By Roger Srivasan
Only yesterday, Anura Kumara Dissanayake did something utterly unprecedented in Sri Lanka’s political history. Without razzmatazz, red carpets, or choreographed fanfare, he climbed the dirt tracks of a tea plantation in search of its workers — to meet them, speak with them, and interact with them as equals.
The reaction of the plantation workers was one of astonishment and overwhelming delight. Never before has a sitting national leader set foot on a plantation estate and mingled freely with its labourers, unmediated and unguarded. This was not a staged visit, nor a publicity exercise; it was an unvarnished human encounter.
One worker, visibly moved by the moment, summed it up with quiet reverence: “We are immensely blessed to have our soil sanctified by your footsteps.” The remark, simple yet profound, captured the emotional gravity of the occasion.
This was not political theatre. It was humility in motion. In a country where leadership has long been insulated by protocol and distance, this unscripted walk along dusty plantation paths spoke louder than speeches delivered from elevated platforms.
Indubitably, it was a historic moment — not because it was orchestrated, but because it was sincere.