untitled

Alfred Chelvam Barr-Kumarakulasinghe

31st October 1917-23rd December 1998

ACBK was born in Trincomallee on 31st October 1917, the last but one child and youngest son of Ariyanayakam Barr-Kumarakulasinghe and Elizabeth Nesam Tambipillai . For many years ACBK thought his first name was Fredrick, after Fort Fredrick in Trincomallee and signed his name as FCBK. He was very close to his mother, and had actually been breast fed until the age of four probably to the detriment of his younger sister Blossom. A lot of the responsibility of looking after the young ACBK fell upon his eldest sister Grace Manonmani (PeriAcca). He was referred to as Chello Podian by his mother and Chennanai by hicure mange. Even though ACBK liked all animals, he simply

ACBK in 1924

detested snakes, and young ACBK would apparently seek out the mounds of snakes and kill them. In a country and region that respects snakes, this was not considered to be a good trait was reported to bring misfortune.

Another passion of ACBK was if not already apparent was his love of the outdoors. One of the forms this took was in cultivating be it a vegetable plot or a garden. This trait was probably inherited, as his father Ariyanakam, was reputed to have 70 types of shoe flowers (hibiscus) grown in the garden of Tellipalai. Having this much a variety in arid Jaffna would have been quite a feat. Where ever ACBK lived or worked, the surroundings testified to his green thumb. The Small Industries Corporation work shops in Batticoloa, Rathgama, Koggala, Moratuwa abounded with Bogunvilla and Crotons planted by ACBK.

ACBK had never smoked a cigarette in his life and as he used to tease his mother the only time he consumed alcohol was when went to church. He was very conscious about healthy living and his physique, and as young as fourteen had started physical culture. He was a ardent adherent of Charles Atlas, body building techniques. Some of the enthusiasm for the

ACBK with his sister Grace Manonmani (Periacca) in 1924

many pull ups he did, might have been a result of his wishing to grow taller than 5'4" he was. However all this did was to build an enormous chest and fore arms. He was also probably trying emulate his father Ariyanagam, who could with an out stretched arm bring an axe to the tip of his nose. However, he could not swim and had a fear of water that was knee deep and could not understand how his son could spend hours in deep water.

Just as much as ACBK was conscious about his physique, he was very conscious about is appearance. He liked his head to well groomed with every hair in place. Even in later life, when he was bald he would carry a comb in his pocket, and comb the few hairs on his head regularly. Clothes had to be ironed and color matched, and even if threadbare to be darned meticulously.

He was initially schooled at St. Patricks, Jaffna later at Wesley College, Colombo and finally at Pembroke Academy, Colombo. ACBK excelled in many sports, had boxed for school, represented Bloomfield Cricket Club in cricket and te

ACBK 1934

nnis. When ACBK was sent to Colombo, and he would go back to Jaffna as quite the young man about town. It was on one of these visits he drove his fathers DeSoto into an nearby paddy

ACBK 1940

field. The DeSoto had been a gift to Ariyanayakam from his son in law Morgan Allegacone, the husband of ACBK's eldest sister Grace Manonmani. Ariyanayakam had also been quite a spend thrift and a social drinker in his earlier years. Ariyanayakam would be a frequent patron of the District Clubs, where he would excel in Tennis. However, Ariyanaykam at the age of 49 had got drunk at the club, assaulted his superior, a Britisher to near death. This incident caused Ariyanayakam to give up his drinking and social habits. ACBK knew about the incident, and was also a factor in his being teetotaler all his life.

On finishing his London Matri

ACBK, Pembroke Academy 1940 , First from the Right in 2nd Row

culation, ACBK applied to join the Police Force. However, his height and other circumstances conspired to prevent him in joining the Police Force. He then joined the Price Control and served as an officer during the World War II years in Matale, Panadura and Rathgama, near Balapitya.. His extreme honesty prevented him in taking advantage of the corrupt system and making a fortune as did some of his colleagues.

He left the job of Price Control officer to time in prison. After Carolis was sacked, he came back that day well drunk with large knife. He walked in to the office and was about stab WH DeMel, when ACBK walked in. The years of physical culture stood ACBK in good stead enabling him to hold down Carolis's knife and prevent him from stabbing WH DeMel. Carolis's respected ACBK for his even handed fairness, even though strict in dealing with the workers. He muttered he was leaving only on account of ACBK and left the workshop compound. A similar incident was repeated many years later in Colombo. ACBK's wife's nephew Thilak Seneviratne a young engineer had got into an argument with a bus conductor. The conductor in his anger had raised his ticket machine, a heavy metal object and was about bring it down on Thilaks head. The head quarters of Small Industries Corporation w

ACBK (1950's )

as right next door to the Engineering Corporation in Co

AL.R Ship Owner Markan (?) , Mr. Underwood, Ariyanayagam BK, Elizabeth Nesam BK. Children L.R. Grace Manonmani (Periacca) , Alexander Hamilton, Angeline Manoranjitham (Chinacca). (1906)

lombo. ACBK, who was passing by at that moment held the conductors arm with a single hand and prevent Thilaks head being smashed open.

