Writer Jean Arasanayagam reflects on her Burgher identity, her experience of 1983 — “the watershed” moment in her life— and what it’s like being married to a Jaffna man. 

Helga de Silva talks about growing up in the family home that would eventually become the sumptuous ‘Helga’s Folly’.  Helga reflects on why people are drawn to her ‘anti-hotel’, a canvas for her and her guests’ creativity. 

Mallika Talwatte reflects on her experience of courtship during the 1940s and why she decided to remain single. 

V.S Alagan, the Hindu keeper of a Catholic cemetery, shares his knowledge of the graves of different faiths.

Mrs Rasheed remembers her late husband and how she coped after his death to raise five children on her own.

C.K. Sankarakumaran stepped into the shoes of his father and grandfather as a guarantee shroff, a kind of banker. He reflects on his two homes of Kandy and Jaffna.

Retired school principal, S. Thoradeniya, talks about his lifetime goal of translating his favourite childhood read.

Dushyanthi Nugawela Wijeyawardena’s father was a Buddhist and her mother a Christian. Yet her parents raised her to respect both Christianity and Buddhism and left her to make the choice. 

Hailing from generations of Kandyan drummers, Panchanaada reflects on the challenges of continuing the family tradition and how he got his name.