I was called 'getabere' during my schooldays

I was called 'getabere' during my schooldays

Well-known actress Gayathri Dias who joined with a weekend newspaper spoke about her past for the column 'getissikaale' and exprssed the following ideas.

"Those days I was very naughty. If some act of stubbornness, some naughty thing would happen somewhere ... it was I who was right in front of it. So those days I and my friends were known as naughty characters. In school, four or five of us

were together. Whatever naughty thing we used to do ... it was the four or five of us who were in the lead too in the first, second position respectively. I engaged in sports in school. I was in both the western and eastern music bands. In school I really was a very popular character. As soon as I bade goodbye to school-life I got married. So I didn't get the chance of associating with friends in a big way and in going here and there as such after leaving school. But whatever I said and did ... it was during schooldays. Those days what we desired most was jumping into the temple land and breaking thembili and drinking them.

I have studied in 4 schools. So I had friends in all those four schools. Someone whom I can remember very well is Rasika Priyadarshani. We called her Pinto. Then I remember Sriyani Priyanka. But now I don't meet them. I missed them because of the field I chose. There wasn't any special place where  we used to get together. But we loved cutting school and going to friends' homes. If a friend in the class would fall sick ... we would inevitably go to see her. What I do as soon as I go is, hug her and give her a kiss. That's to get that same disease ... because then can cut school no. So those are the type of things that we used to do.

In the school band I used to play the 'getaberaya'. So I was called getaberaya. I can remember, a cover of mine was published in the newspaper 'Araliya'. So from that day boys  call me 'niliya'. In the same way when I went to a school as a fresher for the first time. I was ragged. When boys used to ask me to bring toffees, I used to bring 'Bunty' toffees. Those days the biggest desire I had was to become an actress. So as soon as I left school, I got a cance to act. My greatest hobby was playing cricket and climbing trees. Apart from that I really liked to write poems. I have with me a lot of poems that I wrote those days. What I have in mind is to collect all those poems and launch a book. When I was schoolgoing, of course a lot of boys came behind me. I also like to get the attention of everybody.

Those days I had long hair. Those days of course I took so much to heart. But however much so many boys came behind me, I didn't get friendly with anybody as such. I raised my 'price' when boys used to come behind me. So girls in school were really jealous of me. When  I recall the things that I did those days, I can't help laughing. My two parents were not harsh people. But for some of the naughty things I used to do ... my mother started chasing behind me. At that time what I would do is to start climbing a tree. I can still remember, when mother chased me to give me a beating, I climbed almost half of a coconut tree. Even at home I was a 'naughty bundle' so to say. Of the teachers I can remember Subasingha teacher. Other than that there was another teacher who taught Science, called Ramanayaka. He was so terrible. One day, because I didn't take the chair away after a meeting, I was hit on the head with a cane. I can still remember that shot. Even with those around me ... I had won their hearts. When we were at Ragama, I was playing on a swing and it broke and fell onto some garbage in the next house, I can remember like today. Everybody loved me. The only thing that's a matter of bother is my naughtiness.

Information -- Malaka Nandana (Meewitha)