Chugging Along for a Voluntary Cause

Chugging Along for a Voluntary Cause: My Volunteering Journey at Northweald Miniature Railway & a Surprising Sri Lankan Connection

 This year, I decided to dedicate some of my volunteer time – something I try to do regularly, whether it's for children's charities or through my writing – to a truly unique project: the Northweald & District Miniature Railway, nestled within the Harlow Garden Centre.

I used to travel on Sri Lanka's coastal railway line quite often. They use power sets. I loved to watch the train called "Ruhunu Kumari" that went all the way to Galle. We also took the Colombo - Badulla train with the whole family. We passed beautiful places like the Nine Arch Bridge in Ella, then Demodara, Bandarawela, etc. It was an amazing trip. Then we took the train to Kandy via Kurunegala. These are amazing and beautiful journeys.

How did I end up trackside? It was thanks to my colleague, Steven. Knowing my absolute love for watching trains and embarking on rail journeys, he suggested I join him as a volunteer. Initially, I just went along to lend him a hand setting up some signal lines. But I quickly found myself captivated by the atmosphere and the dedication of the team. Seeing the need for volunteers and enjoying the work, I decided to make it a regular commitment.

The railway itself is a charming 7.25-inch gauge setup. It’s managed by Duty Manager Nathan Jenkins and his grandfather, who also own a few of the locomotives you'll see steaming (or diesel-ing!) along the tracks. What makes it special is that it's a real community effort. Most of the other volunteers, including Steven's father Nick, actually own the locomotives they run there. It's a fantastic hobby for anyone passionate about miniature railways! (You can delve into the railway's rich history on their website: https://www.nwdmrail.co.uk/).

Now, for the unexpected twist. A few weeks back, someone mentioned they had a "Sri Lankan" locomotive, knowing my connection to the island. When I asked why it earned that nickname, the answer was a bit vague: "Ah, maybe because it's colourful?" Intriguing, but I didn't think much more of it.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was helping operate the turntable at the far end of the line. Phil was driving his M7 locomotive. As it approached, I remarked to Sheila (Steven's mum), "That engine looks remarkably like some of the diesel engines used back in Sri Lanka."

Her response stopped me in my tracks: "Oh, that's the Sri Lankan one! M7. Mount Lavinia 7." She even kindly spelled out the name for me: L-A-V-I-N-I-A.

Seeing that little engine trundling towards me, knowing its namesake, was truly amazing. I immediately shared the story of Mount Lavinia – the beautiful coastal town near Colombo in Sri Lanka, famous for its historic hotel. And, of course, I mentioned the romantic, albeit historically debated, tale of Lavinia, the local dancer who supposedly captured the heart of a British Governor. (It's a story often told, drawing from historical accounts and local legends, like those discussed in articles from Sri Lanka's Sunday Times regarding 'The mystery of Lovinia').

Discovering this unexpected, personal connection between my volunteer work in Harlow and my Sri Lankan heritage has added a whole new layer of enjoyment to my time at the railway. It’s a reminder that connections can be found in the most surprising places!

P.S.

I found this information from Wikipedia:

Class M7 is a type of diesel-electric locomotive built for Sri Lanka Railways by Brush Traction, UK, and imported in 1981. This locomotive has the shortest length, least power and least weight compared to other diesel locomotives of Sri Lanka.

Three locomotives (803, 813, 814) were painted in a special color scheme and later was painted in normal livery.

In 1999 M7 locomotive No. 803 met with an accident and was seriously damaged and condemned.

This locomotive was introduced as a shunter by the manufacturer, Brush Traction. In Sri Lanka, these are mostly used in short passenger services. M7s are not permitted on the Main Line because of the low power and lack of dynamic braking but it can be run on all the other of the railway lines in Sri Lanka including the Kelani Valley Line.

The mystery of Lovinia: Much more than just a love story:

It is 1805, and the new Governor of the Crown Colony of Ceylon has just arrived to take up his post in the country. The Kandyan War continues unabated in the hill country and the local half-Sinhalese, half-Portuguese beauty, Lovinia, experiences the impact of these events on her blossoming life. Imagine being transported to Colonial Ceylon and guided on a journey of love, lust, and intrigue over 200 hundred years ago. This is exactly what author Roderic Grigson achieves with his evocative descriptions in his fourth novel, “The Governor’s Lover”.

Grigson tells the story of the forming relationship between Lovinia, the lead dancer in her father’s dance troupe, and the newly arrived Governor, Sir Thomas Maitland. A relationship that has the power to change her fortune and that of her father and family, whom she loves dearly. She is torn between two very different lives and must choose to follow her heart or her head.

History provides stories that must be kept alive to understand how different cultures developed and grew. I was quickly lost in the beauty, enchantment, and mystery of Lovinia and this time and place in history.  By the end of the first chapter, drawn to her mystique and left with a desire to know more about her story – past, present, and future, I could not put the book down.

So important is this story to Sri Lanka’s recent history that the town of Galkissa, where their clandestine relationship took place, was renamed Mount Lavinia in honour of her.

