Our rendezvous with destiny

 Our rendezvous with destiny by Nihal D Amerasekera

 This is a story of adversity and friendship with a happy ending. It all happened a long time ago, in fact, a very long time ago. Age does nibble into one’s memory, just a little at a time. Although some of the finer details of my narrative are clouded by the fog of time, I can still recall much of it so clearly. In our days as students in the Faculty of Medicine in Colombo, Sanath de Tissera, Nalin Nanayakkara and I have been close friends. Just out of our teenage years we still had to endure all that life could throw at us, sunshine, rain, thunder and gales. It was friendships that made those hardships bearable.

 Our parents lived through the 2^nd World War. They were turbulent times with enormous hardships and food rations. Our grandparents had to endure the turmoil and the vastly destructive first World War and then the deadly Spanish flu. Until the middle of the 20th century when antibiotics and vaccines made their appearance and the health services improved, life expectancy in Ceylon was around 52 years. Epidemics of typhoid, dysentery and malaria engulfed us in waves. Life then was a lottery and captured the dignity and despair of the people. Death occurred so early in every family that darkness and desperation descended upon us with monotonous regularity. My father lost both his parents within a period of 6 months. He was only 14 years old and had 5 younger siblings. In those dark days, a sense of apocalypse dominated the lives of people. This enhanced people’s interest and dependence on divine help to survive. Belief in an afterlife was rife entering the murky world of the occult and the paranormal. People invoked the support of these dark forces to get through life.

 Astrology is an ancient art that dates back to Babylon. Palmistry had its beginnings in India. They were in use a several thousand years BC. These were invoked when people had fallen on hard times. For centuries interest in astrology, palmistry and the occult were closely woven into our daily lives and were considered socially acceptable. We all have a desire to know our future and what lies ahead. Like me, many of my generation had horoscopes. Horoscopes were written in long strips of dried bark/leaves (rolled up like a coiled spring) and they had complex astronomical charts with our lives printed on them from cradle to grave.

 Friendships are natures great gift to the human race. Ones made in our youth had a certain closeness which we could never replicate later on in life.  Even now those friendships remain close despite the passage of years and the oceans that separate us. They seem priceless and have lasted a lifetime. We had just finished our 2nd MB and the dust was settling after a gruelling 2 years and a tough examination. It was our love for billiards that brought Nalin and I together. He took me home on his red shiny Moto Guzzi where I met his parents. They lived close to the Kirillapone canal in Havelock Town. The Nanayakkara’s were a close-knit family. Nalin’s parents treated me as a member of their tribe. I still remember the love, generosity and kindness they showed me. I cannot think of a kinder lady than Mrs. Nanayakkara for whom I have the greatest respect and affection.

 Although we prepared well for examinations there was a certain willingness to accept some divine assistance. Nalin’s mum was keen we should invoke the blessings of the Gods at Kataragama. So she organised a trip and we all travelled together. We stayed in Walahanduwa, Galle in a grand old mansion owned by Nalin’s relatives. The house was in a huge coconut plantation and had a charming central courtyard and a myriad of rooms. During our stay, I too was a part of their family. The next day we set off before the break of dawn and reached Kataragama about mid-morning. Mrs Nanayakkara had prepared all the necessary ingredients for the ritual ceremony and gave us instructions as to what needs to be done. We mingled with the crowd and happily waited for the ceremony to begin. The Chief Priest was taken in a procession to the sound of drums and the wailing of an oboe. We all danced the ‘Kavadi’ entranced by the occasion. Then the pooja began in the temple. There were massive crowds that clamoured for a part of the action. We burnt incense and made offerings to the Gods. On looking back it was an enjoyable ritual despite the blistering heat, clouds of dust and the deafening noise.

 Wedihiti-kanda is a rocky hill 3 miles from the Main Temple. Nalin and I climbed to the very top of the rock and got near to the Devale. There was a coconut breaking ceremony in progress. People paid money to buy the coconuts and a man dressed in white broke the coconuts. Being there was a unique spiritual experience. There was an old woman not far away from us with her hands held together in prayer. As a coconut was smashed a large white piece of coconut went spinning up into the air and fell on her hand. This seemed like a miracle to the many devotees who had gathered. There was loud applause and they started to chant and sing. In that spiritually charged environment, we were all mesmerised and overwhelmed by what we saw and felt invigorated. After a short time we returned to base and felt pleased it all went to plan. Mission accomplished we returned back to Galle late at night and then to Colombo the following day.

