Return to Jafna
On 4th December 2003, after almost Twenty-five years, I was able to visit my homeland and birthplace Jaffna. It was an emotional experience, and even though I had lived outside Sri Lanka for the majority of my life, just being in Jaffna felt as if I had finally come home, and ironically, very peaceful.
Our first trip was to St. John’s College, Jaffna, where the current Principal is a family friend of ours. St. John’s College is also the school attended by many men in the family, and where my Grandfather was a Teacher, and my Grand Uncle was Principal at one time. In fact many Uncles have taught there and served there in some way. The most significant area of the school was probably Arulanantham Block – named after our ancestral family.
Our next stop was my Grandparents’ house in Jaffna Town. Not surprisingly, it had some new occupants, who graciously informed us of the house’s usage during the war. Apparently the house had been used a training camp, including an 8ft. Diving Tank. 
After meeting the neighbors, we were off to Nunavil and Chavakacheri, where we saw my father’s house, which he built back in the dad. He had even inscribed and named the house (picture below) in the step near the Well. It is truly worth seeing this bit of identity, where his name and my grandfather’s name was still clearly visible.
Our last trip for the day ended in Sanguvelli, my birthplace and grandmother’s house, where most of my memories lie. However, we only managed to reach the place in the evening, and therefore only met the neighbour who was looking after the property. We promised to return the day after and inspect the property.
We returned the next day, full of excitement at walking into the house where I grew up with so many others before. It was an amazing experience being back in my grandmother’s house, and I was never going to part with this house again. We managed to take a few historical photos and books from the property. These were discovered in an old Almara cupboard in the house! In parting, we told the neighbors that we will now come more often and take over the responsibility for the property.
Hearing the stories of how they had survived in this place, it suddenly struck me as to how hard life had been in just having some of the modern conveniences. They probably didn’t realize as to how far the rest of the world had progressed and the current trends and fads. To my great surprise, I suddenly realized the little baby was wearing a Teletubbies T-shirt. Maybe these people had not been so behind in fashion, I guess.
Our last day in Jaffna took us back to Nunavil, where we visited some old friends, and proceeded to try and negotiate a deal to sell property. Our discussions with friends and neighbors led us around Jaffna, trying to find people who were interested in buying land in that area.
On our way in search of these virtual strangers, I took notice of the guy giving us directions. He was actually wearing a Tommy Hilfiger Belt – not bad for the Jaffna crowd! I was immediately wondering as to how and where this man had bought this belt – simply fascinating!
A sightseeing tour around Jaffna took us to Fort, the marketplace, CPM Jaffna, and many other old neighbours and their properties, some currently occupied by new owners! However, we also managed to discover the bombed remains of the church where my parents tied the knot. It was very sad to see the Christ Church in such a state, trying to picture my parents on their wedding day!
Definitely, this trip had let me rediscover the sights and sounds of Jaffna – my home. It is now high time to start coming back to this place and rediscovering my roots. It is not only full of memories but also a place of history for my family. I praise and thank God for giving me this valuable opportunity to return to my birthplace and recapture the fading memories!
Veronique
I spent a great deal of time to find something like this