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People and Events
Digging the past of colonial Lanka

by Nan
An hour of clean peace at the British Council on Wednesday 27 January, for which we give thanks. All thoughts of the mess of the recent poll in Wayamba and conjectures about the validity of the elections were blocked out; the mind being actively engaged in the tale of an author following the trail of a young woman who maintained a diary for a year in colonial Sri Lanka.

Introducing the evening's speaker and topic of her presentation, the Director of the British Council, Colombo, Ms. Susan Maingay, commented that we the audience sat between literary classics ranged on one side - the Millenium books to be distributed to libraries in Sri Lanka and notices of forthcoming modern writing on the other, with a contemporary author right there before us.

An English Woman's Diary
Dr Charlotte Cory, recognised British novelist and journalist had come across a diary - most unprepossessing in appearance and at first skim rather boring - in a second hand bookshop in Chester. The handwriting, somewhat copperplate, had however caught her eye. The friend she was with did not like second hand bookstores and could not bear to even look at tatty documents, though probably antique in value and worth. So Charlotte Cory returned the next day to the same shop and bought the diary.

The daily entries of Lora St Lo Wilkinson's uneventful year in Colombo, 1860, rather bored her at first, but as she continued reading she found them getting progressively more detailed and consequently more mind engaging. She wanted to flesh out the 18 year old girl/woman and the place she lived in. She wanted to know who's who she was, what became of her later, the details of the milieu she lived in, and so she came to Sri Lanka, arriving here on the 25th. She had visited Dublin and other places in Ireland where the Wilkinson's had come from and where Lora returned to.

The Colonial Memsahib
Lora was the daughter of a colonel and very much the young memsahib. The family of three children and the colonel and his wife were very upright people, subjects totally loyal to the Queen, and here in Ceylon to serve her in her far flung outpost, maintaining British standards and practices.

Her diary, begun on Sunday 1 January 1860, has a very short first entry on the event of the day: "Went to evening service." Other entries include details of walks on Galle Face Green, riding around in the Fort and thereabouts, church going, visits and her pets - pigeons, doves and goats. She mentions meeting and greeting Henry Ward. She does not forget to constantly make reference to the weather in true British style. As she warms to the delights of being a diarist, she details the collapse of a side wall of the Fort church on the poor vicar, Mr Whitely, who, as she notes was severely injured and "lost him his life". He was buried in the churchyard. A collection went round for the hapless widow. "The governor gave 10 pounds. We had hoped for 20. "

The O/H projector slides on screen invested what Dr Cory said with immediacy. She had managed to ferret out two photographs, one of the young Lora, full length, and the other of a middle-aged woman. The first page of her diary had this written in her flowing hand.

Lora St Lo Elizabeth Wilkinson's Diary for the year 1860 Colombo, Ceylon The Fort

with a cutout and pasted-on picture of a woman in a flared and tiered dress worn over a hoop.

No stirrings of love are mentioned, though Ms. Cory says she mentions one officer much too often, indicating perhaps a Victorian ripple of attraction which could lead to dignified courting and perchance love and marriage.

Lora, memsahibly, mentions a Sinhalese, or for that matter any Ceylonese, only once in her 365 entries. She says the family went for a drive and stopped at a Sinhalese shop to buy cake!

She does write about Kew Gardens and the attempt to grow cinchona from seeds taken across so as to make sufficient quinine to dose the British soldiers stationed in the East, giving up their health and lives to keep the British Empire unsplintered and the Jewel in the Crown intact.

The year 1860 was rather uneventful in the 18 year old Lora's life. But she did eventually embark on a more fulfilled life. She traced her lineage to the Irish. Her grandfather was rather an embarrassment to the family, her father a surveyor who helped build dams in Canada. He is cited in official documents as "Commanding Royal Engineers."

Diligent Searching for Clues
In tracing the antecedents and relatives of Lora, if any were living, Charlotte Cory went to Bath, Ireland and spent time in Dublin where Lora lived and took in her nephew who ran away from the military college.

Lora married a lawyer of 60, she being 38 at the time. She was widowed at 46, a wealthy woman living in a big house in Dublin, with no children of her own. She bequeathed her wealth to her nephew who took in and adopted a black who was a servant in Eastbourne. It was this John who finally inherited the wealth.

The most telling message that came across from the author's easy conversational presentation was her tenacity in tracing whatever details she could of Lora. She managed to find an entry in the Dublin Records Office for 1842 which fits in as Lora's birth. She visited people who may have known or heard of Lora's nephew and his adopted son. She acquired a book of poems gifted in the later part of the 1860s and other bits of memorabilia.

The simple diary entries tentacled themselves around Dr Cory. Lora became an obsession so much so that she felt there was some inexplicable link between the two of them. So she dropped the novel she was writing and chased up all clues leading to more about Lora. Hence her coming to Sri Lanka, walking along the Green soon after checking in at the Galle Face Hotel, moving around the Fort, visiting Cargills and feeling ever more connected to Lora St Lo Elizabeth Wilkinson, daughter of a British Colonel who lived in Ceylon and chronicled one year in her long life. A final entry says she could not buy herself a diary at Cargills.

Next year or the next, we will be able to read her story - not fictionalized, yet not historical either; not a biography per se but a life written by an author who is 'being led by the nose by her subject.' She does not create characters here, actual characters create the story, having caught and trapped her interest and fired her imagination.

A Breckenridge at Trinity again

by Cecil V. Wikramanayake
The first verse of the College song goes "It is good to see the school we knew, the land of youth and dream. To greet again the rule we knew before we took the stream. Though long we've missed the sight of her, our hearts may not forget; We've lost the old delight of her. We keep her honour yet." and so on to the chorus "We will honour yet the school we knew, the best school of all. We will honour yet the rule we knew till the last bell call...."

Yes, it was good to see the school I knew, fifty nine years after I said goodbye to it as I grew into manhood. It was even better to be there at the induction of the new Principal of Trinity College, Kandy, the youngest son of the man who guided me from adolescence to manhood, Robert Ratnasingham Breckenridge - the finest pedagogue I have known in the thirteen schools that I attended between the years 1930 and 1944.

