Excerpt from an article published in the Sunday Times, 30th April, 2000

Romance that started with a photo

Down Memory Lane

by Roshan Peiris

"My four sisters were very protective of me, like mothers. As I grew older and did well at school, coming first in class through the years, they were thrilled and very proud of me," soft- spoken Eileen Siriwardhana, wife of top civil servant D.B.I.P.S. says reminiscing about her large family of seven.

Eileen, the youngest in the family which also included two brothers, lived in Matara in a huge house with a rambling garden full of cadju trees. "In the mornings I used to collect the cadgu puhulan with my mother. It was a calming way to begin the day.

The Nilwala Ganga was close to her home and her mother used to swim in it. Though Eileen accompanied her to the river she did not swim because she was frightened of the water.

A shadow of sorrow passes across Eileen's face as she says, " I cannot recall my father who died when I was small. But seeing his photographs I have built up my own image of him."

"I loved eating dhal. It is still my favourite food and my family used to tease me about my unsophisticated taste. I also liked well baked hoppers, which I still do."

In school, Eileen says, she was quiet and considered an intelligent student topping the class until Grade 8. "The history teacher was strict. She spoke of a historical figure called Wickremesinghe which was my maiden name. The whole class burst into laughter, including myself. We all got a cut each on our palms with a ruler, for laughing. That was the only punishment I received in school."

"My second brother who lived in Colombo sent me gifts for doing well in class, they were dolls. I love dolls even now. I have cherished them and also those of my daughter Cyrene, who lives in London now, after marriage," she said.

According to Eileen she was inept at sports, but made up for it by singing, oratory and acting, even winning competitions.

She attended school in Matara at first, but did her university entrance exam from Visakha Vidyalaya. At that time little did Eileen think that from 1981 -1988 she would be Principal of this leading Buddhist school.

Recalling life at the university, she says, "To me university was like another world . I was boarded at Lauries Road, Bambalapitiya and did a leisurely walk to the university each morning.

"The hectic pace of work and the many trips we took to the ruined cities and even Yapahuwa interested me.

"I took part in two plays at the university, Tagore's Sacrifice which was translated into Sinhala and was called Billi Pujawa. I won the award for the Best Actress."

Later she acted in W.A. Silva's Sunethra in which her future husband who was also a university student took part as the Bishop.

She was friendly then with the brilliant Deraniyagalage Basil Ivor Peiris Samaranayake Siriwardhana, but had no special relationship.

"He came to see a friend of mine after I had passed out, and became an assistant teacher at Princess of Wales College, Moratuwa. I asked my friend Monica Peiris to ask her bearded friend for copies of the Harvest magazine to which he wrote regularly." Eileen was teaching English to the A. Level class.

"She got me a few magazines and I returned them to him, through her," she recalled.

She was surprised and embarrassed when she got a letter from DBIPS saying, "Ile, remember not to leave your photographs when returning books." A tiny photograph of herself, three students and three teachers, had been in the book. She had also never been called "Ile", before this.

When they, DBIPS, she and three girls went on a trip organised by the university to Yala, he barely left her side.

"We were engaged for two years and married at the Registrar's Office, since his parents did not approve of him marrying me. They had hopes of him marrying a girl with a large dowry from a well- known Colombo family," she recalls.

They honeymooned in Arugam Bay, Batticaloa and came back to live in a rented house in Nugegoda, close to St. Joseph's Convent where she taught.

Finally, with a government loan they built the house she now lives in at Nugegoda. DBIPS died of a heart attack a few years ago.

"He was a perfectionist. He looked after the house, the children and the garden. When any of the children fell sick he worried himself a great deal. I really had nothing to do," Eileen recalls, her eyes full of unshed tears.

"He lost his temper over little things, but got over it soon saying, 'All great men have a tragic flaw'!' I never spoke back or argued."

They have two boys and a girl.

"I translated Alberto Moravia's Roman Tales for my students.

He got me to publish my Sinhala translation in book form. It was my first book.

"My second book was a novel 'Ahasin Polowata' which was made into a film by Lester James Peiris and exhibited at the International Cairo Film Festival."

It won the Award for the best film from a Third World country. Eileen has since published 24 books including an English poetry book called Realisation.

Eileen submitted Balan Harimi Kadathurawa in 1986 in manuscript form for the D.R.Wijewardene Award. " I did not tell him, as he would have advised me against it since he never wanted me to be defeated in anything. He was so protective."

When she was Principal of Visakha she was told she had won the award. "When I rang my husband and told him the good news, he was thrilled."