Funny Boy

This chapter takes the form of daily journal entries written by Arjie during riots by Sinhalese individuals against Tamil residents of the city of Colombo, where Arjie’s family lives. The date of the first entry: July 25, 1983. A six am phone call wakes the family up. Mala Aunty informs the family that Tamil houses in a section of Colombo have been burned down in retaliation for the Tamil Tigers killing thirteen government soldiers. The parents try to provide a sense of normalcy, but Arjie is frightened. The family packs up their belongings and plans to leave their home to stay with Sena Uncle and Chithra Aunty, who are Sinhalese. Amma declares that the government must be behind the riots, as they are providing the people causing riots with voting records so they will know which houses have Tamil residents. Appa is not so sure.

By one pm, the government declares a curfew, but the rioting grows worse. Sena Uncle has not yet arrived by three pm to pick them up, and Arjie is worried. One of Appa’s employees arrives and tells them that Sena Uncle could not pick them up because some of the people rioting removed gasoline from his van and used it to light a car—carrying a Tamil family—on fire.