Portraits of elders from Sri Lanka and the diaspora
I Am Galle
RegionGalle

The Mechanic

Upasena Thenuwara

Mr. Thenuwara moved to Colombo from Galle in 1965 to work for Car Mart in Colombo. After that he decided to strike out on his own and finally ended up with a garage on Lauries Road specialising in fixing Volkswagen Beetles for their obsessive owners.

Interview language: සිංහල
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From the sound of a running engine, you can tell if there is a problem or not

I can overhaul the engine in three to four hours and have the car up and running again. Anyone can do it, but you need commitment. When you start the engine you must feel it, your ear must know what the sounds mean. Whether there is a problem or not. I wouldn’t call this specialist knowledge, the Volkswagen is basically the same as other cars. The only difference is that in the Volkswagen the pistons are horizontal. This allows the car to “pick up” as soon as you start the engine. Since the engine is air cooled, if the engine is working properly, the engine never overheats.

You don’t have many problems with this car. If you leave it in good running order, you can go anywhere. All you need is petrol. You can take it to any knowledgeable mechanic and they will repair it straightaway. But you can’t take it to any old mechanic in Sri Lanka and expect them to repair it. Nowadays if you go into a garage they chase you away because they only know how to repair Japanese cars.

In the new cars, even if a small part malfunctions, you can‘t run the car. That’s not the case with this.

You can do something, somehow and get it running. That’s the same with all the old cars.

The owner of this car is an MP. He has around four Volkswagens. Respected people such as lawyers come to me. In the past I got a lot of people from the Electricity Board and the Ministry of Defence coming to me for repairs. I knew a lot of important people from those places.

There was a red car here. EN 8… I can’t remember the full number. That customer has been coming to me for more than 40 years. He is a doctor and I even get medicines from him. His wife says that the car is his ‘first wife’, and that she is the ‘second wife’. He loves the car that much. It’s the same as a husband and wife — they have to care for each other. You can’t just leave the car. You have to wash it, service it, grease and oil it, and check every morning that the engine was oil and water.

From the sound of a running engine, you can tell if there is a problem or not

About this portrait

Photographer : Kannan Arunasalam
Interviewer : Kannan Arunasalam
Editor : Kannan Arunasalam
Recorded: March 6, 2011
First published: June 14, 2023
Last edited: November 7, 2023

Comments

  1. Kannan Arunasalam
    March 6, 2011 at 04:21 pm
    I didn't have to travel far to meet my final character for the "I am" project. Mr Thenuwara or "Beetle uncle" as I call him, is the mechanic that looks after my 1971 Volkswagen beetle. He moved from Galle in 1965 to work for Car Mart in Colombo. After that he decided to strike out on his own and fibally ended up with a garage on Lauries Road. Many VW Beetle owners I've met in Colombo all believe that he is the expert on repairing these unusual cars. Uncle's garage is only a couple of streets down from where I live. A good thing too. Anyone with an old Beetle or "Volkswagen" as they are called in Sri Lanka will know that there is always something that needs mending and although most of the time you can still get along, with uncle's garage so close, I often drop in. I've spent many hours there over the last 4 years and through these visits we've become friends. I've found uncle to be honest about what needs repairing and what can wait. If a repair is vital, he will tell you when a Mexican part will do just as well as the more expensive German ones. I trust his judgement. It's a joy to watch Mr Thenuwara at work. There's a genuine admiration for these old cars, as with many longstanding Volkswagen customers. There are always one or two vintage Beetles in his garage, usually the second or third cars of wealthy doctors or lawyers. You often run into owners of different backgrounds and their cars become conversation starters. But there have been misunderstandings between us too, largely because of the language barrier. But over the years, through gestures, my tiny bits of Sinhala and uncle's leaps in speaking English, we get by. Over the last four years I've grown very fond of my Beetle. But Mr Thenuwara doesn't believe that's enough. He often jokes with Benjamin his assistant that ever since I got married, my attention has shifted and the car has suffered. "You don't love this car enough," he often scolds me when I turn up with an unwashed car or bruised from recklessness on my part. The opportunity I had to interview Mr Thenuwara with the help of Gayathri my researcher gave me a different perspective into another aspect of my friend's life, and what he really thought of me! For me, his portrait shows that you don't have to go very far to find a story.
  2. Helga De Silva Blow Perera
    March 7, 2011 at 11:26 am
    EXACTLY. Push the right button... All have stories to tell. Much enjoyed. Thank you for all these great posts. Love the 'storytelling' portraits.
  3. Sasindu Thenuwara
    May 19, 2018 at 07:32 am
    I'm son of Mr. Thenuwara. Thank you Mr. Kannan for your appreciation and valuable words.

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