The French Connction....

Everyday we meet people.but very few of   them will remember,out of them some will stay as friends.We can 't select meeting of people but we can select friends. Friends are not  a random thing,we will be friendly only if we like each others

Uncle Gamini is my mother's first cousin.
He  is spending  Bohimen  life since the day I knew,among most of relations uncle Gamini is not welcome,but not  by my mother.Only constant thing with Uncle Gamini is passion of travel.
I might have inherited  that form him.
Spending most of time out of this Island Uncle Gamini has seen and experienced  a lot.He has had the companion of blue eyes,green eyes,brown eyes and big dark eyes  now ended up marring nice looking lady who is very few years elder than me.Good for him....

Roldy was introduced to me by Uncle Gamini.Roldy is from  France,Uncle Gamini also lived most of time there and still he is disappear suddenly and call us from France making sure us that he is still living.
Though uncle Gamimi has introduced different people to us in several times none of us did not stay in our mind but Roldy was different.Very few things he told about our country and it made me to think as Sri Lankan we can be happy about it.

Roldy is not from big cities such as Paris or Leon in France.He is from small town on the Normandy beach.As per Roldy it is a village of little more than 100 people.Every body know each other and like Sri Lanka of there an accident or  anything happened whole village will come for  help.
Very much Sri Lankan,
Roldy has no any idea how Sri Lanka look like or what is Sri Lanka,he never heard about it but ha had decided to go to an island which is warm with nice beach.
Of course he was correct.As esteemed architect I asked about Ponpedue Center,Chapel Ron-champ  and some more place which made me interested. But for Roldy those are trivial even he does not wanted to see Monalisaa in Louvre Museum.
Out of curiosity I asked from Roldy how he know uncle Gamini.
That is the where story begins.Roldy has taken a long transit flight and had spent hours and hours different airports on his way.
Somehow he had lost his backpack with all traveling plans in Sri lanka also some money.Then at the airport he was uncertain about of coming to Sri Lanka.This confused guy had met another Sri Lankan and told come with him and he will take care everything in Sri Lanka.Roldy never met this Sri Lankan in France,but Roldy felt since he has nothing to loose take his chances.
So he came with that Sri Lankan and went to see Yala and some other places .
Uncle Gamini   never met this guy but he knew a friend of the   Sri Lankan who Roldy met at the air port.Spending nearly one month in Tissamaharama Roldy wanted to go some else where.Then ended up coming  Ingiriya.
Uncle Gamini was so happy to have him with and Roldy was welcomed warmly.Sri Lankan  were famous for their hospitality.Still we are.This may be a small incident but there are lot of involved of this.Actually I was proud about all this Sri Lankans.
By the  time I was got to know Roldy he was more Sri Lankan,than most of us.eating with his both hand,talking Sinhalese,having bath in rivers smoking local cigars.
On  the last Wesak poya day Roldy  participated  for Danssala which was organized  uncle Gamini.
Event though  Roldy stayed Sri lanka over two months he never visited Colombo.
So Uncle Gamini suggested me to  take Roldy in and around Colombo.From the beginning we were not very much friendly but later we were good companions.
Roldy started talking me Nangi which means sister.
Then he talked all the traveling ha had made including Caribbean Islands.He likes the Island life.
He was very genuine guy.I took him to the  golf course in Sri Lanka he said he had never played golf in his life.Also said it  s a sport only  with  rich people even in France.
I have seen Sri Lankan who are showing lot more than they are used to be.
Also I have met foreigners coming to Sri Lanka during the winter simply because they unable to afford the electricity bill,but very pompous about the white skin.Sri Lankan most of us dark brown.But Roldy is the one who accepted  very frankly the  skin different among white people.
It's good to be genuine at least for a once.....
Roldy I feel most of the time genuine.
In the end I would like to one thing what Roldy told to me and I think he has a good point of being a drifter.

 Roldy on the Galle face pier.
As per Roldy there are rich people and poor people in this world,but most of them are not rich or poor,they just living,they work ,they earn and they pay back every month ,every year....I think most of us belong to that category,Simply Roldy does not wanted to live in that way......So he has chosen what he preferred.For Roldy life is doing what he like.I think he has chosen wisely....

Come this way.... It s - A 8

A9,the road which connects central hill capitals Kandy and northern peninsula capital Jaffna,this is the road widly spoken over 30 years.there are movies based on this road.there are books have written over this road,apart of that there were thousands of peoples died over it.

Before we ended the Sri Lankan Civl war this road was belong to two countries,two ethnic groups,Sinhalese and Tamils.

