Good News From Jayam
Indrani Wye of Westlake Village, Ca.
1935 – 2025
A Tribute to my “big” sister!
“We loved her in life and hold her forever in our hearts!”
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St. Joseph Hospital – Negombo “To Live is a Privilege”
www.utravel.com
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Dr Nirosh Mataraarachchi MD, MS
Guest of Honor Dr Walter Jayasinghe congratulates Dr Nirosh
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The Tres Amigos! Chris Ganlath, Sanjiv Gunasekara and Ajith Jinadasa
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Rohan and Manomi Hatharasinghe
Jayam’s Choice “How Great Thou Art” Elvis Presley (Please Click on arrow)
Queen of Sinhala Cinema – Malini Fonseka Celebration of Life Organized by SLAASC Sponsored by Dr. Lakshman Makandura and Thusitha Makandura
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Wonders of Sri Lanka – The Best Places in Sri Lanka – Travel Video 4K (Please click on arrow)
“Kaleidoscope” June 5th, 2025 (Please click on arrow)
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Obituaries – Sad News
Indrani Chitra Wye (89)
Passed away peacefully on June 4, 2025, in Westlake Village, California. Wife of the late Patrick J. Wye. Loving mother of Kshirabdhi Page, Padmini Anne Rio, and Maria Anne Berry. Mother-in-law of Louis Page, Dylan Berry, and Jamie Rio. Grandmother to Rachel, Tara, Louis Page Jr., Devon and Liam Belter, Brixton, and Gracie Berry. Great grand mother of Ella. Sister of the late Rajah Rutnam, Chandran Rutnam, Jayam Rutnam, Iswari Camou, Dennis Rutnam, Padmini Johns, and George Rutnam. Sister-in-law of Patsy Rutnam, the late Judy Rutnam, Nihara Rutnam, Netali Rutnam, Gina Rutnam, Rene Camou, John Johns Jr., and Sonia Rutnam. Aunt of Vanessa, Dennis Andre, James, Daniel, Evelyn, Chanel, Danara, Aliki, Jean-Louis, Jon-Jayam, Jenai, Sheriene, Christopher, Andrew, Patrick, and Gavin. Indrani was the daughter of the late James and Evelyn Rutnam and a proud alumna of Bishop’s College, Colombo. A memorial service will be held at a later date to honor and celebrate her life.
Shirani Gunawardane of Los Angeles, Ca. passed away following a brief illness on May 25, 2025. Wife of Dr.Gamini Gunawardane, Beloved mother of Sajindra Gunawardane and Shalini Jayasundera, Grandmother of Nilshan and Sohan Jayasundera, and Mother-in-Law of
Dr. Thiran Jayasundera.
The family had a private cremation and ceremony.
Cecilia Elizabeth Karunanayake (99) –
Passed away in Sri Lanka on May 24th, 2025. Beloved wife of late Justus Karunanayake, mother of Leonie, late Chrysanthus, Bernadine (USA), Jude, Priyanjan, Florian, Thilak, Nirmaline and Suranjan (USA), mother-in-law of late Shenon Dias, Samantha Kurera (USA), late Therese, Asuntha, Dilani, late Lakshman Fernando, and Shamila (USA). Funeral was on May 26th, at General cemetery Borella, Colombo.
Roderick de Kauwe Husband of late Beulah (nee Arendtsz).Father of Darrel, Sharon, Tarnia, Deadree, Kenneth, late Glen, Roger and father-in-law of Jacqueline, Adrian, Suresh, Gale, Roma, Darryl and Jagath, Papa of Shaun, Tammendra, Melissa, Shianne, Karen, Dillon, late Ammendra, Shallen, Sharlene,Garett, Andrea, Shanaika, Damon, Shanara, Shanriana and Julian, great grandpa of Devyn, Jake, Ethan, Mikayla, Evan and Gianna, called to rest on May 31st 2025. Final rites took place on June 4th 2025, followed by burial at Jawatte Cemetery.
Recipes From Roma’s Kitchen
Pomegranate-Orange Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 large orange, zest finely grated, juiced
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- ⅛ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 teaspoons. canola oil
- Kosher salt
- ¾ cup low salt chicken broth
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut onto 1 inch pieces
- 2 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced on the diagonal, ¼ inch thick
- 1 red onion, peeled and cut into ¾ inch thick wedges
- 1 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces, trimmed of extra skin and fat, patted dry
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Method
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F.
In a medium saucepan, combine the orange and pomegranate juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat and reduce to ¼ cup, about 15 minutes. Add ½ teaspoon thyme, cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Divide the mixture between two small bowls. To 1 bowl, add two teaspoons of the oil and ½ teaspoon salt. To the other, add the chicken broth, all but 1teaspoon of the orange zest and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Scatter the sweet potatoes, parsnips, and onion over the bottom of a metal, glass or ceramic baking dish that measures about 10x15x2 inches. Toss with the remaining 4 teaspoons oil and 1 teaspoon thyme. Arrange the chicken pieces skin side up on top of the vegetables and brush with all of the juice-oil mixture. Roast for 30 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375° F. Pour the juice-broth mixture around the chicken pieces and scatter the walnuts around the chicken. Return the pan to the oven and roast until the vegetables are tender and instant read thermometer registers 165° F in several pieces of chicken, 20-30 minutes.
