Appreciation

• Though time moves on, the imprint of her life remains vivid. The strong-willed matriarch who stood at the helm, the teacher-turned-leader, the aunt who was as much a pillar as she was a gentle guardian

CELINE  PERERA

A Life of Quiet Strength & Loving Guidance 

From the very inception, Celine nanda was someone who embodied both kindness and resolve. As a teacher at Good Shepherd Convent, Kotahena prior to her marriage, she nurtured young minds and offered a gentle, caring presence to her students. That early vocation of teaching speaks of a deep-rooted compassion, an investment in others’ futures.

When her beloved husband Hilarion Perera passed away at the age of 53, the responsibilities of raising her two children Shean and Sahani and the family         business fell upon her shoulders.  The business, Perera & Sons Printers, located at No. 66 College Street, Kotahena in Colombo 13 was a prominent and acclaimed printing establishment.  Her stepping into the role of matriarch of the business and family was not merely a matter of keeping things going. She carried forward the vision with strength, dignity and the unwavering will of the Perera family. 

In doing so, she became the last matriarch of the family line, the last of the Mohicans so to speak, the one who held together the threads of a complex family history and moved the legacy into a new chapter.  She did not merely preside; she engaged actively in the enterprise, guided family members, preserved the values her predecessors had built, and made sure the family remained a united, living entity whilst being a strong support to friends, business partners and the Kotahena community as a whole.  

The Perera family is one deeply marked by ambition, intellect, enterprise and regrettably by early loss. The pioneering business of Perera & Sons Printers at the College Street required continued entrepreneurial spirt and fortitude.  

My uncle Hilarion was the eldest of four siblings, the others being Lucian Perera, a renowned corporate lawyer, Kingsley Perera, a reputed chartered accountant who tragically also died young and Sheila Silva, their only sister and my mother, dynamic in her own right, venturing into many fields of enterprise of her own accord during her lifetime. 

Celine nanda’s role was not only to safeguard the business but to hold together this wide, vibrant family to surround them with stability, love and a guiding hand. 

In bearing that role, she carried more than the mantle of business leadership — she carried the memory of the founder N. S. Perera, her father–in-law who died early on in life as well, and her late husband Hilarion’s responsibilities for the business at a young age. She became the living link between past and future.

What stands out about Celine nanda is this wonderful mixture of fire and tenderness that was inherent in her, strong willed in that she faced circumstance head on, took charge of the family enterprise after her husband’s early passing, and held the reins of the family’s welfare. Overtly active in that she kept things moving, ensured the business stayed alive, and maintained family connections across siblings and generations. 

Compassionate and maternal in that she as the matriarch cared not only for the business, but for people — family members, employees, friends with a big heart and a wise mind.  A teacher by nature in that she wasn’t an isolated chapter,   it reflected a lifelong habit of guiding, mentoring, nurturing. When I imagine her in the office in College Street, I see a woman firm in decisions, quietly assertive, yet always with a ready smile or a listening ear. When I imagine her at home, I see her surrounded by nieces and nephews, sharing stories, offering advice, laughing easily, yet never shirking responsibility.

The legacy she leaves behind are memories of kindness, strength and active care, the family gatherings, the business conversations, the moments of teaching and guiding.  A sense of continuity where even though she was the “ last matriarch, ” what she handed on will live in the lives of those she touched.

Though time moves on, the imprint of her life remains vivid. The strong-willed matriarch who stood at the helm, the teacher-turned-leader, the aunt who was as much a pillar as she was a gentle guardian.

Dear Celine nanda, you taught us that strength is not loud, it is consistent. You showed us that leadership is not merely authority, but invitation where inviting people into a shared vision of family, business and belonging. You embodied the promise of perseverance, of rising even when life demanded more than was easy.  You held the family’s past in your hands, honored it through your efforts, and handed the future over with dignity. You nurtured young minds as a teacher; you nurtured a family as a matriarch; you nurtured an enterprise as a steward.

We remember your footsteps in the corridors of the College Street, your strong voice around the dining table, the planning you put into entertaining all the nieces and nephews whether it was movies to watch or books to read, your counsel when decisions were tough, your hug when life felt overwhelming. We remember you not as a distant figure, but as ours: strong, present, loving, active.

Thank you for what you have done for me and my family and for being the anchor, the engine, the heart of our extended family.  Though you are no longer with us in body, your legacy lives and breathes in each one of us and in our values, in our efforts and in our connections to one another. So we will hold you in our memories with profound gratitude, knowing that the last matriarch was not the end of a line but the living bridge into a future you helped build.

Rest gently, with the peace you earned and know that your story continues in our stories.

With love and respect always.

Laki