Memoirs & Biographies

The controversial Professor of Mathematics, scholar and lawyer from Vavuniya – C. Suntharalingam, was a member of independent Ceylon's first cabinet of Ministers alongside D.S Senanayake, S.W.R.D Bandaranaike, J.R Jayewardene, J.L Kotelawala, Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, T.B Jayah, Dudley Senanayake etc. Resigning from his Ministerial post in an era of rising communal tension, he composed open letters to his grandchildren, venting his disenchantment, and decrying the direction that Ceylon's newly gained independence was taking under the stewardship of her elected officials. These letters, serialised in newspapers over fifty years ago, present an insight into a version of events that contributed to our turbulent, recent history.

The scholar, historian, colleague, friend, and mentor who dedicated his life to Sri Lanka

 This libr amicorum is a book of original writings (research, fiction, poetry..) compiled by friends of Fr. Martin Quéré to celebrate his first 50 years in Sri Lanka. The subjects are concerning his fields of interest, as a historian (of religion, of the Portugese period in Sri Lanka, of the French battles in Trincomalee), as a reader of literature, and as a man well versed in many languages.

Jaffna Boy is the engaging true story of a young boy's life at a Sri Lankan boarding school in the 1970s, as recalled during one fateful train ride - and the advice from an unexpected source that would change the course of his life forever.

All income from the sale of this book will be donated to the RUHUNA SAILING ASSOCIATION in Weligama, Sri Lanka

My Chequered Life is an inspiring read for anyone interested in how to do business with honesty and without compromising one's integrity. A talented racing driver and competitive yachtsman, Jinasena combined ethics and enjoyment in his quest for a fulfilling life. It is a story worth reading that gives a commentary on society and reveals the dynamic and purpose of his personal journey. In this lively book which reveals his business secrets and his adventures, his successes and his obstacles, Nihal Jinasena gives us an enjoyable story, a worthwhile lesson and most importantly of all the message that you don't have to be corrupt in order to succeed!

Eldest son of a prominent family that has been a household name for four generations, Nihal Jinasena gives us an honest and candid look at his life from childhood to present day through the years spent in the UK for studies and work experience. In his usual fetching style, Jinasena who has a multi-faceted personality shares his love of sports, culture arts travel and business acumen.

There comes a time when a girl must decide whether to leave or stay. This is the journey to that moment of choice.

Within the confines of the Galle Fort, Yasmin and her best friend Penny enjoy an idyllic childhood of sea swims, bike rides, and movies in a world that was fun, glamorous and free. But Yasmin comes from a tightly knit, conformist community that thrives on tradition, family bonds and honour, and eventually her friendship with Penny must end.

This sharply insightful memoir depicts a young Muslim girl's struggle to balance the traditions of a loving yet conservative father, who wants to keep her safe, against the more liberal Westernized Sri Lankan world outside. Stay, Daughter is a beautifully crafted story suffused with love, humour, and compassion. A memoir that provides a glimpse into the microcosmic Galle Fort Muslim community of the 1960s post-independent Sri Lanka.

A unique and important voice of our time - that of Muslim women.

Alupola to Jaffna 1940-1960

The waterfall at Alupola was the centre of my childhood existence. Its subdued roar and 'white water' gave one a sense of peace and tranquility. Bright sunny days would light up the entire valley. The cry of the Brahminy kite wheeling in ecstasy high up in the blue sky would enchant us.

Local tea estate workers of South Indian origin, claimed that on misty moonlit nights, the seven mythical 'Karthigai virgins', came to the pool below the second waterfall, to frolic and bathe. This story added a fairytale beauty to the Alupola Falls. Often, walking past it on moonlit nights with my father, I would peer through the mist and thunder of the waterfalls, looking for the 'Seven Karthigai Virgins'. I never got a glimpse of them. The locals claimed that anyone who did glimpse them would be struck mad by their beauty. Then he or she would roam the earth looking for another sight of them, abandoning all worldly pleasures.

Maybe it was my luck not to see them.

The third outstanding memoir by Dr Veerasingam which lovingly chronicles days gone by.

Incidents in the life of a surgeon, working in Ceylon Sri Lanka, from 1965 to 2005

"One month after assuming duties as DMO, I took delivery of the car in Colombo. That evening, with me seated by his side, my driver drove it through the night to Koslande 200 miles away. We reached home at about 2 a.m. the next day and went to sleep, dog-tired. On the next morning, we found a patch of oil beneath one wheel of the newly acquired car. The fault was a leak of brake-fluid. A faulty brake-washer from the wheel-cylinder had caused it. It was easily replaced, though it seemed an inauspicious beginning to a relationship with my new vehicle."

As a natural sequel to the hugely successful Remembered Vignettes, Dr. Philip Veerasingam traces his trajectory as a country doctor posted in remote and rural parts of Sri Lanka, culminating as Consultant Surgeon in Colombo. Travel with him on this fascinating journey and re-live the difficult working conditions and the necessity to improvise solutions on the job.

French expatriate, exotic husband, half-caste children, a volatile mix!

For him, civilization meant Buddhism, whisky and driving on the left. Away from home, neither Europe, nor the Caribbean, nor any other landmass in the Indian Ocean could compare to his own shimmering island.

For her, being packed off to all four corners of the world was like an intoxicating elixir, to be taken without moderation.

This is the story of a ménage à trois: Hélène, Upali... and Asia.