An Emotional Remembrance

Srimathie Udugama

A vehicle was arranged by the Colombo Branch of the Past Pupils Association for the past teachers of Science College.

The van stopped intermittently to pick up the teachers on the way from Matale to Colombo.

We reached the J. R. hall in Colombo by 9.00 a.m., large number of old boys and girls welcomed us students.

It was quiet fascinating to see reputed and solemn students garland their teachers. They worshiped and kneeled down to get their blessings. Each student introduced himself or herself and supported the teachers to walk inside the hall. A mischievous student then, now a medical doctor garlanded me. It was an emotional moment. As I couldn’t control my feelings I bust into tears. Most of my past students similarly reacted. I felt that how great to be a teacher to get such great satisfaction.

May I quote a poem I wrote at their final day in school.

The last day – Children open your eyes

The glittering eyes – each day I saw

Faded like the – tenders of Mimosa.

Bubbling down – the sorrow of depart.

As tears as drops in - “Sun dew” the Drossera.

Is it worried to – leave this class?

Where you smelled – each and every space,

After a “free bird life” - you squirreled

Is it fear to – outer crucial world?

Dont’ shed tears – Don’t get worried,

We have given you – th weapon you want

The courage we gave – the stuff we thought,

Will ever be yous – to conquer this world

Is it you remind – one by one?

The mischievous you did – at in Class,

Or in Ground – or at Pirith,

Ceremonies, trips – and exhibitions,

The voyages we did – the meetings we had

The Scientific expedition – we explored

May have punished – may have blamed

But don’t punish us – by writing you name

Over the wall – or on chair arm

We’ll remember you – not with bad

but with the brilliant wonders you had

One day when I say, - ample to discover

Your mind went away, - in search of those navels

So keep that in mind – where ever you go

To conquer the scientific world – yet never saw.

he bell is ringing – I have to leave

So don’t make me sad – I am a positive guy

Now “raise you heads” to say good bye

With smiles on your eyes – as ever I have seen.

The time flew fast and the moment of departure arrived. The same van was arranged for the teachers for their return trip. The van left with the blessings of the past students. At that moment we could observe the tear drops on the eyes of our beloved students.

On the way back I sat near my old best friend Namalee in the van. Namalee is a charming pretty lady who always used to wear the Kandyan sari with all the accessories. She never forgets to put the Sari Katuwa and Havadiya” which are compulsory items in a Kandyan dress. “Gedi Konde” she never changed. This way she tried to maintain the respect of a teacher by not wearing any other sophisticated ornaments. Overall she is an amiable character to students and the staff.

But she was very silent during her return trip. The sorrow feelings of leaving her loving students would have made her silent. At one moment during he ceremony I noticed that she was bursting into tears while talking to a crowed of students. To break her silence, I inquired the reason for her cry during the ceremony. Then she wanted to disclose a horrible story about a student whom stills nobody knows what had happened to him.

Namalee turned round to the back seats, and started to disclose her true but dreadful experience that she had with the student Upali in 1988 September.

“Life assurance and tribute to teacher” she suggested the title. We were eager to listen to what happened during the insurgency time in 1988.

“It’s a dark gloomy day, very windy and cold, and was raining heavily. The wind instead raged round the house, even more fiercely, shrieking and howling like a live thing. Not a single vehicle was on the road due to the terror stricken atmosphere. She began to recite the story excitedly.

“At that time my husband Siri was the chief of Balana railway station and we were residing in the government quarters there. We were fully exhausted after walking about 4 miles from Kadugannawa to go to Balana railway quarters. Balana is situated in a highest position in the hill country and the area is wild with thick of green canopy. Really, it is always like a gloomy jungle.” She continued with a furious voice.

“It was about 6.30 in the evening. The transport system was totally interrupted by the insurgents. My husband and I were totally exhausted after a long walk from Kadugannawa to Balana the hill summit. Hence, as I stepped in to the house I put away my hand bag on to the sofa nearby. I could not mind the huge sum on money which was inside it. The money was withdrawn from the bank in that morning in order to get air tickets to fly away from this troublesome country. She added in a disgusted voice.

“As we were tired and due to the terror trauma faced during the day time both of us were mute for a while. The whole village was silent. A brown owl (ulama) cooed in the nearby tree as if to signal us for a dreadful night.

After a while I got up and changed into a night dress. While loosening my hair I went to the kitchen to prepare some tea for us. Soon afterwards, I came back with the tea and started to sip it without having any convocation between us. We knew that at any moment in this evening the rebels will be coming to our house in search of Siri as he had gone against their orders by not interrupting the train service that day” Namalee was trying to explains the situation.

‘The horrible moment that we were expecting was reached. Suddenly a big bang was on the door. “Open the door otherwise we’ll smash the door – A rough voice came from the outside” she added.

“I was awed! It was beyond expression. Siri creped into the room with the railway station keys to hide them some where in the room. The continuous howling was there until they banged the door to be opened. I could no believe my eyes, a gang wearing black dresses crowd entered the room where I was. The gang was armed to teeth walked in with black masks on their faces. One of the men was armed with a revolver, other with a single shot galkatas, two with knives, and the leader with sterling machine gun”.

