Mr. Chairman, at the commencement of this presentation, permit me to relate a story - story telling being a particular foible of journalists. If you have heard this one before, please don't stop me because this is very much relevant to my presentation.

The story is of an American and a citizen of the former Soviet Union meeting each other at the height of the Cold War and discussing how great each other's country was. The American, as is the trait of his countrymen, began bragging about what a free country America was. He said: 'Do you know that I could climb the steps of the Capitol Hill and say it loud and clear: 'The American president is a bloody crook and nothing will happen to me'.

The man from the Soviet Union was not overawed. He said: 'Comrade, it is the same in my country. I can climb the steps of the Kremlin and say it loud and clear: 'The President of America is a bloody crook. And nothing will happen to me'.

This story illustrates in some way the different conceptions of the freedom of expression entertained by people of different countries and political systems. It may be that being a joke it does not illustrate the point of view of Soviet citizens of that time but it is an American conception of what the Soviet thinking on freedom of expression was.

A 'Meaningful Media', as we all know is very much intertwined with the freedom of expression. And a 'Meaningful Media' too is a relative concept. For example, to a commissar of the former Soviet Union or to a Third World strongman, a ' Meaningful Media' would have meant or would mean a media rigidly controlled by the state and supporting the party and individuals in power. Whether the controlled media of the Soviet Union or a country under a fascist dictator would be meaningful to those rotting in jails for long years or are to be shot at dawn, with none to plead their cause, needs no comment

In western countries where the freedom of the individual is guaranteed by law, a meaningful media would be one which is untrammelled by the executive arm of government and could challenge the highest in the land with impunity as what is happening in the United States right now.' Publish and be Damned' is the motto of some of the leading newspapers. But to those corrupt rulers under authoritarian regimes of the Third World today, such freedom is described as the 'Freedom of the Wild Ass'. We have been hearing quite a lot of this Freedom of the Wild Ass in Sri Lanka by the notable and quotable.

In some European countries such as France the freedom of expression is guaranteed by law. But there is self restraint imposed by the media in certain areas such as the privacy of the individual. An example of this is the attitude of the French media on the illegitimate daughter of former French president Francois Mitterand. They knew about it for long years but never mentioned it till in the last days of the president. By some quirk it came to be exposed.

Thus, it is evident that different political systems and societies have different concepts of what a 'Meaningful Media' should be.

Sri Lanka media
In Sri Lanka too there have been and are varied concepts of a 'Meaningful Media'. Politicians when in power are committed to the hilt to a free and independent media. The late Mr. J.R. Jayewardene when in the Opposition took to the streets and called for a boycott of Lake House newspapers when it was taken over by the government. Freedom of the press was something sacrosanct to him at that time. But when in power he gagged not only Lake House journalists but also attempted to gag other privately owned media organisations and their journalists too, like the Upali Group for 17 long years.

The Peoples Alliance Manifesto spells out what an ideal, free and independent media should be. Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga went round the country accompanied by the so called 'Free Media' journalists vowing to restore freedom of the media. I quote from the PA manifesto: 'The PA attaches the greatest importance to strengthening the media and providing a framework within which the media can function independently and without inhibition. This entails significant changes with regard to ownership, policy objectives, legislative instruments applicable, administrative policy in respect of such matters as facilities and the attitude of government to issues which are indispensable for a sound media policy. Major constraints arising from provisions contained in the Constitution, the Public Security Ordinance, the Press Council Law, the Official Secrets Act will be removed by amendment of this legislation.... Shares of Lake House will be traded in the stock exchange, government will not use its advertising control, influence or threaten any newspapers or media organisation. Current structures of taxes and duties on newsprint will be drastically revised to provide relief'.

What a manifesto! Unfortunately not one of these pledges has been kept even though four years have elapsed.

All Sri Lankan governments before and the one in power right now spoke and speaks on the need for'Responsible Media, i.e. in practice, a media that is not only supportive of the government but is uncritical of its policies and leaders. That is the'Meaningful Media' that governments want, forgetting their commitments to the establishment of a free and independent media.

But still there is hope as we near the beginning of the next century in that all major political parties have at least in theory subscribed to the establishment of a free, independent and dynamic media.

I will now come to a few of the key factors that are vital for a free and independent media and how these have evolved in the post Independence period of this country. How these factors or elements could be strengthened for such a media envisaged in the 21st Century will also be considered.

Credibility
The most fundamental requirement for a free media is Êits credibility. When we look back into the past half century there are grave doubts whether the mass media of this country- the press and radio and later TV-were believed by the people.

There are three glaring instances where the media not only failed to influence public opinion but appear to have been fully ignorant of the thinking of the people in the country at large. The biggest media institutions from 1948 to 1977 were the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon ( Lake House), the defunct Times Group and the state owned radio with another press group that came up in the sixties the Dawasa Group, which did not have as much an influence as the older institutions.

IN 1956 Lake House and the Times Group backed the UNP to the hilt but this party was completely routed winning only 8 seats whereas the newly formed SLFP of the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike swept the polls. It was a revolution that the media missed .Not only did their propaganda fail but they were taken completely by surprise. 1970 was once again a repeat performance where the two powerful newspaper groups and the state radio backed the UNP which suffered an ignominious defeat. In 1977 it happened again but this time it was the turn of the SLFP which had taken over Lake House and made it a propaganda organ of its party and closed down for a long period the Dawasa Group that had supported her in her victory. Once again in 1994 Chandrika Kumaratunga without any powerful media group supporting her and with only an informal press comprising of tabloid papers backing her swept into power.