Professor W. R. Breckenridge, who taught Zoology at the University of Sri Lanka at Peradeniya, till he took up the reins at the 'best school of all', was "just a little squirt", as he himself wrote to me not so long ago, when I came under the tutelage of his worthy father, shortly after I reached teenage.

In fact, when R. R. Breckenridge came to Ryde House and lived with us in his upstair room, in the junior dorm - the seniors were then downstairs - he was so much a part of us that we did not realise the tall, stern but kindly gentleman who stood straight as a ramrod was even married. That was a sacrifice made in the interests of us Rydites.

Saturday, January 23, 1999 was the date fixed for the induction of the new Principal. I was there, spending the whole day mooching around the old places, but meeting none of the old faces. There were changes, certainly, after sixty years. Changes for the better. New buildings had sprung up giving the College a rather crowded look. Gone was the huge mango tree in front of the science lab. The tree that only T. B. Pilapitiya, known to us all as "Booru", had the guts to climb - it was so huge - with a soiled-linen-bag, slung on his shoulder.

This he would fill and, holding the heavy bag in his teeth, would clamber down to the delight of his many friends waiting down below.

Gone also was the huge carpenters' shed beside the chapel, where, we young hungry boys, had cleared the planks to make a little room, completely hidden from view. Here we would bring manioc from the Trinity College Farm, then close to Asgiriya, and boil it in a four-gallon kerosene tin, inside the room. We were always hungry, us boarders, and boiled manioc was a treat indeed.

The sick room had become, in the time of classmate Lionel Fernando's regime as Principal, quarters for a member of the staff. It is now housed where Miss Kaule presided over the little fellows - Oscar Rajasooriya, Emmanuel Homer Titus, Graham Reith were some of them - in the Matron's Dormitory. The Matron's Dormitory has moved to Squealery, which no longer exists.

Pablis, the wonderful man who served us at the dining hall is no more. He had passed on to his Nirvana. His widow had followed suit only a week before my visit. But Pablis' son Guneratne was there in his place, and served another old boy and myself at lunch, hosted by the Napier Housemaster, Maurice Weragoda. It was simple and spartan, like in the days three score years ago. Rice, pol-sambol, Dhall curry and dry-fish, but it certainly beat the most expensive spread in the finest five-star hotel.

A word about Pablis, who spent most of his life at Trinity. On the last day of term, at breakfast, we would pelt him with cold, soggy hoppers every time he showed his face in the dining hall. He took it in the real holiday spirit, and never once reported a single boy for such behaviour. Pablis was truly a man of honour and a Trinitian in the real spirit of the word. May his son Gunaratne be the same.

Another old hand at Trinity deserves mention in my reminiscings. He is David the Sacristan, who has twenty nine years of his life at Trinity, tolling the bell for those for whom that bell tolls. We chatted together and he told me the story of how Rev. Whistler, then Chaplain of Trinity, got down the 900 pound brass bell from England, and how it was installed in the belfry of the Chapel.

That incident gave me grist for my mill and I wrote about it, parodying Maugham's story, calling my article "For whom This bell tolls".

A slight shower of rain - showers of blessings - heralded the hour of the induction, clearing up just half an hour before the invitees were asked to be in their seats.

Right on schedule, the service started announced by boys of the Trinity Drum and Dance Troupe, dressed in traditional Kandyan costume, and the procession came into the Chapel, where the paintings of David Paynter, an old boy now gone to his eternal rest, adorned the altar and walls of the chapel, as fresh as if he had just completed them.

"We are met together in the name of God" intoned the new Chaplain, Rev. Jayanath Panditharatne, "and in the presence of this congregation to dedicate and instal our brother in Christ, Dr. W. R. Breckenridge, who has been called to serve as Principal of Trinity College, Kandy. And for as much as the work of shepherding and training children and young people is so solemn and weighty a thing, we ask you to join together with us in prayer to Almighty God, that he may be given grace to perform aright the duties, which belong to so sacred a trust and that he may be enabled to fulfil the responsibilities of his calling with courage and wisdom."

Talking earlier to members of the staff as well as boarders in the school, I was able to gather that Warren Ranjitham Breckenridge, who had already taken up duties, had already given every indication of 'fulfilling the responsibilities of his calling with courage and wisdom' He was still occupying his old home on the Campus, while work was going on apace to prepare the new Principal's quarters at the very top of the hill that is Trinity, overlooking the chapel and all the other buildings.

The service went on. The first hymn was one we used to sing with gusto, while the organist Mrs. Vernon Jansze' played the piano. We boys thought she was the most beautiful woman we had ever seen - next to our mothers, of course, and we sang loud and clear mainly to please her.

Mrs. Jansze's place has now been taken by an old friend of Walter Perera's Madrigal days, Ben Alexander, who, though blind, recognised me by my voice when I called on him in his quarters next to the new infirmary. We indulged in a spot of nostalgic reminiscing.

Alex led the choir, at the organ, in the singing of 'Jesu, joy of man's desiring' and it was beautifully rendered

After the Sermon by another old friend of my mission-field days, Rev. Kumara Illangasinghe, we broke out into the College Hymn, Where river, lake and mountain meet, our boyhood's home surrounding, composed by Rev. W. S. Senior. As I sang all of the five verses, there were tears in my eyes. And I am certain there wasn't a dry eye in that chapel.

Then came the installation ceremony, when a member of the Board of Governors and its Secretary presented the new Principal before the Bishop of Kurunegala, Right Rev. Andrew Kumarage, with the words "Reverend Father in God, we present to you Dr. W. R. Breckenridge to be installed as the Principal of Trinity College, Kandy"

Bishop: (addressing the new Principal) You have been duly chosen and appointed and therefore it is our hope to instal you as the Principal of Trinity College, Kandy. Are you willing, in the name of God, to accept this trust and responsibility ?"

Principal: I am.

