Golden memories, silver tears and colonial villas

THE GALLE FORT TRANSITION

TUCKED AWAY INTHE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF SRI LANKA’S COASTLINE, AWAY FROMTHE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OFTHE BUSYTOWN OF GALLE LIES THE QUAINT OLD PENINSULA THAT IS THE GALLE FORT. ORIGINALLY BUILT BYTHE PORTUGUESE ANDTHEN MODIFIED BY THE DUTCH INTHE 17TH CENTURY, THIS LITTLE ENCLAVE SHOTTO FAME AFTER ITWAS DECLARED AWORLD HERITAGE SITE BYTHE UNESCO IN 1988. ALTHOUGH THE MAINTENANCE OF THIS LITTLE CITY IS FUNDED BYTHE GOVERNMENT OF NETHERLANDS, THE GALLE HERITAGE FOUNDATION THAT CLAIMS ITTO BE INSUFFICIENT SAYS PARTS OFTHE FORT WILL NOW BE LEASED OUTTO COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS TO BRIDGE THE DEFICIT. UNTIL VERY RECENT TIMES THE GALLE FORT WAS HOMETO A MULTI-ETHNIC PREDOMINANTLY MUSLIM SRI LANKAN COMMUNITY THAT BOASTED OF A LAID BACK BUT PRODUCTIVE LIFESTYLE IN A COMFORT ZONE RICH IN ITS VERY OWN“GALLE FORT” TRADITION AND CULTURE THAT ONLY ITS RESIDENTS KNEW AND REVELLED IN. MY TWO SONS WERE WORKING IN COLOMBO, AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF SELLING MY HOUSE IN THE FORT IN 2007 FOR AN UNEXPECTED PRICE Huraiz Magdon Ismail