We had weathered the storms in Medical school and were nearing the “Finals”. It was our usual routine to enjoy a cup of tea in the canteen after the morning’s work in the wards. On one such occasion, Nalin casually mentioned that his horoscope had predicted a “Maraka”, a serious danger to his life lasting for a period of 6 months. This had much to do with the ‘unholy’ alignment of his stars which had a maleficent influence. We were young and such news didn’t have the same effect on us as it had on our parents. Naturally, Nalin’s mum was worried and Nalin much less so. In the next couple of days we met up and mulled over and discussed the grim nature of the prediction. There was a strange mixture of horror and fascination as we decided on what we should do to tide over this period.  After much probing and enquiry, Sanath T came up with a possible ‘solution’. He had a distant relative living in Kalutara who had recently acquired the power and the ability to go into a trance. She gave advice and provided help to those in trouble. We all felt we had nothing to lose and everything to gain if all went well. An appointment was made with the lady to meet up at her home. As they were well known to Sanath T we were invited for lunch. The lady provided the advice and help free of charge. We were told If any gifts or money changed hands she would lose her special powers.

 We made the journey in Nalin’s rugged and reliable black VW Beetle. The lady lived with her husband in a middle-class house in a leafy suburb of Kalutara. I do not recall much of the lunch or the conversation. They were a hospitable couple, affable and dignified. My vague recollection is that they both were teachers. After the niceties and the food, we proceeded to a dimly lit corner of their large lounge. There was an air of expectancy as we chatted away. During our conversation, without any warning, the lady closed her eyes and started to shake gently. Her face twitched and the lips moved but we could hear no voice. Then she began to speak in a voice completely different to her own natural voice. She asked Nalin a few questions and spoke about his horoscope and the impending danger. This was followed by a prolonged period of chanting. She stretched out her hands and they were empty.  She then raised her arms to the sky as if in supplication. The lady then stretched out her right hand and gave a shiny golden object to Nalin. It was a Talisman. We were simply astonished as to how it appeared seemingly from nowhere. Nalin was asked to wear this for 6 months.  Then after a brief spell of chanting, she returned back to her own self again.  We all felt deeply grateful to the lady for the help. We chatted for a while and departed pleased that our mission was successful. Nalin continued to live as he did before, speeding in his flashy Moto-Guzzi in the busy roads in Colombo, retaining his wit and humour and enjoying life to the full. He spent an uneventful 6 months. Whether there was a real danger to his life or if it was the lady’s kindness and the talisman that helped him we will never know.

 I have recalled events of over half a century ago when life and beliefs were different. In the 21^st century some of us are less religious and many of us are far less dependent on divine help. Astrology and Horoscopes are still in vogue both in the East and West but people are far less reliant on them. Palmistry has mostly been demoted to just a party trick. The psychology of the Trances are better understood now and hence it has lost its mystique.

 As to us, three friends, our paths couldn’t have diverged further. We live in different continents and rarely meet or communicate. But our time together still remains precious. Nalin was a charming and gracious host as was Sanath when I visited them on my travels. Nalin is still a busy medic in California relishing his work in Obstetrics and Gynaecology while enjoying life with the family. I appreciate his humanity and kindness. Sanath lives in Perth, Western Australia. He is delightful company and a man of enormous erudition. Sanath is in search of a deeper meaning to life and enjoys the peaceful tranquillity of monasteries, mindfulness and meditation. I retired in 2007 wanting to be rid of the onerous routines of hospital medicine, to travel the world. While at home I enjoy the dazzling beauty of the changing seasons in Regent’s Park in London. Walking in the Queen Mary Rose Garden when it is in full bloom in the summer is the closest I can ever get to Nirvana. Watching cricket at Lords with a glass of Champagne is my perfect Shangri-la.

As I write this narrative it makes me smile to think of those wonderful times spent chasing our dreams all those years ago. I still cherish those memories.