Ten years ago, Prof. Ranji Breckenridge would not say those two words. I, and several other old boys who valued the earlier Breckenridge era had tried to persuade him but without success. And so Trinity saw the Principals of Wesley College, and of Carey College taking charge of Trinity.

When at the end of the service, Prof. and Mrs. Breckenridge stood at the entrance of the chapel to receive, like a Bride and Groom at a wedding, the congratulations and felicitations of the congregation, I greeted Ranji with the words "You have made my dream come true". He embraced me and said " I have been waiting to meet you, Cecil."

Just before the Act of Dedication, the Vice Principal, the Senior Prefect, a member of the staff and a member of the minor staff welcomed the newly inducted Principal saying "On behalf of the College, we welcome you as our Principal, and promise that we will bear our full share with you in all the work of the College."

To which the Principal, in the same staccato tones of his father Robert Ratnasingham Breckenridge replied "I receive your welcome with a glad heart, and promise that I will devote myself with faithfulness, zeal and love to the work of the College."

I had closed my eyes as he had begun speaking, and in my mind's eye I could see my old house-master and teacher telling us "When you have to make a speech, just remember three things. Stand up. Speak up. Shut up."

Ranji Breckenridge, standing there in the chapel, brought to recall the days when R. R. Breckenridge would stand before us at the Glee Club and instruct us in the correct way to perform those tricky words and tunes of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas.

At exactly one hour after it began the service was over. We waited patiently our turn to pay homage to the new Head of Trinity and to his wife. And as we waited, we chatted to old friends. There was just one of my vintage, Lionel Perera of Leesching & Lee fame, a classmate just a little younger than I am. There were a few other younger contemporaries, like Upatissa Hulugalle, Kenneth Botejue, Dr. Neil Halpe, Dr. Wadugodapitiya, Rajah Adhihetty. There was also Ranji's batch-mate at the University T. D. S. A. Dissanayake who, with his wife, was seated next to me. 'Jungle' junior wore his Royal College tie with pride.

We were all agreed that with the dawning of the new Millennium, there was also dawning for Trinity College, Kandy, a new era. The second Breckenridge era, that will restore to the best school of all its pristine glory.

Sahabdeen Foundation records two decades of distinguished service

The A. M. M. Sahabdeen Foundation was set up as an Educational and Social Development Institution in 1979 and was registered as a non-profit making organisation.

After several years of social service in varied fields, on a national and non sectarian basis, it became necessary to set up another associate institution, the A. M. M. Sahabdeen Trust Foundation incorporated by Act of Parliament No. 3 of 1991 with wider objectives.

Both these institutions are non sectarian, national and international in the scope of their activities. At the inception, the Sahabdeen Foundation limited its assistance mostly to educational scholarships, but in course of time, it had to expand its activities, to other social service fields as well.

From 1979 to 1998, 1332 Scholarships at different levels - from Ordinary Level (O/L) to Post Graduate studies - were given to eligible and needy students and scholars. Applications were carefully processed to ensure that due weightage was given not only to merit but also to the social and economic background of the student concerned.

During the period 1982 to 1986, substantial donations were made to the Sugathadasa Stadium Development Fund, National Health Development Fund, Sri Lanka Cricket Foundation, National Housing Development Authority, Sevana Fund, several places of worship and to Social Service establishments, such as, Orphanages, Libraries, Rehabilitation and Refugee centres.

After its incorporation by Act of Parliament No. 3 of 1991, the A. M. M. Sahabdeen Trust Foundation, inaugurated the first ever Sri Lankan International Awards, to recognise excellence and honour Scholars and Scientists in the Asian Region, and others who have made outstanding contributions to human progress in the fields of International Understanding, Science, Literature and Human Development. Selections to these awards are made by a Board of eminent persons headed by the Chairman of the Foundation, Desamanya Dr. A. M. M. Sahabdeen. These awards are listed in the International Director of Awards, Honours and Prizes published by the Gale Research INC of Detroit and are also referred to in the International WHO'S WHO of Europa Publications, London.

In 1998, the Sahabdeen Trust Foundation established a major project - the Mohamed Sahabdeen Institute for Advanced Studies and Research at Pahamune in the Kurunegala District. In this Higher Educational Centre, about 150 Undergraduates are following courses leading to external degrees of the Peradeniya University. English is taught as a compulsory subject.

Another project completed in 1996 is the Girls' Hostel of the Madeena National School at Siyambalagaskotuwa, also in the Kurunegala District.

An on-going project is the School Hall for the Koyyavadi Govt. School, near a Refugee Centre at Nurichcholai, in the Puttalam District.

In the field of health and rehabilitation, the Foundation has sponsored the setting up of a National Spinal Injuries Unit in collaboration with MOTIVATION, a U.K. based non governmental organisation. It's objectives are; to improve the survival rate, and the rehabilitation of disabled people in Sri Lanka and increase their quality of life through increased opportunity for independence, and full integration into society, and to provide a sustainable production, distribution and financing system for primary healthcare products and wheelchair and mobility equipment provision to Sri Lanka.

Getting a new pair of glasses - another modern miracle

by Cecil V. Wikramanayake
"O say what is that thing called light
Which I must ne'er enjoy ?
What are the blessings of the sight ?
O tell your poor blind boy."

The new technology and the computer , while bringing speed and efficiency in administration, have also proved a boon to mankind in many more ways. One of them is to be found at Techno-optics, as I discovered last week.

It was nine years since I had changed my spectacles. For various reasons, one of them being pecuniary, I had kept putting off doing so, till I found myself walking about like the blind boy whose story, from an old poem, I have quoted above.

Then I met Nalin Malalgoda, who is married to the daughter of an old classmate at that 'best school of all'.

"Give me a ring anytime and come over " said Nalin. "I'll put you right and restore your sight."

I did so, and received the most pleasant shock I have had in a long time.

He took me into a little room at his business place just behind Temple Trees.

"This won't take long" he promised. "Just keep your chin on this chin-rest and place your forehead against that bar" he said, sitting me in a chair in front of a little contraption.

