A senior Betel leaf purohita at Diyawanna council has earned a new nickname. This purohita often enjoying a nap at public functions hails from a faraway district, but most of his time is spent in the city. 

Often referred to as ‘lucky ladies’ man’, this purohita, despite being past his sixties is known to have a terrible weakness for the fairer sex.  It is no secret that this senior stalwart does not hesitate, given a chance, to make a pass at a female employee on the staff or a female colleague in the council. 

Female Diyawanna members would often gather in the House lobby for a chit-chat pending the start of the sittings of the day. And on such occasions, this purohita would appear from nowhere sporting a wide grin to greet them. 

He enjoys holding the hands of the fair ones while articulating niceties, they say. Though these females among themselves refer to him by the new nickname, they would not dare utter it openly.
Whenever, the purohita is seen approaching them, one of them would say in an undertone: “There comes our ‘Kohelle Baba!” And titters would ensue. 

By the way, if you don’t know what ‘kohelle’ is, it is the sticky milky substance present in the bark of the Jak tree and also in mature Jak fruits.