Memoirs & Biographies

Bernard Sinniah spent more than a decade at boarding school at St. John's College in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, and enjoyed many of the best moments of his life there. Currently, Sinniah lives with his wife and their three children at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in the United Kingdom. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf and showing his support for Manchester United.

Read an excerpt!

Jaffna Boy is the engaging true story of a young boy's life at a Sri Lankan boarding school in the 1970s, as recalled during one fateful train ride - and the advice from an unexpected source that would change the course of his life forever.

Dinusha Panditaratne is an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she teaches constitutional law. Educated at Oxford and Yale, she has worked at the Australian Human Rights Commission and practiced as a corporate lawyer.

Remarkable Stories from Pioneering Sri Lankan Women

Based on personal interviews, Pathways to the Peak, pays tribute to the vision and achievements of fourteen path-breaking Sri Lankan women. Authored by Shalini and Dinusha
Panditaratne, a mother-daughter team, the book highlights the journey of these pioneers to enter and excel in their respective fields, including in the arts, banking, commerce, education, engineering, journalism, law, medicine, sports and social activism. Their stories offer vivid insights into the many facets of their extraordinary success – their motivation and determination, trials and triumphs and lasting contributions to their country and professions. This is a book to inspire younger generations of women in Sri Lanka and beyond.

This rich collection of stories celebrates the courage and perseverance and achievement of fourteen extraordinary Sri Lankan women who made it to the top in our yet unequal world. They confirm the truth that paths are made by walking. The book is truly a labour of love and achievement – Bradman Weerakoon

Straddling a century of social change, this insightful book provides fascinating vignettes of fourteen amazing Sri Lankan women, and the creativity, courage and commitment that led each of these pioneers along their individual 'pathways to the peak' in an essentially male-dominated world – Dr Anila Dias Bandaranaike

Eldest son of a prominent family that has been a household name for four generations, Nihal Jinasena gives us an honest and candid look at his life from childhood to present day through the years spent in the UK for studies and work experience. In his usual fetching style, Jinasena who has a multi-faceted personality shares his love of sports, culture arts travel and business acumen.

All income from the sale of this book will be donated to the RUHUNA SAILING ASSOCIATION in Weligama, Sri Lanka

My Chequered Life is an inspiring read for anyone interested in how to do business with honesty and without compromising one's integrity. A talented racing driver and competitive yachtsman, Jinasena combined ethics and enjoyment in his quest for a fulfilling life. It is a story worth reading that gives a commentary on society and reveals the dynamic and purpose of his personal journey. In this lively book which reveals his business secrets and his adventures, his successes and his obstacles, Nihal Jinasena gives us an enjoyable story, a worthwhile lesson and most importantly of all the message that you don't have to be corrupt in order to succeed!

Eldest son of a prominent family that has been a household name for four generations, Nihal Jinasena gives us an honest and candid look at his life from childhood to present day through the years spent in the UK for studies and work experience. In his usual fetching style, Jinasena who has a multi-faceted personality shares his love of sports, culture arts travel and business acumen.

Dr. Philip G Veerasingam retired as Senior Consultant Surgeon, National Hospital of Sri Lanka (former General Hospital) in 2000. Since then, he authored two outstanding memoirs: Remembered Vignettes – the life of a medical student in Ceylon of the early 1960s, and Cry of the Devil Bird – incidents in the life of a surgeon, working in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), from 1965 to 2005.

Alupola to Jaffna 1940-1960

The waterfall at Alupola was the centre of my childhood existence. Its subdued roar and 'white water' gave one a sense of peace and tranquility. Bright sunny days would light up the entire valley. The cry of the Brahminy kite wheeling in ecstasy high up in the blue sky would enchant us.

Local tea estate workers of South Indian origin, claimed that on misty moonlit nights, the seven mythical 'Karthigai virgins', came to the pool below the second waterfall, to frolic and bathe. This story added a fairytale beauty to the Alupola Falls. Often, walking past it on moonlit nights with my father, I would peer through the mist and thunder of the waterfalls, looking for the 'Seven Karthigai Virgins'. I never got a glimpse of them. The locals claimed that anyone who did glimpse them would be struck mad by their beauty. Then he or she would roam the earth looking for another sight of them, abandoning all worldly pleasures.

Maybe it was my luck not to see them.

The third outstanding memoir by Dr Veerasingam which lovingly chronicles days gone by.