The mansion built for the Governor as his country retreat went on to be the well-known Mount Lavinia Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Asia.

However, while history offers us this fascinating basic narrative, it leaves us with little else. Was this another love story, or was there much more to this dalliance?

The well-researched novel combines historical facts with spell-binding fiction, and you have a real page-turner. It immerses the reader into life in Ceylon during the early 1800s, painting a vivid picture of the opulent colonial lifestyle enjoyed by the ruling British class against a backdrop of poverty, anger and resentment among the locals who have lost their country to the European invaders.

So well presented are the areas in question that they force the reader to see the country in a new way and appreciate the historical significance of these neighbourhoods.

Surrounding the two main protagonists is a cast of equally intriguing characters who are each worthy of a story. They help to provide depth and texture and give the reader a real appreciation for life during those times. The author’s experience growing up in Ceylon and his knowledge of the country have allowed him to put the reader right in the middle of the events in the story. His effortless writing style, carried through this novel and all his previous novels, creates a sense of excitement through its unexpected twists and turns.

More importantly, through the characters’ lives, the book presents the internal conflict and conviction that we all encounter, showing us that nothing is as simple as “just a love story”.

The mystery of Lovinia: Much more than just a love story

Ajith - 01/05/2025

Hit sixty -It feels nothing

It was unusually quiet

rainy day today 

here in enfield 

eldest left for work

younger one still sleeping

wife said happy birthday 

she went upstairs to work ,

remote working that is

office is home, home is office,

It's this melancholy, I have

my father passed away

when he was 62 and I was 33.

I think he left too early, 

it was very sad really 

to leave that young

laving a young wife

wholly me, I am sixty 

I don't feel old or young

I don't have much left 

in my bucket list, 

didn't have one anyway 

just tavelling, enjoying in little things

that was more than enough 

end of the day 

It is close family and freinds 

near us, what  we should value 

I do, and I know that

 yet, it feels lonley at times

I stopped watching at stars at night 

with my telescope, 

loneliness hits me hard

when you think how far apart

the stars

perahps we all are lonely  on this universe

if not social media, would it be even worse

taking it easy from now on 

may be the best way forward

it's nothing, aboslutely nothing

in my mind 

oh, rain stopped !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ajith Dharmakeerthi - Morning of 15/04/2025

Picture: In a most unlikely place, a plant with flowers - City of Vik, near volcanic ash, Iceland. (I captured it when we tour the Icelnd in 2023)

Nato and Warsaw Pact

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization):

Creation:

NATO was created on April 4, 1949, with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.   

Founding Countries:

Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.   

Aims and Goals:

The fundamental goal of NATO is to safeguard the Allies' freedom and security by political and military means.   

It is a collective defense alliance, meaning that an attack against one member is considered an attack against all.   

It was primarily formed as a deterrent against the Soviet Union and the spread of communism during the Cold War.   

NATO expansion eastwards:

NATO has expanded eastward since the end of the Cold War. Key moments and countries include:

1999: Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland.   

(Russia has a buffer zone - Belorussia which has a border with Poland)

2004: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.   

Russia lost the buffer zone when Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia joind. They have border with Russia.

2009: Albania and Croatia.   

2017: Montenegro.   

2020: North Macedonia.   

2023: Finland.   

  

Warsaw Pact:

Creation:

The Warsaw Pact, formally known as the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance, was created on May 14, 1955.   

Participating Countries:

The Soviet Union, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.   

Aims and Goals:

The Warsaw Pact was established in response to the rearmament of West Germany and its admission into NATO.

Its primary goal was to provide a collective military defense for its member states against NATO.

It served as a tool for the Soviet Union to maintain control over its satellite states in Eastern Europe.

Disbandment:

The Warsaw Pact was officially dissolved on July 1, 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.   

Sources and related content - Primarily Google 

The potential accession of Ukraine to NATO significantly alters the strategic landscape, effectively eliminating Russia's buffer zone in that region. Concerns exist that external pressures, particularly from the United States and the United Kingdom, may have influenced President Zelenskyy's decision to continue the conflict when a potential peace treaty with Russia was being considered. Given the immense human cost of the war, with the tragic loss of numerous Ukrainian lives, the suggestion that Ukraine should now cede its mineral resources is deeply problematic and raises serious ethical questions.

Ajith 04/03/2025

Germany to where ....

I remember vividly my first trip to Berlin. I traveled by train from Moscow, through Belarus, Poland, and East Germany. As the train approached West Berlin, the billboards and advertisements became visible, signaling a stark change from the drab scenery we had been passing. When we wanted to shop, we went to East Berlin in the GDR. It was simply because we could exchange one Deutsche Mark for five East German Marks, and we could eat much more than we could in the West. As students, this was a luxury.

In Berlin, I encountered a little trouble from some Tamil boys who were refugees from Sri Lanka. They didn't like us Sinhalese being there and questioned our presence. It was understandable, given the events of the 1980s in Sri Lanka. However, another Tamil student, who had studied at Lumumba University in Moscow, intervened, and everything was resolved.

