Bollywood Across the Border – Jeewan Bhai’s Jana Jaya Tex

Bollywood is said to have an effect on many. Here I am talking about it in a good way. Be it the actors or the songs or even the movies themselves. These effects are not unknown to cross borders and spill into different countries. But Bollywood becoming a medium of learning the Hindi language, I for sure heard it for the first time. That too in a country where Hindi is not even the mother tongue! So here is a tribute to the man who learned the language for the sheer love of Bollywood, Jeevan Bhai (brother).

Situated at the nook of an otherwise busy street at No. 28B, R6A, R6B, Main Street Colombo 01, Sri Lanka the tiny store, Jana Jaya Tex is sure to draw your attention. Especially since most of the shops on the day of my visit were shut for two reasons. First, it was a Sunday evening, and second, the country had in the recent past been thrown into the whirlwind of one of its worst political crises! So given the situation, the streets of the heart of the city were practically empty. Except for a couple of stores that were still open with the hope of attracting a few tourists who dared to visit Sri Lanka even during the turmoil.

Entering the shop, you surely will be overwhelmed with the collection of souvenirs that it has. Ranging from authentic Sri Lankan masks to fridge magnets and whatnot. As my eyes searched through the brightly colored artifacts, trying to identify what kind of mementos I should carry back to India, a young man approached me to help.

Our conversation started with a generic hi and hello. No doubt he was the shop owner. Introducing himself as Jeewan, he tried to understand what is that I was looking for. Realizing that I was from India, suddenly to my utter surprise he started talking to me in Hindi! There was an instant connection and we kept talking! I was shell-shocked when Jeewan said he learned the language only for his love for Bollywood.

By the time I had spent around half an hour, both excitedly talking about various topics, I knew what I wanted to buy. Sri Lankan masks! The rich folklore of this country goes way back into its deep-rooted culture and masks are an integral part of its history. There are many kinds of masks and each has its own story to tell. And I wanted a set of them so that my story-telling keeps going on. That will be another story for sure!

Jeevan Bhai and his shop Jana Jaya Tex of Colombo will surely satiate your souvenir shopping spirit as he will make sure you carry back a piece of Sri Lanka with you.