While ACBK was stationed in the south of Ceylon, he was befriended by a Sanford Alagiah BeBe. Bebee was also like ACBK a native of the north and was glad to see his native countryman. He was a surveyor by profession and had married a well to do Sinhalese from the south, Lillian Edith Tillekeratne. On and off when BeBee would travel by train he would run into ACBK and start speaking to him in Tamil. ACBK as always trying to be the proper Britisher would reply in English. Lilian Edith, BeeBee's wife was quite religious even going to the extent of building a church for the Swedish Light House Mission right next door to their house, Siy

Sanford Alagiah and Lilian Edith (nee Tillekeratne) BeBee (1932)

ambalagaha Waluwa in Cripps Road Galle. BeBee had invited ACBK a couple of times over for tea and religious meetings at his home. BeeBee as was his nature, had no ulterior motive in inviting ACBK to his house even though he had two unmarried daughters. It was upon the landlords of the house in which ACBK lived, the Gurusinghes to suggest that ACBK was a potential match for BeBee's youngest daughter Peace Alahi. ACBK wrote to his father asking for permission to agree to the match, and apparently the father had met or knew of the BeeBees from social gatherings in Colombo and agreed.

Once his father was agreeable ACBK would visit the BeBee house hold with the intent of courting Peace. t Peace apparently was not overjoyed, the gossip among the BeBee sisters being that ACBK was stuck up, and thought

ACBK and Peace in Siyambalgaha Waluwa (1952)

no end of himself. A very dapper ACBK had invested in a Bug Fiat and would be seen going to play tennis but rarely acknowledging anyone around. Peace at that time was a teacher, but her passion was apparently in gardening and cleaning drains of the house. When ACBK would come over, she had to be called from gardening or cleaning to speak to ACBK. Peace, would not bother to dress up for the visiting courtier. The plain thinking BeeBe would also be overjoyed to see ACBK and monopolize the conversation. It was left upon Lillian Edith to tactfully suggest that ACBK and Peace be left together. Bebee's lack of manipulation and ulterior motives was apparent even is conversation and actions. A few years later, when the newly married ACBK and Peace would come to the house for the weekend, they would back to the bedroom in the back of the house. Beebee having none to converse with, would peer over the curtains of the window and inquire from ACBK "Barr, what are you doing in there"!.

ACBK by the frugal northern standards, lived well up to though never beyond his means. Neither was he avaricious, giving up his share of paternal inheritance to be used as dowry for his sisters. During his bachelor days he spent quite a large fraction of his income on his dress and motor vehicle. Even so he was quite taken aback at the spend thrift BeBees who lived well beyond their means, selling land and property to finance their lavish southern lifestyle. As ACBK would often remark, he just could not understand how a large family would make evening soup, strain the vegetables and then throw all the vegetable away and drink only the broth.

ACBK was married to Peace on January 23rd, 1953 in Galle. Peace was 26 and ACBK 35 years old. Even though Peace had met Ariyanayakam, ACBK's father a few months earlier, Ariyanayakam had died before the marriage took place. ACBK was transferred to Batticoloa just prior to marriage. Immediately after the marriage Peace as well joined ACBK in Batticola a few months after the marriage.

The trip for Peace was similar to going to another country. She could not speak Tamil the language of the region, and only had two relatives one of hers and one ACBK's to converse with in English in the area. Peaces relative was Mangalam Somanader (nee BeeBee a cousin of her father). ACBK's eldest sister Grace Manonmani and her family the Allegacones were also living in Batticola. Also at the same time Graces Manonamanis's youngest daughter Inpam (Prudence) Tambiraja was also in Batticoloa at the same time with her eldest son Raji. ACBK and Peace were childless for a five of years, with Peace having one miscarriage in between. The miscarriage was attributed to Peace's energetic running up and down the wooden stairs of the Bank of Ceylon building where she worked. The couple had a dog a English long haired terrier named Snowy upon which they lavished the attention they would on a child. As would be in the small rural town, the tongues wagged as much as Snowys tail. Going about in the Bug Fiat with Snowy in the back seat, the talk was about the couple with a dog for a child!.

