To a wonderful mum and grandmother: You were all this and more to each one of us
Our mum and grandmother was the foundation of our family, the strength and the backbone of our many lives. And there are so many memories - each reflective of the different roles she played in our lives and the importance of her love and our memories of her.
Rehana: Eldest grandchild
When people die - especially people who are close to you - the temptation is to eulogise them as if they have no flaws. We all do. Umma did. They made her what she was and what she was - a confident, self-assured, funny, graceful, dignified and witty human being who was well read, welltravelled, charming and a loving and supportive grandmother. A huge and welcome presence in my life that I am so grateful I had the benefit of for so long.
Some of her views may have not matched my own, but in expressing them, her gift was that she was always open to challenge, took any dispute with good humour and listened to an opposing view. There was not a malicious bone in her body. She was above all that. She held herself above that.
Umma took unashamed pride in her achievements and that of her family. No false humility for her. That translated to encouragement, support, empowerment and confidence. She always believed in you and you knew it. The impact of that on a young person is immensely valuable.
Mike: Son-in-law
A charismatic and dignified lady who knew how to move with the elite and political leaders and never lose the common touch. She was a tower of strength to Appa, and gave sound advice to him when it was required. I have colluded with her in many of her innocent, well-meaning schemes and she would tell me “Don’t tell Roshan” and I kept my promise and next thing I know is that she had confided in my wife, her eldest daughter, Roshan and I have got into trouble!.... Then she would tell me with a gentle smile, “Roshan is my eldest and I have to discuss everything with her.” Although I fell into this trap again and again, it was taken in our stride and we laughed it off.
Azi: Grandson
My favourite Umma story was when she took me to Galle Face and bought me a kite. It was just me and her and she just let me fly it quietly while she went on her walk. It was really awesome for a few minutes but then every person there decided to talk to me. First this French couple came over, then someone else. Finally some street children came over. To get out of this, I just let the kite go and asked Umma to take me home. She didn’t ask why or anything, just saw my face and went back to the car.
Some weeks later she showed me an article she wrote about the day IN THE NEWSPAPER! I was not at all happy at the time because she wrote that the “the wind was too strong for his little hands”. The majority of her story was made up, in fact. I never told her why I let the kite go so because I didn’t want her to know I wasted her money but I was so angry that she would sully my reputation like that. I did complain to mum who told me about artistic liberty which was ironic because I was a little liar at the time. She really did make time for all of us and each of us had a special relationship with her but just like with my grandfather Appa I don’t have anything but good memories of her.
Jehaan – Son-in-law
No words are too much for her strength of character
It’s not easy to describe her wonderful role
Aunty will be missed but we take comfort in knowing
That she was taken by God for her wonderful soul
Tahir: Grandson
Having lived overseas for many years, I returned to Sri Lanka after graduating from University to take up a job at an IT company in Malabe. During this time, I lived at my Umma and Appa’s home in Colombo. Every evening when I returned home from work (and the lengthy tiring travel from Malabe), my Umma would always have sandwiches or toasties prepared for me to eat. My cousin lived in the same house and on one occasion made the mistake of eating one of these treats. I remember returning home that day and being told of this by my Umma and that she had told him off for this ‘’terrible act’’! My cousin learned his lesson and thankfully from that day all evening snacks remained untouched awaiting my arrival. Umma loved all her grandchildren equally, but for that one brief moment, I revelled in her clear favouritism.
Yannik: Youngest grandchild
My grandmother brought so much happiness and joy to all those that knew her - so many of my fondest memories were made in the relatively short time I got to spend with her. This included things like playing sports in Unity Place or spending time on the beach. Even at 80+ years she used to play hard, whether it was bowling to me for cricket, or playing badminton. I even remember her having a fall in a desperate attempt to reach for a shuttlecock. I think this revealed a lot about her true character. She was so much fun to have around. My only regret is not being able to spend more time with her.