Blinktorial Boomtown Wellawatte may actually be going bust now as the Tamil populace that largely occupied it is returning home to the North. It’s highly, if somewhat over developed residential area in the form of condominiums is fast emptying.
The end of the war which has brought prosperity to the rest of Sri Lanka has had an opposite effect on Wellawatte, Colombo 6, at least from the point of its real estate market. With people of Tamil origin who made Wellawatte their place of refuge during the war years heading home, a lot of the flats in high rises which offered them a secure haven are now going a begging with no takers. And with less people living there, Wellawatte’s commercial hub has also taken a hit.
The Suffering Market
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| Methsiri, Vegetable Vendor at the Wellawatte Market |
The vegetable seller says that the Market, which has some of the most expensive vegetables on sale used to be a hive of activity in the afternoons, but had now become quite desolate with not many buyers.
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“We bring in the choicest of vegetables from Fort, making sure they are fresh. We pay more to assure quality because the clientele here demanded it,” Methsiri says. “But now our business has lessened with people moving out, and with more shops selling the same goods on the street this situation has worsened for most of us.”
The curious economic rule of generally being expensive, which the area follows, could be due to the fact that the Tamil speaking community of Wellawatte was willing to pay a high price for goods which were especially targeted at them. With one or more relatives from abroad sending money, this community has been able to pay their rents and support this lifestyle. Some have even bought their own homes in the area.
Down Memory Lane
Thirty years ago Wellawatte was a quaint little part of the city, which had its own charm. The residential areas were quiet and self-contained with homes mostly enclosed in their own little gardens with hardly a high rise to hamper the view.
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But some things in Wellawatte still remain the same. According to some residents in the area that we spoke to, the town had not changed as much as Bambalapitiya or Colpetty had in the last 35 years. This is probably true because walking around the town you can see the old Sapphire Hotel which has remained intact. St Lawrence’s church still remains a rosy pink, Don Charles & Son on the top of Moor Road is still there, Daniel’s Bookshop is sturdy as ever and stands firm in front of the police station, the old market is still under construction, the gate to St Lawrence’s school remains the same, the beach near Kinross is still as dirty as it used to be, The Gram Seller at the top of Alexander Road is still the same and the Savoy cinema though changed in appearance is still a landmark.
A Different Skyline
Be that as it may, change has happened in Wellawatte’s skyline. For example if you walk down Pereira Lane, it is chock-a-block with high-rise buildings. In fact the serene environment of St Lawrence’s Church seems marooned between a sea of concrete.
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| Rudra Mawatha with its highrise skyline |
Rudra Mawatha is the lane with the most number of apartment blocks in Colombo and Jayaratna, a three wheel driver who operates from the top of it says that his income has lowered considerably over the past few months with the slow exodus of its residents to the North.
“Most of the apartments here are emptying gradually or being sold,” he says adding that close to 25 buses leave from Wellawatte to Jaffna every day - most of its passengers returning to good for Jaffna. “Our income was much better when they were living here, now it is a very difficult life for us and almost everyone who is having a business in the area.”
Wellawatte in Pictures
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