Darling we aren't too old, though we pass the Jubilee Gold

Love at first sight

by Lakmal Welabada

Love at first sight...

My love to you is as untrodden snow...

Chandra still remembers the first few words written in the love letter sent by her hubby Sunny. She repeats them over and over again.

Sunny was on his motor bike. When he parked it under the portico of the Gampaha Kirindiwela Walauwa, a long curly haired pretty girl in her late teens peeped out. He wondered! "My! she was the girl I saw at the concert at St. Joseph's Convent".

The bashful maiden waited for the young stranger to speak. The handsome guy already enticed her a bit, but she quickly erased the thoughts from her mind. "Is this Lawrence's place?" finally he spoke. "Aiya went out, and will be back soon," she said. Sunny paused and then, winked.

The girl who had been brought up under her father's extremely strict sovereignty had a shock, and could not bear it. She flew into the kitchen which was quite far away from the front verandah where the 'smartie' stood. While panting in excitement she asked the head caretaker, Laisa to see the stranger.

"Why Chooti Manike, why are you panting so much as if you had seen a ghost?" asked Laisa. "Aney Laisa, I did not see a ghost. Please run to the front and meet the visitor," she said. How could she explain to the faithful servant that the only ghost who frightened her was the young stranger.

Lawrence, Chandra's elder brother stepped in. "Hello Machchaan! Sorry to keep you waiting," he greeted his friend who took the just in front of the door that opened to the sitting area. Although he was talking to Lawrence his eyes were seeking for her, the bashful maiden flew away from him like a frightened doe.

Kirindiwela Rajjuruwo (the King of Kirindiwela), the majestic figure for the whole Gampaha District whose name earned popularity among both the esteemed and the poor not merely in the area, but also in the whole island was the father of Chandra and Lawrence. He had got up from his daily nap and walked towards the verandah.

"Lawrence, you can have any 'Bajavwa' (party) in the verandah and do not let your 'Bebadu Yaaluwo' (drunkard friends) step in as there are five young girls in this Walauwa," he snarled. Sunny who heard this felt as if he could serve the old man with a good beating. But he kept quiet.

And Sunny was the only young man who didn't drink that day. He was intoxicated with the dark eyed beauty. While the others were enjoying the party drinking like fish, Sunny sat calmly enjoying the jokes passing among them. But only Chandra noticed how his eyes were swaying towards the sitting area of the Walauwa looking for her pretty face that enticed him.

At the end of the party, everybody went away. But Sunny's motor cycle refused to start. It was dark. Kirindiwela Rajjuruwo summoned a mechanic from his vicinity. "A bolt is missing. Can't repair it now, sir. You have to wait until tomorrow," said the mechanic.

And so Sunny Boy got a rare opportunity permission to stay at the Walauwa. But, Kirindiwela Rajjuruwo did not forget to tie two Alsatian dogs beside the visitor's room where Sunny was given to spend the night. No matter, the friendly suitor soon shaped up the two dogs. He even went to the lavatory outside, jumping over the two 'security guards' of the Walauwa.

In the morning, even before the mechanic came Sunny started his bike. Many years later Chandra got to know that the bolt had been lying in his trouser pocket. After a few days Sunny who could not bear his feelings, revealed everything to Lawrence.

Lawrence was astonished as Sunny's description was not enough for him to guess with which sister his bosom friend was in love. So, he picked a photo from the family album in which all his five sisters were appearing along with the Premier D.S. Senanayake, and sent it to Sunny with a small note;

Dear Sunny Machan,

All my sisters are in this picture. Mark a cross just on the top of the girl you have fallen in love with. I would put the word to Thatha through Amma.

Yours affectionately,

Lawrence.

In no time the picture was returned with a cross marked on the top of the figure of Chandra. When the news was revealed though Kirindiwela Bisovunwahanse (Queen of Kirindiwela) alias Lawrence's/Chandra's mother to their King father he screamed. "He seemed to be from Pahatharata. Don't know from what kind of a family he is hailing from," he said.

"I want only Chandra and not the dowry set for her. Also I will be the only man who would break the sovereignty of the Kirindiwela Rajjuruwo. I would make Chandra agree to elope with me if you do not give your consent," Sunny wrote in his letter to his Juliet's father. Kirindiwela Rajjuruwo got shaken, may be for the first time in his life...

