When you bump into executive chef  Shehan Setunga at the coolest area of Colombo by chance, you know it was meant to be. A city of 2.5 million, what are the chances that the executive chef of Shoulders by Harpos would cross my path again? Turns out he also co-owns a Sri Lankan eatery at said cool area  where I was searching for a place called Nikki’s.

Shoulders by Harpos is the only Greek restaurant in Sri Lanka. How Shehan Setunga and his business partners came to operate a Greek eatery, well you will just have to read on deep into my article. Suffice to say Shehan lived in Melbourne and was a chef at a Greek restaurant!

Sri Lanka

One of the oldest countries in the world, rivalling Greece and Cyprus. I ventured to Colombo, the capital, to uncover traces of Hellenism on an island that is surrounded by stunning coastlines and historical settlements; I could be describing a Greek island!

Every Sri Lankan Ive ever met who has been to Greece feels the warmth of the Greeks.

Indika Siriwardana lives in Athens, since 2002, tells me, “I am very happy. Due to economic problems, we have had to compromise the value and natural beauty of my country. I love the Greek people; they are better than people from other European countries.”

There is a Sri Lankan Temple at Agia Paraskevy in Athens and one of my contacts in Melbourne is married to a Sri Lankan man.

Another who knows Greece well is the owner of Greek Lanka, Udith Kalupahana, a Phil-Hellene; a Greek heart beats inside his Sri Lankan chest. This 31-year-old entrepreneur has made it his mission to fly the Greek flag in Colombo, especially after the previous Honourary Greek Consul Michael returned to Athens in recent years leaving a void for Hellenes. Though, Udith Kalupahana tells me about the Greek monk he met a year ago in a monastery an hour out of the capital. Yes, a Greek monk living in the jungle. This is not the first time a Greek monk or Hellenes have lived here. Well come back to Greek Lanka shortly.

Yavanas

Sri Lanka was known as Tambapanni/Taprobane to Ancient Greeks, with Ptolemy the astronomer from Alexandria having mapped the island over 2000 years ago. Megasthenes the historian and navigator also wrote about Taprobana while the legacy kingdoms of Alexander in Asia experienced trade and interactions.

It comes as no surprise that a merchant settlement existed for Greeks. Known as Yavanas, a play on the Persian word for Greek in Asia. This settlement of the Yonasi was circa second century BC in the inland capital of Anuradhapura. The settlement was sponsored by King Pandukabhaya who saw the value of trade with Greek speakers. Hellenes brought their unique culture, medicine and commercial poise to the island. Something I find in Udith and Shehan.

Indo-Greek kingdoms existed to circa 20 AD in neighbouring India, a fusion of parts of Buddhism, Hinduism and Hellenism. Greco-Buddhism is a cultural legacy of the sub-continent post Alexander the Great, ensuring places like Sri Lanka were touched to a small extent by Hellenism.

According to Ama H. Vanniarachchy, “Ceylon Today”, ancient Greeks are mentioned in relation to Buddhism and medicine. It is believed that one of Buddha’s footprints was marked in Yonakapura, a place commemorated by Sri Lankan Buddhists. During King Dutugemunuís reign, 30,000 Yona monks from Alexandria attended a ceremony in Anuradhapura. Told ya there have been monks here in the past.

The philosophical Buddhist literature Milinda Prashnaya also highlights dialogue between the Indo-Greek king Menander with monk Nagasena.

As an Aussie at heart, I grew up learning about cricketers such as the world record wicket taker Murali and Arjuna Ranatunga. Many of the cricket names were Singhalese, Muslim, Tamil, Portuguese/Burghers underscoring the cultural diversity of Sri Lanka which has also seen its share of colonialists ranging from Dutch to the British.

While the ancient Greeks didn’t colonise the island, their presence likely remained for generations as Greek commerce internationally remained strong during early Byzantine and Silk Road eras.

