Lunch at Hyde Park Residencies

Informal get-together hosted by Pram at her Hyde Park Residencies to greet holidaying members of our batch who are presently based abroad - Rohini Abhayaratne, Srianee (Bunter), Speedy and Bora. Try and spot those present.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Razaque's Diary - Part 2

From Razaque's Diary - Part 2

 

By Razaque Ahamat

 

Following up on my early experiences in my school life, herewith is what I was upto since qualifying as a Doctor.

After my internship in Chilaw, which was fantastic as regards hands-on experince and I am glad I chose to go to Chilaw

as opposed to Badulla. In my next appointment, I was posted to Siyambalanduwa as DMO. Although it was 'way beyond'

the 'middle of no-where', I accepted this post having rejected a very lucrative (2-3 times Govt. salary) GP offer in Negombo, Partly as private  medicine was abhorant to my beliefs, I needed somewhere to be a "recluse" at a turbulent phase in my personal life, to reflect on, and regain my sanity.

 

Just a few days into my new posting, on my return to my "bungalawa", I found a group of people at the gate, On enquiry

it transpired that that they had come for 'private' treatment!!! This was a conundrum to me in view of my thoughts on PP!!
I was NOT going to renege on my my principle of "NEVER WALK BACK, NEVER LOOK BACK & NEVER THINK BACK", now!! Politely expained my position and dispersed the crowd as there were no emergency cases which would have been diverted to the hospital.There were none of these folk the next day at the hospital, So,was there a need to see them at that point in time??

A few weeks later I was called in to the hospital to see a pregnant lady who was having a difficult delivery. I was with her  almoat the whole night and ultimately had to use forceps to deliver a large live baby boy!! My Internship hands-on skills that was learnt, thanks to my Boss, came into play!!! The interesting part of this story was to follow. A few weeks later, the husband of this lady appeared at my 'residence' with a parcel.The parcel was a "haunch" of meat, which, at first I thought was it was a haunch of Venison. In fact it was Wild Boar-- "WAL-URU MAS"!!. Politely told him I do not consume this meat in view of my 'religion'--to his utter embarassment !! Nevertheless,subsequently this man gifted me on several occasions with Jungle Fowl, real Venison etc I never refused such gifts, LIKE  Koli-kuttu,Anamalu, Oranges and Kavum and Kokis at Festive times.You must appreciate that my 'religion' and my DEUS/"SPRITUALITY" are two entirely different entities. I belive in SPIRITS & thus had a differing meaning. I was a follower of  the Roman God-DIONYSUS  & the Greek equivalent--BACCUS. To the un-initiated they are the respective "GODS OF WINE!!! My local equivalent DEUS/God was "POL" --"COCONUT WATER"!/POL-WATURA--could not afford anything else. URU-MAS/PORK/PORCINE, "subject''was to  visit me again and again, right to the very "end of the World"as you will note later on!!!

My next appointment in the Health Dept,"MERRY-GO-ROUND" was DMO-ITTAPANA. It was a 'god-forsaken' place on the Northern bank of the BENTHARA GANGA, right opposite URA-GASMANG-HANDIYA!!!---- the" URU subject following me once more"!!! This was at a time of turmoil in the then Ceylon in 1971--THE INSURGENCY-Che Guevera. One night there were discrete knocks on my door by a group of youngsters, some persons with injuries -- mostly gun shot!!. I treated them as best as I could as I would treat any patient---politics never came into the equation.The next day I got "VISITED" by the Army and Police looking for any "patients" with gun-shot injuries in the wards!! In fact I did have such a "patient" and.... didn't I "S**T----I mean shiver!! In fact this "patient"was a young lady with gun shot injuries, and I had taken the usual 'precautions'with her ("NOW...NOW.. BEHAVE) I kept her in the Maternity Unit
fore-seeing & pre-empting such an eventuality!! I need not have been worried as the Commanding Officer was only checking if I was safe!-very kind indeed!! Of course, I had to 'drop names' of my family who were very high-ups in the Forces and distract these guys. Also, the Police IP was my classmate at school. After only "All Talk-Talk and No Walk-Walk" they left to everybody's relief--certainly mine-.. we were "cock-a hoop" on "STEALING A MARCH" on the Armed Force----Got it??.

