A short trip from Chennai 1.25 hours but a world away. A land dominated by Buddhism producing a very different outlook and atmosphere. India with its Hindu caste orientated structure means that each group has its responsibilities. One result is that garbage collection is not everyone’s responsibility, nor is pot holed road repair which gives many parts of the country a dilapidated effect. Sri Lanka has surmounted these challenges better producing a much more pleasant environment.

Kandy where Colin is teaching a new experimental course on Leadership is reached by traveling for three hours in a train with a heritage back in the British era. Nearer to the capital Colombo there are modern Japanese commuter coaches but beyond that one hour limit life goes back to the former era. Our friends are there to greet us at 18.30 but it is already dark as it is light at 06.00 in the morning.

The class of fifteen students are a mix of older people seeking to upgrade and younger aspiring ones. The low standard of written English is a challenge for setting exams but a desire to learn overcomes these obstacles and we have a good class. Most of the evaluation is in the form of small projects – a personal assessment, a Biblical character and a Christian leader of renown.

In Colombo on the last weekend a good meeting up with a local Christian leader who is very keen on our returning next year to share with his twenty or so leadership people. The Colombo Theological Seminary people are also giving a warm invitation to return to teach a MA course over two weekends.