This blue chip company in Colombo owned a liquor bar in Matara, which had good business
but they were unable to find a bartender even after repeated advertisements offering a
fat salary package. The reason for the failure to attract potential employees is that during
the past two years, 12 bartenders has been killed by 'Thadi Piya' (Big Piyadasa) and 8 of
the bartenders resigned within months.

After raising the salary to a five-figure amount there came two applicants for the job. The
first applicant refused to accept the offer after listnening to the tales of Thadi Piya. However,
the second applicant a very small, sickly-looking man was willing to take the challenge and
was hired as the bartender.

The managers were very happy and promised that they will raise the salary after a 3-month
period if the bar tender does a good job.They detailed him about the thuggers in town and
gave him a word of warning before leaving to Matara to take over the job:
"Drop everything and run for your life if you ever hear that Thadi Piya is on his way to
town."

The man worked the first month without any problem. The customers were very polite, no
raising of voices even. The second month also passed without incident and our man is
happy and is wondering why all these false ruomors were spread in the first place.

Several days Into the 3rd month, still no problem and our man is dreaming now about his
pay rise at the end of the month.

Then one day a regular customer rushed in shouting, "Thadi Piya enawo! (Big Piya is comin')
and knocked the small bartender on the floor in his hurry to get out.

Before the bartender had a chance to recover, a mountain of a man with a bushy beard
and a stinky sombrero, rode right into the bar through the swinging doors on the back of a
buffalo, and using a cobra for a whip. The man tore the doors off their hinges, knocked
over tables, and flung the snake into the corner.

He then took his massive fist and split the bar in half as he asked for a drink. The bartender
nervously pushed a bottle of arrak at the man. He bit off the top of the bottle with his teeth and
downed the contents in one gulp, and turned to leave. Seeing that he wasn't hurting anyone,
the bartender asked the man if he would like another drink.

"I ain't got no time," the man roared. "Thadi Piya is comin' to town."