Bernard Sinniah’s ‘Jaffna Boy’ launched

•  A book of happiness, laughter, challenges, friendships and adventures of a young boy at St. John’s College Jaffna

Stories of hostel life are quite a few, but not many have been penned with such spirit as they are by Bernard Sinniah in his maiden book, ‘Jaffna Boy’. He journeys from childhood to adulthood in what he calls, “A super life at St. John’s College,” building lasting friendships, struggling with grades and having wild adventures. “When we, the boarders, get together, our hostel days remain the only topic of conversation. All those stories we share, the times we had and in general the life we led really needed to be collated,” says Sinniah. “But on the other hand,” he says candidly, “I left Jaffna as a failed Jaffna boy. The one person who helped me understand there was something inherent in us that makes us succeed was the old lady Achchi, who encouraged me to believe in myself. That’s another message I want to communicate via this book.” ‘Jaffna Boy’ has already been released by Amazon in paperback and Kindle, having sold over 400 copies in the first week. The Sri Lankan publication of Jaffna Boy by Perera-Hussein was launched on 16 March at Park Street Mews, attended by British High Commissioner John Rankin, while their Citi days together in the Dealing Room was reminisced by Sinniah’s long-time friend Eran Wickramaratne, now the Deputy Minister of Highways, Higher Education and Investment Promotion. Savithri Rodrigo joined celebrated author Ashok Ferrey in reading excerpts of the book eliciting much laughter from the audience, given Sinniah’s ability to make the most mundane incidents posit a funny turn. Proceeds of the local sales of Jaffna Boy will be channelled towards the Nuffield School for the Deaf and Blind, Kaithady Jaffna, through the UK registered charity, Serendib Charitable Trust. “I always wanted to help this school as they have no OBA, OGA or any such organisation to assist them. As a fellow trustee, I am working hard to help rebuild this school which was destroyed during the war.” Sinniah’s commitment to special needs has also led him to publish the braille version of ‘Jaffna Boy’. An extract from the braille version was read by the Vice Principal of the Ratmalana School for the Visually Impaired, Kumudini Kumarasiri, who herself is visually impaired. Bernard Sinniah is currently the Managing Director and Global Head of Sales for Foreign Exchange for Citi based in the United Kingdom. He began his career in Colombo on completing his Advanced Levels at his alma mater, St. John’s College, Jaffna. Gaining a secondment to Australia in 1986, he subsequently moved to the UK in 1999 on his appointment as UK Head of Sales. In 2001, he was promoted to Head of Europe, prior to assuming his current role in 2005. He holds a Masters in Applied Finance from Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia. He is a Trustee of the Serendib Charitable Trust, a charity rebuilding Nuffield School, Kaithaddy, Jaffna, which educates the visually challenged and hearing impaired. His first book Jaffna Boy reflects his boarding days at St John’s and sales proceeds are in support of this charity. He lives with his wife and three children at Walton on Thames in Surrey, is a passionate golfing hacker and an ardent Manchester United supporter. Bernard Sinniah can be contacted on [email protected].   Pix by Krishan Ranasinghe