Comrade Bala Tampoe, the Legendary Is No More! By Lionel Bopage
Meeting with comrade Bala Tampoe at the Ceylon Mercantile Union (CMU) office in Colombo had been a tradition I looked forward to whenever I visited Sri Lanka. At the end of July, after attending my mother’s funeral in Sri Lanka, I paid a courtesy call to comrade Bala at his house in Ratmalana. When he opened the gate for me, I saw in his soul and eyes a fit and active comrade with a frail body. We had the occasion to have a long chat over many topics usually talked about when leftists get together: trade union movement; neo-liberalism and socialism; the left; the JVP; women’s rights; corruption; family rule; and human rights. As usual, his talk was never ending, though when he narrated his non-recollectable accident while walking from home towards Galle Road, he appeared to understand the fragility and morbidity with which all human lives end. That was something new in our conversation.
Comrade Bala Tampoe, The Legendary is No More! by Lionel Bopage by Thavam
Comrade Bala Tampoe, The Legendary is No More! by Lionel Bopage by Thavam
