A survivor's memory: Wednesday, 31 January 1996

SRI Lanka had already endured a long series of bombings even before the Central Bank bomb attack.

- BY DALRENE THIRUKUMAR

Gutted Central Bank building

Fear was part of daily life. The victims of a bomb explosion were often identified by their clothing. I remember leaving home each morning, asking my mother to look carefully at what I was wearing, because rumours were rife that the Central Bank was a target.We were known as 'Neela's girls' - Malkanthi Wijeratne, Hemanjila Perera, Seetha Jayasinghe (Kanthi), Vanitha Leanage, Nandani Menike, Shiormi Anandagodage, and I. The only male in the Company Secretarial division was Dharmaratne, the office clerk. We occupied a section of the 4th floor of Carson's Equity Two Building. The Division faced the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The entire wall facing the Central Bank was a glass window, with blinds that we drew open during lunch breaks. 'Neela's girls' were primarily in their early twenties to mid-thirties. We were a close-knit group, laughing at the silliest things despite heavy workloads. We enjoyed our work.

A few weeks prior to that fateful day, a sales representative from Ceylinco LIPS Insurance visited the Secretarial Division to promote an insurance policy which he said was exclusively designed for ladies and included coverage for cosmetic and plastic surgery resulting from an accident how we laughed and thought it ridiculous. We were in our 20s, who would want plastic surgery?

31 January 1996 was different

I was about to step out to hand over a cheque to a nearby building where the Mercantile Netball Association was housed, as Carsons was registering for the Mercantile Netball Tournament. I was seated in my cubicle when I heard sounds like clappers. Curious, I was the first to go to the window. From the window, I saw a lorry attempting to force its way into the Central Bank compound, ramming the heavy metal barrier. I saw a man lying on the road and another crawling under a parked vehicle, likely trying to shield himself. Instinctively, I said, "it's a bomb."