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People and Events
A local woman wins a prestigious UN award

by Nan
How is it that Sunila Abeysekera being given an award by the United Nations in recognition of her work in the sphere of human rights has gone unreported and unadvertised in the local press? If I remember right, there was a small news item about her award in one paper. This should have been headlined, specially in the newspaper that considers itself to be THE paper, the voice of the government. Sunila's award should have pushed out those aspersions cast against the previous government and the UNP we constantly see in the Daily Noise, sorry News. Also much, much better to read a fact and truth rather than all the exaggerations about our booming economy, how stable we are, how foreign investors are falling over themselves in their rush to invest in this Paradise of ours. To my unblinkered eyes, they seem to be falling over themselves rushing out!

UN HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS
The United Nations over the last 25 years have given its highest recognition for human rights work to the greatest names and institutions that shaped the world. Eleanor Roosevelt, who steered the UN to pronouncing the safeguarding of human rights, won one of the first awards, posthumously, in 1968. Other winners have been Martin Luther King Jr (1978) and Nelson Mandela (1988); also the International Committee of the Red Cross and Amnesty International.

This year on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration, the UN seems to have moved out to recognise lesser known people who have contributed, mostly in their own countries, to the welfare of humanity. As Barbara Crossette reports in the IHT of December 11, "All the winners this year are internationally unknown individuals who have learned to wage often lonely battles for the rights of ordinary people at the grass roots," "This is a sea change for the UN"

And so on the 10th, Secretary General Kofi Annan gave the Human Rights Awards to people who have worked for women's rights, against child labour, better environmental protection in villages and, as in Sunila's case,"to safeguard democracy and women's rights in the face of civil war."

The one well known winner was Jimmy Carter, now recognized and recognizable for his humanitarian work which he successfully combines with his mediation in troubled spots and being a respected roving diplomat for the US.

Maybe it is due to Kofi Annan's influence at the UN that winners for the awards were picked from around the world and at grassroots level. More likely it may be due to the person who heads the UN human rights division - Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She is a woman to be admired, one who is making her presence felt globally in a quiet, ladylike way. Lady is almost a dirty word now, in this feminist era, but that's the epithet that comes to mind when speaking of Mary Robinson, ax-President of Ireland and a former human rights lawyer.

SPORTS HIT THE HEADLINES, NOT UN AWARDS
So let us read and hear more about Sunila Abeysekera and from her. If we make such a ballyhoo about our cricketers and athletes who only promise to bring back gold medals and then withdraw from events, then we should really bring Sunila to the news forefront. She is internationally acknowledged by no less a body than the United Nations.

Which brings to mind a sharp contrast. What a damp squib (or in common parlance a pus vedilla) Susanthika turned out to be. She says she was not fit enough to sprint her race. What I fault her for is the too loud manner of her boasting that she would bring back gold to the home country, not so much in honour of Sri Lanka but to show people who she is and what she is capable of. And then it was left to more modest and non-strident athletes to gather the kudos in gold.

THE COMMISSIONER OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Mary Robinson is a sharp believer that human rights are indivisible and the same in all areas and for all. Defending one right does not take away from promoting another. There are those who draw lines between social and cultural rights and the civil and political. There are also those who claim that countries can legitimately plead lack of resources to escape their obligations to respect economic, social and cultural rights. This is not permissible according to Ms. Robinson. She argues that clean water, food and basic health care - rights -are essential to human dignity and often to life itself - the aim of human rights.

In an article written by her to mark the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, she quotes Thomas Hammarberg of Sweden, ambassador and human rights defender: "There are more instruments in the orchestra than the trumpet and they can all be played at the same time." She also quoted Nelson Mandela who pronounced that no one should ever be forced to choose between bread and the ballot.

College of Medical Administrators of Sri Lanka
Fourth dimension of health

Presidential address - 1998

Dr. V. Jeganathan, Director General of Health Services, delivered the sixth presidential address of the College of Medical Administrators of Sri Lanka, recently.

He spoke on the subject of Fourth Dimension of Health The full text of the address is given below

Human life in fact has much deeper and wider meaning than just the cycles of births and deaths. During a cycle much remains to be understood, practiced and attained. Every man craves to be happy and in peace all his life. No matter what definition he attributes to these two states of the mind, religious philosophies identify the final goal of life either as attainment of Nirvana, liberation, Moksha, salvation of final beatitude or something similar.. All these mean the same, and, this final goal or state has been referred to as ''Chiddha-Ananda'' by the ancient Indians. This final state was mentioned as the state of Extreme Well-being. Today we are concerned with Health, which is also defined as a state of wellbeing. It has been said that health is not everything, but everything without health is nothing. Sadly both- the very aim and purpose of life and health - are often not considered enough.

