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Morning Spice by Ginger
Our women cricketers have made their markOur cricketers would have to give vastly improved performances in Australia to revive interest in our cricket to the level there was in the past, the public got it all too fast. In the early nineties we were not among the minnows of the cricketing world. Then suddenly we rocketed to the top by winning the World Cup’ normally every country has its ups and downs and we will have ours. In the meantime our women cricketers will keep our flag flying high besides other things that could be fluttering about in the breeze.
It now appears that our women cricketers will be playing quite a few countries themselves. Good show there will always be something worth watching where these matches are concerned. Let the cricket go to hell as far as Ginger is concerned but who can get tired of watching eleven beauties on the field. I hope one of our T.V. stations will telecast all the matches given the right publicity they could well collect quite a bit by way of advertising. A little levity may be necessary but our female cricketers may have quite a bit of talent and like tennis women’s cricket may take on quite a serious note and why not, even women’s boxing is coming into its own.
Rita John’s Murder — the suspects and the Bar
I congratulate Mr. J. K. Liyanasuriya Attorney-at-Law for his forthright article which appeared in the middle page of the "Island" of 20-11-1998. Mr. Liyanasuriya has touched on many aspects such as the relevant provisions contained in the Constitution of our country, the Judicature Act, Supreme Court Rules and also Wijedasa Liyanarachchi case which became so emotional that even the most eminent lawyers of this land got involved, all of which point to the fact that it is the duty of an Attorney-at-law to appear for a client if he (Attorney-at-law) has been properly retained, without being concerned as to who and why and wherefor of the crime or the wrong committed by the client. It has been a hallowed principle generally accepted by every civilised country except by a country where the ruler’s word is the law. I congratulate you too sir for the prominence given for that article by allocating the middle page for the same.
Why did Rita John’s murder become the talking point every where — both town and village? Is it because that innocent lady was both raped and killed — not by one person but by four of them? My view is not only on those reasons only, but on several other reasons as well, such as she was a foreign lady and a beauty queen, she was married to an engineer and was spending her honey-moon in Sri Lanka, she was the daughter-in-law of a retired Senior Superintendent of Police and thus not an ordinary helpless poor woman. As it has been asked by many people was it the only rape and murder case that has been committed at Crow Island at Mattakkuliya: were there no such brutal and beastly murders in the country previously where emotions and sympathies engulfed the entire nation?
However, the issue now is whether it was proper for a group of lawyers practising in the Colombo Magistrate’s Court to organise a demonstration, with placards in their hands, to protest against another lawyer from the same Bar appearing for one or all the four suspects in Rita John’s case? Have they resolved to demonstrate and protest against every other lawyer who would appear in the future for a similar or a more serious case? Have they forgotten or are they unaware of the provisions in the Constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka which as Mr. Liyanasuriya says "Every person charged with an offence shall be entitled to be heard in person or by an Attorney-at-law".
I would be a happier man if the legal fraternity of our country think before they leap and give thought to reason that to emotion, because the people of the country look to them for advice. We have to first advise ourselves before we advise others. "Turn the search-light inwards and be a lamp unto yourself".
G. P. Mahinkanda,
Nugegoda
I refer to Mr. Nirmalan Dhas’ letter in ‘The Island’ of November 23, and wish to ‘add’a correction, if he is referring to Vijaya and his hordes as Sinhala. Then he is correct.
Before this interloper Vijaya came here there were Manusha, Yaksha, Raksha and Barakshayas here. They formed Sivhela which, perhaps, like Kande Udarata becoming Kandy and/or due to the influence of Sinhabahu and Sinhaseevali etc. took on a Sinhala sound thus knocking out Sivhela.
We, the Bulathsinhalages, which, when liberally translated, means Bumiyen lath Sin (or Siv) helayo, true sons of the soil were here along with great kings like our very own Ravana et al. We were here before Mr. Dhas and Vijaya’s people and that is for sure.
Anyway what is the use of going into all this now. The Dravidas are a cross of Aryan and Negroid races. Are the Tamils proud of this or do they deny it? The local Azhwers, Rizwas, Anwers etc. did not come out of Arabian wombs but from local damsels. Again a cross-bred. The pedigreed people are the sons of the soil who were here before the first Kallathoni, Hanuman, soon to be followed by Rama and Lakshman etc. came here. Only Lord Vibishana now remains on a pedestal. We are a fine fruit salad. Let’s stop trying to become pure this or that or argue about who came first.
