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Mineka [Micki] Wickramasingha, an entrepreneur and an artist

26 Jun 2022

By Dr. Sarath Amunugama I first met Micki over 40 years ago with Esmond Wickremesinghe. They owned a small hotel near the beach in Passikudah which Esmond wickedly named ‘Sun and Fun’. They would travel a long distance over bad roads from Colombo to the Eastern Province to spend holidays on that fantastic shoreline. I led a research team on family planning in the ’80s and we would spend time in the old Kalkudah Rest House planning our survey of family health in Kattankudy, which much later in time became notorious as the home of the Easter Sunday bombers. From then on Micki and I became the best of friends, a relationship which unfortunately came to an end with his death last week at a ripe old age. Micki was a ‘Renaissance Man’. His interests ranged far and wide. He was a superb national entrepreneur. He and his family and staff built up an international ‘brand’ in Munchee, which catered to both domestic and international markets. Micki was a consummate marketeer. I remember leading a delegation of our businessmen to Vietnam which included Micki. He had no hesitation in bringing a suitcase full of Munchee products, which he unveiled before Vietnamese businessmen while making a sales pitch in French, which was his passion. While other businessmen were giving ‘pora talk’ about their enterprises, Micki was filling up his order book. Again, when he opened his factory in Bangladesh, he took Dr. P.B. Jayasundera and me for the inauguration. I spoke to Bangladeshi Finance Minister Muhith who was my friend, who gave his blessings for the new investment. Micki was a personal friend of politicians of different hues, including the leftists of the LSSP. This wide-ranging interest in politics was shown in his genuine concern for his workers. This was testified by the large number of his workers of different levels who thronged to Kanatte in spite of the difficulties of transportation and livelihood. The senior staff put out a video song, which is a heartfelt tribute to their father figure entitled ‘Piyanani,’ which is going viral.   As a young man Micki spent time in England and France, where he gathered a number of loyal friends. Among them was Manu Ginige, who worked for Air Ceylon and later Air Lanka. Manu was also the livewire in our embassy in Paris. We would all meet at Ginige’s apartment when Micki came to Paris. Both were great cooks and loved French cuisine. Micki was a great connoisseur of good food and loved to entertain his friends for meals. At one stage he opened a restaurant on Galle Road for food lovers where he could feed them and also have interesting conversations. He had a similar interest in literature. He wrote several books of short stories which were based on his life experiences. I think he was most proud of his writings, amongst his other achievements. He was a strong believer in the talent and resilience of the Sri Lankan people and would argue forcefully against overdependence on external interventions. Micki was a proponent of ethical behavior and business, which was buttressed by his adherence to the ‘Mother’ in Pondicherry whom he used to visit periodically. Here too he appreciated the French ambience which pervaded the ashram. All in all, he lived a full and eventful life. But perhaps more than all of that I will remember a sincere and generous friend who was there for you in all seasons. He was full of life and vitality and now that his life is stilled, we will remember him with gratitude and cherish his memory. Our condolences go to Romayne, his devoted daughters, and the rest of the family. We will miss him.    


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