"However much he says this I would not agree to elope with anyone," butts in Chandra, after 55 years of marriage. Senaratne Abayasekara Dissanayake Mudiyanse Ralahamillage Padmini Chandra Senarath was born on December 2 in 1930 to D.L. Senaratne alias Kirindiwela Rajjuruwo (King of Kirindiwela) and Charlotte Rosalind Ekanayake Attanayake Amarasekara.

Chandra was the most mischievous daughter out of their five girls. Chandra had three elder brothers too. "All the girls studied at St. Joseph's Convent, Kegalle. We had to stay at home studying under a tutor brought to teach us when we were small.

We were not sent to the village school (before going to St.Joseph's) as our elders didn't want us to mingle with the village children. Hence, I had a very happy life at the hostel we were brought up under a strict environment by our father.

He loved his children, but didn't allow us even to talk with the male guests. We, the girls were not allowed even to go near the gate in the dusk. We had to wear what our father brought for us and were never allowed to step into a shop. He even used to take our foot frame on a half sheet to bring us shoes.

He was a landed proprietor and a businessman who almost owned and ruled the whole Kirindiwela-Gampaha area. He was the unofficial judge who settled down thousands of cases over minor rifts among villages at his unofficial 'Walauwa Courts'.

He was treated and respected as if he was a real king and he also behaved like a king," reminisces Chandra.

"All our paddyfields were well sowed in both seasons of 'Yala Kanna' and 'Maha Kanna' and we had a large harvest, about 32 huge gunny bags of paddy in each 'Kanna'. Our father had four elephants. We had an open-lorry which was not run by petrol, but was pulled by the elephants.

The mahout used to handle the steering wheel to direct the wooden lorry filled with paddy bags while the elephant was pulling it. All four giants used to come to our portico every evening to get a good feed of bananas, raw paddy and pineapples from our father.

After this my father went around the village on his horse back. He associated all the top elite crowd of the country like D.S. Senannayaka and Solomon Dias Bandaranaike, it is he who advised S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike to get into the national dress if he wished to shine in the Sri Lankan politics.

So, he accepted it. "Bisovunvahanse (queen), make coffee toffee for tea," would be S.W.R.D.'s usual request to my mother whenever he stepped into our place," recalls Chandra.

"Eheliyagoda Thalagaha Walauwa, Muttettuwe Walauwa and Kiriella Walauwa were our close relations. Unlike today those days rice and curry packed in 'Kurini' (cane) boxes was the famous thing relatives used to take when they visit each other.

There were cousins of my age and we used to cycle in our compound once our father goes to bed to have a nap," she reminisces. "My father had a Humber Super Snive Black car in which we all (the family) could chuck in. We went to Kataragama and Kandy and everywhere in it. There were so many who stayed at our Walauwa. Once I could remember my father including 47 names in the house holder's list," she recalls.

"When Sunny came with the proposal my father didn't like it thinking he was from the 'Pahatharata' low caste as they were living in Kalutara. My father wanted to give all his girls away to the Kandy Walauwas. So, when my brother Lawrence revealed that Sunny's mother was the sister of Sir Edwin Wijeratne's wife (late Diyawadana Nilame Nissanka Wijeratne's mother) he shut his loud mouth over it," laughs Chandra.

However the marriage of Chandra and Sunny was dragged for about two years as Chandra's elder sister, Ratna could not get a suitable groom. Sunny who used to come to Chandra's place never had the opportunity to talk a word with his heart throb under the strict orders of Kirindiwela Rajjuruwo.

He would chat with Lawrence and then pass a few love messages to Chandra who would peep in through the glass curtains of the sitting room. The verandah of the Walauwa was the marginal limit for poor Sunny who used to come to Kirindiwela all the way from Kalutara to see his sweetheart. What to do? He had to be patient with the rituals practised by the so called Kandyan Walauwas.