Since the war is ended A9 is free,

But I m not going to tell about A9.the road which spent most of my time is not the A9 road,

It is  the A8.Over  twenty years I m going through this road.This is my road...

I m not sure on which  basis the British numbered this roads in Sri Lanka,If it is based on it length this cannot be A8, In distance A8 is the shortest road.

The A8 which connects Panadura, a coastal town  in western province and Ratnapura  capital of Sabaragamauwa.The topography of the road stated form sea level the fourth tallest mountain of Sri Lnaka, the Adams' Speak.

Panadura town clock tower.

The mountain Adam's peak not only scared but also it is the place where four main rivers starting. 

Mahawali,Kalani.Kalu,Walawe  the great rivers of Sri lanka starting  from Adam's Speak and run to four directions and meet the Indian ocean from Trincomalee,Colombo,Kalutara and  Ambalanthota.

There are  no any Sri Lankan who did not clibe this Mountain at least  once in our life time,it ia a secred mountain to the all religions,If you are sick,you clibe this,if you are well you climbe this,does not matter young or old,no particular reason we all sri lankans  climb this mountain at least onec.

For me it was over 10-12 times,

Living in the A8 road menas we are in the shadow of the mountain.Climbing Adam's peak is a cultural event in Srilanka

The town Panadura,is famous during the colonial time for it s Buddhist Revival.Like most of coastal town Panadura became mainly Christian town and Buddhist Monks started rebuilding Buddhist temples.The famous Panadura wadaya ,the debate of Panadura happened between Buddhist monks and  christian Fathers.

The town Ratnapura is world famous for it s Gems.The word it self Ratna means Gems in Sinhalese.But there are  common land marks in both towns,that  is the  clock towers. Presently Pandura consists of  all ethnic groups,where Ratnapura predominately Buddhist.

Gems in Ratnapura

Traditional gem mining place in Ratnapura District

For me I grew up actually center of the A8 Road.

It is a sleepy little town ,Ingiriya.After the low land are of Panadura and Horana ,Ingiriya is the
gate way to hill terrain.Just passing Ingiriya Town You are driving parallel to the Kalu River.Of course Ingiriya does not have a clock Tower.But it has a Giant Boo tree.But Ingiriya has lot more than monasteries on either A8 road and Colombo Ingiriya road is well know places.

Ingiriya Bo tree

Some landscape in Ingiriya.
As it s a area we get rain throughout the year.
Tea  and paddy fields common in and around Ingiriya town.

Actually there were  several Boo trees on the A8  road side,A8 road was the first road which started up grading and widening.Most of Bo trees were taken  on that time.
If we moving further up form Ingiriya town one important area is Dumbara.
During the British period Sri Lanka ,it was Ceylon.
Dumbara is well famous for Graphite known as black gold at that time.Still in Dumbara the old now abandon Graphite mining area can be seen.

Some random images I took  at the abandon mining site at Dumbara.I m not recomandig to go there unless you don t have local villager who is very much familiar with this.
Now of course there are no any Graphite mining ,but full of sand mining  on river banks.Manual sand mining is very hard work.They have to dive into the bottom of the river  approximately 10- 15 feet during the dry season, and fill sand while you holding you r breath.
We may have lot of environmental impacts over sand mining,but   everybody did not gems.

During the heavy rainy season flood is a conman experienced.Of  course we enjoyed riding boats in the river.
Beginning with the Kiri Ella it s Border line of the Sabaragamuwa  and Western province,The Sabaragamuwa People little different form rest of the Sri Lankan, Over half of my uncles form my fathers side live in  Sabaragamuwa Area.
As I noticed both men and women getting married in their very young ages,a girl hardly passing  age of 30.Boys  not very much into education,there very  ambitions of searching gems and they succeeded.They get married very soon.
They have different traditional dancing culture known as Sabaragaamuwaa dancing.
Its a dance of masculinity.And they have unique drum called Sabaragamuwa drum.

Most lands here Belongs to one Buddhist temple,People living on the temple lands.It s is actually  thousands of acres of paddy fields and large estates of tea.Even the Adam's Speak belongs to the same Buddhist temple for over Hundreds of years.

Kiriella Nadun Rajamaha Wiharaya Gurdian temple of the Adam's peak.Morning time is the best if you can visit.

