Key Collection

M J Navas of Flower Road, Colombo 03, you'll find him next to Cotton Collection and Leather Collection with his Key Collection.

how long will they survive?

Sapphire Cinema

The Gram (Kadalay) Seller outside the gates of St. lawrence's Church & School.

The rope shop, clay pots down Manning Place.

Sapphire Cinema down High Street (now demolished)
[pics Michael Satchie, 1981, Wewllawatte]

Utility Vendors

Key maker, Jewelry shop, Lcksmith, Dara Maduwa (firewood shop), Cobbler
[pics, Michael Satchie, 1981, Wellawatte]

The Oil Man

The coconut oil and keresone oil street vendor supplying the much needed cooking fuel for the households.

The Galle Road at Wellawatte.

[pics by Michael Satchie, 1981, Wellawatte]

Fish & Veges

The fish and vegetable market at Wellawatte bordering Fussels Lane and Galle Road.

[pics by Michael Satchie, 1981]

Chicken

The Poultry shop, located right behind the meat & fish market at Wellawatte, 1981.

Poultry is slaughtered (halal) and feathered and cut/cleaned for the customer, then wrapped up in newspaper and delivered.

[pic by Michael Satchie, 1981]

The Meat Mongers

Wellawatte Market Butchers stall in 1981.

The friendly butcher who makes the cleanest cut to et the best of profits slicing the meat, adding the fat, intriducing a bone here and there. The wily customer telling him exactly what she wants and weeding out tyhe offal from the meat.

The market is managed and controlled by the Colombo Municipal Council who ensure that the meat is slaughtered and delivered in keeping with the required health and safety standards. A Municipal Inspector, spotlessly clad in white uniform, is available within the market for managing this. {pic, courtesy Michael Satchie, 1981]

Barber Saapu

The Barber shop or "Saloon" where we used to get our haircuts every month. This one is located on Galle Road, Wellawatte and taken in 1981. The swing saloon doors were always very significant of this place. Mirrors, on both sides of the wall where one could see forever and ever enveloped you inside. The water spray, filled in glass botlles, sat staring on the table. His equipment, consisting of comb, razor, scissors, machine etc were laid out on a tray.

The tonsorial artistes were mostly Tamils clad in white shirt and sarongs.

Banana Shop

The Banana shop, where huge sheafs of bana, in all shades from green to yellow to red, hung from the ceiling. The shop also sold jasmine flowers for temple worshippers, camphor, king coconuts (thambili) for the thirsty, coconuts, eggs, betel leaves, tobacco, chunam, and other knick knacks.

Every single town in Colombo boasts of at least one of these shops that open early in the morning and are kept open till quite late at night. Most of its patrons are temple worshippers who need the various items that they sell for their devotional activities.

The one pictured here is the shop at Wellawatte on the top of High Street (WA Silva Mawatha) [pic, courtesy Michael Satchie]

The Grand Old Baker

The early morning and late afternoon baker boy who never fails cycle his way along the streets of Colombo to stop at each and every doorstep, ringing his clanger, dishing out his delicacies of bread, and pastries to one and all.

Some of the delicacies we used to enjoy during our youth were buns, filled with raisins, Kimbula buns laced with sugar, Malu Paan (Fish Bun), Roast Paan (Toasted bread in loaves), and Cream filled Cakes.

Bread was sold by the loaf and a prime requirement in every home.

His smiling face and glowing demeanor will always linger in our hearts and minds [pic courtesy Michael Satchie, taken in Wellawatte in 1981]