Marco Polo in 1298 described 'Seyllan' as the most beautiful island of it size in the world. The Greeks and Romans praised 'Taprobane' and 18th century travellers praised 'Serendip' from which name comes the word serendipity - the luck of the unexpected. So it was for Lord Naseby, then plain Michael Morris working in challenging Calcutta, to be told one Monday morning on 10 May1963 that he must go urgently to Colombo, Ceylon to handle a crisis. This book is a celebration of Lord Naseby's subsequent unique involvement with Sri Lanka, its people and its politics over the last fifty years. During that time he has visited the island at least 20 times. He has been an official observer at a number of Presidential and General Elections, witnessed the opening of the Victoria Dam as an official guest, supported the Sri Lanka Government and people through a near-thirty year civil war and was instrumental in the UK's aid response to the devastating Tsunami of 2004. Indeed a year later the President of Sri Lanka presented him with the nation's highest award for non- nationals the Sri Lanka Ratna (Titular). This book is a powerful memoir of one man's very special relationship with a beautiful island and its people, his recollections from fifty years of a unique friendship between a British politician and the people of Sri Lanka.
