.

Down memory lane as a reporter

by Kirthie Abeyesekera
In the first week of my cub-reporting days at the ‘Ceylon Observer,’ December, 1965, news-editor, D. C. Ranatunge, sent me on an assignment. There was a strike at the University on Thurstan road

‘Go and see what’s happening,’ Rane, as we called him, told me, in jargon unfamiliar to me at the time. By the time I got there, the strike had been settled, and the undergrads were back in their lecture halls. Back at the ‘Observer, news desk, I was leisurely reading the early edition of the paper when I was startled by a stern voice.

"I say, are your Kirthie Abeyesekera?" Yes, I mumbled meekly. I was asked whether I went to Thurstan road. I said I did, and that the strike was over.

"Why the hell don’t you write the bloody story?" The bellowing was by Clarance Fernando, deputy editor who gave me my first lesson in reporting - that the end of a strike is also a story. The epithets were also the first of many more to follow in the days ahead from a man who did not mince his words, nor pull his punches.

Cutting my journalism teeth as a fledgling, I held Clarence Fernando in awe. As I picked up the finer points of the profession I came to respect him. As time went on? he won my affection too.

Recruited as a ‘stringer’ by editor, Denzil Peiris, I was paid by the stories published - at Rs. 2.50 an inch. With Christmas round the corner, I went to Mr. Cader in the Accounts Department and asked him whether he could pay me for the work done. An unhurried man to whom others’ urgencies were not his problem, Mr. Cader said, ‘I’ll see." In a day or two however, I picked up the ‘petty cash chit’ and went home with a Christmas bonanza of twenty rupees.

Rane was trying me out on small assignments, like interviewing a hospital-sweep winner or to ‘hang around’ somewhere in case something happened. Then, one day, Clarence summoned me and told me that Nalin Fernando, the crime reporter, was leaving for a job at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Would I like to work the crime beat,

"It’s hard work" he cautioned me. "Forget your wife and family, forget the home. Be prepared to go outstation any time of the day or night." A dim picture of hard work was painted. But, the tough Clarence held out hope. There was a light at the end of the tunnel.

"If you want to make your mark as a reporter, this is it," he said. I took up the challenge. After three months as a stringer, still paid by the inch, Denzil rewarded me for my reportage of the Lanka Sama Samaja Parly-led strike of the General Clerical Service Union. He enrolled me on his regular staff. My letter of appointment placed me on the princely pay of Rs. 200 a month - the graduates’ pay scale - though I had never been to University, except to cover a strike

In the meantime, I was filing my stories - ‘By an Observer reporter. ‘In those days, by-lines did not come automatically. They had to be earned - given at the editor’s discretion on the merits of a story. The names ‘Manik de Silva’ and ‘T. M. Deen’ were always prominent on Page One. Manik was the political pundit, incising the intrigues within the halls of power. Deen was treading on the tricks of the trade in the world of commerce. They were the blue-eyed boys of the ‘Observer’ - not through favouritism, but because of their performance in the execution of the editorial edict: ‘Bring the stories.’

I recall Clarence scanning reporters’ copy. Sharpening his ‘blue’ pencil fiercely on the cement floor, he applied it liberally on the copy before him. I have seen him fling his reading glasses aside and growl at a reporter: "I say, you call this another story," then crumple the paper in the reporter’s face and shove it in the waste paper basket.

I did not suffer such humiliation. Yet, some of my stories were quietly put aside while I watched whether I was getting a by-line or not - only to find that they had subsequently found their way to the WPB. As time went by, I was getting a by-line here, and a by-line there, but mostly, in the inside pages, with an occasional Page one by-line. I had yet to get the coveted by-line for a Lead Story in the ‘Observer Magazine Edition’ which, following the change of the calendar week to the ‘Poya’ week, was another name for the ‘Sunday Observer’ - the best read of the times. By this time I had made formidable police contacts, ranging from the Inspector-General to the cop on the beat. One pre-Poya day, I had a chat on the fourth floor of the Criminal Investigation Department with its chief, Tyrrell Goonetilleke, Superintendent of Police- reputedly, a tight-lipped officer who kept nosey newsmen at bay with a disarming smile. Over many months, I had gradually gained his confidence. That day, he spoke of a police probe into pornographic material concealed in books and magazines sold to students in Colombo’s leading schools.

I wrote the story, left it on the news editor’s desk and rushed home to join the family on a trip to Matara. The following day, on the way for a sea bath at Polhena, I picked up the ‘Observer Magazine.’ Leaning against a coconut tree on the beach, I read the Page One Lead Story. Staring in my face, in bold type, was my by-line: ‘By Kirthie Abeyesekera.‘ It was the prelude to many more to come my way in the ensuing years.

My two-hundred rupee salary had risen considerably. That too was eclipsed by the overtime I was making on my crime investigation assignments. I wrote extensively about Pauline de Croos, Daymon Kularatne and the cream of the crime crop - Alfred de Zoysa, Cutex Piyadasa, Yakadaya, Wimaladasa, et al. Features editors, Neville Weeraratne and Eustace Rulach kept a page in the Magazine edition for my exposes of the ‘Underworld.’

In 1966, Manik won the Wijewardene Award. In 1967, Deen celebrated his nomination with a buriyani treat in his Ketawalamulla lane home. The following year, I gained admission to the elite ranks of the two top reporters I once envied and emulated.

Blue Black and the Bishops

by Ranil Mendis with Evin Mohamed
The writers dedicate this article with love and affection to the memory of their dear friend Premalal Goonesekera, the cricket captain who won the Royal-Thomian in one of the most exciting matches ever played in the series. Moreover, his abiding passion in life was the welfare of the school.

Esto Perpetuaz

"Oh GOD, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home;"

On 21 December 1849, exactly one hundred and fifty years to the day before the daughter of a great Thomian, Chandrika Dias Bandaranaike was re-elected President of Sri Lanka, another momentous event took place.

On that day, the first Anglican Bishop of Colombo, the Right Reverend James Chapman, laid the foundation stone for a modest school. The school was named after Saint Thomas. It was located in Mutwal, next to the Christ Church Cathedral.

The date 21st December is an auspicious one. It is the day of St. Thomas, an apostle who is reputed to have visited Sri Lanka. So, when a great daughter of a great Thomian contests a Royalist on that day, the result should be a foregone conclusion, as it proved to be.

Two years later, in 1851 the school opened with fifty boys. The Right Reverend James Chapman was its first warden, which is the designation given to the principal.

The congenital association between the Bishop of Colombo and the school was a sweet and happy one, for over a hundred years. It has latterly turned sour, as we shall see later on in the article.

The school with its humble and modest beginning was to grow rapidly. The love and devotion that the old boys had for the school was chiefly responsible for the growth. In 1917 cramped for space, the school moved from Mutwal to Mt. Lavinia. It had come of age. It was then a leading institution of education in the country.

The chief reason for St. Thomas’ College hereinafter referred to as STC to become a great school were its wardens and dedicated teachers.

After meticulous research the writers would pick Bishop Chapman, Rev. Stone and Canon DeSaram as the greatest wardens of the school. Of the other teachers far too numerous to mention individually two must be mentioned. Dr. Hayman who built the swimming pool in Mt. Lavinia and made substantial improvements to the school at Gurutalawa, at his own expense and who willed his estate to the school upon his death. Rev. Boyer Yin, a mathematics wrangler from Cambridge University, who started the festival of nine lessons and carols. He trained the choir to be one of the very best in the island.

Bishop Chapman for being the founder of the school. He planted the seed of great English liberal values and ensured its germination. Later wardens nurtured and maintained these great traditions.

Rev. Stone for guiding the school through rapid growth and ensuring the smooth transfer of the school from Mutwal to Mt. Lavinia.

Last, but by no means least, and perhaps the greatest of them all, and the protege of warden Stone, Canon De Saram.

Canon De Saram was the first Thomian and the first Sri Lankan to be Warden. He held office for twenty five years and was the longest serving warden of the school.

He had the gumption to tell prime ministers to go to hell.

Incidentally, both writers were unceremoniously sacked from the school. When Evin was sacked, he cried like a baby, because he was so fond of the school. He pestered his parents who were friends of the Senanayake family to ask Dudley to intervene. Very reluctantly, Dudley phoned Canon DeSaram. Canon De Saram very curtly, told off Dudley, saying quite rightly that Evin was absolutely of no use to the school. The sacking could not be reversed. No one would be happier today, than the good Canon, to see how useful Evin has now become. With the greatest of enthusiasm and diligence the entire research for this article was accomplished by him alone.

