Web of Life

Gampola, the gateway to the upcountry, where has all your beauty gone? The once beautiful town is no more. It has so many shops and crowded streets that those who lived in that town earlier would now find it hard to recognise.

Let me start from the Gampola railway station which is now more than a century old. It has not seen the colour of paint for many a year. The station is a eyesore to the once beautiful town.

The first and second class waiting room is now locked for want of repairs. This is the only place where commuters can sit. The good shed is the same as it looked after the 1947 floods.

No matter which party is in power, no matter who represents Gampola, they have all failed to see the sad condition of the railway station down the years. No renovation has been done for years and it has not been white washed or painted.

Passengers waiting for the afternoon train to Nawalapitiya told the Daily Mirror, “It’s useless our saying anything about the condition of the railway station when the town itself is like a part of Dam Street or Pettah.

Take a look at Hill Street, the road opposite the police station. It was once called the Cinnamon Gardens of Gampola. The people who lived there could be counted on your finger tips. At the entrance to Hill Street was Dr.Wanigasekera, proctor Jonklass, and later on proctors Lucien Fernando and P.B.Gunatilleke settled down there. The others were Dr.Keegal, the late M.S.N.Omer Batcha, and the late K.N.S.Dawood. Incidentally it was Dawood’s son, the brilliant lawyer Nawaz Dawood , who died under mysterious circumstances in a hotel in then Bombay in the ‘70s.

There were the proprietor planter W.Simon, proctor Shockman, the late Dr J.C.W.Mendis, proctor A.M.I.Gunaratne, proctor Van Langamburg. His house was like a mansion and after his demise it became a crèche taken care of by Italian mothers, who finally had to leave after Mrs.Sirimavo Bandaranaike became prime minister for the first time. Now the crèche is looked after by locals.

The last house on Hill Street was that of the late Al Haj S.P.M. Haniffa, one time chairman and vice chairman of the Urban Council. Mr Mohideen sahib, a businessman, was one other occupant on that street.

Today it’s beyond recognition- there’s scrap iron dumped on the roadside with most of the property bought over by real estate persons and building houses all over the place. At one time in the good old days, you could hardly spot anyone on the road except those living there.

There has been no town planning at all in Gampola. It is useless blaming any single politician - they all have to share the blame for this gory mess not to miss out the Urban Council.

Gampola once boasted of having the Speaker of Parliament- the late R.S.Pelpola,Minister of Education, the late Dr.Badiuddin Mahmud, D.M.Jayaratne, the late Tikiri Banda Illangaratne -all of the first Sirimivao Bandaranaike government and the only UNP, MP the late L.B.Dassanayake.

The gateway to the upcountry had three petrol stations before one could turn onto Nuwara Eliya Road - Shell,Caltex and Mobiloil were conveniently located but not any more.

Senior politicians in the calibre of Sir Senarat Gunawardena, Major Pelpola, M.W.R.de.Silva, M.W.B.P.Dissanayake, S.M.Sheriff, and leading businessmen in the calibre of the late K.P.Nagoor Meera, S.M.A.Abdul Razack, Weeraratne,Y.E.M.S Eman Sahib, D.B.A.De Silva are a few names that come to mind.

Not forgetting the sporting personalities that were products of Gampola at one time and the leading football clubs, the old Gampola United had players like Sunny de Silva, Jabir, A.M.U.Marikar and one of the best goal keepers Gampola ever had was the late Mubarak, who saved many a shot by the awesome barefoot scorer of Saunders fame, Aziz Paramount Sports Club too had its star players such as P.S.de Silva,Bagoos,Zahir and others.Later on, more and more football clubs adorned the town of Gampola and kept its flag flying.

And let’s not forget the first goal keepers coaching camp that was held by Sri Lanka’s prince of goal keepers, the late M.M.Hashim Deen.

Gampola also held the first ever match between the two Colombo soccer giants Victory and Saunders in an exhibition match. Ram Banda was one of Gampola’s products who played for Saunders S.C in the latter years.

Cricket too had a place in M.Nizar of Kingswood fame who was the fastest bowler in his time and T.B.Kehelgamuwa of Dharmaraja fame.

Gampola has some of the famous colleges like Zahira, Jinaraja, St Andrews,St Joseph’s, and many more.

Some famous names may be omitted due to an oversight but that is not the issue at stake -the issue is when will Gampola regain its old pristine beauty and charm?