Dammike Wijesinghe

Friday, November 25, 2016

Remembering my father

This is me and my father, taken in late 70s. Think I was around 3 years old.

A week after he left us, staying in our family house with my mother where I grew up as a child, brought back so many beautiful memories. Even though I had a great respect to my father, we had completely different views on most of the things. We rarely had a good conversation and most of them ended up with an argument. But there were two passions we both had in common, cars and travelling. By the age of 12 he taught me all the necessary mechanical knowledge on vehicles and I had enough skills to drive a car on public road (with a pillow on the driving seat). He took us to most parts of the country. He used to tell many stories related to cars and travelling. I still remember the way he told us about night mail trips to Badulla, Demodara Loop, his Jaffna trip in his A40 Farina in 1960s and how they struggle to climb Haputale in vintage cars. Stories I heard from him during my childhood, inspired me to become who I am today. Almost 40 years later, Badulla night mail is our regular mode of transport to the weekend mountain climbs, I have seen demodara loop from mountain tops where other people rarely visit and travelled around Jaffna peninsula and its islands on my mountain bike. Think I already have an influence on my daughter and son as my father had on me. I will continue this journey I have begun and cherish his memories along with it.

I have no regrets because both me and my sister was there on his side during his last years when he really needed us. But still I wish I had a chance to share my travel stories with him and take him on a one last road trip around the country.