Nayana 4 th Generation By Portia Aunty

My dearest Nayana
Congratulations! I am very happy and proud of you darling. I hope you know who I am? I conveyed the message to your grand-aunt Matilda (my mum) she was very happy and told me to convey her love, blessings and good wishes.
Please excuse the delay in sending you my best wishes, my son Nathaniel has come home for good after 8 years of boarding school in India. It is not easy to make him fit into the family after such a long period. Whenever he came for his vacation during the 8 years - he came as a visitor and was treated like one, but now the rules and regulations have changed - he is one in the family and has got to do his part of the work.
Now back to you - when your dad and mum wrote to us about your achievement it did not come as a surprise to me, cos this 'mathematical brains' runs in your paternal family. My mum has told me that your paternal grand-dad was very good in Arithmetic. I like to write about your grand-dad’s family - because you and the rest of the younger generation should know about your ancestors.
Your paternal great grandfather the Late Ignatius Fernando lost his parents at a very tender age and was brought up by his married sister and brother-in-law. He attended St. Joseph's Grandpass (government school). He was a very brilliant student and a Mathematical Whiz kid. One brother (Bro. Francis – F.S.C.) noticed it and spoke to the brothers at St. Benedict's College (Private school) and put him there once he completed his 5th grade. He did very well in his new school and was noticed by all the brothers at St. Benedict’s College. Unfortunately his brother-in-law couldn't afford to educate him beyond the 8th Std. So once he passed his exams in the 3rd Form (8th Std. those days is equal to our 12th grades now; then the education standard was very high), he was very keen in getting a government job and went for an interview at the Telecommunication, but due to some defect in his ear he didn't get the job and joined the State Bank of India. Since he is one of the first Baratha men who worked at a Bank - the family was known as 'Bankers family'. With his first salary from the bank he presented Bro. Francis – F.S.C. material for a cassock (the robe priests and brothers wear), he even had Bro. Francis’s picture framed and hanged it in his house – Aren’t we happy to be a part of this soul who showed gratitude to the people who cared for him? His children (your paternal grand-father and the rest) used to make fun of Bro. Francis’ order (F.S.C. – Father of Several Children).
I am also told that he had a very good command in English and wrote beautiful essays, and treasured all his books. He always read the Illustrated Weekly of India and loved to do the crossword puzzles that come in it. He shared all his life’s stories with his daughter Matilda (my mum) who had patience to listen to him, and was also interested in knowing about her dad’s past. He never went to bed without completing his accounts for the day. In 1924 he gave in marriage his niece (the daughter of his sister and brother-in-law who brought him up), and on the 11th Feb. 1925 he married his wife in India. Even though there were many educated Baratha girls in Colombo he went all the way to India to get married to a girl from his village. He never knew or saw the bride before. Likewise when your dad went to India to get married to your mum – Grand-aunt Matilda (my mum) said that Roy is like his grand-dad marrying a girl in India whom he has not met or seen. When his brother-in-law (who had no sons) died, the dead man’s relatives and his God-son came forward to bury him; but Galpotha Papa (that is how he is known among his grandchildren) has not allowed anyone to do it saying “He brought me up as his own son and it is my duty and responsibility to give him a grand burial”. Don’t we get goose skin to hear such things about this wonderful person? A man with principles and gratitude. Children, please remember – money was not easily earned those days like it is done now. He worked hard and also saved wisely.
My mum – she inherited all the good qualities of her dad. She too is a genius in Arithmetic (in Tamil they used to call her ‘kanakulla pulli’), like her dad she too has a good memory and remembers birthdays and anniversaries and knows all the relationship and explains in detail. Even at this age (75) she writes daily accounts. When I was a kid I remember she won’t go to bed if her accounts don’t tally, she’ll be cracking her brains as to where the money went or for what she spent. Those days groceries were not done like today (all at once in a supermarket). The vendors come home to us. The baker, oil cart, vegetable cart, fish vendor, coconut cart, bithara aachi (the woman who brings eggs from her farm) the keera kaari (the woman who brings greens), the kadalai man (the man who sells grams) and many more.
Children I am talking about ‘Girl Power’ so boys don’t get offended. If in the 2nd Generation it was my mum, then I must admit that in the 3rd Generation it was Jacqueline aunty (Kanaga akka), she was extremely good and did many exams and passed out very well even after having four children. Nayana, I am very proud of you, because in the 4th generation you are the mathematical genius.
My dear children, I hope I have not bored you with the long Epistle of your ancestors. I thought you should know it and made use of this opportunity.
Let me end my mail with greetings and good wishes to your proud and happy parents Roy and Nalini and sister Mirjana.

Take care and keep in touch

Love and God bless

Portia (aunty)