Then I began to wonder what my future was going to be in this never-ending Health Dept. "Merry-Go-Round" At this point I joined the Blood Bank Service as a "stop-gap" appointment & to take stock of my future. Inadvertantly I got in to something that was going to have a telling effect on my future career., Firstly, I was posted to Kandy, In-Charge  of the Blood Bank there. This suited me to a tee, as my Dearest Fiancee, Farina,--(my brother's sister-in-law --- an all "in-house/insider" job!!) was from Kandy and married soon after!!! Life could not have been better. After over an year of"marital bliss", tragedy struck us---we lost our first child, she was still-born(@34wks!!! Agony, grief & personal sadness was intense--needless to say!! It was a very traumatic period in our lives.We do not wish this even to our worst enemy---We have NONE ---- as YET........We fought through this period & came out with our marriage---- only stronger.

Not long after, I "saw the light" & resigned from "The Dept." and left for UK, seeking new pasteurs. my brother was well set there as an Accountant----not the TURF variety!!!! but a Chartered--so life to start with in UK was not too bad. On arrival in UK, I had to meet the GMC official, Sir David Elizer,a Surgeon & a Jew in view of my Exemption from Clinical Assessment.This Jewish connection was to have a great bearing on my later progress, he was very helpful and after a long "chat" offered to be a Referee for me!!!This, I believe had not happend before. Why me, may I ask?, a Muslim to be helped by a Jew?? To ths day-- I know not!!.After an initilal 3-week locum in Geriatrics, got an appointment as SHO- Clinical Pathology at Dartford. Just 8 months into this job, with the help of my new boss, another Jew, I landed a life-changing 3-year Training job as Trainee Registrar, in Haematology, at St. George's Hospital Medical School, London.The Professor and most of other Consultants were... guessed right---Jews!! Very clever ---aren't you? I believe that my experience in Blood Transfusion,which at first I thought was next to"USELESS," went a very long way in getting this job & of course with the help of my boss @ Dartford -- a Jew!! Blood Transfusion had left an indelible mark in my future career. Two years into this job, working very hard landed a 5-year Training job as a Senior Registrar, in Haematology with special intersest in Transfusion Medicine whch by now was "growing into me"--like a "malignancy"!! It was during this period that Farina & I "expanded"--in everyway. Of course we had our children--4 in all, one of EACH??? (girl, boy & a set of twin girls)

 After successfully completing my Training, went as Assistant Director, Scottish National Blood Service (SNBS), Aberdeen which was a job for life!! "You Know WHO, WHO" was again responsible I think!! That was in 1984. Scotland was the ideal place to practice my "sprituality"! The Deus/God here was called "USHKAYDEY"(in Gaelic)-- more commnoly known here as Whiskey!--"Barley Water"to me!! My favourite God was the one with higher divinity & SPIRITUALITY-- most is revered called "Single Malt"!  Their place of "Worship" is called "THE DISTILLERY"!!!There are lots of  them scattered all over Scotland & I have paid pooja at most of them. Probably this "Sprituality" is what helped me to get 3 SCORES & 10" and counting??? My prescription to all is "A DRAM A DAY WILL KEEP THE MEDICS AWAY" ---- my 'sprituality' is living proof of that!!!

From Aberdeen I moved sideways to Dundee to "SORT OUT" an "ailing" Centre. This again was a "God send" to my family. Here the schooling was more than excellent and my children prospered-----rest is history. However, I was not too happy with two of my colleagues as they were plagerising my thoughts and trying to put me down behind my back.I was fed up to say the least. The technical staff was in full support of me. One thing I learnt from this experience was "WHEN LIFE LOOK UP ON YOU, NEVER LOOK DOWN ON OTHERS" Once three of my children were in Uni---following me, in my foot steps (Not waiting  for my wallet to fall!!!), I decided it was time to "call it a day" and took early retirement as this opportunity for the better arose, despite having about 6 years more of service to go.With my retirement funds we decided to invest some of it for our future--like good parents. One of patients with Hodgkin's Disease, whom i had treated was a very well known artist, having exibited in several Scottish cities (one of his parents was a member of my staff at Dundee). We went to see his work and you will notice that one his paintings on my wall in the photo of me which Lucky Abey published on the BLOG. It's a painting of the world's only Wooden Lighthouse on the River Tay(the longest river in UK) in Dundee It is the one below the painting of Tall Ship "Discovery" in which Capt. Scott went to the Antarctic. Along with this picture and a few others---costing a fortune, bought a picture of '"Two PIGS with their snouts in a Trough"!!! Here again the URA theme following me!!! Farina was taken aback and said that her Muslim Ladies --(students of her's) visit us regularly and they would be horrified,and wondered where I was going to hang it?? I told her that it would be right above the toilet in our main bathroom and--- there was method to my madness!! The two Pigs were named SAM & GEORGE, my two senior unintelligent colleagues at Dundee!! So everyday whenever we go the toilet the family and others will be "SHOWING THEIR RESPECTS"  whatever they 'want to do'--- cruel, but anything to get my own back. I too have a mean streak, you know!!!.