Namalee explained as an audiovisual presentation, with an all the expressions and up and down voice. We were also listening to it frightened.

She goes on saying how the leader ordered. “Where is Lokka, ask him to come out soon, without hiding behind” She recited it as the leader ordered. She goes on saying “Then I replied at once, to take the money in the bag if they want, showing the bag which was on the sofa” yet excitedly.

“See this man is taking the public money perhaps to his home, its wrong! The leader” said Namalee added.

“It’s the money we withdrew from the bank in the morning I told him”.

“Then they were curious. They looked curiously round the room. They went and took the opened the bag.

“Few others after inspecting the money just threw it away. But nobody was bothered to take the money there.

They were bothered only about my husband. I realized it and I thought of begging them not to do any harm to us. So I said “Ane Puthala methening yantaa Api Asranai. Apita monaawath karanta epa. I pleaded in a shaky voice. (Do not do any harm to us please go away sons.) Namalee goes on saying.

Then suddenly, the leader started at me sharply. I couldn’t understand his instant change. At once, he kept his weapon down. And slowly he towards to me with his mask still on his face. He asked whether I am the teacher Namalee. In a whispering voice.

“Yes” I said at once.

Then he slowly removed his mask. I couldn’t believe my eyes. He is Upali. One of the brilliant students who were in the class. Unfortunately, he was missing from the class for few months back. Everybody wanted to know where he has gone. Only now I could understand where he has been in the past. Now he had gone in a wrong path. I couldn’t believe his change any more Namalee said.

Again Upali in the same whispering voice,” I couldn’t recognize you Mam, We have never seen you with other dresses before. Luckily I could recognize you from the characteristic words you usually used to address us. The word “Puthala”. I am very familiar with that word using my teacher Namalee.” He said in much soft voice, she said.

Upali himself must have felt ashamed after seeing me. He wanted to give all the excuses to why he involved in that movement currently.

”Sorry Madam sorry; I joined this because in our movement realized that the political and social reform by the government is clearly anti-progressive. The management of state owned plantations companies had been handed over to the private sector. Privatization of public assets was among their main tasks. So I will continue my struggles against corruption and malpractices to obtain a real benefit to the general public.” Upali went on saying.

I couldn’t realize that whether this is the same Upali who was in my class six months before. I knew that he is treading on a dangerous path which would destroy him. Also It was nonsense to me to listen in to a non relevant speech which he was trying to convince me. I was in creeps.

Then he must have noticed it and he changed his topic immediately and ordered the rest of the crowd to take him to the office and bring back safely while he was also joining with them.

”I was half conscious! My voice, which I taught to the thousands of students had gone. I was totally mute. I cannot imagine what they would do to my husband. I fell on to the chair near by unconsciously. That’s all I can remember until Siri came and pattered me. Namalee was explaining like an audiovisual presentation, with all the expressions and actions. ”Don’t be afraid of Mam, we were never harass you. You are not a fraud teacher. You taught us honestly. You are a hard working teacher.

So I will save you. Don’ get scared of us. We will not do any harm to you, Upali went on saying breathlessly. ”By the way, he says we have planned a procession tomorrow to protest against the government. We have ordered every body in this village to be present there. But we understand that there will be some troubles between us and the army. Then you all will be in trouble. Therefore, I can take you safely to Pahala Kadugannawa in this night. From there you escape somewhere, Upali pledged to safe guard us.

”I was at ease for a while and both of us agreed to go with them to Pahala Kadugannawa that night.

They escorted us up to the tunnel and they vanished. We were safe to some extent” she exclaimed with a relaxing voice.

”I wanted to share with Siri, many opinions regarding Upali while we were walking at that moment the dreadful but fortunate escape. But my voice was out and could not express anything in words. I wanted to a convey Siri, that, having been a conscientious teacher they saved us. They respected our dedicated and sacrificed work we did. They gave us the life insurance.

“Is that not the “greatest tribute to a teacher a student could do? Namalee wanted to share that words with all of us.

Again she said, “When we were teachers we never took the students to the Principal for any punishments. Some how or the other we tried to correct them inside the class room. We knew that the most intelligent students are the most mischievous.

They need our attention. For that they are frisky. Therefore we gave lot of responsibilities to them to control their friskiness. That is how we controlled them. They liked it. Is itn’t so? She share the past experience we had.

Namalee was almost about to finish her true experienced story giving us an exited three hours. She added some more.

”Today, twenty years after that incident had happened. Upali had been goggled by those insurgents nobody knows what has happened to him. He has disappeared.

That is why I ran into tears at that time,” Namalee winded up her story while wiping her eyes with her sari fall.

At that time we were almost closer to Kadugannawa Tunnel. Few minutes after she got down from the van saying goodbye to all of us. I was the last teacher to get down from Matale.

Next year too the van will be sent to us to join this Past Pupil’s Association. But nobody knows that how many of us will be there to go in that van. But the vehicle will be come as it is the “The Symbol of Gratitudeness” of the pupils of a greater school like that. Names of the characters have been changed to cover the liability.