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“I’m not going to say anything,” says Winston Peries, who greets me at the door with a very definite ‘man about the house’ air. “He’s the one who can’t stop talking,” is the quick assertion of the impeccably dressed, gentle-faced woman with a welcoming smile.

Gnanadevi Kanagasingham and Winston Peries celebrate together 50 years at the Bar and 48 years of marriage. Theirs is a story of love. Love for the legal work they both enjoy, which has seen them through a lifetime, and for the person who has become a lifetime partner.

I go to meet this couple knowing only this much – that they have worked side by side for fifty years as lawyers, while weathering the ups and downs of life for just as long.

The basic background information to what seems the long and interesting story of their life (although it is played down much) is listed out with a professional air, in courtroom fashion by Mr. Peries, who demands, “So, what do you want to know?” And then dives straight into details…

“Her father – the town proctor Trincomalee. My father – the town proctor Kegalle.” That’s what inspired the fascination for law in two young adults, who decided to follow in their fathers’ footsteps. So much so that as lawyers he practised in Kegalle and she in Trincomalee, until they got married, at which point Mrs. Peries came to Kegalle to be with her husband. Their areas of specialisation in the legal field are as different as their personalities. Again, succinctly put by Mr. Peries as, “She’s entirely civil and I’m entirely criminal.” In more ways than one!

For Mr. Peries, a third generation lawyer who has never got a sentence, law comes naturally. And on the question of the range of issues concerning criminal law cases, his contention is simple and frank, “Who knows.” Judging is for the judge or the jury, he says, I present facts and I don’t judge my clients. Working on the principle that although ninety nine guilty men may go free, under no circumstances should one innocent be found guilty, Mr. Peries says that in his line of work, every day is a challenge. “Every day it is a man’s life in your hands.” It’s tough, he says. And yes, sometimes he even gets nervous. It’s stressful work, and that is why it’s important to be able to switch off.

Appearing in the high courts of Kandy, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura and Kegalle, Mr. Peries has also had a short political career, in addition to his legal career. Politics, for him, was a challenge. “In 1983 people came and asked me what I was doing about the prevailing state of affairs, so I got involved in local politics. Later I got dragged into major politics. When I felt that I had done my bit and, for me, there were no more challenges, I went home.” It was as easy as that.

For Mrs. Peries, civil law is her strength. In her line of work she comes across cases pertaining to partition and divorce and attests deeds. With divorce cases, there is only one solution, says her ever-witty husband, “Don’t stay with the in-laws.” Working with something like 20 to 30 divorce cases daily, Mrs. Peries says that there are times when her husband has actually given couples his piece of advice – and it has worked! There is a lot of stress in marriages these days, but in our case we come back so tired we can’t argue, says Mr. Peries who adds firmly, “All arguments are in court.”

Their story of love runs alongside the story of law. They met in Law College, where they were batch mates. They sat in alphabetical order during classes, as was the custom at the time and fortunately, interjects Mrs. Peries, “K wasn’t very far from P”. From Mr. Peries’ quarter comes, “Since then I have been behind her!” And then? Who knows, they say, unanimously.

Over the years of lectures, budding hopes, dreams and ambitions, through dances, matches and picnics, something happened. They knew this was a “match” in the making. Two years after they passed out in 1955, they were married.

The fact that they came from two major ethnic groups in the country was a problem. Especially in the case of both mothers, who were “tough”, there was intervention from Mrs. Peries’ brother who just happened to be her husband’s friend and an uncle, with the added determination of Mr. Peries, who “didn’t listen to anyone” and the two were married. Their strong faith and the work they were both dedicated to became the foundations of their relationship. Tthe ethnic issue, for them, was never a problem.

Never? During the communal riots the fear was there. Thankfully, they say, they never had an incident. They both acknowledge that during the time of the 1971 insurgency, Kegalle was bad, and that was the only time they thought of leaving, but they never did. Life has always been exciting for them, and they have been “batting on well”. The real blessings came in the form of their three daughters. They were never keen on law and we wanted for them what they were happiest doing, is the joint response of parents who’ve had faith in their children, and given everything to make their dreams very real possibilities – in the fields of investment banking, finance and business management.

For the two lawyers in the family, after fifty years at the Bar, they are only just beginning to take it easy. If we stop work, we’ll grow old fast, says Mr. Peries, so we are just adapting to small changes, as change is something constant – you accept it and deal with it.

Their life thus still revolves around the work that still keeps them ticking, occasional visits to the club for a game of bridge, tennis or snooker, and exciting reunions with their children who live abroad, when the whole family explores a holiday destination they haven’t visited before. It’s what keeps alight the flame of commitment, fulfilment and adventure. It’s a life they’ve built so beautifully that it is possible for them to sit back and say, simply that they are “very happy”. This, I think, is what it is to be content.