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People and Events
A scintillating welcome to the New Year followed by hate and murder

by Nan
The frenzy of welcoming the new millennium is over and done with and we’ve subsided, hopefully not to lethargy, but to make a much better new year. My brother had a good answer to those who wished him the best for the new millennium, happiness in the new millennium. "Do you expect me to live through it?" I wisely wished everyone a good new year, since we go through life, whatever is left of it that is, year by year, never mind the century and millennium. As the monk delivering the morning short sermon on Monday, 3rd said, we are well in the third millennium, since according to the Buddhist calendar, it is the 2543rd year of the Buddha varsha.

Hello and Welcome Returnees

To me the most significant event in welcoming the year 2000 was that so many Sri Lankans living abroad came back to be in their home country to see the old year and 20th century (and OK, the millennium) out, giving way to the new.

Anticipation builds up as one waits in the reception area of the arrivals section at the Katunayaka airport, straining one’s eyes to see the son appear. Eyes are fixed on one exit and he emerges through the other and then comes to you and surprises you with his "Hello Amma!"

Its chocolates and Body Shop creams and umbrellas and boxes of stationery strewn all over the place. Its kiribath and katta sambal and catching up on news of studies, of mutual friends and updates on the extended family. News from this end conveys an air of despondency - the death of this person, the illness of that, no hope for peace in the country and the dirt and bitter vituperation of the election campaign.

Heightened Activity

And then starts the whirl. A home that was so quiet with two old mice as dwellers now erupts to firm footsteps, "Hello machangs", nephews a calling, school friends appearing and frenzied goings out and comings in. Boys, now young men, come in loudly, move around loudly and then taking the arrived one along with them, leave behind a palpable sense of vibrant living and masculine go-aheadness. Two beautiful young girls visit with their mother. They are introduced with pride to the young returnee to show him that our girls can beat any other in beauty, poise and graciousness, with their indelible air of charming modesty, which so many others lack.

Its good to see the new year in with family. Its good to have a tall, strong son hug you as the clock strikes 12 and the world erupts in joyous celebration. One notes the returnee does not go down on his bended knees to greet you with the traditional respect of children to parents. But never mind. Don’t spoil the moment by reminding him to bent low to Mama and Nandamma.

Those departed are sadly missed. A person who always sat in that particular chair and had his drink in this particular way is sorely missed, so also others who have taken their final leave of the family.

The magic hour is a mix of joy, thankfulness at being well and happy, determination to continue well and happy, anticipation and hope for the next generation - the young men and women and kids who will lead this island of ours.

A call comes through as one sits to dinner. "Hi Nan, wish you the best." "Goodness don’t make the call long, calling from London as you are." "No, I am back home for the New Year and elections."

Older But Still Young

So we arrange to meet and its mutual surprise, well hidden of course, at what the years have done to us. She sees me browner and thinner, sunken checked and greying; and I see her fair and plumper, the tropical heat sending her blood coursing through her capillaries; stooping slightly and badly crow-footed around the eyes. She definitely is getting old, I think, and she must surely have the same opinion about me, though inside of us we remain the giggly teenagers we were. We catch up on news of school friends; boys we drooled over and others who flirted with us, or sent unwanted tentacular approaches. We find we are much older and far less good looking but we have changed little, temperamentally, ever bubbling over with girlhood goofs and naughty gossip.

We are happy, we appreciate all the home-returnees who love their country and braved the hurry burly of election time to be back with loved ones. We sympathise with our President who narrowly escaped a suicide bomber’s murder attempt. We hope there will be compromise and consensual attempts at negotiation and the restoration of peace.

And then comes an address to the nation, or chat with the people of the land. Hope for the future sinks sharply and fear rises as hate and revenge are publicly announced.

Goodbye and Pray for Us

The returnees return to their adopted countries. Its goodbye again to friends with whom threads of friendship were re-woven. Promises are made to return at the end of the year 2000 too.

Its Katunayake International Airport again with a heavy heart to hug and bless the young man going back to his college. Return home and then have the quiet of the morning blasted by a bomb. During the rest of the day news flashes in of a bomb at Liberty Plaza, Slave Island, Borella. The shooting of a Tamil politician sends shock waves. Hate and wanton destruction, murder and vicious killing have come to the city from the continued unrest in the outstations - a fallout of election violence.

Anger roused is raging anger; hate spat out is hate encouraged.

The government’s duty to protect children

Conjecture spreads that the suicide bomber on Flower Road was heading towards the former JOC building. Her target was not the PM’s office they say, since the PM hardly ever comes to her office. Her target was a WIP who, despite appeals not to use or live in the former JOC building, made this his headquarters, prefaced by extensive repairs and renovations, notwithstanding the cost.

Appeals and protests were mostly from parents of school children of four major schools in close proximity: Royal, Ladies’, Mahanama and Thurstan Colleges, and the more distant St. Anthony’s Balika Vidyalaya. The Principal of Ladies’ College had publicly expressed her dire concern, though others of government schools were reticent.

Bombs and suicide killers are not like lightning; they could very well strike the same place more than once. Let the thousands of school children in the Thurstan Road - Flower Road area be assured safety instead of placing them in the eye of the storm of the threat to the Deputy Minister of Defence. There are plenty of other sites and buildings which this targeted VVIP can have as his office/home. A cordoned off, high security palatial building could be secured in a ‘commercial’ area of the city or in the more spacious and secluded suburbs. What about the Fort which is high security after hundreds were killed and maimed due to lack of protective measures in a very high risk area.

We know how traumatized the LC kids were when the JOC bomb exploded and reverberations and damage occurred in the school. So before more innocent lives are harmed and lost, let the Deputy Minister take himself and his staff/family away from a residential area which is home to four major schools.

Have the people to open the eyes of the powers that be to these dangers?

One shuddered when the President appeared on political platforms with a bevy of children. The picture was sweet and touching but the shivers sent down our spines and the agony felt for parents who could not say no, were intense. Now we are ready to get on the roads in protest against school children being deliberately exposed to danger because a person likes a particular site or building for his abode or office.