Canon DeSaram himself on his last day as Warden, prior to retirement, in his farewell address to the boys of the school, said that ironically, it was the boys whom he caned and sacked who surprisingly, showed the greater devotion to the school. There is another anecdote that we would like to share with the reader.

P. N. Perera. better known as Vaddah, one of the most mischievous of Thomians, saw an old and feeble Canon De Saram, well into his dotage, climbing a hilly road, returning to his retirement home, in Nuwara Eliya. Vaddah very much wanted to greet him, but wondered whether the Canon would remember him. Nevertheless, with grave trepidation he approached him and asked "Sir, I wonder whether you can remember me". Pat came the answer "of course Perera, one can forget the roses, but never the thorns".

Canon De Saram was a great scholar and a good athlete, participating in most sports at STC. He was a contemporary of another great scholar S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike. They went through STC and Oxford University together. Both excelled. SWRD becoming the first Sri Lankan to be elected secretary of the Oxford Union. Canon De Saram was awarded a ‘Blue’ for Boxing, the first Sri Lankan, to win a "Blue" of any kind at Oxford. They were rivals throughout. This rivalry led Canon DeSaram to take one questionable decision which will be adverted to, later on in the article.

Be that as it may, the liberal traditions, set in place by the founder Bishop Chapman was a strong influence on all those who attended the school. This enabled, in the words of Mao to "let a thousand flowers bloom, let a thousand schools of thought contend". This enabled staunch Buddhist patriots like the Rt. Hon. D. S. Senanayake to send his sons to STC. It enabled Anagarika Dharmapala to form his ideas on the revival of Buddhism without hindrance. The school did not indulge in proselytisation. It was one of the first Christian schools, to teach those of other faiths, their own religion. As a result Thomians developed their talents in diverse ways. As we the writers, very proudly, unveil the roll of honour, it can be seen that Thomians have excelled in every activity of human endeavour.

We shall start with the first Prime Minister of independent Sri Lanka, and the father of the nation, D. S. Senanayake, and his son Dudley. Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike who led a liberal democratic revolution, and made democracy a reality to the common man. He has the further distinction of having a wife and daughter, who became leaders of this country. W. Dahanayake who succeeded S.W.R.D. as Prime Minister, and holds the record for filibustering in parliament.

The men who dominated politics in the pre-independence era, F. R. Senanayake and Anagarika Dharmapala, who led the movement for national independence, temperance and Buddhist revival.

Of others, in politics, who made their mark, in a long and distinguished list include. Chelvanayagam, the founder of the Federal Party, Sunderalingam who was also a great mathematician and orator, the left wing revolutionaries Dr. N. M. Perera, Leslie and Cholmondley Goonawardena, Leader of the House C. P. de Silva, Dr. Kaleel, who was chairman of the U.N.P., Sir Francis Molamure, the first Speaker of the House of Representatives. In contemporary politics, Professor G. L. Peiris, who is also the pre-eminent scholar, produced by Sri Lanka, in the post independence era.

In the field of law, Sir Arthur Wijewardena, the first Ceylonese Chief Justice, so appointed in 1949. Sir Arthur, was also the first Ceylonese to act as Governor-General, i.e., the head of state. H. L. Wendt who retired as Senior Puisne Justice, the highest Judicial Office then available to a Ceylonese. Supreme Court Justices Canekeratne, Gratien, Swan and Felix R. Dias, the father of a powerful minister, in the cabinet of Sirimavo, the first woman prime minister in the world.

In more recent times, former Chief Justice, G. P. S. De Silva, Tissa Dias Bandaranaike, SPJ, his brother Lakshman, who was legal draftsman, and who later drafted the constitution of Malawi, in Africa.

In the official bar Attorney Generals Tilak Marapana PC and the present incumbent Kamalasabayson.

In the unofficial bar, Queen’s Counsels, the brothers E.B. and E. G. Wickramanayake, and Sam Kadirgamar, President’s Counsel, Choksy and S. L. Gunasekera, are outstanding Denzil Gunaratne is a rising star. The bard of Hultsdorf, Mervyn Casie Chetty and instructing attorneys, Oxonian Michael Sproule, and Dijan De Saram.

In the field of sports Thomians have excelled. The first Ceylonese to play for Ceylon in the colonial era was, A. C. Ahmath. Six have captained Sri Lanka in cricket, D. L. De Saram, S. Saravanamuttu, V. G. Prins, Michael Tissera, Anura Tennekoon and Duleep Mendis.

While the aforementioned did well with the bat and ball, Thomians have also done well as cricket administrators. Robert Senanayake, Dr. N. M. Perera and Ian Peiris were good Presidents of the Board of Control of Cricket. But, the greatest contribution to the administration of cricket was accomplished by someone who never held of office. His name is Clifford Ratwatte. He was instrumental, in cleaning up the corrupt mess that had befallen the Board of Control for Cricket, and in appointing, the present interim board. Sri Lanka cricket has flourished since then.

The number of Thomians who have excelled in other sports are too many to mention. In tennis, Rupert Ferdinands, D. D. N. Selvadurai and P. S. Kumara, who was also, a stylish batsman and won the prize for Batting in the year he played. Niranjan Sinnethamby in swimming, and A. C. Dassanaike and S. Thangavelu in boxing have excelled in their respective sports.

In the field of music and drama, three Thomians have achieved international recognition. They are the brothers, Rohan and Druvi De Saram and Keith Potger who was the lead guitarist of the internationally famous and popular pop group the "Seekers". In the Sinhala Silverscreen, the most popular film star, director and producer, Gamini Fonseka, Asoka Pieris who won the best actor award in 1999, Jith Pieris who produces English plays and musical shows.

In the field of media and journalism Thomians have made their mark. The paramount doyen in this category, standing heads and shoulders above the rest is D. R. Wijewardene, the founder of the Lake House Group of Newspapers. He, was a staunch Buddhist patriot who played a key role in the independence movement. He is the grandfather of the present Leader of the Opposition. He is the father of Ranjith Wijewardena the chairman of the "Times". Nimal Welgama, is the managing director of "The Island" Newspaper group. The editors of the two leading English Daily newspapers are Thomians, Geoff Wijesinghe of the "Daily News", and Gamini Weerakoon of "The Island". The Editor’s favourite journalist Amita Abeysekera was indeed outstanding.

In the mercantile sector, the Senior Partner of Ford Rhodes, and Thornton, Rajan Asirwathan. Rajan is the son of old Mr. Asirwathan, who was one of the great teachers at STC, who taught the writer English. Apart from being a good teacher, he had high ideals and integrity. He would have been as proud as the writer was, when his son declined any remuneration, when appointed chairman of the Bank of Ceylon. Thomians, making their mark in the mercantile sector are far too numerous to mention. However, picking a few at random, Michael de Zoysa, Chairman Liptons, in the tea industry, Anil Amarasuriya, General Manager of Sampath Bank, Capt. Ryle Mendis, in shipping and last but by no means least, the Equestrian, Kareoke champion, the life and soul of the Stallion tent, and representing the garment industry, the Chairman of Butani Exports, Prakash Butani are worthy of due recognition.

If STC is famous for the above products of the school, it is also famous for the ones that were refused admission.

The most famous of those is Anura Bandaranaike. The Bandaranaikes’ and all their near relations are staunch and true Thomians. So, naturally, SWRD wanted to enter Anura to STC. However, Canon De Saram snubbed the Prime Minister of the day, by refusing to admit Anura. In this, very clearly, Canon De Saram was wrong. Whatever the differences he had with SWRD he should never ever have taken it out on the son and heir. Because of this acrimony, SWRD was never invited to be chief guest on the prize giving day. SWRD a loyal Thomian would have liked to be the chief guest. The brilliant orator that he was, the boys and other guests missed a treat.

And what a differences this has made to Anura. If the good Canon admitted him, he would have been the writer Ranil’s classmate. With this benign company, Anura would no doubt have been the present Prime Minister. Instead, he was forced to attend Royal College and became the classmate of the other Ranil. As a result, he, the poor fellow is now languishing in jail, otherwise known as the opposition benches. We must hasten to add that no disrespect to Royal College is ever intended by the writers. In fact, Thomians respect all schools but have the highest respect for their traditional rival Royal and that school on the hill, known as the best school of all, Trinity College.

