People from various walks of life jogging on the ‘workouts lane’ at the Independence Square is a common sight. VIPs from Diyawanna are also often found among these regular joggers. 


The other day, two yahapalanaya purohitas were relaxing at the Independence Square after a bout of workouts when they saw a lone jogger on the lane. It did not take long for the twosome to identify the lone jogger: The eldest prince of the former royal family.

The two purohitas watched with mixed feelings the young one of the former royal family jogging all alone and recalled the days when the latter used to appear at the Independence Square for workouts with a large following. At that time his father was the uncrowned king of the country and the young and old alike were falling over each other to bask in the glow of the young man’s company.

“At that time, there were a lot of young and old eagerly waiting here for the arrival of the young man from the powerful family. They considered it a privilege to take up the rear when the privileged buck started his jog. Now that his father is no longer the ‘king’, his regular following has just disappeared!” one purohita observed.

“If the family members led a simple and modest lifestyle without going in for pomp and vainglory and a large following at their beck and call, their father could be the uncrowned king he was, even today!” the other purohita remarked.