SUSIMA FERNANDO

Twenty years ago, I met my new piano teacher, who became my forever friend.

At first, I called her Ms Fernando, but she thought that very stuffy and asked me to call her Susima. Our class was a mix of practice and theory with a tea break in the middle.

Some days the tea breaks became extended as Susima regaled me with stories from her childhood--of her home at Peiris Avenue in Dehiwala when the children were young, to her time in London, and then her life at Torrington Avenue. Running through all these stories was a warm and caring person. I was related to Susima through her husband, but her stories made me feel part of her family.

‘Did you practise, Manel?’ That was one question I didn’t look forward to, as nine times out of ten I had not, having been too busy. I kind of figured to myself that I played better without practice, but Susima was not convinced! She told me to practise as soon as I got home, which was excellent advice.

She was a teacher through and through and never was I able to get away with avoiding even one piece being played to a finish!

Susima was a really lovely person, friendly and outgoing; happy in herself and with herself. She had been the music teacher at Lindsay Balika Vidyalaya until her retirement. The Western School Band was initiated and set up by her. The teachers and the students were very close to her heart. There were many mementos from grateful students on the top of her piano reminding Susima of happy times at Lindsay.

Displayed on the piano were also photos of beloved pets, now gone. Her love for animals was universal. She would feed stray dogs whenever she got a chance, be it at Lindsay where she used to bring an extra share of lunch for the dogs and place the food in the Lindsay church belfry, or later at Independence Square, where she and her husband used to go for walks.

Susima loved her family deeply. The sudden loss of her son Chanaka in China was heart-breaking for her. It took her a very long time to come to terms with losing her ‘first born’, as she sadly referred to him. When Susima’s younger daughter, Amali and her family migrated to Australia she and herhusband, Major Gen. C. H. Fernando, went to visit. They had many Sri Lankan friends eagerly waiting to meet them.

Susima carried the concept of family to everyone she came across. One day on the Diyatalawa Road they had met young ‘Bala’ by the roadside. With the blessings of his parents, he and his two sisters came to Colombo to reside with Susima as house-helps.

She sent them to a government school close by and had them tutored as well. A good job was found for Bala and he was given in marriage from her home, where a bounteous feast was made ready by Susima and a few of her friends.

Old domestic aides used to flock to her, and she treated them all with kindness and generosity.

Susima performed every task with love and attention. One New Year’s Eve, she was busy sewing sequins on to the bodice of Suhashi’s lovely outfit until there wasn’t a fraction of the original material left to be seen. That was the night Suhashi won an air ticket to London which changed the direction of her life. Susima was a wonderful mother, absolutely committed to her children’s welfare.

A great cook, she delighted in making love cake, patties, different sweets and sweetmeats. She shared her recipes willingly. The wedding cakes for all her children’s weddings, and for her nieces and nephews weddings as well, were made by her. To bake a 4 lb love cake for each family birthday was her usual practice. One day when I went for a lesson she was busy compiling her favourite recipes into a book for her grandchildren.

At her funeral I noticed two photos taken on their Golden Wedding; informal, relaxed, happy photos of the couple and their retinue. In my mind’s eye, I will always see her as she was in the photo, the kind and caring person I was so fortunate to meet and get to know so well. That day I met Arjuna, Suhashi and Amali. Arjuna said, ‘You have lost your teacher.’ Amali said, ‘Teaching you gave her joy’. I was humbled.

When I look back at my time with Susima at her home at Torrington Avenue where I went to learn the piano, I see that what she taught me was a new language, the language of music.

Susima showed me a new world and I am so grateful to her.

May she attain the bliss of Nibbana.