Health, therefore should be considered as the key for the achievement of the goal of life and not merely a tool to satisfy the carnal desires of man which invariably will lead to sorrow and despair and therefore ill-health.

In April 1948 when the Constitution of the World Health Organization came into force, Health was defined as " a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". It is significant to note that this definition is confined to only three dimensions of physical, mental and social, may be on the understanding at that time, that man is constituted of body and mind only and he is a social animal living in a society. But it must be realized that man is not the body alone. Neither is he only body and mind. He is in fact the conglomeration of body mind and self. Neither is he only body and mind. He is in fact the conglomeration of body mind and self.

The first dimension of health namely physical well being refers to the state of the physical body. The body is a product of food, it exists because of food and dies without it. When it perishes it becomes food for other living creatures. It is therefore inert by itself. It is not conscious. It has no knowledge or consciousness of its own. It is not the perceiver. It is only an instrument for consciousness to function through, and become conscious of the world of objects. When it is pervaded by the vital air it performs all its activities as though living. Therefore man should cease to identify himself with his body alone. However it should be kept healthy and looked after as an instrument or vehicle..

The second dimension of health viz. mental wellbeing refers to a healthy mind. What is this mind? If this question is asked from someone he might even say "never mind"! Because it is very difficult to define mind, giving it an anatomical basis. Therefore there are more than one definition for mind such as, " mind is a bundle of thoughts", "it is a bundle of desires" etc. It is said to house the sense centers and therefore is the perceiver of the external objects. Another equally ambiguous definition is found in the dictionary which describes mind as " a philosophical term for whatever it is in a person that thinks, feels, wills etc."

For Aristotle, mind was "noys intellect", the only part of the soul to survive death. For Descrates,, it is the starting point, an incorporeal mental substance by virtue of whose activity or thoughts, man knew he existed. John Milton, in Paradise Lost, says, "the mind is its own place, and in itself make a heaven of hell and a hell of heaven". Therefore a flittering, fluttering monkey mind fed with numerous desires by the five sense organs create agitation which invariably produces disturbance of peace and harmony resulting in ill-health. Therefore, being free from mental illness does not mean mental wellbeing.

Let us now consider the third dimension of health namely social wellbeing. This refers to man's interaction with others that are around him. It should be appreciated that man is a social animal and needs his family, friends, groups, community or society at large for his existence.

During the course of human evolution, he has built around him many institutions and value systems to bring in order, stability and harmony in his personal relationships as well as his surroundings. These, on the one hand, provide tremendous support and, on the other hand, conflicts, leading to different types of disturbances which result in fear, grief, anger, hatred, greed etc. leading to disturbance of peace and ill-health. Therefore it is necessary that this social animal learns to respect others in society in order to maintain harmony within and without. It is equally important that he understands and learns to respect nature, as this forms the very basis of Non-violence or "Ahimsa".

Let us consider this definition of health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing" a little more deeply. At an executive board meeting of the WHO held in Geneva in 1978, Dr. D. B. Bisht,, from India, argued that on the existing criteria of health, man's status would hardly be better than that of an animal. A pack of wolves compared with a group of human beings would be physically strong, mentally alert and socially well knit and would be "healthy". The natural or evolutionary demand of man is much more complex. He is a creature perpetually driven by an urge to progress. Therefore an ideal condition of health for man ought to depend on something more subtle. It should be perceived in a broader sense, involving humane values and qualities of life that man aspires to achieve.

Dr. Bisht had further brought out that according to Indian thinking through the ages, that aspect of human being which makes him transcend the animal existence was termed "SPIRITUAL". Therefore it is not adequate to consider man as an entity composed of body and mind only. In terms of man as a 'whole' he should be considered as being composed of physical, vital, mental, spiritual and social components, not in isolation but in an integral whole. This holistic or integral approach is of great importance when we try to understand what health means. In the integral model of health, focus on the very aim and goal of life itself has to be constantly maintained. Thus the definition of 'Health' should encompass a wider perspective or scope and include the 'FOURTH DIMENSION OF HEALTH' namely, 'SPIRITUAL WELLBEING'.

Before we deliberate in any detail about this fourth dimension of health let us try to understand the terms spirit and spirituality.