I obeyed. I heard him switch on a machine, and on the screen in front of my eyes I saw a light - out of focus.

I heard a clicking sound and the focus changed. Another click and the focus changed again. A third click and the light was as clear as ever. Completely in focus.

Talking of focus reminded me of a little 'grace before meals' that one of my daughters had said:

"Hocus pocus,
Germs out of focus;
Don't let them choke us; Amen."

Nalin took me to another machine and placed me on a seat there.

This time he placed a contraption against my forehead, and switched on something.

I saw the light again. But out of focus. A series of clicks and it came into focus.

Then, under the light, I began to see several rows of letters. Also out of focus.

More clicks and the entire picture was in focus.

Nalin manipulated the machine and in a few moments a little piece of paper, somewhat like that used in a bus-conductor's ticket machine, came out of it.

The paper contained a complete diagnosis of the condition of my eyes, complete with prescription for the lenses I needed.

"Give me a ring and come tomorrow morning " said Nalin, as he led me into the main room. "Your glasses will be ready."

I offered him my old frame on which to have the glasses fitted.

"No, Cecil" said Nalin. "I will have a frame to suit your personality. Don't worry."

Ten minutes after I had entered Techno-optics, I was out in the open again, on my way back to work.

I just could not believe it. Nine years earlier, when I had my eyes tested, it was a long and tedious process. A heavy frame had been put on my nose, and lens after lens tried on each eye, till the optometrist had found the correct ones. I had spent more than half an hour in that chair.

This time it was less than ten minutes. Thanks to computer technology.

I called Nalin the following day, and made it to his miracle-working laboratory. I found him waiting for me, with a brand new pair of glasses, the frame of which made me look younger than my seventy five years.

I tried on the glasses and, mirabile dictu, I was seeing the world again.

Where earlier I had to peer to read or see anything more than twenty yards away, I could now see things five times that distant, and as clear as ever. I could read the letters of name-boards on buildings a long way away.

More. Instead of walking looking down at where I was putting my feet, I found myself walking out of the building with a spring in my step, looking straight ahead. My confidence had returned as I accompanied Nalin's son, Sohan to his car. He gave me a lift to where I was going, but it was nothing like the lift his father had given me!

Maha Sivarathri - the holy night of God Siva

M. K. Sellarajah - J.P.U.M
President - Thirukoneswaram Temple - Trincomalee

The "Maha Sivarathri" (the holy night of the great God Siva or Iswara) is an important annual lunar festival of the Saivite Hindus which coincides with the newmoon in February. This particular darkest night of the month is dedicated to God Siva whose divine blessings are supposed to extol on those devotees who make offerings and benefaction to the god during the night in the form of "Pooja" anticipating material gain in this world and celestial bliss in the life to come. "Lord Siva" is the third godhead of the Hindu Triad (Thirumoorthi) the other two as the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer of the universe and the cosmic forces. However, as Mahadeva, God Siva is acclaimed by the Saivites as an incarnation of Maha Brahama the reputed Creator.

PARABLEThe parabale of the Maha Sivarathri is woven into the fabric of Hindu mythology. It says that one day a hunter, promising to bring his wife a good catch of flesh, went into the wilderness to hunt expecting a good return. As the response was poor, he kept on hunting the whole day wishing to return home before dusk whatever flesh he had managed to collect. Unknowingly, the time passed and as veil of darkness began to cover the wilderness, he made his homeward journey with the little flesh he had with him.

As he could not get out of the wilderness in time, and apprehensive of the danger from wildbeasts he thought to spend the night in the jungle and go home the following morning. So he climbed a nearby proliferous tree, kept the flesh on one of the branches, and he himself sat on another branch, wishing to spend the night on the tree. As hours passed, he felt sleepy but he did not sleep fearing he might fall down. However he began to doze and in that dull stupefied state of drowsiness he began to make himself more comfortable by making stationary movements.

As the hunter did so, the branch began to shake, a few leaves fell to the ground. The tree happened to be a "beli" or wood apple (Aogle Marmelos) tree, a favourite of the god. The leaves had accidentally fallen upon a sacred "LINGAM" of the god that had been placed there by some devout hunters, with a view to propitiate the god in times of calamity or danger. The hunter at top of the tree, was completely unaware that such a thing was happening.

God Siva, having come to know that someone was performing a pooja in the name of the god, surveyed the terrestrial sphere with his divine eye and saw the man seated on the branch of the wood-apple tree. Wishing to do him good, the god made a divine decree that the man, after his death should be brought to "Kailas" (The celestial abode of the god.)

After a few years, the hunter died, having accumulated the mortal sin of taking life and was, at once, born in hell to be punished for his sins. The hunter was produced before the Yamaraja (lord of the underworld) and was sentenced to undergo the bloody ordeal in the "Raurava" hell. In the meantime, God Siva saw the unfortunate plight of the hunter and forthwith commanded that the man be released from hell and sent to "Kailas".

LINGAM
This similitude explains the importance of "MAHA SIVARATHRI" and how a pooja conducted in the name of God Siva, on the particular night, is capable of washing away sins already committed during the course of earthly existence, all Saivite Hindus believe in the divine attributes of God Siva culminating in "Lingam" worship "Lingam" is the "Shakthi" (power) of the god whose manifold manifestations are highly acclaimed by the votaries.

God Siva is known by many other names as well. Viz. Rudra, Maheswara, Shankara, Mahakala, Nataraja, Trilochana, Neelakanda, Pasupathi, Ugrajeva, Vishvanatha, Neelagriva, Mahendra, Jegadrom, Kalanjara, Gangadhara, Mahayogi etc.

The worship of the "Siva Lingam" by Saivite Hindus is done with great faith and devotion. The three principal "Kovils" (Hindu temples or devales) dedicated to the god in Sri Lanka are the Munneswaram Kovil in Chilaw, the Koneswaram Kovil in Trincomalee and the Thiruketheswaram Kovil in the North, Mannar. The Siva Devale No. 2 (Vanvan Madhavi Iswaran Kovil) in Polonnaruwa stands testimony to the prevalence of Hunduism during the Polonnaruwa period (1088 - 1231).

