Confessions of a Young Historian

By Avishka Mario Senewiratne

With Fr. Sylvester Ranasinghe (12th Rector of SJC), Bishop Anton Ranjith (Former acting Rector), Fr. Travis Gabriel (13th Rector) and Fr. Victor Silva (11th Rector) at the Launch of Till The Mountains Disappear 

Today marks the first anniversary of the launch of my debut monologue (19.01.2021) Till the Mountains Disappear: The Story of St. Joseph’s College. In retrospect, writing this book over the course of six years, the interaction of some phenomenal individuals who have now become true friends, the celebration of history and stories of my alma mater, have brought a new dimension into my life. The writing of history as it was, the passion to search beyond what’s readily available, to challenge the mundane and to reveal the truth is an endeavour I have cherished to the fullest, and would continue till the mountains disappear!

At the launch of the book, 2021

St. Joseph’s College has a rich history. Am I the first to notice it? Absolutely no. Thousands have walked in and out of the portals of those architecturally perfect array of buildings. History made every second, is intertwined in every nook and corner of the school and it will go on and on. When I came to an age of understanding the value of my alma mater, I too wondered, “gosh this school must be having some awesome stories!”. I remember those endearing days we marched up to the Bonjean Hall and watched some dramas and participated in celebrations and retreats. I could not avoid noticing those lovely paintings by George de Niese of Archbishop Bonjean and the old Rectors. I must have begun my curiosity by thinking “Why were the first Rectors, French and why does each guy sport a long beard?”.

I am not a qualified historian. I did score some high grades for History in my O/L days. But I have chosen a completely different path as a career. So, what’s the big deal with History? I simply cannot get over it. One might say its an addiction. I think it’s a cool way to fathom how life goes on. I know many have tried to write the history of SJC. I think the first recorded attempt was in 1943. On paper those failed efforts may not mean much. Nevertheless, the efforts count a lot and one might be curious to search those uncharted areas of the past. I think this is what happened to me. Sadly, we are in an age where history is not much in trend. Writing history with such a backdrop was very challenging.

I do not believe that I am a good writer. I started writing small articles as a young 14-year-old boy to the school magazines. The editors believed they were not upto the mark and too technical that laymen may not understand what I wrote. It was hard to accept such remarks. Writing article after article on varied topics such as aviation, cricket, local folklore, histories here and abroad, and failing to publish them was a very difficult feeling. I nearly gave up writing. But the One above, did not.

Someday in 2013, I had this idea of writing articles related to the Church.  I started this by writing an article by hand in Sinhala and mailed it directly to the Colombo Catholic Press. I did not bother checking the paper next week as by now I had got used to the habit of failing! Then my grandfather rang me up on the land phone (we were too small to own mobiles then) and said “Hey, your article is published. And guess what it’s a Guest Editorial!”. I did not believe him. But he was right. I remember, the feeling of happiness I had. This is what many say is a ‘Big Break’ for a writer. But I was not satisfied. I went on and on. In 2014 alone I wrote and published some 20 articles or so. This was the time some people came to know me for the first time and finally my school took notice of my writing. The beginning of freelance writing and my curiosity for history, especially history of SJC happened simultaneously.

This is the time I came to meet Fr. Stanley Abeysekera, who also had given up on an attempt to write the history of SJC. In the preface to my book, I have written how I came to write the history of the school following his request and the initial referring to his previous writings. Sadly, our partnership of writing the Chronicle together ended just a year after, when he passed away aged 80 in 2015. I too had to concentrate on studies and my extra-curricular activities. In the meantime, I read histories of other events. Ceylon history, the struggles and results, the corruption and liberation. The art of writing History was much different from what I perceived. It needed thorough investigation, deep reference and sometimes to challenge what a majority believed as ‘the truth’. This took time. But it was worth it.

I remember only a small portion of the future final book was written by February, 2020.By then I was a qualified private pilot, enjoying the perks of youth and studying to be a commercial pilot and occasionally writing to National papers and journals. Sadly, this was the time a silent world war started. The unfinished Covid-19 pandemic, which has paralysed our lives and taken away millions of loved ones. We were in lockdown at home unable to continue and enjoy the life we had. However, after a bitter first month of doing absolutely nothing but worrying, I recalled   I had some unfinished business. I had collected material, copies of old documents in dusty archives, but had not put them into writing. It was evident to me that this pandemic may be a blessing in disguise to finish this book. To be frank, the book had no title at this time.

