Emerged: Noteworthy women from Kandy

Emerged: Noteworthy women from Kandy
Published by Godage International Publishers (Pvt) Ltd is Nanda Pethiyagoda Wanasundera’s latest publication.
The 290 paged, hardcover book has plenty of photographs of each of the women written about.

It is priced at Rs 950/=, USD15.

The book deals with women of Kandy of the 20th century, more especially the first half of it. It is of particular interest to present and past pupils of Kandy High School since six of Nanda’s biographees had their education at KHS. She obtained facts about the women through a questionnaire and interviews, and of those dead, from sons, daughters, relatives and friends. Nanda knew all of them so her biographies are sufficiently detailed and also invested with her personal impressions and anecdotes.

The women who ‘emerged’ and written about by Nanda are Soma Kumari Seneviratne Samarasinha – first Kandy woman (if not Ceylonese) graduate from Cambridge University, UK, and first Ceylonese Principal of Hillwood College; Lady Leela Petiyagoda Wijeyeratne who as the wife of the ambassador to Britain and later India, projected the dignity and graciousness of the Ceylon woman in the early 1940s and 50s; Anula Ellepola Udalagama, educationist and founder of the Sri Lanka Netball Federation; Chitra Abayaratna and Hema Abayaratna Jayasinghe, principals of many schools including KHS, with Hema breaking the glass ceiling of the Department of Education by being promoted to the position of Deputy Director. Dr Nalini Kappagoda, their younger sister, distinguished herself not only in medicine but in research and now botanical paining in Australia. Sita Elikawela Wickremasinghe was selected since she too promoted netball in the Island, ventured into the travel trade, climbed a mountain in the Himalayan range (on horseback she says) and is now a devotee of Sathya Sri Sai Baba. The literary field is represented by Kamala Wijeratne, poet and published author of short stories.

The achievements of these women is backgrounded by Nanda’s researched writing on patriarchy, conservatism, colonialism – British – and missionary education in English. She also has a chapter considering whether Kandyans are a sub-race of the Sinhalese and concludes they are, given distinct identity by the British government, a ruse in their divide and rule policy in the colonies.

Many who have read the book comment on its readability since Nanda’s style is informal and personalized to a certain extent.

Nanda has six other publications to her credit: two published in Singapore by Marshall Cavendish on the culture of Sri Lanka and a guide to expatriates living in the country. She also authored a book of folk tales; a guide for school librarians and two of creative writing.

Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.

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A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

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Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.