The worship of the phallus used in fertility rituals was in vogue among the ancient Greeks, the people of the Asia Minor, among the Saivite Hindus, and many others, in various parts of the world, believed in its procreative potential. Specially young couples who had failed to bring forth children by them seek the help of this very divine power to fulfil their expectations.

The divine vehicle of the God Siva is a white bull and according to the Vogue Purana, it is an offspring born of Rishi Kasyapa to Woman Surabhi. Accordingly all cattle is held with reverence by the Hindus and cutting beef is taboo to them.

There is a belief that during the "Iswara Vinsathiya" (the 20 year period attributed to God Siva) beef cutting brings the wrath of the god resulting in untold misery to the consumers and the slaughters at large. The sacred bull is known as "Nandhi".

The votaries of God Siva have a profound faith in the divinity and consider that the festival of the "Maha Sivarathiri" should be conducted to apease the god in such manner so that they could invoke the blessings of the god to achieve their mundane objectives.

The Golden Jubilee Concert

by D. B. Kappagoda
Indian classical music is one of the most ancient and difficult art forms preserved to this day. People who lived in Vedic times delighted in listening to the Rig Veda when they were chanted in monotone. Later they listened to Gatha with two notes and then Sama Veda in three notes.

It was during the post vedic period that five note swaras in octave form of composition of a raga came into vogue. According to the Indian musical tradition, the spirit of music is a form of "Sadhana" in which musicians seek their salvation.

Therefore it is necessary that Indian music like all other art forms should move with the times. In this context Dr. Subramaniam who is well versed in music, both Indian and Western, has a record in creating original works.

He wrote a major symphony, Fantasy on Vedic Chants, which he premiered with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and received a standing ovation from the audience.

He repeated his performance over 25 times by playing with famous international orchestras. He has displayed his skill as a violinist when he played with Yehudi Menhuin and Stephan Grapelli.

In addition he has fused his playing with Jazzers like Herbie Hancock, Mike Love, George Harrison and the Classical Leipzig Gewardhaus Orchestra in Germany, the London Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra of South Africa.

He then launched the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival in 1992. It was a tribute by Dr. Subramaniam's wife, Viji, to Prof. Lakshminarayana (his father) who wanted to popularise Indian music.

His father Prof. V. Lakshmininarayana belonged to the Indian music tradition of Sri Balaswamy Dikshithar, who is said to have introduced the violin to Indian music as an accompaniment.

He said of his father, "It was my father's dream to make the Indian violin as a primary solo instrument on par with the Western violin and see it played over the world in prestigious concert halls."

The day's programme began with the rendering of Carnaticragas - scales in the traditional style. Dr. Subramaniam was accompanied by very able accompanists in Tavil, Ghatam, Mridanga, Marchang and Tambura.

The traditional carnatic music was played with Kriti. It was composed by Muttuswamy Dikshithar in Adhitala when he played Pancher Nadir during improvisation which was a difficult piece to perform.

Dr. Subramaniam displayed his dedication to music in his own style. In addition he showed his command in writing in the hearts and minds of the listeners as a poem not only music but also with his presentation. In doing so he displayed his command in music and there was serenity created in the atmosphere.

His playing showed the discipline he has achieved in music and personality which is divine, only an artiste of his calibre can achieve. With the opening raga alapana he covered the entire range of ornamentations which are integral to Indian classical music.

The ragas he played was in praise of Lord Ganesh. Dr. Subramaniam while playing he developed it through Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charnam. The listeners were swayed when he played conveying the subtleties of the composition.

There is no doubt about the skill of Dr. Subramaniam in handling his violin when he played. He was ably assisted by his accompanists in keeping with the beat. It was quite evident that the programme was well rehearsed. This was seen when he made the improvisations of the ragas. It was not confined to the traditional mode of playing on the violin. His training in the western technique perhaps improved the quality of rendering the difficult ragas of the Carnatic music tradition to the present day listeners.

Moreover Dr. Subramaniam played the traditional form of alap with mastery and authority. This he did with grace and beauty. The subtle swaras which were essentially emotional in nature proved the technical mastery of the violin.

After the intermission the Danish trio Kim Menzer, Tom Roy Neilsen and Thomas Menzer performed their different items. Their programme consisted of five parts. The first was Memories from Mother's Rose Garden in which the players used instruments - small wood flute, guitar and western flute. In the second Pan flute and guitar were used to play the number Sky Walks.

Alhambra was the next item in which the guitar was used. The fourth number was Put it Down: Pick it up, in which cardboard box and the Australian aboriginal long pile Didjeridoo was employed. The last number was Zebra Danza in which Western flute, guitar and cardboard box, keyboard and electric bass provided the rhythmic music that delighted the listeners, especially when the players played softly. The world of wonder and happiness filled the air with the music of the wind instruments. The soft sound that was played drifted in the air making the audience feel lighter with the presentation.

The audience who witnessed the playing both Indian and Western parts of the concert did not notice the fusion of different styles of music. Instead of fusion of music what was played, two different styles of music in the form of a variety. In short there was no fusion in music; instead both styles remained distinct. It is noteworthy that the Carnatic music is essentially religious in content, bringing joy to the listeners.

The concert displayed a variety showing the quality of music based on traditions that remain different. There was a distinct feature, namely new musical landscapes, where people are beginning to appreciate different styles of music.

It is opportune to mention the accompanists, K. Sekar on Tavil, K. Gopinath on Mridangam, R. M. Subramaniam on Ghattam and Sathya Sai on Morsing. The four belonging to the Madras ensemble, accompanied Dr. Subramaniam on the tour. The orchestra rendered the most important part of the Carnatic music concert by giving resonance to the performance. It was the result of hours of rehearsing their musical programme.

On the other hand, the Danish players provided music with the Bamboo flute, Dedjiridoo displaying the variety of music in keeping with the day's programme, music of India and Europe.

