"Mud means something that comes with celebrity package" -- Nehara Peiris

"Mud means something that comes with celebrity package" -- Nehara Peiris

It is popular tele-actress Nehara Peiris who joined us this time with the feature 'Back to school' which reminisces childhood memories. It is in the following manner that she met us and recalled her past:

* Name of your school?

  St. Lawrence College.

* Remember the first day in school?

  Yes ... I remember slightly but didn't cry at length. As far as I can remember, I started crying as soon as I went. After a short time stopped crying.

* With whom did you go to school on the first day?

  With my mother. 

* Remember Year 1 teacher's name or her looks?

  Can remember the features. Name of course doesn't come immediately to mind at this moment.

* Remember your best friend in Year 1?

  Yes .. Tina Mendis. She is still in touch with me. In any case we are family friends. Her father and mother knows my father and mother. So it was Tina from Year 1 to Year 3. After that classes are changed. Then it was a friend called Heshani. Still I speak to her. She's not in Sri Lanka. After that had a friend called Poorna. Then by Grade 10 there was no single friend as such. Had a clique. All of them were good friends. Almost all of them were school friends very affectionate to me. 

* Remember marks you took at Year 5 scholarship?

  Yes I remember ... 103. Pass marks was 128. So I failed.

* Did home people promise to give you something if you passed the scholarship?

  No ... nothing of the sort. They did't want anything like tat done by me. My parents have never told me that if this was given this will be done. They never pressurised me. Nothing like 'You must take so many marks for this ... you must somehow pass this. They were always with me. "Do as you abe to" they said. As parents they gave me all support due to me. I remember, a teacher came home and did classes for preparation for the scholarship. As parents they provided me with all support to the maximum. 

* Have you engaged in sports in school?

  Yes ... have done Basketball. During sports meet time have done gymnastics. Those were the things. 

* Were you a naughty character in school?

  I was not like that. I was not a naughty character. But it was extra curricular activities most that I liked and did those activities. Did educational work without missing that too. I did all my home-work at the right time and kept, arranged my books in the proper order. It was after that I was involved in outside work. I was in the choir from the junior choir upto the senior choir. After that for some years I was the conductor of the choir. I was also in the Western band. 

* Any memorable incidents that you were involved in with your friends, from Year 1 to Year 5?

  There was nothing special to say as such. No such thing comes to my head. It's like this ... not something done by getting together with friends. In Year 5 I can remember, in my case if even today someone loves me ... maybe mother or  father or my husband or somebody; even if it's my malli; I expect it on a maximum level. I sometimes don't know whether it is right or wrong ... but I expect it ... that unlimited love. Then even a good friend of mine ... my best friend is I myself who must be that person's best friend. That person can have no other. If you happen to be my best friend ... that person can have other friends; but cannot be the best friend. So I am very possessive. Now even a friend ... by now I don't have best friends. Everybody in Sri Lanka who loves me are my friends. Now you are also a friend of mine. Camera malli is also my friend. Because I tell everything about me ... my best friend is my husband. 

So I can recall, Heshani was my best friend in Year 5. Those days my mother had a Nur problem in her hand. She had undergone an operation. Now if it is my best friend ... she should sit next to me. We had groups, no. She was changed to another group. Now I feel terribly upset and can't bear it up. Even if I tell teacher, she wouldn't listen. I started crying remembering that operation done on mother. Now I am crying so badly. Teacher asked, 'Why what happened?" I said, "My mother's hand is operated". Then after that, teacher is asking, 'Now what do you want? How can we stop your crying?' I replied, "Put me near Heshani". Then teacher put me in Heshani's group. Then teacher put Heshani into my group. After that mother's operation ... anything of that sort I forgot. I then stopped my crying. So things like that I used to do those days.

* Have you at any time gone before the principal even for any small wrong thing?

  No .. I haven't gone. In small days I have never gone. I became prefect in Year 11. Deputy house captain. My house was Loretto. I told that there was a clique. Most of those in that clique were prefects. Dulanjali too was with us. She was the school captain. 

One day somehow or the other a friend of mine had brought a phone to school on a special day like Commerce Day or English Day. I was absent that day. Now I am relating this as far as I can remember. I couldn't go that day ... for some reason. The following day that phone was caught and something has happened. The next day when I went to school, principal called me. She asked, 'What is this? You know about this, don't you?' I said that I didn't come to school that day and that I don't know very much about it. Then she told me that until I tell the truth my badge would be removed. Then she removed my badge ... So I felt very sad. But I know what happened. But I won't betray like that. So I waited ...