Finally, Ratna agreed to a proposal brought for her. Kirindiwela Rajjuruwo arranged two weddings and an Engagement for three of his girls on the same day. Chandra and Sunny (the Valentine's couple), Ratna and T.B. Rambukwella (today the parents of MP Keheliya Rambukwella) got married and Rupa (Chandra's younger sister) and Lakshman Ratnayaka got engagement on January 31 in 1952. The huge wedding ceremony marked the history of the Kirindiwela Walawwa.

"Brassier was a novel under garment during our time, and was considered a fashionable item. Girls who were born to a conservative family like ours used to wear a vest like undergarment. So, our father also never allowed us to wear the new trendy clothes.

But I knew I would look better if I wore it even at least for the home coming where all the Colombo elite crowd would visit. So I told this to Sunny. He had put a bra along with the Red Home Coming suit which the groom dressed on the bride on the 'Poruwa'. He had almost hid it along with the Home Coming saree.

So when the saree was unfolded the bra fell on the poruwa for everybody at the function to see. Somebody quickly picked it up, but it was quite prominent" laughs Chandra. At the Home Coming the visitors began to enjoy the music.

Knowing that his famous ballroom dancer son-in-law would ask his daughter to dance with him, Kirindiwela Rajjuruwo went to her before that. "Hey, you are not going to dance here. Those are not our customs," he snarled to her. Although Chandra was also a well trained ballroom dancer thanks to her Convent, poor Sunny boy had to dance only with his sister on his big day. That was how Nanayakkara Wijeratne Gunasekara Wasala Mudiyansege John William Gunasekara alias Sunny (his nick name) won the hand of Chandra. Sunny was born to William Alfred Gunasekara, Mudlier to the District Court from Badulla and Jane Mary Thennakoon Wijeratne. Sunny's parents settled down in Kalutara whence his father got a transfer to work at the Kalutara Courts. Sunny was the fourth and the only boy for the four girls in his family.

After sitting the London Matriculation Exam at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Sunny joined the Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1942. After serving there nearly five years he became a Public Health Inspector. "I enjoyed my stay in the Navy.

I served in Colombo, Trincomalee in Sri Lanka and Madras and Chitigon in India,"he smiles. Sunny boy was a well known boxer who had won many cups during his golden era. He was a good hockey player and a sprinter as well.

"He was known as the well behaved handsome young boy' among the girls in the Kalutara area. And he was an excellent waltz and ballroom dancer who had earned a famous name in the Kalutara Town Club.

When he saw me for the first time at our school concert I was just 17 years. He had come there with his cousins who were day scholars. And we were hostellers," recalls Chandra. "The mischievous glance and the 'Manamala' smile were the best gifts he was blessed with. Any girl would fall for that," she laughs and Sunny joins her.

However today Sunny is after a stroke that his spirit still gets enlivened by his wife's delightful chit-chat and care and attention rendered to him with lots of love, patience and devotion.

Sunny and Chandra are blessed with six daughters and a son. "All our children are into sports. Our son, Commodore G.M.Gunasekara is also attached to the Sri Lanka Navy. We are very proud of to have a 'Ranawiruwa' like him," Chandra wipes a tear.

Chandra is a singer who is blessed with a great memory as well. "I can still remember the 'Kavi' (verses) my sister and I sang to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Bandaranaike during their wedding day. "I still sing," she would recite some beautiful 'Kavi' to a melodious tune.

"I have been engaged in many meritorious deeds. I have been offering 'Dana' to the sacred Dalada for the past 26 years, offering 'Kapruk Palandanawa' to the Ruwanweli Maha Seya in Anuradhapura, offering a pair of loud speakers and a pair of 'Hevisi' drums to the Mahiyangana Chetiya were among a few such things.

Other than that I observe Sil on Full Moon Poya Day. My husband, my children and our friends who are ever ready to take part in any meritorious work I would organise have been a great blessing for me," she smiles.

Chandra has studied up to the Junior Certificate Exam as her King-father brought her and her elder sister back home to give them in marriage. But there are a lot of things that Chandra has learnt through her own intuition. Palm reading is one such thing. She has even read the palm of President Mahinda Rajapakse at his Temple Tree residence.

"I was always true to myself, and have done good to others always. So my blessings are very effective," she claims.

It was a pleasure to meet rare people like Chandra and Sunny who have a world of information that bridges the present with the past.

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