Parents to March in Protest

Appeals were made, protests lodged, grumbles broadcast. All ignored. Today (Wednesday 5th) a bomb explodes down Flower Road. Parents are highly disturbed and wrathful. Their united protest along the streets of Colombo will have to be taken note of. That will be the day!

Why don’t political high ups listen to the common man, the ordinary citizen? Why isn’t stubbornness, revenge and hate rooted out and due consideration given to the long suffering, highly perturbed, constantly in danger, ordinary Sri Lankans, and more particularly their children’? If this is not done, retribution is inevitable. One cannot ride the crest continuously, especially with pride and disregard of people, whatever their political leanings and status in life are.

The LSSP link in Canada

By Kirthie Abeyesekera
The March 1960 general election was crucial. It was the first occasion for the people to express, through the ballot, their verdict on the assassination of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike who, four years earlier, had ushered in the ‘Social Revolution.’ The previous September, the Prime Minister and leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party had been shot in his Rosmead Place home.

On that eventful day in March. I rode my ‘Motor Guzzi’ scooter from my Kiribathgoda home to exercise my civic right in Ja-Ela where I was a registered voter. In allegiance to the Lanka Sama Samaja Party whose political ideology (at the time), was close to my heart, I voted for the Party’s Edward de Silva whom I did not know at all.

The United National Party’s Paris Perera won the Ja-Ela seat in that election. The SLFP’s Oliver Jayasuriya came second. Stanley de Zoysa who had won the seat in 1956 and had been Bandaranaike’s first finance minister, was now contesting under caretaker Prime Minister, W. Dahanayake’s Lanka Prajathantrawadi Pakshaya and came third. My candidate was a distant fourth.

That March election and its aftermath are now history. Dudley Senanayake’s short-lived United National Party government, was thrown out in the ensuing July election by the SLFP, led by the slain leader’s widow, Sirima Bandaranaike. Paris Perera, the popular parliamentarian, retained Ja-Ela. The LSSP did not contest in July, and Edward de Silva still remained anonymous to me.

It came as a surprise when, 15 years later in Canada, among the founding members attending a meeting of the Toronto Maha Vihare, I was introduced to ‘Edward de Silva,’ who, it transpired, after a few minutes conversation, had run for the Ja-Ela seat in Parliament.

"I voted for you," I blurted out, creating an instant comradeship that has, endured over the last quarter century. In June 1995, when Bernard Soysa, Minister of Science and Technology, addressed a Toronto meeting, many LSSPers showed up in a show of Party solidarity. Edward de Silva introduced the distinguished speaker who, he recalled, had campaigned for him over three decades ago.

Last week, at an Egyptian restaurant in Toronto, Edward, lunching on ‘Falafel’ (a vegetable wrapped in a pita bread roll), recalled those heady LSSP days of his youth. After his schooling at De Mazenod college, Kandana, he served as Lake House correspondent for Wattala. Early in life, he was drawn into the ‘Left’ movement through Stanley Mendis who had quit the Communist Party to join the LSSP. In the mid-50s, through the influence of Clarence Fernando of the ‘Daily News,’ he got his first job at Vavasseurs. True to his Party’s calling, he organized a trade union at his work place. Soon, he was fired. He held a few brief jobs thereafter, losing them all because of his union activities.

Believing a law career would facilitate a political future, he enrolled at Aquinas. Then, one day, while at classes, Stanley Mendis picked him up hurriedly, and drove him to Cotta Road, Borella. Colvin R. De Silva, Chandra Gunasekera and other LSSP well-known, were in the verandah of the home of their leader, N. M. Perera. It came as a bolt from the blue when Mendis introduced Edward to Colvin, as "our candidate for Ja-Ela." Colvin led the young Edward to the office of the leader who was with Doric de Soysa, Vivienne Goonewardene and a few others. After some preliminaries, Edward got the green light.

And so it was, that Edward de Silva, at age 23, stood out as the youngest of 898 candidates who stood for the March 1960 election. The campaign was now in full swing. Vivienne called her erstwhile Ladies’ College class-mate, Cynthia, wife of Vere de Mel who operated ‘Quickshaws, the taxi service. A Renault car was placed at Edward’s disposal.

Because he was a ‘de Silva,’ word went round that he was Colvin’s nephew - which he was not. Crowds flocked to listen to ‘the young firebrand. Party trig-wigs addressed his rallies - NM, Colvin, Bernard, Leslie, Vivienne, Anil, Jack - they were all there. Colvin once flew from Jaffna to address a meeting at Ragama in the Ja-Ela electorate. A permit to hold the meeting was refused by Supdt. of Police, Rudra Rajasingham (a later IGP). On the orders of Sydney de Zoysa, brother of candidate, Stanley. In characteristic style, Vivienne said, "To hell with the Police." The meeting was held, and Colvin rained his thunder, tearing the Police asunder.

Among Edward’s ardent supporters was Sunil Shantha, popular singer/musician, then living in Ja-Ela. Madam Bandaranaike was also in the electorate, campaigning for her candidate. Stanley Mendis also lost the Wattala seat to the UNP’s Shelton Jayasinghe. In the post-1960 era, Edward sensed the ‘shift in the political winds." In 1965, he applied for immigration to Canada. The following year, he set sail.

His first job in Canada was as a payroll clerk. In 1971, he joined the Metro Toronto Police civilian service and, thanks to his LSSP trade union training, rose to be executive vice-president of the Police Association - the second-highest position in the Police Union. After 27 years’ service, he retired last year.

Reflecting on those bygone days, Edward says his main attraction to the LSSP was its stand on language-parity and minority rights. All that was changing, and he decided to leave. A community activist in Toronto, he also volunteers with ‘Variety Village,’ a sports complex for the disabled to which Sri Lanka has sent two recent teams to participate in sports meets. In his personal life, Edward’s late marriage in 1979 to a French-Canadian, ended in amicable divorce, a decade later.

