Hello I am Zoe
Hello my name is Zoe
I don’t have a hobby
Not even a hubby
I don’t have a hobby
Not even a hubby
‘Cos I am a doggy
Did I have a previous life?
Or perhaps even a wife?
I don’t really care
Just focus on now I declare
What happens when I die?
Who knows, my concern is here and now
When my next meal comes by,
And my master cuddles me bow wow!
Do I have a self or identity?
No idea, but I am not a non-entity
Do I have consciousness?
Why waste time, is it not profitless?
This is my poem to get 2021 cracking on a thoughtful note. My acrylic painting was done a few years ago and the subject was my brother Bandula's dog Zoe, sadly no more.
Mahendra "Speedy" Gonsalkorale.
3rd January 2021
I hope my friends would recall dogs they had as pets. We always had dogs. The breeds I recall are Yellow Labrador (Sheba), Alsatian (Barney), Black Labrador (Rover) and a light brown "sausage" Dachshund whose name I have forgotten. I recall them with love and fondness but feel sad when I think of the times they were tied to a post in the back verandah. Dog food was unheard of -it was left-overs and the treat of a bone from the butchers.
ReplyDeleteMy first dog was a Sri Lankan Hound alias "Praiah dog"named Roger in the 1950s, followed by a Pomeranian called Snowy in the 1970s,a Daschund named Collie in the 1990s,a Golden Labrador called Zorba during this century followed by another Golden Labrador named Nellie. When I left Karapitiya I was gifted a Persian cat by a nun residing in Gonapinuwela. It was named Pippety, because inially it was fed with a pipette.
ReplyDeleteAt present I have a farm at my residence in Gothami Lane, Borella.I have chicken, ducks, budgies, Konde Kurullas,Watuwas or Quail, FantailPigeons,Squirrels Giant Golden Gouramis, local Giant Gouramis, Mozambiques, Cat fish, Gold fish,Angels, Carps, Platys, Guppies etc
Sanath, you have a Zoo! How do you manage to have such a variety in your Farm? Have you got a resident caretaker who looks after the place? Your canine range was also quite impressive
DeleteI agree, that Sanath has quite a menagerie! Since I live in the suburbs, I amuse myself in the summer by putting out a humming bird feeder and watching the hummingbirds fight over their perch. I don't put out bird feeders because it attracts bears! Yes, we have black bears who occasionally wander into our area from the western part of Connecticut, which has many wooded areas with caves, a natural habitat for bears. Apparently, they can cover about 30 miles a day in search of food. I believe they are hibernating at the moment.
DeleteJust one of Speedy's many hobbies. My congratulations.
ReplyDeleteI am a dog named Sandy,have a girl friend called Candy,who is sweeter than sugarcandy.
ReplyDeleteI fancied a bitch named Winnie,never stood a dog chance of matrimony.
My dog and bone is called iPhone,light and handy.
Pity,I haven't seen a lot of 62 batch in dog days,presume some are sick as dogs.
Old dogs don't learn new tricks;throw them away to the dogs.
It is a shame for someone to be in the company of "dog eats dogs"and detests the word "🐕 in the manger.
Will I get a dog chance of winning the lottery?
Every dog has its day,Hope is not the doomsday.
Downwith the people who takes the country to the dogs.
Sumathi, your poetic talents are coming out again
DeleteA latent ability and definitely far from mundane
As for the lottery and the wheel of fortune
Who knows Sumathi, may happen, sing the same tune
I too agree about Sumathi's talents. He has a legion of them and from time to time, they see the light of day! He is indeed a unique guy. I am so happy that the existence of the Blog has brought to light the previously unknown talents of our batch mates and it is great that many are now taking advantage of the existence of the Blog to take advantage of their talents which is so great at a time in our lives when we could be just dragging ourselves along. Thanks a lot for running the Blog and Sumathi, let us have more results of your unique talents! Zita
DeleteMahen
ReplyDeleteI love the portrait of Zoe. Dogs convey much of their feelings through their eyes and you have done it justice. The position of the ears speaks volumes. You've captured its wet nose and the whiskers brilliantly. It is so good this simply looks like a photo of a real dog.
As for the gist of the philosophy nested in the poem much of it applies to us humans too. Indeed, Why waste time??