In 1958 ACBK was transferred to Kandy and Peace was about to have a child. Peace went to Galle, to have the child as was the custom of all the BeBee girls. ACBK left for Kandy to accept his new post and find a place to live in and arrange for Peace and child to come later. He also bought a new car a Morris Minor with license plate EL 1813. Peace had her child, Sereno Anukkranayagam on January 3rd 1959 in the smallest bedroom of Siyambalagaha Waluwwa. The birth was supervised by doctor Dr. Daimen Kularatne. Dr. Kularatne was the family doctor, and his wedding gift of a electric kettle was used in the ACBK household for as much as 20 years. Dr Kularatne was later infamous or famous for the murder of his wife by arsenic. Whatever, injury Dr. Kularatne had done to his wife he had been a good friend of the Bebee family. Strict instruction was given by ACBK to make sure that time of birth was not recorded to ensure that a horoscope would not be created. Part of this, antipathy of ACBK toward horoscopes was due to his parents having turned to horoscopes to help decide a future career for him. Apparently ACBK's father wanted him to follow a career in law, whereas ACBK wanted to do medicine. This tug of war ended up in ACBK doing neither.

However, even though ACBK had an antipathy toward horoscopes, he would dabble in numerology and palmistry. This was probably helped by his keen observation of people and prodigious memory. One of his observations was that 6 months prior to or after the birth of an October child a close relative would die. As anecdotal evidence he would say his father Ariyanayagams mother died when he was born. The when his daughter Tabitha was born, his father in law Sanford BeeBe died. Also while visiting John and Inpam Tambiraja (his niece, Grace Manonmani's daughter) in Chilaw he remarked that Rajan Gunanayagam would probably marry an European. Rajan, ACBK's sister Ranee's second son was just about to leave for England to do a Ph.D in Chemistry. ACBK's justification for his prediction was that, Rajan's ruling planet was clearly the Moon, because of his rather round face, and thinning hair. As Rajan's ruling planet was the Moon ACBK reasoned, he would marry a fair skinned woman and probably European as Rajan was going to England. Probably the odds were good for a correct prediction even if the Moon was not Rajan's ruling planet.

After ACBK was transferred to Kandy he lived in an annex of the Barsenbachs in Mawilmada. His second daughter Shalom Elizabeth was born July 12 1960 and was so named to keep the tradition of the name meaning Peace, as was his son Sereno. After Shalom was born ACBK and Peace moved to house in Heerasgala. Heerasgala was a Tea estate owned by the Wahabs, and the house ACBK rented had been built to be used by the Wahab daughters. The house was on a hill and commanded a superb view and was two miles from any other dwelling.

It was during this period the relationship between him and his favorite sister Blossom became less than cordial. This was probably brought about by ACBK's somewhat haughty attitude toward Navratnam, his sister Blossoms husband, and the less than undivided attention she was giving ACBK. Blossoms integrating into the Navaratnam family circle probably did not help in endearing herself to ACBK. This was a characteristic of ACBK of rarely extending full and close friendship but once done, could be quite possessive and jealous of that relationship. Just as much as he was possessive, he place great importance on birth and family heritage. In later life the condescension that ACBK had toward those who were of lesser heritage would be replaced by genuine empathy toward the less fortunate. Probably his constant battle and struggle of life taught him that life could be difficult, and if it could be difficult for him who was born privileged how much worse could it be for one who had few opportunities.

In 1963 when Peace was about to have Tabitha her second daughter, ACBK was transferred to the Velona Workshop of the Small Industries Corporation in Moratuwa. ACBK rented a house no. 98 Vinitha in Korallewella Road, Moratuwa near St. Peters's Church. The house belonged to W.A. Fernando a furniture manufacturer who lived a few hundred yards away from the house. Tabitha Suthavanthy was born on October 15 1963. While ACBK was in Moratuwa, he made opportunity to renew his ties with his sisters (Chinacca) in Wellawatte and Malar in Wattala. He also renewed close friendship with his cousin Jeyratnam in Nimal Road, Bambalapitiya. Both Jeyaratnam and ACBK were the least affluent of the Barr's. Jeyaratnam used to remark hat his affluent brothers Gunam Barr and C Barr would park their cars at the top of Nimal Road, and walk to his house at the bottom of the lane. This done to apparently to ensure that no one knew that their (Gunam Barr and C Barr's) brother lived at the bottom of Nimal Road.

One of the results of