MEMORIES OF CLOCK TOWER OF THE CITY - KANDY

Come to clock tower I am waiting. ‘clock tower eka langadi meet wemuda’?, 

‘ hari ehenam clock tower eka langata enna’

'Oralosu kanuwa langa mama innam oya enna'

'Machan onna mama oralosu kanuwa langa kiyapu welata innawa harida'

This clock tower of Kandy city is an amazing , memorable place for most of us. May be people who are outside to kandy do not get much of  a sense what I am trying to tell here.

I remember ‘all my friends sometimes alone or with their partners of love at that time (most of them have become forever partners by now) chose this place to meet 'first time' contacts and gazes and then proceed to where ever they like to go later or after meeting.

This particular ‘tower’ is so close to me as well. I like this place a lot not because it tell the Kandy people ‘the correct time’ and also for outsiders who come and go from time to time. ‘they I am sure have read the time ‘indicated’ at least once in their life time.

I am thinking how many of you have met your friend or lover to be at this wonder and memorable place.

During school days of ours, we had many friends from different schools that we met outside school world. Sometimes we go to each others place and have little chit chats about various things.

I do not have to tell when peer groups are meeting we have things to talk, common to all.About girls and boys of our same age, aiyala akkala of our friends, about parents oh also about nangila and mallila.  Interesting. 

we enjoyed all these our meetings near ‘oralosu kanuwa’ – clock tower.

Suramya came from Ukuwela, she gets late most of the time. Chandani had to come from ‘Kundasale’ I am the only one who lived little closer compared to them. I could generally meet them‘right time’ ‘ the time they expected me to come’.

If they do not come on time ‘we have little fights over time and then proceed’

Welawata enna danne nedda?

‘bus neha’

Ethakota mamada weradi”

Oya kalin awith hityata api monawada karanne’

Api kiwwe nehane oyata welawatath kalin awilla kaale nasthi kara ganna kiala’

We have things to say ‘too many excuses’ ‘too many things’

All those were temporary fighting.

This we like so much ‘clock tower’ is a good listener

He is a good observer.

He knows when we are breaking the rules of the roads crossing carelessly before ‘his vicinity’  ‘very watchful’but never goes and complained against our faults to the ‘head of the town’

The buses parked near his neighbourhood. Sometimes comes and go several times but one of us were still there waiting for our other friends.

He was watching all these.

There were times ‘the new to kandy faces’ did not know which route they should take to reach to katukele, which route is easier, what ever route they should take to reach to the place in a few minutes of time. sometimes we like to take a long route because sometimes friends like to spend 'what ever possible time long with each other'

freshers to this town does not really know that there are two ways from Kandy they can take if want to go to the 'University of Peradeniya'from the town of mind, Kandy- or the minutes or seconds of time it takes, these hings shows little differences.

some take‘wrong buses at wrong place or on a wrong time’ I am sure these things are not strange to the city of Kandy as well, those who travel via and through or go passing the city to their most like places ‘exchanging slight gazes ‘who is that’ ‘new to city’ ‘were they here before’ ? Asking such questions from the faces they see.

The clock tower is not a talker but see these things but do not bother too much about these things.

I do not know when ‘was this first built’ during which era?

I can remember about 23 years ago this was coloured differently. But ‘todays’ colours of this ‘tower of memories’ do not look old to me.

The people we met near this place long ago are different now. ‘aged,’ some. There are some other differences as well I noticed. Some of them are waiting ‘until their child’s friend comes to take them to their place’. The friend of mine now carrying too many things in her hands, happy to see that she still has the hand she was expecting to support her from the very first meeting at this tower of life, bearing the same weight of life.

The town is new now because of its new look otherwise everyone who knows history knows how old this town - kandy is, or I can say it is ‘newer’or changing everyday. More people are go passing this ‘tower ‘to their like places now compared to then. i can not say particularly ‘the reasons’ may be ‘now you see a lot of new commercial entities than before’, ‘the newly set up businesses’ – all kinds, technology, health, cinema, schools, small, small personal entities big , big private establishments provides various services for public etc.

If you want to come to the ‘heath department of the city- ‘the market place,’ This is a new explanation of mine to this ‘market place – that has gained a little new look’ ‘no one can avoid the ‘tower’. 

Which ever way you take ‘you can see the tower’. ‘If you go or leave the market place after doing some shopping taking the back door, exit of the place – market, near the ‘prison area, passing the ‘bogambara ground’ I am thinking are we missing the ‘eye touch of the clock tower’ – I must ask my sister.

‘We check ‘our watch time’ with the ‘time of clock tower’. Sometimes we do these things without thinking too much knowing a particular results that ours or the time of the tower, marked is wrong or right. We really can not say even if we see some differences ‘ we do not know what time is correct’ until we go and check the time of another. We can compare then.

This is a good ‘direction giver’, a mark, a note, a reader, listener, observer we can think of many titles for him to give.

‘How many of you have planed your life things meeting near this place. How many of you have separated after meeting for a certain reason and then from here this area of meeting, taken another direction of life.

Centuries of knowing, observing people, the clock tower of the city – Kandy witnesses ‘future and history’ of people providing this and that of information for those who go searching life passing this place.