Thank you. I was surprised myself that I was able to capture the "personality" of the dog, and believe me, dogs do have personalities! Funnily enough I was thinking of you when I wrote the philosophy bit, my pragmatist friend!
DeleteI agree with Nihal, that this painting you have done is unique! You made him to practically speak his heart through the expression in his eyes and his pose. The finer detail of this painting is something of a true artist's talent.Well done!
DeleteMahendra
ReplyDeleteYour Doggy painting is wonderful and your poem is great. Well done!
I am an animal lover. We had a full black Cocker Spaniel called Nero when I was a schoolgirl. Later we had a lovely Maltese Poodle. We had to cut his fur over his eyes at times as fur used to grow covering his eyes.This was when I was living with my Parents.
Lastly we had a German Shepherd also called Nero. The cross stitch I did, published in the Speedy Dialogue was Nero with my daughter. Having them is lovely but it is difficult to bear the loss when they leave us.
We have 2 Russian Cats Trixie and Maxie with us for the last 12 years. Trixie is beautiful more white and little black with a lot of fur and a bushy tail. They are not allowed to go out as Trixie will go with anyone and we will lose her. They have to be fed with Whiskas (imported cat food) and fresh milk.They don't like Salaya fish and rice, we feed our local Cat Blackie.
I appreciate your effort, for keeping the blog alive. Chira
We have a Fish tank with large Carps and a pond with Mollies and Scavengers indoors.
Many thanks for your comment Chira. I can see you are a dog lover and I bet they love you too. Isn't it interesting that most of us have or had dogs with Western names. I gave the names of some of the dogs we had and the name of the sausage dog was Buster. I can't imagine a dog called Somapala or Nelum, can you? Here is England we always had cats because Wendy was a cat lover. The black and white one was Prudence and in named the ginger one "Mr Pearson" for some reason. Even now, I would love to have a dog but I don't think I can cope with the responsibility. Dogs are way above humans in giving unconditional love and show genuine affection. They ask for so little too. Cats are different, a bit more aloof and selective and have that "can't be bothered" look!
DeleteMahendra
DeleteThanks for your comment.I forgot to mention the Maltese Poodle's name. He was named Bobo. My mother had read an English book, where there was a dog named Bobo. He was so lovable we used to hug him so much. Unfortunately he got run over by a vehicle as somebody had left the gate open. His loss was unbearable. We never chained our dogs and we never had kennels for them. They were free to roam anywhere in the house.
Nero the German shepherd was brought by a friend, he was very small some months old, we were not keen to take him. But my daughter Anjali took possession of him and would't part with him. She too was very small, and was told by Ranjit not to have him in the bed room at night. It was like Mary had a little lamb, Nero following her. At night he slowly follows her, to her bed room and hides under her bed. The two Servants who used to sleep in her room plus Nero remain silent till morning!
When Nero was given a bath he was allowed to come to our master bed room double bed and play with all 4 of us in the bed. We had high fun! We have lots of Photos.
In my earlier comment I had forgotten to include the line about the fish, above my name.
It is below my name.Sorry. Chira
Chira, all those dogs and names! The close relationship between Anjali and her dog was very touching to read. I always maintained that we so badly underrate animals and their capacity to experience emotions.
DeleteMahendra
DeleteI agree with you dogs have emotions especially The German Shepherds.
I remember an incidence where I was seated against the rear bed post with both my legs on the bed and Kumari our long standing maid of 20 years was kneeling on the side of the bed trying to do something very close to me, in came Nero put his face in between and little by little got her away from me till she was showed outside the room. I think he was jealous of Kumari. In came Nero again put his front paws on my legs and looked at me lovingly as if to say you are mine.It was so touching that I hugged him. I still remember the look he had in his face. His best friend was Anjali and I was his next best.
Chira
Mahen, the expression you have captured in Zoe's eyes is priceless.
