“The Eton of Sri Lanka” the BBC has for once managed not to offend me. In fact I am quite flattered; as I too am an old boy of this amazing educational institution. I still remember my first day at Royal. Scared of the prospect of education I gripped tightly onto my black school bag and colourful water bottle and waited to be warmly greeted by the soft spoken lady who would teach us everything, (literally everything from basic alphabet to being kind to animals) during the coming year. She introduced herself to my mother and gladly accepted the sari my mother gifted her and added it to the pile of neatly wrapped sari’s next to her desk.

I still vaguely remember her telling me that she will take care of me like a mother. Honestly, I can’t say that I understood what she meant. But I was as confused as the 40 or so tough-guys crying in the background. I didn’t cry; I kept smiling at my mom who was outside of the classroom watching the proceedings of the first day of her son’s career at Royal.

Even during the dark days of the 90’s when Sri Lanka was burning, we lived like brothers. Everyone subconsciously knew that the atmosphere inside the gates of Rajakeeya Mawatha was one full of mutual tolerance and loving-kindness. We always left divisions of race, class etc outside the school gate- no one told us to do that; everyone felt best if we did so!

It wasn’t a secular society by any means, there were Buddhist symbols everywhere… but they were put in there in order give the feeling of peace and never to intimidate or as a way of showing force! Sill was observed during Vesak week, April New Year was always cheerful, and everyone looked forward to sharing the massive bowl of “watalappan” which many Muslims brought into school at the end of Ramadan. It certainly was a tolerant society in which everyone was tolerated for what they were.

I sometimes felt to be Sri Lankan or to be Sinhala or Tamil or whatever always came second to being a “Royalist”. Those divisions had their flaws thus created conflicts; therefore being a royalist was not entirely an identity by itself but means to avoid conflicts.

Eton produces upper class dick heads… I’ll just leave it at there.

For all its flaws- for me Eton can never be as good as Royal College.

I love you Royal; I really do… you have been a mother to me.