It  s believe King Nishankamalla has given this area to the temple during the era of Polonnaruwa.
How ever Sabaragamuwa people Strongly believing God Sumana Saman.Almost ever Buddhist believe that Lord Buddha was Invited by God Suman Saman to come to Sri Lanka  and kept his footstep on Adam's peak.
How ever which I really like about God Sumana Saman is the temple which belongs to him.I m not aware which era actually it  belonging but I really like it s spatial progression  which I experienced.During the rainy season the entire temple grounds get flooded but there are small raised pavilions which help to people to stay.The temple situated on the bank  of the river KALU.

Sabaragamuwa maha  Saman Dewalaya
These are building with out architects.But as architects we have to learn so much out of it.
The connection between roofs,hierarchy of the space.
Bater I ll  do this in another day.
This was  the place I spend so much time with my father during the Perahara time.The lower building all occupied during perahara  by dancers  and the  central courtyard by the elephants.It a nice experience and very much diff rent from  the Kandy Perahara.
First time I came to here with my father.I remember there was an Elephant.Sri Lankan believe if  we  walk through an Elephant between it s legs the person become fearless.Childhood is a time we never identified the risk and we do any lunatic thing.
Some how when I was with my father out of stupidity I walked through the legs of  an elephant.
Though it was a moronic childhood experience but  now I think what Sri Lankan believe is correct.
I m kind of fearless....

The Sri Lnakan Style...

We don t have  a freezing winter or unbearable heat in the summer, but we do have heavy monsoon  for three to  four months during a year.The month April quiet hot ,but it does not mean we do sweating only in the April.We Sri  Lankan do get sweating more or less  through out the year.

For us having a bath is very relaxed daily experience.

As an architect my personal experience is, based on  per square feet Sri Lankan spending  highest for their bathroom.The  mesmerizing  bathroom catalogs have made most of clients so confused,and they are willing to spend more and more for an extravagant bathroom fittings. Most ocases the governments taxes  will make triple the original price,but forgetting the functions.

I have known some clients who wanted to fix Jacuzzi or elegant looking bathtub,but they  have used only handful occasions.

                                         A contemporary Sri Lankan Bathroom

Idea of attached  bathrooms  for middle income families came recently,past two decades Sri Lankans were very particular about their privacy,Actually it s not only the privacy ; security as well
Now everyone need  CCTV cameras on all sides of their boundary.

But Sri Lanka was not like this even twenty years ago,We had a culture which respected everyone privacy.But everyone helped each other.But did not interfere.

Before I come to Colombo for higher education  and now turned into working,I grew up in a small town but not too far from Colombo.It was about 50 km.

That time I  we were living in our  grand parents home.It was a house with nice Verandah,spacious living room and a dark dining room with a hip roof.

                                       A house with a front verandah.
But we never had a single room  with attached bathroom,Even  the bathroom was later added one by my father   considering the convenience of my grand mother.Ironically she did not like it.
She hates the idea of having a bath in a concealed space.My grandmother died even after my father at the age of 85.Till that she used  bathing well near paddy fields.
My mother who had a responsibility of taking care of her mother in law was not comfortable with idea of going alone.
As a kid I always went with grand mother to the well near paddy fields.
The  well was known as "Delgaha Pokuna" which means the pond near the Bread fruit tree.But I cant remember any bread fruit tree near the  well at that time.But my Grand mother did remember  the bread fruit tree very well.Even in  the hard drought season the Delgaha Pokuna never ran out of water.

The Delgaha Pokuna(the pond near the breadfruit tree) and the paddy fields.


But I remember the  Kubuk trees(Terminalia arjuna) which gave the nice cosy,shady  environment around that well.Inexplicably the water always very cool near a Kubuk tree.I have experienced many times.
But as an Architect I have suggested Kubuk tree planks on stair cases personally responsible for encouraging to cut them.Oh god I have sins forgive me....

                                      A Kubuk tree at Wilpattu national park.

But again such a good timber for a staircase,I don't see and substitute so far.

                                     A Kubuk tree stair case.

Nobody belongs that well,Everyday we passed the foot path about 500 M over someone else paddy fields or someone else back garden, There were no any fence or boundary walls.as well no one complains about trespassing their property.

The bathing well which is a rectangle shape and water always on the ground level or over flowing .It  is  not  a deep well,we just have to sit or bend and use a basket.Actually grand mother never let me to draw the water from the well.I was too small to handle that big galvanized  basket.I just on the floor and start counting.Hardly those days I can go beyond over 25. Actually that was my grandmother who thought me how to count up to 100.

Woman going for a bath  wearing the cloth.

