Upali Wijewardene

Philip Upali Wijewardene (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: ) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved "largely through bravado and wit."

Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.

Early life and family

Wijewardene was born on 17 February 1938, at his paternal grandmother's house in Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Don Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest and only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. His grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded the family business. Wijewardene lost his father when he was eighteen months old, and was raised by his mother in the family home Sedawatte Walawwe in Kolonnawa.

The Wijewardene family had made its money by supplying timber for construction in the city of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, including real estate, and became influential in local politics. Upali's paternal uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and his cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 to 1989. Ray Wijewardene, a cousin, was an engineer, aviator, inventor, and Olympic athlete. His sister Anoja married Stanley Wijesundera, a professor of chemistry and later the first vice-chancellor of the University of Colombo, while his other sister Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.

On 7 November 1975, Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter of Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter of Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa. Wijewardene moved into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad for his private helicopter. He also owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya. He held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had been supported by his family. Manufacturing Wijewardene began soap manufacturing, introducing the brands Crystal and Tingle Sikuru.

Aviation In the aviation sector, he founded Upali Air in 1968. Flight operations started in the late 1970s with several aircraft for private, domestic and international flights.

Print media In 1981, he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and weekly newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used his aircraft to deliver newspapers to remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.

In February 1981, he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circulation of 200,000. The media initially described the magazine as "romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, adventure, and wild women," crammed into 16 pages. The comic magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication in 1986. Ratnayake attributed the magazine's failure to Wijewardene's early demise, the sub-standard printing quality of the paper and competition from other magazines. Wijewardene worked to attract foreign investment to develop local industries in the new open economy. He formed free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.

A wheel that was thought to be part of the disappeared plane was found on Pandang Island, leading the authorities to conclude that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed that the plane manufacturer did not make this wheel. According to K. Godage, former Malaysian High Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest in investigating the disappearance further. Rumours later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named the minister of finance by president J. R. Jayewardene the next day, on his return to Colombo.

Reincarnation The story began in 1995 when a wealthy father from Nuwara Eliya sought psychological consultation for his 5-year-old daughter, named Jeyandrapoopathy Maheesha, who displayed remarkable energy and intelligence for her age. Despite being only 1.5 years old, she demonstrated an understanding of chocolate processing. Initially, the father believed her knowledge was based on observation, but he grew increasingly astonished when she spoke about car assembly—something she had never been exposed to at home, where they owned only a van.

The doctor discovered that the girl was not merely reciting learned information; she was recalling past-life memories. Her unusual behavior prompted her father to seek help. She informed an incident where she had bitten the finger of a boy her age because he kept erasing her drawing, which led to the consultation. (Reference: Our Lady's Nursery—she bit the finger of a chubby boy named Vasan; the teacher present was Elizabeth.)

During the consultation, the doctor encouraged her to redraw her logo, which at first did not resemble that of the Upali Group. The doctor then requested the father to bring her in for a second session.

At that time, the doctor, who was French, maintained a good relationship with Dr. Seevali Ratwatte. Without revealing any details, he spoke to Dr. Ratwatte about the artwork. Everyone was astonished to discover that it matched the very first logo of the Upali Group, which included the Dharma Chakra.

Dr. Ratwatte expressed a desire to meet the child. In the second session, he, along with Lohan Ratwatte and one of Upali Wijewardene’s classmates, confirmed the child’s identity by asking personal questions. A remarkable detail was that she accurately disclosed the bank balance at the time of Upali Wijewardene’s death.

The doctor provided both physical and scientific evidence confirming her rebirth—additionally, Pro. Ian Steven also confirmed the child’s rebirth through scientific validation, further solidifying the evidence surrounding this extraordinary case.

Other intriguing details included a birthmark on her body resembling a wound, which she claimed was present prior to her death. According to the child's account, Upali had drowned, and her own birth was connected to water—she was born with an amniotic sac, a fact corroborated by the management of Lakeside Hospital.

The child also experienced unbearable headaches, often complaining about "explosions," particularly in February. Her behavior exhibited a strong affinity towards past interests and a notable fear of water, especially in rivers and the sea. Despite her father’s attempts to teach her swimming, she would cry, insisting, "You’re trying to kill me," particularly when it came to cold water, unlike warm water. Furthermore, she refused to eat ice cream, describing it as resembling "huge cold ice bars from water."

Both parties involved agreed to keep this information strictly confidential. They compensated substantially for this secrecy; notably, the child’s father gifted the nurse a set of gold jewelry—a chain and necklace—as a token of gratitude and in exchange for discretion.