Spirit is described as 'soul', 'life principle', 'vital principle', 'divine spark', etc. and spirituality as ' pertaining to spirit'. Spirit is sometimes identified as the same as mind. But it cannot be so. Spirit is said to be higher or deeper than mind. Sri Aurobindo who classifies the entire existence into various levels of consciousness, defines spirit as consciousness above mind, which he termed as Atman or the Self. The Atman is said to be pure, divine and in ecstasy. However, by its own power of projection and by identifying itself with the gross body the mind and the intellect, it not only manifests itself into the three states of 'wakefulness', 'dream' and 'deep sleep' but also appears to be masked by these, so much so the individual is not in a position to realize his own self. Most of us know of a kind of moss which grows in still water, which covers the surface of the pond completely that the water can no longer be seen. A completely green surface alone is visible all the time so that the beauty of the shining sun is no longer reflected in the pond. If the moss is pushed to a side it will move away to reveal the brilliant reflection of the sun in the clear water beneath. Agitation created in the mind by the impulses from the sense organs, impressions of previous experiences and the perceptions of the pluralistic phenomenal world are like the 'moss' in the mind. Because of them the mind is not clear, is not pure enough to reflect the Divinity or the effulgence of the self or Atma behind it. To remove this moss is to remove the Ego and the egocentric desires from the mind. The mind which is always running towards the objects, emotions and thoughts should be turned in contemplation towards the Reality. When this moss is even slightly removed from the mind, consciousness which is always present, gets reflected in the clear waters of the mind's divine thoughts. The best way to remove the moss from the water is to make the water overflow the tank. Let in more clear water to flood and flush out the moss. Spiritual practices, which are in spiritual terms called ''Sadhana',', will bring new streams of pure thoughts in the mind. When they overflow the mind in the form of Love, devotion and selfless service, what overflows first will be the moss which obstructs the vision of the Self. This forms the basis of Spiritual wellbeing.

It is said that spirituality has to be practiced and cannot be understood by reading or listening, and therefore the Self or Atma cannot be comprehended but has to be 'Realized'. However in order to understand the state of spiritual wellbeing and to promote spiritual health let us consider man, in his totality as having the faculties of thoughts, actions, feelings, understanding and Love.

Right thoughts 'Samma Sankalpa'', right actions, 'Samma Karmantha'.' right feelings, and right understanding, 'Samma Diththi',' based on the value of LOVE are the attributes of a noble man, a good charactered man. Character is that part of the personality of man which brings him happiness and peace. As much as sweetness is the character of sugar, saltiness is the character of salt, beauty and fragrance are the characters of a rose flower, the innate character of man is Divinity. Man is essentially divine by nature. Divinity is purity. This divinity manifests in man in the form of Love. This love which is energy and not merely feeling, forms the basis of right thoughts, right actions, right feelings and right understanding. Love as thought is Truth or Sathya.. Actions based on such thoughts become right conduct or Dharma.. Love as feeling is Peace or Shanthi,, and Love as understanding is Non-violence or Ahimsa. So Truth, Right action, Peace, Nonviolence and Love are the five basic human values which when upheld bring happiness and peace to that individual and such individual is in a state of SPIRITUAL WELLBEING. Love flows into the other four values like an under current. It is not a feeling and therefore should not be confused with affection or emotion or attachment. It is energy; energy which can be measured. Every individual radiates energy from his body which appears as the aura around him. This aura is an emanation projecting beyond the space occupied by his body. It could be visualized through a special camera called ''Kirlian'' camera which was invented by a Russian medical doctor by the name of Dr.Baranowsky. However it is said to be visible to those who have developed their psychic power to a high degree Clairvoyant eye. In healthy persons, the lines of the aura are straight but when a person is ill or invalid they droop and come in all directions. The colour of the aura is said to change according to thought and emotions, either negative or positive based on illness, health and vitality.

Aura of Negative state of mind or evil electromagnetic waves:

1. Hatred Blackish Dark Red.

2. Malice Black

3. Revenge Dark violet.

4. Agony Deep Red and Black

5 Excessive sex Deep wine- red.

6. Rage Scarlet Red mixed with Dark Brown.

7. Jealousy Deep Green mixed with Black.

8. Selfishness Bright Grey.

9. Fear and Terror Ugly shades of smoky grey mixed mixed with Reddish Brown

10. Greed Reddish Brown

11. Depression Brown and Dark Grey

All these negative thought impulses arising from the mind produce stress syndrome in the body physiologically in different ways according to the intensity of electromagnetic waves of different wave lengths.

Aura of positive states of mind, good electromagnetic waves:

1. Tolerance and Adaptability Bright Green.

2. Ambition Bright Orange.

3. Love Motherly Pink. Higher feeling Light Red.

4. Selfless Love. Highest feeling Beautiful Rose.

5. Religious Dark Blue.

6. Spiritually High Light Blue.

All desires create thought forms whether good or bad. That is why we must pay careful attention when we emit negative thoughts, for these have disastrous consequences. An evil thought can come back to the person who projects it with increased force like a boomerang that returns to the thrower. That is why we must avoid negative thoughts in order to keep our own body healthy.