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful portrait and brought back many memories of the dogs who were part of my life over many years. There were a few cats too, but mainly dogs. When we were children, my youngest brother (GAF) pestered my parents to get him a dog, and we had many mixed breed dogs over the years. My brother loved the dogs, but it was my mother who had to make sure that they were fed and bathed regularly etc. etc. When my younger daughter started working on me to get a puppy, I resisted at first, not wanting the responsibility to land on me as it did with my mother. She succeeded finally after researching the breed that would suit us best, and we ended up with 'Bandit' a wonderful tricolor Pembroke Welsh Corgi. He had a strong herding instinct, because they are bred to herd sheep, and would try to 'herd' us when we were walking on the beach. He was very protective of little children and had a lovable personality. After Manjula left for college (she was very responsible, by the way!) he became my companion and even traveled with me by plane when I was doing Locum assignments for a year. He passed away in Austin, Texas where he had been living with my daughter once again while she was in graduate school. She then acquired a three legged cat whom she named Igor! (The front leg had been amputated before she adopted the cat, following a run in with a truck) I took Igor to Germany after she moved there. He was a much traveled cat, Texas to Connecticut to Germany! I don't have a pet of my own anymore because of my peripatetic lifestyle, but I do enjoy the company of my daughter's dog and cat whenever I visit them in Hamburg. Rafa, the black lab always greets me by bringing me one of her toys from her basket. Once I was on the phone with my daughter when Rafa was near her, and Manjula said "It's Grandma." Rafa immediately ran to her basket and brought a stuffed toy to the phone! Animals are amazing, and I don't think we give them enough credit.
That was a wonderful read Srianee. I am sure your kids benefitted from having these pets and I am sure it helped them to grow up as sensitive people who know the meaning of shared love. You are quite correct in that we consistently underrate animals.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, here is a piece of useless information. Humans are apparently the only animals who prefer to have sex in private!
I'll tuck that bit of information somewhere!! I agree that when children have pets and take care of them, they learn invaluable lessons.
DeleteGrowing up in SL as an only child my companion at home always was of the canine kind. They ranged from Alsations to Labradors to Daschunds. I remember their love and affection. Dogs have personalities and experience emotions too. I understood them more than my parents did. The Daschund occasionally slept on my bed much to the chagrin of my parents. I experienced their 'childhood', teenage tantrums, youthful exuberance and their wisdom of old age.
ReplyDeleteSo sad their lives aren't as long as ours. When they depart this world it is an unbearable loss.
It is hard to keep pets in the UK as I travel often, both locally and abroad.
Even in a comment, ND has the ability to put together words in such a way that the reader gets moved instantly or is overjoyed.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious from his comment that he loved pets, but his parents didn't enjoy them that much.
My own experience with pet dogs was somewhat tragic. I rushed home after getting the message from my brother (who loved pets much more than me),that our pet dog was gasping. I dropped in at the Vet's office to pick up some tablets, but alas, when I reached home, the dog had passed away. I was allowed to take a peep only through the window, as they suspected Rabies. Thereafter we gave up rearing pets!
Lucky
DeleteSo good to hear from you and thank you for the kind comment. As I take a walk down memory lane recall when we first met on that fateful registration day amidst the chaos of the official process and the mayhem of the mini rag. Sanath de Tissera too was with us to endure the indignities. We were all living in Nugegoda which was then a leafy suburb away from the dust and grime of Colombo. Your trusted Honda 50 ferried us around in the sun and the rain. How time has flown since those uncertain times during which we have built up our careers, raised our families and retired to a peaceful existence. It is amazing to think the 3 of us from Nugegoda who met at registration live in different continents separated by many thousand miles but still remain friends and in contact.
It was lovely to enjoy a lunch together at the Cinnamon Grand when we met in 2012 and apologies I couldnt pay you and Mangala a visit as I had such a tight schedule.
I revisit those happy memories of our youth often as they give me such great pleasure.
Good to see you on the Blog Lucky and sad to hear about your rather tragic pet dog episode.
DeleteHi Speedy you are indeed amazing. Your painting of Zoe is remarkable So lifelike and I love the adoring look in her eyes ... So like my darling Sizzles who has who has the most expressive eyes imaginable.
ReplyDeleteYour poem too is enchanting. Congratulations.
The Amarasekera are also dedicated dog lovers . We got our first dog in 1982 on our return from the UK... a beautiful jet black Cocker Spaniel . We called him Bimbo not a dumb blonde but as in Jim Reeve's song Bimbo was a little boy....
Then we got him a companion a golden brown Cocker we named Bambi.Unfirtunatelu Bimbo succumbed to a very severe attack of tick fever and left us. We were heart broken and as soon as we could, got another Jet black Cocker who was named Brandy.
In the fullness of time they
were blessed with 6 pups and though it was heart breaking to part with them we kept back only one pup .
