The Sri Lankan Profession (Novel) : Chapter 29 (final chapter) - Another sunset

It was another depressingly sorrowful sunset. The bus was heading towards Shibly’s village. Shibly’s heart was heavy. For the first time, he stepped foot in Marudur at a similar sunsetting hour almost ten months ago.

There were so many differences between both of the travels.

It is a similar sunsetting hour. The scenes are still stunning. The weather is fine. The soothing evening wind of December is trying to calm down his mind.

But, deep down in his mind, the sadness and the worry are cloaking uncomfortably.

The Sri Lankan profession (Novel): Chapter - 28 - Before I close my eyes...

Hamdha Mohideen’s diary

“I wanted to see you getting married before I close my eyes, that’s what worries me”, my father repeated the same stanza three or four times this week. At first, I felt pity for him, but at last, I got angry at him today, “dada, stop this nonsense. You talk as if you are going to die tomorrow”.

Literally, my father sounded as if he was going to die. He did not take my anger seriously. I have never yelled at my father before. The feeling of pity towards him made me angry. But, he took my anger as a hilarious comedy, and he laughed loudly. He uttered to me with the same kind empathic tone: “I couldn’t save enough wealth for you, darling. But, you have a sound education to look after yourself. I am happy about it”, he said.

The Sri Lankan Profession (Novel) : Chapter 27 - The hope of a winter sun

Minhaj Firdaws’ diary

Today is Friday.

I am spending my weekend holiday in Umm Salal Muhammedh, Qatar.

I am lucky. I came to Qatar at a time of the year closer to the winter. My main concern before I came here was about the climate. I could not even think of the tropical desert weather.

Sri Lanka, of course, being situated close to the equator, is a tropically hot country. However, the temperature in the hill country is somewhat lower than the average temperature of the rest of the country, and it is a cold place by national standards.

It is one of the main reasons many tourists prefer hill country in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan Profession (novel) : Chapter 26 - Demise and Downfall

Mohideen Haajiyar’s Diary

Last time when I visited Marudur, there occurred the kidnapping drama and I got arrested. Afterwards, for several months I did not visit my native village ever again. Though I occasionally visited Vijayapura, I refrained from visiting Marudur which was situated within a kilometre of distance from Wijayapura. It felt like a spiritual vacuum for me. My chest often hurts when I suddenly wake up from deep sleep in the middle of the night. I find it difficult to fall asleep again if I wake up in half this way.

The Sri Lankan Profession (novel) : Chapter 25 - The collective forgetfulness

Minhaj’s Diary

It’s several months since it flooded Marudur. The fast pace of time frightens me. The thought only leads me to realise we have only a limited reserve of time left out in our earthly life.

Marudur people, who were directly affected by the flood, have almost forgotten the disaster. The agony of the flood has faded away from the folk's memory. Many people behaved as if the flood never occurred in the first place.

Over time, the flood will remain a distant memory that has nothing to do with the present. Is this what we call “collective dementia” or “collective forgetfulness”?

When I think of collective forgetfulness, I am unable to forget the fate of my geography teacher, Mujahid Sir. I was at my Advanced level at the time. I feel a collective guilt till this moment for what happened to him though I have no share in his fate.