Summing up, a word has to be said of the organisers namely the Sunetra Bandaranaike Trust. Their aim is to establish a permanent theatre workshop for the disadvantaged young persons. It is to provide opportunities to become full and active members of society through performing arts - a vital necessary for our young people to realise their creativity.

Food at a price for the poor

by Himangi Jayasundere
Keeping the homefires burning and feeding the family have now become an indispensably expensive luxury for the poor.

With inflation continuing, prices of essential consumer essentials sky rocketing, consumers have become helpless victims of compulsive economic forces.

Be it rice, potatoes, onions, coconuts, fish, meat or any other essential consumer commodity, prices continue to soar making it difficult for parents to provide nutritious dishes to their loved ones - truly on heart rending experience.

Bread for example come in different shapes and sizes. Although the price of a standard loaf is Rs. 8.50 it appears on bakery shelves in divergent shapes and sizes. Although the prices Rs. 8.50 loaves are the first to vanish from the shelves, giving the customer Hobson's choice. Consumers complain that most often the standard weight of 450g is not adhered to. But then who cares? Nobody in authority seems to be bothered about the plight of the consumers.

One need not ask a cross section of the public, as newspapers generally do, whether the cost-of-living is today a burgeoning problem. You and I feel it. And some of them who found the load too heavy to bear spoke out as in the case of a teacher from Ratmalana who opined that the price of daily needs like food items have moved beyond the reach of the common man. She lamented that the cost of transport was also exceedingly high. With the recent price jump in onions and

potatoes, vital components in our staple diet, people are left in a situation with little choice.

A retired lawyer said that prices of essentials such as vegetables and fish varied at different places while especially in the supermarkets prices were higher.

A housewife spoke of her experience of finding damaged clothes amongst good ones in a reputed clothes shop.

A young working girl said that she found good quality items too expensive while what was within an affordable range was low quality.

Another housewife spoke of the high rates charged on electricity and phone bills.

A businesswoman said that electricity charges were too high. She said that the charge for GST was unfair because even the poorest were compelled to pay this tax.

A father complained that he had to pay over Rs 1000 on a school list for his son attending year three in a public school. With consumer complaints as they are, one begin to wonder if there is no regulatory machinery in operation.

According to the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) price control no longer exists. Pricing is fixed according to the open market policy of supply and demand. The only items currently coming under price control are pharmaceuticals. The objective of the Commission is to ensure that fair pricing is used for drugs based on the gazetted formula and on the import price.

Despite the fact that price control is applicable on pharmaceuticals, many consumers complain that prices at other pharmacies vary from those at Osu Sala. The reason for this, according to the FTC, is the fact that Osu Sala imports drugs under the generic name of the drug while private companies do so under the brand name.

The FTC has the authority to investigate monopolies, mergers and anti competitive practices on receiving information. It can also pronounce judgment as it has the powers of a district court.

Following the Industrial Promotion Act No. 46 of 1990 being substituted by sections 18-26 of FTC Act 47, essential items which came under price control were repealed.

For Consumer problems such as television receivers that do not work when they are brought home from the shop and light bulbs that don't give the promised hours, consumers can find a solution for their problems at the Department of Internal Trade which conducts investigations into complaints made and offers redress to the aggrieved parties.

Some of the most common consumer problems that the department comes across are dishonouring of warantees and guarantees, bogus and false warantees and guarantees, lack of after sales service, spare parts and skilled workers.

Some of the modes of redress obtained by consumers include refund of amount charged or the excess amount charged, payment of compensation, replacement of the article, replacement of any other articles to the value, repairing, supply of spare parts, granting of guarantees and warantees, correcting defects in articles and removal of defective articles from the market.

On investigation those found selling over priced pharmaceuticals and illegal dealers are prosecuted.

According to the Sri Lanka Standards Institution which deals with the quality assurance of products, all imported items go through a compulsory inspection. Their list of items which receive the SLS mark include 57 imported items and 16 compulsory items.

If all else fails, consumers have the choice of resorting to consumer resistance which appears to be an untapped area.

Mr. Moddy Fonseka, president of the National Consumer Watch says that consumer resistance in Sri Lanka is zero. In his opinion; there is consumer awareness among the people. 'We will also need the support of the police to carry out rallies to inform the public', he said. People get tired of complaining at one point when no action is being taken, he pointed out.

'There were around 4,000 consumer protection groups all over the country, but today you can count the existing number on your fingers", he said.

The National Consumer Watch hopes to initiate a project that will enlighten consumers in the area of 'informed choice'. However, they lack funds to go through with this project, Mr. Fonseka said.

He pointed out that in other countries consumer goods were evaluated and tested in independent accredited labs and research Organizations before they were moved into the consumer market. The information that consumers will receive from this process ensure that they are not fooled by advertising hypes, he said.

A Consumer Protection Authority Bill, which envisages to provide the consumer quality and value for his money, is now being drawn up to be placed before Parliament according to Trade Ministry sources.

S. L. A. F. helps Fire Brigade save life and property

by Suresh P. Perera
Not many people realise what the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has done for the Colombo Fire Brigade transforming an ill-equipped and virtually obsolete outfit into an effective fire fighting force in the city.

The lack of a fire brigade with essential equipment and vehicles proved costly to Sri Lanka in terms of lives and property at the time of the LTTE's January 31,1996 devastating Central Bank bomb attack. What happened was unimaginable. They set off a huge bomb in the heart of the city that busy morning. Adjacent buildings caught fire and hundreds of innocent people were trapped within the giant mangled structures. The death toll was heavy. When the smoke cleared and the barbarity of this dastardly deed came into focus, the question all asked was whether the rescue operation in place served its purpose effectively? No doubt scores of lives were saved, but how many more were left to die?

It was at that crucial juncture the government placed the Colombo fire brigade under the control and command of the Air Force which knew what fire fighting was all about. With every airfield having SLAF fire fighters and a cadre of around 200.

What's the outcome? A well-equipped, professional fire fighting entity has got off the ground. Well, seeing is believing. And that is exactly why I visited the heavily-guarded portals of the fire brigade down Darley Road last Tuesday.

