Nalin as a novel navigator: Reflections in retrospect

Three months have passed by since the surprise demise of  Senior Professor Nalin Abeysekara, Former Dean of the Faculty of Management, Open University of Sri Lanka. It is sad to see good people die young. It happened to my precious son 10 years ago. This time it is with one of my best friends. He is one of the most down to earth scholars that I have ever seen who was high in stature yet humble and humane. This brief reflection is my revered tribute to a remarkable human being on his third month›s remembrance. 

Navigator in marketing 

He connected Hinniappuhami with Kotler. With his bi-lingual mastery, translating marketing concepts into Sinhala for the benefit of many local entrepreneurs was exemplary. Being a Marketing graduate of University of Sri Jayewardenepura , he was a   Chartered Marketer and a member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) as well. He has contributed many articles to many local and international journals whilst being a popular personality in print media, electronic media as well as social media. 

He obtained his PhD (Marketing and Leadership) and MBA both from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. In 2018, he was recognised as an “Outstanding Asian Educator" by International Association of Scholarly Publishers, Editors and Reviewers (IASPER). I still remember being one of the examiners for his professorship assessment . 

It is insightful to read how he conceptualised the east and west connection in marketing. “People always like to embrace Western theories. But once we visited the real ideology then we can understand that they also learnt it from us. But there are still some people with a colonial mentality. They do not value our culture or our heritage. We do not value our own people. But now the time has come to respect them — give respect to the people like Hinniappuhamy. We have to revisit these success stories and organise some international level conferences to communicate and showcase this to the world and also communicate this to our next generation. This should be one part of “Marketing our values.” 

Moving further, Senior Prof. Nalin elaborates on the need to focus on what he calls “indigenous marketing”. “There is a need for scholars in subject domains in marketing  to investigate “Indigenous Marketing” in Sri Lanka, this could be one way in which we may learn the best practices in Sri Lankan culture as well. This article  sheds light on how further exploring indigenous practices and combining them with certain Western theories and implications can be considered as the best way to explore the given subject aligned with “higher-order thinking”. There should be a proper collaboration between the groups who study indigenous practices in marketing and scholars who explore historical and present-day colonial formations to bring to light the “multiple realities” in the given problem. This would help to enrich multidisciplinary studies in the long run as well.”

Navigator in management 

He was a firm advocate of a “creative economy” for Sri Lanka. Being a senior resource person in strategic management, marketing, and research methodology, he had research and lecturing exposure in Canada, the UAE, Singapore, Oman, and Qatar. I enjoyed co-delivering the module titled, “Theoretical Approaches to Management” for the Dr.al candidates of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM). 

The way Senior Prof. Nalin discussed how the concept of “creative economy” is indeed insightful. “The popularity of songs such as Manike Mage Hithe and Why This Kolaveri Di in social media can be considered a message reiterating the power of creativity and innovation with the essence of new technology. It is truly an internet generation that articulated the fashion and trends in the world. There is a responsibility and mechanisms from the stakeholders in the country to have a proper mechanism to respect the creativity and imagination of our young generation. The song ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ stands out as a success story in Sri Lanka’s creative economy, serving as an eye-opener to the nation’s untapped potential. “

According to him, the concept of a creative economy refers to the income-generating capacity of creative ideas, talents, and activities. The creative economy encompasses careers in many of which the music Industry also plays a vital part. As mentioned earlier We have discussed the concept of “creative economy” and its importance to Sri Lanka for decades but could not see any positive feedback from the administrators.

He served as the editor-in-chief of Sri Lanka Journal of Management Studies (SLJMS), whilst being a reviewer of many international journals including Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Management Development , Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education  and International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL).

In writing the first editorial of SLJMS, he did not hesitate to pay a tribute to one of our veteran teachers, late Prof. Sudattha Ranasinghe. “It is with much pleasure that we forward the publication of the first issue of the Sri Lanka Journal of management Studies (SLJMS). More importantly this launch is aligned with the inauguration ceremony of Faculty of Management Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka. We would like to dedicate the first issue of this precious journal for late professor Sudatta Ranasinghe, Professor of Management Studies, Open University of Sri Lanka, with utmost respect. The contribution made by late Professor Sudattha Ranasinghe for the upliftment of the Department of Management Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in particular and the Open University of Sri Lanka in general is noteworthy and immeasurable” 

Navigator in humanity

It was a pleasure to have a casual chat with him. Most of the time, it revolved around humanity. I have seen his creative contributions by way of poetry in Sinhala as well as other artistic engagements. We shared our thoughts on how to uphold values in a society where perks and privileges have overcome principles and precepts. We both were of the common view that we should contribute our fullest for the upholding of humanity, no matter who is getting the credit. 

I saw a down to earth scholar in him with gratitude as a key virtue. He was a life-long learner. The way he respected seniors and sought guidance from them on one hand was very visible. On the other hand, the way he guided the juniors with humility by way of setting examples was also very visible. He was not hesitant to appreciate our culture and tradition. He was longing to wear a national dress with pride, and as his beloved wife sadly said, he did that on his final journey. 

His contribution to discuss marketing concepts in Sinhala 

In one of the most recent writings (early April this year), Senior Prof. Nalin expressed his thoughts on developing Sri Lanka. “Sri Lanka must carefully understand and respond to the challenges arising from its ongoing changes. Sri Lanka should establish an immediate task force comprising responsible stakeholders to engage in discussions on ongoing concerns. Recognising that it is not a comprehensive solution, the World Happiness Index can nevertheless act as an important indicator in guiding a paradigm shift in how we approach education and economic development.  For a country seeking to reposition itself globally, Sri Lanka must adopt stronger, more effective strategies across multiple sectors. Building a resilient and prosperous future requires sound policymaking and clear strategic direction.”

Continuing legacy 

“Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.” What Renee Wood said is much fitting to our valued legend. Life is not only to live but to  leave a legacy. Senior Prof. Nalin has aptly done that in his knowledge creating and knowledge  sharing life.  

The best tribute for Senior Prof. Nalin is to continue his unfinished contribution to the betterment of humanity. “In order to succeed, people need a sense of self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life”, said Albert Bandura, the most admired living psychologist of our times.  This was very true of Senior Prof. Nalin. 

I will not have the luxury of engaging in a long tele-chat with a deep thinking friend, starting from something ordinary leading to extraordinary insights, usually revolving around humanity. Goodbye my beloved friend. May you attain supreme bliss of Nibbana. 

(The author, a Senior Professor in Management and an Independent Non-Executive Director, can be reached at [email protected], [email protected] or www.ajanthadharmasiri.info)