There are seven great weapons against evil thoughts. Love, faith in God, Bhajans,, Satsang,, company of good people, selfless service-'Nishkama karma', and Meditation. They enable you to think only strong positive thoughts and send love to others, even to your enemy. They will avoid depression and discouragement in your mind and boost the heart leading to healthy body organs and good health. Man should have harmony in his thoughts, words and deeds. Then only he can remain healthy inside out. Otherwise disharmony produces illness.

From what we have learnt up to now we are in a position to understand to a certain extent that man taken as a 'whole' needs to be not only physically mentally and socially healthy but also spiritually. Although we have considered the four dimensions of health separately it should be understood that we cannot consider any single dimension in isolation. Each aspect of health always influences the others. If physical health influences mental health, and mental health on social health and vice versa, spiritual health will similarly be affected. It is said that if the collective spiritual health of a society is good, its individual health will also be better. Therefore the integral model of health achieves great importance. Having understood the concept and the need to include this fourth dimension of health, as health planners and managers what strategies can we think of to promote spiritual health, not forgetting the fact that man is essentially Divine and therefore the basic human values are inherent in him and it only remains to be manifested in his day to day life? Few of the strategies we could think of are:

* Create awareness among health policy makers, planners and managers that spiritual health is the basis of good physical, mental and social health.

* Awareness to parents the importance of inculcating human values in their day to day life so that their children also will imbibe these values.

* Promoting spiritual practices and exercises - Sadhana camps.

* Health care to be in the hands of those who are well versed in spiritual dimension of health.

* Centers of spiritual health to be created.

* Promote and uphold purity in everything- Purity in thought, word and deed. Purity of the family. Purity of the place in which we live and work. Purity of food (promote vegetarianism). Purity of vision. Purity of study. Purity of service. Purity of work or occupation and Purity in 'Sadhana'.

In conclusion may I reiterate that the earlier definition of Health as 'Physical, Mental, and Social wellbeing and not merely absence of disease or infirmity' has taken into account only three dimensions and has not included the most important fourth dimension of health namely Spiritual wellbeing. However this deficiency has been recognized by the WHO, thanks to Dr. Bisht and others, and at the Thirty-sixth World Health Assembly held in 1983 a resolution was brought in to include the Spiritual dimension of health. Based on further deliberations in the Executive Board, the Thirty-seventh World Health Assembly adopted the resolution to the effect that Spiritual Dimension should be added to the scope of health, and it was left to the individual countries and the regional offices of the WHO to take necessary action. The credit of taking this subject as an important component of health goes to the South East Asia Region.

Subsequently, after much deliberations and discussions the Executive Board of the WHO which appointed a special group to review the constitution of the WHO, considered the report of this special group at its meeting on 22nd January 1998 and submitted a resolution to the 51st WHA requesting the Director General to propose for the consideration of the 52nd WHA draft amendment to the constitution.

The amendment suggested the delegation of the definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infertility, and to insert a new definition to read as health is a dynamic state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being and not merely absence of disease or infertility.

I was indeed delighted to read this resolution while at the 51st WHA in Geneva in May this year. I pray that this resolution will be passed at the 52nd WHA for the benefit of humanity at large.

19th Century Newspaper Engravings of Ceylon Sri Lanka

by R. K. de Silva,
Serendib Publications, London, 1988

19th Century Newspaper Engravings of Ceylon - Sri Lanka by R. K. de Silva (Raj), is his third volume on his chosen field of research, which is seen to be the visual representations of Sri Lanka, during the 17-19th centuries.

His earlier two volumes, Early Prints of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) (1800-1900), (1985), and Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon 1602-1796, co-authored with W. G. M. Beumer (1988), gave the public an almost full coverage of the known illustrations and prints of the two periods dealt with in those two volumes.

Newspaper Engravings is a volume of 404 pages of 29x22 cm in size. It has an Introduction (25 pp), and five chapters: Peoples Customs and Occupations (114 pp), Historical Events (114 pp), Leisure and Sports (52 pp), Elephants: Kraals and Hunting (38 pp), and Towns and Buildings, Views. Natural History (58 pp), and a Glossary. The latter contains explanations of various words, used in the context of art and engraving, some Sinhala place-names and of office, and notes on some personalities.

The Introduction contains a historical sketch of illustrated journalism in Britain, together with a well written account giving the techniques and intricacies of wood-engraving, and its progress in the late 19th century up to its displacement by mechanical processes. That account provides the reader with the necessary background to understand and appreciate that medium of illustration.

The Engravings, as seen by the chapter headings, have been presented subject-wise, the Engravers themselves being hardly identifiable. From a user point of view, that arrangement is convenient, as one could easily refer to a section for the information that one seeks. The Table at the end of each chapter has a List of Illustrations, which would also serve as a quick reference guide for readers and researchers.