After I met my wife (then my girlfriend), she invited me to see her parents in Coburg, Bavaria. I had met them once before in London. They lived in a small village in the Coburg suburbs, surrounded by beautiful countryside. I noticed I was the only brown person in the area. People were very courteous, greeting each other on the street. After that, whenever we visited Coburg, I would walk alone and sometimes have a beer in a pub by the riverside. I never experienced any issues walking alone or having a beer. In Coburg city, I saw a few Turkish shops and many Turkish nationals, Greeks, and a few Italians who owned eateries. They were minding their own businesses and seemed well integrated with the rest of the population.

On my first visit, we went to see my girlfriend's grandparents, who lived in a former East German village. Beautifully built houses lined the main road, and there were many more charming dwellings on either side of the hills. My girlfriend's grandparents welcomed me warmly. Her grandfather took me to show me the village and introduced me to his old friends. I spoke in English, and he spoke in German, but somehow we managed to understand each other. He and friends understood when I told them I live in England and was born in Sri Lanka. He had been a mechanic in the German engineers corps and stationed in the Channel Islands. He escaped on the last ship leaving for Germany and lived the rest of his life in Soviet-occupied East Germany.

We walked to the village square, and he bought me an amazingly tasty, well-barbecued Thuringian bratwurst. It was fantastic, and I'm still a fan. I saw some Vietnamese people in the village and, upon asking, found out they were students who had come to study in former East Germany. After the fall of the Wall, they chose to remain in unified Germany. Again, some of them had their own businesss and lived peacefully among the local German population. This was in the late 1990s.

I traveled to Germany many times after that, after we got married, with our two daughters. We went on a cruise along the Rhine's wine route, visited Cologne, Frankfurt, and many other cities and places. I had many interactions with warm, cordial Germans everywhere I went; they were very welcoming.

Then COVID happened, another war started in Europe and the Middle East, and Angela Merkel decided to admit many refugees on humanitarian grounds.

I noticed a subtle difference when I visited Germany afterward. Once, in a large shop, I realized a store employee was following me wherever I went. Annoyed, I just left. My wife was in another shop, and I told her what happened. Later, we found out some shoplifting had been happening in the area. A similar incident happened in the swimming pool area. I felt some people didn't want to be near my lane. Again, we found out there had been some incidents in previous months that the government had downplayed. In one famous city, an incident occurred in a swimming pool changing room, and there was a light sentence due to a "cultural issue." People were clearly not happy with the government or the judiciary.

Then came a shock. I was writing a blog post, and someone commented. He lived in the Thuringian city of Gera (population 93,000, according to Wikipedia). He and his family were legal immigrants who had come to Germany through a skilled visa program and were employed. They were having a hard time adjusting. If some Germans get on the bus, they apparently insist that brown people (i.e., anyone who looks like a refugee) stand at the back of the tram or bus, like in the American South or apartheid South Africa. I didn't believe it, and he sent me a picture. It showed a billboard that said, "The only good brown is a sausage." I'm not sure if it was a tongue-in-cheek comment or meant seriously. It was from an election campaign and remained on the billboard for months.

Apparently, except for the Greens, no other political parties engage with refugees or skilled immigrants, he said. It's difficult to get an appointment with a GP; they don't want you. There are problems with Afghans and Ukrainian women. The Afghans were not happy that the Ukrainians were wearing revealing clothes. Are we in the most liberal country in Europe after France? Jobless Germans squabble in the streets, something I had never heard of. And they are blaming refugees for taking their "fair share" of benefits and living in luxury hotels funded by taxpayers.

Still not believing many of the things he said, I asked another friend who lives further west. He used to travel around the country for work. Then, the police started escorting him from the train station to his hotel whenever he visited a particular station in the middle or east of the country. He initially resisted but then saw gangs of youths around the stations.

In another story from the same friend, a German developer created a beautiful housing complex for private ownership. People moved in, mostly Germans. It had beautiful grass fields for recreation. Residents used this space for sunbathing. Then, the government quickly built container houses on the adjacent land and started housing refugees. Soon, some men from the government housing started throwing bottles and other objects at the sunbathing Germans, claiming they were sunbathing indecently and inappropriately. Arguments started, and the mayor was called. He advised the residents to be more sensitive to the new arrivals. After that, people started selling their houses and moving out, unhappy. Who do you think these ordinary people will vote for in the next election?

He also confirmed problems in swimming pools and at social events, saying there were some abuses towards women, and he claims the police and judges mostly cover up these incidents.

I honestly think German and other European governments, including the UK, should be more sensitive to the needs of the local population while making a real effort to help refugees integrate into their new societies. I am not a Trump follower, but it might be a good idea to cap the arrival of new refugees until these problems can be sorted out. Otherwise, even genuine refugees who arrive through proper channels and legal visa programs will suffer along with the others. Also, the chances of Europeans voting for more right-wing extremist parties will become very real.

~~~~ajith dharma 10/02/2025