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Themes
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 Why I write
I am a writer and I love poetry, music and the beach. The golden state of California is my home and I am happy to be surrounded by the dazzling blue and green panoramas of the Pacific Coast. As for my origins, I am Chandima Samanthi Welgampola from the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. Some people still call me Chandima or Chandi while others call me Samanthi or Sam.... No matter the name; I am still the same writer inside.
I have been writing since the age of six, and the first poem I ever wrote was called “The Lake”. Nature continues to play a very important and essential role in most of my creative work as I am constantly fascinated by the wondrous colors and beautiful scenery around me. If it’s a lake, a hill, a river or a tree, you will see it in my poetry. Similarly it is the people and the human dramas that unfold around me, that inspire me to examine the extraordinary and showcase the simple truths of life through poetry.
Writing is in my blood. It is a fire that drives me to create. Perhaps I am influenced by the fact that my Father Stanley Welgampola is a writer and lyricist with great musical talent. Perhaps the family torch of creativity was passed down to me by my Grandfather Malachias Perera, who wrote and directed many lyrical plays long before I was born. Perhaps I am encouraged by my Godfather Hector Welgampola, former Chief Editor of Sri Lanka's Catholic Messenger and Executive Editor of the Union of Catholic Asian News. But more than all this, I write because I am inspired.
My purpose in life is to uplift and inspire with stories that leave the reader liberty to interpret the underlying messages that apply to their own lives. I strive to highlight the subtle and intricate connections between life, music, love and nature while celebrating the joys of friendship and the bonds of family. If I can bring a smile or a sense of comfort to a weary or grieving heart, if I can move someone to hope, to care, to remember, to cherish and to dream…then my writing has reached its audience.
I am inspired and I hope to inspire. This is why I write.
Samanthi Fernando
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