Best speaker Magazine Issue 2 - December 2017 | Page 28

FEATURE
KUMAR DE SILVA
Q
Let us go back in time and
tell, how you were directed to
be in the position you are in now.
What support did you get from
your family? Tell us about what
helped you to grow as a leader and
a speaker during your school days.
The support I got from my parents has
been incredible. They were teachers at
Wesley College and at All Saints College
Borella and so school was also at home. I
remember very well, soon after Ordinary
Levels, we had to choose subjects for
Advanced Level. The trend was to
become a Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer or an
Accountant. I chose neither. I chose to do
English, Economics, French and German.
This shocked my teachers at College but
my parents supported me whole heartedly.
I did what I loved to do. And that is why
I’m here today.
The same goes with my children. Rahul,
28 BEST SPEAKER MAGAZINE 2017
my son, is at the Asia Pacific University in
Japan and doing what he loves to do. My
daughter Anarkali, is a Visakian, and sits
for Ordinary Level exam in December
2017. I’m guiding her into Advanced
Levels but not forcing her into a particular
stream of studies.
French is also my first language, but
both of them have refused to learn French.
This is fine with me. But, I only requested
them to learn a foreign language as it
opens doors to the world. My son is
learning Japanese and I hope Anarkali
does the same.
Q
What particularly inspired you
to be an announcer or a public
speaker?
I was in my Advanced Level when
television arrived in Sri Lanka. It was
a new world. It was magic. There were
television stars. I also wanted to be one
like them, and that was how the journey
began.
Q
According to you, what were
your weaknesses and how did
you overcome them?
I think my major issue was shyness and
stammering. Those two combined was not
funny. I am also my worst critic. Nothing I
do is good enough for me. So that made it
worse. I failed many screen tests at the Sri
Lanka Broadcasting Corporation where
I wanted to be a broadcaster. So that was
out of the question.
Then came television. I failed eight
successive screen tests at Independent
Television Network (Commonly known
as ITN) for Bonsoir. The Director
of Programmes there, Mrs. Nanda
Jayamanne was very patient. After the
eighth one she said, “Son, even a cat has
nine lives so you can have only one more
screen test tomorrow”. It was now or
never. That evening, I stood and practiced