Delft Island is the northern most point of Sri Lanka closest to India.  A ferry operates between Delft Island and mainland once a day and you can go in the morning and catch the ferry back at 3pm or stay on the Island overnight.  There are no hotels in Delft but arrangements can be made amongst the locals to hire a room.  Those with foreign passports need Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence approval to visit Jaffna and an additional clause inserted to get permission to go to the Islands.  This is offered on request so please remember to ask, if not you will only be visiting the town of Jaffna as Peter nearly did.  His letter did not include the Islands but on this occasion he was lucky.  A crew from the Sri Lanka Rupavahini television corporation was there to film people travelling with ease to the Island.  What better opportunity than to show the world a white face amongst them?  So Peter got through.

Our first day consisted of meeting some distinguished members of the Jaffna community. It was Kingsley’s view that we should seek their blessings or perhaps it was as a mark of respect to 'drop in' since we were in town. He stated that the elders may know that we were in town and if we did not visit them before going about our work this may cause some misunderstanding.

The phenomenon of 'dropping in' was another one of those Sri Lankan habits I have had to get used to. In the UK, I was used to making arrangements a good two weeks before visiting a friend for dinner. And this was with our Sri Lankan friends who in their own country simply pop up—try 'dropping in' impromptu in the UK and you will get your share of ‘Chucks & Tucks’ complaining as to how inconvenient the day has turned out. In Sri Lanka, you just pop up or 'drop in' whatever the phrase, both meaning the same thing. No prior notice is given to say that you are appearing on someone’s doorstep and that you intend to stay there until they serve lunch or dinner to you.

Yal, represents the Lute a musical instrument made entirely of wood in the shape of a teardrop.  It is like a Sitar.  Hence Yalpanam, the land of the Lutists encompassed the final verse of my poem.  It was as a salutation to this land and its people of its musical origins.  

As a Sri Lankan it was my first visit to Jaffna.  My initial view was that the Northern most part of any land, even of the world (Tibet) is a spiritual place with a mystic energy that is profound.  It is the Crown Chakra. 

We were to reside in Jaffna and travel to the outskirts in daily expeditions.  There were three of us, Kingsley, Peter, (Anthropological student from Norway) and I.  The one thing we did not account for in our plans were Jaffna roads which have not been repaired for the last thirty or forty years and how Captain, (My Jeep) would cope.  You will see in due course!

J E L Ratnayake

Those days of thunder are long past

We make haste for measured tasks

May our impulses curtail the wrath

Sweetness in twilight amber must

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