The illustrations themselves are accompanied with the contemporary notes given at their time of printing. The engravings provide either historical or informative data, or are satirical or humorous of the subject that is being illustrated. Thus, the illustrations together with the contemporary notes, is a mine of information that have not been available up to now, in this readily accessible form. Additionally, the volume provides Notes by the compiler/editor often bringing a subject to-date, thus enhancing its historical and informative value.

Raj is an indefatigable and meticulous searcher. In fact a work of this magnitude would not have been possible without the advantage of living in a cultural capital like London or Paris, have had an intrinsic knowledge of the subject and close acquaintance with dealers of that type of material.

Thus, with the long experience Raj has had with the world of art and the print media, he has been able to amass a remarkable collection of the illustrations on this subject of engravings.

In the volume, we see some very early illustrations taken from the British publications, Penny Magazine of 1833-1835, and the Saturday Magazine of 1835, Illustrated London News 1948-, The Graphic 1876-, and two others. They are supplemented with illustrations from German, French, American and Australian newspapers, together with those from Sri Lankan Muniandi 1869-, Ceylon Observer 1887, Ceylon Mail 1888, and the Sinhala, Kavata Kathikaya 1895-, Satyalokaya 1897, and Kavata Anjanama 1898.

The 250 odd illustrations, some being composite pictures, are gems of information for a wide spectrum of studies. That they are contemporary with the events or scenes depicted increases their historical value.

The intention of the publishers of the material given in this volume was to inform the British public, of the happenings in a far flung part of their Empire. Hence, it is natural that what has been published was what the Britishers would have liked to know.

In that light, it is seen that the events connected with the visit of Prince Alfred (1876) and of other royalty are well illustrated. An example is the beautiful illustrations on the decorations in Colombo and elsewhere, and the section on kraaling which vividly portrays the capture of elephants on the occasion of the visit of the Prince.

It is seen that the artists and photographers who had communicated material for the engravings too had been mostly British. Out of 22 names mentioned in the Introduction, 16 like Andrew Nicholl and Arthur Rackham were British. Among the rest are a French Eurasian-Hippolyte Silvaf, 2 Germans and 3 Sri Lankans - Van Dort, Andree and Lawton.

Incidentally, it may also be noted that the lists of artists and photographers in this volume would supplement those mentioned in the Early Prints, and hence, in that respect too, the two volumes would complement each other.

It would be difficult in a short review of this nature to do justice to the plethora of excellent illustrations in the volume. However, I would mention just one engraving, namely, the Environs of Colombo (1882) which shows the tranquility and beauty of that situation, in comparison with the busy, overcrowded, jarring and unkempt environs of today's Colombo. Perhaps the illustration has a little of the engravers or artist's license, but still it would largely represent that part of the city, as it was at that time.

In the island's history, 19th century occupies a pre-eminent position as the formative period of modern Sri Lanka. It has given Sri Lanka very valuable documentation of its history and civilization, mostly contributed by the British, who were in the island at that time.

Now, in his Newspaper Engravings, Raj has supplemented that information, and that very richly, from another medium. Here, Raj has given practically all the known illustrations of that medium on the Sri Lankan scene of the 19th century. Thus, between his Early Prints, and this volume, the visual representations of 19th century Sri Lanka, is almost totally covered.

It would be well to note that, while some illustrations would be known to a few who would have been lucky enough - or had the funds - to collect such material or to see them in their original places of deposit, to a majority of Sri Lankans the volume will open new vistas.

To my knowledge, the only other place where this genre was discussed and some illustrations were provided was in the sesquicentennial Volume of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka 1845-1995, (1995), where Raj himself gave a preview of what was to come in his publication.

I understand that these engravings are perhaps the only genuine and pedigreed collectible items on Sri Lanka now available in the art and antique markets of Britain and Europe. If so, to a collector, the value of the publication would have another dimension.

Technically, between, the original and the reproductions, the authenticity of the reproductions are remarkable. Perhaps, here or there, one may see an illustration a shade darker or a shade lighter, which would have been inevitable in the course of reproduction to an uniform size and format required by the volume. However, such minutiae would not have any bearing on the reader from enjoying the illustrations, per se, or along with their contemporary notes.

Of other aspects of production - paper, print, setting of text and illustrations, binding, covers, both hard and dust jacket - with the beautiful gold gilt lettering in the hard cover and on its spine, and including proof reading - the quality is seen to be excellent.

As usual, in this volume too, Raj had set an enormously high standard for the production: he is a perfectionist. This third volume of his, is of the same size, as his other two volumes, and would form a 'trilogy' on the illustrated history of the island, 17th-19th centuries.

Thus, R. K. de Silva has certainly provided the Sri Lankan reading public, with a beautiful production of a genre of information which had so far been privy to a few privileged persons living abroad, and to a few in the island, who would have had the means to see them and even acquire some of them for their private collections. Perhaps, this review may seem to be too positive, but it cannot be helped, as the work deserves it.

