others.

Q: Did you have any dreams that you managed to achieve?

A: where I am right now is mainly due to cricket. It is difficult to avoid speaking about cricket when thinking about life. What I have learnt from it has helped me to develop as an individual in the society and to build up a lifestyle that I am very comfortable with.

Q: What does family life mean to you?

A: It means a variety of things. It means being settled, having stability and responsibility in life. Before getting married I grew up in a very big family with lots of uncles, aunts and cousins. I value that a lot. Obviously to start a family of my own is special. Cricket is not everything. Hopefully I can strike a balance in both.

Q: How did you meet your wife?

A: We met about eight years ago through one of our friends. She was Christina Mallika Sirisena then. Initially it started out as a friendship and later we began to realise that there is something else to it. But we were both very busy with our occupations.

We hardly had time to spend together. We went out for nearly seven years to make sure that everything is fine and that we would be able to control things. That's when we decided that it was time for us to get married. My wife works for a British Travel Company. That helps her to keep her individuality.

Q: If you were given a day off from work, how would you like to spend it with your family?

A: In a day you can't do a lot so it depends on where we are and what we want to do. But we would definitely make sure that it is quality time. We rarely get the chance to spend time together. So we might stay at home and watch a movie.

Q: If you were given a chance to visit any place on earth, where would it be and why?

A: That's a tough choice. I don't think I've been there yet! (Smiles) Honestly I've enjoyed being in every place I've travelled. That is the fun part of my occupation-the travelling. You get to see new places, meet new people, have new experiences... I would love to travel more because I believe that the world has more places to offer.

Q: What do you value most in a human being?

A: Honesty is the most important aspect in whatever you do. Make sure that you are straightforward about who you are. You don't have to live a life that is not you.

Q: What sort of food do you and Christina prefer?

A: I love my rice and curry. I don't mind trying out lots of other dishes as well. Since we travel a lot we get to try different things but it is quite tough to beat rice and curry. Both me and my wife do not eat beef and pork. She is a Spaghetti Bolognese fan. She likes pasta and stuff like that. That adds a bit of variety to our life (smiles).

Q: Is she a good cook?

A: Yes, though she started out quite late in her life, she is a pretty good cook. She makes new stuff everyday and her desserts are excellent.

Q: What is the most memorable moment of your life?

A: Careerwise it was to play the first match for Sri Lanka. In personal life it was probably the day I got married. That is a special day. A once-in-a-lifetime event.

Q: What kind of music do you prefer?

A: I grew up listening to Sinhala music. I also listen to a bit of R&B and Pop music. It is not exactly a hobby but a form of relaxing for me.

Q: What is Christina's favourite pastime?

A: She reads books and likes to spend time at the beach.

Q: When are your birthdays?

A: Mine is on May 27 and Christina's is on February 12.

Q: What is the best gift that your wife has given you?

A: Herself. I don't need anything else (smiles).

Q: What is your idea about false rumours?

A: It is something that I cannot control so I do not worry about it. Christina too believes in me and trusts me. She knows that there are certain things beyond our control and rumours are one of them.

Q: If you can travel back in time, which moment would you like to re-live?

A: I had a younger brother, Dhisal, who passed away 10 years ago. I would probably go back to those moments because I cherish them a lot.

Q: What is your view about love?

A: Being honest, being caring, being understanding...and a lot of other things. It is a small world but there are a lot of big meanings to it.

Q: Is there something you do as a habit?

A: I tend to bite my nails. It comes with cricket at tense moments. It is a bad habit and I am trying to sort it out as much as possible.

Q: According to your point of view, what is your wife's greatest weakness?

A: Well...(pauses for a bit) It's quite tough to use that word for a lady! I am sure she is pretty soft when it comes to a lot of things, especially when she trusts people.

Q: How do you start your day?

A: Because of our training it is always an early rise. So we are half asleep when we get up. We make sure to get ready as soon as possible and get on the field to avoid missing practises.

Q: Imagine...What would your life be like in 10 years time from today?

A: Hopefully I would lead a relaxed life because I haven't done that for a long time. I see myself as leading a normal life, enjoying time with my family, parents and friends.


Howzzat?

CRICKET: A bizarre incident was reported at a local cricket venue which even the Lords at Lords wouldn't have envisioned when they introduced all that new gadgetry and communicating paraphanelia in a bid to minimise umpiring errors at international matches.

