Not Mainstream in ones Home Country
My sisters and I dont have the smallpox vaccine scar. When in Grade 2 (Form 1) the Warden of my school STC (S. Thomas College, Mt Lavinia) sent a letter to my father requesting that I get the vaccines. Warden is normally used for the in charge of prisoners. To use Warden instead of Principal must be a subtle message..
My father then took me to his cousin Dr JS Barr... who had by that time had retired from govt service and had a private practice down Station Road, Wellawatte. Probably got the MVA-BN small pox vaccine which is given by injection. Got some other vaccine orally vaguely recall. (was informed MVA-BN was licensed much later than when I entered school in 1966)
So dont have three scars on my upper arm. On and off would get called a "Kallathoni" because of not having the scars. The travails of having parents not doing things in a mainstream manner. (Kallathoni=Illegal Immigrant from South India, like Wetback in US. Derived from Kallar= Black/Thief and Thoni/Dhoni = a kind of boat). Indian Illegal immigrants did not have vaccine scars..
In Sri Lanka all children had to get the triple vaccine (free from Govt Hospitals) to stay in school.. Triple vaccine is for Smallpox, Polio and TB. The TB vaccine, BCG can give a false positive on Mantoux test. Found that out when trying to donate blood, when I was grad student in US. Sri Lanka has a very impressive National Immunization Programme, post independence other than for smallpox which started in 1886.
In Sri Lanka all children had to get the triple vaccine (free from Govt Hospitals) to stay in school.. Triple vaccine is for Smallpox, Polio and TB. The TB vaccine, BCG can give a false positive on Mantoux test. Found that out when trying to donate blood, when I was grad student in US. Sri Lanka has a very impressive National Immunization Programme, post independence other than for smallpox which started in 1886.
Then the other issue was STC wanted a baptismal certificate. My mother was strong Evangelical christian. Her parents were one of the first in the South, and built the first AOG/Pentecostal Church in Galle, right next to the ancestral house.
So I didnt have a baptismal certificate. Instead had a Christening certificate. That did not seem acceptable to college Warden AJC Selvaratnam at the time. Finally had to get a letter from either Pastor Starhe (swedish) or Sister Hutchins explaining that for Pentecostal Christians, baptism is a choice made as an adult. I think thats when one gets "born again". Obviously, I have not been "born again".
Probably early 1960's. 502, Peradeniya Road, Kandy (near Piachaud Gardens).
Sister Hutchins is seated in middle in glasses.
Enar, Roland and Rakel Stahre, Swedish Missionaries, Lighthouse Mission, Kandy, 1963
Sister Hutchins is seated in middle in glasses.
Enar, Roland and Rakel Stahre, Swedish Missionaries, Lighthouse Mission, Kandy, 1963
?,Ada Thufesson, Mrs. Anthi, Swedish Missionaries, Lighthouse Mission, Kandy, 1963
Majken and Stig Anthin, Swedish Missionaries, Lighthouse Mission, Kandy, 1970
Majken and Stig Anthin, Swedish Missionaries, Lighthouse Mission, Kandy, 1970
Fast forward, had around 2-3 years of Bible Study since round age of 10 By age 12 or so was convinced there was no god, and the Bible was full of contradictions. Contradictions meant, no single truth and hence the Bible was not the word of God
Anyway Christians had to go to Chapel about 3 times a week. So because I no longer believed in God decided not to go to Chapel. Instead went to the Buddhist thing held at the school hall. Rarely did anyone in authority turn up, so it an unruly free for half hour. Perfect in my opinion. That happy state of affairs did not last long, someone blabbed. So the class master pulled me up and said I had to go to Chapel. I said , no longer believed there was a God and so did not need to go to Chapel. Master, said hmm you need to speak to the Warden.
By that time the Warden SJ Anandanayagam was an old Thomian. I guess he knew how to deal with different kinds of guys. Even worse he kind of knew my father and his family. I laid out my case of not believing in God etc. He did not blink, gave some bullshit about it all being reasonable thinking. Then he gave the coup de grace, "You need to get a letter from your father".
So back to Chapel. I was pissed So, brought a screwdriver from home and carved my names on the pews during Chapel time. A lot of effort, given that my name has 26+ letters. One fine day, when in class get a note from the Chaplain Father Townsend, asking me to come to his office. The Father accused me of carving my name in the Chapel. I said yes. He asked why, I explained about being forced to go to Chapel and that I knew most of the stuff from Bible study.. Father Townsend, thats all very well, but you cant carve your name in the Chapel. Quite unreasonable from my point of view at that time, One has to keep occupied in a boring situation, noh.
Father Townsend then went on to accuse me of writing dirty words in the Chapel hymnals. That I did not do and said so. You know who did that, me: no I dont. I knew, but unwritten code of not blabbing kicked in. Father Townsend said I would have to take the punishment for carving name and writing dirty words. I was a skinny kid, at best 90 lbs. Father Townsend was a red faced big burly, 6+ foot Australian. He laid it on thick. So a caning with six of the best. The worst caning I had in life, but did not flinch.
So after the pain had subsided, was even more pissed at the unreasonableness of it all. So in the coming weeks during Chapel time would sneak into the belfry and carved my name in a couple of places. I got that idea from Tom Browns School Days (available for free in link). Nothing like classics to give ideas on various schemes.
Anyway Christians had to go to Chapel about 3 times a week. So because I no longer believed in God decided not to go to Chapel. Instead went to the Buddhist thing held at the school hall. Rarely did anyone in authority turn up, so it an unruly free for half hour. Perfect in my opinion. That happy state of affairs did not last long, someone blabbed. So the class master pulled me up and said I had to go to Chapel. I said , no longer believed there was a God and so did not need to go to Chapel. Master, said hmm you need to speak to the Warden.
By that time the Warden SJ Anandanayagam was an old Thomian. I guess he knew how to deal with different kinds of guys. Even worse he kind of knew my father and his family. I laid out my case of not believing in God etc. He did not blink, gave some bullshit about it all being reasonable thinking. Then he gave the coup de grace, "You need to get a letter from your father".
So back to Chapel. I was pissed So, brought a screwdriver from home and carved my names on the pews during Chapel time. A lot of effort, given that my name has 26+ letters. One fine day, when in class get a note from the Chaplain Father Townsend, asking me to come to his office. The Father accused me of carving my name in the Chapel. I said yes. He asked why, I explained about being forced to go to Chapel and that I knew most of the stuff from Bible study.. Father Townsend, thats all very well, but you cant carve your name in the Chapel. Quite unreasonable from my point of view at that time, One has to keep occupied in a boring situation, noh.
Father Townsend then went on to accuse me of writing dirty words in the Chapel hymnals. That I did not do and said so. You know who did that, me: no I dont. I knew, but unwritten code of not blabbing kicked in. Father Townsend said I would have to take the punishment for carving name and writing dirty words. I was a skinny kid, at best 90 lbs. Father Townsend was a red faced big burly, 6+ foot Australian. He laid it on thick. So a caning with six of the best. The worst caning I had in life, but did not flinch.
So after the pain had subsided, was even more pissed at the unreasonableness of it all. So in the coming weeks during Chapel time would sneak into the belfry and carved my name in a couple of places. I got that idea from Tom Browns School Days (available for free in link). Nothing like classics to give ideas on various schemes.
