Page 35 - Ganesh Arunasalam

At dawn this morning, Wednesday the 20th September 2017, Nagalingam Arunasalam, completed his last act of worship, by offering all that was left of himself at the end of his earthly life; a clay pot filled with his ashes, to the Almighty Creator — Brahma— in the seas
off Keerimalai, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
Aruna was a Jaffna man and during the last decade of his life returned home to Jaffna. I had the privilege to share with him our journey to the place where we all began. His last ambition in life was to build his own house in Jaffna and make a home in Thirunelveli, not far from where we live. Aruna enjoyed the challenge of building his dream house and garden, the thottam. He had the privilege and satisfaction of seeing his vision fulfilled.
Early this year, we sat one evening at his verandah and savoured with pleasure, the cow and calf in the cowshed, marttu tholluham, the goats in the background with the hens and chicks scurrying around. The young king coconut trees were heavy with nuts.
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