More seriously though, the incidents with regard to Anura and Evin have been cited to show how the warden was able and willing to displease the Prime Minister of the day. The requests of two Prime Ministers, Dudley and SWRD were declined. Led by the warden, the other teachers followed suit. They and the boys of the school were no respecters of the sons of the rich and powerful. All were treated equally. A lesson in humility, was taught to those who got out of line. Strict discipline was maintained. This was another key factor that made STC a great school.

"Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day"

Thomians young will not know the difference. Thomian old will know that the school has declined.

The school has declined in many ways:

(1) The failure of the Bishop of Colombo, who exercises overwhelming influence on the Board of Governors, hereinafter referred to as the BOG, to appoint a suitable Warden for the college. The Bishop, in addition to his overwhelming power on the BOG has the right of veto, on the appointment of the warden. Therefore, the Bishop of Colombo has to assume full responsibility for the aborted appointment. Perhaps, God and the spirits, of the previous great wardens and old boys, acted through the Supreme Court. The fact that the issue had to be litigated upon is not a good reflection on the Lord Bishop. However, God has given the Bishop another opportunity. It is our fervent prayer that he, this time around, will accept the advise of eminent members of the BOG, who have been referred to, earlier on in the article, and make an enlightened choice, in order to, resurrect the school to its previous glory. The relationship between the school and the Bishop which formerly led to its prosperity, but now contributes to its decline is reverted to later on in the article.

(2) The Old Boys Association, hereinafter referred to as the OBA has also to be blamed. The sordid avarice for positions, which leads some to indulge in writing malicious letters anonymously and rig elections, is a sacrilegious insult to their Alma Mater, STC, which is sacrosanct. Perhaps, the OBA should consider, term limitations and changes to election procedures to eliminate this atrocious practice. The membership of anyone who indulges in ungentlemanly practices, should be terminated.

(3) The strength of STC was its boarding. The fact that it was more of an all island school, than any other contributed to the diversity of the boys and hence added to its strength.

The great boarding houses Miller, Chapman, Coplesten and Claugton should be restored. A certain quota should be reserved for boys from outer provinces. A special quota should be reserved for boys from the Northern and Eastern provinces which are sadly affected by our deplorable civil war.

If there is any tendency for the people of any particular town, and any particular caste or creed to regard that STC belongs to them, this tendency should be excised forthwith. STC should never ever be an exclusively, Anglican school. With respect and gratitude to the founding father, Bishop Chapman and a host of others who have contributed so greatly to STC, the school should always be managed by the Anglican Church. Ideally, the Warden should be an Anglican priest. This is a formula that has proved its success.

(4) Taking all facts into account, the writer personally feels that the Rev. Duleep Chickera is the best choice to be warden. Father Duleep is a Royalist whom STC has acquired without compensation. The fact that he is a Royalist adds to his strength. This article is dedicated to Premalal. Both Father Duleep and Premalal are good gentlemen. Both loved the school enormously. In the writers eye both had a flaw. Both reconciled themselves to mediocrity. Several years ago the writer suggested to them individually that STC should raise standards by introducing an English stream. Both scoffed and rejected the idea. Both thought that having an English stream would make STC elitist. Both were dead wrong.

It is the bounder duty of the school to offer the student the best possible education. Just as much as it is the bounder duty of the Lord Bishop to appoint the best possible person to be Warden so that STC is enabled to offer its students the best possible education. Knowledge and education is the greatest gift that God has given mankind. It must be admitted that a better education can be received in the English Language. Today, it is the people’s choice.

Looked at from another standpoint, the founding father Bishop Chapman and great Wardens that followed never intended the school to be average. Like Fraser of Trinity College Kandy, the Wardens of STC always intended that the school to be the best school in the world. This is not elitist. Indeed, if every school in Sri Lanka strived to be the best, the entire nation will prosper. Therefore it can be clearly seen that the pursuit of excellence is a noble goal of egalitarianism and is not in any way in conflict with it.

Let us at this stage quote Rev. Buck a warden of STC in his farewell letter to the school.

"You belong to one of the best schools in the world, a school with splendid traditions and a most honourable name and I charge you to try and hand down those traditions and that name to those who come after you, untarnished and unimpaired."

And a message that some members of the OBA could do well to heed.

"Be proud of being Thomians, and make the college proud of numbering you among its sons. Remember that whatever you do, and whereever you go, your life and your actions will reflect either credit or discredit on the college where you were trained and to which you owe so much. You have learned the best lessons in the world at STC, I trust not only English and Classics and Mathematics, but true manliness and truth. Courage, purity, and all those things that make a man and a gentleman. Try never to forget them, but be men and gentlemen always".

These profound thoughts written by a great warden and a true Christian, setting high standards of excellence that each and every Thomian should try to live upto and be the living testimony of, regardless of petty divisions of race, caste and creed.

Not surprisingly, many old boys consider Warden Buck’s period to be the "Golden Era" of STC.

(5) Presently, each member of the BOG can nominate two candidates to be admitted to STC. From a management and organizational point of view and from many other points of view, this is a bad practice and must be discontinued forthwith.

The BOG must not interfere with the Wardens prerogative to run the day to day administration of the school or in matters such as whom to admit and who is to be sacked. We are back to Anura and Ewin. Even if the Warden makes a gross mistake, such as in the case of Anura, the BOG should hesitate to interfere. A warden is human, however great he may be. It is human to err. The reason for this is that any interference by the BOG on a decision made by the Warden would inevitably and disastrously undermine the authority of the Warden. Can anyone imagine even for a nanosecond Warden Canon De Saram tolerating any such interferences? No way! However, that does not mean that the BOG has no role to play. It should set the standards of high excellence and define the guidelines within which the Warden should act. The warden should be held accountable but should never be deprived of the authority of discretion.

Having said that we shall revert as promised earlier to the Bishops of Colombo, in their sweet and sour relationship with STC.

First and foremost the early English Bishops of Colombo were appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury on behalf of the Church of England. The later Sri Lankan Bishops were elected by the Diocese of Colombo. In pastoral care, the Sri Lankan Bishops being indigenous, may well have been more effective.

However, when it comes to education and the administration of schools like STC the English Bishops had a distinct advantage. They had the benefit of the vast experience the Church of England had in running public schools in England.

If we consider the background of Bishop Chapman the aforementioned assertion becomes crystal clear. Bishop Chapman schooled at Eton, which is one of the first four leading English public schools owned and managed by the Church of England. The other three leading schools were and are Harrow, Rugby, and Winchester. He won a scholarship to Kings College, Cambridge. In order to achieve this he must have been an outstanding scholar. He was a master at Eton and was ordained sometime later. Chapman was a short listed candidate for the headmastership of Harrow.

As a mere example, the background of Bishop Kenneth is no match. It’s chalk and cheese. Therefore, the Lord Bishop Kenneth can serve God, the church and STC best by playing a reduced role in the affairs of STC and be guided more by the eminent old boys of unimpeachable integrity, and high academic achievement, in the BOG.

The Sri Lankan Bishops prior to Bishop Kenneth had a great and unbounded love for STC. Bishops Harold, Cyril Abeynaike and Swithin are counted in this number. After all, although the Anglican Church, owns and manages many good schools, STC is the Jewel on the Crown.

An unsuitable warden was appointed on one occasion when STC got a head who was a misfit in a sports oriented school which prided itself on its standard of English. Although a good man, he could not inspire the respect of the staff and boys of the school. This warden announced to the school, at assembly that the first eleven will play rugby football against St. Peter’s. The rugby captain invited him to witness the match he said that he will come after the lunch interval.

The great moral lesson of this is that, the warden of STC should be selected with greater care. No one worthy of the job will apply to a two by two advertisement in a newspaper. The BOG should take the initiative and search for a good warden. Rev. Chikera, Frank Jayasinghe, Ralph Alles and Yoheshan Casie Chetty are examples of the calibre required. The BOG should not shirk from selecting an expatriate if a suitable local candidate is not available.

Bishop Kenneth is heir to a line of Bishops who loved STC, and contributed greatly to the welfare and progress of the school. God has given him another chance. He should realise that there is a symbiotic relationship between the church and STC. We pray that he makes the right choice.

"Under the shadow of thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure
Sufficient is thy arm alone
And our defence is sure"

Book Review
In-depth study of literature, society and culture

Yugayen Yugayata (Age to Age)
by W. A. Abeysinghe.
Publishers — S. Godage and Brothers, 675, P. de S. Kularatne Mawatha, Colombo 10.
Price — Rs. 175/=

Review by W. T. A. Leslie Fernando
This book is a collection of 23 articles written to journals, periodicals and magazines by W. A. Abeysinghe, the well known writer, novelist, poet, lyricist, literary critic and lawyer. Although these essays are written at intervals that stretch to a period of nearly forty years, most of them are inter-related. Taken as a whole this collection is mainly an in-depth study of literature, society and culture.