On his way to Canada in 1966, he spent time with his elder brother, Anton, in London. Taking a stroll in Hyde Park one day, he met Colvin R. de Silva with his wife and daughter, Manouri. In the 1965 election, Colvin had lost his Dehiwala-Galkissa to the UNP’s S. de S. Jayasinghe, and was now taking a respite before staging a comeback to Parliament from Agalawatte in 1970.

Over a relaxed lunch at a London flat with his erstwhile leader and family, Edward told him he was enroute to Canada to start a new life.

"Continue your studies, young man," comrade Colvin patted his back, "and come back to continue the struggle".

That call from a man who strode the political stage like a colossus, must echo like a distant drum, leaving haunting memories of the LSSP that was.

Bang! blood! shouting! terror! chaos!! pandemonium
Why, oh why – election violence?

By Sepala Ilangakoon
This appalling scenario is being re-enacted all too often in our beloved country. Sadness, weeping, fear, anguish, pain, misery, anger, frustration on the one side, versus jubilation on the other side. These are the emotions which surface on the two sides of the great divide, each time there is an explosion. The only common denominator for both factions is resultant DEATH ! Death, now reaching demographic proportions through this demoniacal monstrosity of ‘suicide bombers.’

What is the crucial and paramount contributory factor to this mass slaughter? ‘Undoubtedly it is the congregation of massive crowds euphemistically called ‘Rallies’ in public places, very specially on the public highway, where innocent passers by, disinterested in the proceedings, get caught in the bomb blast or cross fire and get killed or incurably maimed. The magnitude of the decimation can be appreciated and gauged by the published statistics that nearly 30 were killed and over 100 seriously wounded at the two rallies on Saturday, 18 December, ’99.

The fact that both bomb blasts, reported to be the work of the terrorists, were detonated almost simultaneously, clearly indicated that as far as the LTTE was concerned, there was no distinction between the PA and the UNP. They were equated as being equally unsavoury and futile and shoved in the same dustbin!

It is generally agreed that almost throughout the presidential election campaign, Ranil had the edge over Chandrika. Everything seemed to be tikity boo in the UNP camp until in an act of providence, thank God, Chandrika’s life was saved from what surely would have been the jaws of death. She valiantly and heroically and promptly came out of the daunting ordeal with no apparent devastation other than indicated by an eye patch and a sticking plaster on her hairline. The gravity of the injuries became evident only later. Meanwhile, she made a heart rending appeal to the nation, which was punctuated with genuine emotion. The usually suave, well groomed and coiffeured demeanour, wearing that unbeatable smile, was marred by the tremendous stress and trauma she bore, when she appeared on TV. Three cheers for you madam!

A so called ‘Divine mandate’ was unnecessary. What the voting public saw and heard was more then sufficient to swing the balance in her favour and she won the election by a significant majority and was sworn in as the President of the Republic of Sri Lanka.

Ranil, the gentleman politician that he is, did not take advantage directly or indirectly, of the misfortune suffered by his adversary, although he could very well have capitalized on the sad event. On the contrary, he expressed his sympathy and wished her a speedy recovery. Well done Sir !

What lessons did we learn from this election ? What corrective action could we legalize before the oncoming Parliamentary General Election?

The impersonation of voters was in existence even from our very first General Election, perhaps to the Legislative Council. Even at that time, there were professionals who would, for a paid sum per vote, arrange for the voting, strictly according to the electoral roll, of persons who were incapacitated, or out of the country or dead. The professionals’ trustworthy persons, both male and female, would use the impersonated ballot as ordered by the professional. But the numbers of votes cast in this illegal manner, was comparatively minute.

Over the years the techniques have been refined and fine tuned until now, the numbers of impersonated votes are so massive, that mere impersonation pales into insignificance. Now the trendy words are - ‘Vote rigging’, ‘Stuffing ballot boxes’, ‘Thuggery’, terrorizing, abduction of voters and even murder. Ballot papers by the hundreds are reported to be forcibly snatched from the possession of election officials and after marking appropriately, stuffed into ballot boxes - sometimes even neatly packed ! The security personnel on duty are said to have looked on helplessly, although they are said to have been given explicit authority and orders to shoot to kill, on sight. What irony!

The security officers, the Police and when called in, the armed forces, must ensure that unwarranted persons are never allowed to enter the polling booths or even congregate or linger in the vicinity to influence and intimidate voters. Political personages specially, who attempt to shoulder their way in, to create problems, must be effectively dealt with either by polite coercion or, if need be, by the use of harmless force. To achieve this police action, the Police strength must be adequate and under the command of officers senior enough to take positive action and willing to maintain law and order, which is their bounden duty, rather than acquiesce tacitly in the illegal goings on in their very presence.

The use of motorized transport - vans, lorries and private buses to transport voters to the polling stations, was prohibited in the past, to the extent that voters were compelled to use public transport or private cars to come within sight of the polling station and then walk to cast their votes. Exceptions were the disabled and the very elderly. This rule seems to be in abeyance now, perhaps because it was considered redundant. So be it.

When, oh when will all our citizens be supplied with national Identity Cards ? They would go a long way to minimizing impersonation. They may well make the currently used Polling Cards superfluous, except that the latter would facilitate the locating of the vote registration number and thereby expedite the turn around of voters.

Why, oh why cannot the ballot paper system be abandoned in favour of the modern, foolproof, convenient and time saving automated electronic digital voting machine, now used extensively in progressive countries? The voter adjusts the machine to the candidate of his choice and pulls the lever. He cannot pull it twice because the machine switches itself off after the first pull and the Presiding Officer would switch it on from his seat, only for the next voter. No spoiled votes, no disfigured or cancelled votes and most importantly, no need for sealing ballot boxes, transporting them, laboriously sorting out and counting and recounting votes one by one, and of which lend themselves to easy illegal manipulation and abuse.

