Why am I fascinated by elephants? Is it because they were part of the landscape when I was growing up?
When my kids were little, I drew elephants with them on their drawing pads. I bought elephant-themed toys for them. Elephant safaris were on our itinerary when we travelled to Sri Lanka. To top it up, my brother’s in-laws owned an elephant.
My fascination with elephants continues. Now, I draw elephants with my grandkids.
How did I come to own the two ceramic elephants above? I encountered them in a departmental store in Colombo a few years ago. With their fine array of multi-colours, I saw them as a great décor item for my house in Sydney and purchased them immediately.
The teapot is a different story.
A year ago, Rachel, one of my co-workers, was leaving. She gifted this beautiful teapot with its colour and regalia to match my colourful décor. The thoughtful gift of a bright-coloured teapot with its oriental design found its way amongst the two colourful elephants in my home.
Tea is also something close to my heart. Sri Lanka produces some of the best tea in the world. Tea has been part of my life since childhood. It is in my DNA.
The two elephants and the teapot are a great match. They remind me of my colourful heritage from the island of Sri Lanka.
A Child of Curiosity How inherent inquisitiveness became a key driver in learning experiences. Denzil Jayasinghe · B orn in the mid-20th century, I am a product of the post-World War II era. My parents, who were teenagers when the war commenced, married in the 1950s. As a representative of the baby boomer generation, I was born under the astrological sign of Capricorn, the tenth sign of the zodiac. My birth took place at Zoysa Nursing Home, a renowned institution in Colombo, Sri Lanka, around 5 in the morning. Sri Lanka, known for its tropical climate, is a beautiful island nation south of India. This climate appealed to me, and I sought similar weather in my twenties, spending them in Dubai, where the winter resembles an Australian summer. Raised by religious parents, I held them in deep affection. However, the church teachings posed a paradox for a young mind, instructing one to love God more than one’s parents. I initially adhered to the Ten Commandments and other societal norms in ...
Shattered Innocence A story of a needle Denzil Jayasinghe · “Shattered Innocence. A Story of a Needle” by Denzil Jayasinghe is a short story told from the perspective of a lad who discovers their father injecting insulin . This discovery shatters his innocence as he grapples with the reality of his father’s diabetes and the fear and uncertainty it brings. The story explores themes of family, responsibility, and the challenges of facing difficult realities. T he pre-dawn light filtered through the window, casting a pale glow over a scene that shattered my world. We were lost in the quiet routine of getting ready — me for the apprenticeship, my siblings for school, and my father for his work. I wandered into my parents’ room, searching for the familiar black comb. What I found wasn’t the comb but a sight that froze me in my tracks. Father, stripped down to his white undies, his usually strong face creased with worry, was doing something… di...
The Man with the Bicycle A Godfather Without English Denzil Jayasinghe 5 min read So this fellow, Wijetunga, arrived one humid afternoon in Warakanatte – a name given by the government, clipped from some dusty file in a distant ministry, and pinned onto our village like a misfitting badge. He came not with fanfare, but with the tiredness of a man who had travelled not just across provinces but across unspoken expectations. The new Grama Sevaka – government-appointed village functionary, dispenser of forms and permits, arbitrator of neighbourly disputes, and authoriser of rice ration books. He hailed from Enderamulla, a place that stirred vague murmurs among the older women in our family – whispers of ancestral ties, of some great-uncle’s cousin’s child from that neighbouring village. But no one invited him for tea. No one mentioned him at the dinner table as anything more than “the new man in the office.” Despite the murmurs, he remained a stranger- neither embraced nor excluded-...
2 min read·Oct 19, 2022
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