Unforgetable Dates and Events

Following are some unforgetable dates and events for me.

Monday the 6th Feb.,1958:- The first day of entrance to the School for the Blind, Ratmalana. As soon as my mother left the school I began to cry. It was a non stop cry. A few hours later an attendant came and lifted me and took me upstairs and gave me a lid of a bottle. Then I stopped crying. I didn't speak a single word for over four days. Teachers and students thought that I was not only totally blind and also totally deaf and dumb. After four days I started to talk, since then I am well known as a great talker.

10th April 1959:- It was the last day of first term. My mother came to school and took me home with so many prizes I won at the annual prize giving. My mother was under the impression that the school did not provide enough food for me. She told me that I was not in good health.So my mother didn't want to send me back to school. However the principal Mr. Kingsly C Dassanayake sent many letters to my mother asking her to send me back to school.

11th Jan.,1960:- It was the day I returned to the school. But the first school term of 1960 was due to start on 16th Jan. On 15th January, there was a huge fire on the buildings of the Department of Irrigation which was close to our school. All the students were taken to the Galle road, as a precautionary measure. But I had not noticed the fire. I thought it was early in the morning. I went to the bathroom for a wash. A matron saw me and immediately I was also taken out of the school premises.

25th Dec.,1969:- This is the first day I came home alone. Since then very often, I used to travel everywhere alone, if there were no unavoidable circumstances. One day there was an unfortunate incident.

I left the school with another blind friend. We passed the school gate and turned right. We had walked only a few yards. When suddenly, both of us fell into a pit because we were firmly holding each others. We ourselves managed to come up but all our clothes were covered with mud. We returned to the school without any injuries. I never discouraged and the very next day, I came home alone successfully. Even now same uncovered pit is there on the left hand side of the gate. It is very dangerous because so many blind students walk around this area.

In 1999 again I fell into a huge and deep pit but I came out with the help of a boy without any injury, although the pit had iron bars around it. That day the doctors were on strike. If I didn't escape from that accident, my legs may have been broken. I strongly believe that an un invisible power took me by the hand when I was falling in to the pit.

In 1971, I became the all rounder of the School for the Blind. The Principal presented me only a certificate as a gesture. But in 1972, when a partially sighted girl became the all rounder in the same school, and in addition to the certificate he gave a Braille wristlet which is specially made for totally blind persons.

30th Sep., 1971:- The last day of my school life at the school for the blind Ratmalana.

2nd Oct.,1971:- The first day I got admitted to the Meegahathenna Maha Vidyalaya(central school). The teachers and the students looked at me with full excitement and curiosity. They encircled me and asked me so many questions. They wanted me to demonstrate how I wrote and read by using the Braille system.

8th Jan., 1972:- The first day at Kaluthara Tissa Central School. The same excitement and curiosity was there as at Meegahathenna. One of the teachers was willing to pay my hostel fees , if no one was ready to do so. She immediately paid my first term hostel fees and the school facility fees.

13th May 1974:- The first day I entered the Kelaniya Campus of the University of Sri Lanka. As I was the first blind student to enter the Campus, students and lecturers looked at me with excitement and curiosity. The lecturers as well as the students treated me well and helped me in every possible way. They read many books for me. With the assistance of the lecturers and the students, I was able to complete my degree.

I didn't have a tape recorder to record the lectures. The students of the campus tried to collect money to get a tape recorder but they couldn't collect enough money. So Mr. Benjamin again agreed to provide the balance money for me to purchase the tape recorder. Although I bought a tape recorder from a friend of mine, it was not in good condition. In the mean time the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind in UK has sent five cassette recorders to the School for the Blind, Ratmalana for distribution among the blind undergraduates. I also received one of them. As soon as I passed out, the Principal, late Mr. C.H.Gunawardena asked me to return the cassette recorder to the school. I immediately did so. However, the other four students were not asked to do so. That was another instance of discrimination towards me by the former principal.

When I entered the campus , I went to meet the welfare officer to seek his assistance to obtain hostel facilities. As a blind student it was very necessary to reside in the hostel and I was eligible for residential facilities because I was a first year undergraduate. He immediately rejected my request due to my blindness. So, I had to find an alternate lodging. A friend of mine helped me to find a boarding house only for two days. Then I went again to the welfare officer and stressed my necessity and after a long argument he agreed to provide me a room. However, when I entered the room, the other roommate got wild with anger and scolded the warden and finally he left the room. As a result, I was given a separate room. I was very happy and I was able to stay there independently. I managed to do my work without interference from others.

One day in 1975, while I was in the campus, I was traveling by a bus from Mt Lavinia (8 miles from Colombo) to the campus, I fell asleep. A pair of sunglass was on my eyes. Someone had stolen my sunglasses while I was asleep in the bus.

Another day, in 1976, When I was again traveling from Wellawatte to Slave Island by bus, somebody has stolen my wristwatch. When I informed this incident to the President of the "Sri Lanka Council for the Blind", Mr. Benjamin who was also a totally blind, agreed to give me another wrist watch. I got one within a couple of days.

