Paths Made Straight

The Journey of Don Thomas Jayasinghe

Denzil Jayasinghe
6 min readFeb 8, 2025

Thomas’s unwavering faith, relentless pursuit of ambition, and the twists and turns of his life journey are all guided by the biblical proverb that shaped his path. It captures the personal and universal struggles of striving for a better future while navigating loss, love, and self-discovery.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

This proverb from the Bible became a quiet mantra for Don Thomas Jayasinghe, a guiding light through the uncertainties that shadowed his life. Even as he bore the weight of providing for his family after his father’s untimely death, his dreams remained vivid, unclouded by the hardships that pressed upon him.

In the year 1944, Thomas was just eighteen, in the middle of World War Two, like so many young men in the village of Dalugama. Two years earlier, a year after his father’s passing, he had sat for his year ten exam in Sinhala. He had longed to continue his studies, to push beyond the confines of his small world, but the means to do so were beyond his reach. The dream of further education slipped away, replaced by the immediate demands of survival.

Thomas found work at J.M. Robertson, a British company in Colombo that dealt in tea and coffee production. It was an entry-level position, the kind of job that required him to sort mail and distribute files — tasks that felt mundane and unchallenging. The pay was meagre, and it didn’t take long for Thomas to realise that this path offered little promise for the future. He knew he couldn’t stay there, not if he wanted something more for himself.

In those days, graduating in Sinhala meant something specific: you didn’t wear long pants. Long pants were a symbol, a privilege reserved for those who had qualified in the English medium. It was a small but telling detail, a reminder of the hierarchies that shaped their lives. Thomas, like so many others, was caught in the space between aspiration and reality, between the life he dreamed of and the one he was expected to live.

Ambition was woven into the very fabric of Thomas’s being, a quiet but unyielding force that drove him forward. Determined to break free from the constraints of his circumstances, he began attending night classes to prepare for the exam in English. His tutor was a Buddhist monk at a monastic college where monks pursued their education. The monk’s guidance became a lifeline, a source of knowledge and discipline that Thomas clung to with unwavering focus. Within two years, his efforts bore fruit — he became one of only two young men from his village to pass the exam in English, the other being his closest friend, who would later become the godfather to Thomas’s first child.

It was a gruelling time in Thomas’s life, marked by relentless effort and sacrifice. His days began at four in the morning when he would rise to help his mother in her small shop. Afterwards, he would walk thirty minutes to the train station, often carrying a torch made from dried, flammable coconut leaves to light his way in the predawn darkness. His evenings were no less demanding; after returning home to assist his mother again, he would attend night classes, his mind sharp despite the exhaustion that clung to him. His studies stretched late into the night, the flickering light of an oil lamp casting long shadows as he pored over his books. Each page turned was a step closer to the future he dreamed of, a future he was determined to claim, no matter the cost.

The achievements of the two lads did not go unnoticed. Their success was celebrated in the local paper, their names printed with a sense of pride that rippled through the village. The Catholic priest, too, acknowledged their accomplishment, announcing their names during Sunday mass. From the pulpit, his voice carried the weight of recognition, a rare moment of triumph for two young men from Dalugama. For Thomas, it was a fleeting but significant validation, a reminder that his hard work had not been in vain. Yet, even as the community celebrated, Thomas knew this was only a step on the long path he had chosen, a path that demanded far more than what he had already given.

Meanwhile, Thomas’s romantic life was fraught with its own complexities. His girlfriend, Desidarius, was someone he cared for deeply, and her mother had even begun to entertain the idea of marrying her daughter to him. But Thomas’s ambitions stretched far into the future, his dreams of a better life leaving little room for the immediacy of marriage. He was caught between the pull of tradition and the push of his own aspirations, a tension that left him uncertain and hesitant.

Then, suddenly, Desidarius passed away, her death casting a shadow over Thomas’s world. The loss was profound, leaving him adrift in a sea of grief and unspoken regrets. After her passing, Thomas withdrew from romantic pursuits altogether. His heart, once open to the possibility of love, now seemed sealed, as if the pain of losing Desidarius had closed off that part of his life. He channelled his energy into his studies and work, burying his emotions beneath the weight of his ambitions. For Thomas, love became a distant memory, a chapter of his life that ended too soon, leaving him to navigate the years ahead with a quiet, unspoken solitude.

Thomas never spoke of Desidarius again, not to anyone. Her memory became a silent, private part of his past, tucked away in the corners of his heart where no one else could reach. Instead, he poured himself into his new life, one that was slowly taking shape with purpose and promise.

He secured a government job as a clerk in the local government services, a role that marked the beginning of his ascent. With it came a newfound confidence, reflected in his ability to speak and write in English, a skill that opened doors and commanded respect. He began wearing long pants, a subtle but powerful symbol of his elevated status, a departure from the days when such a privilege was reserved for those who had qualified in the English medium. He even bought a Humber bicycle for 250 rupees, a prized possession that spoke of both practicality and pride.

In a move that signalled his forward-thinking nature, Thomas simplified his name, shedding the cumbersome “Jayasinghe Archchige Do Thomas” for the more streamlined “Don Thomas Jayasinghe.” This decision was rooted in practicality, sparing his future children the burden of outdated naming conventions that he felt had no place in the modern world he envisioned.

As he progressed in his career, Thomas earned a reputation as an efficient and dedicated civil servant. His self-confidence grew, matched by a remarkable degree of emotional intelligence that allowed him to navigate the complexities of his work and relationships with ease. He was a man who had carved out a place for himself, one step at a time.

Two years later, Thomas crossed paths with Mary Susan Jayawardena, the eldest daughter of a school principal. At eighteen, she was radiant, lively, and brimming with energy. From their very first encounter, Thomas was captivated. Their connection was instant, a spark that swiftly deepened into something profound. As their relationship grew more serious, Thomas’s mother expressed reservations, feeling that Thomas was out of Susan’s league. But Thomas was confident and ready for this new chapter. They married soon after, their union heralding the start of a fresh phase in Thomas’s life — one defined by love, companionship, and the promise of a future he had tirelessly worked to create.

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Denzil Jayasinghe
Denzil Jayasinghe

Written by Denzil Jayasinghe

Lifelong learner, tech enthusiast, photographer, occasional artist, servant leader, avid reader, storyteller and more recently a budding writer

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