In the new system, the result of the voting is automatically computed including relevant percentages etc. and is immediately available in the form of a print out as soon as voting is over. After endorsement by the Presiding Officer and the agents of the candidates at each polling booth, it becomes the authorized official document which is amalgamated with other such documents at the Kachcheri, to obtain the master document giving the details of votes cast for each of the candidates and indicating the winner. The press and electronic media could immediately publish the result.

Take the disfigurement of walls and buildings by pasting posters with pictures of candidates with their best smiles - sometimes as many as 100 identical posters on a wall! This unnecessary repetition insults the intelligence of even the most illiterate voter who may well be tempted to vote against that candidate. The owner of the wall is compelled for neatness sake, to get the wall scraped and colour washed or painted on his account!

And the party coloured cellophane streamers? Festooned at random across roads, along roads, criss-crossed over roads and wrapped around lamp posts, tele posts, trees, etc, they are a distraction to motorists . The greater distraction is the recent fashion of giant size cut outs of the candidates. They invariably present a convenient drawing board for all manner of caricatures and witty and sometimes lewd slogans. They are also large enough for smearing with tar and taking pot shots with cow dung and other forms of dung ! The more artistic of the miscreants add a few strokes with a paint brush to give the picture a ludicrous or demonic or goblin aspect which no amount of cleaning can erase. The alternative to acknowledging the insult is to dismantle the cut out. What ridiculous expense!

Radio coverage is available island-wide while the television network covers most, if not the whole country. In the majority of villages and estates, if not colour off the mains, then at least a black and white TV set with a 12 volt rechargeable car battery, is available at an average of 1 in every 6 homes, or in community centres. The state electronic media must take advantage of this ready made facility to arrange for regular political programmes during the electioneering run up to the voting day, for each candidate to appear before the public and have his say about himself as well as his political opponents, but, please, using only parliamentary language!

And how will all this eradicate political violence? It should be obvious and manifest to the Sri Lankan observer, that every one of the items described, is a potential source of violence and expense. Consider the expense of transporting ballot boxes, sorting and counting votes. They are all rendered unnecessary by the introduction of the electronic voting machine. Congregating in crowds outside the Kachcheri to hear the results, is a time of high tension when party feelings run uncontrolled, invariably resulting in altercations and fisticuffs. This violence could be avoided by the public listening to the results through the media in the comfort of their homes.

Pasting posters on walls etc. would be made illegal, thus avoiding the habit of posters being pasted over those of the opponents and the perpetrators being thrushed by the opposing supporters. The competition to outdo the opponents at disfiguring the posters and cut outs also leads to inter-party passion and ferocity, again resulting in violence. Tearing down cellophane streamers of opposing parties is a further provocation which results in frayed tempers and bloodshed.

Election meetings island-wide, sometimes at close proximity to each other and simultaneously, hotting up as the voting day draws closer, are a positive source of fury and would be unnecessary, as electioneering would be by the candidates meeting their voters via the state and private electronic media. Candidates walk from house to house accompanied by their cohorts to woo the voters in their homes. When they cross the opposing party campaigners, they are unable to resist starting a row. This will also not occur for the same reason as stated above.

Consider the immense financial outlay on the miscellaneous items described and the necessary corrective actions, the substantial damage to public and private property, the despoiling of the environment, the grievous injuries caused to fellow beings and most saliently, the prodigal loss of life. All these generated by violence. It would be advisable and desirable, nay, urgently essential to consider and to implement the proposals as enunciated or as amended where necessary.

Over to you, relevant state officials!

Meanwhile, there is an ominous, eerie silence tonight - in the new millennium. Is it the precursor to the next B A N G?! Nerves!!

God forbid.

WWF Conservation Merit Award and the Order of the Golden Ark
Veteran conservationist reaps a double award

by Cecil V. Wikramanayake
Way back in the late nineteen thirties, a familiar sight at the Kandy bus stand, which was then opposite the King’s Pavilion (now the President’s House), at week-ends was that of a lean and lanky youth, dressed in khaki shorts and khaki shirt, with a rucksack slung on his back and a .303 rifle and an insect collecting butterfly net in his hands.

Christopher Samuel Wickremasinghe, a day scholar at Trinity College, Kandy, living at Katugastota, was making one of the many trips he used to indulge in, to some remote area, from where he would trek into the jungle, spending the night under a tree where he would put up his ‘pup-tent’.

His pastime, an unusual one for any schoolboy, was studying elephants and other wild-life.

The gun, for which he obtained a licence thanks to the good offices of his Principal, Rev. R. W. Stopford, who personally recommended him to the then Government Agent, E. T. Dyson, was merely for his protection!

His love for the wilds was something inculcated in him from his boyhood by his father, the late Muhandiram C. S. Wickremasinghe, who used to take him out into the jungle on hunting trips when they lived in Anuradhapura, where he was Postmaster.

Wickremasinghe entered Trinity about the same time as I did. His love for the jungles was encouraged by his teachers, particularly Rev. F. H. Outram, the chaplain, who invited him to join them on their treks into the wild during the school holidays. Other teachers in this ‘wildlife group’ were Miss Edna Wells, the botany teacher, Miss Valesca Reiman, A. W. Deane (Kolla, as we called our scoutmaster) and many others.

When a bout of cerebral malaria put paid to his ambition to emulate Dr. Albert Schweitzer, as a medical missionary, Wickremasinghe joined the Department of Wildlife Conservation as a Game Ranger, where his love for the wilderness combined with a love for animals made him a true conservationist.

Twenty five years after his retirement from that department, he has reaped the rich reward of a lifetime dedicated to the protection of wildlife.

In May, 1999 the Elephant Conservation Trust awarded him a gold medal for Conservation.

Then, in November, he was invited by the World Wildlife Fund the join them at a family dinner at the Shangri-la Hotel Resort, Sabah, where he was presented with the W.W.F. Award for Conservation Merit, for 1999.