These instances indicate that big media institutions, despite their reach, lacked credibility. The public will read and listen to these institutions but not be influenced by them. In the sixties there was a saying that when two Sri Lankans meet, each with a newspaper folded under their arm pit they ask : 'What's the news?'The Sri Lankan public is circumspect of the media. They believe that there is something in between the lines which is not told to the people.

What is the cauase for this lack of credibility? One suggestion put forward is that in this country the oral tradition is more effective than the media. People discuss among themselves and make their decisions accordingly, whatever the media may put forward.The 'vattiamma media' as it was so' called appeared to have been more powerful than the sophisticated forms.

The other suggestion is that however much the media may try to portray a government as one that has done much for the people, the living conditions of the people belie the propaganda.

Another possibility is that media organisations, private or state owned, are fully committed to particular political parties at the time of elections and even if they see the writing on the wall there is no other option but to stick to their commitments.

When we speak about credibility of an organisation, it simply mans whether the media organisation is expressing the truth. But what is the 'truth' is a question asked down the centuries and not been answered.

In this respect The Island newspaper when it commenced publication in 1981, adopted a position quite different to what had been followed by the newspaper industry of this country. It was decided that on any issue all shades of opinion that exist should be published rather than limit the freedom of expression to the editorial policies of the newspaper as had been done previously. This policy continues. Quite often columnists not only express different points of view from each other but also from that of the editorial policy. This diverse expression of opinion gives the reader an opportunity to decide for himself what the ' truth' is in his perception

Where hard news is concerned this is not possible but if there are two or more reports or interpretations to an event , an attempt is made to air all of them. For example during the recent debacles at Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi with a censorship prevailing we did present the claims made by the Defence Ministry as well as by the LTTE. Censorship prevented us from telling the people the truth as we knew it.

This kind of journalism results in accusations being levelled that we are unpatriotic while LTTE's fellow travellers accuse us of biased reporting . But journalism like politics is the art of the possible. Given the deadlines of printing, military censorship and inaccessibility to the theatre of conflict, a newspaper does what it can. Unless the reports could cause grave social calamities, a journalist's duty is to report it , if he believes in free and independent journalism.

Why the media has not been able to keep in touch with public opinion is becuase their sources of information are at fault. Most newspapers depend on their provincial correspondents to feel the pulse of the people in the provinces. these correspodents quite often hp[osses only a basic education and are at times selected on the recommendations of politicians and thuis could be politically biased. On the other hand it could be that theyperceive what the thinking of the media organisation is and feed infromation that would please their employers.

A reason why the media has not been able to gauge public opinion on certain important occassions is that there is no constant monitoring . Opinion polls are an absoilute necessity in a modern democracy. There should be such opinion polls not only to gauge poltical trends but public opinion on all important issues

Professionalism
When we visualise a free and independent media in the next century it is essential to consider the calibre of journalists that will emerge. The OPA must be aware that journalism is not considered as a profession as the established professions such as law, medicine, accountancy and engineering. Journalists do not qualify to be members of the OPA. There are no faculties or schools that teach journalism as they should be taught . There is no professional body establishing standards and most of the features of recognised professions. Any person who can string a few words together and find a patron to find him a job as journalist can call himself a journalist. And there are quite a few among us.

This is one of the great drawbacks of the media- and that includes the press, radio and TV. We must visualise a mass media that is not only free and independent in the next century but also educated , knowledgeable and professional in attitudes, whose members should be able to stand on their feet. They should also be paid salaries sufficient for them to maintain standards of a respected profession. Unfortunately this is not happening. While those at the top do get fairly paid, not so, the those in the lower rungs.

This is a feature not only in Sri Lanka but also even in the affluent countries till recent times.

However there are advantages in journalism being a profession (or is it a Vocation or Calling?) that is open and not closed to those without academic qualifications. There have been many brilliant journalists who had no higher educational qualifications. There have been many British journalists who rose to be editors of famous newspapers having started as tea boys in editorial offices. In Sri Lanka, Martin Wikremasinghe , our great novelist was also distinguished editor of the Dinamina although he had no formal education. There are many more like former editor of the Ceylon Observer, Denzil Peiris who had only his secondary school education and went on to become the deputy editor of the international journal the Far Eastern Economic Review and the founder editor of Third World Magazine published from London, the first of its kind.

While leaving the so called profession open to all, it is essential that faculties of journalism should be established if it is ever to be considered a profession on par with the established professions.

Freedom of expression
In Sri Lanka the freedom of expression is one of the fundamental rights specified in the Constitution and is justiciable. But fundamental rights are subject to certain restrictions particularly in the interests of national security. Under Emergency laws fundamental rights of citizens take a back seat. An the Emergency has continued to 15 years. There are laws such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act which has been resorted to punish journalists although with out success. Some of the other laws restricting freedom of the media were cited earlier in the context of the promises made in the SLFP manifesto.

While the these laws are not applied rigorously on a daily basis, they do hang like the Sword of Damocles on the head of journalists. For example if the Press Council Law is applied strictly it, will not be possible to publish any government activity or proposal without the consent of the secretary of the ministry concerned. There can be no reference to cabinet papers or cabinet decisions unless officially released. Most governments have by and large ignored the daily infringements because rigorous implementation of that law would result in only the government gazette coming out. But when it suits the government these laws are resorted to. There are many such instances where governments have resorted to these laws if not to prosecute but to interrogate and threaten journalists .Today three editors are being charged for Criminal Defamation under the Penal Code combined with the provisions of the Press Council laws on Defamation. Under the Press Council law ,the Editor is held responsible for any article even though he may have been unaware of its publication. This is a double whammy because if one does escape under charges of the Penal Code the Press Council Law traps the editor.

