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How Somalatha became Soma
In an interview given before Soma Edirisinghe passed away she herself has revealed her life's journey. published below is her story.* What is the name mentioned in the birth certificate?
Somalatha Perera
* Hometown?
Watareka of Salpitikorala Pallepaththuwa.
* I feel like odd to ask the age from ladies.
What does my age look like?
* Sixty five or about seventy.
Correct.
* What school did you attend?
I went to three schools. Meegoda Government School. Pannipitiya Dharmapala. Last, to Nugegoda St. John (now Samudra Devi).
* Father's name?
Charles Perera.
* What did he do as a profession?
A planter. He even had buses.
* Mother?
An ordinary housewife.
* How many in the family?
Altogether nine. Eight females .... one male. Have you heard of Kanthi Wakwella? There was a singer? One elder sister was married to him.
* Since there were nine in the family ... there would have been an environment with war-tanks right round.
No ... not at all. We were all united ... like friends.
* How did you meet your husband (E.A.P. Edirisinghe)?
It was a proposal. First of all he was proposed not to me, but for my elder sister. I can remember what my father said those days. That fellow is someone who rose from businesses and has a big interest. We can make him join in our activities also. The other thing is that this proposal is a proposal that comes very rarely. "He's so dark father," elder sister said. Then father replied, "What the hell even if he's dark; luck has come your way. Don't kick this chance'. We liked Edirisinghe because he's a film producer. Because I am mad over films. Then I can act also no. Whatever it is, elder sister didn't like. In the process someone in Edirisinghe's family died. (I can't remember who he or she was). I can remember a talk about the horoscopes of the two was not matching. Later elder sister married another person. (He was a doctor in Kandy called S.B. Dissanayaka). For that wedding Edirisinghe and K.A.W. Perera also came. K.A.W. was a school friend of his. I happened to be the bridesmaid.
* So you also would have been equally attractive as the bride.
Wait will you till I tell. It was to me that Edirisinghe brought the second proposal. Our horoscopes were compatible. Elder sister married in April. I got married in December that same year.
* Mrs. Edirisinghe is anyhow a comely lady no .... Didn't you have any affairs of the heart before marriage?
Father had boarded everyone of us. Only I went to school by bus. Once, a group of boys began to get funny with me at the bus-halt. One of the boys tried to get friendly with me. One boy asked, "what's your name"? I said Ditta Mangalika.
* Why is that you mentioned a name like that?
Aiyo ... this is what happened. That day what was taught in class was the Ditta Mangalika story. Our father was very strict. He didn't allow anybody to get friendly with anybody. There was no permission to go here and there other than to school. He was even so vigilant about our school journey. I can remember, even this Suriyapperuma also used to toot the horn those days when going past our house. Ask Suriyapperuma will you when you get the chance to meet him. So we used to wave our hands from the balcony. Not for anything else ... but for fun.
* You said that you are crazy over films .... didn't you?
To tell you ... we watched Kele Handa standing in the hall. I liked actors and actresses so much. We even used to go to the homes of Ananda Jayaratna, Leena de Silva, Senadheera Kuruppu and Herbert M. Seneviratna. Actually we were really crazy. There was so much of fruits in our garden. I used to go and meet them by taking those fruits. Senadheera Kuruppu's wife likes to eat 'waraka' a lot. So I used to give them even that.
* We have heard that you were very naughty when you were young.
My boy, the things that we did, girls nowadays will not even think of doing. I\ll tell of one incident. One day we friends got dressed up like 'rodiyas' and kept begging in Colombo.
* Where did you reside after marriage?
At this house in Sulaiman Terrace where we now live. In the early stages I was very scared. When I have a bath in the bathroom, I felt like someone was putting the hand. Just like Dracula. Because we had seen Dracula films those days no. So I used to keep the servant in the house near the room and then bathe.
* What type of a person is your husband?
Just like our father he also was very strict. But even then he had straightforward characteristics. In the same way he had good qualities. It was the best foundation which paved the way for success in my life. He did his all by himself. By that he gave the children also a precedence. Though there were servants, it is to the children that he gave the responsibility of making up their own beds. He had given instructions that the clothes worn at night should be put out in the sun the following day. In short, if one wants to take water from the fridge, what he said was, that also one should do it by oneself without telling the servants. Servants also are human beings no. We used to have dinner with our children. At the dinner table he would relate to us news of what happened during the day,about our country and about other countries. Like Bandula Padmakumara used to do the 'Mul pituwa'.