While I was idling at home, and getting on Farina's nerves, I heard from the grapevine that New Zealand was short of Specialists to run their fledgling National Blood Service. and better still, they were setting it up on the Scottish model. Applied for a job & after an Interview over the phone landed the job as Director & Transfusion Medicine Specialist, New Zealand Blood Service, based at Auckland--the largest in NZ. I was In-Charge of a very large area --( barring only Hamilton), I had to cover the whole of the North Island including Auckland and Wellington - plus Nelson,Picton and Blenheim of the South Island and for a short time Christchurch.It was a tall order as I was hardly in Auckland (2-3 days per week), but flying all over NZ!!!.It was at Masterton Inspection that I met Dr. K S de Silva---Physician with whom I did my pre-Clinical appointment in Colombo. Also my family and I spent a few days with him (also known as Kira) and his dear wife Anna. Also at one of these Inspection visits I bumped in to our "Kolla"Collure,@ Gisborne Airport. He is an Anaesthesist there. I also met up socially with a few of our 6-months Course batch mates. To mention some--Waidyratne & Chula, Raja Gunaratne & Srimathie and loads of others from Senior & Junior mates --too many to name!! Of course one of my batch-mates never bothered to return my calls!! There are always a few, aren't there?? I did not know that "Smiler" Sivakumar was in NZ!!.Shame & sad I missed him.

Now, that's enough of "Self-Crowing", lets dwell on some very interesting names of places that sound very Sinhala and incidents involving yours truly! My usual trips for Inspection by road took me, firstly to TE PUKE (pronounced "thay pukay!!) where we stop for a break in the journey. Here while window shopping I saw a bigger than life size Cockeral carved out a solid block of multi-coloured Jade (green,yellow, brown, black,cream etc..) After some bargaining bought it as an investment. Now it sits on my coffee table in our Lounge, and when I have visitors I never fail to talk about and DISPLAY MY BIG COCK!!!!. From TePuke we move on to WHAKATANE (pornouced FUCK-A-TAR-NAY in Maori)!! Here many SL doctors work-- one is from our 6-months batch Dr Ramadas & many from our juniors. My son did his elective here with one Dr. Rudran Edwards & we usually stay with Surgeon Desmond Collins & his wife Puvi (A&E) from one of our junior batches.

After Official work we return through Taupo, past Lake Tuapo and a few miles down the road is a 'smallish' water-fall called HUKA FALLS!!! Then to Hamilton, where the Director there was my senior collegue Dr Ghosh-- the "good" one and not a 'Pig!!! See him up and move-on passing the Anchor Butter Factory and further up through NA-RUWA-WAHAYA (in Sinhala sounds like PRETTY RED you know what??/--where the Maori Queen lives. Then we pass PUKE-KOHU where the Waidyaratnes have their Practice. The surrounding hills-- "PUKE-HILLS" are cattle farmed by Gujaraties and they supply milk to the Anchor Butter Factory. Now we know that Anchor Butter originates from the "PUKE HILLS"!!!.Also the NZ Rugby player, Jonah Lomu also lives there and his house is on an elevated position -- "PUKE HILLOCK"!!!! This was only one such route--one of many, all over North Island And finally reach home in Auckland.

In NZ too, I had the golden opportunity to continue my "Spirituality"as there are palces of my "Worship"---Vineyards & Wineries just like Distilleries in Scotland!!! This is "Grape Juice" as I call it. Took every half-a-chance to tag on at Inspections to visit one.