One week later, he flew to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard himself pinned on his breast the Most Excellent Order of the Golden Ark, "bestowed in recognition of special service rendered to the conservation of fauna and flora, instituted at the Hague by His Royal Highness by deed of 10th July, 1971."

Wickremasinghe was the first Sinhala national and the second Sri Lankan to receive this highest award for Conservation, the Order of the Golden Ark. He is also the first Sri Lankan to receive three awards, one after the other, for conservation.

Having known him for so long, I just had to interview him and write something about this distinguished eighty year old, who still retains the acute mental powers that have stood him in good stead over the years.

"I first met Mr. D. S. Senanayake, the Father of the Nation, way back in 1939." Wickremasinghe told this writer. " I had been down to Minipe, during the mid-term holidays in school, and had walked down the Yoda Ela there till I came to the Resthouse which was then at Weragantota.

"I went into the dining room to have my breakfast when I saw the late Mr. C. L. Wickremasinghe, then Land Commissioner, seated at another table with a huge burly man who had his back to me.

"Mr. Wickremasinghe greeted me and asked me what I was doing there. I told him that I was studying the project that Mr. D. S. Senanayake was interested in, having read several articles by D. B. Dhanapala, (known as Janus), on the "renaissance of the Dry Zone and the visions of D. S. Senanayake".

"The burly man seated opposite the Land Commissioner turned round and spoke in a loud voice "So, young man. You are checking up on my work ?"

"It was none other than Mr. Don Stephen Senanayake, thanks to whose subsequent patronage, when I was a free-lance photographer, I was able to obtain a scoop which I shared with only Dmitri Kessel and Elmer Lower of the Life Magazine — an exclusive photograph of Ceylon’s first Prime Minister with Ernest Bevin and Sir Malcolm McDonald, Governor-General of Malaysia (then Malaya) at Temple Trees, Kollupitiya."

It was also through Mr. Senanayake that Wickremasinghe was able to cover the Colombo-Plan as a free-lance photographer and provide the Information Department and several diplomats with many valauable photographs. He was also successful in obtaining an autographed photograph of the late Jawarhalal Nehru.

Talking about the most memorable days of his youth, Wickremasinghe said, "As a Game Ranger, when Leonard Woolf visited Yala in 1960, I was privileged to meet him and take him around and also obtain an autographed photograph of the two of us.".

Other memorable events in his life ?

The assistance and encouragement he received from the late P. E. P. Deraniyagala, and Dr. Paranavitarne in his researches.

He recalled the three trips he did down the Mahaweli, first with Paul Stein of the Royal Air Force, in the war years, in a broken catamaran they had found at Manampitiya.

"Paul, who had a little box-of-tricks, soon repaired the many leaks in the abandoned boat and we pushed off, bound for Mutur, but not before Paul had sent a radio message to Trincomalee about his intentions, so that we would be welcomed there and not treated as spies" Wickremasinghe laughed.

The second such trip was with Mr. Ana Seneviratne — who later became Inspector-General of Police, and George de Bruin who became Director of Fisheries — from Manampitiya in two ‘fol-boats’, and the third trip with Paul Senaratne who later was General Manager of Railways became.

Wickremasinghe also spoke of his friendship with the late W. W. A. Phillip and his wife, who both treated him like a son, and the assistance he received from the late Prof. David R. R. Burt of the University College, who

"But the most memorable event of my life, " Wickremasinghe insisted, " was the five days I spent in a cave a Tantirimale, in May 1956, the year of Buddha-Jayanthi. That was indeed the experience of a lifetime, which very few have had the good fortune to find."

Writing about Wickremasinghe and his experiences in the wildernesses of Sri Lanka is indeed an arduous task, for what I could write would fill several hundred pages. But this is an all-too-brief record of a real conservationist, devoted and dedicated to the wildlife of our country.

So I will quote the late Dr. C. W. Nicholas in his "Administration Report of the Warden, Department of Wildlife, for 1952, where he refers to Christy Wickremasinghe’s pioneering work in the Wasgomuwa area as "The expedition was capably led by Ranger C. S. Wickremasinghe and consisted of two other rangers, two guards five watchers and three carriers. No tents were taken and the baggage was limited to bare necessities in order to reduce the weight to be carried.......The expedition spent 24 days in the Reserve and travelled 286 miles on foot within it. This is one of the remotest and wildest areas in Ceylon. It has no roads of any kind and all travelling has to be done on foot along jungle paths. Its extent is 1122 square miles. It is the fact of the greatest significance for a proper appraisement of the present status of the Ceylon Elephant, that not one elephant was seen or heard in the course of 24 days and 286 miles of travelling within a remote Reserve in which the terrain is suitable for elephants and which, from the evidence still to be seen, supported a considerable elephant population some years ago...... Poaching has been going on along the river for several years past. The expedition saw poachers encamped on the opposite bank, drying their meat, but were unable to interfere as the river could not be forced."

In 1971 Wickremasinghe submitted his most important contribution in the field of elephant conservation, entitled "A Plea for the re-organisation of the Department of Wildlife Conservation in keeping with the Socialist Policies of the Government.

This report shows that Wickremasinghe understood the looming escalation of the conflict between man and elephant in the areas destined to be developed for agriculture, and recommended the capture of a number of crop raiding elephants, whose survival prolspecxts were bleak in the wild. His arguments still hold, after nearly three decades and the loss of almost 3,000 elephants in the wild.

Now, having completed his allotted biblical span with another decade to his credit, Wickremasinghe maintains that his philosophy of life, inculcated when he was a student of Rev. Outram at Trinity is based on a few lines Rev. Outram read to him — "This above all, to thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, that thou cannot be false to any man And this man, who was born into a Christian family, became an ‘athiest’ and then followed the path of the Lord Buddha, embracing that and at the same time being a devotee of Satya Sai Baba, summed up his life with these words :" Cecil, To labour and to love, without hope of requital or reward. What religion could be more noble or pure?