The writer explains that his views expressed in these essays have not undergone change. The reader finds that the articles written even in 1960s are valid today. Besides what the author has foreseen in 1960s has now become true. This would suffice to acknowledge the ability, versatality and farsightedness of W. A. Abeysinghe, the man of letters.

The first article in the book is "Anton Chekof Saha Ape Disapamok Parapura" (Anton Chekow and our teaching community). Here the author refers to a discussion between Anton Chekov and Maxim Gorky where Anton Chekov emphasises the importance of raising the standard of teachers if the society is to be uplifted. The author who in the preface refers to the guidance he received from the dedicated teachers in his formative years and youth laments over the degeneration that has set in among the teaching community in our country. He finds that most of them rather than guiding the students on the proper path are concerned about making fortunes on education. They have set tuition shops and have sacrificed the principles, integrity and self respect of a noble profession.

In "Panas Haya" (Fifty six) W. A. Abeysinghe regards 1956 as a landmark in the history of Sri Lanka. Politically it was the year that dethroned the ruling elite and set up a new government that brought about so many changes beneficial to the masses. It was the year Martin Wickremasinghe presented "Viragaya", Prof. Ediriweera Saratchchandra staged "Maname", Lester James Pieris screened "Rekawa", songs of W. D. Amaradeva came into prominence, dance forms of Chithrasena, Panibharatha and Premakumara Epitawela gained recognition, Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara Pirivenas were made Universities and thereby literary giants like Rev. Welivitiye Soratha, Yakkaduwe Pragnnarama, Kotahene Pragnnakitthi, and Bambarande Siri Seevali began to be honoured and so on.

The writer observes that various interpretations are given to the role of Bandaranaike in the revolution of 1956. However what Bandaranaike claimed was that he was only the midwife of the transition. The child does not belong to the midwife but to the parents. W. A. Abyesinghe places S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike as a philosopher and a man of wisdom who understood the pulse of the masses, identified the historical forces that gained ground and gave effect to aspirations of the people.

"Sahithya, Agama saha Manushathvaya" (Religion, Literature and Humanity) is a discusson of the purpose of literature. Even a simple drawing has a purpose that is to express an idea. Likewise literature, painting, song and dance all have a purpose. Both religion and literature have a common ultimate purpose, to make people gentle and noble. Religion expresses this purpose by the imperative method. Literature by the creative method. Buddhism forbids killing. Dharmasena Thera in the story of Chunda Veddha presents the horror of killing and its consequences, in a more effective manner. Religion condemns sexual misconduct. Gustav Floebha in "Madame Bovari" makes the reader realise the consequences of sexual misbehaviour. Religious literature expresses the values of a religion. Non-religious literature extols values of all religions. A creative writer depicts both good and bad sides of life to make the reader feel for higher values in Life. W. A. Abeysinghe submits that a creative literary work should have a message for humanity.

In the English article, "Sinhala Novel as a medium of Cultural Expression" W. A. Abeysinghe indicate that 50 years after the appearance of "Gam Peraliya" of Martin Wickremasinghe, now the realistic Sinhala novel stands mature and grown. He examines various experiments the novel had gone through during this five decades and shows that novels that tried to infuse a kind of mysticism to sexual relations failed because they had no roots in our society. Illustrating the successful novels he submits that a more realistic portrayal of our social life is seen in fiction that reflect our indigenous culture.

"Parihaniya Ikmankarawana Viyaja Sanskurthiyak" (An artificial culture that facilitate a degeneration is an essay written in 1961. Here the writer contends that "culture" could not be defined merely as works of art, practices, rituals and fashions as meant by many politicians and others. It is refinement of mind, tastes and manners — a way of life, described in Sinhala as "Hadicchakama" (discipline) by people. "Amavatura" and Samadhi Pilime are great works of art but not aspects of Sinhala culture. They are symbols or manifestations of culture or discipline of the ancient Sinhalese. Ancient Sinhala people produced only religious literature not because they were incapable of presenting creative works but because they went in for higher values propounded in religion. Society is fast degenerating because our much cherished cultural values are being undermined by commercialism and consumerism and sacrifised on the altar of false gods of money.

Today where hedonics life found in the west has made in-roads to our society what W. A. Abeysinghe has expressed four decades ago appears to be prophetic.

"Ransalu — Hithuvakkara vivaranayak" (Ransalu — a high handed review) is an appreciation of the film presented by Lester James Pieris, that won the Critics’ Award for the best film in 1967. In this essay W. A. Abeysinghe observes that the new class that shifted from the village depicted in "Gamperaliya" and passed "Kaliyugaya" got established in the city and reached the rungs of upper-middle class. Some of them lost their roots in the traditional culture and religion was only a fashion for them. Still there were some who adhered to the Buddhist way of life and maintained traditional cultural values.

Sujatha, though she had all the riches, shuns a life of luxury and leads a simple and serene life. She closely resembles a Dasa Sil Matha. In that frame of mind Sujatha could sympathise with Sarojini who got entangled with Cyril who was to marry Sujatha and got herself ruined by Cyril. At the end, with all that, Sujatha hugs Sarojini with eyes full of tears. W. A. Abeysinghe hails "Ransalu" as a film that epitomizes the cream of the high moral values found in our rich cultural heritage disciplined by Buddhist way of life.

Himself a composer of poetry for children who has won several literary awards in this field, in "Lama Geethaya saha Pourasha Nirmanaya" (Childrens’ poems and formation of Personality) and "Munidasa Kumaratungage Lama Padya Nirmana" (chidrens & poems composed by Munidasa Kumaratunga), W. A. Abeysinghe analyses the splendid poetry for children composed by Ananda Rajakaruna, Rev. S. Mahinda and Munidasa Kumaratunga.

In "Kumaratunga Dharshana Margaya" (the Social doctrine of Kumaratunga) apart from magnificent contributions made by Munidasa Kumaratunga to literature W. A. Abeysinghe evaluates his social and political thinking. Very few have drawn attention to this aspect of Munidasa Kumaratunga’s career. W. A. Abeysinghe finds that Munidasa Kumaratunga’s creative works had a purpose — to generate patriotism or further the cause of the under priviledged. His "Heensaraya" is an absorbing story for children. For grown-ups it is a satire on society where at the end the victory of the humble against the mighty is ensured. In his journals like "Lakmini Pahana" and "Illapatha", Munidasa Kumaratunga stood in solidarity with the anti-imperial and anti-capitaliset struggle of people, observes W. A. Abeysinghe.

The book also contains articles on the philosophy of Mahathma Gandhi the great sage of India, on the life and works of Alexander Pushkin — the pioneer of modern Russian literature — and on the lives of several other foreign and local personalities.

In all these essays W. A. Abeysinghe has looked at the subject from various perspectives. They are written in a simple language in lucid style. Unlike many other books on literary criticism one could read this book from begining to end without being bored.

This book should be read by all those who are engaged in literary persuits, students of literature and others interested in literature, society and culture in Sri Lanka.

The Owl and the Pussycat, Edward Lear

Tracing a wonderful journey of words, images, symbolisms, rhythms and meaningsA play on the poems by Edward Lear
Elizabeth Moir Middle School presentation of ‘THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT’
Lionel Wendt Theatre, Colombo. 11th February 2000

With a scowl and a funny hat -
my wife told me
Some Moirans of very high note
Could take someoney -
To a thing that was funny
At the Wendt- not far -from the Fort.
We saw a play
Were transported away
By its stunning spectacular -
flow At the end at the bell
’Twas my trousers that fell
After laughing so much - at the show.
‘The owl and the pussy cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat
They took some honey
And plenty of money
Wrapped in a five pound note... ’

With this beginning Edward Lear traces a wonderful journey of words images symbolisms rhythms and meanings for two of the best well loved characters in English literature.

The Owl and the Pussycat, a not so nonsense little ‘ditty’ by the English humourist Edward Lear was hardly a thing one would make into two hour stage spectacular on a West End Stage in England with all the resources there let alone our humble sweet little Sri Lanka. I was intrigued when told that a group of our local artisans courtesy of the Elizabeth Moir School in Colombo were going to take it on in this mode of presentation. I was ready with my ‘kind’ pencil to write a few encouraging words. I should have known I did not need a ‘kind’ anything. I had seen some other productions the school had done previously and had been overwhelmed by their quality. I didn’t need magnanimity then and I certainly did not need it at the Lionel Wendt on 11th February.