Also, my friend, the Jew, was here too.He was the CEO, NZBS He helped us enormously to 'find our feet' in NZ.!!
Once when my Son and eldest Daughter visited us we made a holiday tour of the extreme North---Cape Reinga, 80-Mile Beach, Pahia Kauri Forest (Tane Mahuta- the girth of the tree is more than 22 men holding hands hugging the tree!!!) and Watanghi (the place where the famous Treaty of Witanghi was signed between the Brits and Maoris--- only to be reneged by the fickle white man, as done all over the globe!!) At Pahia we went on a boat trip called the "Island Hopping Milk Run" -- used to be the collection of milk from these outlying Islands  called the "Bay of  Islands"---but now its a Tourists Excursion- a whole days tour. There were about 40 @Tourists and one is made the "CHIEF". That honour fell on my shoulders!!! At mid-day we stopped to lunch at one of the Islands where food was provided-- included in the package. As we disembarked from the boat the "Chief"" had to face a challenge from the local Maori 'Warriors'!! I was scared to see them bearing spears and doing a "Hakka". Once the challenge was accepted "peace prevailed" and had to greet each other by RUBBING OF NOSES!!-- of the locals and visitors---the Maori tradition!!! I was automatically made  the Chief-of-the- Island for the day The most ironic part of this was that the Island was called "URU-PUKA-PUKA" island!!!!! Imagine a Muslim like me (albeit nominally) to be the Chief of Uru- - Puka.- Puka Island????  Ura keep following me to the "end of the earth"!!!

Can go "on & on but will call it a day" After more than 6-years in NZ, now our NOMADIC LIFE AND NOMADIC JOURNEY has come to an end---having treated, firstly the Children of  MOTHER LANKA, followed by the Children of MOTHER EARTH, I " threw in the towel", RETIRED FROM RETIREMENT and returned to base in Scotland as my Children, now qualified, but happy to stay-put in BONNIE SCOTLAND. They did not want to settle down in NZ!!. Don't blame them as Scotland has been good to all of us in many.many ways, as for us, we have a fair Pension, Mortgage paid up and -all free Health Care---"SUMMA"(ALL Medicines, Hospital care, Operations Etc...), I suppose "WHAT GOES ROUND COMES ROUND" and we feel that we now deserve it all.

As for the future,------- as the Sun is setting down on our twlight years, my wish is to meet all you guys at least once more. The Sun is sure to RISE again when we could all meet. AGAIN --SOME WHERE, IN ANOTHER PLACE, IN ANOTHER TIME,IN ANOTHER LIFE.
Till then, wish you all the very best for the REST OF YOUR FUTURES.
On that note I shall end my long HARRANGUE.
GOD BE WITH YOU ALL.

Boys only picture

We had an informal get-together of a few batch friends at our Battaramulla home on Jan 2nd. This is just one of the photographs.

From left to right in this outdoor picture are: JC, Nihal Goonetilleke, Mahendra (Speedy) Gonsal, Lucky Abey, Senerat Jayatilaka and Sanath de Tissera. Nihal and Speedy (from UK) and Sanath from Perth, AU are presently on holiday in Sri Lanka. Sura and Pram who were also present, are not in the picture. They were inside, busy gossiping with our spouses. Segregation, you might say. That's the form in Sri Lanka even now.

Here they are:

 

L to R: Sura, Mangala (my wife) and Kanthi (Sanath's wife).

 

Kanthi, Hemantha (Senerat's wife) and Pram.

 

 



Happy New Year!

I wish all viewers a very happy new year.

                              2014

To my dear batch-mates of Class of '62

On approaching the festive season

On approaching the festive season

 

 

My Memories of Gampaha 1952 - 56

My Memories of  Gampaha 1952-56

By Dr Nihal D Amerasekera                   

The human memory is a miracle of nature. Like a time traveller, I am turning back the clock 60 years.  It is my wish these memories distil the spirit of an era now long gone. I was ten years old when my father was transferred to Gampaha. By then we had lived in Nugegoda for several years. After some deliberation, the decision was made to send me to the boarding at Wesley College, the school where I had settled in well as a day scholar. This changed my idyllic life at home where I enjoyed a sheltered and privileged existence.