Fr. Marcelline Jayakody - An exponent of indigenous culture

By W. T. A. Leslie Fernando
The 2nd Death Anniversary of Fr. Marcelline Jayakody OMI, the well known Catholic priest, musician, poet, lyricist, author, journalist, patriot and exponent of indigenous culture falls on January 15, 2000. A household name in our country, Fr. Marcelline Jayakody passed away on January 15, 1998.

Fr. Marcelline was born on June 03, 1902 at Dankotuwa, on the outskirts of Maha Oya. His mother was a Buddhist converted to Christianity with her marriage. Nevertheless while being a Catholic she had not given up her simple and serene way of life, guided and moulded by Buddhism. His father was a native physician who was not bent on making money. He too led a simple and contented life within his means akin to a Buddhist outlook.

With such a background and upbringing it was natural for Fr. Marcelline even as a Catholic priest to be drawn towards Buddhist Culture, Buddhist Temple and Buddhist prelates and take pride on being called "Pansale Piyatuma" (Catholic priest of the Buddhist Temple).

Fr. Marcelline Jayakody had his early education at Madampe Sinhala school and secondary education at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo. He entered St. Bernard’s Seminary in 1920 and was ordained a Catholic priest by Dr. Anthony Coudert, the then Archbishop of Colombo.

There was always the love for national culture in his veins, At the beginning of the 20th Century slavishly imitating the West was the order of the day. At the same time there was a nationalist revival led by patriots like Anagarika Dharmapala, Walisinghe Harischandra and Piyadasa Sirisena.

The Christians who slavishly imitated the West were severely criticised by the novelist Piyadasa Sirisena. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody read the works of Piyadasa Sirisena with interest and drew inspiration from them.

As a young priest Fr. Marcelline Jayakody was criticised for offering some lotus flowers at the sanctuary at the wedding Mass of one of his relatives. Since then much water has flown under the bridges in Sri Lanka. Now national culture is given its due place in the Church. And Fr. Marcelline Jayakody is considered as an exponent of indigenous culture.

Fr. Marcelline Jayakody served as an assistant parish priest in Kotahena, Pamunugama, Kochchikade (Negombo) and Kandana. He served as the parish priest in Paiyagala, Duwa, Katana and Maggona. As the parish priest he gave the altar in the church a national aura bedecking it with Gokkola and Ralipalam.

In 1940s with the indignations of the administration of the Church there was a renaissance in the sphere of Catholic activity. The pioneer of this movement was the late Dr. Edmund Pieris, the first Sinhala Bishop who wanted to make the Church in Sri Lanka a thing of the soil. With this end in view he made an attempt to revive the cultural adaptation of the Oratorians in Dutch times.

Bishop Edmund Pieris edited and presented many works of Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez that contained prayers in the chanting style of Sinhala and Tamil prose and hymns set to Carnatic ragas and folk music well known in the soil. Passion Plays based on the traditional model, group recital of "Pasan" and Catholic Nadagams like "Raja Tunkattuwa" were all performed under his guidance, inspiration and patronage.

However Bishop Edmund Pieris did not attempt to change the cultural adaptation of the Oratorians to suit modern times and conditions. Besides Bishop Edmund Pieris preferred to retain Western music in our hymns and he himself dubbed Sinhala words to Western hymns.

The credit of presenting indigenisation in its true perspective and directing the Church towards mainstream of national life should go to Fr. Marcelline Jayakody.

At that time the normal pattern was to compose Sinhala hymns set to Latin tunes and Western melodies. At the beginning Fr. Marcelline Jayakody too composed Sinhala hymns specially carols set to Western music. However in 1934 Fr. Marcelline Jayakody composed the hymn "Asiri Sama Sapiri Soma" and the popular Christmas Carol "Raya Tharu Babalanawa" set to his own music. These hymns became very popular and are sung in churches even today. Since then Fr. Marcelline Jayakody did not look back and composed hymns set to his own tunes.

In 1940s and 1950s especially around Independence there was a national resurgence in Sri Lanka. This national consciousness had its effect on the Catholic Church as well. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody too began to compose Sinhala hymns with a national fervor.

The outstanding hymns Fr. Marcelline Jayakody presented in this time like "Ronata Vadina Bingu Obay", "Nelum Pipeela Petni Yisireela" and "Suvanda Jale Pipi Kumudiniye" with their superb lyrics, sweet music and local setting captivated the hearts of all.

The hymns of Fr. Marcelline Jayakody are simple and close to people. They are ever popular in churches and are appreciated by even non-Catholics. They contain both Christian aspects and national sentiments. They are a striking example for cultural adaptation in its true perspective.

When Fr. Marcelline Jayakody was the parish priest of Duwa, the Duwa Passion Play was performed with images of sacred personages based on centuries old "Nine Sermons" in the "Dukprapthi Prasangaya" written by Fr. Jacome Gonsalvez. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody recast and revised the play while maintaining its traditional outlook.

He used human actors for all the scenes except Christ and Mary. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody composed all the hymns in addition to the "Pasan". At that time Duwa Passion Play performed with over 250 villagers was considered as the greatest Passion show in Asia.

In 1949 Fr. Marcelline Jayakody was invited to train the choir for the song "Namo Namo Matha" for the first Anniversary of Independence as the composer Ananda Samarakone had gone abroad. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody rose to the occasion, trained the students of Musaeus College and presented it to be acclaimed by all. There is no doubt that this magnificent performance had gone a long way to make "Namo Namo Matha" the national anthem

In late 1949, Fr. Marcelline Jayakody was appointed the Editor of "Gnanarathna Pradeepaya" the Sinhala Catholic weekly. He increased the pages from 8 to 12 and introduced new features with an indigenous outlook. It was Fr. Marcelline Jayakody who designed the caption of "Gnanarathna Pradeepaya" in a national setting and this caption is still continued.

