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Bamba in the 50’s – by Arlen van der Wall Image source: Roar ( https://roar.media/english/life/history/the-great-days-of-bamba-life-in-the-bambalapitiya-of-the-sixties-seventies ) The Bambalapitiya strip between Lion House and Saraswathi Lodge was Colombo’s walk of fame. You did not have to be rich or famous to enter the mythologies that accompanied the virtual  sidewalk stars. Here’s where Kum and Douggie Roberts faced off. Bamba heaved and trembled as the heavies clashed. Ronnie Steinwall was a mere bystander, the story goes.  Here’s where George Siegertsz lazed outside Lion House while he honed his whistle on – ‘Hitler had only one big ball…’, everybody knew he had introduced the Colonel Bogey march to the ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’. Here, it all started! And these are the Mayfair booths that were crammed with the boys that starred in the crowd scenes. Every day they returned from Kitulgala to tell tall tales of stars and stardust to their awed and envious ...