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Her long winding road
By Shane Seneviratne
She celebrated her 100th birthday on May 16 in her walawwa in Meedeniya. That in itself is an achievement but for this Kandyan there is a "first" that she is more proud of in addition to her long, long name which may make her even eligible for the Guinness Book of Records.

Angammana Ranpanhinda Samaradivakara Wickremasinghe Illankone Senanayake Rajapakse Rajakaruna Wasala Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Anulawathie Angammana Mapitigama Kumarihamy was the first Sinhalese woman in the days of yore to secure a driving licence in the whole of the Kanda Uda Rata and also Sabaragamuwa.

Her driving licence bearing No. 51542 had been issued on October 29, 1938, when she was 33 years old. Going down memory lane she says she was the first Sinhalese woman to be issued a licence but does not know if she was the first Sri Lankan woman. The only other woman who used to get behind the wheel of a car at that time was the wife of the British Government Agent of the area.

While living in Kegalle in her in-laws’ walawwa, her favourite cars, a Baby Austin with the licence plate X 8754 and a Morris Oxford V1260, saw her making many journeys to Kandy and Colombo, she laughs.

Recalling the good old days, Kumarihamy says driving was easy then as vehicles were few and far between. "The driving fraternity was well disciplined."

Born on May 16, 1905 in the Iriyagama walawwa in Peradeniya to Tikiri Bandara Angammana and Madduma Kumarihamy Muththettuwegama, she was the sibling of seven boys and two girls. While she is the sole survivor among the girls, her younger brother, Alfred Angammana, 95, lives at Doloswala walawwa in Ratnapura.

Being the daughter of a respected family, she married into a family of equal status with high connections. The year was 1929 and the groom was Madduma Bandara Mapitigama, of Meedeniye Mapitigama Walawwa in Kegalle.

A Trinitian, with a passion for cricket, horse-riding and elephant races, this Ratemahatmaya's role was to sort out and find solutions to petty legal problems of people living in the area coming under his jurisdiction. The letter, appointing him Ratemahatmaya of Paranakuru Korale, issued by Buckingham Palace with royal seal during the colonial period when Ceylon was under the British monarchy together with the intricately carved and finely decorated seat that was used by him when attending to such judicial matters take pride of place at the walawwa in Meedeniya.

Concerned about his Kumarihamy, this Ratemahatmaya would come on his white horse behind her car, Mrs. Angammana Mapitigama reminisces. A mother of seven children, all of whom joined her for her 100th birthday celebrations at the walawwa, along with around 150 relatives, this matriarch was in a jolly mood that day, playing her father's piano and also his accordion.

When asked to sing a song by one of her sons, this quick-witted lady's answer was whether he preferred a Sinhala or English one. The final decision, however, was hers. Not only did she sing the ever-green favourite Danno Budunge but also two old English songs.

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