Haris de Silva

The unsung hero of the 1947 floods

By Cecil V. Wikramanayake
Discussing the other morning the prices of arrack with a colleague, this writer was reminded of the days when a bottle of arrack cost only six rupees for a 'black bottle' and only eight rupees for a 'white bottle'.

My colleague and I were discussing the prices today and the fact that only the Mendis brands of arrack had remained unchanged, both in price and quality. And the talk came round to the prices in those days, when this writer was a young man in his early twenties.

Somehow, the talk came round to feats performed by various persons when under the influence of liquor, and this writer was reminded of a feat of bravery performed way back in 1947 when the floods that ravaged the country, saw the Gampola railway station completely submerged, and the school of agriculture at Gannoruwa had so much water around it that the few students who remained there, with a couple of lecturers, had to live upstairs and sustained themselves on jak fruit plucked from the trees that grew near the balcony of the building, and 'Peacock' cigarettes, of which a lecturer had quite a stock.

The river at Getambe was in spate. That was putting it most mildly. The waters were rushing at such a rate that large trees were being carried along the river as if they were mere twigs floating on a fast moving stream. As a matter of fact, a large tamarind tree had been swept down the river and had got stuck at the bridge at Tennekumbura. The tree, moved by the raging waters had eventually acted as a level and had brought down the bridge into the river bed where it lay, till a new bridge had been built.

And then, somebody, I cannot remember who, discovered that a little child was screaming somewhere. It was found, a few minutes later, that the child was on the other side of the river, all alone, screaming its head off, with no one to go to its aid.

In that crowd that watched the little boy moaning, there was only one man, a real man. He was the scavenger of the school of agricullture, known to everyone as "chokka".

"Dorai" said 'chokka' to the senior lecturer there. "I can swim. If you have a rope long enough I can tie it round my waist and swim across the flood water and bring that child to safety."

There was enough rope found to perform the rescue operation. But 'chokka' , whose real name this writer later discovered was Ulagan Sinniah, had one further request to make.

Addressing his 'boss' in the only language he knew, Tamil, he said "Sir, I am really afraid to cross this swollen river. But if I have some arrack inside me I will lose my fear."

Someone produced a bottle of 'black' arrack, from somewhere. The bottle was given to Ulagan.

Opening the bottle, Ulagan put the mouth to his lips and swallowed. Glug-glug-glug. Till half the bottle was down.

Then, reverently placing the bottle in the hands of the lecturer, he said "Sir, please keep this till I come back with the child."

Ulagan then tied the rope securely to his waist. The other end, he handed to the lecturer, his boss.

Then he began to run upstream, till the rope was stretched to the full. "Hold tight, Dorai" he shouted, and with that shout he plunged into the swollen river, swimming the 'dog stroke', which was the only way he knew to swim, striking for the opposite shore.

Willing hands held on to the other end of the rope as Ulagan was swept wildly downstream.

A gasp of amazement rose from the watching crowd as Ulagan somehow reached the opposite shore. Clambering up on to dry, or rather wet land, he ran towards the wailing child.

The child stopped its wailing and ran into the willing hands of Ulagan, who soothed the little one, slung it on to his shoulder and came towards the river once again.

Still murmuring soothing words to the child, he gingerly stepped into the raging waters and allowed himself to be pulled towards the opposite shore, clinging tightly to the child.

Minutes later, minuites that appeared to be hours to those watching, the child and Ulagan were safe.

Ulagan handed the child over to the lecturer, his boss, and without a word took the bottle of arrack from him. Turning away from those watching, he poured the rest of the bottle down his gullet and staggered away, without even waiting for a word of thanks from the grateful people.

He was seen some time later fast asleep in a corner of the upstair verandah of the building that housed the school of agriculture. Dead to the world.

Ulagan's heroism was the talk of the town for days, long after the floods had subsided. Whether he received any reward or award for his act of bravery is not known. Ulagan was a 'chokka' and remained a 'chokka' to his dying day.

Of such men are heroes made!

Review
Butterflies will always fly

I started off with a lump in my throat. Tears followed but at the end of the play I came away with joy and a sense of hope strong within me. If disabled people, some so disabled they were condemned to wheelchairs, could smile, sing, dance and be happy and united why can't we all be that in this war ravaged and politically mismanaged country of ours.

Butterflies Will Always Fly - a play by disabled and non-disabled youth - at the Bishop's College auditorium on 16 December- demonstrated very clearly that through sorrow, through deprivation' through disability one could emerge stronger if one had the will and was given the correct guidance. It demonstrated that in a multi-ethnic country there could be benefit from the multiplicity of races and languages rather than division.

