Mourning Mala: Remembering Malathi De Alwis
Dr. Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake
Mala’s passing has shaken me; cut my finger which bled profusely yesterday, making breakfast, while thinking of her and remembering that she wrote a poem titled: “To a Tamil Friend” after the 1983 riots.
We were ‘best friends” in school, at Ladies College (LC), for many years. Our (extended) families knew each other and our fathers had been in the same school. Mala was creative, always in the top 3 in class, quiet, sensitive and kind in school, more serious than me. She had a discerning eye and enjoyed nature. During lunch-break we used to swap food – usually sandwiches, cutlets or Chinese rolls, or had ‘bites’ from each other’s. Mala ‘hated’ egg sandwiches! She used to lecture me when an LC Prefect because I did not wear the required “underskirt” with the white uniform and signature red buckle. I thought wearing underskirts was uncool; was more rebellious. We did not know the