From a village boy to a veteran in engineering and electronics, he has come a long way, often taking roads less-traversed with his innovative ideas and forward-thinking solutions that challenged the status quo. The first step is always the hardest, and he took that step, going beyond his call of duty, while his successors built upon his innovative concepts.
Karannagoda Kankanamlage Yasaratna Wijayasundara Perera, known to the world as Prof. K. K. Y. W. Perera takes pride in seeing his creative breakthroughs thriving even today.
The Sunday Observer spoke to this small but mighty personality, who has earned many accolades in his trailblazing career and won the love, respect and admiration of his engineering colleagues and all around him for his humility and down-to-earth nature.
Good old days
The Chancellor of Moratuwa University from 2014-2023
Having his roots in Kannimahara village, off Yakkala in the Gampaha District, he was schooled at a vernacular school in Radawana (later named Mahagamasekara Maha Vidyalaya), until he received a scholarship to Ananda College, Colombo, in Grade 3. Excelling in his studies, he obtained a B.Sc. (Engineering) degree with First Class Honours from the University of Ceylon, an M.Sc. from the University of Birmingham, UK, and a Ph.D from the University of British Columbia, Canada.
Prof. Perera has bagged many firsts under his name, but becoming the first Professor of Electronic Engineering in Sri Lanka and the first Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Moratuwa are special milestones for him.
Out of all the positions he held, he described these two as the most challenging. “We founded the Electronics Department, initially developing the syllabus and curricula for the undergraduate degree and later expanding it to the post graduate level. We taught about television, even before television sets came to Sri Lanka. More than half the Department (staff) are my students,” he said.
“While the basics remain the same, electronics is a fast-developing subject. I have seen the coming of the first television, computer, tape-recorder, mobile phone. In those days, we had to make a trunk call and wait even to connect to Katubedda. The first computer was installed at the State Engineering Corporation. They had to widen the door by breaking the walls to take the machine in. Such was the size of a computer at that time.
“Even as a professor of electronic engineering, I never thought mobile phones would come this far this soon. The same is true with moving pictures. In those days, you had to get still images and add dialogue separately,” he recollected.
Passionate teacher
Prof. K K Y W Perera
(taken some years back)
“Nowadays, electronics in medicine is making rapid progress. For example, the University of Moratuwa recently developed a device to monitor blood sugar levels without pricking the finger (non-invasive blood glucose measuring).
“I am very happy to see how the Faculty of Engineering has grown in both numbers and quality. New courses and educational materials have been introduced. I loved teaching. I am happy about my students’ achievements. I feel proud when the students are doing better than me,” he said, his eyes filling with tears.
The time-tested professional offered advice to modern-day educators. “Do not teach the subject, teach them how to learn. Learning materials are available everywhere these days. Create enthusiasm for students to learn. That is exactly what my father did.
“Back then, you have to go to a library if you want to read or research, but today it can be done at home via the Internet. Most of the content is now available online. The Internet has sped up research and manufacturing processes,” he added.
Inspired thinking
Prof. Perera, who is spending his golden years leisurely at his home in Colombo, recalled his contributions to the power and energy sector with a sense of triumph. “I was holding the reins of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) as its Chairman and then as the Power and Energy Ministry Secretary, cumulatively for about 15 years. There had been no strikes during my period. The new power plants, which were commissioned back then, are still very much in operation. There were no political influences, and everything went smoothly. We called open tenders for candidate power plants.
“At times there had been politically-induced protests by local people. We could convince them with a lot of effort and go ahead with the projects. We experienced such situations during the Kothmale Hydro Power Plant Project and the Coal Power Plant Project in Norochcholai,” he said.
Though not known to many, Lanka Transformers Private Limited (LTL) and Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) were the brainchild of Prof. Perera. “Both LTL and LECO were started from scratch and developed,” he added.
Old family picture
Lanka Transformers Ltd. was set up as a joint venture between the CEB and a Scottish company named Bonar Long in 1980. Today, after over four decades, the company stands tall as a leader in transformer manufacturing, establishing itself a trusted name both locally and globally. The LECO took over the power supply from several Urban Councils, including Kotte and Kandy. LECO now provides electricity to more than 585,000 customers.
The first Long Term Generation Expansion Plan of the CEB was developed during his time to determine the least-cost generation plan for the country in the long run. “We even sent a team of our engineers to the World Bank to learn about it. The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) readily gave us funds for our new projects. We have repaid all the loans and made a lot of profits from those plants,” he said.
Decorated luminary
The seasoned professional is no stranger to high-ranking roles and responsibilities. He was the founding Chairman of the Sustainable Energy Authority (then referred to as the Energy Conservation Fund) and the National Engineering Research and Development (NERD) Centre, and had also served terms as the Chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom, the Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, and the Computer and Information Technology Council (CINTEC), among others. He was the Chancellor of Moratuwa University from 2014 to 2023.
Back in the day, he was active in professional bodies. He was the President of the Sri Lanka Association for Advancement of Science and the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka, and the Chairman of the Sri Lankan branch of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, U.K., to name a few.
A sage in the field, Prof. Perera has received numerous local and international awards, including the prestigious ‘Vidya Jyothi’ title—the highest national honour for science in Sri Lanka—in 1993, for his outstanding contributions. In fact, the awards and plaques recognising his service and innovation, along with framed photographs of his family and work, occupy considerable space in his small home, where he has lived for over half a century.
An innovator at heart and keen about energy conservation, he developed a smart fan controller for ceiling fans, also receiving a patent for the same in 2011. It was recognised as the best invention in the field of electronics in 2015 by the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission.
“The speciality of the fan controller was that it can control both time and speed and can set it off automatically. It can be fixed without altering the wiring. I still use it,” he said, pointing at the ceiling fan in the lobby where this interview took place.
“It was a commercial success. The invention was patented and sold to a company, but I chose not to renew the patent. Let anyone make it; it doesn’t matter,” he added.
Contented heart
The nonagenarian became emotional when he recalled how he came up with a proposal to retain the engineers in the country, who were migrating in large numbers, to then-President J. R. Jayewardene. “Among them was a proposal to buy them cars, instead of giving official cars with drivers. Let them self-drive and maintain those vehicles. It proved to be more economical. After five years, they could own the car. We also provided low-interest loans to other staff categories below the engineers for housing from the CEB Provident Fund,” he said.
Prof. Perera has always been a firm believer in the talents and strengths of Sri Lankan engineers in taking up any challenging task.
“When we finished a major hydro power station on Mahaweli River, the biggest for Sri Lanka at that point, some foreign companies asked to run it for us, citing our lack of experience. I firmly said that our engineers can operate and maintain it. Hydro is our water. Giving the plant to a foreign company and buying the yield back would be a joke. Even up to now we are running it,” he said with a proud smile.
Wrapping up the talk with a message to the youngsters, he said, “As the Dhamma says ‘Santhutti Paraman Danan’ (happiness is the supreme wealth). “ Do good to others. That will be your happiness”.