Transfer the chickento a warm platter. Use a slotted spoon to arrange the vegetables and walnuts around the chicken. Sprinkle the vegetables with a little salt and sprinkle remaining orange zest over all. Tilt the roasting pan so that the juices gather in one corner. With a large shallow spoon, skim as much fat as possible from the pan sauce. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and pour into a pitcher to pass at the table.
Pomegranate and orange juices form the basis of this dynamite chicken dish that echoes an Eastern Mediterranean flavor combination.
Serves 4-6
The Boarder’s Dormitory Building of St Joseph’s College, Colombo
A Boarder’s Tale: From a Mattress to the Choir by Jayam Rutnam
My boarding school journey began in the most unexpected way, during my kindergarten and preschool years. Since my sister Indrani was already a boarder at Bishop’s College in Colombo, I too was enrolled as a boarder at this all-girls’ school. For a time, no one questioned it. But by the time I reached the second standard, a teacher finally noticed that two boys, including myself and another student, Tony Rankin, had somehow remained in this girls’ school longer than we should have. Our parents were promptly asked to transfer us to a boys’ school.
I was then enrolled at St. Joseph’s College in Colombo. Having seen my older brothers, Rajah and Chandran, pack for their boarding life at St. Thomas’ College in Gurutalawa, with their trunks full of new clothes, canned food, and sweets, I was eager to become a boarder myself. To me, it all looked like an adventure. I had no idea what I was getting into.
Despite living less than five miles from the school, I insisted on boarding. My parents obliged. I remember arriving at the dormitories with them and being given a tour: the study room, the refectory, and finally, the small dormitory lined with metal-framed beds. But there was one glaring omission, mattresses. Each bed had only a mat covered by a thin sheet. I couldn’t imagine sleeping on that and voiced my concerns. Less than an hour later, I saw my father’s car returning with a mattress strapped to the roof. Problem solved, or so I thought. That night, as the dormitory lights went out at 9 p.m., the reality of boarding school life hit me. I suddenly felt like I was in prison.
The next morning, I carefully unpacked all the goodies my mother had sent with me and stored them in the locker by my bed. Meals in the refectory were a culture shock. Breakfast consisted of beef curry and pol sambol with bread. Lunch and dinner were variations of curry and rice. Within a week, I had two eggs and butter added to my breakfast, and special dishes served for lunch and dinner. To avoid standing out, I shared my meals with the others at my table, a gesture that earned their respect.
But the locker incident changed everything. One evening I returned to find the lock broken and all my goodies gone. A hard lesson in reality. Still, as I got to know the others and shared what I had, I became quite popular among the boarders.
In those early weeks, I was coaxed into an arranged fight with a student smaller than me. It was to take place behind the statue of St. Joseph, on the first floor of the dormitory building, at 8:30 p.m., after dinner. Surrounded by cheering students, we assumed our fighting stances. I was confident, until I found myself on the floor within seconds, my face having received five quick punches. It was the first time I ever saw stars. I later learned it was a setup. “Mouse,” the boy I fought, was the best fighter in the dorm. This was my initiation. Though I lost, I was seen as fearless, and that was enough. Mouse and I eventually became good friends.
Once I had settled in, I truly began to enjoy boarding school life.
My popularity only increased, especially after one memorable Parents’ Day visit. My mother came to see me, accompanied by my sister Indrani, who was around seventeen at the time. During the reception on the boarding school grounds, I noticed the senior boarders taking a sudden and keen interest in us. It wasn’t long before I realized why – my sister’s beauty had captivated them. Her visit made me even more popular by association.
Being a boarder at St. Joseph’s came with one non-negotiable requirement: one had to be Catholic. The reasoning was simple. Our days were structured around religious rituals. Morning mass, evening rosary, prayers before every meal. Although I had been baptized an Anglican, my father convinced the Rector that I could convert. I even joined the choir and sometimes led prayers.
A few years later, the Vice Rector, Father Arthur Fernando, asked if I was ready to formally convert to Catholicism. He gave me a copy of the Missal and told me to read it. Two weeks later, he asked me what I thought. I told him honestly: I had read it, but I saw no compelling reason to change my faith. The following year, I was asked to leave the boarding school.
Ironically, years later, the very same Father Arthur Fernando would officiate my wedding to my wife Gina in Van Nuys, California.
After leaving the boarding school, I became a day scholar and rode my bicycle to school. On occasion, I was even picked up by a black Cadillac limousine, courtesy of my neighbor who also went to St. Joseph’s, Henry Smith who was the son of the Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy.
Although I initially failed my GCE exam at St. Joseph’s, I later passed it after retaking it at Pembroke Academy, which was within walking distance from my home. Eventually, I went to London to pursue my studies at the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. I earned my Associateship there and gained valuable work experience at David Bruce & Company and J.H. Vavasseur Company.
Looking back, my early years at boarding school were filled with trials, surprises, and friendships that shaped me. I began as a reluctant, mattress-demanding preschooler, and left with stories that would last a lifetime.
(Excerpt from “My Journey” by Jayam Rutnam)