Life at Halkandawila

There were not many houses in the vicinity of our new home at Halkandawila. There was Mr. Christie Jayawardena, a very old man, living with his wife on the other side of the road. He was a respected landed proprietor of the area. We used his well to bathe since we did not have a proper bathing well.

Our land was on rather high ground and it was a bit rocky. We would have had to dig quite deep for water. In villages people hardly 'drew' water to bathe. There was always a nice little well somewhere on low ground - in fact there would be several such wells. Wherever it was, the well was common property. Only sown 'enemy' of the owner of the well would keep away from such a boon.

Mr Jayawardena was quite a character. Lean, tall and still rather good looking, he never tired of telling all and sundry who came to bathe in his well that he was an old Royalist. In fact he had been quite a sportsman at Royal and had played in the first eleven too. Once a month he visited his old school, just to look at himself in a group photo of the first eleven of that year (I am not certain which year) which hung from a wall in Royal College.

He was known to most of the teachers and staff of the day and apparently was a welcome visitor.

One day however, when he was 'looking at himself a young school prefect had turned up and asked him rather sternly what he was doing there. Mr J. had replied rather proudly "Young man, I am looking at myself!" He had then pointed to himself in the group photo and the prefect was dumb founded! He had apologized, had taken Mr. J to the Royal canteen and treated him to cakes and tea.

Downhill, on the far side of our 'estate' there was a cluster of rather forbidding looking rocks which almost made a cave.

I was scared to venture out that way alone. The rocks looked like they would spring a cobra at any moment! There was a rather large upstair bungalow on that side occupied by another set of Jayawardenas - cousins of our cricketer Mr. J, perhaps. They owned the only car in the village and there was always a bevy of rather well-fed looking young girls lolling about within. I was 'going on sixteen' almost, at this time and wished I was older!

Ups and downs

We had no electricity in our little home at Halkandawila which was a bit of a bother for Mother. Father however behaved as if he was used to bottle lamps and kerosene lamps all his life. I followed suit because I had to. In any case one gets used to these little ups and downs pretty quickly. I was still attending Nalanda Vidyalaya.

I think I was in the senior Prep at the time, meaning 1947. Going to school was a bit of hazzle though. I had to walk nearly four miles - perhaps a little more - each day, to the Paiyagala South railway station to take train to Maradana, and that too with the crack of dawn.

The morning walk was not too bad, but the afternoon walk back home was wearisome. As I said, I was 'going on sixteen' and took all this in my stride!

Akka came over for weekends, if she was free from nursing duty. Nissanka Aiya too visited us during school holidays. These visits were glad happenings for all of us. During these visits Nissanka Aiya and I became great pals and we talked about many things. We realized that we had many a dream in common and one such dream was to set up a 'home' for all of us once again.

Father was without a job once again. The little income we got from the land was hardly sufficient to make ends meet. My schooling would have been a further burden of Father. Both Akka and Nissanka Aiya brought a good amount of provisions for the household whenever they came.

Father accepted these gifts with his usual silence but Mother was effusive with her thanks. Both father and Mother had become thin and I was angry with this thing called 'destiny' which never allowed a long enough respite for poor Father. And for Mother.

Nissanka Aiya was troubled in his mind about our not having a place which we could really call 'Maha Gedara', where we could all gather at least occasionally and feel the nearness and bonds of each other.

We were strewn all over. Loku Aiya was in Colombo in some boarding most likely. It was said he had found a new job at Brooke Bonds, Colombo and that he was going to a Night School for further study. He was going to get married too, against the wishes of Father and Mother.

Dharmaratne Aiya too was in Colombo, doing a job at Chalmers Granneries, but none of us knew where he lived. A third Aiya, Wilfred, of whom I have hardly written in these columns had been given to the Sasana and ordained as a Samanera under the most Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maithree Thera. That was a very memorable day indeed and I will be coming back to it one of these days.

Civil ceremony

Nissanka Aiya was very concerned about Akka. "Poor girl, she has hardly any place to 'come home' to" was his constant lament. Very soon, he told me most seriously, that he was going to make amends.

The very next year, I believe in 1948, Loku Aiya got married. And on that occasion I was the lucky groomsman. I still don't know why Loku Aiya chose me as his groomsman. All I remember is that I got a brand new pair of shorts and a brand new shirt and a new pair of shoes. Loku Aiya had rented out a small house at Kandana and the civil ceremony was held there.

I can never forget how the coy bride suppressed her smile as the groomsman in shorts presented her with the customary bosquet of flowers! Akka and Mother too were present at the ceremony, but not Father. Akka was in a made-up Lama Saariya (half-saree) - made out of a white Osariya of Mother, cut and done to size! Dahrmaratne Aiya and Nissanka Aiya joined us in the evening.

They came in Dharmaratne Aiya's new mobike, which drew a lot of attention from the wedding guests. It was after ages that we had this opportunity of seeing Dharmaratne Aiya. He had become more thoughtful and spent a lot of time talking to Akka and Mother.

Father did not attend Loku Aiya's wedding, but he did not prevent Mother and Akka doing so. Akka tells me that when we came back home from the wedding that Father had cried in grief.

Loku Aiya, as of yore, had realized that his Malli was having a tough time attending school from Halkandawila. A short while after his marriage he had shifted to our "Takaran Gedara' at Bendiyamulla. He must have rented it out from the new owners. He invited me to stay with them and attend school from Gampaha as before.

Father too had realized that I was in the Senior Form by now and that I needed a few more facilities than he could afford. So he agreed readily to my moving out. I joined Loku Aiya and his wife at Bendiyamulla and life became easier for me.

Meanwhile Nissanka Aiya in a bid to fulfil his 'dream' of a home had rented out a house at Batuwatte. By now he had found a new job as a translator in the Social Services Dept. of Colombo.

He set up home at Batuwatte and invited Father, Mother, Akka and all of us to join him. We did. I knew that Loku Aiya was finding it difficult to feed another mouth and meet my travelling expenses etc. Batuwatte was two railways stations ahead of Gampaha. My season ticket would be cheaper and Nissanka Aiya would not find it as difficult as Loku Aiya to meet my expenses.

And so, one fine day I went to Colombo for my very first paper in the Senior School Certificate exam from Bendiyamulla, Gampaha and came back home to Batuwatta, after the paper!

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