rki_tectura

 Part 2 After publishing the previous episode, my mother enthusiastically gave me a better account (I could still see from my iPhone screen, the nostalgia and happiness in her eyes as she recalled these stories), especially on the photographs. I will also try to rectify some of the mistakes in the previous. Therefore Part 2 will not be my personal accounts, there of my mother's. The American-style house was actually built by my grandfather's elder brother in the early 1960s (probably 1964); not by my grandfather as mentioned in the previous article. The house was rented out and apparently, there had been a dispute over the tenants refusing to move out after the expiration of the lease (I do not know whether there had been a written agreement). The house had the front part (as in the B&W photograph) with a lobby, living, and two bedrooms. Even though the house was American Style_ the kitchen was a separate unit made with clay walls (probably wattle and dobe) and the toilet t...

Part 1 Our grandparents’ house or the ' සීයලා  ගෙදර' ( Seeyala Gedara 1 meaning grandfather(s)' house - See notes below ), which we used to call it, was a special place where we used to live in the annexe of the same house even before moving to Kurunegala (once when my father was working in Dambulla). From time to time we used to visit our grandparents, especially during the vacations and during weekends. I later learnt at Architecture school that it was an American-style house, built during the 1960s (my guess is 1964), which was the trending architectural style for houses among the new middle class (emerged after 1956).  It would be wrong to say that he was originally from a middle-class background. He was born into a wealthy family in Galle, but had to face many difficulties after his father's death. He was well acclaimed for his brilliance in his studies among his peers especially in Physics passing ALs with flying colours in theory. However, he could not take part ...