The town

Gampaha is a town made by the merging of five villages. It was formerly called Henarathgoda. When Sir Edward Barnes paid a visit to the area in 1825, it was a dense forest.  He decided to construct a railway through the area and to have a station at Henarathgoda. This effectively ignited the interest in the area.  

In the 1950’s Gampaha was still a small town and amazingly peaceful. It could not boast of lush green mountains or a deep blue sea, but the air was clean and the people were friendly. It was a place of beauty, loveliness and enchantment. Its only claim to fame was the Botanical Gardens where Ceylon’s first rubber tree was planted. Its pleasant undulating landscape, rolling lawns and colourful hedges have mesmerised visitors for centuries. 

 Gampaha had a thriving community of middle-class landed gentry owning vast swathes of land as far as the eye could see. Well into the 1960’s they imagined they were still in the British Empire and emulated the English aristocracy.  This was a world apart from the lives of the simple rural folk. The poor knew their position and depended totally and completely on their rich masters for survival. They lived in humble dwellings of mud houses and thatched roofs. The rich showed some empathy and care for the less fortunate, but made distinctly clear who was boss. That was the way it was in Gampaha in the mid 20^th century.  

I was then far too young to appreciate the vast political and social changes taking place around me. In retrospect, the political arena then was full of young lions jockeying for position. In the heat of the battle, honesty and equality became its casualty. The shimmering dawn of the era of the common man was visible in the distant horizon. When it came, the pendulum swung too far to the left too quickly and the economy suffered. We all now know its devastating consequences. The economic freeze had a profound impact on our lives and froze peoples' freedom and the ability to travel. I was happily oblivious to these changes but as I grew up, suffered with the rest of my countrymen. It is easier to be scornful of the past than of the present. But we needed change and the seeds of change were sown with the introduction of free education and healthcare. The power of the unions gave the workers a voice. 

Buildings

I remember very little of the bricks and mortar in Gampaha. Lion House was an Ice Cream Parlour at the main roundabout and served delicious cones and ice lollies. For a ten year old, this was the closest place to heaven. I recall a beautiful tree lined street of elegant houses. There was a bustling fruit and vegetable market, noisy and full of people. On Saturdays, the market came alive with witch doctors and fortune tellers. It is a dramatic spectacle, if you can put up with monkeys and snakes. The unmistakable bus stand occupied the centre of town. The disruptive monsoon rains lashed heavily on the town and the low-lying areas flooded with disastrous results. During the warm dry months, the sweeping winds sent clouds of dust swirling into the air. Such are my memories of this sleepy town. I always felt comfortable in Gampaha where we were welcomed with courtesy. 

Our house

My parents found a house at 230, Colombo Road, Gampaha,  a splendid old house opposite the General Hospital. It was the ancestral home of Cyril Goonetilleke, a property tycoon, entrepreneur and socialite who had inherited tremendous wealth. Although born to a life of privilege, he endured perhaps more than his share of hardship.  The house had water on tap and flushing toilets, then a luxury anywhere outside the metropolis. He was a young wealthy landowner who spent lavishly on himself. Cyril was away in London studying for his law degree. He loved the good life.  During his absence, a close relative, Earle Dassanaike, occupied the house. Earle was a bachelor and was happy to let us take over the house while he used a room. Cyril had kept one room for himself which was full of his knick knacks. This was a treasure trove for us kids. Earle was a kindly man and was the Manager at the CWE at Jawatte.  His depth of kindness and thoughtfulness was obvious. His energy, generosity and mischievous humour knew no bounds. Every morning, he walked  a mile to the Railway Station  and returned late in the evening. He lead a quiet sedate life. At weekend, he often went to see his mother in a coconut estate at Katuwellagama near Negombo, an old sprawling Walauwwa with long verandahs and a spacious porch.  We sometimes went with him to his home in the country to spend a peaceful day.  

Neighbours

Ratnavali Balika Vidyalaya  was two doors next to us. Living opposite the hospital, we got to know the DMO Dr. Maheswaran. He was a bachelor and lived like a Prince next to us in a small house well hidden from the main road. I envied his bohemian life style. He was a typical old style young medic who inspired me enormously and perhaps motivated me to take up a career in medicine. He wasn’t averse to a drink in the evening and invited his friends for a sing song. Police Sub Inspector Von Hart was a regular visitor playing the piano accordion with others with drums and guitars. Von Hart had a wide repertoire of Sinhala music and entertained us well. I was completely entranced by this musical extravaganza.  Drinks flowed freely and the music often went on deep into the night. No one dared complain about the young DMO. 

