How would you like to die?
"Life is sweet brother, who would wish to die?" This sentence has fascinated me ever since I read it as a child, in the story of The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer Lytton. It probably had a sepulchral influence when a few years later, in a delirium from typhoid fever, as a doctor examined me in the twilight of a morning, I had heard it and said, "The cock is crying for its death!" I am probably alive because it so frightened my parents that they rushed me to hospital. To enter hospital, those days, it was regarded, the final act. Antibiotics wore unknown. Everyone around me was dying while I was unconscious for thirteen days, in ward 13, bed 13 on my 13th birthday. But Cyril Fernando, the best doctor ever, was treating me. My father and mother were allowed to stay with me, day and night and when I was carried home after 3 months, I had forgotten how many noughts there were for a thousand. Years passed. I clerked under this great man as a student and heard him tell about the throat cancer that later killed him. He who saved thousand others and me died from the incurable. How can life be so much irony?
We all know that some day we must die. My parents died in their nineties. They were in hospital and both insisted to go home. Many of my schoolboy friends died in their middle years from conditions that do not relent when taken a grip, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Some suddenly and others in agony. I went boating with two friends in the Negombo lagoon. The boat carried to the sea and the tide swamped it. I could not swim. I saw the boat floating. In a flash I remembered that outriggers never sink and clutched it. I called to my friends. They left me and swam to the shore. Then two fled away, one hand stretched above the waves as if to bid goodbye and my best friend drowned that day. We were only sixteen, more than 50 years to this day. Shortly afterwards, I met an Indian engineer who had become a monk at the Island Hermitage. He taught me about death. He asked me to think about it every night I go to sleep and this practice has had a lasting impact - a perspective to all those things we strive, achieve and fail.
There is evidence that some people know when they are about to die and are not afraid. They await calm, serene. It is attitude. They are prepared for the inevitable. Qua sera, sera. What will be will be. We should train to die. The theme is to discipline gradually to let go. Little by little, in increments, give up all we savor, cherish and yearn. Can we then not glory in the thought there is nothing to leave behind except a fathom long carcass? The Buddha has said no one is born and there is no one to die. We have rented this body for a period and that experience gives it identity. The "thing" that gave it identity carries on regardless of terminating the lease of dust or call what you will. And afterwards, what? Why worry? There is no past and no future. It is always the present. The Buddha has advised us to be mindful, from moment to moment. When this is, that is. When this ceases, that ceases. Cling to nothing. And that, I think, is how to die.
Kingsley Heendeniya
Nugegoda
Blue Black and the Bishop
"BLUE BLACK AND THE BISHOP" featured in the newspapers recently, contains inaccuracies that bring discredit to the persons concerned and the school too. Some references made to Canon de Saram, late head of St. Thomas’ College and to the Board of Governors (B.O.G) are not true.
• Canon de Saram did not refuse Anura Bandaranaike admission to the school. What happened was: Two stalwart Thomians, Dudley Senanayake and L. J. Seneviratne had requested S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike to send his son Anura to S.T.C for his primary education. S. W. R. D. B, who was not on very amicable terms with the Canon, at that time, told them that "Reggie" (Canon de Saram) would never take his son to the college. But when the two of them spoke to the Canon he had told them that he would certainly take the boy, like all other applicants, depending on his performance at the entrance examination whic, as we all know, is very competitive. The Canon did not make any exceptions to anyone.
However, as no application for admission was made, the question of ‘refusal ‘and ‘acrimony’ does not arise nor ever did.
• The B.O.G. (Board of Governors) do not have the privilege of nominating candidates for admission to S.T.C. This practice never existed. But anyone, whether he be a member of the B.O.G., O.B.A, the staff or anyone else who has an interest in the school, is free and welcome to make recommendations to the Warden for the Warden’s consideration . The Warden or Acting Warden is the sole authority for admissions / dismissals in the school whether it be staff or pupils, except the Sub Warden who is appointed by the BOG. I know of several instances when Canon de Saram, Dr. Hayman, Mr. Davidson, Mr. Illangakoon held their own, dissenting with the views of the B.O.G., all of whom the B.O.G. continued to hold in high regard and respect.