The dance drama was choreographed and directed by Wolfgang Stange and Rohana Deva Perera. As the programme (distributed free to all) noted, the group members and the two directors met on November 24th - caterpillars as they said they were at the time but within a short spell of three weeks metamorphosised to beautiful butterflies. We the audience benefited by this near miracle. On stage were 6 to 8 wheelchaired girls and men; others also disabled although mobile, one or two distinctly mongoloid; and some healthy men and women who made obvious their dedication and willingness to be with the disabled and help then alone.

Dance Dynamics
The drama was presented by the Sunethra Bandaranaike Trust. Wolfgang Stange specializes in guiding disabled people to appreciate the arts and express themselves, principally through dance. He has established the stage system of therapeutic calisthenics which later adopted the name Dance Dynamics. Rohana Deva Perera is a drama person who brought theatre to the slums of Colombo and now devotes his time and talents to work with the disabled.

And so the production Butterflies Will Always FIy with the coming together of persons from the Sun Flower Village, Natya Shilpa Shalika, Rohana Deaf & Blind School - Matara, Ranaviru Sevana, Home for the Disabled - Kegalle, Senior Special Needs Teachers from the National Institute of Education and as the brochure said "Tamil friends from Avissawella and Bandarawela"

Stange's and Perera's work is doubly, no trebly valuable in our country where the disabled are treated by family and friends with stiflins care, with misguided sympathy, cotton woofed against the rough and tumble of life. We have the extended family and the false notion that the disabled: karmic forced sufferers need to be given a protected life. Not so in developed countries where self help and reliance on oneself to get through life almost unaided is important and encouraged. They have the money for special schools, which train the disabled to fend for themselves to lead lives as far as possible normal and full.

This idea is fortunately catching hold in Sri Lanka too.

Another benefit from the dance drama, apart from the help given to the disabled persons themselves, is the bringing out of the plight of these unfortunates.

The most important service effected by the two producers and their band of performers and helpers is the message they conveyed to the audience and so to others. The programme brochure says ''We would like to take you on, this dream journey. Please interpret it in your own personal way."

My loud and clear Interpretation was that we in Sri Lanka can live peacefully together, giving each individual his space to develop the talents and pluses he is endowed with and can develop. No racial or religious conflicts need arise or should be allowed to arise. And of course the need for cooperation - among races, among the different strata of social life and between the disabled and the healthy.

The dance drama was a clear demonstration that the disabled could rise above their disability and get the most from life, treated by the world as able in their own individual ways.

Dance, song, and even mild acrobatics
The play opened with wheel chairs and men and women massed at the back of the stage with their backs to the audience. A nostalgic song by Rukmani Devi gave a shock of remembrance and then once the players faced the audience they grouped themselves into three and to rousing English, Tamil and Sinhala songs danced around the wheel chairs, three women even standing on them. ~ sudden stop to the music froze them in tablaeux. Joy, togetherness and even the possibility of love both emotional and physical were conveyed from stage to audience. I marvelled specially at the woman who kept bundling herself and rolling around the stage' yes barrelling herself.

The depiction of mothers was prominent in the play. They called out to sons; stretched arms of love and protection; and were the most appalled as the young men battled and all fell down dead. Butterflies definitely conveyed the message that it is mothers who suffer most when war ravages a country, but could also be the most courageous.

The human war machine - a camouflaged war vehicle made of men with guns pointing in all directions - was stark and striking as it moved across the stage. Effective too were costumes - sarongs and tee shirts and sarees or skirts and blouses. This wiped out alienation between actors and viewers.

The butterfly song sung in Sinhala while the actors waved or hoisted lovely paper butterflies on sticks, was wonderful. The translation by Ahamed Rahmi and Shanti Dawson of Rohana Deva Perera's composition is equally wonderful.

Send me butterfly wings dear Mother
To fly to your loving embrace.
Can a wheel revolving come thither
When a thousand hindrances beget?
Was it myself, Mother, who played
Among the flowering, Bovitiya glade
Where my two legs were robbed from me
By those whose mothers had also suckled them.

If you think of obstacles my son
Can two points always be joined
By a straight line?
You are the brave one, my son.
Even though I have no wings
I'll come flying with my smiles aglow
Wait near the gate and look out for me;
I will awaken the world and come.
Peace will eventually come to us; mothers will stop losing children. Without hope we cannot live.

Nanda Pethiyagoda

Little things that bring joy

by Kirthi Abeyesekera
Christmas, as I write, is still 5 days away But the season's festivity is already stale. Canada's gorgeous Christmas pageant, the 'Santa Claus Parade,' wended its way through the streets of Toronto on November 15. The same day, the 'Eaton Centre,' reputedly, the world's largest shopping mall, put up its giant Christmas tree. Since then, the smaller trees are also up in Canadian homes where the festive lights started blinking several weeks ahead of the event itself.