Fr. Marcelline Jayakody could not stay long in "Gnanaratha Pradeepaya. The manager of the paper insisted that Fr. Marcelline Jayakody should closely follow the English weekly, the "Messenger". Fr. Marcelline Jayakody refused. The manager took up the issue with Archbishop and he ordered Fr. Marcelline Jayakody present the news and articles in the "Messenger" in Sinhala. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody bluntly refused again explaining that it would amount to translation and not journalism. He then packed up and left "Gnanaratha Pradeepaya" and for Shanthikethan in India.

Today "Gnanaratha Pradeepaya" is far from being a translation of the "Messenger". It has a distinct identity of its own and the stand of Fr. Marcelline Jayakody is vindicated.

Fr. Marcelline Jayakody underwent some training in Shanthinikethan the famous Oriental arts centre set up by Rabindranath Tagore. When Fr. Marcelline Jayakody returned to the island he was sent to Tolagatty in Jaffna as a punishment for leaving the country without the permission of Church authorities. Later he served in the staff of St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna.

At St. Patrick’s Fr. Marcelline Jayakody presented a Passion play with the students. He also made use of his stay in Jaffna to make a study of Hindu religion and culture. While in Jaffna he wrote a series of articles to the "Times" on the Hindu Culture, and serene life of people and the beauty of Jaffna. Later these articles were released as a book titled "In Search of Ceylon".

In 1953 Fr. Marcelline Jayakody was appointed to the staff of St. Peter’s College, Colombo. At St. Peter’s with the assistance of Heen Baba Dharmasiri he set up an Oriental Arts centre and introduced indigenous fine arts to this leading Catholic school in the metropolis. While serving at St. Peter’s on the invitation of Lester James Pieris he wrote lyrics for songs in "Rekawa".

At a poll conducted by "Sunday Observer", Fr. Marcelline Jayakody was selected the leading personality in the film world in 1956 for his magnificent lyrics in "Rekawa". Dr. W. Dahanayake, the then Minister of Education who presented the award said: "If I could write a single song like this, I consider it a greater achievement than being a Minister’’.

In 1976 Thomas Cardinal Cooray resigned at the age of 75. The post of Archbishop of Colombo remained vacant for nearly a year. Several priests contended for the post and there was petitioning to the Holy See in Vatican as well.

At this time Fr. Marcelline Jayakody was carrying a column in the "Messenger". He was writing it for 4 years and continued it even from abroad. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody in his column wrote that the best qualification for Bishop are found in Gospel values preached and practised by Christ.

This created a ripple in the bastions of power in the Church and discontinued that popular column in the "Messenger’. But Fr. Marcelline Jayakody could not be thwarted in that manner. Instead he wrote a series of poems appreciating the Buddhist way of life and culture to the "Kaviya" magazine. His work "Muthu" was a collection of those poems carried in "Kaviya"

"Muthu" won Fr. Marcelline Jayakody the Presidential award for the poetry work in 1979 and the famous international award Magsaysay Prize in 1983.

That is not all. Fr. Marcelline Jayakody was the author of several works of prose and poetry both in Sinhala and in English. He was an active member of "Hela Havula" and for many years until his death he was the President of Sinhala Poets’ Association. He was honoured with "Kalasuri" title by the State and "Kithu Nandana Pranamaya" by the Catholic Church for his outstanding contributions to arts and culture in Sri Lanka for over six decades.

Recently Ven. Ittapane Dhammalankara Thera released a book on Fr. Marcelline Jayakody titled "Malpale Upan Pansale Piyatuma". This is the first book in the whole world written by a Buddhist prelate on a Catholic priest

No other Catholic priest in Sri Lanka has been so harassed, victimised and humiliated by the Church as Fr. Marcelline Jayakody. However he was never shaken and faced everything with equanimity. He was stronger in defeat and all his defeats later turned out to be victories. Nevertheless no Catholic priest in Sri Lanka has touched the hearts and lives of both Catholics and non-Catholics alike as Fr. Marcelline Jayakody.

A legend in his lifetime Fr. Marcelline Jayakody needs a fitting memorial in our country.

(The writer is a former High Court Judge)

Gender and Judges

The organisers of the conference on Human Rights and Equality opening in Colombo on Tuesday with the participation of several eminent judicial personalities have prepared these notes on "Gender and Judges’’ and "Lawyers, victims and activists" in Sri Lanka.

Gender violence is not a new phenomenon. Yet issues of gender violence are the most complex to deal with, a fact compounded by the belief and experience of women who feel legal redress is beyond their reach. And the few who do finally access the system are often disillusioned with the outcome. This is because most women in situations of violence do not receive justice, which is sensitive to their gender.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on December 18, 1979. Gender is not the mere biological difference between men and women, but differences which classify men and women as having different roles, duties and rights. In this context men and women view the legal system differently according to their experiences.

Gender bias also includes stereotyped assumptions about the roles of women and men. As a result of this stereotyping, women are believed to be and are treated as though they are less capable, less entitled, less valuable and less worthy than men. When a legal system perpetuates stereotyped roles of men and women, it reinforces discriminatory treatment.

A study conducted in India by Sakshi a New Delhi based NGO revealed that judges were mainly concerned about the context in which violence against women took place, which sometimes undermined the seriousness of the crime. According to the study, where the context involved family or marital relationships it somehow fell outside the notion of ‘real’ violence i.e. rape by a stranger, mugging etc., and judges were less inclined to interpret the law in favour of women.

Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region where the nature of judicial decision-making is conservative, tradition is constantly used as an argument, especially in the case of women when those very same traditions violate legally defined rights of women. Women especially those who are victims of domestic violence choose to go to court as a last resort despite apprehensions, social implications and strong family opposition. The option of going to court is normally the last resort, when all other possible options such as tolerance, endurance, shame, humiliation and anger have been exhausted.