It was the runt of the litter who was tiny and under weight.. I had to set the alarm and get up to pipette feed him through the night . He was named Whiskey no prize for guessing who's idea that was!
Our 3 dogs practically owned our house. Brandy was Manique's pet and would growl even at me if I entered her room suddenly.
Manique insisted that the dogs be in her wedding photographs much to the anxiety of Johanne Pieris of Cutting Station who dressed her because of the risk of dog hair getting on her bridal. But Manique had no such inhibitions and the most beautiful photos in the album are those of her and the dogs particularly one in our sun dappled garden with Whiskey gazing adoringly at her !
One be one our beloved pets left us but thank God we had many happy years with them ( except Bimbo) all living up to ripe old a age. We have laid them to rest in our front garden.
After a short dogless spell we couldn't bear a house empty of dogs and so we got another golden brown Cocker and named her Lady. She was absoutely gorgeous ... But fell in love with the mongrel next door.. so it was a Lady and Tramp story. The present dog I have Sizzles is one of the pups.
He is so faithful ...watches the front door till I return home even if it is 2 am ...will not eat if I am not there.. I even stayed back without going to Seychelles with the rest of the family on a holiday as the maid we had was also new and I couldn't trust har to look after my Sizzles.
He is the one who tripped me in 2018 running between my legs resulting in my needing THR. He was so upset he wouldn't leave my bed side for 1 month when I was confined to my room , leaving only for his meals or answer a call of nature. Then in October he had peed in our pantry ( not usual behavior believe me) and I slipped and fell and dislocated my prosthesis . But I don't blame him at all and I have no intention of banishing him from our bed room.
All our dogs have their Birthdays celebrated with cakes and presents and Santa always leaves presents under the tree.
I remember when my mother died I was a bit concerned about how they would behave. They solomnly circled the coffin as it lay on our sitting room and lay down quietly by its side. Never barked at the unending stream of sympathisers In fact they kept me company as I kept vigil near my Amma through the night silently offering me comfort.
Iam truly blessed to have them as my best friends.
Thanks, Suri. Your genuine love for your dogs is apparent and your forgiving nature shines through in your reaction to your last fall which was indirectly caused by your faithful Sizzles. If Sizzles could talk, he would have wept uncontrollably and begged for forgiveness! Your stories yet again strengthen my belief that we so badly underrate animals. Thanks for all the lovely snippets about them.
DeleteTest Post
ReplyDeleteI have wondered why our pets were given occidental and not oriental names ,even long after independence.Our family was guilty too with a few exceptions;Tikiri and Sokiri our twin cats and our most beloved female dog Dingi.
ReplyDeleteSWRD was a dog lover and breeder.At a dog show he was asked why he was in western attire when he had publicly adopted the national dress.He had retorted when doing doggy things I wear dog clothes.
A rapier wit.
Kumar
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Kumar
DeleteIt is great to see you under your own flag!!
The initials SWRD takes me back to my teenage years when the political milieu of the country was changing as did street names, car registrations and finally the country name too.
I lived in Gampaha at the time and not far away from Horagolla. Many of the Bandaranaike's owned vast swathes of Prime land in Gampaha. I recall visiting one of them and while the adults were partying I tucked into a pile of the "Hello" magazine of the time called "The Ceylon Causerie". It gave the current gossip and information about the great and the good. I remember reading a short story by SWRD so brilliantly written. It was captioned “Mahahene RIRi Yakka”, a grisly tale of nasty goings on. I was so taken up and enthralled by the story I had to get special permission from my parents to allow RANGER our Alsation to sleep in my room for protection from the demons of the night.
If I recall correctly SWRD is a product of that fine school by the sea.
Kumar, or for that matter anybody, any answers for "occidental as opposed to oriental"? was it just accidental! Do you know of any names given to dogs in the villages? I have heard them called "balu" or "balla" but never came across a "Ranil" or a "mahinda"!
DeleteMy brother had a black lab (a very sweet and gentle dog) and he decided to name him "Sudu!"