Across the border, in New York's Rockefeller Centre, December 2, America's First Lady, Hilary Rodham Clinton, pushed a button to light up a towering Christmas tree, as she swayed to the beat of rock music.

Shopkeepers in Toronto, big and small, are having a ball. During the season, prices are Jacked-up and then marked 50 percent down, as gullible buyers, in this consumer-oriented society make a bee- line for what they believe are 'bargains.' And, as the frenzy catches on like the flu for a full sixty days or more, in a blatantly- commercialized event that passes for Christmas, my thoughts go back to the humble Christmas at home - by far, the best I've ever known.

We had no plastic credit cards then. Loans were harder to get if only that they were hard to pay back. So we had to wait till December 20 - Pay Day and bonus day. On December 22, special bonuses were handed out personally to a chosen few by the Lake House boss, Ranjith Wijewardane. It was only then that the buying got really frantic. Only at Christmas time could we afford the little 'extras' that we should have been giving our children throughout the year.

My wife, Olga, being a Catholic, our home was partially Christian. So, we too were part of the festive season. our Christmas tree came from Bandarawela, my home town. Fresh and fragrant, the cypress tree was sent by goods train to Kelaniya from where I'd pick it up and bring it atop a Morris Minor taxi to our Kiribathgoda home. All the 500 households in the Housing Scheme knew that the "Abeyesekeras' have got their tree"

The children would work tirelessly with 'Cardinal' polish on the red cement floor, as a prelude to setting up the tree on December 23, along with the new window curtains and cushion covers decorating the tree with glitter balls, balloons and little 'what-nots,' and entwining the set of electric lights round the branches was great fun

The trip had been made to Kandiah stores opposite the Fort railway station for the cake ingredients and the fireworks which included the inevitable 'Jolly Bomb' that exploded, spilling out its contents of caps, whistles and toys the children scrambled for.

We had no stove to bake the cake. Our sons, Jayantha and Rohan had a friend, Wijesiri, whose father owned a bakery. So our cake got baked, gratis. Christmas was a time for Maliban cream crackers and Kraft cheese, liberally served to visitors. The refrigerator which normally consisted mostly of ice and water, was stacked at Christmas time with bacon and butter from Cargills, canned fruits in syrup (in a land abounding in fresh fruit), and other extras affordable only at this time of the year. The leg of pork from the Tripoli Market opposite the Maradana Technical college, was ready for the roast.

On Christmas eve, our neighbour, Adrian Assauw, now in Australia, used to lead a youth-choir, waking up everybody with door-to-door carols, while squeezing in his naughty favourite, 'Peggy O'Neal,' - the lady who 'had a bike with one wheel....' one Christmas Day, he and my brother-in- law, Mike Harvie, now in Canada got so drunk they untethered a roadside cow. Hell was let loose. After midnight Mass, on December 24, we'd have a string of visitors yelling 'Merry Christmas.' It was the time for cake and wine. The fun had just begun.

Christmas Day itself was one of anticipation The customary breakfast of 'kiri-buth' and 'lunu-miris,' supplemented by 'seeni-sambol' and bacon, heralded the day - with the children, tugging away at the home-made bon-bons.

Two non-Christian families usually shared our Christmas lunch of 'kaha-buth' and 'kukul-mas,' along with the customary delicacies of 'batu bedala,' 'alathel dala,' 'parippu' and 'pappadam.' It was open house. The table would be laden with sweetmeats. The bottles of special arrack were prominently displayed, along with a plate of 'devilled beef.'

The Housing Scheme watcher, Vandersil, was a regular visitor. He would do the rounds, wishing 'Happy Christmas', never refusing a 'quick shot' at every household. By the time he left ours he was too far gone to go anywhere else. He was once found lying in a drain.

The eventide of Christmas was as exciting, with the unending flow of visitors, and the exchange of gifts. Fun time reached its peak at dusk, with the fire works that held the children spellbound. And then, to bed after a weary, yet wondrous day.

Olga and I live with nostalgic memories of the days that will never come again. Our children are now grown up and have their own children who have their own gift-lists for Santa Claus. They have spent 24 Christmases in Canada, where 'everyday is Christmas,' if only because it is a land of plenty.

Yet, in the days of yore, there was more to Christmas than food, drink and revelry. It was a time for being among family and friends who cared for you. It was a time for the healing of wounds and to reflect on peace, goodwill and contentment. And' it was a time for 'sharing' - a rare commodity in affluent Canada. It is perhaps, in this context that our children still speak of the delightful days of their childhood Christmases at Kiribathgoda where they grew up. They cherish fond thoughts of the little things that gave them lots of joy.

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