Rajes Bala

Rajeswary Balasubramaniam (Rajes Bala) is a Writer, Journalist, Human rights campaigner, Independent film maker, Community Social Worker and a Mother of three sons.

She was born in a village called Kolavil in Eastern Sri Lanka (Batticaloa District), daughter of Thiru Kulanthaivelu and Thrumathy Marimuthu.  She came to the UK in 1970 with her husband and she is now living in North London.

The Banks of the River Thillai

This gorgeous, funny novel paints a picture of a bygone era, depicting the changing society in Ceylon after Independence from the British in 1948.

Three Tamil girl cousins, Gowry, Saratha and Buvana, grow up in the old-fashioned village of Kolavil in Eastern Sri Lanka near the beautiful River Thillai. As they approach womanhood, they each struggle in their own way to assert themselves in opposition to the strict traditions of Tamil culture and their powerful Grandma.

Journey to Jaffna

This moving and unforgettable novel, is a powerful exploration of the conflicting ties of family and of the heart. Param grew up in a strict Tamil family in Sri Lanka, but broke away from them to study in London. Now though, it is 1979, his father is dying and it is Param’s duty to make the journey back to Jaffna. As Param learns of the horrors his family and his ex-girlfriend Karthiga have endured, he faces his own struggle. Does he owe it to them to come back to Sri Lanka, or should his loyalties now lie with his English family? Or does Liz, the English/American woman he met on his long, disrupted journey, offer a way out?