Denzil's Stories

Rail Kill A personal account of the human toll of rail accidents in Sri Lanka Denzil Jayasinghe 6 min read·Jun 14, 2022 10 I was on a train during the August school holidays. My best mate Ajit was waiting for me at the Hatton station. The train ride was not attempted by many 15-year-olds, alone a 140 kilometres distance. I took off that morning from home with my bag and lunch, packed by my mother. I sat in a corner seat on the crowded train with no doors, excited about the weeks ahead on holiday with my mate Ajit. The ride was slow, but killing my boredom, I watched the passing scenery from the large open window. By midday, the train was screeching to a slow halt at Polgahawela, a busy interchange station halfway to my destination. I kept looking through my window on my right, at the surroundings and the people on the other side of the crowded platforms. Suddenly, I heard a woman screaming and wailing, “Brother, my brother”. Her wailing was so loud that I was stunned as the train stopp...

  20 quick-fire questions * If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? Your life would not turn the way that you planned. It is OK to be naïve and stupidly young. What do you like doing in your spare time? Writing and reading. Both complement each other. What would you change your name to? My family's name is Jayasinghe. ජයසිංහ in Sinhala in the original script. Phonetically, it is pronounced Jaya-Sinha in Sri Lanka. But in English, through generations, it was spelt Jayasinghe, which sounds differently in English. I would change its spelling to Jaya-Sinha to align it with its original sound. Perhaps my grandkids in Australia could do it. What’s your favourite time of day? The morning hours. I am most productive in the mornings. What is your biggest weakness? I could get carried away with what I could be doing. Sometimes, I must pinch myself to stop what I am doing. What is your favourite colour? Green. Always from my kid days. Would you believe I had...