My other relatives

This photo of my paternal grandparents, circa. 1930s, is a good indication of my geneology. My grandfather, Charles Stanley Braine, was English. He was the manager of a large coconut plantation in the Dankotuwa area. He married a local woman, Engracia Nonis, a Sinhalese, who was from Boralessa. My grandmother could be seen in the photo wearing a traditional cloth and along sleeved jacket that was popular among Sinhalese Catholic women of that period. And therein lies a tale.

My grandparents had eight children, five girls and three boys. Only three, Alice (in Australia), Bridget (in the UK) and my dad Teddy, the youngest, in Sri Lanka, are still living. I grew up knowing my cousins, some only by sight and the others as childhood playmates. Marie, still living at Boralessa, is probably closest to me. The children of Aunty Bee (Bridget) were also close, although they emigrated to the UK in 1963. I kept seeing them on my visits to the UK. Others were the Chelvaratnam cousins (children of Aunty Amy) who are now settled in Australia, the Nicols (children of Aunty Alice) who are also in Australia, Delphine and Gordon (children of Aunty Kate), and the children of Uncle George, also in Australia. On a visit to Australia two years ago, I was happy to see Stan (the only child of Uncle Ben) after nearly 40 years.

My grandmothers' relatives, because they were simple village folk, appeared only in the background. There was mention of her brother Uncle Charlis (Charles, pronounced in the Sinhala fashion), who had lived in Boralessa and worked for my grandfather at the coconut plantation. Charlis' children (my uncles and aunts) would be seen at family funerals but were not openly welcomed or acknowledged, except by my Aunty Bee, who had a special affinity for these relatives. None of them dressed in the western fashion and they didn't speak English. The impression created in our young minds was that these people were not up to our standard and were best kept at a distance. They were the poor relatives.

Then, in 1977, I moved to "Pondside", which is located in my grandmother's village of Boralessa. I slowly got to know these relatives. The most prominent among them was the surviving wife of Uncle Charlis, called Puransina Aachi (grandmother). I believe her name was a corruption of the English name Francina. Some of her grown children, Georgiana, Alexander, and Ignatius among them, lived nearby. Puransina would drop by for a chat and to "borrow" coconuts, firewood, or cash. Fawzia and I liked to chat with them because they related interesting family stories that we would not have known otherwise.



Ignatius with one of his daughter and a grand daughetr. The little girl is wearing a typical Sri Lankan school uniform.

Puransina aachchi passed away in the 1980s, and so did Alexander, who was a jovial character but also a heavy drinker. Georgiana, who isn't sure of her age but I guess is close to 90, no longer works at the tile mill. Both her younger children, a son and daughter, died tragically in the late 1970s, so she now lives alone. Ignatius, the youngest in the family, was a sawyer but doesn't work anymore because of poor health. He also has two children in Italy, including the young woman in the photo, who was paying a visit. Ignatius, who used to ride a bicycle, now owns a motorcycle.


Chryshantha

In the next generation, Chryshanta (a son of the late Alexander) appears to be leading a good life. He's a carpenter and undertakes lucrative contracts to roof new houses. He is the loving father of two small children.

My grandmother's relatives have faded into the background because none of them appear to have attended school beyond primary level. There is hope for the younger generation because they appear to be serious about education. When they see my car parked at "Pondside", they know I am visiting and stop by for a chat. I would like to make up for lost time and forge closer relations with them , but my visits to "Pondside" are infrequent.