A Grandmother's Magic:
A Grandmother’s Magic: Tales from Sri Lanka Denzil Jayasinghe 5 min read In my childhood, my grandmother Kadayamma — also known as Barbara Saram — wielded a special kind of magic. While other children had their bedtime stories, we experienced enchantment woven through mealtimes and twilight hours. Her stories passed down through Sri Lanka’s rich oral tradition, carried a unique flavour that was distinctly hers. Though many families across the island shared similar tales, Kadayamma had mastered anchoring her stories in a child’s world, making them both memorable and meaningful. The Tale of the Nariya and the Bird One of her most memorable stories was about a clever fox — or nariya, as we call it in Sinhala — and an unsuspecting bird. In Sri Lankan folklore, the fox often plays the role of the cunning trickster, and this tale was no exception. High up in a tall, leafy tree sat a pretty white bird. It held something special in its beak — a delicious cake with pink frosting! The bird was