Lawyers in the OPA will know that the law of criminal defamation is archaic and is not resorted to in modern democracies. Unlike in civil defamation the where the aggrieved persons goes to court on his own, in criminal defamation the full force of government machinery, the Attorney Generals Department, CID etc. is directed against the accused. There could be some justification at least if every citizen could benefit from this law. Though in theory it is so, in practice it has been used -- as far as Iam aware-- only against those who are alleged to have defamed the high and mighty. A good example was the recent instance where the chairman of a newspaper company complained to the CID that he had been criminally defamed by a another paper and that documents published to defame him were fabrications. This complaint was ignored. Whether he was not a favourite of the government was the cause, we are unaware of. But he did institute a civil defamation suit and had the paper which accused him of being an arms merchant apologising to him.

The PA government it appears is hell bent on exploiting the archaic law of criminal defamation. Recently, when the UNP was boycotting parliament a golden opportunity came its way. A law which made conviction of criminal defamation as acceptable and conclusive evidence in a civil defamation case was adopted .

Media Institutions
Readers must be entertained, amused or even bored at the sniping that is going on regularly between the state owned media and the private media, particularly where the press is concerned. The private media calls the other the Kept press and the state media in turn calls the private newspapers the Mudalali press . In any media organisation there is a certain degree of restriction brought about by the proprietors or management in the freedom of expression of journalists. As you may be aware, even in the BBC which is state owned but is regarded as one of the of best news organisations of independent of journalism, there have been conflicts between the management and journalists. Prime Minister Margret Thatcher looked upon the BBC with disdain and brought about much pressure.

There are basic principles on which journalists and managements must come to terms. Fore example the New York Times journalists cannot be expressing the view expressed by the Tehran Times on Iranian Fundamentalism and vice versa.

Views of journalists , and proprietors will differ but for a newspaper oragnisation to function there must be that degree of understanding, empathy as they say, between the proprietor and editor. It is something of a relationship between husband and wife-- understanding and give and take taking precedence over hard and fast rules.

What matters most is the degree of freedom that the managements tolerate. Having worked both in the state controlled media and the private media I could say that the degree of freedom in the private media is far greater and far more liberal in the state controlled media. For example since the state took control of Lake House in 1973, prime ministers and presidents have been granted by this institution that Papal attribute of Infallibility. Prime Ministers and Presidents can do no wrong and according to this institute had done no wrong. They have never been subjected to criticism in the Lake House Press and state radio and now start controlled TV ever!

Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike who brought about state control of Lake House in 1973, when she was being totally blacked out by Lake House after her defeat in 1977, has admitted in newspaper interviews that the take over of Lake House was a mistake. The private management of this institution before the take over, despite opposing her had given publicity to the opinions expressed by her and her party.

Looking into the next century what we can should aim for is substantial reduction of state control of the media and the flowering of more private institutions manned by professionals - journalists as well as managers. For this we need a New Media Culture which I will come to later.

When we speak of state control of the media, it is also essential that we consider invisible press and forces that can act against the media and not only direct control through legislative and executive action.

During UNP times journalists and private media organisations were subjected to pressures and even threats by invisible forces because they did not toe the line of the government. There were instances of the state banks foreclosing bank overdrafts on private media institutions not on the decision of bankers but on political orders. In one instance the government forced a company to accept one of its nominees to the board of directors. There were threats to freeze bank accounts. At that time the private banking sector was not as big as it today and this institution was in dire financial straits.

Private newspapers during the last JVP insurrection were being threatened both by the JVP and some forces who resented any publicity given to the JVP. And they had no police protection. The state media accused one such institution of getting their newspaper vans burnt even though this institution was reeling under JVP threats and government pressure. This institution however without any state protection continued publish their newspapers every day.

Once this institution which continued to publish each day despite pressures brought on by the JVP and the government had a notice plastered on the wall : death to all those who help publishing the newspapers. Despite that publication continued and later the JVP denied it had issued any such threat and it wa s found out that it came from supporters of the government in Colombo Central.

These events of the past 50 years should give us our bearings on how we should charter the course of the media in the next century.

The immediate need is to remove the constraints and bring about changes having learnt from what happened in the past. I have discussed various aspects or elements of the media that need to be changed. But overall what is called for is a New Media Culture.

Old antagonisms between government and private media institutions should be ended. There could be a healthy relationship between the media and governments. A fresh look has to be taken of the entire scene and what has been called a New Media Culture be brought about. Culture, as you are well aware, cannot be brought out from the barrel of a gun or the microphone of a loquacious politician. Cultures have to be careful nurtured over a period of time.

A New Media Culture cannot be sprung overnight upon the country by journalists or media organisations. A New Media Culture got to emerge gradually from a new Political Culture.As long as political parties in and out of power resort to petty squabbling and uttering obscenities against the media then the media too will be divided on similar lines and take on the politicians as it has happened before.

Thus a sine qua non for a New Media Culture is that a New Political Culture has to come into being earlier. To have a different kind of media to that what exists today demands a different kind of political morality and ethics.

"India, the largest democracy in terms of population, has for the past few years been undergoing a traumatic experience with its prime ministerial and 'first-past-the-post' system. Democracy itself may well be in peril.

Indeed, we in Sri Lanka, have had our own problems in the past with the same system, not to speak of the situation with the present one. In India, it held good till such time as the Congress was able to dominate the electorate through the influence of Mahatma Gandhi's memory and the Nehru dynasty. Things changed with the second spell of Indira Ghandi's tenure of office and instability crept in till Rajiv Ghandi was swept in through a sympathy vote.

Since his demise, the rot has set in again. 'Hodgepodge' coalitions have been the order of the day with the Sword of Democles hanging over their heads. Power being the sole criterion, policies and programmes suffer. The Congress and some minority parties which supported the government in power seemed to be calling the shots and holding each such government hostage. It's present instability has been masked by diversions in shows of strength through nuclear power. Mercifully, India has been spared a dreadful chauvinism by reason of the instability itself!