As I told the difficult thing is not to draw the water from he well. Difficulty was to wear the long piece of clothe around the body and draw the water without falling the piece of cloth.,I haven' t seen even my mother in swimming suits. Bikinis or swimming suits did not wear  women in Sri  Lanka in this kind of village, what they do was wrapping a a piece of clothe around the body which covered  from cleavage to the knee,they never used any safety pins.I have very  unsuccessful stories  of  trying to wear this and draw water,most of Sri Lankan ladies were clever enough to handle both of it.

"Bathers" -painting by Ifthikar Cader.

Of course when get wet if we are  keen into details we can see most of voluptuous features of female body,But that time  no body seems to be interested on it.The other reason during  was the time women gather to have bath men were not in the vicinity.Men came in the evening,if not if ladies were having a bath men used to purposely avoid that time.
But there are  may be situations that bathing place was a some kind of meeting place to meet young people in the village.I was too small for that kind of observation,but i have seen in local tele dramas and movies. I don t think  is a bad idea at all.Seeing a you r beloved ones in a different way.

                                          This is a local tele-drama..

But within past time this has changed lot.There are no such village anymore.Even we came to Horana for our convenience.
But still I do visit my grand mother home though she is not there anymore,Delgaha Pokuna Still there,But the user and the environments has subjected to massive changes.
People does not allow walk through their back gardens,Even elderly women of the village do not feel safe to bath ,everybody is carrying mobiles phones and you will be in all social medias and get all terrifying comments.
Paddy fields  had used so much pesticides ,The water in the bathing well already has the smell of pesticides.
The younger generation of the village do not have any self disciplines.No body wanted  seeing  you r daughter or sister on a  web site with this costume,it s not like good old days.....
So without getting into unnecessary problems don' t  you think it is a good idea to have you r   own bathroom for safe side.

Cricket.....the sport of Sri Lanka...

Sri Lanka ,my mother land is a country of vibrant cultural diversity.
 We have Sinhalese,Tamils,Muslims and Burgers.Among this ethnic groups again divided into up country Sinhalese,southern Sinhalese,Jaffna Tamils,Indiana Tamils,estate Tamils so and so.

Not only the ethnic groups again we are making own groups according to cast.Im not going to tell is this a good system or not but it s the way it has been here over hundreds of years.
Obviously in this mixed fruit basket we have lot of rotten fruits.
Also smart Sri Lankan politicians willing to take advantages of this ethnic diversity.Of course they took maximum of it and we suffered a civil war over 30years.

First Sri Lnakan Cricket team who represent Sri Lnaka for world cup .
But as Sri Lankans there is a one common thread which all of us always agree with..
That's nothing else it the Cricket.

The game of cricket was introduced to our reign by British.
Pakistan,India and Sri Lanka we are all world champions.

The country which introduced cricket to this reign never won the world championship so far.Imagine if this south Asian countries were gathered as an one country there is no other country to challenge us in CRICKET.

 But I know it want easy Even the united Europe looks like a possibility but the united south Asia is never be a conceptual possibility..

cricket is known to be as the sports of the gentleman,but as we do everything else we  reaganalised cricket as it fitting to South Asia.Instead of playing 3 days 5 days test matches we came up with 20/20 ended over matches.India introduced premier league and made cricket player a mode of income generators to the country.country.
Sri Lanka we don't have internationally recognized  academy awards wining movie starts or Nobel award winning writers,but we have cricket a cricket team who defeated Australia,Britain,New Zealand,India .Also who made Cowdrey lecture.

Former cricket Captain  Kumar Sangakara addressing at Cowdrey Lecture 2011

we have cricket players who rang the bell in lords ground.
the secret of our successful in cricket not because we have the best board of cricket council.it has so many criticism including misuse of money.
the Sri Lankan cricket team is a collective of all ethnic groups of Sri lanka.we had Muralithanan,Jehan Mubarak , T.M Dilshan, Russel Arnold,now we have Anglo Mathews.We Sri Lankan accepted all  of them as our loving Cricket Players.

                                                    Murali,...........
When Muralithara got hard time in Australia Former Sri  Lankan Cricket captain stood against it,As a team ,as a nation,That's how we won the world cup 1996.

Arjuna Ranatunga,the time He became to as the captain of Sri Lnaka our team was underrated,Bu he lead the team towards 1996  world cup championship.
There are stories even that time LTTE  celebrated the world cup victory.

                                       

                                          1996 world cup victory...