It is useless today. But shoulder to the wheel, be it the Asoka Chakra or Jagananaths cart or Vel cart or even kunu cart. Let’s all push and go forward.
Milroy A. P. Bulathsinhalage
When I read the letter of Mr. S. Nadarajah of Colombo 13, which appeared in these colomns of ‘The Island’ on 27.11.98 captioned "Buddhist clergy bless Hindu couple at wedding ceremony", it tempted me to bring to light a pleasant experience I had in a Hindu home, about a couple of years back.
I had a very good Tamil friend of mine who worked with me in the same institution I worked about two years ago at Teldeniya. His father was a retired teacher, who after retirement was giving free Sinhala, Tamil and English tuition as a pastime to children of both ethnic groups of the area. This jewel of a gentleman passed away all of a sudden due to a heart attack.
On an invitation of my friend we — his colleagues attended the third month’s religious ceremony which was arranged in memory of his late father. It was an all night pirith chanting ceremony which I have never attended earlier in a Hindu house.
It was a breath taking sight to witness the heartwarming manner the Buddhist monks were welcomed at the house by the family members including the mother and the siblings of my friend. With overwhelming devotion they were worshiping the monks at their feet. The Sinhalese and Tamil voices of people gathered on this occasion mingled with the Pali words of the Pirith chanting monks still linger in my ears and bring back pleasant memories.
I am of the opinion if all of us were to emulate the above harmonious way of life, there’s a ray of hope to reach (with apologies to Charles Dickens) an age of wisdom from foolishness, epoch of belief from incredulity, season of light from darkness and a spring of hope from a winter of despair.
Lionel de Silva,
Katugastota.
Contrary to simple abiding faith
We in Sri Lanka (which applies to other nations as well ) have our own faith or religious beliefs and in most instances are based on the religion which our fathers and forefathers passed on to us and we in turn pass it on to our progeny. Though I am of the Christian faith, my church going was limited to my college days, and as boarders it was compulsory to attend church on Sundays. I could hardly understand what was going on, as most of the proceedings were in Latin and the sermon was way beyond me!
I was also overawed at the garb of the priests in its splendour and the majesty of the church building. This set me thinking that Jesus Christ, who was born in a lowly manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, did not have these luxuries, and finally came to grief at the hands of fellow human beings. I presume it is the same with the other great religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, where the prophets taught us to live a good simple and sin-free life during our existence on earth.
How come then we have huge imposing churches, mosques, Hindu and Buddhist temples, adorned with lavishness, and the priests administering these religious abodes, live in luxury and travel in the most modern and expensive limousines. Why is there so much pomp and glory, the beating of drums, pealing of bells, and high powered loudspeakers sermonizing to simple folk, who are already familiar with their various religious beliefs.
As in Sri Lanka, it is the same the world over, and all this is done to impress whom may I ask? To me, as well as to millions of ordinary people, their worship is confined to the privacy of their humble homes where we can pray to our choosen deities, sans pomp, distraction and glitter. All religions teach us that God is omnipresent!
Rexy
Colombo 06.
Ombudsman
Pothuhera Post Office in deep slumberA fortnight ago, heeding S.L.B.C’s (English) call to renew radio licences for 1999, I called at the Pothuhera Post Office to do so. The clerk at the counter, bluntly refused to comply as they had not been instructed nor issued necessary documents. Within the short period of two weeks, I called over at the Pothuhera Post Office five times, but to no avail. Besides the clerk showed displeasure at the frequent calls. I trusted him and not the S.L.B.C.
In utter desperation, last morning I called over at the Pothuhera Post Office and received the same reply. Soon after I called over at the Kurunegala Post Office.
The smiling clerk at the counter gladly accepted my radio licence, and on payment of the fee, renewed my licence for 1999 in a few minutes and without a murmur.
I was taken aback and became bold to inform him of the refusal at the Pothuhera Post Office. He retorted that the Pothuhera Post Office had no right to refuse me a radio licence.