This bunch at the Moir school are a serious group of dramatists. They are without doubt capable of taking this production of the "OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT’ to any stage in the world and making a spectacular success of it for children. Tashi Tenduf La, Natalia Edwards, Soundari David and Norma de Silva understand the dramatic and musical intelligence of children so well.

Lear was a dyspeptic sort of man. A little stuck in the gills. He had an underlying serious nature and those that knew him would describe him as a typical English vicar type. Yet inside him boiled a sense of humour second to none in history. That’s how powerful the English stiff upper lip can be.

I had taken one of Sri Lanka’s top cops with me as my guest. I did this because he needed to laugh a bit after all the rough treatment our police have been getting. It was a bit of chance because I was risking imprisonment or worse if it all went awry. I sat behind my friend and if my shoulders were shaking with laughter, his were jumping up and down. We Sri Lankans know how strong the child is, within us. But in a policeman? Yet there it was in living Technicolor in the toughest of policeman. This cast of Moirian children just reached into you and plucked your heart right out of your chest with their brightness, their dramatic zeal and most of all their craftsmanship. Yes craftsmanship. And in children so young.

Timing is everything in portraying dramatic art. Timing and stillness. Children tend to blur the edges of meter, point and counterpoint. They are bubbles of innocence and enthusiasm that run hither and tither into the scale of a set, a scene, or a span of dialogue without too much hint and note of discipline. It is their magic. The perfume of being a child. To mums and dads, grandads and grandmas that is all very well and we can see and instantly forgive the blemish. A missed riposte here and there. But there truly was very little to indulge here. The entire thing was spectacularly professional.

I determined to watch their effort carefully and with as much objectivity as I could muster because I had one of my own treading the boards up there. I have to say I was overwhelmed by the professionalism of it all. The stage sets were a salutation of imagination and effect and most of all complemented and did not overwhelm the drama. These things in the West End of London and Broadway tend to be a statement by the set designer on his or her own vanity. Dushee Hettiarachi, Kumudhini Saravanamuttu, Tharushi Nanayakara and Dayani Samarakoon are I understand with the exception of Kumudhini, teachers at the school but they showed they could turn extravagant national economies around. They blended economy with effective spectacle very well.

There was a rich wealth of funny characters and characterizations here. But they were not simple by any means. Lear had hidden a terrifying indictment of puritanical Victoriana in much of his humorous limericks and prose. I was looking for subtlety here. I had seen Pasam Kumarasinghe’s impressive portrayal of Fagin in another Moir production - ‘OLIVER’, before. This young man understands ‘pause’ and ‘silence’ innately. He was a commanding presence as Quangle Wangle and his scene with Nathan Kerner as Professor Bosh where they cooked up a cake for the newly wed Owl and Pussycat had me reaching for oxygen, I was laughing so much. It was worth a ticket to Disneyland

Owl’s portrayal by Shehan Ranatunga showed what a natural actor this young man is and what a lovable rounded personality he has. Shehan is our own famous saxophonist Harold Seneviratne’s grandson. Watch out Harold! You have another one in the family.

Pussycat’s role was nicely judged by Nadiska Weerasuriya. Just the right blend of pepper and salt and claws.

Dong - played by Shaun Perera shone brighter than his nose glowed. This young man revelled in playing his part. He played a major part in pulling the audience particularly the children into the whole drama with his portrayal of the role.

Riaz Cader, visual impact was memorable. He played Mr. Canary. He has a natural handsome face and a sensitive demeanour and was well cast in the role, as was Rosemary Keegal who impressed as Mrs. Canary and later as Jumbly girl. She endeared herself to the audience so much she became everyone’s jumbly girl.

Plum Pudding Flea was an explosion of talent. Talent on the part of Charisha Jayawardene. Watch this young lady. She has what it takes to go the very top of the actor’s craft. It was the hardest role in the whole thing because it was spectacular and overacting would have been easy. Not the way young Charisha played it. Her portrayal of menace so scared a little boy some seats away to the right of me, he jumped off his seat and into his mother’s lap with one movement. You were that effective Charisha, I am sure the audience looked forward to the time you were on stage.

Runcible spoon, I love that word ‘runcible’ - don’t you. Sarah Rahman who played the spoon had such a plaintive look about her I am sure we all wanted to reach up and cuddle her. She was painted silver and looked so much like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz she immediately endeared herself to everyone.

Professor Bosh - Nathan Kerner is known to me. I have to declare an interest. An interest that says that if he can act so well on stage I am being conned by him at home all the time. I have now determined to watch the rascal like a hawk.

Mathew Enderby as Pig was so sweet, he was wasted as the snorter with the ring at the end of his nose. He is ‘Little Lord Fauntleroy’ to the tee.

Turkey. What do you say about a turkey. Especially one who lives on a hill. You might want to say a lot of gobble gobble gobble de gook, about it. Not so Alexandra Whatmore who played the role with such flair and erudition one sensed a great acting talent under that ridiculous headwear the poor girl had to suffer. She conquered the wobbling red mass as a true troubadour would and triumphed with some very difficult dialogue.

Head Jumbly Shazana Shahjahan is one to watch for the future. This is a parcel of acting dynamite wrapped in a sweet and utterly enthusiastic nature. Her portrayal particularly brought out the prodigious scale of sheer talent fun and lack of inhibition locked up in the spirits of our little ones.

Natalia Edwards. I hope Sri Lanka never loses you and your ability to adorn her children with such powerful educational value. This production of yours will truly do justice to any stage anywhere. How on earth are you going to follow this young lady. What a wonderful bit of luck that you took a little hike to our island from Britain to ‘suck it and see.’ We are all the richer for it.

Last but not least, the lighting by Kumudhini Saravanamuttu and the costumes by Natalia Edwards, Manusha De Silva, Dushyanthi Adamali, Shayama Fernando, Veronica Kumarage, Theekshana Samaraweera and Dimuthu Wijeratne were superb. They were imaginative but pertinent, with clever and well drilled, slick stage management by Clare Lewis. Not a small task in an amateur production. There was only one profound and earth shattering criticism I had of it all - that turkey costume should have been consigned to the Russian Communist Party.

We have an entire family of top class educators in Kesang Tenduf La, his illustrious wife Elizabeth Moir, sons, and daughter Tashi, to bring out the best in our children in a school that includes the English teaching medium. We can count ourselves very fortunate to have them with us in Sri Lanka. We once led the world as the best foreign exponents of the English language. India now has taken that mantle over. We should cherish the Tenduf Las. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

Sri Lankans are a truly children sensitive people by and large. They combine intelligence imagination simplicity and sensitivity with a powerful pent for exhibitionism. I think this is why they blend and collaborate so well with the similar but more insular and controlled Brits when they are not scoring points off one another. The play uses drama and humour as a supplicant and allegory of the kindred sense. The Moir educational ethic seems to underline international cognate values so well. I believe the Brits have the finest sense of humour of any nation in the world. They produce the very best in the entertainment industry. They continue in the tradition of Lear, Their contemporary writers producing shows like ‘Only Fool and Horses’, Fawlty Towers, bear ample witness to this. They have another great quality in that they can laugh at themselves. After forty years in England I know they have a lot to laugh about too!. But once upon a bong tree, they weren’t noted for their kindred spirit when they went around the world with their little pink noses up in the air hitting little black and brown men on the head and stealing their countries and personas from under them. If they had looked into their inner nature a little more they might have discovered a far nicer funnier side and we might have all been laughing all the way to the bank with them. We still might. It’s a nice hope isn’t it?

by Nigel Kerner

Used autoparts industry faces breakdown

By Suresh Perera
The road ahead appears to have turned rocky for importers of used motor spareparts following the budget decision to restrict the import of automobile ‘cut portions’.

The move to curtail the flow of cut pieces will threaten the industry and invariably result in the loss of employment, the importers warned.

The key players in this competitive business have joined hands to confront the issues at hand and through the Used Motor Spareparts Importers Association (UMSIA), which they have now formed, make a joint search for solutions to their pressing problems.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga in her budget speech on February 14 announced the decision to restrict the importation of "cut vehicles and parts thereof’’. The ‘ Sunday Island’ learns that the primary reason behind the imposition of restrictions on such ‘cut portions’ was the illegal ‘ budding ‘ of automobiles.