Anyhow that friend had gone and told that I was not in school and does not know anything. Subsequently I was summoned and the badge was returned to me. Oh the feeling I ha at that moment! I have never got caught for a wrong thing like that and punished in school. So I found this a little unbearable. So to face punishment for any wrong that had not been done and getting punished is not an easy thing. Now can't also betray friends. 

So it's like that even now. Even after coming to this artistic field people just keep on saying various things sometimes and sling 'mud'. So that is something which comes with the celebrity package. Because whether it is popularity, money, 'mud' or gossip ... those comeThose come with our knowledge but there are other instances they bring up things which we have not done and portrays a wrong image of that person ... then sometimes it is something sad which is unbearable. How can I now ... but what I believe is that some day this will come to light. So in that incident also my friend after going and telling, I got my badge back. 

* When talking about O/L days ... what was the subject you liked most?

  I ... liked English best.

* Remember O/L results?

  Yes ... A1, B1, C3, S3.

* Then at O/Ls what was the subject you disliked most?

  Maths. I think that's a subject that most students speak of. I managed to get an S for maths ... thanks to that sir who came home and taught me. Manoj ... I still remember the name. I am weak where maths in concerned.

* Have you cut periods in school?

  No ... haven't done so. Haven't even thought of doing so.

* At O/L time a set of friends get together, no. Any naughty thing you did by getting together with them or any experience?

  Haven't done any bad things as such. I can play the piano. At times we clique during interval periods or so like to go near the piano and sing. Those days we used to play popular songs and sing. One used to play the drum. Now this is interval time, no. So all nangiyas .. younger to us would get round us and it is like a musical show.

* Did you have a schoolgirl romance those days?

  Yes, I had.

* Around what age did the school romance start?

  At 13.

* Where did you go for tuition?

  Actually, teachers came home for maths, science. I went out for commerce and Sinhala and that was to a house in the neighbourhood to a teacher called Lalitha.

* Any nicknames called by school friends?

  I don't have a nickname. But in school I used my first name. I have three names. Everybody in school knows me by the name Krihashni. 

* Have you cut classes any day?

  I have never cut classes in school. Since you spoke of A/L, After finishing O/L I did not sit for A/L. I attended ACBT. I went there because my target was to take a degree in business management and marketing. So if I do the A/L I would ave to stay in school for about two years. So I wanted to finish soon to go for the degree. If someone hasn't done the A/L, there is something called Foundation Level. It is equivalent for the Australian A/L and that is what I did upto Certificate Level. I can't remember its results. But I managed to pass it by selecting four, four subjects in two semesters. After passing I started for the diploma. I sat for three subjects in that and stopped from there onwards. Soon after I gained access to the field of arts. Then I wasn't able to pursue my degree. It is that which I missed I recently went for, but the subject was different. Then I wanted to do business and management. But I followed AMI Montessori teaching from a different subject to the highest level and came to Sri Lanka. 

* Are you more scared of the father or mother?

  Actually I am more scared of either as such. I have great respect and love immeasurably for them. I am not scared because both my father and mother are like two friends to me even from small days. I did not do wrong things as such. It's like this ... rules at home means; I am not sent much for parties. Even if sent, I am expected to be back home by 8. If not, I have to go with mother ... there were things like that. Apart from that I had enough freedom even to talk anything with them. So I didn't have any fear like that. But there is that fear which comes automatically. 

* Has there been any influence from home where studies were concerned at any time?

  No. None of them made any pressure on me or malli. That I think is the only thing that helped me to be successful in life without any pressure. So no such influence has affected me. "Even when O/L comes .. it doesn't matter ... do your maximum'. When such things are told we get more motivated. Now I can remember, when the Diploma was suspended ... in 2005 or 2006;  even then father and mother said, 'In vain no this is stopped half-way ... but doesn't matter, it's your wish, no .. because if something is done, we should do it with a heart. If we do it with some dislike and fail and get stressed and get fed up of life ... there's no meaning because we have come to this world only for a very short period. How many years ... we then go. For that there is no meaning at all in putting big things into our head. We finally go back into the dust.Sometimes some people don't understand it'. 

* What do you feel about our 'Back to school' programme? 

  I like it. It's a very decent programme. This is an opportunity to bring back to memory the past and to share it with my loving fans.

Conversation -- Janani Tharushika