DeleteKumar referred to SWRD at dog shows. I had some experience attending dog shows with my daughter and "Bandit," our Pembroke Welsh Corgi. She "showed" him at a competition for puppies and he got second place (out of three!!!). That was the beginning and the end of Bandit's career as a show dog. We did attend many dog shows in Connecticut after that because it was rather fun to see the different breeds. In actuality it was not fun for the dogs, because they were kept in dog crates until it was their turn to prance around in the ring. Often they were handled by professional dog handlers who transported them from dog show to dog show. Rarely, the owners showed the dogs themselves. It is a huge business because the dogs and bitches who win are much in demand for breeding. There was a very funny movie a few years ago about the humans who travel in the dog show circuit called "Best in Show." I wonder if anyone has seen it? It is not available on Netflix, unfortunately.
Srianee, there are human equivalent of contradictory names in athletics for example. Roger Black is white and Carl White is Black! The movie you refer is available on YouTube to rent of buy and only the trailer is available free. I watched it but I am sure you need to watch the full movie to get anything out of it.
DeleteDoes tree tops Bobby McCawber ring a bell-anybody?
DeletePlease read my last comment Indra. I think it is Treetops Billy Micawber, but I may be wromg.
DeleteHi Mahendra! Zita's may be the 24th comment but I read it as soon as it appeared but then there was a Covid scare in the family and after two or three days, we've just had the 'negative' result for Covid so I can now take part in Blog comments with a heart. Your fantastic, unique and fabulous Zoe poem and the beautiful painting is a feat that few batchmates can match! Well done, and you can be truly proud! I so enjoyed your poem with a tinge of irony and fun throughout. Your style is unique as I said, and I am glad you presented this now with all the extra work you have with running the Blog these days.
ReplyDeleteI always knew you are an artist as well but this level of detail and professional look is new to me and I want to congratulate you and hope that we'll see more and more of this aspect of your talents which are too numerous to mention. We are truly proud of you! Zita
Many thanks Zita for your kind words. I suppose all of us have some talents in one direction or other and it is a question of discovering it.
DeleteKumar and Nihal,DSS,Dudley and SWRD were from STC. SirJohn K and Ranil W were from RC,MR was from Thurstan and Sirimavo from Ferguson High School Ratnapura and St Bridgets Convent
ReplyDeleteLama, Ferguson High School was very much similar to LDC, Church of England denomination,Convent belonged to the Catholic Church.I have no idea whether they are doing well.
ReplyDeleteCorrect LDC to LCC,.
ReplyDeleteSt. Bridget's is doing very well, but I don't know about Ferguson High School.
DeleteI've enjoyed reading all these stories by my friends about their four legged friends, following Mahen's soulful painting of Zoe and the charming poem. Recently I watched a movie (a documentary) about a diver and his relationship with an eight legged invertebrate, an octopus. It was fascinating and beautiful, and was filmed off the coast of South Africa in a kelp forest. It is called "My Octopus Teacher." I highly recommend it. (I swear I am not getting a commission from Netflix for these recommendations, but I seem to watch a lot of movies these days.)
ReplyDeleteDear Zoe
ReplyDeleteYou look cute with expressive eyes. When I saw your picture I burst into one of my childhood favourites "How much is that doggie in the window". I concur :We have to focus on the present, in particular the central issues. “COVID COVID COVID that’s all the media want to talk about,” Uncle Trump announced at an election rally.
By the way are you fond of fish and chips?.
Mahen you are very versatile; well done.
The only dog we had as children was a very vicious Alsatian called Thunder,not exactly a pet.
A relative of mine visited her S.I.L in Los Angeles.The host was very attached to her dog, so much so they even shared the same bed.The towels of the guest and dog got mixed up.When the host discovered this, she was more concerned about the dog being contaminated by her S.I.L than the other way round. The guest was astonished.
A few years ago a friend visited me along with her dog. She casually mentioned that the dog was very selective and did not eat any type of rice apart from Basmathi. I jokingly asked which brand, is it Tilda?.
Fascinating Bora! I have noticed this extreme devotion to the dog among dog lovers. May are the husbands who have told me "she cares more for the bloody dog than me!". I am sure you must have heard of militant animal rights followers who storm labs and even hurt human beings in the process. Such is the strength of their emotions. Again I noticed the name "Thunder", I think one of SWRD's dogs was called "Farmer Rex" and the prize greyhound "Billy Micawber" (I think names after the Charles Dickens character, Wilkins Micawber in David Copperfield.