This meant the local fabrication of a vehicle by welding the two cut halves (described as ‘half cuts’) of an automobile.

‘We have nothing to do with ‘ budding ‘ because we don’t run garages nor own welding plants. In fact, we welcome the restriction of ‘half cuts’, but a sweeping curtailment of all cut pieces is unjust, unfair and uncalled for’, says Reggie Lindsay White, a UMSIA committee member.

UMSIA intends to appeal to President Kumaratunga for relief as ‘depriving the industry of a free flow of imports which are so relevant to the local scenario, can sound the death knell to the trade’.

‘Some of us will even face closure and the others who are able to survive will have to slash their workforce by as much as 50%’, the Association’s Vice President, N. M. M. Zowhar cautioned.

The UMSIA has a membership of over 100 and bank loans amounting to Rs. 500 million to repay.

With the liberalisation of the economy in 1977, used motor spares from Japan made a significant impact on the Sri Lankan market and the demand and response remain overwhelming because they are 200%-300% cheaper.

The utility value is equally good as a new one and uncommon items not available with regular stockists can be purchased from importers of used spares, UMSIA President and proprietor of U. S. Motor Spare Parts Co., A. Buddhika De Silva, explained.

‘We cater especially to users of domestic models of vehicles imported as second hand or reconditioned from Japan. New spares are not always available for such domestic models. It’s our estimation that second hand and reconditioned vehicles imported to Sri Lanka outnumbers the new ones, especially cars, vans, mini buses and light trucks’, De Silva said.

What about the consignments which we have loaded into ships from Japan, which set sail after the budget announcement?’, queried Lindsay White, a Director of Japan Lanka Auto Land (Pvt) Ltd.

‘Through experience we know that at times a vessel takes several days to set sail after a consignment is loaded. For example, the containers which left our yard, about 350 km away fram the port, on February 12 would be on a vessel that had set sail many days after the budget’, he said.

The Association said that with the restrictions in place nobody in authority knew the next step as guidelines were still not in place.

‘The Controller of Imports and Exports whom I met last week, was also not able to give a clear picture’, De Silva asserted.

He said that the lack of a proper classification had led to the creation of a sub-heading embracing all other vehicular ‘cut pieces’ as well. Nose cuts (lights, horn, shell) and face cuts (windscreen, dashboard, fuses, relay, A/C blower unit), steering column/wheel) cannot under any circumstances be used to assemble a motor vehicle sans the other parts, he pointed out.

Director General of Customs, Lakshman Perera said that there is a direction by the Treasury in this regard and his department is implementing it in the national interest.

Asked about consignments of cut vehicles shipped before the budget, he assured that they would be permitted, but not import orders placed after February 14. ‘There is no point in placing an order after the decision was announced in the budget’.

The Director General said that the restriction on cut vehicles is in place and the Custaoms is acting in accordance with the treasury directive.

Motor Traffic Commissioner, D. S. Edirisinghe said that the registration of locally fabricated vehicles is permitted on the payment of Rs. 1 million for a motor car and Rs. 125,000 for a van and the fulfilment of certain other requirements by law.

He explained that there is no legal prohibition on registering a locally fabricated vehicle provided, among other things, a certificate is produced from a recognised workshop and the import is proved through customs documentation.

Some people buy an old petrol car for about Rs. 100,000, convert it into diesel by placing an engine and apply for a new 65 dash number. After that they fix it to a newly fabricated vehicle and even the chassis number is engraved. That’s why the department is now issuing 325 dash numbers to vehicles converted from petrol to diesel, Edirisinghe said.

The Commissioner noted that in some other instances locally fabricated automobiles are run using the registration numbers of abandoned or unserviceable vehicles. This is done without informing the department, he said.

‘I don’t have to tell you how ingenious some Sri Lankans are, particularly in devising such unscrupulous methods’, Edirisinghe pointed out.

The importers are also of the view that there is some degree of confusion on the terminology used. The word ‘cut’ is a general teem. If cut vehicles are restricted, what’s the position if the parts are removed and imported, though admittedly this is not practical?, they asked.

‘With exorbitant labour charges in Japan (a Sri Lankan worker in a junk yard has to be paid 10,000 Yen, and a Japanese 15,000 Yen per day), it’s out of the question to be removing nuts and bolts of vehicles and packing off consignments’ De Silva said.

With the restrictions, if a school van damaged in an accident wants a ‘face cut’, an order will have to be placed in Japan and it’s about 4 months after that this vehicle can resume operations, Lindsay White noted.

‘Under these circumstances, what will happen to the school hires or any other business for that matter? Most of these vehicles have been leased or are under hire purchase. Moreover, even under license, these individual imports will cost more and invariably it will be passed on to the actual users’, he said.

He said that it will be back to the old practice of straightening the dents, tinkering and painting at the mercy of those who run garages.

‘It’s the actual users of vehicles who will have to suffer as a result’, Zowhar said.

Controller of Imports and Exports, S. W. Rajapakse said that in accordance with the government decision no licenses will be issued in the future for the import of cut vehicles.

He explained that if there were 500 restricted items, for example, licenses are issued only for 50. A license is issued only under a government approved scheme. ‘If these used motor spareparts importers want to obtain a license, they must take it up with the Fiscal Policy Division’, Rajapakse said.

In the current context licenses will not be issued for these imports in the absence of a government approved scheme, the Controller added.

Director General, Department of Fiscal Policy and Economical Affairs, Mrs. M. A. R. C. Cooray said that the restriction will be relevant to all imports of cut portions of vehicles. A license from the Import Controller will now be required to bring them down, she said.

Charles Henry de Soysa: A great grand-daughter remembers a legend

The birth anniversary of one of Sri Lanka’s greatest sons, Charles Henry de Soysa, fell on March 3 and, it seems more important than ever to pay homage to one who placed his family’s name in the annals of our history. His life, as we look back into it, reads like an incredibly fabulous fairly tale; which is both an inspiration and an example and rather difficult to live up to! Most of us seem to have been content to wrap ourselves in the glory of his name and deeds. But we have not made any attempt ourselves to reach out to humanity in the same way.

Charles Henry’s father Jeromis, was abstemious in his lifestyle, but was sensitive and generous to the needs of both people and institutions. C.H. went to school at St. Thomas’ College, Mutwal, where he was one of the original pupils in 1857. He was in his early twenties when his father died. His father had invested in land and house property in Moratuwa, Colombo and Kandy including the famous Hanguranketa estate; a family legend is that a horde of coins found there was the base of Jeromis’s success as a man of wealth and substance.

When I was a child, my favourite story about Greatgrandpa Charles was the one in which he entertained the then Prince of Wales at a banquet with cutlery and crockery of gold embellished with gems. Now that I am much older and have suffered the pain of irreparable loss, I would like to know more about the various institutions he founded and the people who have benefited from them.

Charles Henry’s largesse to the country took many forms and was mainly in education, health and religion. His amazing foresight is seen in his benefactions all — still living monuments of his colossal generosity. The crown of his philanthropy for health was the land and building he erected - as the De Soysa Lying in Home for women, which has served millions of mothers over the last 100 years or more. It is interesting to note that he built this at a time when not many women had begun going to hospitals for delivery. His other benefaction through which thousands have benefited over the years was the vast acreage, buildings and playing fields erected for Prince and Princess of Wales’ Colleges in Moratuwa, his hometown. The alumni of these institutions have contributed immensely to various fields in our country’s development. Charles Henry’s father, born a Buddhist, came under the influence of Anglican missionaries which led to his conversion as an Anglican Christian early in life. But, although C.H was a Christian, proof of his broad-mindedness is in his generous contributions to Buddhist Temples. This must be an inspiration to us all in thinking ahead and beyond institutions only of ones own religion. He was obviously a man who thought beyond his time and was incapable of a narrow outlook. He did not restrict his generosity within the peripheries of race, caste or creed. I recall my father telling me, that when he worked in the London Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children in London, he was amazed to find his grandfathers name on boards listing names of substantial donors who had made these donations in 1886.

He was greatly respected on Britain and was one of the few Asians, to be honoured by being elected as an honorary member of The Athenium, the oldest and most prestigious club in London.

Charles Henry de Soysa was reputed to be an extremely kind, pleasant, well informed gentleman who rarely got into conflicts with others. He developed his agricultural holdings on scientific lines and pursued his commercial activities on sound principles; thereby increasing his wealth by leaps and bounds. His palatial home, "Bagatalle Walauwa" later re-furbished, renovated and renamed "Alfred House" was in an extent of 120 acres in the heart of Colombo. It was complete with orchards, lawns, a farm and stables. The house included a vast library, with valuable books on a variety of subjects.