Holidays

During the holidays, my cousins kept me company. We played cricket from dawn to dusk except when a serious disagreement halted the game. Umpiring decisions were a nightmare and we learnt to bend the rules to suit our game. The days seemed sunny and endless. Behind the house was a large coconut plantation with cashew, mango  and guava trees. We spent many afternoons plucking fruits enjoying the freedom of the open spaces. There were many ponds and streams scattered in the neighbourhood. I recall our fishing expeditions spending hours with the hook, line and sinker waiting for the big one which never came. All the while, we kept a close eye on snakes and monitor lizards that shared the space with us. 

Friends

The de Sarams lived about 400 yards from our house . Their house was on a hill at the edge of a coconut plantation overlooking a long stretch of paddy fields. The swallows had a made a nest at the back of their house and we saw the planning and the construction of this remarkable dwelling with mud and saliva. That was the closest I have been to nature in my short life. They respected our privacy as we did theirs.  

We walked to the de Saram’s to play with the kids. Lal the eldest was about my age and his brothers Sanath, Jaliya and Rohan joined us too. They were amiable friends. We played cricket in the dusty streets avoiding the occasional vehicle that crawled past giving us a friendly wave. Always impeccably dressed, Mr Bobby de Saram had a suave 1920’s look and was one of life’s great charmers. He was of medium build with hair combed back and resembled the Hollywood depiction of the ‘Godfather’ Don Vito Corleone. Of course he was no gangster but an honest and kind soul. Bobby de Saram was a charming and charismatic Insurance agent for Sunlife Assurance able to sell a freezer to an Eskimo. Mrs. Gladys de Saram was a gentle, kind devoted housewife who showed remarkable patience to put up with our mess and mayhem.  

We had no sense of fear and trudged miles into the picturesque countryside of meandering waterways and acres of paddy fields. I recall walking on an endless dusty road to the Ketawala anicut , an irrigation dam and reservoir. This was a bewitching place of breath-taking beauty, many many miles away from our homes. The reservoir sustained the paddy fields and remained a paradise for birds and butterflies. We heard the screeching of the parrots and the knocking of the woodpeckers. Golden Orioles, red vented bul buls and kingfishers flew fearlessly over our heads. Everyday was a new adventure fuelled by our insatiable curiosity. Barefooted, we walked brazenly into the network of footpaths across paddy fields, forests and villages and thought this blissful existence would never end. Soon we became the best of friends. Their cousins were girls about our age. We played with them too, but we didn’t like girls then!! I just remember Neela, the prettiest of them all.  

In the evenings the sky took on crimson glow before hordes of bats took to the air. The nights were quiet when an eerie silence pervaded the entire countryside. 

Bandaranaike’s

Gampaha has been the natural home of the tribe of Dias Bandaranaikes. Horagolla is a stones throw away. SD Bandaranaike was then the sitting MP for Gampaha for many decades. He was a charismatic politician and an eloquent orator who appealed to the masses. He preached of a better future for the poor.  

My parents became friends with another avuncular country gentleman, Wilfred Dias Bandaranaike. He had an irresistible magnetic personality and lived at Kirikongahena Estate on Yakkala Road in a typical country Manor House. The old house was quiet elegance and quaint charm. Dinner with him unfolded a grand spectacle of the glory of English aristocracy. Everything was polished and pristine. Wilfred DB was a graduate from the Poona Agricultural Institute and was the creative influence for his immaculate garden with an outstanding layout and design. It had colourful borders, exotic flowers, broad hedges and decorative monuments. He remained a constant fixture at social gatherings of the great and the good in Gampaha. On such occasions, he was seen in neatly pressed light summer suits with a bow tie and a Panama hat which conjures up images of Great Gatsby.  

He was the quintessential Englishman with tall good looks, upper class conceit and arrogance. Wilfred DB was an endearing and enduring relic of the British Raj and spoke proper English (with a toffee in his mouth). His expressions and mannerisms were British. He had a certain aura about him which left people in no doubt he belonged to the ruling class.  I respect him enormously for his dignity and decency. Wilfred DB was an aristocrat caught up in a time-warp at the turn of the last century and often elegised a bygone Ceylon. Despite his remarkable wealth, he travelled in his buggy cart and never owned a car. He was always incredibly kind to me and remained a valued family friend during and well beyond our stay in Gampaha.  