Nevertheless, the euphoria of nuclear testing seems to be a temporary phase and the cracks have begun to surface again in a big way. However, power is not to be easily surrendered wherever it is had. There could be many other costly diversions, and peace and development will be the obvious victims. It is reported that there is serious thinking in India towards a presidential form of government of the US variety. Yet, in the US, too, the system is under severe test. While Bill Clinton was no doubt firmly in the saddle in his first term, it was not easy for him to clear the hurdle of a Republican majority. Accordingly, we find Clinton helpless in many matters, including the issue of subscriptions to the UN, and now he is tottering in the midst of his own knotty sex scandal together with the prospect of an impeachment, which some attribute to political engineering by Republicans.

Executive Presidency
In Sri Lanka, we have tasted the Executive Presidency for over two decades and judging from the mood of the electorate in 1994, the abuse and misuse of power had made the people sick and tired of the system. So, there has been much reasoning in favour of reversion to the old prime ministerial and 'first-past-the post' system. Having experienced that too for nearly three decades, it is nothing but wishful thinking that it will work the second time of asking!

Japan, faced with a crumbling financial system is reported to be planning a financial restructuring and revitalising exercise, together with political reforms. Although it had changed from a complete proportional representation system to the German model where some are elected on the PR system and the rest on first-past-the-post - they are finding scapegoats in the system for the current financial crisis.

Here, in Sri Lanka, the PR system has ensured that no government will get a working majority. While the PA government has to contend with attempts at the 'tail wagging the dog' as in India, it has also to defend itself against machi-nations and manoeuvres of an Opposition which is formidable in its own right with its numbers. The whole world of democratic institutions is in turmoil due to the absence of a proper and acceptable system which would give stability.

Paradox
We are now witnessing a highly paradoxical situation where -

(a) In India parliamentary democracy based on the 'first-past-the-post system has failed and the executive presidential system is being seriously considered.

(b) The Japanese having switched over from the complete PR system to the German model of a mixed PR and 'first-past-the post' system, is still in trouble.

(c) The US system had got the popularly-elected Bill Clinton in trouble even before his indiscretions came to light and

(d) Sri Lanka having changed from the 'first-past-the-post' to an executive presidential system and PR, is courting trouble in trying to revert to the old discarded system in the full knowledge of the failure in India and its own experiences earlier.

Where are we heading for them? As proposed for devolution, a modified Executive Committee system may, perhaps, be the answer for the nation's good if political expediency takes a backseat.

Merits
Indeed, the executive presidency has its merits which, inter alia, guarantees continuity of government with power concentrated on the President. The French system seems to have worked well even with Mitterand at the helm. There should be no problem so long as the executive president is not partisan and is not prone to play politics. He/she should earn the respect and confidence of the people, hold the scales evenly and be a statesman. Party politics may disintegrate with such an individual. Only a Lee Kwan You can do it and there are not many who will jail a brother? The whole issue, therefore becomes subjective. One should not blame the system.

The people will rally round anyone who will deliver the goods acting without fear or favour, afford the visible guarantee of development, freedoms, rights, fairplay and a clean administration - a president whom they can well look up to!

Somaratna Dis-sanayake has organised the event for the New South Wales Sinhala Cultural Forum.

Design of a structure, however elegant it may be, would be useless if construction is bad. Quality matters, not only quantity. Care is absolutely necessary when dealing with reinforced concrete because of its high variability. Clients pay. So they deserve well-designed well-constructed structures, don't they?

Unlike other structural materials, reinforced concrete is a real salad. Structural steel or timber can stand up on its own but concrete cannot; it is weak when pulled apart. However, it is ten times stronger when resisting pushing together forces. Therefore, in the first place, concrete is strengthened (or reinforced) with steel to take pulling-apart forces. The end product: Reinforced Con-crete.

The recipe of concrete consists of cement, crushed stone, sand, water and chemicals called ad-mixtures. It's not ready-made. On the other hand, structural steel is used almost as it is from the hardware store or the factory; timber, almost as it is from the dealer or the saw mill. Only dimensional changes are done at the site.

Today, especially for multi-storey buil-ding construction, ready-mixed concrete is often used. Still, it's not ready-made. At the batching plant, only proportioning and mixing is done. The concrete received at the site is in fresh state, that is, it 'flows' and cannot support even its own weight.

Therefore, transporting ready-mixed concrete from the batching plant to the site should be done with care, in specially designed mixer trucks.

Before arrival of ready-mixed concrete at the site, formwork should be erected to support fresh concrete and steel bars should be tied to create a reinforcement cage. Concreting process involves placing, compacting, finishing and curing. The question is, are all these things done with care? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.... No, at least at certain sites. Here come seven possible misconcreting instan-ces...!

Culprit No. 1: Placing concrete in leaking shutters
Formwork, or shuttering, is needed to contain fresh concrete until it develops adequate strength. If the edges of shutters do not properly fit or if the shutters have holes, cement grout would leak out, when fresh concrete is vibrated in particular. The thing is, cement grout is part of concrete. So the resulting concrete would be inferior.

How come there are holes in shutters? To cut costs, sub-contractors often use the same plywood sheets for several times. With gum tape, they cover the holes due to previous uses. Still, the pressure due to concrete being vibrated may remove the tapes and cement grout would leak. Certain reputed sub-contractors, however, would use plywood only once; or maximum twice.

