Highly synchronised - A Tale of Two Elephants

I made a short film about the fall of the Ceylon Match Company and the Two Elephants brand of matches. The video should hopefully be embedded below.

For anyone who is unable to suffer through my voice and questionable editing, I have also included the script.

Highly Synchronised – A Tale of Two Elephants

image generated by Craiyon

[OPENING SEQUENCE]

[A landscaped video montage of me sliding open a box of Two Elephants matches, striking a match, and using it to light a candle]

~

[INTRODUCTION]

These are the books of matches that my grandfather, Owen Heald, accumulated from hotels, bars and restaurants, both at home and abroad, mostly while on business trips on behalf of the Shell Oil Company.

In each of these short films, I will select a matchbook at random and then scour the Internet for information regarding its place of origin.

[This is accompanied by a montage of three or four landscaped images of the big plastic tub containing my grandfather's matchbook collection, with each image getting closer to the contents]

~

[TWO ELEPHANTS]

[The montages fades into a landscaped image of the Two Elephants match box, balance against the candle stand]

Today, I will be talking about Two Elephants – a product of The Ceylon Match Company, founded in 1918. During the late 1970s, the company stood its ground in the face of bigger and fiercer competition from China and India.

~

I found a conversation somewhere online that was full of people reminiscing about Two Elephants matches. I copied and pasted it into an OpenOffice document. Now I can't recall the source, nor am I able to find the original thread. I think that it may have originated on Facebook.

Before I continue, during this video, I will be reading out the names of people from other countries, mostly Sri Lanka. I apologise in advance for any mispronunciations that I might blunder into.

~

“Did anyone use this?” enquires Sonna Hamidon. He is referring to a photograph of a box of Two Elephants matches, similar to the one pictured.

“Yes,” says Farzan Mohideen.

“Yes of course,” says Arosha de Pinto.

“Yes. Way back in the 70's,” says Paul John Bright.

“To light Navicat cigarette,” says Charmaine Mendis

Lionel Sirimanne is ebullient in his praise for this particular brand of matches: “Yes. None of the present day products can match this.”

“Every Sri Lankan must have used it! We too. Very reliable!” confirms Joan Dias.

Others share a more personal connection – a childhood memory for example: “When I was small I have seen this in the market,” says Nanda Wijekoon.

Others were even employed by the company: “Me and my class mate and best friend Carmen, from Lower Kindergarten, started working there before both of us joined the Central Bank,” says Leslie Weber.

“Yes. Also my father worked for the company for a short period too,” adds Alfred Renganathan.

Some reminiscences are anecdotal in nature:

“There was a famous case on this Two Elephant Match box by late popular Lawyer G. G. Ponnambalam. And he won the case for the merchant who sold a match box for 10cts instead of 5cts,” recalls Maryclare De Silva.

Others elsewhere on the Internet also remember this case:

“The case against the retailer by the price control for selling at a higher price,” recalls Subramaniam Nagendra. “The retailer won the case, argued by G G Ponambalam. Price control is for one elephant match box, but in this case there are two elephants. As such it's not under price control.”

~

[Fade to landscape video image of the back of the Two Elephants box]

~

A glance at the back of my box of matches reveals a curious detail – a maximum price tag of 35cents. My grandfather would have purchased them sometime during the early to mid-1980s. I have, in my loft, a beautiful round table cloth and place mats that he bought on the same trip.

~

[Fade to a gloomy landscape video image of the front the Two Elephants matchbox]

~

Another commenter, Shaul Mohamed, hints at controversy elsewhere: “I can remember, in 1977 election, this advertisement of Two Elephants was banned by Sirima's government.”

Sadly I can find no further details of the advertisement in question.

Clearly Two Elephants was a brand that inspired consumer loyalty to an extent that legislators and politicians were aware of its influence.

“The great thing about these matches was that the user was given a longer time to light whatever had to be lit, unlike other matches which burnt up quickly.”

So says Senath Dudley Abeywarne, placing practicality over and above nostalgia.

“That was the best Safety Match at that time. We all used it,” says Nalini Ismail

“These matches were used during our childhood time,” says Xavier Emalyn. “We had no electricity. Very quality matches during that time period. Every household have these matches. Only 5 cents a box. 1960s and 1970s. God bless you all.”

~

[Fade to a gloomy landscape video image of a partly-opened Two Elephants matchbox]

~

And yet, if you search for Two Elephants now, all you will find are memories.

Nilufer Gamage offers up a blank, but informative epitaph, for the brand: “Now not available.”

~

So what happened?

Another online conversation, this one from Facebook:

According to one Sukumar Shan, in 1977 import controls were removed allowing the manufacturers of superior matches in China and India access to the Sri Lankan market. This upheaval resulted in many small manufacturers being left with no option other than to shut up shop.

He writes “The Ceylon Match Company Limited, however, rose to the challenge and turned out products (including the Two Elephants brand) that successfully competed with the foreign imports for a period before the company finally shut down.”

Kirthi M de Silva blames the decline of the Ceylon Match Company on their failure to recognise the mid-1980s shift in popularity from wooden matches to wax matches. These had been introduced to the country by a rival company, Sun Match, which continues to trade successfully to this day, producing matches under the brand name – Soorya. (Soo ri ya)

“What do you know of wooden match sticks.” enquires Mumtaz Yusuf of a previous commentator. He goes onto explain that the matches were produced from Pinus or Albisiya wood, which rose in price as availability decreased. Meanwhile, due to terrorist activity, obtaining the Potassium Chlorate and Red Phosphorus, that was required to produce the match heads, became more complicated.

In the wake of these shortages, the manufacture of wax matches, which had lower production costs, but had been previously prohibited in the country, was given the go-ahead.

Moujood Cassim claims that 'it' (and I assume that he means the Ceylon Match Company Factory) was destroyed during the 1983 Colombo riots.

However, the final word must go to Justin Willathgamuwa who was a factory manager at the Company:

I will read his account in full:

“Well, having read all the comments let me put the record straight.

“Two elephant matches was a well accepted and established brand.

“As recorded it was owned by Don Carolis and Company.

“With the introduction of wax matches the company faced competition but the market was held due to just one technical issue.

~

[Fade to a landscape image of a Two Elephants matchstick lying alongside a ruler]

~

“The standard length of a match stick specification was 43 millimetres. The wax match at that length was a failure, as when struck, it bent, causing hazardous issues. The wax match manufacturers were lobbying that they be allowed to shorten it to 37 millimetres, to which Two Elephants disagreed. But, at the last meeting, a top notch, who was about to retire, gave the nod for 37 millimetres ringing the death knell of TWO ELEPHANT SAFETY MATCHES.

“Thereafter the sales dropped and SOORIYA owners bought controlling shares and closed the competition and closed Two Elephants.

I was the Factory Manager at match company.”

~

[Fade to a landscape image of a spent Two Elephants matchbox lying on the lip of the candle holder]

~

Kingdoms rise and fall for all kinds of reasons. It seems that, in the case of the Ceylon Match Company, and the Two Elephants brand, their demise was brought about by their failure to keep pace with technology, and by a reduction in match length that favoured their competition.

As an addendum, Mr Willathgamuwa confirms that the Two Elephants Brand (and presumably the Ceylon Match Company) was initially a joint venture between Don Carolis and Company, and the Swedish Match Group (who according to commenter Rohan E Dias) used to have plants all over Asia. The Swedes provided the machinery. However, by 1990 it was owned in its entirety by Don Carolis and Company.

Mr Willathgamuwa describes the production process as being “highly synchronised.”

~

[A short pause before the candle flame is blown out]

image generated by Craiyon

END