Airmen and women in their smart uniforms were busy at work.

'In this sphere professionalism is of utmost importance as a fireman has to be, at all times, in a state of more readiness than a serviceman', explains squadron leader Kolitha Nissanka, the officer-in-charge.

The country has gone through the worst of fires following the Kolonnawa and Central Bank bomb attacks.' At that time the fire brigade didn't have what it takes to do effectively and efficiently what was required of it. Fire fighting is a highly professional and specialised job. A fireman faces difficult situations and until he reaches the scene he won't know what type of fire he has to battle. No two fires are alike and the SLAF has an added advantage because it has aircraft at its disposal to meet any contingency', he said.

Squadron Leader Nissanka, a graduate of the Institute of Fire Engineers, has been handpicked for the challenging task of leading missions to scenes others flee from.' We are now ready and geared to meet any situation that may arise', he said with confidence as he guided me around the fortified complex which is guarded round the clock.

'After the Central Bank blaze, the SLAF was asked to submit a report with recommendations to improve the country's fire fighting system.

Personnel management including daily training, discipline and management at all levels and the lack of equipment such as vehicles, protective gear, boots etc., were the two main areas identified. A major part of the hydrant system in Colombo is unserviceable and water pressure lacking.

There was a spate of obstacles we had to overcome to get the whole exercise in motion', he pointed out.

Experts from the Manchester fire brigade in United Kingdom were in town to train the fire fighters. After the 'take-over', the civilian staff work with the airmen.' There exists some resistance from a minute segment because fire fighting was earlier treated as a comfortable job, more of the leisure type. It must be understood that the task involved is a professional one and physical fitness go a long way', he stressed.

Recalling the LTTE raid on the Kolonnawa oil installations, he said the civilian firemen were reluctant to enter the complex for fear of Tigers on the prowl. Special teams to tackle LTTE-related fire situations, have been formed. They have armed escorts to move into a scene of that nature.

Thanks to the efforts of SLAF commander, Air Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody, the fire brigade is today well equipped. Major vehicles with long-range ladders and platforms, a foam, dry chemicals and water carrying 'triple agent vehicle' and water bowsers are new additions to the existing fleet. These can stand a ten-hour operation in the event of a major disaster.

The existing four fire stations in Colombo are inadequate.' We must have in place at least 12 such stations to cut down on the distance and reaction time due to traffic congestion on our roads.

Sometimes people blame the fire brigade for arriving 'after everything is over'. SLAF has eliminated this to a great extent by despatching fire engines from a nearby base to battle the blaze until we reach the scene. We can also call for helicopter assistance, if the need arises', squadron leader Nissanka said.

Assisting him in the task of fighting fires is chief engineering officer, squadron leader Senaka Liyanasuriya.

Using video clippings of the major blazes caused by the Tigers, the problems and drawbacks that emerged in handling those disasters have been carefully scrutinised by the SLAF. At the time of the Central Bank bomb blast, the Ceylinco building was also extensively damaged and there was a raging fire fanned by the winds. The inability to take vehicles close to the burning building hampered rescue operations. The identification of this flaw had led to the formation of a highly trained SLAF 'rope access rescue team'.

In the event of a major disaster, the Air Force has a command vehicle lined up which can make radio contact even with aircraft. Under the purview of the 'Incident Control Unit', it co-ordinates operations while on the move.

'Keeping up the rigid training is essential', says warrant officer Indrasoma as we watch a spectacular 'mock operation' by the daring airmen. Rescuing the 'injured' from a burning building, saving those trapped within and

using a rescue cushion to help the terrified victims to make a safe landing and prevent jumping to their deaths, were all part of the action.

A group of airmen involved in the gallant mission have also been given a practical training on First Aid at Sri Jayewardenapura hospital to handle delicate situations where people badly injured or suffering from a heart attack, have to be rescued. Another batch will be trained at the Colombo National Hospital.

After the SLAF came into the picture in 1996, sixteen civilian fire brigade personnel have been sent for overseas training. They were sent by the Ministry of Defence to Japan, Finland and Indonesia for training courses on fire fighting vehicles.' When emergency regulations are lifted, we will move out, but the professionalism and expertise we inculcated will remain with the fire brigade. It's how you do the job and not who does it that counts', squadron leader Nissanka reasoned.

'At the time of the bomb attack on the Central Bank, the skylift hydraulic platform was not available. It was being used to cut some branches at Vihara Maha Devi Park. By the time it came to assist the rescue exercise an hour had gone by. This was required to attack the fire from the top. Then there were no stretchers available. This led a philanthropist to later make a donation of 50 stretchers.

During the 1995 Kolonnawa oil facility blaze, for 6 hours fire fighters could not enter the complex. They wanted it 'cleared' as the attackers were suspected to be within the storage complex. To fight a fire, reaction time is vital. Once a blaze is out of control, it's tough to battle it', he noted.

Referring to the fire at the Kelanitissa thermal power station, he pointed out that it was easy to handle due to swift reaction at the initial stage itself.

Be they protective clothing, masks, radiation metres and above all expertise at the highest level, are now part of the legacy of the Colombo fire brigade, thanks to the SLAF.

'Breathing apparatus is important to a fireman as ammunition is to a serviceman', says Nissanka.

He said that a misconception existed among some people that the fire brigade has to be paid a fee for dousing a blaze.' There is absolutely no truth in that. All our services are entirely free of charge and the public should in no way try to even offer money privately for the 'trouble taken'. All expenditure involved is met by the government', he clarified.

The intention of this article is not to belittle what the Colombo Municipality-run fire brigade achieved during its tenure. It certainly did what was possible within the resources available at that time. The objective here is to drive home the fact that Colombo, which has come under many an attack by the LTTE and the looming threat which cannot be played down, is now adequately armed with an acceptable fire fighting system to meet any eventuality. No sensible person will try to argue that priority should not be given to this sector when taking into account the grave situation at hand.