* About Mr. Edirisinghe's demise?
From a heart attack. When he passed away he was not even 50.
* When you lost your husband ... how did you face life?
At that time the children were small. When there's money ... vehicles, usually they won't listen to what we say. But I was straight. If the mother goes wrong ... nothing will come right. Then the children also will go bad. Then don't you know; they say 'if it's good for her, what if we also did that'.
* Then you put your hand into business?
Theros like Maduluwawe Sobhitha and Galaboda Gnanissara encouraged me. Actually there isn't anything that I knew about business. In short I didn't know even to write a bill as such. Because of that I thought that if I get to a side and wait, things would go wrong, I got down to the job. Some people thought that I would dispose of these things. I will not sell any business or property. I will take them further forward. If possible bring some more business ... I'll take. Those were the words I said those days.
What can this woman do? Sometimes they may have thought like that. Let's take these things forward, somehow or the other as is possible. The children's opinion was the same. I started hotels ,,, a rupavahini channel. We must not be frightened of taking decisions.
* You may have had to face many a challenge?
Yes. I'll give one example. That E.A.P. Bar which is now at Borella ... formerly it was a casino club that was there. It was something which my husband was maintaining. I closed it down. Thuggery mudalalis came asking for it on rent. I came to know that they were acquiring lands in their name after sometime with the help of a certain powerful politician. I promptly took the liquor license. It was after that that I opened the bar.
* Really .... what is the secret behind your success?
Managing my time properly. Even during weekends I don't take a nap during the afternoon. The other thing is that I have my own principles. I don't listen to calumny or stories. What I say is, if it can't be asked straight to the face ... not to say it. The other thing is, it is I who open the letters I get. I should know what is there. Another thing is, we should be the guardian of the employees. It should be etched and confirmed in their minds that we are there for any problem they have. There are no trade unions in our establishment. Its secret is that.
* How do you spend your day-to-day routine?
I get up at 5.30 in the morning. Perform my ablutions. I go to my office room and check the calls that I have received. I read the newspapers. I watch the 'Mul pituwa' of Swarnavahini. I keep the Buddha Pooja and worship the Buddha. Have the breakfast and get dressed up. It's only after that that I go to office.
* You are a celebrated social service worker.
I got down to social service not just a couple of days ago. On the occasion of floods in 1961, I got together with actors and actresses and collected flood-relief funds. Sanhinda Elders' Home. Punarjeewa Heart Surgery, Jana Sarana and Suvanetha are some of my projects.
* Is it to accumulate merit that you do those things?
Not for the sake of merit. That is my happiness. By now we have given financial aid for 87 heart operations. Treatment at our eye hospital for poor people is free of charge. These are things not done to feign for the purpose of showing off to anybody.
* Someone might say ... don't know whether it is to ask for the vote.
How many called me to come into politics? I didn't go ... and will not go either. Doing politics by selling house and property, lands ... everything will be finished when the next regime comes into power. It's a case where even what the children are going to get, are going to lose ... don't you think so?
* Weren't you Mrs. Edirisinghe bestowed the title of Doctor once?
There's a nice story in that. I got that letter. I threw it into the waste-paper basket. Later Nalaka Putha asked me to search for it somehow. Fortunately the waste-paper basket had not been emptied.
* Your hobbies?
Like those days I watch films. No time of course to read books.
* Do you believe in rebirth?
I'll be reborn for only three other births. I have been told.
* What would you have been in your last birth?
Those theras say that it maybe that I have been Visakha.
* Then, do you believe in things like horoscopes?
(Nods the head ... inferring a positive attitude). There's a person who reads my horoscope. It's only to him that I show my horoscope.
* Can you say something about your children?
Three sons and one daughter. Sons are Jeewaka, Nalaka and Asanga. Deepa is the daughter. One son (Nalaka) is married to a daughter of popular cinema actress Jeewarani Kurukulasuriya. I have 12 nephews and nieces.
* Is there a hope still remaining in your life?
What else? This is our last stages no!
Discussion -- Sunil Mihindukula
Collection of Soma Edirisinghe's final birthday celebration in 2015, from below
