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A
trip to Colombo to buy a television ends in tragedy for a family
in Kurunegala who lost their beloved Priyandani in Tuesday’s
blast Thirty-nine-year-old Priyandani was the young-est of three, and received much love and care from her family, especially her brother and sister. Today, the family is left mourning the tragic and untimely death of their adored daughter and sister who left home on that fateful day, only to be brought back in a coffin, a victim of the horrific bomb attack at Army Headquarters in Colombo. “Before going out every day, Priyandani would come to my room asking if she looked good. That day too she had come to my room, but how unlucky I was not to be able to talk to her as I was sleeping,” says Priyandani’s sister, Nirmala Karunasinghe in tears. Priyandani and Nirmala, both unmarried, shared their thoughts and secrets, throughout their lives. A past student of Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya and Lakdas Maha Vidyalaya in Kurunegala, Priyandani was an Arts graduate from the Kelaniya University. Her first teaching appointment as a dancing teacher was at St. Andrew’s College, Puttalam after which she served as a teacher at Mawathagama Vidyalaya. Later she joined Sir John Kotelawela Maha Vidyalaya, Kurunegala where she took on the role of mother, sister and friend to many of the students and teachers who are now lamenting her tragic death “That
day she went to Colombo with her two cousins, Duminda and Sanjeewa
to purchase a TV set from the Army Headquarters’ Welfare Society.
But the security guard had not allowed all three of them to go in
and Sanjeewa had stayed near the barrier letting the other two go
in,” a wailing Nirmala said. “Duminda
was working in the Kosgama Army Camp in Avissawella. He had plans
of getting married and settling down with his fiancée who
is now in Cyprus. In fact they went to purchase a television set
and some other goods for his newly built house. They were thrilled
that they were going to buy a new television and had planned the
trip a long time ago. Earlier they were planning to go on Monday,
but later they decided to make it on Tuesday,” Nirmala said. Meanwhile
Sanjeewa, who was waiting near the barrier for his brother Duminda
and cousin Priyandani to return had heard the noise of the blast
inside. Just like how Duminda, 29, was accompanied by Priyandani on his trip to Colombo, in death too he was not alone- his beloved cousin’s coffin lay next to his in the family home. Priyandani’s father, 78-year-old V. S. Karunasinghe recalling memories of his loving daughter said she was always lively and fun loving. “She could sing and dance well. As a daughter she looked after us very well. She brought home good food and gave us money to buy medicine. But look what happened to her, we lost her all of a sudden. My wife fainted when she got to know that our girl has died,” said the grieving father. Priyandani’s death has caused much heartbreak to the students and staff members of Sir John Kotelawela Maha Vidyalaya. Expressing their grief, some students said that Priyandani was a teacher whom they could count on to help solve their problems. “She was more like a friend than a teacher. We remember how we were scolded by her for not offering flowers to Lord Buddha. We have received a lot of valuable advice from her throughout our Advanced Level years. We last met her in January when we went to collect the school uniform material and we remember apologising for forgetting her birthday,” they said. “We
were planning to meet her but she is no more,” they chorused
in tears. |
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A
shattered picture