From what it was, the Colombo fire brigade has got off to a flying start and is cruising to new heights. And when those fire sirens go off, it's the Air Force that will 'land'.

130 year old diary inspires tale of colonial Ceylon

by Nanda Pethiyagoda
It was easy talking with Dr Charlotte Cory who's here in Sri Lanka for a couple of days to imbibe the feel of the background to the story she's writing about Lora St Lo Elizabeth Wilkinson.

Lora Wilkinson was the daughter of Colonel Wilkinson, Commanding Royal Engineers, stationed in the Fort, Colombo in the mid 1800s. She kept a diary for the year 1860 which caught the eye of Charlotte Cory in a second hand book store in Chester. Reading it at first desultorily, its day to day recorded minutia rather boring her, she soon found herself absorbed in the very ordinary things Lora wrote about: walks on Galle Face Green, Sunday service at the church in the Fort, shopping at Cargills.

She had bought the tatty diary only because the handwriting in it rather caught her fancy and also because she felt the 140 year old document needed a home. But soon enough it became obsessive. She was enthralled by the complete snapshot presented of the 18 year old Victorian girl - complete in tiny details but with gaps about her lineage, thoughts, emotions and attitudes to important issues such as colonialism and the natives.

Obsessed with the Diarist
Charlotte Cory says that Lora is like a sister to her with maternal feelings being received and given back to her. She is bound to her by inexplicable bonds; obsessed, albeit healthily, by the woman and writing a book about her. The bonding and attraction is passionate and weird too.

I tentatively suggested reincarnation as a possibility and an explanation for the strong bonding and the feel of familiarity she experienced as she walked about the Fort and along Galle Face Green.

"No, it's not that. That's too straighfforward an explanation. I had a very minor introduction to Sri Lanka with my stamp collection which I gave up at age 15. I had Ceylon stamps up until the visit of the present Queen and Prince Philip to Ceylon in the 1950s I believe."

I drew parallels between Ruth Prawer Jhabwallah's Heat and Dust, set in India about a young woman who visits India to get to know better the story of an ancestor who, married to a Britisher in the Indian Civil Service forsook him for the pasionate love of an Indian prince, only to be discarded as the fire dies down in the prince. Dr Cory did not quite agree with me, nor did she see strong parallels. I was attempting to explain her strong bond with Lora and her fascination with her story.

She has three novels written within the last ten years; dark comedies as she describes the genre of her writing - "the funny side of human tragedy. The outcome of curiosity in the human condition, interpreted as dark comedy." The novels were on display at the British Council on the 27th and will be made available on loan shortly. The Laughter of Fools with the following comment added on to the cover: a natural storyteller. Guardian The Unforgiving. Cory has created a glorious spider's web of high Victorian Gothic. Cosmopolitan The Guest

When she bought the rather tattered diary and then realized its worth as a portrait of a colonial woman detailing one year of her Victorian life, she suggested producing a radio play. As she unearthed more details from her determined search and pieces fell in place, she decided to write a book about Lora. She says that normally in fiction writing, the writer creates characters and the milieu; it is organic building up. The created characters are like children of one's own.

But when considering expanding the diary and writing the life history of the woman, the characters were already created. This was a novel experience - writing in reverse almost. The plot and characters had caught her squarely and were creating a story to be written by her.

The author
Charlotte Cory is a beautiful, slim 42 year old, married to a man who is completely supportive of her work. She had, from her very young days, known she would be a writer and started writing seriously ten years ago. Three completed novels in that comparatively short time indicate her total absorption in her work. She entered the world of publishing through her art - illustrating books, some of them with woodcuts. She went into journalism and continues to be a contributor to the Guardian, Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph. She also works with the BBC.

She says journalism is a healthy antidote to fiction writing since it compels interaction with the outside world instead of becoming totally immersed in the novel being written, identifying oneself with characters created and then being swamped by them.

She is that way with Lora, strongly bonded. She even discovered a peculiar connection in her name and that of her subject as she sat one day sending off an email. C-h-a-r-l-o-t-t-e having within it L-o-r-a. Such her obsession with the woman who lived in Sri Lanka almost 1 1/2 centuries ago.

'What are your impressions of Colombo? How do you feel being here?'

"Magical! I really like it. The almost weird bond I have with Lora is strengthened. I keep telling myself Lora spent evenings here at the Galle Face Hotel where I am staying, walked along the Green, lived in the Fort and shopped at Cargills. I went to Cargills and visited the church. It's all so fascinating. Coming from Katunayake I saw bullock carts which Lora mentions in her diary. I cannot quite identify where Lora's home was."

"The Fort is changed and so built up. There was once a garrison where the Central Bank is. I know there was a school for the children of the British armed forces situated there which was the first home of the 40 year old Overseas School of Colombo" I said.

Charlotte Cory graduated from the University of Bristol and obtained her PhD in Medieval Literature from the University of York. She won the Arts Council of English Writers Award in 1995 and was writer-in-residence at Cambridge University. She lives in a suburb of Manchester and has no children, instead two dogs she dotes on.

Questioned about her reaction to the high security in the Fort and elsewhere, she said it did not bother her too much. It reminded her of Ireland. She did however get the move on command when she stopped to take a photograph of the Kollupitiya Police Station .

"Goodness that's a top security area. It's a wonder you were let off so easily!" I exclaimed.

She said the General Post Office building was marvellous - so colonial. She had gone to Cargills to buy herself a dress (!) as Lora mentions she bought material for a riding habit from the shop in 1860. "Of course they had no clothes on sale."

I mentioned Leonard Woolfe and said I kept re-reading Volume 2 of his autobiography Growing, in which he details his life in Sri Lanka as Magistrate, Assistant Government Agent and Government Agent. She replied she had not seen the autobiography in the shops but "did get a copy of his novel on Ceylon for just 150 rupees."

A person from the audience at the British Council asked her when she expects her book to be available on sale. She replied it would be published in a year or two. It was not a historical novel, neither a biography. It is the story of this woman in colonial Ceylon who maintained a diary from January 1 to December 31, 1860.

"Her life is in my hands now."

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