Culprit No. 2: Use of bad quality cover blocks
Placing cover blocks is the next step after the steel mesh for a slab is prepared; cover blocks are inserted between the steel bars and the plywood shuttering base. At the site, there may be cover blocks of more than one thickness: 20 mm, 25mm or 30 mm say. So, the correct thickness specified in the drawings should be used. Considering the environment to which the structure would be exposed, the thickness of cover is determined for various structural elements at the design stage.

Concrete cover provides protection to embedded steel against deterioration. A thinner cover would provide faster access for harmful agents. A thicker cover, on the other hand, would reduce the resistance of the slab or the beam against external forces.

Cement, sand and water get together to create cover blocks. The presence of cement necessitates curing but it is often neglected. The result would be a battalion of porous and thereby weak, cover blocks. They would be no match for harmful agents and, at the end, embedded steel would suffer.

Culprit No. 3 : Failure to remove rust from steel bars
In reinforced concrete, steel and concrete should act as one material, not two. So the bond between them should be strong. The rust on steel bars would pose a problem. If it is allowed to remain and concrete is placed, it is rust that would bond to concrete, not steel. Serious problems may result in later. Therefore, removal of rust from steel bars before placing concrete is a necessary evil.

Culprit No. 4: Placing concrete after the allowable period
Concrete should be placed, compacted and surface - finished before it starts setting. Using chemicals, however, setting can be delayed. Ready-mixed concrete has usually an allowable period of three hours since batching.

With the ready-mixed truck, comes a slip issued by the batching plant. Its details include the time of batching too. The consultant, therefore, checks the slip before allowing the concreting operation. These days, due to traffic congestion or security checks, concrete mixer trucks may be delayed. However the allowable period should be strictly adhered to.

Culprit No. 5: Dropping of fresh concrete
Dropping of fresh concrete tends to separate its ingredients. To transfer fresh concrete into the desired place in the formwork, a chute prepared from plywood can be used. Still, when never possible, the concrete gang would avoid such good practice because it would mean more work for them: Preparation of a chute and handling it manually.

Culprit No. 6: Poor compaction of fresh concrete
The quality of compaction (or vibration) would directly affect the strength and the durability of the resulting concrete. Still, it is very difficult for one to determine if the degree of compaction is enough. Only years of experience would guarantee such a skill.

Inadequate compaction would leave a lot of air bubbles in the concrete, paving the way for a porous end product. Asso-ciated problems are two fold: the concrete wouldn't be as dense as it should have been, so its strength would be less; also the porosity would make the concrete less durable and vulnerable to deterioration. On the other hand, over-compaction is bad. It would promote the separation of ingredients; crushed stone would try to settle down, giving rise to a non-uniform end product.

Culprit No. 7: Inadequate curing of concrete
After being placed, concrete would start gaining strength. Theoreti-cally speaking, this strength development wouldn't stop. However, it would be significant for only about a month. For the associated chemical reactions, water is essential. That's why young concrete should be bathed with water, or cured.

At a big site a curing boy or two may have to be employed every day. Some contractors and sub-contractors, however, think that their job is over once the concrete surface is nicely trowelled. Still, the contract often re-quires a curing period of seven consecutive days. When the consultant is not around, certain contractors may employ the curing boy in another 'more profitable' job like formwork erection, while young concrete dries up under the hot sun. We should know that inadequate curing is a sure-fire way to produce inferior concrete.

About the author E.C.T. Candappa was one of Sri Lanka's been feature writers in the mid-fifties till the seventies. He was an outstanding journalist at Lake House and distinguished himself as a reporter and feature writer. He is now domiciled in Australia but still very much interested in his country of origin. He visited Sri Lanka last year and interviewed many of the personalities featured in this book.

The man who wore the IGs hat was among the most feared and respected man in the land.

Raj, ever the journalist, hoped to tap Mr Paiva for some inside information;if not immediately, later when the policeman retired.

All good journalists knew that some of the very best contacts were to be found among retired public officials.

They had grievances going back decades, old scores to pay off, and they used journalists to do it. Some of them wrote their memoirs and the trick was to get to them before they did that.

Once they had spilt the beans you went to the successor and asked him for his comments. And there was a ready-made lead or a succession of top page one stories.

But that surely was not to be with Mr Paiva. He was mainly on culture bent.

* * *

Among those who left the hospital, alive, that evening, was Rienzie.

There he was most unexpectedly standing beside Raj, his hand still in a sling, carrying a small bag in his good hand, and wearing the badge of his recognition, his broad grin.

"I’m off," he said tersely.

"Where to?" Raj asked.

"Back home. Daddy is waiting outside," he said with a sign of his head.

Just like him, thought Raj, not dropping in to see me even for a moment.

"Why, what happened?" he asked.

"The doctors wanted to break my arm again," he said, "and set it again."

"Oh, no."

"That’s what daddy also said. Only he said a little more," he added smiling, half embarrassed. "He told one of the house officers, thank goodness not the surgeon, ‘My son broke his arm once, then you broke his arm once. That’s enough. If you want to break another arm, find another patient.’ So they discharged me."

"So what next?"

"Now its going to be Ayurveda."

"You mean they can fix twice broken bones without surgery?"

"That’s what daddy thinks they can do. I hope they fix it before the soccer season."

And then with a cheery greeting he was gone.

Arrivals and departures, thought Raj, feeling the sadness of that parting a little depressing.

The evening’s visitors were streaming in. There were more around the beds of those who were due to be operated on the following day so that when finally the last straggler had left the ward and the whole complex, the silence that descended seemed heavier and harder to bear.

Raj knew that when a writer felt a vacuum he filled it with writing. In this instance, seized by a sudden impulse, Raj composed a brief note to Miss Hapangama. An ordinary note as notes went but it contained a message he could not have brought himself to say directly, and even if he had, it would have been impossible to do it without others hearing him.

