July 6 this year marks the first death anniversary of my mother Leela Magodaratna. Hailing from Ratnapura she was born to an Estate Medical Officer, Albin Wilegoda who worked across Sabaragamuwa and adjoining provinces and Olivia Abeysinghe.
She had one sister Lalani Madanayake nee Wilegoda. Both had all the worldly comforts two young girls growing up in Ceylon of 1930’s and 1940’s could ask for including good education in the English medium at Ferguson High School, Ratnapura. She reminisced her schooldays, especially the stewardship of Principal Evelyn A. Allsop and staff, with gratitude. Her father passed away while she was 16 leaving her and the family to fend for themselves.
Though her father wanted her to pursue higher studies and do medicine - (as he too was in the medical field) all their dreams came to a halt, and it was only a dream. Though they had a fair amount of property in Ratnapura and Padukka, they were short of cash. Testimonial cases had to be filed, as nothing was sorted out as her father’s death was sudden and unexpected.
I have heard that my grandmother had to undergo many difficulties to solve the property problems. Fortunately, her paternal uncle, the chief incumbent of Veralupe temple came forward to their rescue and helped to secure some of the houses and lands which were rented.
As she preferred something to do in the medical field and which had been her father’s dream too, my mother had coaxed her uncle to help her apply to the first WHO Nursing School in Kandy which was housed in Savoy Hotel at the time.
She was selected in early 1951 and her batch consisted of 26 girls and two boys. She was grateful to Principal Kraigh and tutors for her career as well as for the Nightingale-like qualities instilled in her such as love, kindness and empathy for mankind that later came to be her legacy.
She left her nursing career in December 1958 after getting married to my father and later to look after a family of six. She almost single-handedly brought up the four children as my father was either stationed in Ratnapura or Gannoruwa intermittently or was away either in foreign training or assignments during his career at the Department of Agriculture and then later at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Though she had domestic help at hand till the late 70’s and early 80’s to look after the fields and cattle of the household, she got a hang of herself in grazing them, milking them and even attending to their sicknesses. I still remember herself burning Kohomba oil on coconut shells and nursed them when one of the calves or cows suffered a chill on a cold night.
Apart from her nursing care, she was a maestro when it came to home-remedies. We rarely consulted a doctor when we were small as she prepared treatments and remedies from the Western and Ayurvedic treatments for numerous ailments we had. We rarely visited a doctor except for vaccinations or for some dental work.
Her care and compassion was not limited to the household. I think she had bathed so many babies of our neighbourhood for the first few times as this was a task that required expert care.
Her cooking prowess was also impeccable. Not just recipes from cook-books – but her own improvisations were outstanding. All she had was a mincer, a beater and a set of nozzles and spatulas my father brought from some of his overseas trips and a kerosene oven. But the cakes, cup-cakes, puddings she made were endless.
I cleaned after her when the ‘beating and mixing’ was done taking care of the beater, the bowls and what-not. We did not have much luxuries when it came to ingredients – just Blue Band Margarine from Lever Bros. and Globe Butter. When it came to local delicacies, we had quite a flair of them – Wandu Appa, Lavariya, Halapa, Muruthan Bath and Mun Ata Kiri Bath, she made it all for us.
Just like a good Indian housewife who would make sure that no milk in the household goes wasted and every drop of dairy is made to good use, Amma made sure that all the coconuts plucked are being optimised. While some of it was sold to the neighbourhood at a ‘concessional’ price, the rest was made into oil for the use of the household including King Coconuts which were used for hair-oil. The residue of the oil-making process was made into succulent Thelika – similar to Kalu Dodol.
In her own way, Amma had a cultural facet as well. She loved radio. She used to record the education programs aired in the morning on the SLBC’s Education Service in my father’s Spool Recorder for my brother and sisters to listen when they return from school. She was an ardent listener and contributor of ‘Home-Scene’ the housewives’ program on the SLBC English service.
She wrote and sent her home remedies and recipes to the program in all 5-days. I remember program hosts such as Indrani Senanayke, Fathima Razik Carder appreciated and enjoyed her contributions much. Just as Amma enjoyed the English Service, she was an ardent listener of Pasan Niwasa, the afternoon Housewive’s Program on the Sinhala Commercial Service.
Just as much as Jim Reeves and Perry Como were her favourites, she loved Victor Rathnayake and Somathilaka Jayamaha. While she was a loyal reader when Clare Senevirathne started editing Lanka Woman, she was an avid reader of Tharunee as well. It’s her ability to hover across contrasting spaces which instilled so much on my brother, my sisters and myself.
Amma’s capacity would not stop there. Apart from sewing most of our younger selves’ clothes, she also handmade our schoolbags and carrier bags for bottles. Her stitching and needle-work had adorned so many houses of friends and family including cushion covers and wall-hangings. She sewed and cooked until her last days.
Amma was an active social worker. An early member of the Panadura Social Service league led by Lady Jane (Gertie) de Fonseka - wife of the late Senator Susantha de Fonseka, she had contributed in many areas. She was heavily involved and took a great interest in managing the Moravinna Girls’ Orphanage run by the league as the Assistant Manager.
Apart from giving the girls training in sewing and other various disciplines, Amma helped the nursery class and held classes and sessions on cookery, sewing, needlework, stitching for school leavers at the Panadura MOH office through the Social Service League, Panadura. She never made a spectacle of her generosity, thus her good deeds were unknown even to us, her own family.
Amma in her own way was active socially. She was a pioneering member of the Panadura chapter of the Sri Lanka Housewives’ Association and the Panadura Senior Citizens’ Club. We used to laugh at the intensity and commitment she had for all the activities of the two bodies.
She was a matriarch of many facets – Strong-willed yet kind and compassionate to the core. I still wonder how she managed these differing roles so well.
May her journey in Sansara be short!
– Nishan Magodaratna