Greek Lanka

I took a motorbike, affixed a Greek flag and made my way around a pretty coastline, locating Shoulders followed by the Greek Lanka company where I met Udith Kalupahana.

Udith made me feel welcome. The MD brought his GM, Captain Sisira Thilakaratne to meet with me in his office by the harbour. The GM looks as fit as he would have been when he sailed to Crete in the 1990s. Both men light up when they reminisce about Greece. For Udith, a regular visitor who has picked up a few Greek phrases, it is a real treat to hear what makes Greece so important to him.

As I listen, it dawns on me that Udith is not just a young MD, he beat the odds to open a company, or rather several, that serve mostly Greek shipping clients.

20 per cent of all shipping is owned by the Greeks, Udith explains. “I saw an opportunity during Covid and from my village, I wrote emails to various companies. I received a lot of responses mainly from Greek companies.”

Six years later, with 50 staff in his Colombo office as well as offices across Sri Lanka and four staff in Greece, Udith’s qualified gamble to engage with Greeks and their own philotomo (kindness/hospitality) has generated results for the ships that come to Sri Lanka and for his own offerings for ships. Udith and the Captain remind me of the ways of Onassis and how he worked his way up. They are well versed on Greek history and the impact of Hellenic shipping.

Our conversations resume over lunch at Lotus Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world. Udith’s Chief Financial Officer joined us and I was also taken on a tour of the emerging parts of Colombo. It’s a busy Friday yet the Greek inside Udith wants me to appreciate Colombo. He tells the Athenians do this for him when in Greece.

They say Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts but in Colombo, Udith and his staff provided me with priceless mementos of my visit including their own inhouse Greek Lanka Tea! I was touched by their “philotemo.”

As we took obligatory photos, I could sense the camaraderie of the staff, a team effort. It is not a nine-to-five service, meaning Greek Lanka does what all good Greek shipping companies do; they look after their staff and balance hours to ensure what is essentially a 24-hour operation.

One of the memories I take away from my visit is that the Greek Lanka office is decked out in a stylish way that embraces Greece and Sri Lanka; a cultural and aesthetic nod to both cultures.

Shoulders by Harpos

There was a Greek eatery operating for a short period called Nikki’s, shutting its doors last year; where I was heading to when I bumped into Shehan Setunga one night.

Also known as JUPPÈ, Shehan’s story of Hellenism starts in Melbourne where he worked his way up the food chain, literary, over 12 years including working with George Kolombakis. He was the chef at places such as Hellenic Republic.

When he moved back to Colombo, one of his besties Asherah Gooneratne who is the daughter of famous restaurateur Harpo Gooneratne, encouraged him to open a Greek restaurant with her father. Mr Gooneratne is a highly awarded restaurant owner, and the first president of Colombo City Restaurant Collective. He already has Italian and Mediterranean eateries, so why not add a Greek version! The well-known restaurateur made sure the new project was born two years ago with Shehan Setunga’s help. A menu that is a fusion of Greek and Sri Lankan culinary, it certainly hits the spot.

With a friendly Maitre D to look after the evening operations and the big smile and warmth of Asherah Gooneratne you will feel welcome. For the first time this century I ate tarama which I never do. Add in a saganaki that is straight from Mt Olympus and quality cocktails, I visited twice.

JUPPÈ who is also well known as a DJ, reminds me that Greek ingredients are difficult to source, yet the freshness of an island like Sri Lanka is fair compensation for foodies.

He explains that both cultures love to drink, eat and glendi. “People don’t like ending the parties over here too. Our yia yia’s are also very similar. They love cooking and feeding you until you can’t walk!”

Sri Lanka may not be a “traditional” Greek island, it certainly has a good link to Hellenism and one of the more unique cultural legacies of Alexander and Hellenism. Thanks to the Hellenism being nurtured by Udith and Shoulders, the spirit of the ancient monks will still find a place on the big island that was mapped by ancient Hellenes.

*Billy Cotsis is the author of 1453: Constantinople & the Immortal Rulers.