ReplyDeleteSince we are now discussing devotion of dogs, i have two fond memories I would like to share. While my brothers and I were attending school at the great school by the sea, we had a white dog whose breed I was told was a Rajapalayam and was brought down from India. At that time we were living at Rajasinghe Road Wellawatte, and in the mornings were driven to school. This dog was langky and had tremendous speed not to mention he would scale the concrete wall easily. He would follow the car all the way to Mt Lavinia and the come home. His devotion to us, un fortunately on one of his outings he was killed by the trains . The next was when my father was in Anuradhapura he purchase a cocker spaniel pup whom we named Rover. My mother brought her to Colombo as we were living there at that time. The pup was sleeping on my mothers lap and his devotion for my mother never changed. When my mother passed away and her coffin was placed in our living room, Rover lay under the coffin all the time refusing to eat or drink and when the hearse took away the coffin followed it to the gate of our home with a very sad look. Shortly afterwards Rover too passed away. I wander if his grief could not be consolled. Yes Dogs are faithful and devoted companions, unfortunately I could't have one as my wife and 2 of my children have significant allergies
ReplyDeleteHello Rajan, your comment interested me for two reasons. First, you mentioned living at Rajasinghe Road. We lived down that road at No: 11 (close to the Galle Road end) from about 1955 to 1963. We weren't neighbors were we?
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I had never heard of the Rajapalayam breed, and I decided to google it! It is breed that originated in South India, and is named after the town of Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu. It is also known as the Polygar Hound or Indian Ghost Hound, and was the "constant companion, boar hunter and guard of the royalty and aristocracy in Southern India." They love to run and hunt, and it is no wonder that your dog ran all the way to Mt. Lavinia behind your car. Apparently the Indian Kennel Club launched a "Save the Rajapalayam Project" and managed to save the breed from extinction. I wonder if there are Rajapalayam owners in Sri Lanka? They look absolutely gorgeous in the photos and thrive in the warmer climates. You know that hypo-allergenic dogs exist, if you are really interested in getting one!!
Hello Rajan, your comment interested me for two reasons. First, you mentioned living at Rajasinghe Road. We lived down that road at No: 11 (close to the Galle Road end) from about 1955 to 1963. We weren't neighbors were we?
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I had never heard of the Rajapalayam breed, and I decided to google it! It is breed that originated in South India, and is named after the town of Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu. It is also known as the Polygar Hound or Indian Ghost Hound, and was the "constant companion, boar hunter and guard of the royalty and aristocracy in Southern India." They love to run and hunt, and it is no wonder that your dog ran all the way to Mt. Lavinia behind your car. Apparently the Indian Kennel Club launched a "Save the Rajapalayam Project" and managed to save the breed from extinction. I wonder if there are Rajapalayam owners in Sri Lanka? They look absolutely gorgeous in the photos and thrive in the warmer climates. You know that hypo-allergenic dogs exist, if you are really interested in getting one!!
Your dog story was lovely to read Rajan and I too have never heard of this breed and it was educative to read Srianee's comment after she has found out more about this dog. I thought that "Rajapalayam" had something to do with dogs entrusted with guarding the Royalty. It seems quite a coincidence that this dog did guard the Royalty but was named as such for coming from a village of that name. May be the dog was already called Rajapalayam and because they came from this village, the village was named as such - chicken or egg?
ReplyDeleteRajan, I forgot to say that I too enjoyed stories of your dogs, as Mahen did. The devotion your mother's cocker spaniel displayed is not an unusual occurrence. Rover probably died of a broken heart. What was your Rajapalayam dog's name?
ReplyDeleteMahen, why did my comment get posted twice? I've noticed that happening on the blog with other comments. Weird!
Srianee, I have no idea why your comment appeared twice. I just assumed that when you posted it, you pressed your mouse button twice thinking the first one was abortive.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about all the dogs but remain perplexed why so many of us used western names for our dogs- maybe something to do with Mad dogs and Englishmen!
Srianee, was Dr. Karunaratne your neighbour at Rjasinghe Road? He was our GP. He was a Trotskyite and a good friend of Dr. Colvin R de Silva. Vedavanam also lived down Rajasinghe Road.
ReplyDeleteOur ancestral home was the last house down 42nd Lane and it was demolished for the construction of the Marine Drive. I put up a building with three floors and a roof top on the remaining strip of land. Currently I have given it on lease for a waffle restaurant with a Russian franchise and it offers 80 different varities of waffles.
