Memories of Fawzia: March 2012

Surfing the Net some years ago, I came across an advertisement for "Hillside Paradise", a 17-acre property in Galaha, at an elevation of 3,000+ feet. I liked the photos I saw, the price was low, but, when I paid a visit, the road turned out to be probably the worst I had seen in Sri Lanka. In any case, my hands were full with Sri Lankan properties and I told the owner, a Canadian, that I wasn't interested. But I kept the property at the back of my mind.

Hamlin, Fawzia's brother, had been working in the parched sands of the Middle East for nearly 30 years and was keen to return home and become a gentleman farmer. When he agreed to buy the property jointly with me, I made an offer and the owner eventually sold at a ridiculously low price. (He was "fed up" with Sri Lanka.)

The property was the last remnant of a vast tea plantation named Bellwood Estate, which had been parcelled out to landless peasants. Fawzia liked Bellwood. Ever the potential entrepreneur, she wanted to bottle the water from the stream that ran thru the property and market it as "Bellwood Spring Water". (Most bottled water in Sri Lanka come from dug wells.) Bellwood had two houses, and she wanted to renovate the stone house, where an English owner had once resided, and make it her fifth or sixth home (I am losing count here).

She had promised Hamlin to visit Bellwood and spend a night there with Chandra, Hamlin's wife. So, on Thursday January 19th, she met Chandra in Kandy town and traveled to Bellwood by bus. She returned to Hantana the next day, taking a three-wheeler (a"tuk-tuk") along the pot holed, bone jarring short-cut of about 15 kilometers.

These photos were taken by Fawzia.

This is the stone house which Fawzia hoped to renovate and convert into another home.

Her last view of Bellwood Farm. Photo taken from the three-wheeler.

These photos of Hantana Estate were taken on the journey back to Hantana in the three-wheeler. That evening, she couldn't stop talking about Bellwood and Chandra's hospitality.

TRULLY SHE WAS AN EPITOME OF A HUMANIST

Nature had given her a beautiful natural broad smile. Always used to be a charismatic character and she was such a wonderful charming person with a kind heart, was liked and loved by all whom she associated with. She had proved to the world that she lived for others by giving all her supportiveness, help and guidance to the society she was living, and made most of their lives happy and looked after their welfare. Her life was filled with virtuous qualities and that’s what made me to look upon her as a Symbol of Humanism. She was no one else but my late loving sister Linda (Fawzia).

Down memory lane to the past, I just recapped the lovely memorable times spent with her

My remembrances are somewhat vague about the time we spent during our childhood at Meethotamulla, Colombo, where we were born. I am the youngest in the family and had only two sisters. Linda was my second eldest sister. We were tiny kids playing all around and loved by all. Both my sisters were schooling, I too had just started schooling. Then there was a request from my paternal grandparents living in Kurunegala, Ibbagamuwa, for me to be with them. My dad decided to send me there and it was a very unhappy decision to me, as well my mother and my sisters. But dad’s decision was final as usual and no one could dispute his decisions. So I had to take leave from my loving mother and sisters, at the tender age of just three and half years. During this period our family shifted to Ragama. However I used to come for term end holidays and used to enjoy the holidays with my sisters. Linda was bright and excelling well in her studies as well sports and extracurricular activities than us and she was smart enough to lead and guide us which made her to be the favorite in the family.

The time was passing by and my eldest sister Shirley got married to Badulla. Then Linda and I had the chance of travelling to Badulla by train and spent most of our school vacations there. It was a new experience and was very exciting. We liked very much and had some really wonderful times together.

Many years later due to my unhappiness and in addition even not being able to do well in studies at my grandparents place my sister Linda had had a hard and lengthy discussions with my dad, and she managed to convince him and got me down back to Colombo. So I was able to be with my parents and with Linda and schooled with her in the same the school during the last two years of college life. She was the Head Prefect and was very strict; even I got caught several occasions. For others it was a single punishment that was in school only. But for me it was double punishment, second one was from home. All these because she had lot of concern on me and loved me so much.

She joined Maharagama Teacher Training Collage. On an off some weekends she used to come home or else I used to visit there. When she used to come home we all at home were very happy to see her and the home was enlightened with full of joy and laughter. Those were most memorable moments of my entire life never ever to be forgotten.

My First Coloured Checked Shirt: Subsequent to passing out from training college she got a teaching appointment in the hill country and that was the first time I heard about George and their romance. My dad used to buy me only plain white shirts. Very rarely he has bought me even light coloured shirts. It was she who presented me with a dark coloured checked shirt. It was in maroon colour with blue and white thin stripes forming small checks. I was so delighted. Also she used give me pocket money from which I developed my hobby of growing Orchids, Roses, Anthuriums and Cactus. The Garden was colourful and people used come and ask to buy plants. Thanks to her I was able to start my first income source during that period.

I entered the Technical Collage Kurunegala because of which did not have much time for me to communicate with her. During this period only once I visited them at Chilaw when they were there. After completing my technical studies I managed get my first employment in the Irrigation Department in Kurunegala district. It was only for six months period and then I got the opportunity to work in the University of Moratuwa.

Back to Ragama: This change of my working place meant I was able to come back to Ragama and was staying at Thai Aunty’s place. By this time George and Linda too shifted to a nearby house in Ragama and I had the opportunity to be with them again. Roy, their only son was a small kid then.

My first ever birthday celebration: I never had a birthday celebration before in my life. One evening Linda, George and little Roy visited me at Thai Aunty’s place. It was a surprise visit with a surprise gift for my birthday. Coincidently it was my 25^th. Birthday. I got prepared a lavish dinner with the help of aunty and her two daughters, Shan and Fati. Uncle and Thai aunty’s son Roshan also were there. Though it was a small party, but was filled with love, joy, fun and laughter. It was another memorable moment spent with them.

