Darling we aren't too old, though we pass the jubilee gold

The happy story of another happy couple

by Lakmal Welabada

"I climbed up to the ceiling and hid myself when I heard another suitor was coming to see me that day. I was just 17 or 18 years old, and it was a real nuisance for me as I had no intention of getting married at all. But my parents had already decided to give me in marriage. The sight of the matchmaker was the most irritating thing at that time in my life," laughs Wadduwage Don Rita Chandra Ranasinghe.

"I heard her parents had to cancel the arrival of the visitors who were scheduled to come to see her that day as she refused to climb down. But when I came to see her, surprisingly everything was OK. She had dressed up nicely, came to me and greeted me. I think an angel might have given her the news on the previous night, that I was going to be her suitor," butts in her hubby Bacil Claude Jayawardane.

"I got into the ceiling by climbing up the racks in the store room. There was a hole in the ceiling through which I could chuck myself in. But my younger sister had seen me climbing up and told my mother about it. My mother came to the storeroom and blagarded me properly. When I got down she slapped me with thundering shots on both cheeks. So I had to obey her after that," laughs Chandra.

"Both our families were known to each other as our ancestors were in this area for generations. In fact I had seen her going to the Nayakakanda Church close by with her friends on Sundays.

Out of the lot she was the best looking girl, I thought. But I had no especial intention or interest in her until she was proposed to me through the Annavi in the church," says he.

Karawgodage Don Simpilinu Jayawardana, businessman at Hendala, Wattala and Dona Liliyan Dissanayake who hailed from Kotahena were the parents of Bacil who was the fourth child out of their 12 children. "My parents had 14 children and two had died very young. Ours was a big, but a happy family," he reminisces.

Bacil studied at St. Benedict's at Kotahena. He has been a football crazy since he was a school boy. "I played for the school team. I was a Senior Prefect from 1941 to 1951 at a stretch. I did my Senior School Certificate in 1951," he recalls.

"Though I sat for the University Entrance I was not successful. So I entered Aquinas and started an Economics course. But I had to take over my father's coconut fibre milling (coir) business. Those days it was a very fruitful business.

Hayleys Company was the leading buyer and exporter of fibre at that time. My father supplied meat to Elephant House and various other top food outlets during that time. He was a strict disciplinarian. Our home background fell in line with our school atmosphere which was also famous for very well imposing strict discipline," he recollects.

Chandra was born to Wadduwage Don Andrew Wilson Ranasinghe, a leading government building contractor of Handala and Don Aslin Nanayakkara. Chandra was the second out of the four girls and two boys of the family. "I studied at the Holy Family Convent, Wennappuwa. I was boarded. So was Bacil. So we had never met even though we were living in the same area - Handala, Wattala," she says.

"After my SSC I was at home. Unlike today, those days our mothers didn't tell us that someone was coming to see you. Instead she used to ask us to dress up well. So we by instinct knew something special was going to take place.

And as far as I remember three proposals were brought to me through a matchmaker. The very first one was from a famous dancer, but it was cancelled. The second one was from a coconut fibre miller from Meerigama, and it was the time I hid myself in the ceiling.

He visited us later, but wanted to sell the property I was to get as my dowry. Apparently this was cancelled as my father didn't like my property being sold. Thirdly Bacil came to the scene," she says with a blushing face. Chandra had seen him casually at the church with his family. But never had any special feelings until he visited her place through the proposal. He was looking handsome.

All her loathing for marriage evaporated as the dew disappears in the sun shine. He was her sun shine.

Chandra was shy. But wanted to see his face and how he looked like. His thin mustache resembled that of an actor. He was handsome, she thought. Bacil too cast a few tender glances at her.

Immediately after their first meeting they arranged their engagement. At the Pattakanu Acharini, the famous jewellers in Colombo at that time, the couple saw each other for the second time. But did not have an opportunity to talk.

"We just smiled with each other," reminisces Bacil. It was after exchanging the rings that Bacil and Chandra sat together and exchanged a few words. "The function was in the evening. After the dinner his family and relatives went home, and Bacil talked with her until 11 pm.

They had their wedding at St.Lucia's Cathedral, Kotahena on June 27 in 1957. "We booked a reception at the Colombo Town Hall. But had to cancel it as Chandra's father passed away just nine days before the wedding.

We had the homecoming reception and the honeymoon trips though," recalls Bacil. "We were at his place for about a week. His mother was a very nice person. But I was inside the room all the time as there were many boys in the house. After that we stayed for another week at our place and then came to this house which was given to him by his father. Since then we have been here," she says.

Bacil was in business and politics. In 1966, he represented the youth delegation on labour and social studies.

He was appointed as a Director and became the Working Director and then the Acting Chairman at the Fisheries Corporation under the Fisheries Minister Festus Perera in the 1980s... "By that time I had closed down my fibre mill, and was fully involved in politics. But when I could reveal many frauds that were functioning underneath and it was sickening.

So gradually I retreated from politics. We always had a very religious atmosphere in our lives, so I found it difficult to cope with various deceptions in others' dealings. I resigned from politics and government service and began to look after my own property," says Bacil.

Bacil and Chandra were blessed with three children.

"We are very fortunate to have such good children. Our daughter is a Senior English Lecturer at the Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College. The eldest son is working at Hatton National Bank. And our youngest son is a priest. He is Rev. Father Shamindra Jayawardane at Thudawe Church, Marawila," says Chandra. The couple is grandparents of four grandchildren. "The eldest granddaughter is 22 years and the youngest grandson is 8 years," says Chandra.

"I advise early marriages. So then you also can grow up with your children. When the age gap in between is long parents would be old when the children are young. This prevents forming a friendly bond between you and your children which is very important and should be maintained well," advocates Bacil.

In 2003, Bacil was awarded with a certificate by the late Pope John Paul II in recognition of his service rendered to three Parish associations over 50 years.

He was the energetic and active member who held the post of presidency in many esteemed social associations like the Lions Movement, Justice of the Peace, Soccer World, Senior Citizens Association and Royal Asiatic Society. He was a qualified football referee too.

"I didn't even know to make a cup of tea when I got married. But later I became a good cook. I learnt Batik but never had the time to practise it at home as I was busy with the children," says Chandra.

This is the happy story of another happy couple, Bacil and Chandra who will celebrate their Golden Wedding Jubilee this June.

[email protected]