Shirley Somanader’s Historical and Literary Works

Shirley Somanader

DANIEL AND HIS DESCENDANTS – VOLUME I

2009 1^st edn., A5 size, 64pp., 200 copies printed.

This is a biographical work. The book contains a collection of a series of articles on the Christian witness of Daniel Somanader, his wife Angelina and his children, especially two of their daughters.  All the articles were written Mrs M. E, Rigg, the wife of Rev. Edmund Rigg, Methodist Missionary in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) between 1865 – 1870 and they first appeared in the ‘Christian Herald’ , a newspaper published in the Wesley Press, Batticaloa at that time, except one  article which was written in by Rev. James Gillings, the then Superintendent Methodist Missionary in Batticaloa and appeared in the’ Wesleyan Juvenile Offering’ of July   1859.

These articles were gathered together and published by Daniel Somanader’s grandson Mr Albert Canagasabey in 1822 with the foreword by Rev J.A. Barker, Methodist Missionary in Batticaloa at that time.

EDITOR: Shirley Somanader: This book was out of print for a very long time. Only two copies of the original version were available with members of the family. In 2009 Daniel’s descendants had grown to more than a thousand and nearly all of them were scattered mostly in the West. In order to make this diaspora of relatives, young and old, aware of their Christian inheritance and genealogical roots I decided to republish the book, with an explanatory introduction, a chronology of dates and events, some photos and genealogical tables added, under the title ‘ Daniel and His Descendants. I also authored a complementary volume ‘Daniel and His Descendants – Volume ii .bringing the history of the family to present times

NAMES OF LIBRARIES/ARCHIVES (where copies of the book have been deposited):

1. The Public Library, Batticaloa
2. The Public Library, Jaffna
3. South Asian Institute, Heidelberg, Germany
4. State Bibliography, Berlin, Germany
5. National Archives, Colombo, Sri Lanka
6. The Library University of Jaffna
7. The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
8. Library, School of Oriental & African Studies London. UK
9. Library of the Methodist House London UK
10. Library St Johns College, Jaffna

DANIEL AND HIS DESCENDANTS – VOLUME II

2011, A 5, 136 pp., lmtd. edn. only 12 copies

Volume I of Daniel And His Descendants gives a brief biography of the patriarch of the Somanaders, Daniel Somanader and his nuclear family. In the 21^st century; but the descendants of Daniel Somanader have grown to more than a thousand members and nearly all of them have moved out of their ancestral birthplace, Batticaloa and were now living abroad in countries like Canada, Australia, US, UK and Germany. In this circumstance I thought it was necessary to put in possession of the Somanader clan a two-volume book containing their genealogical roots and their Christian inheritance,

Volume II of Daniel and His Descendants contains a 21- page Genealogical Table containing names of every descendant, male and female, from Udayaappa Chetty the first known ancestor to settle in Sri Lanka  moving from Cudallur  in South India . Notes on Batticaloa; The Impact on the family Early Methodist Missionaries, etc. Other informative chapters of the book like Brief Sketches on members; Photos of descendants; List of graveyards etc pertain to only the descendants of Ezekiel Somanader, one of the sons of Daniel Somanader.

LIBRARIES/ARCHIVES WHERE THE BOOK IS DEPOSITED

1. The Library, University of Jaffna. Jaffna
2. The Library Eastern University of Sri Lanka, Chengaladi, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
3. The Batticaloa Public Library, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
4. The National Archives, Colombo, Sri Lanka

THE HISTORY OF THE NUGEGODA METHODIST CHURCH

2010, First Edition, A5, 80 pp, 250 copies printed,

A comprehensive history of the Nugegoda (Sri Lanka) Methodist Church, from the time it started as a house church to the present. with historical documents and evidence like photos of plaques, ministers at the start, buildings, inaugural messages, early and later group photos and recollections of past members, varied missions of the church, Table of Ministers who served the church, etc.

LANDMARKS OF ANCIENT BATTICALOA, ed. by Shirley Somanader

2011 in digitalized form & printed; A5, 38 pp, 12 copies only

This work contains six articles on historical aspects of Batticaloa’s Past. These articles first appeared in the Ceylon Press. They were collected and published first by Proctor D. W. N. Kadramer in 1934. It contained a foreword by the legendary French Jesuit Fr Ferdinand Bonnel , Principal of St. Michael’s College, Batticaloa. This rare book on history of Batticaloa went out of publication long years ago. I I retyped it and printed it with photos added in 2011.

LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES WHERE THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE:

1. The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
2. The Jaffna Public Library, Jaffna
3. The Main Library, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
4. The SOAS, University of London, London. U

THE EARLY HISTORY OF METHODIST CENTRAL COLLEGE, BATTICALOA

2014 in digitalized form & printed; A 5, 84 pp, 12 copies only

Mr. R. N. Setukavalar (Junior 1), teacher at Methodist Central College, Batticaloa and an avid researcher and scholar wrote the history of this school, which has the reputation of being the first English School in the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), using rare and now lost or difficult to reach sources,  from its inception to 1941. Mr. Setukavalar died in 1943. This history lay in manuscript form with his nephew Mr R. E. J. A. Setukavalar, my maternal uncle and father in law,  for nearly 70 years. After his death I took over the handwritten manuscript, which was  in the form of a several school exercise books, digitalized it , added an introduction, several relevant photos and Appendices and printed 12 copies of it and deposited them in several libraries and archives.

LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES WHERE THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE:

1. The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
2. Library, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
3. SOAS, University of London, UK
4. Library, Methodist central college, Batticaloa
5. Library University of Jaffna

THE EARLY HISTORY OF VINCENT GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL, BATTICALOA

2013, A 5, 89, 12 copies only

Mr. R. N. Setukavalar (Junior 1), teacher at Methodist Central College, Batticaloa and an avid researcher and scholar wrote the history of this school, which is pioneering girls’ educational institution in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, using rare and now lost or difficult to reach sources, from its inception to 1941. Mr. Setukavalar died in 1943. This history lay in manuscript form with his nephew Mr R. E. J. A. Setukavalar, my maternal uncle and father in law, for nearly 70 years. After his death I took over the handwritten manuscript, which was in the form of a several school exercise books, digitalized it , added an introduction, several relevant photos and Appendices and a digitalized copy of souvenir produced on the 50^th anniversary of the school and printed 12 copies of it.

LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES WHERE THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE:

The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

Library, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

SOAS, University of London, UK

Library, Vincent School, Batticaloa

Library University of Jaffna

RESEARCH AND REMEMBRANCE – VOLUME 1

2016, A 5, 135 pp., 04 copies only

This is the first volume in a three volume work. These three volumes contain most of my writings on various topics, mainly historical, presented in many literary genre: viz.,  essays, short story, poems and parables published in the Sri Lankan and foreign Press.

Volume 1 contains my published articles on the general topic of Religion. They cover the history of Methodism in Sri Lanka and the progress of Methodism in the Batticaloa Distric., There are also articles on the history of Christian churches and writings and parables on biblical topics.

LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES WHERE  THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE:

1. Library of the University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Sri Lanka
2. Library of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka, Chengaladi, Batticaloa
3. The National Archives of Sri Lanka, Colombo

Shirley Somanader in yesteryear

RESEARCH AND REMEMBRANCE – VOLUME 2

2017, A 5, 137pp., 04 copies only,

This is the second volume in a book of three volumes  and contains the collection of most of my writings, on various topics, mainly historical. They are presented in many literary genre, like essays, short story, poems and parables published in the Sri Lankan and Foreign Press.

Volume 2 also contains a collection of my published articles on the administrative and educational aspects of the  history of Batticaloa: And further articles on the history of Methodism in Sri Lanka to supplement those available in volume 1.

LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES WHERE THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE:

1. Library of the University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Sri Lanka
2. Library of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka, Chengaladi, Batticaloa
3. The National Archives of Sri Lanka, Colombo

 RESEARCH AND REMEMBRANCE – VOLUME 3

2017, A 5, 110pp, 04 copies only,

The three volume book named Research and Remembrance contains the collection of most of my writings, on various topics, mainly historical, and in many literary genre, like essays, short story, poems and parables published in the Sri Lankan and Foreign Press.

This, the third volume, contains works, such as poems, short story , Literary Criticism and other interesting topics, that Shirley Somanader published  in the Press.

LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES WHERE THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE:

1. Library of the University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Sri Lanka
2. Library of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka, Chengaladi, Batticaloa
3. The National Archives of Sri Lanka, Colombo

DETAILS OF MAGAZINES EDITED BY SHIRLEY SOMANADER

1. CEYLON METHODIST CHURCH RECORDER (CMCR)

The national organ of the Sri Lanka Methodist Church

2. SOUVENIR ON THE 10^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLOMBO BRANCH OF THE PAST PUPILS’ ASSOCIATION OF METHODIST CENTRAL COLLEGE, BATTICALOA, SEI LANKA
3. THE NEWS LETTER OF THE METHODIST CHURCH , NUGEGODA , SRI LANKA

HIS CONTRIBUTIONS MADE TO BOOKS AND MAGAZINES AUTHORED BY OTHERS

1. DICTIONARY OF BIOGRAPHY OF THE TAMILS OF CEYLON- by S. ARUMUGAM

His contribution was in providing brief biographies of some leading Tamils from Batticaloa.

2. ASPECTS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE edited by JAMES DRURY AND RAJIVA WIJESINHA

Shirley’s  contribution was the paper presented, at the three-day INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN COLOMBO, SRI LANKA on “A CASE  STUDY OF DISTRICT INSERVICE TRAINING”

3. BROUGHT R. N. SETUKAVALER’S MASTER GENEALOGY, OF LEADING, CONNECTED FAMILIES OF BATTICALOA COMPILED IN EARLY 20^TH CENTURY, UP TO DATE TO THE 21st  CENTURY