He merely mentioned in it that he thought she was an excellent nurse, very kind and considerate. He expressed the hope that she would pass all her examinations and become a matron one day. He signed it, "your friend."

Not a great letter by any means but there is about a letter passed unobtrusively something conspiratorial which instantly binds the receiver to the giver.

So when Miss Hapangama came round at the end of the day to make her now usual enquiry about him, he nodded to her and when she came close enough, he passed the note in the time-honoured manner, via a book.

Even in that weak light he noticed that her smile froze, her eyes stopped shining for a moment, and a slow blush crept up from her fair neck to the roots of her hair.

Then, with a return of her smile and composure, she was gone.

Raj, too, felt his temples throbbing.

He looked around swiftly to see if anyone had noticed.

At the far end of the room, the wily Mr Jayasinghe’s mirth was running over.

* * *

Mr Paiva had a classic head, which meant that it was extremely well-proportioned. The harmony was not violated whichever way one looked at it. The hair that rightly belonged to such a head would have been dark, close fitting curls. But Paiva’s youth was behind him and one had to remember that he, for all his oily smoothness, had been a police officer of high rank. And the years of service in a coarse department should have taken his toll. So his hair was spiky stiff and straight, and stood on top of his head like an early crop of paddy, but white.

He beckoned Raj that evening with a nod which, for all its friendliness was peremptory.

"So what sort of reporting do you do?" he asked. His voice sounded too genteel for a police officer, but not, Raj supposed, if you regarded it as a hiss.

Raj had quite a few friends in the Police Force. Or more accurately, they were contacts. Many of his contacts were also his friends, but not police officers. It seemed to him that they were never off duty, never off guard, always conscious that death was a constant companion, always tense. The hard drinking, the coarse language, the cruelty that was always just below the surface and often evident, was all part of this tension.

"Oh, all sorts of things," said Raj. "I’m a general reporter, although trade and commerce is my round."

"I see. You don’t do any Police reporting?"

"No. We have a special Police reporter."

"Willy, is it?"

"No, he’s from the other paper. Our man is Eddie. Big fellow."

"I know him. Writes well. Knows his underworld."

"That’s him."

Paiva said he would like to write to the papers about some of the cases he had tackled.

Amusement filled Raj’s light eyes and his brows came together in a concentrated wariness. Easy now, said Raj to himself. You’ve got to watch this one. Don’t make any promises you can’t keep. In fact, get him off this topic fast.

"That’s a good idea," he said, "why don’t you give the editor a call when you get out of here. I’m sure you know him."

"He’s a relation of mine," he said, smiling broadly.

"So then it’s easy."

"No," he said after a pause, still smiling. "That’s why it’s hard."

This was a time when editors bucked at the merest hint of nepotism, when they gave the strictest instructions to sub-editors to black out their pictures if they happened to appear in a group. This rule applied to their spouses, children and other nearest of kin.

The time would come when editors published their own photographs and the management would flaunt photographs of narcissistic spouses on the front pages of their own papers without a blush.

But it was obvious that the man could, if he wished, write readable memoirs and have them published. He spoke elegantly and had a wide range of interests, mostly concerning the culture of the country. He seemed to have travelled not only widely, but sensitively. He was a storehouse of country lore and packed with anecdotes of the lowly peasants as well as of the high and mighty.

They had a most engaging conversation until the visiting hour and, after that, well into the evening.

Mr Paiva was certainly going to lift the tenor of his days.

The days flipped over like a Chinese toy that ingeniously revealed hidden pictures.

After some time the pictures were no longer surprises in the sense that one knew what they were but one never failed to be pleased by the manner in which the submerged came into view.

Mr Premasekera was one such surprise.

He was a rotund man. His whole figure could be depicted in circles. His head was a perfect sphere, the traditional halloween face with the circular slits for the eyes and the mouth, several rolls for the neck, a barrel shaped torso, and from his tight-fitting trousers one suspected tubular legs.

Raj was embarrassed when he was introduced as an employee of the same firm where he worked.

"What?" said the nurse. "You don’t know each other?"

Raj smiled patiently but said nothing.

What most people did not know was that there were two thousand employees in that sprawling institution and there was no one, not even the personnel manager, who could claim to know everyone.

Mr Premasekera worked in the accounts department and the contact that the editorial had with it was occasional and quite functional. People who played some sport for the company made friends among them. There were also gregarious people who made friends fast in the canteen or in the recreation room, or just anyhow.

Raj was not a gregarious person; he made friends very slowly and that very selectively.

(Continued tomorrow)

(C) E.C.T. Candappa

The Nikini Poya which falls on the Full Moon Day of August is of the utmost significance to both the Sangha and the lay devotees. This is the Mid-Poya Day of the rainy retreat. According to the teaching of the Buddha, both the Sangha and the lay devotees should dedicate themselves to their own emancipation during this three months period of Vassana.

After his First Sermon the Buddha himself observed a retreat for three months and thereafter addressing the monks he said ''Go forth," Bhikkhus, for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the World, for the good benefit, and happiness of gods and men. Let not two go by one way. Preach, " Bhikkhus the Dhamma, excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle, excellent in the end, both in the spirit and in the letter. Proclaim the holy life, altogether perfect and pure. There are beings with little dust in their eyes, who, on hearing the Dhamma, will fall away. There will be those who understand the Dhamma. I too, "bhikkhus, will go to Uruvela in Senanigama, in order to preach the Dhamma.'' (The Buddha and His Teaching by Narada Maha Thera. P.61)

Thus the Ministry of the Buddha came to exist in the then society in India. From the beginning his disciples were not confined to one particular place. On the advice of the Buddha, wandering forth in the country at large, they spread the Word of the Tathagata and did an unparalleled service to mankind irrespective of their social or religious barriers.