Least of all would it have been imagined the consequence on the Gentlemen's game which has thus far managed to maintain its puritanical veneer in spite of the hard grind and fierce competition of the present day game.

According to the local press a Cricket umpire had been detected using a hand phone to speak with his fiancee during a school fixture. What is more so absorbed was he whispering sweet nothings to his girl friend he was oblivious to an appeal for a dismissal and had do be jolted out of his "love talk" by a vociferous fielding side before being brought to ground and the appeal went by default.

The man was later reported to the local Cricket hierarchy by the school authorities. Now we wonder what made the umpire decide to contact his girl friend during the heat of battle of a cricket contest.

True, there may have been talk among the fielders on the positioning of long legs or short legs. But surely this shouldn't have sent him into a tail spin to be bowled over by a maiden.

The issue is bound to stir a hornet's nest and bring the umpiring fraternity under close scrutiny for there is no knowing what a wired up umpire might get into, the purity of his white coat notwithstanding.

We wonder how many umpires on the international scene had used their communication set for things other than cricket. If they had hitherto hadn't this solitary incident may provide them with food for thought.

There would come the time when crowds would no longer be taken in by umpires looking to contact the third umpire on a borderline decision. 'No balls' could be missed while the man in the middle is thrust into a reverie after a particularly juicy conversation with a Miss.

An umpire could even win over a particular obstinate miss after witnessing the googlies delivered from a Murali type. The state of play could also give him ideas to transmit to his lady love.

In addition to the googlies there would also be full tosses bowled to impress a prospective conquest who would not doubt be stumped by the quality of the wooing. A particularly two-timing umpire could also make use of the opportunity to offer the 'boot' to his girl friend inspired by a close runout, or score sixes to a particular lass he may want to impress.

The escapades of a philandering Shane Warne would be nothing compared to the phone in love talks of an umpire if only the ICC take steps to wire in their conversations.

However the white coated gentry could have their sympathisers too who would point to the tedium of standing in gruelling five day test match.Love they say calms the nerves and kills stress. Umpires are no exception.


Jail me, urges chocolate lover

Jail sentence: A Dutch journalist asked an Amsterdam Court to convict him for eating chocolate, saying by doing so he was benefitting from child slavery on cocoa farms in Ivory Coast.

Teun van de Keuken, 35, is seeking a jail sentence to raise consumer awareness and force the cocoa and chocolate industry to take tougher measures to stamp out child labour.

"If I am found guilty of this crime, any chocolate consumer can be prosecuted after that. I hope that people would stop buying chocolate and thus hurt the sales of big corporations and make them do something about the problem," van de Keuken said.

Ivory Coast, the world's No. 1 cocoa producer which has been racked by instability since a brief 2002 civil war, is the target of allegations by international rights groups that children are working as slaves on its cocoa plantations.

Van de Keuken launched his attempt to be charged for eating chocolate two years ago when the Dutch pubic prosecutor rules that it was not a case for the Courts and that the journalist was not directly involved with the cocoa business.

On Friday, he appealed against the prosecutor's decision before a Court which is expected to rule in April.

The journalist travelled to Burkina Faso to track down former child salves who he said were sold by their impoverished parents or lured by merchants to work on Ivory Coast farms.

Van de Keuken said he has now brought one of these former child slaves to testify in Court against him.

"We profit from these people and they get almost nothing in return. As consumers we are also responsible for these atrocities," van de Keuken told Reuters. He urged consumers to choose fair trade chocolate but warned it was often difficult to trace the origin of cocoa beans.

The Netherlands is the biggest importer and processor of cocoa beans in the European Union, which accounts for 40 per cent of global coca processing. "I cannot deny that there are issues with child labour but it is totally wrong to call it slavery," said Robert Zehnder, Secretary General of the European Cocoa Association (ECA). "We work with governments and NGOs to address the problem."

David Zimmer from the CAOBISCO industry association said boycotts of chocolate would hurt farmers in West Africa as 10 million people depended on cocoa for their livelihood.

Members of the global chocolate and cocoa industry signed an accord in late 2001 for the introduction of a certification system by July 2005 that would enable customers to choose chocolate produced without abusive labour practices. But, to the frustration of rights groups, deadlines have been slipping.

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