- Eardley
Perera PC completes 50 years at the Bar
The
X'mas night(mare) of the Lion of the Bar
If someone were to ask
me what my noblest act as an advocate (turned
Attorney-at-Law by operation of law) was I would
unhesitatingly say that it was the signing of a
bail bond to get Eardley Perera the Lion of the
Criminal Bar and the Perry Mason of Sri Lanka out
of a police cell at the Moratuwa police station
on a Black X'mas night in the mid seventies.At that time I was living at Moratuwa
with my family in a house down the same road as
Eardley's. In fact Eardley found this house for
me and had told the landlord Jayasuriya that he
should not bother me for the rent as he (Eardley)
would pay the rent. (full text)
- A Personal
Appreciation
Ven.
Balangoda Ananda Maitreya
Venerable Balangoda
Ananda Maitreya was one of the great
personalities of Theravada Buddhism in the
twentieth century, and it is testimony to his
vast store of past merits that his life span
stretched clear across this century from its
beginning almost to its end.In the course of his exemplary life this
outstanding Mahathera has held some of the most
prestigious academic and ecclesiastical posts in
the country. Yet such honour and fame hardly
touched him inwardly: at heart he always remained
a simple monk whose greatest joy was quiet study
and meditation at his small village temple near
the town of Balangoda. (full text)
- SWRD
liberated the suffering peasants
I was given a
quick survey of the city and its environs on my
way from the airport, a twelve-mile ride down a
long road with a wide variety of buildings. The
city itself is very small and very crowded.
Ancient London Transport double deckers jostle
with carts drawn by bullocks, rickshaws,
bicycles, motor bikes, cars, mostly British made
and quite a few Volkswagens. There is a still strong British presence
here, ten years after the island gained
Independence from the British. There are a few
good department stores like Cargills, Millers,
Whiteaways, business houses like Liptons –
tea, of course – Carsons, Whittals, Finlays,
McKinnons. The Americans have their big oil
companies represented. (full text)
- Letters
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- A true story
of what never happened
The
House of Buddhist curtains
Are you Buddhists?" asked the
old lady who had advertised her house in Nuwara
Eliya for rent. 'Yes' we admitted with some
nervousness as her hall bristled with many
objects and pictures proclaiming her Christian
piety. "Then you'll be very happy with the
curtains" she said. We were so overjoyed by
her acceptance as tenants that we did not try to
work out what she meant.We
were newly married and looking for a place in
Nuwara Eliya to set up house. Chasing a
classified Ad we located Mrs. Bimgoda down a
gloomy pathway lined with uncut grass, untrimmed
shrubs, shadowed by dark old trees - an unlikely
cul-de-sac off up-market Ward Place. The house
was old, sprawling and decrepit. (full text)
- 55-years in
the Sacerdotal Ministry
Rev. John Selvaratnam
celebrates fifty five years as a Minister of the
Anglican Church, a truly long innings by any
standards. Slowed down over the years but still
able to minister as and when needed and called
upon.Fr. John had
schooling at St. John's College, Jaffna which
over the years produced the vast majority of
Tamil clergy for the Anglican Church. From there
he proceeded to Bishop's College Calcutta where
he obtained his Diploma in Theology. On his
return, he was ordained Deacon in 1942 and Priest
in 1943. (full
text)
- The story
of the seven Vadda brothers
Seven vedda
brothers, armed with bows and arrows and short
axes slung across their sinewy shoulders had set
out hunting along well known game trails of the
jungle fastness. The veddas of old had their own
boundaries defined by themselves, such land
portions being known by old vedda laws as
panguwas. These panguwas were marked by the sign
of a dunugaha (arrow mark) which was tattooed on
a tree. It was known to them by tradition that no
one would ever transgress into another's portion
of land panguwa: if there was any such
infringement, the penalty was death.These aborigines were born in the
jungle. The jungle was their treasured wealth.
The jungle was their only source of livelihood.
The veddas could easily scent anything emanating
from any far off place, whether it was an
elephant on the prowl, or any bees that were
buzzing around. These jungle inheritors had also
an in-born sharp eyesight. As with their piercing
set of eyes, they could pierce through the jungle
foliage into any distant object, be it a fleeting
sambhur or fleeting deer. (full text)
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