His disciples did their service day and night; no rain or the light was taken into consideration. Being Englightened Ones they preached the Dhamma in order to assist both gods and men alike. First they realised what is the Dhamma and then preached it to the devotees.

Unlike the disciples of the Buddha, the disciples of Nighathanatha Putta, the geat Jain Teacher, confined themselves to a certain place during the rainy season and criticised others. They charged the disciples of the Buddha of going about in the rainy season treading on the sprouting blades of grass which they considered were living creatures whose lives were as precious and sacred as that of human beings.

This kind of allegations led the public to make a clear distinction between the disciples of the Buddha and the Jain leader. They said that Buddhist monks were shameless individuals committing the act of killing without any scruples or compunction quite contrary to the principles which they were supposed to adhere to. On hearing this criticism of the Public, the Buddha laid down the precept.

‘’Anujanami Bhikkhave vassane Vassam Upagantum'' which means "monks, I hereby both request you and permit you to observe Vas (retreat) during the vasana season. Since then Buddhist monks have observed the rainy retreat from Esala (August) to Vap (October) every year. Unlike in the case of laymen, it is the custom, that the age of a Buddhist monk is counted by reference to the retreats that he has observed.

After the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka the rainy retreat become another custom of Sinhalese Buddhism. According to the Mahavansa, having received their Higher Ordination Bhikkhu Maha Aritta together with his 55 friends and the seven members of the mission led by Ven. Mahinda observed retreat at Cetiyagiri, in Mihintale, Anuradhapura. During this retreat there was a very good relationship between the monks and the lay devotees who were headed by the King. As the Buddha advised, thus, both the monks and the laity had this kind of a very good relationship throughout the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

Because of this, they had a very good mutual understanding and an unbroken relationship which strengthened day by day. This relationship itself was the lifeblood of the Sasana. It was this relationship that some foreign invaders wanted to demolish in toto. During the rainy retreat, monks engaged themselves in upholding, practising and preaching the teachings of the Buddha, while the lay people supported them by offering the four requisites, namely, robes, food, lodging and medicines. According to the Singalovada Sutta of the Digha Nikaya (Sutta NO. 31), The Buddha has stressed the need for fulfilling the duties of monks and laymen towards each other. In the Sutta these duties are stated in this order as follows:

Duties of the monks to the lay-people:

1. Restrain them from evil deeds
2. Encourage them to do what is good
3. Be benevolently compassionate towards them
4. Teach them what they have not heard
5. Improve the knowledge of what they have heard
6. Point out to them the way to heaven and Nibbana:

When the monks fulfil these duties towards the people, in reciprocation, the people fulfil their duties. They are:

1. Being kind in bodily deed
2. Being kind in speech
3. Being kind in thought
4. Keeping open the doors for monks
5. Supplying their bodily needs.

In order to maintain a good relationship between the Sangha and the laymen the above duties are to be fulfilled by both sections of society.

A rainy retreat was introduced by the Buddha in his dispensation for the purpose of improving this relationship between them.

But today, we all have to accept that this relationship has broken down for many reasons prevailing in society. Therefore moral and material changes in any institution take place. Changes of any kind produce a state which itself is necessarily in the process of changing (viparinamadhamma).

Therefore one thing is clear, that there is nothing permanent in the world. Whatever is in the process of changing in the community of monks or the laymen, should be taken advantage of by us for our well being and existence. Some short sighted people always strive to put the blame on the monks only, saying, that the monks are currupt.

It is true, and we have to admit that there are certain unpleasant and immoral activities among some members of the sangha too. Yet we must not forget that there are members of the sangha who have dedicated their whole life to the Sasana and also render a marvellous service here in the country and abroad as well.

The problems we are confronted with today in Society whether of the sangha or the lay, cannot be explored individualy, because they are tightly inter-woven, interlinked, and interdependent. Therefore one must consider the other side of the problem, too. When we see some unpleasant things in the community we must not forget to note its arising and the cause of its arising and also its influence. Today there are many uncommon and unprecedented things in society which are morally unwholesome. But we cannot blame them only on one section of society. We all are responsible

At this juncture, as Bhikkhu Bodhi (from BPS Kandy) points out in his recent article to the ''Sunday Island'' (July 12th '98) we can do three things.

1. Simply resign ourselves to the decay of the sasana, accepting it as a backward swing of the pendulum of history-sad but inevitable.

2. Wring our hands and complain.

3. Ask ourselves what we can do to stem the rising tide

Of the three the third one is the step to be taken by all of us. If we think of ourselves, our own failures and our successes, we can be united to strengthen the weakened relationship between the Sangha and the laymen.

This three months period of the rainy reteat (vassana) is the most appropriate season to put this into practice. Let's therefore rethink the existing harmful structure of our temple and family lives in order to let peace and harmony prevail among the members of the family, village, country, and the whole World.

May all beings live in peace and harmony!

The Dalada Maligawa is one of the most famous Buddhist shrines in the entire world and daily, at appointed hours, age old rituals demonstrative of honours that would be paid only to a living being, are carried out in this hallowed shrine.

In ancient Lanka kings accepted the Sacred Tooth Relic as the insignia of royalty and whoever that possessed the Relic was entitled to the crown of the country. As a result the king considered the Tooth Relic as his cherished personal property and to ensure its safety the Dalada Maligawa was built within sight of the royal palace.

The age old rituals connected with the Sacred Relic and the Dalada Maligawa have been detailed by an edict of Parakrama Bahu IV (14th century) and this is popularly known as the Dalada Sirita. When the Relic Casket is taken out of the Dalada Maligawa for the annual Esala Perahera, singers utter, in unbroken continuity, the stanzas contained in this royal decree. This is carried out until the casket is returned to the Dalada Maligawa at the end of each day's perahera.

