A larger than life figure in my life

The first death anniversary of Amy Samarakkody, my mother falls on October 29. She was 99 plus years old when she died. She was blessed with a long and healthy life, and it was only after she reached 98, that her movements were restricted due to her advanced age.

My earliest recollections of her, as her youngest child, was, that she was always very active, and that she never seemed to be tired. Her charisma was so great that everyone was motivated into action whenever she was around. I would watch how she moved briskly around our house, ordering the servants to do things and allotting various tasks to her children. I remember when I was only about five years old, my elder brother Mohan, and the two elder sisters Shiranthi and Amithra, were engrossed with their own work, my mother got me to help her with whatever she was doing as I was the youngest in the family. I was happy to oblige as I enjoyed being with her.

My mother was born on June 6, 1919, at Gampaha. Her father was Gate Mudliyar of Aluthkuru Korale, Charles Harry Alexander Samarakkody, and her mother was Fredrica Deraniyagala Peiris Siriwardene. She was the seventh child of a family of eleven, and they lived in their parents residence which was a large mansion standing on a 40acre land in close proximity to the town of Gampaha. This land was called ‘Sorodoven Estate’ and it was the biggest ‘walawwa’ in Gampaha at that time.

She had her education at St Bridget’s Convent, Colombo, and attended that school until she passed the Junior London Matriculation exam. In those early days, very few girls pursued higher studies. They were trained in other useful pursuits, until they were married. My mother used to relate how she learnt to sew, cook and decorate the house with flowers from her elder sisters. As their residence, with 30 rooms was very large, and the land which also had many farm animals, their life had been very exciting. My Grandfather had an elephant which was trained to plough and work on many lands which he owned, in various parts of the country, and my mother and her siblings were never bored being at home.

Tragedy struck, when her parents and other family members were holidaying at Kadugannawa, in their holiday home, when her father suffered a heart attack, and died. About a year later her mother too passed away. The eldest in the family was Solomon Samarakkody, who had by then passed out as a lawyer.

They continued to live in their palatial home until World War II broke out and the British colonial government, took over their home, for the Army. They had to move away to other houses. It was a difficult period for my mother and her family members as they were scattered in many places. My mother was able to adjust to her new life. She married my father who was her cousin, and they built a house in Gampaha, on a land close to her original home. The ancestral walawwa, with ten acres of land, was sold to the Holy Cross Convent which ran the Holy Cross College. Today, Holy Cross College is one of the biggest girls’ schools in Gampaha.

My father who was a lawyer practised at Gampaha, and later joined the judiciary and was stationed at Kurunegala. My two sisters attended Holy Family Convent and my brother and I attended St. Anne’s College. I was in the kindergarden for a very short time, when my father was transferred to the Gangodawila Courts. He was the President, Rural Courts and Commissioner of Requests of the entire Hewagam and Salpiti Korales and he had to travel to several circuit courts.

My mother built another house at Mount Lavinia at Siripala Road, adjoining my father’s ancestral house. My sisters attended to Visaka Vidyalaya, Bambalapitiya, and my brother and I attended S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, where my father’s and mother’s parents and brothers also had studied. In our spacious house we enjoyed life with my mother, an excellent cook, hosting many parties. We had Pirith ceremonies and alms givings as she and my father were very religious and were devoted Dayakayas of many Buddhist temples.

Christmas time was memorable too with my mother making wines and Christmas cakes and entertaining many friends and relatives during the season. She also made family trips very enjoyable as we used to stop by roadside picnic places and enjoy her home cooked food. She would play the hawaian guitar and sing her favourite songs during these trips.

Unfortunately for my mother and us, my father fell ill when he was in his early forties. He was in and out of hospitals, as he had a serious heart desease. In 1964 at the age of 48, my father died and my mother became a young widow with four minor children to fend for.

This was an era when women were mainly housewives.With her children still being minors, my mother had to manage the lands which she and my father owned. At the age of 45, she decided to learn to drive the Peugeot. Only a few women dared to drive vehicles in the sixties. My mother managed the properties well and succeeded in bringing up her children until we all became independent adults. It was a tough time for her bringing up four children seeing to their needs including education etc. In times of illnesses, she was a great nurse, who never rested until we were back in good health.

She was both a father and a mother to us, and it was a great blessing for us to see her, reaching old age, gracefully and happily until the end, she was very cheerful. She read books on Buddhism, and gained a very good understanding of the Buddhist Philosophy. She practiced meditation, and mindfulness, which helped her live a long and peaceful life gracefully.

May she attain the supreme bliss of Nibbana.