The return

I remember the day Cyril Goonetilleke returned to Ceylon. Those were the days of steamships and the journey from London took 8 weeks. He came to Gampaha in a brand new red MG -TD Coupe. He spoke with a strong British accent and the drawl was difficult to decipher. Cyril occupied the 3^rd room in our house and became our guest. The young Cyril had expensive tastes and added some spice and sauce to a reserved and old fashioned way of life in Gampaha.  He was remarkably polite and was always seen in the company of beautiful girls. I remember he once took us kids with a large group of girls and boys to play softball cricket at the Botanical Gardens. It was a good days fun for all. Most of all, we enjoyed the trip in his shiny red car with the open hood. Cyril was a businessman and became the sole importer and distributor of Tennent’s Lager in Ceylon. It never took off. 

Tempus Fugit

Indeed, time does fly. The years passed swiftly and relentlessly. The ebb and flow of my fortunes brought happiness and despair in equal measure. Meanwhile, the river of life has run on and youth passed into middle age. I had stepped on the treadmill to carve myself a career and raise a family. The stress of exams, tiring work routines and the inevitable pleasures and heartaches of family life seemed to have passed with the blink of an eye. They are all behind me now. During those years, I was seduced by the material world. Thankfully, now, calmness prevails and gaining wealth doesn’t have any priority. As I look back, I cannot believe more than 60 years have passed since those happy days. I have written frankly and fairly about the people I had the privilege to meet and remember them with the greatest regard and affection. I have spoken vaguely and indirectly of the politics and social aspects of the day as I was too young to grasp its complexities. It is often easier to criticise than to understand. 

The people

I never returned to Gampaha town or the house ever again. The house was later bought by a doctor who razed it to the ground and built a 2 storey Surgery for his practice. Earle Dassanaike left our house to be married. He raised a family and lead a happy and contented life. He left this world about 20 years ago. Although I never met his wife and daughters, I saw him briefly many times and reminisced at length. Cyril became a businessman and married his sweetheart, a girl who played cricket with us at the botanical gardens. I met him once in Kurunegala in 1968. He was much subdued and we spoke of those happy years. I am told his marriage sadly did not survive the rigors of life. He too died 13 years ago of a massive stroke.  

We kept in touch with Wilfred Dias Bandaranaike. His sunset years were bedevilled with poor health until finally he succumbed to a stroke. He remained a posh ‘British’ gentleman to the very end. I am reliably informed Kirikongahena estate still exists, but the house became derelict and the garden engulfed by weeds.  

Mr Saram passed away at the age of 90. He lived in Nawala with Sanath who managed a bakery. Mrs Saram predeceased him by 15 years. Lal de Saram sadly died in his early 60’s of an inoperable brain tumour. Jaliya worked for a Travel Agency in Colombo and died suddenly of a heart attack. Pretty Neela entered the Arts Faculty in Peradeniya and completed her degree. I know she got married but died young of ovarian cancer many years ago. I have no news of Dr Maheswaran or Sub Inspector Von Hart and hope life treated them kindly. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met them on my journey through life. Loss of childhood friends do leave an echoing void. As my thoughts drift towards Gampaha of the 1950’s, I am overcome by a deep sense of nostalgia and homesickness. 

The mist of time cannot erase the memories of those happy years. Thinking of the days gone by is at least for a short while a blissful escape from reality of the present. Despite the storms and tempests of life, I have often found a safe harbour protected from the fury of the winds. I have often spoken of the awesome force of destiny in my life. Destiny always has the last word, if not the last laugh. 

Credits

As I end my egotistical narrative of my journey through life, I must recall the part my parents played in my life in those days. Being an only child, I was always at the forefront of their thoughts. Nothing was ever done to hinder my progress through life. My mother has always been by my side through thick and thin. Mother's love for a child is ever so special and no words can describe it adequately. Although she lived 6000 miles away in Sri Lanka, I could always feel her presence. It is a wonderful feeling of love. I owe them everything.  Both my parents have now passed on. I dedicate these notes to my parents for their infinite love which sadly I could never fully reciprocate.