She proposed: His answer was a ‘thumb’s- up’ signal!

Fonny talks of life with once stage queen Prema Ganegoda.:

Prema Ganegoda was known as the `Queen of the Stage’ in 1960s and 1970s. She won the Best Actress Award in 1966 and in 1971 at the State Drama Festival. Among the thousands of her fans who tried to win her heart and hand, it was `Fonny’ who was the luckiest of them all.

Piya Wijaya Fonseka who returned from London on a short holiday with his `queen’, took a walk down his memory lane unwrapping many events and incidents. At one point he stops, silently memorising, the day they put their hidden feelings towards each other into words.....

Prema: Aren’t you having a girl friend?

Fonny: No.

Prema: Aren’t you wanting to have one?

Fonny: (in an unaffected attitude) I do, if I meet the right person.

Prema: (After a few seconds, in her usual mischievous tone) What do you think about me? Am I not suitable for you?

Fonny looked around. He felt it was not the place and time he could continue a topic like that. He was applying Vaseline cream prescribed by a Homeopathy doctor on Prema’s rash which had spread all over her body making the beauty queen to look like an `ugly duckling’.

After being silent a while concentrating a lot on what he was attending on, he spoke. “I’ll tell you in ten minutes,” he said while getting up to go to the well near by to wash his hands. The ten minutes seemed a long time for poor Prema.

Fonny was her best friend upto this time. She never felt the gender difference between them as he was so close to her and her family as a friend, a relative, a brother. “Aiyo, what a foolish thing I did? In case he doesn’t have any idea in me I would lose his friendship too. How can I face him now? He’s comes from a good family, and might think I’m trying to get at him by force,” she thought.

The so called `ten minutes’ he was taking at the well, for her was like many hours. He was the most loyal friend and the kindest human being she had ever met. Apart from his friendship, often she saw a brother and a father in him. Prema who had been facing a tough and rough life since her childhood felt his assistance like a shower of drizzle on her life.

Fonny came in to the house after a shower. He peeped into the sitting room and saw some neighbours and relatives who had come to see the sick, Prema and her paralysed mother. All were having a chit-chat. He knew Prema was waiting for his answer. He had to indicate it to her without letting the others know.

“Prema, what you asked me, is OK,” said Fonny showing the thumps up signal. Prema felt relieved. At least he didn’t think bad about her. And at the same time a strange feeling which she never had towards him before, over came her. Her rosy cheeks looked more blushed. She felt shy. Here after, Fonny was not just going to be her friend, but her fiance. “She says it was the first time she felt shy over me as a male,” smiles Fonny.

Prema Ganegoda was born on April 24 in 1947 at Kirindiwela, Gampaha to Simon Ganegoda, paddy farmer and Ensohamy Peiris as the youngest to two elder brothers. Her eldest brother, Gamini Ganegoda took part in Sugathapala Senerath Yapa’s award winning short film `Minisa saha Kaputa’ (The man and the crow).

Prema though born in Gampaha was brought up at her mother’s little house at Kirula Road, Narahenpita. First she had her education at Hinggings College (now Musaeus College), Colombo upto Grade 5, and then was admitted to Parakkramabahu Maha Vidyalaya, Mahawatta, Colombo since she found it was convenient for her to attend to a school that was close to her place. The age gap between her and her two elder brothers were 28 and 21 years respectively.

Hence the age difference between Prema and her eldest niece was two years. She faintly remembers her father who was fair and handsome. He rarely paid a visit to their place at Narahenpita, and stayed mostly in his village. It was her mother, Ensohamy who took all the responsibility of looking after her lovely little cute daughter who was born to her after many many years.

Ensohamy’s sole income was a catering business. Her tasty lunch that served at her little sitting room was the most popular self service food outlet among all walks of workers at the Labour Department, Survey Department and the CTB which were just opposite to their place.

Prema continued to go to school and Sunday School, and took part in many extra curricular events and activities organised, but had paid a little interest in studies. “Actually, with all the work load she had to attend, she had no time to study.

When she came home she had to help her Mum and had hardly any time to do her home work,” butts in Fonny. However, the active little Prema was so energetic, that she never felt all that was a harassment. Instead she faced it with her usual benevolent mischievous smile.

