Andaramandiya was Tharaka’s first book. 

Published by Gunasena Publishers in 2001, Andaramandiya is the debut novel of Tharaka Wasalamudaliarachchi — a compelling contribution to Sri Lankan youth literature that combines rural realism with environmental and institutional critique.

Set in a remote village  connected to a small lake named Andaramandiya, the novel explores how the fragile balance between nature and human systems can collapse with devastating consequences. The lake, though modest in size, sustains the agricultural life and daily survival of the village — making it both a source of livelihood and a symbol of collective dependence.

The story centres on a village whose survival depends on the small lake that nurtures their land and families. However, the disaster that unfolds is not simply a natural event. It is deeply connected to corruption, fraud, and negligence within the Irrigation Department, whose interference disrupts the lake’s balance and ultimately leads to widespread destruction.

Rather than presenting the flood as an unavoidable act of nature, the novel frames it as the consequence of human misconduct and systemic failure. The suffering of the villagers becomes a powerful reflection of how institutional corruption can devastate vulnerable rural lives.