25/03/2013
Awesome Pettah, Colombo Sri Lanka!
For most of us Sri Lankans, even the city dwellers and the so called urban junkies, the mere mentioning of the word ‘Pettah’ brings about migraines and nausea and all other sorts of evil connotations which basically means that only the brave tread here. Some might say the Pettah is like a coffin; you’ll never want it until you need it. No, this is not some God forsaken and abandoned ghost town, quite the contrary actually. Pettah is Sri Lanka’s and Colombo’s bustling commercial hub for…well, for everything actually. It doesn’t matter if you are moving houses or changing spouses, getting married or getting worried, Jean shopping or almost popping, Spring cleaning or ring cleaning, going on holiday or bored on a Poya day, migrating or mitigating…whoever you are and whatever you are planning on doing, you probably will find everything or something that you need among one of the streets of this vibrant and bustling experience. You might come to Pettah to take from her, but you will stay because of what she gives you. If you are wondering why I am feminizing Pettah, it’s probably because I don’t understand it yet and probably I never will. And what that is, is an amazing visual, auditory and olfactory experience. More on the Pettah’s shopping and strolling experiences in the future, for now we are visiting Pettah for a bit of time travelling. It was around about noon on a hot and sticky Saturday afternoon but I had a couple of places to visit on the agenda so I was not going to let a little sunburn and humidity ruin my planned adventures. Starting off from the newly built produce market close to the ‘Gunasinghapura’ Bus stand, I slowly made my way through the usual hustle and bustle of the busy street filed with vendors screaming out the best of the daily deals and the ‘Naattamys’ (porter like individuals who transport goods from the vendor to the supplier) making the characteristic ‘soo soo’ noises alerting the people to move and give way. Not on my original list but nonetheless definitely a piece of history in this cluttered landscape was the ‘All Saints Church’ on Keyzer Street. Built in 1910 this church looked in a bit of a run-down state and unfortunately the gates were closed and I was not able to get inside to take pictures or learn more about its wonderful colonial architecture. So it was off to planned destination # 1 of 2, the Old Town Hall. Well there are no surprises about the condition of the Old Town Hall building and just like the name suggests, it all looks very old. But the architecture is just amazing. Among many other things, the Old Town Hall building is currently used as a fire station for the area as well and there are a couple of fire trucks parked under the front porch, yes it is a very big porch. I got by the security guard with a smile and a typical Sri Lankan head nod to which he reciprocated in kind and asked no questions. The guy was probably confused because of the camera and thought that I was a foreigner whom he obviously didn’t want to get into a conversation with. I was greeted rather unceremoniously soon as I stepped in the front gate cm door though by a man walking towards me and asking me what I wanted. When I told him (Susantha, I think) that I wanted to look around and take a few pictures he said that is not possible because this place was being used as a fire station. I asked if he was a firemen but he turned out to be from the Municipal Council. I gave him my card and explained to him that I wanted to do an article about the place so that more people both local and foreign could come and visit this piece of history. After a couple of minutes of ‘me’ talking he just nodded and let me get on with it. He however said he knew nothing about the history of the place. I headed straight to the ‘Reception Hall’ situated on the first floor along the wooden staircase with glimpses of more wooden window and other architecture along the way. The ‘Uthsava Shaalawa’ or reception hall looked like a typical church only without the statues at the front and instead of the long wooden benches there were oddly shaped wooden chairs. Somewhat like the chairs in school but more heavier and stronger. More tall windows and doors with great colonial architecture all around the hall which was just about to play host to a meeting of the local Three Wheeler (tuk tuk) drivers association. One of the tuk tuk drivers there Riyaz, who spoke very good English (assuming again that I was not a local) was actually more helpful that the guy downstairs and recommended that I go through this door and that to get more good pictures. Unfortunately most of the doors were locked and I had no choice but to head back down. Adjacent to the building is a sort of mini museum, with some really cool stuff from way back when. Old Steam rollers, printing machines, road direction signs, a model of the New Town Hall and even the robe worn by Sri Lanka’s first Mayor. The place is looked after by Selvaraj the soft spoken caretaker who looks pretty fit for his rather old age. He also said that he does not know much about the history of the building but was more than happy to let me wonder about and let me in on whatever he knew about the things that were on display. It’s amazing how genuine and human some people are despite having nothing and how they expect nothing either. After a round of pictures, more chat to Selvaraj and a Rs.25/- cone of Ice Cream from the nearby ‘kade’ (small shop) I was back on the streets and on my way to destination # 2 of 2. After about a 4 minute walk I was at the Colombo Dutch Museum on Prince Street. The Colombo Dutch Museum was built in the latter part of the 17th Century. Sri Lanka was a Dutch colony from 1658 – 1798 A.D. The building was initially the residence of Count August Carl Van Ranzow. The Colombo Dutch Museum was opened to the public in 1982 after being restored for a period of 4 years. The Dutch Museum embodies the unique architectural features of a colonial Dutch town house and displays Dutch legacy and portrays its contemporary life and culture through the various artifacts displayed. There is an entrance fee of Rs.20/- for Local adults and Rs. 250/- for foreigners and a standard still camera permit of Rs. 250/- that you need to obtain before you enter the Dutch museum. There is a well maintained lawn towards the far side of the building and there is even a Water Well built up in stone. It is indeed a sight for sore eyes in this area where all you see usually are buildings, dust and hundreds of people. The top floor is filled with all types of 17th Century Maps from the Dutch era portraying various Sea and land routes at the time and old ‘Ceilon’ maps. One very interesting piece of history was a copy of the title page of the first book printed in Ceylon way back in 1737 A.D. This page cannot be read even by us locals as it was written in old Sinhalese which is no longer in use. One wing on the ground floor displays all types of weapons, attire, utensils, cultural ornaments and currency from the 17th Century Dutch era. One thing that specially caught my attention was the currency section with all types of coins. There is a common Sri Lankan phrase that is used when complaining about the value (actually the lack of) placed on something or someone. This value is called ‘Thamba Doituwak’. Now I have heard this so many times but never realized where it originated from. And then I look into the glass covered display unit of the Dutch coins and see these ‘Thamba Doitu’ (Copper Duits)- -coins and then it all made sense. Another very fascinating display is the ‘Tomb Stone Hall’ where all the Tombstones have the symbol of death on top of them, and mind you, they are all real stone and not cement. The tomb stones are from the Old Dutch cemetery in Pettah and belong to various Dutch officials or their spouses. I couldn’t help but notice the ‘Sinhala Royal Flag’ at the entrance of the Dutch Museum sans the different colored strips on the current ‘Sri Lankan Flag’ which represents the minority communities as well. There is also a great deal of pictures hung on the walls depicting Dutch officials, ships and buildings. Having had a good dose of the Dutch, I left the Colombo Dutch Museum feeling rather uncharacteristically energized even though I was walking during the height of noon in temperatures of about 32-34 ®C and having consumed only a bottle of water and oh yes, a 25 Rupee Ice Cream. Maybe it was the knowledge and the rich sights, sounds and colors of amazing Pettah that kept me going and I am sure to return to capture more of it. So the next time you are sitting at home or in your hotel complaining that there’s just nothing to do in Colombo, just hop in a tuk tuk and check out ‘Patta Pettah’ and I promise, she will not disappoint. © Content Copyright Thushan Jayaratne