Meanwhile Heen Baba Dharmasiri, a leading dancing Master came to Prema’s school as the dancing teacher. His meeting was the juncture that laid the foundation for Prema to change her life. Prema started attending his private dancing classes for three days and also a night English class on other two days of the week which was held from 6.00 to 8.00pm.

The Master who recognised Prema’s talents took her to all his dancing shows held everywhere in Colombo and even at foreign High Commissions and Embassies. However, whilst attending to all her busy schedules Ensohamy was protectively behind her daughter.

In 1950, Heen Baba arranged a dancing show at Lumbini Hall, Colombo to raise aid for the people who were affected by a cyclone. Popular dramatist Sugathapala de Silva was also among the audience. “Your performance was superb. Would you like to act in a stage drama?” he asked.

“I haven’t taken part in any. So, I don’t know what acting is,” she answered innocently. The dramatist looked at the innocent school girl who was fifteen years old. He then turned to her mother whom he managed to convince. It was how Prema Ganegoda was introduced to the popular stage in Sri Lanka.

Ralex Ranasinghe (popular actor Tony Ranasinghe’s elder brother) who was one of the leading photographers during that era zoomed his camera lens to catch the little Barbi queen’s enchanting beauty for the cover page of leading local Magazines.

`Thattu Geval’ (The Flats) was her first performance with famous actors and actresses like Tony Ranasinghe, G.W. Surendra, Wickrema Bogoda and Kanthi Weeraratne. The premiere show of the drama was held at the Lumbini Hall in 1963. And it was a great hit which soon went around the island. Since then the teenage stage queen also became a member of Sugathapala de Silva’s `Ape Kattiya’, the famous cream of the performance artistes (lyric composers, musicians, stage decorators and so on) in Sri Lanka.

Sugathapala de Silva’s `Bordinkarayo’ (The Boarders- 1963), `Harima Badu Hayak’ (based on a French play -1964) and the Best Actress Award winning stage drama `Hele Nagin Doon Putha’ (based on the English play called `Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ - 1964); Dharmasiri Wickremaratne’s `Handata Banda Iniman’ (1967) and `Onna Babo Athinniya’; Namel Weeramuni’s `Nattukkari’ (The Dancer - 1970); R.R.Samarakoon’s `Ahasin Vatunu Minissu’ (1971) and Simon Navagaththegama’s `Gangavak, Sapaththu Kabalak saha Maranayak’ (1971) which won her the Best Actress of the year award for the second time were the dramas which were staged round the island breaking all Box Office records.

Prema Ganegoda was the bubbling star in that golden era of the Lankan stage. Many articles about her inborn talents on the performing stage were well acknowledged by prominent critiques of the country both in Sinhala as well as in the English media. But still Prema was the little mischievous lass of her mother who never broke her routine to get up early in the morning and then to help her out in all her work.

After the performance on the stage, she would receive bouquets and bouquets of flowers. Prema who used to accept them with a broad smile, would then run backstage to collect her coconuts and other provisions she had stocked after marketing before the drama started. She would then stuff them into a taxi and take them home. By that time, her mother was too old and feeble to do marketing alone, though she never let her catering business go down.

Prema won only two Best Actress’ Awards not because she had any competition with any other actress, but because the State Drama Festival was held only twice in her era, in 1964 and 1971. Until she left the country in 1971, Prema was the only leading actress on the Lankan stage drama.

Apart from that Prema took part in a few films as well - `Kinkinipada’ directed by Douglas Kothalawala (1964), Rubi de Mel’s `Pipena Kumudu’ (1966), Yasapalitha Nanayakkara’s `Vasanthi’ (1966) and Dr.Linus Dissanayaka’s `Ves Gaththo’ (1970).

Prema’s eldest brother lived in Kelaniya and the other brother lived close to her place at Narahenpita, and with her mother and brother assumed that looking after her brother’s children were also part of her duties. So, going to school became just a routine in her life. However she could only go up to O/Ls. Her father who was separated from her mother died in 1964.

Much as she had earned fame, Prema had no idea the importance she gained in this country. She was just the humble and mischievous lass still. Piya Wijaya Fonseka alias Fonny who was boardered in Colombo and studying at Ananda College, Maradana was one of the fans of stage dramas. Fonny was the best artist and decorator at Ananda College at that time.