It is interesting to note that Colebroke and Cameron once stated: 'The possession and exhibition of the Relic of the Buddha is regarded by the natives of the Kandyan provinces as the most important prerogative of the King of Kandy.'

According to the Dalada Sirita the plan of the Dalada Maligawa provided for three chambers from which devotees engaged in the adoration of the Relic, unlike today all were not allowed into the shrine room. Only the king and those in his service were entitled to that privilege.

It was brought to the present site by king Wimaladharama Suriya I who erected a two storeyed edifice and capped it with gold and gems. Later Wimaladharma Suriya II added another storey. King Kirthisiri, who adored the Sacred Tooth Relic and the Dalada Maligawa, brought about many useful additions to it. The eminent archaeologist, Hocart, gives an interesting description about the Dalada Maligawa as it stood before the new building was constructed.

An important clause in the Dalada Sirita was that no one could be harmed within the sacred precints of the Dalada Maligawa and this privilege was enjoyed by all the subjects of the king.

The Pattiruppuwa, or Octagon, a unique architectural feature of the Dalada Maligawa, has established itself as a part of the national art and architecture. It was built on the instructions of and under the personal supervision of king Sri Wickremarajasinghe, the last of a long line of Kandyan kings. to begin with it was built for state functions and for the king to receive greetings from his subjects.

Today the Dalada Maligawa has assumed the status of a national institution which occupies a unique position in the life of the people of Sri Lanka, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. Not only during festive days but throughout the year the throb of the drums, the wail of the fife, the clang of the cymbals and the call of the conch continue to resonate within the precincts of this hallowed shrine reminding us of the oblations that have been performed through the ages. In fact today this historic shrine invites attention at international level.

Closely associated with the Dalada Maligawa is the Maha Maluwa (the great terrace) which has been sanctified with hallowed memories dating back to the very early historic times of Kandy and the Dalada Maligawa. The Kandyan kings down the ages held the Maha Maluwa in great esteem and considered it a sacred place. Early rulers of the Kandyan Kingdom exhibited the Sacred Tooth Relic at the Maha Maluwa for public veneration. From the time Kandy was established as the capital the Dalada Maligawa, the Pattiruppuwa (Octagon) and the Maha Maluwa became important components of the Kandyan Kingdom.

(President of Dayaka Sabha, Pagoda Sri Jayawardanapura Historic Devala and former Kotte Municipal Member JP All Island)

It is heartening that Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte from where reigned Parakramabahu VI, the great Sinhala King of Sri Lanka who united the whole country and brought it under his sway and also during whose reign there was a great cultural social and political renaissance has now become the political capital of Sri Lanka. During this monarch's reign the Devale in Pagoda which was dedicated to the Deva Sudumal Bandara was supreme and gave leadership to 64 devales spanned in the outskirts. The fact that this village is named Pagoda meant so by virtue that the Regalia of the Devas floated and anchored at this place speaks for itself of the power of this devale held in the beliefs of the people. All historical and oral traditions and data collected regarding this Devale was researched by Arya Bulegoda and has been edited and composed in the form of a scroll and posited permanently with the national archives with government patronage.

The reality of the Buddhist concept of the Devas has now been accepted respectfully in all Buddhists Theravada and Mahayana. The Buddhistic Devas are a species who are bent on establishing the mundane in the Dhamma and through the latter's mediations get their merits transferred and posited in themselves. This is more than evidenced in the legend surrounding the Deva Sirimal Bandara. This Deva is renowned as one who was the guardian Deva to the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha when it was at Kotte and as one who made offers of white flowers to the tooth Relic continuously and also as a great one who stamped out injustice and stood up for upholding justice.

The Pagoda generation of priests in charge of this devala had its beginnings in Gilimale, Sabaragamuwa where the Footprint of the Buddha lay and from here they descended to Kotte. To this day they have carried on all the rituals associated with the Devale without so much as a break, meticulously adhering to the duties called for with devotion and respect.

Further the services rendered by them to the devotees protecting and safeguarding the divine Golden Regalia of great power offered by Parakramabahu VI and Wimaladharmasuriya I to this day is indeed highly worthy and commendable. The present Priest (kapuwa) of the Devala Mr. Kuragamage Premakumara Karunaratne is the 18th in line of the generation and his period can be considered the golden era of this sacred place. As a mark of respect to the unique service rendered by him he was awarded the honorary title of Devakirti Dharmapriya by the Minister of Cultural Affairs and also appointed as a JP by the Minister of Justice. Furthermore, the Housing and Urban Development Minister has donated a piece of land in Ananda Balika Road, Kotte to construct a pond to use for water cutting ceremony and also to bathe the elephants taking part in the Perahera.

The Perahera was inaugurated with the planting of kap on 16th September. The Pavada Perahera of fame in the Thri Sinhala will began on the 23rd September and the Main Perahera held on 26th September. All Peraheras are composed of dances, traditional forms of music and will traverse the streets resembling a cultural pageant. The water cutting ceremony and the Dana to the Devas took place on 27th Sunday. This whole pageant with such exquisite splendour is possible owing to the patronage extended by the government and other philanthropists and devotees in the area and those in the outskirts.

The regalia of much divine power of the Devas was viewed by the public during the pavada Perahera on 23rd September and in the water cutting ceremony on 27th September. May you be blessed on this unique occasion which comes but once a year.

Let us bless and hope that this great Buddhist Cultural Pageant which once again displays the pomp and glory of Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte to which we are all heir to will help to surface once again our great values that has last hold of us and help to rebuild a peaceful and united Sri Lanka.