Although judges are not directly to blame for the lower status of women in the area of gender equality. Judicial assumptions that women despite their individual differences in experiences and situations are the same will remain a formidable barrier to the full enjoyment and exercise of their rights by women. Therefore sensitising judges towards gender issues is of paramount importance.

Lawyers, victims and activists in Sri Lanka

A series of interviews with three categories of persons who interact or have interacted with the legal system in Sri Lanka: women lawyers, women activists and women victims were conducted as part of Shymala Gomez’s and Mario Gomez’s report titled "Illusions of Justice: The Laws Response to Gender Violence in Sri Lanka". Three researchers interviewed ten women lawyers; ten women activists and fourteen victims of violence over a six-month period. The interviews were structured around guidelines provided by Sakshi a New Delhi based NGO which focuses mainly on women’s issues.

The fourteen victims of violence and women’s activists were unanimous in their view that the legal system in Sri Lanka was patriarchal and biased against women. The lawyers however were divided in their opinions. A very small number of lawyers perceived the legal system in Sri Lanka as being objective, neutral and fair towards women, and that gender played only a limited role in determining how the legal system responded to a victim. A majority of the lawyers felt that the system prevalent in Sri Lanka was patriarchal and insensitive towards women.

The women’s activists and victims of violence were of the view that legal, psychological and other support to encourage women victims of violence to access the legal system in Sri Lanka was inadequate. The interviews revealed that most women victims were unaware of the rights and remedies available to women victims, and therefore they viewed the legal system as distant, unapproachable and difficult to understand. The study showed the need for legal literacy and legal awareness programmes in Sri Lanka. It is also interesting to note that nearly all off the interviewees thought that gender training should be provided to lawyers and judges so that they can be more sensitive towards gender issues.

Most women lawyers who were interviewed complained that they were patronized by male colleagues and judges and that stereo types about women are rooted firmly in legal discourse, language and practice.

Shymala Gomez and Mario Gomez say that numerous aspects of the legal system discourage women victims from approaching the system. The delay in obtaining justice is one of the major factors because is not unusual for a final verdict to be delivered by a court after a lapse of anything from 7 to 10 years. Where rape cases are concerned some of the victims are married and have families by the time the case is heard, and therefore they are reluctant to give evidence on their behalf. The medical examination which is a crucial part of the criminal justice process in cases of rape and sexual violence is another factor which discourages women from approaching the system. The medical expertise available across the country is in no way even. Skills and facilities to conduct comprehensive medical examinations are only available in major towns and cities. S. Gomez and M. Gomez also say that most victims of rape are petrified of approaching the system because criminal trials can be very humiliating to the victims because the defence counsels set out to attack the credibility of the victims testimony to show that their was consent or that the offender has been wrongly identified.

It is evident that in a conservative society such as Sri Lanka, women victims of violence are the ones who carry the shame and stigma and not the victimiser. Even though formal equality can be achieved through law reforms, substantive equality can only be achieved if attitudes of society, police, prosecutors and judges change.

The jaunty combos of yesteryear
Mem’ries are surely made of these...?

by Rohan Jayawardane
A particularly sweet aspect of Christmas tide and New Year celebrations has always been the fact that it is the happiest time of year for the finest western musicians of Sri Lanka. The frenzied onset of parties and celebratory dances means that for the only time in twelve long months there would be decent livelihood and appropriate focus on the dazzling talents of the professional bandsmen whose natural skills and extraordinary flair have made the sweetest of memories and finest music as the so-called "old years" floated away.

This great tradition in music became established in long ago Ceylon in the times of the British presence. After the Second World War there emerged a prodigiously capable handful of Ceylonese Jazz and Light Music Combos who periodically were able to associate effortlessly with the visiting geniuses from America and Europe in the marvellous times of the show-man extraordinary, Donovan Andree. Among the visitors were Duke Ellington multi talented Marian Anderson, Tony Brent, and many others of world-class distinction.

During that vintage era of highest musical distinction, I once wandered as a youngest into the Cathedral of St. Lucia at Kotahena for the Requiem Service of a friend. Although semi-drowsy after a long bus ride in the early dawn, at the commencement of the Mass ritual there suddenly broke forth from the choir - loft a softly delicious music which caused my very scalp to quiver! It was the sound of light hands upon a mellow pipe organ and the gentle crooning of the finest natural Bass-Baritone voice I have ever heard, in the beloved hymn "Abide with me". With this graceful musical presence ever available during the entire service, there was never any likelihood that I would have any other memories of the occasion!

That musician of extraordinary prowess and versatility was the late beloved Gerry Crake, perhaps the most famous denizen of Kotahena in those gentle times! In the great days of yore the top-most bands of Ceylon were the Gerry Crake Combo, the Brothers Clem and Clair Croner, the (pappa) Menezes Family Combo and Harold Seneviratne’s band. Some of the other solo legends of the day were Mario Manricks, Tony Felice, Bella Karakas, Arlene Peck, Helen Bartholomeusz, Cass Ziard, Edgar Hebber, Timmy Manuel, and Erin de Selfa and a score of others who cheerfully fitted into any of the performing units out of sheer love and joy in the Art of Music.

Quite naturally, these beautiful people of simple and straight disposition were usually mercilessly manipulated by the Fat Cats of commerce and never became acquainted with the material richess they deserved. As a consequence, their wonderful homes usually did not prod the off spring in the same economically deficient direction of professional musicians hip but (instead) toward the more mundane pastimes of life for the purposes of "survival"!

The elegant Crystal who is daughter of Clair Croner however is a rare successful exception in this regard, but the lonely Heather and lynetle who are Gery Crake’s daughters probably opted out of careers in music.

Nevertheless at this nostalgic end-of-year juncture in time when the world of domestic folks and the working types are uniquely united, in joint celebrations, it is worthwhile and indeed the honourable thing to raise one’s mind in salute to the all-time legends of Lanka’s music scene who have given the sweetest and gentlest mem’ries of an age gone by while setting standards of performance that are rarely attainable.

God Bless the lot of them!

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