Inheriting the talent through his maternal uncle Bernard Lokuge, a popular Pandol artist in Sri Lanka, Fonny did all the stage decorations and other decor at school functions and festivals. His other forte was not to miss a single drama staged at that time. Among them he felt more inclined to see the dramas of Prema.

Eventually he became a close friend of the backstage crew. Where ever the drama crew went Fonny also went with them. Ensohamy who protected her daughter, didn’t mind sending her alone with Fonny as he had won her trust to the maximum point. It was the time that she fell ill.

The rash she got was a terrible attack both to her career and mentality. Ensohamy who was badly affected over her daughter’s illness ended up becoming paralysed. Both the mother and daughter were taken to Prema’s eldest brother’s home at Kelaniya.

By this time, Fonny who finished his A/Ls was offered a job at the same company he was in and out learning things there as a hobby since he was a kid. He was doing well. The faithful `friend’s’ attachment towards Prema never failed even though she looked sick and ugly. Instead it was he who came forward for their help.

“I not only applied medicine on Prema, but also used to apply oils on Prema’s paralysed mother. She was highly worried about Prema. On the same day I declared my love to Prema, I promised her mother that I would marry and look after her daughter. Believe me, within a week, ailments of both of them disappeared.

Then they came back to Narahenpita and even re-started their catering business. I never thought my words could do such a miracle!” laughs Fonny.Hewa Fonsekage Torrington Piya Wijaya alias Fonny was born on November 18 in 1946 to H.F. Lenty Fonseka, School Principal who later became an Inspector of Schools and Lokuge Baby Nona, a school teacher at Ambalangoda.

Fonny was the fourth of the five members in his family. He first had his education at Dharmashoka at Ambalangoda and then at Ananda College, Colombo. He was a good athlete who even played for the Ananda College Cricket team for sometime. His two brothers and two sisters went up continued their studies with the guidance of their study oriented father. It was only Fonny who found a job and then decided to settled down with his `stage queen’ heart throb.

“Getting permission from parents of my background for a marriage as a young man of 21 years was not at all an easy thing. None of my elder siblings were married then. But, however, all of them knew my affair with Prema, and since she was an actress, my parents too had common doubts over her. The charming, humble and benevolent ways of Prema didn’t take much time to win her strict in-laws.

“It seemed that Prema brought sunshine to my family. Fonny, Prema and their elder son, Vibhava Hasantha went to England in 1971. Fonny had been working as an Aircraft Maintenance Technician at the British Airways until today. Their second son, Thumula Udara was born in 1981 in UK.

“Vibhava did a Financial Management Degree in the London School of Economics. Fonny and Prema have been the most popular couple who have been rendering silent service to many Sri Lankans, especially those in the art field, by providing them shelter at their place on many an occasion. Apart from that the service they do through organising the cultural events in UK to maintain the identity of Sri Lankans should be applauded.

Once a bubbling actress, Prema continued her hard working capacity even in UK. Since 1976, she first worked as a machine operator at the United Biscuits for 5 years, then as a Care Assistant at an Elders’ Home for 10 years and thirdly owned their own small Super-Market for 12 years.

“Working at the Elders’ Home was the most enjoyable time in her life,” says her husband. “She loves elderly people. Most of her friends in UK were adults. Some of them she really took care of,” he says.

“I think,” pauses Fonny...”I think I’m extremely lucky to have a wife like Prema. She is a wonderful woman; excessively kind hearted and humble; clever and apt in any household chores; very clean and perfect whatever she does. Preparing a meal alone for forty or sixty people is not at all a problem for her.

She has got that training by working with her mother since she was a child. We never had a problem in our family life. Helping and entertaining others has been the hobby of both of us, and we will be continuing that, even in the future. We have been in UK for the past 37 years, and hope to settle down in Sri Lanka very soon. We’ve already bought a house at Battaramulla,” says Fonny.

“Our two sons are the two jewels in our life. Whatever happening takes place in their lives we will be there for them. We assume it’s the duty by the parents to stand by their children in both the good times and bad times of their life,” he concludes.