My boss. Say you are following this person.

Ah!

This guy.

Chief Minister of India. Tell her. M.G. Ramachandran.

Yes.

Sri Lanka, Kandy.

Ah?

Yes. Good man.

Good man?

Yes.

Are you taking a photo?

I’m taking a photo. One second.

It’s an honour.

Of course.

I’ve heard a lot about you.

He knows you.

I’ve heard about you.

Yes.

She is… She is from where?

Her… Mother is Sri Lankan, Father is from Switzerland. You have met her sister. Her sister was with me once when I met you. You don’t remember. So you…

[So many] people meet me so…

Yeah, that’s it.

He’s met Jackie?

Jackie. Yeah. I was saying because, like once me and Jackie were walking on the street.

Ah!

But he can’t remember obviously because he meets thousands of people.

So many people!

Newspaper articles, television channels, Thirty-four television channels, YouTube, internet, Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok. Each channel has its own videos.

So many.

Do you want to sit down?

No, no problem.

I’ll come this way. You stay here. But it’s okay. There is room.

No, no, I’ll stay. Stay there. Stay there. No problem. This is good.

No problem?

No problem.

Hello, Hello? Can you hear? Right? Hello? Testing one, testing one. Right?

I didn’t understand much at twelve years old. I really wanted to work and eat. He says, “Thangam send your son. He wants to work and earn to eat”. I try to pull carts. I can’t pull. He won’t let me. Then flour is being loaded. They were fifty kilo bags. He is the one who pulls. I’m going behind. He gave me two rupees or a rupee and fifty cents. Big money then. Then he told our mother, “It’s like this, look someday your son will be working in a good way, and will come up nicely on the pavements.” Those words rang true for me. And our mother said “Son, when I’m gone, when father’s gone, the whole world will recognise you and accept you”.

Our mother had pictures of the Nawala deity. When she told us to worship, we did. We both were small after all. There is also a photo of M.G.R. My boss. She puts a pottu on him and tell me to worship. That’s when I said “Mother,” I said “Who is that?” When asked, my mother says “He is M.G.R. uncle. Not only for you but he is M.G.R. Uncle to the world. Worship him.” I worshipped for about a month straight, then started crying once, holding our mother’s sari, rolling around. They gave me food, tea, biscuits. I don’t eat anything. I keep crying. When asked why, I said “Show me M.G.R. uncle.” I thought he lived next door. Right? Our father, back then there were rickshaws, he comes in rickshaws wearing white sarongs and shirts like this. “What is the little one crying about?” “No, look. He is crying and telling us to show him M.G.R. uncle.” “Shall I take him to India?” When we say “what what” our mother says to our father, I remember like today, “Are you crazy to say you’ll take him to India?” “No, they have brought an M.G.R. picture (film).” Cinema is in front of our house. ‘Raman Thediya Seethai.’ They took me to see that film. Then they showed my boss and I laughed happily. I laughed so hard. Our mother gets concerned and asks my father, “Why is this child laughing like this?” “He’s laughing because he’s happy. We showed him M.G.R. He is a good man, M.G.R.“ he said. It was then that I promised myself: if I live, I want to live like him.

[SINGS ‘THIRUDADE PAPA THIRUDADE’ FROM THE MOVIE THIRUDADE (1961)]

This is how I live my life. I have 180 suit coats. There are 2300 shoes. There are 3800 ties. I’m the only one wearing the American tie in the world. Not even Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa wore it. I have an American…

Then, tell me a little about how did you became famous?

While I’m dressed like this, it was Swarnavahini TV that first captured me on video. Mr. Bandula.

When was that?

It has been seven years now. It’s been seven or eight. The first video, they have come looking for me, just like you. Like, since you saw me on the first day. Like that. After that, he saw me with my cart at Gaspaha Junction. “Hello sir! I remembered you. We have a shooting with you.” He told me and recorded a video. That’s where I first spoke about smoking cigarettes. That’s what I said first. As soon as that video was shown on TV all the channels came running with a camera. I.T.N., Rupavahini, Derana. It was heavy rain. I’m going home. All three were outside my home. And I’ve been on thirty TV channels, YouTube, internet, Facebook, WhatsApp, Ada Newspaper, The Island, Weerakesari, Mithran, World. World meaning the whole world. I’m in the entire world. There is no man who does not know me. Germany, Canada, Pakistan, London, Singapore, America, Russia, China, Dubai, Uganda. From there, they come to find me after watching my videos. They send me money. Belts, shoes, sunglasses, everything is sent.

His film is natural. The truth. No lies. All the others are duplicates. He lived…

Are you watching my videos?

When everything goes across the world, the world today says, “We have never seen anyone like this.” Old timers, mothers, fathers [say] “In our time, wearing a sarong, a shirt, drenched in sweat without a shirt, bearded, is how a Nattami works. What is this, wearing a white suit? A white suit coat is worn for a function, a wedding. School kids wear white shirts, trousers. He is a Nattami. He won’t get dirty. He leaves looking better than when he came. Working in the rain, even in heavy rain. Doesn’t get mud on his shoes. Shouldering the work, unloading the goods, putting them in the lorry. Wow… he has a thing about him.” People, all over the world, are thinking. Now I am the one wearing the suit and coat from everyone in the world. Even while working M.G.R. Aiya [Elder Brother], M.G.R. Aiya, M.G.R. Aiya, they shout and wave. In the bus, in the car, in the van, on the bike. Just today, I was in more than twenty selfies.

This is the cloth brought for sewing. I have separate measurements to sew those buttons.

Ah.

That is sent to another place.

Ah, okay, okay.