After I graduated in 1978, I made a request to the principal to give me a job at the School for the Blind. He refused even though there were vacancies. At that time, I was the only blind graduate who had no job. As a challenge for me, he gave a job to a blind lady who had not even passed A/L in one sitting.

Another day I went to see a private secretary of the then Prime Minister Hon. R. Premadasa to get a job. He resided at Nugegoda, Embuldeniya in the Colombo district. To get support to find a suitable job. I believed that I would be able to get a job through his mediation from the Prime Minister. He refused to help to see the Prime Minister. The most significant thing is this person was one of my relatives earlier lived in my village. The other funny thing was, when I was leaving his home, he sent me a ten Rupee note (less than a US$) through a servant. I was got angry about it and sent back the note to keep in his pocket.

In 1978, the government introduced a Job Bank. Those who were unemployed were asked to register at that Bank. The head of the job bank was Mr. Amaradasa Gunewardene former Government agent of Polonnaruwa. One day in 1979, I also went to the job bank for registration. It was in the ninth floor of the Central Bank building. I went there with a partially sighted gentleman called Mr. Gladwin Grero. During that period, the government M.P's letter of recommendation also very important. Therefore, I went there with a letter of recommendation from government M.P. When I was entering the room, very angrily Mr. Gunawardene asked, "Why do you come here?" I politely said that I came to register my name also in the Job Bank. He said angrily that he is not prepare to register blind persons in the job bank even with letters from a government M.Ps. At present, he is the president of the Sri Lanka Council for the Blind, where I am also a life member of it. The present chairman of the Sri Lanka Council for the Blind is the person who refused to even register my name in the job bank. As soon as he assumed the presidency of the S.L.C.B, I reminded him this horrible incident happened in 1979 by him. The present president of this institution is an aristocrat. Although he refused to register my name at that time, now he enjoys all the privileges selling our blindness locally and internationally. I have heard that he has told before the council, if I raise any matters relating to the activities of the Council, he would prepare to kick me. This is the way public servants behave towards the blind community. The unfortunate situation is that when he said so all the blind members of the Council including the Secretary and the Vice Chairman (all blind) kept quiet and approved his statement. This is the way fight for the equal rights and privileges of the blind people in Sri Lanka by the blind office bearers of this country. These are the people who represent national and international workshops and seminars.

One day in 1980, while I was walking to the education ministry using a white cane, I knocked against a parked car and its side glass broke. Immediately the driver came and asked me to pay Rs 15/= for the damage I have done to his car and I paid the money.

20th Jan., 1981:- I entered the Sri Lanka Law College. The lecturers and students welcomed me very cordially. At the Law College, blind students are not allowed to answer in Braille for exams. Therefore I needed a type writer to type my answer scripts. A female law student, Ms. Pushpa Kaggoda Arachchi, came to my request and donate a Sinhala type writer.

One day in 1981, I was walking to the law college with a white cane from Pettah bus stand, as I was walking slowly with using the white cane, I knocked against a person (Mr.Jayantha Silva). He immediately took my hand very tightly and asked angrily "where are you going". Then I politely said that I was going to the Law College. He asked me the purpose of going there. I told him that I was also a law student there. His high tone became low and he helped me to go to the Law College. Further he went to the office of the Law College and inquired about me from the Principal Mr. Rathnasabhapathi. He came back again and told me that he is a freelance journalist and he would come to my place the next day to get some photographs. During that period I was staying at a temple called Sri Sudharmaramaya at Bope, in Padukke 25 miles from Colombo. As he promised he came to the temple and took some snaps and got some details about myself. He wrote an article about me to the newspaper called "Weekend". As soon as it appeared in the paper, the then Chief Justice Newil Samarakone inquired about me from the Law College. After referring my personal information, late Chief Justice Newil Samarakone instructed the law commission to exempt me from all the fees for all the academic years. This is how another public servant responded towards me.

Cheating for blinds

One day I went to buy a wooden cabinet from a furniture house. The owner said that it worth Rs 2500/=. The very next day I went to buy it for Rs 1000/= in cash and balance on a credit basis. He immediately told me that the cabinet is priced for Rs 3500/= and not at Rs 2500/=. He further said that he is willing to sell the cabinet without any interest. I bought it and paid the installments properly. After five years later, the carpenter who made this cabinet came to my house and inquired from where I bought this cabinet. I told him the amount I paid to the seller. He immediately said that I have been deceived by the seller. The carpenter further said that he asked the seller to sell it for Rs 2500/= and asked to give him Rs 2400/= and balance be kept as a profit. After I revealed the truth, I never bought anything from him up to now. Unfortunately before that, I bought six chairs from him. Now he is not at Meegahathenna, and I have also heard a thunder storm has hit his house very recently.

In 1990, one day I went to buy a shirt. The tailor said that it costs Rs 150/=. I paid him Rs 100/= as an advance and I went to buy it after few days later. When I went to take it he told me the shirt is priced for Rs 250/=. I told him the exact amount he said earlier, but he didn't allow me to pay that amount. I paid the amount he said and up to now, I never bought any clothes from him.

Last Date of editing: Saturday, January 12, 2002