Sanath and Srianee
ReplyDeleteDr Shelton Karu was our G.P too,I remember him having very thick eyebrows which scared me as a child.He was a keen cricket fan and came to the SSC to watch Sara Trophy matches.On a number of occasions,he gave the opening bowler ?Stanley De Alwis IV injections ,after a long spell of fast bowling.P.S. Kumara too lived down same road.
Sanath and Bora,
ReplyDeleteYes Shelton Karu was our immediate neighbor at number 9, and was an interesting guy. I think my brothers will remember more details about him. He had a favorite song that he used to sing, and we would hear him over the wall (after a couple of drinks in the evening, I think!) It went something like this "...I can always get another wife, but I can never get another mother in my life!"
I remember P.S. Kumara further down the road, and Kithsiri Seneviratne, but don't remember Veda. There were many friends from LC as well, who were fellow travelers on the school bus returning home from school.
I think we did consult Dr. Karu when we were sick, but I don't remember going to him myself. We didn't do routine checkups in those days!!
Srianee
DeleteI know Vedavanam lived on Rajasinghe road in the early 1970's when we both worked in the Blood Bank. So did Suvendrini Weerasekera Whom you may know from LCC, after she married my uncle Neville Weerasekera. They have now moved to the adjoining road renamed EA Cooray Mawatha. May be it was called 42nd Lane in those bygone days.
Hi Nihal, Yes indeed, Suvendrini and her family lived down 42nd Lane and we rode on the school bus together after school. I also know her younger sister Hiranthi whose late husband Naomal "Bole" Jayasundera was senior to us in Medical College. I bumped into Suvendrini a few years ago in Colombo at an LC OGA function. We had moved away by the time Veda moved to Rajasinghe Road. (Small world!)
DeleteWe lived at 5
ReplyDelete# 56, rented from Dr. Muthithamby the Ob_gyn. Our neighbours were P.S. Kumar who lived directly across the road and remember playing with him. Veda was the neighbor of Kumara. I also remember Dr Karu whose house was up the hill near Galle Road.By the way our dogs name was Raja keeping with his breed. Bunter by the time you moved to Rajasinhe Road we had moved to Havelock town.Another claamate of ours was Raveendra Nadarajah, who lived on the corner of Inner Rajasinhe Road and 41st Lane
Srianee,that was a popular calypso by Lord Kitchener. I can remember it very well. It was called Wife and mother or Mother and wife. Same type of calypso beat as Jamaican farewell.
ReplyDeleteI love the Lord Kitchener Calypsos for their naughty but nice lyrics. One that comes to mind is one called Dr Kitch: I have included just a short clip as the rest is rather too salacious for our prim readership. Youtube gives it entirely warts and all!!!!
DeleteI am not a qualified physician
And I don't want to give this injection
I am not a qualified physician
And I don't want to give this injection
Mahen and Nihal, somehow I knew you guys would know this song. I have a vague recollection that Dr. Karu's mother also lived with them, and that is why he liked to sing this song, probably to entertain her!
DeletePupa Sivananda and Joe Wijayanayagam lived in the cul-de-sac at the top of 40th Lane, which was a dead end. We used to play cricket regularly in the cul-de-sac. Kumara's house was an upstair house and Asoka Madananayake (an old Royalist) lived opposite Kumara's house. Asoka married Ranjani Jayatilleke (Miss Ceylon); after Asoka died of leukaemia,a RC classmate of mine Gamit Amerasekera who owned Taprobane Travel married Ranjani. I have been to their house many times in London. I was invited for their son Asitha's first birthday party, in London . Many years later Asitha won an award in the film industry and Gamit celebrated the event at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.
ReplyDeleteI knew Asoka when I was Dr Wijenaike’s HO back in 1967-68. He came for regular blood transfusions and I got to know him well. During his final stages he held my hands with both his hands and thanked me with tears in his eyes. He passes away shortly afterwards. These are things you never forget.
ReplyDeleteI know Pupa but never knew how he acquired that nickname, quite a strange one when you come to think of it!
I have a vague recollection PUPA came from his first name Poopalasingham.
DeleteAsoka M. was in the adjacent ward (Dr. WW's)when I was in Ward 26 with Prof Raj.Pupa's father's name was Poopalan and that is why P.Sivananda was called Pupa
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