• The BOG does not interfere with the Warden’s prerogative to run the day-to-day affairs of the school. It only directs the Warden on matters of policy.
• The annual carol service was started when Rev: Felton was the Sub Warden and Mr. A.de A Seneviratne was the boarding master. On the last Sunday of the term (which happened to be of the school year, too) the boarders (Christians and non Christians) got together after ‘Evensong’ and sang X-Mas hymns and songs in keeping with the season. This practice continued and gradually became more organized. It takes place today, too, as, " The Festival of Nine Lessons", celebrated on the last Sunday of each school year. Rev Yin came to the school a century later. All old boys of STC know of this annual event which has been held for generations .
I wish the authors of "Blue Black and the Bishops" while dedicating the article to our much loved Premalal Gunasekara, paused a while to reflect and consider whether it would have pleased Premalal to criticize his late Warden, his old school, the B.O.G. the Bishop in this manner, all of whom, from what I know, Premalal loved dearly and tried to emulate.
Aussie Seneviratne
Ja-Ela ."This writer is an old Boy having close links with the school for several generations, in fact from her inception"
The Police vs Judiciary confrontation
The recent incident on Independence Day in Kandy where an Inspector of Police had abused the High Court Judge Kandy leading to a confrontation between the Police and the Judiciary in Kandy (which dispute has since been settled) brings into focus the function of the police in providing security and escort to VIPs. The incident occurred when Minister D. M. Jayaratne was being driven in a motorcade along Gopallawa Mawatha on Independence Day when the High Court Judge travelling in the opposite direction along Gopallawa Mawatha had been stopped by the Inspector who had barked out " " or words of similar effect.
It is a common sight today to see ministers and other VIPs travelling in convoys with a traffic policeman or a motorcycle at the head with the head light on with a another police officer on the pillion frantically waving his arms to chase off oncoming vehicles and abusing such drivers if they do not pull up to give way to the motorcade. The police in such circumstances acting with the same degree of ego-boosted importance as the VIPs travelling in the convoy act as if other road users are criminals and trespassers daring to come in the way of the VIP. Instances are not unknown where vehicles in such VIP convoys have knocked down and killed innocent road users.
Last year when Minister G. L. Pieris was in Kandy for the foundation laying ceremony of the Kandy Court Complex the following day when a car in the minister’s motorcade was reversed knocking down a bystander who was injured fatally.
It is high time that the police realise that VIPs are not above the law and that the Highway Code and Traffic Act makes no exception to the speed at which such vehicles should be driven. The Highway Code and Traffic Act specifies the maximum speed at which vehicles could be driven and only the police, ambulance and army vehicles, I believe, are not subject to the said speed limits. VIP convoys are not entitled to be driven in excess of such normal specified speed limits.
It is therefore an opportune moment for the IGP to inform his officers who escort such VIP convoys to realise that they are not above the law and not entitled to treat other legitimate road users as criminals and trespassers and abuse them saying ‘ ’ etc for travelling on the road at such time.
The IGP could also take a leaf from the practice followed by the PSD during the time of the much maligned President Premadasa. In a letter that appeared in ‘The Island’ sometime ago a retired DIG who was then an SP in the PSD had stated that once when President Premadasa was travelling in a motorcade and found that the vehicles coming in the opposite direction were all stopped and that on being informed that the vehicles were stopped to make way for the president that he had istructed the police not to stop such vehicles and then they should also proceed a normal manner.
I trust this letter reaches the IGP in order that he could reconsider the position in the light of the incident where the Kandy High Court Judge was wrongfully abused and give instructions to the police not to harass legitimate road users in the name of providing security to VIPs.
A. O. R. Fernando,
Kandy.