Do the officials at the Pothuhera Post Office ever listen to the radio or watch TV? Are the post offices meant for the people of the area and are we at the back and call of these stubborn block-headed officials?
Sekera
Pothuhera.
Make English the social levellers for youth
I was watching my neighbour the other day making his four year old son, on his birthday, proudly pose for a photograph with a toy gun. How thrilled they both seemed! Children of today prefer toy weapons and war games which unfortunately most parents give not realising the destructive mentality instilled into their little minds. Rarety are books of educational value gifted.
My friend was complaining of her ten-year-old daughter who had quite a number of dolls, barbies, and teddies and being the only child she spends most of the time shampooing her toys and using all the colognes and make-up of her mother on them. Children born in war-torn regions are well versed in war because they have been exposed to tension and instability from their early childhood.
In fact, their real school starts at home, and how many of our children are economically stable? Some are victims of circumstances, some are victims of broken-up homes. Schooling and admission to a supposed ‘good’ school is an eternal struggle; but don’t you find the 5-mile radius also being flouted and children travelling from a far to prestigious schools?
Having been in the teaching profession for three decades, I find through experience that children become much closer to a teacher as teachers understand their problems better than some parents. With people leading rushed lives and with working parents, children become latch-key ones and there seems to be no control over them. Unfortunately, today’s teachers, too, are caught up in the struggle for survival and have turned out to be more insensitive to children’s problems.
In fact, I have the experience of problem children being move amenable to the teacher than to parents. After all, what most schools lack today is quality teachers and quality teaching. A teacher plays a multiple role as an educator, adviser, disciplinarian and consultant. How many of them are dedicated to the profession? Since they, too, are caught up in the economic whirligig most of them are devoted in building up their private practice and have become ‘hardened’ profit seekers.
I overheard a group of children referring to their English teacher as a terrorist. When I questioned why they were so nasty, their explanation was that the teacher terrorises them using high-flown undigestible words beyond their comprehension when teaching English and English Literature; and if you dare question you’ll have it. This is not done, because you must not use bombastic language when teaching subjects like English and English Literature. It was never dimeaning to me to go to the humblest and enhance my knowledge, but today it is not done by many.
Whatever commitments they have, teachers have to have the patience, understanding, be loving and caring because they could make or mar a child.
The existing faulty education system has spelt a lot of unpleasantness. Children are herded into classrooms — sometimes a class exceeds 40 children. The child-centred education system that started with a bang with classrooms being arranged in circles is no more. Still notes are being dictated to them. Competition has inculcated into their lives selfishness, jealousy, hatred and insensitiveness.
How many students go to Sunday school now days? What they see in fact is hypocrisy where there are more ‘actors’ and ‘actresses’ playing their parts well in school and society.
Today’s society has a profound influence on their lives. These young adolescents are exposed to obscene literature, pictorials, films pornography and drugs. They in their innocence fall a victim if they are latch-key children or are from a economically unstable home. Even some of these teledramas use cheap language which is harmful to them.
In the universities there is the culmination of what qualities that they have imbibed from home, school and society which reaches fructification. They get easily volatile because of their youth, but if you take them singly and be more understanding they certainly become amenable.
I was talking to a young boy who had got 2 Bs and 2 Cs for Commerce at his A/Levels from a poor home. He has two sisters. The mother is a cleaner, the father is dead and it is under trying conditions without tuition, from a non-prestigious school that he has gained such results. Unfortunately, he has been refused admission to the university because of the cut-off marks, and now under this competitive set-up, he has become disqualified in getting a job even in the private sector as he hasn’t the right ‘connections’ needed and his family background and school counts less. Here remains a frustrated youth unable to fend for his family. Isn’t it pathetic when most youth even with their first digrees cannot find employment.
Their youthful problems are many. Either they are political and economic or victims of society and it is very necessary that constructive steps be taken to upgrade their economic and moral standards.
Teaching English, and making it compulsory in schools should be lauded. It should be English for all, and not be considered a status symbol and a facility be enjoyed by the privileged institutions. English should extended to remote rural schools as well so that there will not be this disparity.
Youth cannot be easily bluffed. They resist hypocrisy and injustice.
Let’s not leave room for another youth insurrection sooner or later.
Manel Fernando.