The South Asian three cricket nations,Who hold the world cup  for their countries.
Kapil Dew- 1983 India
Imran Khan-1992 Pakistan
Arjuna Rnatunga-1996 Sri Lanka
Except Kapil Dew both Imran Khan and Arjuna Rnatunga has entered into politics.
if we can apply this in to as a nation to as a country will be far ahead from current situation.

Anyway yesterday I went to the  cricket match at R.Premadasa ground Pakistan and Sri Lanka. True we lost the match .Nothing to worry all played well.

Till the last over it was uncertain who will win the match......

well that s what we call cricket.......





 

The Bicycle Diaries............

Wadjda is a mischievous tomboy in Rayadh,SaudiArabia,It does not matter which country do you live bicycle  is a dream of every child.
Children love their bicycles,adults never forget their bicycle,

Wadjda  only wanted to ride a bicycle but mother does not agreed to buy it,Also mother has to spend money instead of for a bicycle,for an  expensive frock  to seduce her husband  who is going to get a second wife soon.

Things are not fine with Wadjda,even she crammed all  verses in Quran and won the competition she did not get  the price,the school teacher donated to Palestine   as  a punishment of her honesty.
I don t think Islam does  punish  of being honest,it s only the way of you interpret the religion.

Her attempt of buying the bicycle failed,Mother also  failed of convincing  to her husband not to take a second wife. Later mother bought the bicycle instead of the expensive frock .

The father in that film is not a person who can't afford a bicycle ,but simply he does not want his daughter riding a bicycle.

There may be lot of reasons behind the father's decision but for my experience .
the reason is some  countries  which are consider loosing virginity before marriage is a serious crime so that they  do not allow girls to ride bicycle.This is not  only Islamic countries in middle east as well ,

Sri Lanka also with this matter nothing different  from Saudi Arabia,Still in Sri  Lanka loosing virginity before the marriage  is not accepted,this wont be a matter if the girl has sufficient amount of wealth as a dowry or fixed income through out life,otherwise what ever the reason loosing virginity before the marriage is a considerable problem.Most of the time it s not happening ride a bicycle but some parents avoiding the tinniest possible on safe side.

In Saudi Arabian tradition the groom has give a dowry to the bride,in that case the highest dowry will go  for a virgin bride, doesn't it make sense to be a virgin on the day of their  marriage?
But in Sri  Lankan brides never get a dowry from the grooms party.Bride has to give a dowry in most cases,  So why it is in Sri lanka?

Most of Sinhalese those who got married three four decades ago face this problem,Even it is a natural cause ,but the bride could not prove that she is a virgin it was  burden through out the life.After the wedding night  bunch of old ladies gathering  for evidence.in a room,Worst cases newly wed couple ended up going  to  courts straightaway form the Honeymoon.

There is a nice Sinhaleese  movie on this topic. Sanath Gunatileke and Sabetha Perera was playing the main roles.The graduated  couple who got married and wife could not prove her virginity at her wedding night,She was married to her own second cousin after a long term relationship,but still suspects his wife and send a beck to her home.

 Actress Sabeetha Perera during her Golden years in the Industry.

Sanath Sabeetha in Film Deveni Gamana (Home coming)


So then my mother's generation never ride bicycle,but she was like Wadjda's mother she bought me a red color bicycle for my tenth birthday.
Till I met a terrible accident while riding a motor bike I did not loose the  desire of riding a bicycle,
Actually it was my father  who bought the motor bike,while my mother strongly opposing the idea of motor bike.I think and I believe mothers do know what is good for their children,
All this came to my mind simply  because yesterday  evening I did ride a bicycle near Bellanvila temple ,the newly built cycle riding track.
Bellanvilla is a famous temple,situated on Maharagama-Dehivala road.

Bellanvill temple has elegant murals done by Somabhandu Vidhyapathi,

The marriage ceremony of the Prince Sidhartha.

Prince Sidhartha before leave the palace.

Even though we don t use bicycle as a transportation mode like  Netherlands or Beijing, still it s good way to burn some calories.There are lot of health benefits.
But in Jaffna and North of Sri Lanka bicycle is a way of transportation,Not that they wanted to burn calories simply  it is affordable.

Jaffna father riding Bicycle with his children to the school.

The newly built Bellanvila cycle track runs around the Bellanvila lake.In a nice evening it s a quiet subtle experience.Yesterday of course it a poya day bit crowded.but still it s different  riding a cycle hearing Pirith Chanting.
There are several places to rent a bicycle opposite the road.

You can rent a bicycle 100 RS for an hour.In the evening it s quiet nice. Street food also available after riding a bicycle have a fruit juice looking at the lake...
Anyone want  a bicycle ride?