He inaugurated a model farm at Narahenpitiya, in an extent of 160 acres, at a time when agricultural research was the need of the hour. Thus, here again, he displayed that amazing foresight for which he was famed. His services to humanity were legion; and his generosity spread far beyond his hometown. I learned just the other day that he built many other hospitals and roads in various parts of the country. Even in far off Walapane, he gave one acre each for cultivation to one hundred families who had fallen into the depths of poverty. These families have got on in life because of his unprecedented gesture.

His last words to his children on his deathbed were that they should respect one and all, live humbly and virtuously and should never own more than necessary for their needs. We have many lessons to learn from him. Undoubtedly, after land reform and the ceiling on houses, none of us have the vast wealth and resources that were his. But each of us, in our own way, should not allow the restrictions of race, caste or creed to stop us from reaching out to those in need. We should not live lives of ostentation, which only breed hatred and envy.

Great grandpa Charles was loved by all and unenvied, in spite of his great wealth. Why? Because he was unselfish, simple, reached out to people and helped them without patronising them. He was gifted with the sense of recognizing a need and knowing exactly how to solve it. His home, we are told, was always open to those seeking solace and help.

In phraseology, used after his time, he may have been described as ‘bourgeois’ or a capitalist, but he used his fortune to help thousands of others, unconnected with him. Moreover, he did this extremely wisely and didn’t lose his fortune in doing so.

I feel that all of us as his descendants owe it to him to help, nurture and contribute to the progress and development of the institutions he founded in his infinite wisdom and vision so many years ago. Those immortal words from Hamlet are apt to describe him.

‘What a piece of work is man!
How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty!
In form and moving how expert and admirable!
In action how like an angel!
In apprehension how like a God!

Ilika Karunaratne

Book Review
The Dreamers and their Dreams
Regi Siriwardena, Working Underground (ICES, 1999).

by A. J. Canagaratna
Regi has chosen as his epigraph two lines from an elegy by Yeats for the Irish revolutionaries executed by the British after the Easter uprising of 1916:

We know their dream, enough
To know they dreamed and are dead

and his dedication runs: "This book is dedicated to the memory of all those — famous or obscure, remembered or forgotten — who in the LSSP of colonial times, worked, endured, and died or survived in the hope of making their dream the reality it never became." The epigraph and the dedication set the tone of the book, which ranges from admiration for the talent, dedication, courage and sacrifice of the comrades, sympathy for their human frailties, and a critical distancing (note Regi speaks of the LSSP of colonial times, not of the heroic days of the LSSP), and he is clear-eyed enough to underscore the fact that their dream never became reality.

A cynic may point out that the dream became a nightmare when the leading LSSPers accepted portfolios in the United Front government formed in 1970. But Regi is no cynic: his critical detachment is balanced by sympathy. In any case Regi’s book does not cover the post-independence years.

Regi Siriwardena is mostly known as a literary figure - poet, dramatist, novelist, translator and critic — and, in the aftermath of the bloody suppression of the 1971 JVP insurrection, as an activist and a founder member of the Civil Rights Movement. In Working Underground, subtitled ‘The LSSP in Wartime: A Memoir of Happenings and Personalities’, Regi reveals a hitherto unsuspected side of his life: that he had been an underground worker for the LSSP during wartime; his ‘cover name’ was Hamid.

Regi does not glamorise his role as an underground worker. He was not involved in any cloak-and-dagger stuff: his tasks included the transport of the party paper at a time when the party had been declared illegal, and the conveying of messages to leaders still in hiding (this he describes as the revolutionary equivalent of a peon’s job). On the whole, his underground tasks involved little danger (he himself describes them as humdrum); even the encounters with the colonial police turn out to be a comparatively tame affair. He remarks: "Now to draw conclusions from these two experiences with the colonial police. On the first occasion the only moment of unpleasantness I had was in the remark made by the officer at the Wellawatte police station, and that was no more than a passing irritation. Otherwise I was treated with consideration and forbearance and with no coercion... All this was no doubt a recognition of my class position. I was a university student at a time when all such students were mahattayas and nonas of the English-speaking classes... The conclusion is inescapable: that in dealing with us the colonial police stayed within certain legal norms." But he also points out: "No doubt the police were less gentle with working-class political suspects.

I once listened to the story of four workers who were taken in on suspicion of working for the LSSP: they had been systematically kicked by a police officer with boots on." But what a far cry from the massacre of the 1971 JVPers and the ruthless torture and extra- judicial killing of the Tamil militants of the ’80s! Regi himself points this out: "What would we have thought with our experience and consciousness of that time of the refinements of torture and the extra-judicial executions by the security apparatus of a later time?... Think of all the tens of thousands who have died in the last few decades without even the routine of an inquest." (p. 63).

Regi gives us some fascinating close-ups of leaders like Philip (quiet and soft-spoken in conversation with an individual or a small group, so that it almost seemed that a miraculous transformation occurred when he mounted a public platform’), Doric (razor-sharp intellect’), Colvin (flamboyant and theatrical). But he also focuses on lesser-known figures like Lorenz Perera, a brilliant medical student whose revolutionary idealism and moral commitment to combat human suffering ultimately led him to move away from the party. Regi confesses, I felt for him an admiration of a degree of intensity that, I have rarely known for anybody else, certainly not for anybody else in the party, although he was externally a simple, seemingly ordinary and unobtrusive personality." (p. 19) Lorensz represents for Regi "that moral consciousness that draws people to a socialist movement, but which is tragically often lost in the dust and heat of the political struggle and the pursuit of power. He was a pure personality, of all those I knew in the party the one who most fully lived his socialism, the nearest I have ever known to a secular saint." (p. 20).

A politically loaded anecdote is Philip’s charge against Doric of being a police spy. ‘When Philip originally made the charge in May 1942, it was in the presence of barely fifteen people - but for us it was a deadly serious, in fact an explosive event... It’s perhaps an after-effect of the shock of the situation that’ in spite of my good verbal memory, I can’t now recall how Philip led up to the charge and in the course of what discussion he made this intervention. It’s as if a bomb had gone off there on that secluded veranda, demolishing every trace of what had been there before. All I can retrieve from memory of what preceded the direct charge was that Philip circled the subject for a long time, with hints and suggestions, and when a RC member (I can’t now be certain who) asked him incredulously, ‘Are you saying there is a police spy in the party?’ he answered ‘Yes’, and then, when the other went on, And are you saying the spy is Doric?’ he repeated ‘Yes’. The shock was general: everybody sat frozen there for some time, then people began getting up and drifting into the courtyard and other parts of the house, silently. In that silence Colvin took me aside and almost whispered, ‘Don’t let this upset you too much; he’s still the one man who can lead us."’ (p. 53).

Regi labels the charge against Doric preposterous; what he finds more disturbing than the charge itself was Philip’s motivations in making it. "It was evident that underlying it was a deep emotional disturbance that he was unable to control and whose nature one could only guess at. This enigma led to some rumours that circulated in the party, and, years later, even percolated to the outer world. I know these were based on unfounded conjecture." (p. 54) He adds, rather cryptically, I will say no more on this subject."

It would be unfair to the author to leave the reader with the impression that the book is a collection of hitherto unknown or little-known anecdotes about LSSP politics, that it’s a kind of higher gossip. The author’s political analysis is incisive and his judgement of personalities persuasive. Here is his evaluation of Philip, for instance:

"My estimate of Philip will naturally provoke a question. How can his intellectual and political talents be squared with the squandering of them in his later political life? The answer is that Philip was a divided and contradictory personality that contained two fatal flows. Together with, and in spite of his powerful analytical abilities, he had a propensity to be swept by strong emotional reactions which could sometimes carry him away entirely. His other deep-seated weakness was that he was unable to cooperate politically with other people on a footing of equality. There was an authoritarian element in him and a strong connection of his unfailing correctness and the indispensability of his personal role that made it necessary for him to be always the unquestionable authority."

What led Regi to join the LSSP? By the author’s own account, his family was lower middle class, but his command of the kaduwa - the English language - placed him on a higher social elevation. Reflecting on this, the author says: One of the quarrels I have today with the classical Marxism that I espoused so ardently in my youth is that its concept of class is altogether too narrowly economistic, based on relation to means of production. A much more complex formulation is needed to encapsulate the different social hierarchies, economic and cultural, and the degrees to which they coincide or diverge in a particular society or time." (P. 5).

