SHRILANKA
this is the last about Srilanka
05/09/2010
After visiting Pinnavela we left for COLOMBO - After reaching Colombo we drove past many memories like the Cargill department store Ceylon Technical college where Emmannu did his engineering the railway station at Maradana many Government offices etc..
The highlight of this trip to me as this was my birthplace & where I did my primary schooling from Ananda Balika Vidyalaya now called MAHA VIDYALAYA as it has grown so much with a hostel & degree classes too we also drove past Ananda college & the place park where I used to play truant & spend time with friends when the school closed aerly nfor some reason
This isthe 1st stop in Colombo where we reached about 4PM I was just thrilled to enter my old school & very thrilled to see that ir has grown so much The watchman kindly allowed me to go in for my tour of the place It was Sunday so did not meet anyone. 'From here I went to visit the Buddhist temple across the road where as kids we used to go & pray every full moon day with flowers
.This place too has grown so much & now is a monastery[seminary] & I could see training monks walking around The Bodhi tree alter was much better now with a marble top & many Buddha statues adorning it the same place where as I kid I used to pray I did the same & prayed he stupa was the same .
We visited fountain house lane NO 4 -where I grew up The main road has been broadened so the area of Fountain house lane has been reduced & as we enter FHL I came to my house-No 4 almost at the entrance to FHL
All the houses are changed with a garage-covered area in front of the house. The interior is also changed the partituion between the sitting & dinning area is removed & it is a long bigger room the bedrooms were the same the store room wall from the dinning room area has been broken down & is now a small dinning room So there is no old storeroom The veranda leading to the Kitchen & bath/toilet & the courtyard is the same the kitchen is now changed to a mordern version with the fridge & stoves . The toilet has been changed to a utility room with the washing machine & the bathroom which was very big is now bath cum toilet.
The courtyard is the same but has been concreted & some nice colourful plants grown at one
end
when we went out we met Shivanah who is still staying at No 5 FHL with his daughter & her family he recognised when I said i was staying here 60 yrs ago -& he immediately said BAHAT ? From him I came to know about his sister Maheshwari who was a little older to me His Older sisters etc. & also about Padmini who lived in No 7 FHL we went on a tour of No 25FHL which is empty now -where I was born & also saw some other houses in the lane which were morable to me --like ''6 finger kunubakki's'' house
It was dusk by now
from here we went to Town hall on one side & Victoria park on the other side Gall face the beach which we used to visit often as kids -the beach By this time it was quite dark so we went to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner I bought some ''kaludodol'' -a memory from my childhood Finally left for the Grand Hotel where we stayed the night
Next morning about 4am we left for the Airport -& finally home to India on the7 nth September
It was such a delightful trip full ,of memories -that i ticked off Ceylon as-things to do before I die
it was a very satisfying memorable trip