I got transferred to University of Peradeniya. Though I departed again I had opportunities to be with them on and off when they were in Boralessa and Kandy, I used to visit. When Roy boarded in Kandy while he was studying in Trinity College, Kandy, I used to take Roy to their home at Boralessa on some weekends.

Opportunity to meet them again - in the Middle East: In Early 80's first George left to Sultanate of Oman and later my sister Linda joined him with Roy. They encouraged me a lot to come to Oman, as prospects were very good for Quantity Surveyors and at that time I was working as a Quantity Surveyor at the State Engineering Corporation of Sri Lanka, in Colombo. They got down my C.V. and managed to get a good position for me in Oman through a friend and a fellow Sri Lankan Quantity Surveyor. I got the chance to be with them again. In a couple of years time George left to States and in another couple of years later Linda too left to States to join George. Till then I had chances to be with them. Thereafter only through mails we were able to keep up with what’s happening in our lives. In 1994 I shifted to Dubai, UAE after completing 10 years in Oman. When we were there Linda visited us during some time in 1998. Other than that, from that time onwards only on just a couple of occasions we got the chances to meet, if coincidently my vacation period overlaps with their visits to Sri Lanka. In the mean time they left to Hong Kong and I took an assignment in Qatar where I am at present.

Meeting each other in Sri Lanka when we visited on Holidays: If I recall those memorable moments when we had a chance meet each other in Sri Lanka, myself, Chandra, and daughter Malki a three and a half years kid then, visited first and met Linda, George and Roy in their residence at Katunayaka. At that time Uncle Braine & Aunty (George’s father & mother) were their too. The second time we visited again there, then only Linda and Uncle Braine was there. Next time I met her at my mother’s funeral at Seeduwa. Another time I met her was Linda organized a trip to their Namala resort with three of us. The same car we were travelling was the one which she met with the fatal accident. During a holiday in Sri Lanka on 22 June 2010, myself with Malki visited Boralessa. Linda too was on a holiday with one of her friends from Hong Kong. We spent the whole day and posed to couple of photographs together which I didn’t think that will be the last photographs I will be posing with her. Then again on my last annual holidays, on 29 August 2011, I travelled to Sri Lanka and from the airport straight I went to Boralessa with Chandra and met George and Linda. We stayed till evening there and went home. Following day they left to Hong Kong. It was the last time I met her.

Visited the property at Belwood, Galaha Kandy: In late 2007 George called me regarding a property at Belwood, Galaha, Kandy hill capital Sri Lanka known as Belwood Farm which was to be sold. Both Linda and George encouraged me lot, they negotiated with the previous owner, and helped me to buy this property. I can recall one day George told me during the negotiations went on to purchase this property, there were times Linda went and offered prayers for us to get this land for. She was so keen to get this deal done and finally got it for a fortune price. Just exactly one week before the tragedy, she joined my wife Chandra in Kandy on 19 January 2012 morning, went to Belwood at Galaha and stayed there till following day evening. It was the first time that both had god together enjoyed well had, fun and laughter, also enjoyed the food prepared by Chandra. When she went there she was so much happy to see and was delighted the way developments are going on there which includes tea plantation and minor crops and said to me she will be joining me with the business. They both got together climbed the hills and walked everywhere and all around the property. During her say in Galaha, I had managed to call her several times. On 20^th January 2012 afternoon around 3.00pm I called her and it was just few minutes before she was about leave Belwood. That was my last call for her and that was the last I heard her voice. She got in to the vehicle and had got down again and came back to my wife, hugged, gave kisses to her and told her that she will be visiting our residence at Horana to enjoy Chandra’s tasty food when she will be in Sri Lanka in next June. They both wouldn’t have imagined this was their last meeting and the farewells bid were to be final and forever.

We are really missing her and that void couldn’t be fulfilled by anyone else in our life. She was so important person to my life who led and guided me to be where I am standing today, living contently. In the latter part of our lives; though we didn’t have much chances to meet each other, to pose in photographs together, but the love and affection were there to a great depth in our minds and hearts. She left us in deep sorrow and I am still struggling hard to hide tears pouring down from my eyes.

My Dear Sister,

We were expecting you will be there in the audience with us to cheer our daughter Malki on her Graduation Day in May 2014 at Georgetown University as you and George were the most happiest and delighted to hear that Malki got enlisted to Georgetown University with a merit scholarship.

We were expecting that you will be there to support us to find a suitable partner for our daughter Malki.

We were expecting that you will be there with us to share the joy on our daughter Malki’s wedding day.

We were expecting that you and George will be there, as Guests of Honor at the opening ceremony of my Nature Resort I am planning to put up at Belwood, Galaha.

We were expecting and eagerly waiting to welcome you to our residence at Horana, which you promised Chandra that you will be coming, when about to leave Belwood, Galaha on the very last day you met her.

All the past years you were the only family member remembered to wish me on my birthday. It had become an expectation and this year too on 15^th February I was remembering of past years how happy I was to receive your greetings.

But all these expectations are never to be fulfilled. Never to be realized. They are to remain dreams only forever.

7^th March 2012 was the 40^th day ratheeb of her demise and we all, Sister Shirley and family, Thai Aunty and family, my family and others made special prayers and offerings on behalf of her in different places. In two mosques Holy Quran was thamamed (full recital and was offered) on behalf of her. Finally since I am not in the country, I arranged my cousin brother Durand Cassiere who is on a holiday in Sri Lanka to go to her grave on this day and perform the special prayer to her. Let all these prayers be for her.

May she attend Jennathul Firdous.