Strangers in youth provide life lessons, in humanity and kindness, perhaps even in strange ways. — Near the school boarding house was a chapel. Under the chapel was a printing press run by the Christian brothers. Way down below to the left was the Mutwal beach, two hundred meters away. I was a junior border in the boarding house, also run by the Christian brothers. Most…

A role model of a teacher — My friend, Rohan Rodrigo brought a knuckleduster to the classroom. Rohan is a tough brave boy, bringing in a hand-to-hand weapon, everybody thought. Whom is he going to use it against? was on everyone’s mind. Rohan was the fearless hero of the day with a weapon. Brandishing it, he was…

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses” — Be warned. This could be a bit of a rant. It is a story of dramas at arrival lounges at international borders. When I arrived in Dubai in the seventies, I was walking through the biggest airport I had seen. At the immigration counter, I stayed in a queue marked…

Handwriting, calligraphy and fonts influenced multiple generations — Alphabet is a miracle. It is a marvel for any kid. Each letter is magical for them. Now I see that experience in my grandkids. Their curiosity to ape letters in their own way. When I see my grandchildren’s efforts to scribble at that tender age, I feel grateful to…

A young apprentice experiments with discarded paper tapes and finds innovative ways to have fun — Fresh out of college, I started working as an apprentice, learning the ropes in telecom technologies. At my workplace, there were plenty of punched tapes. Now, if you want to know a whole lot more about punched tapes, click on the hyperlink. …

The number, eighty-nine in a school boarding — I was number 89, eighty-nine. I liked it, being marked as a number. I was like a child soldier with a number on my uniform. It was not impersonal. I loved being the number 89. I became the number 89 when I entered the Christian brothers’ formative boarding school at…

Five kids head to the hill country during school holidays — On a morning during the school holidays, Uncle Jeff accompanied his children, Ajit, Shanti, Rohan and Marius to Colombo Central station. I was the other kid with him, Ajit’s best mate in that enthralled bunch of kids. We were travelling to Kotagala to see their mum, living, and working in…

A life-long journey of moving homes — The last time I moved was over two years ago. From a rented townhouse to my newly built house. After renting for a year, I was impatient to move into my own home. In that waiting period, all I did in my spare time was to plan and design the…

A terror of a teacher in grade 3 — Mrs Pa’ris was my teacher in grade 3. Back in Sri Lanka, her name was pronounced, Paa-ris. Leading up to grade three, from kindergarten up, we had Mrs. Cooray, Miss Yvonne and Miss Angela. our class teachers. Mrs Cooray taught us the alphabet on slate tablets. Miss Yvonne’s job was…