Shorter form for dating documents
From next year there is bound to be confusion when dating documents using the shorter form unless there is some consensus among all concerned parties and unless such consensus is made known to the public as binding guidelines. In Sri Lanka we are used to date documents in various ways such as: day-month-year (e.g., 23-12-99); year-month-day (e.g., 99-12-23); and year-day-month (99-23-12). Perhaps this usage has linguistic undertones.
For the past several years up to the year 2000, the year was distinctly identifiable, (e.g., 01- 03-99 or 01-03-00). From year 2001 unless there is prior agreement on a uniform procedure, there could be much confusion and inconvenience and this may entail financial or other loss to some and/or even involve in unnecessary litigation. For example, the first day of next year is 01-01-01. The next Bandaranaike birth Anniversary may be written as 08-01-01, 01-01-08 or 01-08-01. The next Independence Commemoration Day may be written as 04-02-0l,0l- 02-04 or 01-04-02.
Our grandparents may have had this difficulty at the commencement of the 20th Century. However, at that time the volume and speed of transactions entailing documentation would have been insignificant compared to those of today.
One solution is to insist on four figures for the year. However, it would be preferable to use the shorter form by prior consensus or on the basis of an international standard, if there is any.
I feel that some responsible authority should look into this matter and give appropriate directions to the public.
Zeno Rodrigo
Colombo 15
Blue Black...
Your article in last Sunday’s Island was not only interesting but informative. How is it that the authors of the article have thought of all the various professions and industries in which the Thomians dominated, but omitted the most important industry, the Plantation Industry?
In that category, a Thomian born and bred has excelled all others in Sri Lanka. He is Sepala Ilangakoon. It was recently said of him that the Plantation Industry will never see the likes of another Sepala Ilangakoon. I fully endorse this view, and so will all those who know the industry and know him.
Don Thomas de Silva
Ratnapura
Pitiable state of the Inland Revenue Service
I refer to Anton P. Silva’s opinions expressed under the above caption on page 6 of the issue of your newspaper of March 5, 2000.
It is clear that Silva has found courage to hang on to the saree pota of the wife of a deputy minister and his adverse criticism of the Department of Inland Revenue (DIR) which was obviously prompted by loyalty to his wife and not necessarily by loyalty to the truth. The public, including people like Silva, have rushed to judgment without even pausing to consider whether or not there were tax skeletons in the particular taxpayer’s cupboard. In fact, assessors should look closely into the files of all our politicians and their henchmen. I am sure more back duty can be collected from their files than from all the files in Investigation Branch!
Silva has listed seven sins being committed by tax officials in the DIR. What puzzles me is that, even after 1994 which marks the advent of clean politics and public administration in this country - or so we are asked to believe - the standard in the DIR have been falling - so Silva says - and falling right under the very nose of the Commissioner General. Silva has supinely avoided to inquire in which direction the minister and her deputy have been pointing their noses while assessors have apparently been wheeling and dealing or have they been content to hold their noses to avoid the stench. If they have allowed the Commissioner General to carry on genially regardless of purportedly falling standards they themselves are to blame for the apparent mess that Silva is pontificating about. Again, geniality and integrity are not necessarily co-existent qualities of a person.
Silva has adopted a patronizing stance towards the Commissioner General who, he says, is genial and pontificates on double tax treaties while his little Rome is burning. It is clear that Silva does not know enough about double tax treaties. From the little Roman history that I know, Nero did fiddle but no one called him clever!
Discontinuance of annual increments
I am working for a NGO which is registered under voluntary social services organizations (Registration and Supervision) Act 31 of 1980 and declared as an approved charity vide Government Gazette notice 743 of November 1992, under Inland Revenue Act 28 of 1979 section 31 (9) a.
The members of the staff have been offered renewal contracts for 1 year, 2 years, 3 years etc. and the employees are placed in a salary scale with provision for increments.
The procedure followed was annual appraisal system and annual increments were granted based on performance.
Now the Board of Governors of this institution have refused to grant annual increments to all employees. This is in violation of procedure established up to 1999.
If this is in violation of the law of the land can any knowledgeable person advice on this and suggest ways of rectification?
L. Amerasinghe
Kirulapone