LIFE
Hasrath Munasinghe
In conversation with Ruwandi Perera
Alma maters
Mahanama and Royal College
Family members
Wife (Fiona), two sons (Ashane and Tejan) and parents (Ariya and Kanthy)
Wanted to be
An engineer
Is
A marketer; and more recently, a banker
Favourite day of the week
Friday, of course!
Worst day of the week
No particular day – every day is good
Three must-haves
The wallet, mobile and watch
Three ‘would like to haves’
A turntable, motorbike and pet dog
Mantra to unwind
Spending time with family
Favourite colour
Orange – because when I was a kid, my favourite sight was seeing a thambili-kaaraya (king coconut seller) on a bicycle
Drives
An Audi Q7
Would like to drive
A Mercedes-Benz
Happy place
My parents’ residence in Dehiwela – there’s nothing like going home
Favourite chill out
Spending time with friends at sports clubs such as CH & FC, CR & FC and SSC
Cook or foodie
Definitely a foodie because I can’t cook
Favourite food
Egg roti
Favourite drink
Thambili (king coconut)
Favourite hobbies
Following Royal College sports, communicating on WhatsApp and reading articles online
Three pet peeves
Backstabbing, gossip and fake people
Likes to play
Tap rugger and snooker (although I hardly play)
Likes to watch
Cricket, rugby and football
The glass is half full or half empty
Half full – because I’m always positive and optimistic
Most unforgettable events
The births of my sons
Most upsetting event
The untimely death of my close friend Lakshan Sabar in 1999
Favourite local destination
Down south where my parents hail from
Favourite international destination
Stockholm
Ideal romantic date or outing
Celebrating our wedding anniversary with a private dinner on the beach in Langkawi
Three items on the wish list for the next six months
Conducting a pirith ceremony, starting to cycle and travelling from Point Pedro to Mullaitivu through rough terrain
Three items on the bucket list following retirement
Rearing pet birds, watching an Olympics event on location and taking a train journey across Siberia
Quality or quantity
Quality
Work or play after retirement
Play
Likely retirement destination
Colombo – because it’s where I belong
Obsessed with
The phone (despite objections from my family)
Purpose in life
Enjoy life and give something back
Happiness in a few words
Being content with what you have and seeing the brighter side of life
Favourite song
Lady, Lady, Lady (by Joe Esposito) – it has a beautiful melody and lyrics, and is from a great 1980s movie (Flashdance)
Favourite movie
Cast Away (starring Tom Hanks) – the best actor of my generation
Best actor
Joe Abeywickrama – for his ability to portray various characters (and especially his role in the movie Pooja)
Best singer
Priya Suriyasena – for his unique and unforgettable voice
Favourite author
The great Martin Wickramasinghe – his novel Gamperaliya is the best Sri Lankan work of literature
Favourite local sportsperson
Muttiah Muralitharan – a ‘smiling assassin’ and the greatest bowler ever who gave everything for his country
Favourite international sportsperson
Sergey Bubka – the great pole vaulter and one of the greatest sports ambassadors in the world
Favourite local civil servant
Commandant of the Special Task Force (STF) Senior Deputy Inspector General Ruwaiz Latiff – for his integrity and bravery
Colombo in a few words
Busy, hot and happening
Sri Lanka in a few words
A paradise and land like no other
The world in a nutshell
Beautiful and worthy of being preserved
Role model
Jack Ma
Most used word or phrase
‘Do you get what I’m saying?’
Yourself in a few words
Happy-go-lucky
Motto in life
Live life and do good