Raymond Williams in his seminal essay ‘Base and Superstructure in Marxist Cultural Theory" noted that Marx was using spatial metaphors. Regi goes one better when he remarks: "Incidentally, I wonder how much Marx, when he spoke of the economic base and the political and intellectual superstructure, was influenced, in his choice of an architectural metaphor, by the geography of 19th century bourgeois and petty bourgeois households: an army of servants lived ‘below stain’, sustaining by their labour the social and intellectual activities of their masters and mistresses in the upper levels of the house." (p. 5).

Regi notes that the LSSP at the time was male-dominated: this is unsurprising. He remarks on the fact that Trotskyism was a political theory that "must have seemed tailor-made for Ceylon", and underscores ‘the creative sterility of their Marxism’, despite his acknowledgement that the original leadership of the LSSP, in their intellectual abilities and potentialities, outshone any other political grouping in the country in their time.’ (p. 66).

His final assessment seems to me indisputable:

"In writing this personal record of what Prof. Ranjith Amaraisnghe has called the heroic days’ of the LSSP, I haven’t been actuated by any feelings of nostalgia; I am too conscious of roads not taken, of possibilities left unfulfilled, for that. Unlike those who look back to those years as a political Eden before the Fall of 1964, I see the later decline as inherent in the limitations and partialities of vision of the earlier period. In the national context, Trotskyism, as I have argued, was a dead end, and the vanguard party had no viability once the LSSP moved into the period of open mass politics: the form remained without the content as the centre of gravity shifted to parliamentary politics. The vanguard model was born under the conditions of Russian autocracy; the assumption it implied, that one party had a monopoly of programmatic wisdom, was incompatible with a competitive political system. In the contemporary world, in societies possessing such a system the motor of social change has been not a single party but a combination of many forces, including not only political parties but also social action groups of various kinds, and Sri Lanka hasn’t proved an exception. In the gap between social actuality and the LSSP’s original theoretical assumptions when it entered on the road of revolution, guided by doctrines of permanent revolution and Bolshevik organisation, I find the explanation for the melancholy outcome of its endeavours. So much talent, dedication, courage, sacrifice — and so little, in relation to its original dreams and hopes, came of it!" (p. 74-75)

While admitting that he has derived form the Marxist tradition of political thought and activity influences that have gone into the formation of my outlook and understanding of the world’, Regi explicitly declares that he is ‘no longer a Trotskyist nor do I count myself a Marxist of any persuasion today’, but the influences of the Marxist mode of analysis is evident in his critique of the LSSP and classical Marxism.

After all, the believer and the atheist are two sides of the same coin.

People and Events
The cartoonist dies but the cartoon continues

by Nan
I mourned silently when I read about the death of Charles Shulz a month or so ago. The mourning was the second time around since late in December Shulz announced his retirement from presenting his daily cartoon strip due to being ill with colon cancer. Poor man, and poor us - to be deprived of the antics of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, the little bird, and the two girls, one addressing the other very adult-like as Sir. They are all rather clueless but get by, and they made their way into our hearts, if not to our minds.

The half page of cartoons in the International Herald Tribune is the second thing read, after the People column is devoured. Yours truly’s favourites are Calvin and Hobbes, Dennis the Menace and Beetle Bailey. Of course the wry humour, often dark, of the Wizard of Id too fascinates. Each is marvelled over. We are lost in wonder, love and praise!

History of Cartoons

I dipped into the New Columbia Encyclopedia I have with me, no longer new, actually 20 years back in time but it does not matter, since encyclopedias are not expected to be absolutely current and cannot be so due to their size in coverage. Who wants absolute coverage when one is searching for background information on the topic: cartoon, anyway?

The encyclopedia says that cartoons (Ital. Cartone = paper). In the fine arts a Jill sized preliminary drawing for a work to be afterwards executed in fresco, oil, mosaic, stained glass, or tapestry. Glass or mosaic are cut exactly according to the pattern taken for the cartoon while in tapestry the cartoon is inserted beneath the warp to serve as a guide.

The type of cartoon we are interested in as of the moment, according to the article, had its beginnings in 1843 when a series of drawings appeared in Punch magazine that parodied the fresco cartoons submitted in a competition for the decoration of the new Houses of Parliament. In this way cartoon, in journalistic parlance, came to mean any single humorous or satirical drawing employing distortions for emphasis, often accompanied by a caption or legend. Cartoons, particularly editorial, make use of the elements of caricature.

Thus the 18th century cartoon had become an integral part of journalism in Britain. In the mid 19th century editorial cartoons became a regular feature in American newspapers, soon to be followed by sports cartoons and humorous ones.

The single cartoon rapidly developed into the narrative newspaper comic strip.

We in Sri Lanka are an innovative lot of people with a strong streak of fun and the cleverness to catch a pun or garble a few words and create a comic ditty. Remember the kavi kola kaaraya of about 40 years ago who sang and sold sheets of kavi at bus stands on the scandal of the day.

Collette and Wijesoma

Collette was our cartoonist par excellence with, of course, our own Wijesoma now on par with him. Cartoonists, particularly political commentators, take one facial or body feature of the person lampooned and while exaggerating it, treat it as the focus around which the person’s other features are outlined. Thus John Kotelawela’s full lips and Dudley Senanayake’s prominent nose. They were gentlemen enough to appreciate the humour and take it in their stride. In fact John Kotelawela had a frieze of blown up Collette cartoons in his sitting/dining area.

Charlie Brown and Company

To come back to Charles Shulz, his creation Peanuts is acknowledged to be the finest and best postmodern comic strip. Everything about it was different from those that had been. "The drawing was graphically austere but beautifully nuanced. It was populated with complicated, neurotic characters speaking smart, haiku-perfect dialogue. The stories were interwoven with allusions from religion, classical music, psychiatry and philosophy." There was a tinge of cruelty too, subtle but present. You need a dash of this ingredient to enrich the mix apparently. Cartoons often have this dark side in them. Think of how boring fairy tales would be if they did not feature wicked witches, outsized ogres and cruel, cunning stepmothers. Children revel in the macabre.

The first Peanuts punch line was "I hate Charlie Brown," and was published on October 2 1950. Eventually, the little bald headed boy and his companions appeared in 2,400 newspapers in 68 countries.

Other cartoonists drew inspiration or copied Shulz. Gary Trudeau, creator of the Doonsbury strips (I for one cannot quite comprehend nor appreciate this cartoon) says of Shulz: "...an irreplaceable source of purpose and pride, our gold standard for work that is both illuminating and aesthetically sublime. We can hardly imagine its absence."

Dennis the Menace and Calvin compound themselves to remind each day the antics of a grandson, with sweet innocence mixed with a dash of wicked mischievousness. Dennis is sweetness, though the neighbour, Mr. Wilson, abhors him. Calvin is complicated, clever, cunning and a caution. Yet lovable too, and basically a child with a hyper-active imagination and plenty of knowledge to boost it. He is intrepid spaceman Spiv who is brought back to earth literally by Ms. Wormwood. Beetle Bailey’s cartoon is approached with dread wondering whether he would be pulverized that day by the food devouring, GI bullying Seageant

Charles Shulz

Shulz died on the very day his last Peanuts strip appeared in the Saturday newspapers, after he’d given notice of his retirement a month earlier. He was 77. He had written a retirement farewell message for the Sunday papers. This turned out to be his epitaph too. He had a clause in his will which stipulated his strip would end with his death or retirement. No other would be permitted to take over from him and continue the saga of Charlie Brown and his crowd, unlike Jiggs and Maggie which went on through two or three creators/writers.

The IHT decided to drop Peanuts from publication since January rather than publish repeats, since Shulz made his retirement public. When the creator of Calvin and Hobbes cried halt a little over an year ago and said he could not continue the strip, being short of inspiration, the paper did continue publishing re-runs. Then early this year both strips were discontinued, much to our disappointment. A new strip - Dilbert (to me incomprehensible) - was substituted. It continues, but consequent to requests amounting to demands by letter, e-mail and fax to restore Peanuts and Calvin, they have been restored, mercifully. So we have reruns of the two delightful cartoon strips. Who bothers about them being re-runs? They seem as topical and fresh as if they were drawn and balloon scripted just yesterday, though they may, in reality, be 40 years old.

These cartoons with their familiar characters full of foibles are the little delights that temper our dreary day, loaded with newsprint on murders and war and unrealistic economic growth and false hopes.

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