While listening to a track recording of the anthem one sleepless night I paused multiple times on the ending of the first verse. ‘Till the mountains disappear’. The accent on that phrase had a very strong connection with what I had in mind along with the undying legacy of the College. Without any hesitation I discerned that this title culled from the anthem will be the title of my book and any Josephian around the world would identify its connection with SJC at once. With the unexpected time I had I was able to write this long-expected book. Though my journey in writing it was solo for a number of years upon the death of Fr. Stanley, towards the end of the project a team of friends came to my help. There were a number of groups.

Through social media I was able to connect with a number of young Josephians who had similar interests. They, who lived an almost Bohemian lifestyle appreciated my efforts and joined force in showcasing their expertise to develop mine. Hence, a new dimension of this book, I initially never expected, began to bloom. I endeavoured to research and trace old photographs related to the book and within a short time nearly thousand of rare photos were retrieved. Of course, only a limited number of them were included. Of those important events where photographs were not traced, sketches were drawn to illustrate them. These new additions were what made the final product so diverse.

A team of loyal Old Josephians, ranging from the Peter Pillai era to the current era joined forces with me to improve the content of the book. Their perspectives, constructive criticism was of immense importance to me. Some teachers and priests who have served SJC were also part of this group. The interviews, discussions and endearing conversations we had will never be forgotten. I cannot forget how much care and concern was shown for this book by all the Rectors, who held office during my College days. The fact that all of them were present at my launch was a blessing. For that I am eternally in debt.

Surprisingly there were two individuals who were with me, from the very start, encouraging my cause to chronicle the history of SJC. Their constant motivation and inspiration, shaped me to bring out what would be the first book on SJC. However, they both are non-Josephians. Fr. Aloysius Peiris SJ (an Old Aloysian), who lives less than a mile away from my home, is my mentor. I doubt the lessons I’ve learnt from him would have ever been bestowed to me from any institution. The early exposure to Sri Lanka’s greatest Church Historian, Fr. S.G. Perera’s personal archive and library (of which Fr. Aloy is the curator) was perhaps one of the best things that happened to me. Whenever I had some free time, I would walk into this library, mute my phone, cut myself from the present and dwell in the mysterious past!

The second is no stranger to the modern Josephian fraternity. Francis D’Almeida is perhaps the greatest Old Benedictine to serve SJC after Fr. Peter Pillai. I was never a student of his. However, our weekly meetups and conversations played a major role in my thinking approach. His versatility inspired me to research in an omni-directional way. Adequate words can hardly be found to express the quality and quantity of my appreciation for this gem of a human being.

With Francis D’Almeida 

It must be said however, though a strong majority were supporting the cause of the book being published, some did not. I understand some may have wanted to write it themselves, for the same reasons as I did. However, I adore this opposition, as unknown to them and to me as well, this episode gave me unprecedented publicity, which I could not achieve by myself. There is no blessing a young writer, authoring his first book may have than this. To make a long story short, our first print was sold out in a mere six-day period. Within two months, another two prints were produced.

It seems that my six-year effort has been well received here in Sri Lanka and in the overseas countries domiciled by Josephians. However, I still think I am not much of a writer and I already feel some alterations to my book are needed. I guess these are signs of growth, learning and experience. I cherish that. I was overwhelmed when hundreds of Josephians and non-Josephian wrote appreciating my effort. All those words of kindness and thanks will be carved deep in my heart. I have now progressed from writing the history of the College to other histories. No matter if it’s the trend or not, I think one must do what one is supposed to do, especially when the One above calls one to do so.

Presenting the book to Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomis along with a group of Josephian friends.

Would I write the history of SJC again? Scores of people have asked me that question. I may write on some great individuals related to the school or some historic events. Maybe in the form of articles (as I have done) or books. I do not know for sure. Only time could say. I personally would prefer to diversify and widen my scope. However, I strongly believe someone much younger should be groomed for the next version of Josephian history. I pray that he may emerge soon, and from my end, I will unconditionally support him and make sure his light is not blown out. I sincerely pray and wish he produce a book a million times better than what I did in 2020/21.