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Secrets of an enduring marriage
by Neville WijesingheEvery couple getting married hopes and prays, with every fibre of their being, that theirs would be an enduring marriage. They would, quite naturally, look to their marriage to provide them with the enjoyment of the intimacies of mutual love and respect, including a secure, safe and stable sexual relationship; the enjoyment of a beautiful and loving companionship; and the possibility of having children and raising a family in a happy and harmonious environment. Unfortunately, for very many couples, in love with each other and getting married, harsh reality is vastly different.
It is a popular notion in today’s society that a couple needs nothing more than to be deeply in love with each other to ensure that their marriage will be a bed of roses. Many a couple who find themselves in love and who decide to get married, believe that thereby they will cement their love for each other, and set it in concrete for ever more. Alas, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact the converse of this is very much nearer the truth. Modern marriage is a minefield of traps and snares that could very easily wither even the deepest fountain of love that ever moulded a couple together in marriage.
Love in Action
So what can be done to ensure that getting married will not necessarily mean the dissipation of a couple’s mutual love for each other? What is the position of love in a marriage? Is it destined to grow less and less amidst the hurly burly of day to day living and vanish altogether? What are the secrets of love in an enduring marriage? These are embodied in one basic and all encompassing premise — love in marriage must take on a different aspect than what it was prior to marriage: in marriage, love should undergo a transformation from highly romanticized and ethereal feelings of trance-like ecstasy and subliminal happiness to more "practical" versions of it. In other words, couples must quite deliberately bring themselves down to earth, without waiting for circumstances to drag them forcibly down to earth. The reason for this is that marriage is a very practical business and is therefore not consistent with feelings of romantic heavenly bliss. A couple therefore who, intelligently and with foresight deliberately work towards transforming their premarital quality of highly romanticized ecstatic love, to more practical aspects of it, will stand a very good chance of stabilizing their marriage.Best Friends
What then are these practical aspects of love that comprise the " secrets " of love in a marriage that is to succeed and endure? The first practical aspect of marital love is "Friendship." On the wedding day itself, at the wedding in fact, the couple must consecrate each as the other’s best friend. On the wedding day all other ‘best friendships’ must cease, and be supplanted by this one and only best friendship. This is the most important and pre-eminent means of investing the marriage with a firm, practical and extremely workable frame-work for managing the stress and strains of the hustle and bustle of daily living If the couple genuinely and sincerely accept each as the other’s best friend, it follows that they will regard each other with deep and sincere affection, loyalty and respect. Indeed this will provide the couple with a firm lasting and harmonious base for the exchange of views and opinions, for the expressions of likes and dislikes, desires and yearnings, preferences and aversions etc.: in other words it provides a close and intimate link, that is also mutually friendly, respectful, affectionate and sincere, that is the ideal means of "communication", which is the next topic.Genuine Two-way Intercommunication
The second most important secret of love in an enduring marriage is mutual ‘communication’. Here again, communication takes on a different aspect than what it was during the premarital stages of introduction, engagement and courtship, once the couple gets married. During courtship and premarital dating etc. couples are invariably on their best behavior, always on cloud nine, eager to please each other even at the cost of suppressing their own likes and dislikes, preferences etc. This form of suppressed, partial and incomplete communication should definitely be replaced by a genuine, honest, frank fair and open form of communication by the couple, once they are married. If they continue to suppress their innermost likes and dislikes, preferences, desires and aversions in the close-knit, intimate existence of marriage, it will definitely lead to very destructive results, with the build-up of much resentment, antagonism, sulkiness and depression, So with the onset of marriage, the couple must begin to communicate with each other more frankly honestly and openly than before. This will not be easy at first, but this is so vitally important for the marriage to work out that it is absolutely important to make an early startIntercommunication between the two partners in marriage must be based on the principle that they are the best of friends, and therefore on the basis of affection, loyalty and respect for each other. Good, sensible and sincere intercommunication can be inhibited by a variety of causes: (a) a sense of frustration and futility on the part of one or both partners. In the case where one of them is frustrated by the other’s apparent stubbornness, the former resorts to more and more talk, shouting and even physical violence, in an effort to ‘correct’ the stubborn partner, who will retreat deeper and deeper into silence and non communication. Such silence is not the only block to good marital intercommunication.
Sometimes, one partner is so bound up in principles and rules and regulations, they are unable to be relaxed, casual and good-humored, and tend to treat normal everyday problems in an extremely grim and ultra-serious manner. Shared humour is a great means of improving communication in marriage. (b) making unwarranted assumptions about the partners preferences. Sometimes, these unfounded assumptions includes belief that they understand what their partners mean by certain actions, feel in certain situations, or intend by various words or gestures or tone of voice. It is important to nip this habit of ‘assuming’ as quickly as possible and rather to employ the very useful art of asking the partner exactly what is meant, felt, thought or intended concerning even some of the most elementary aspects of married life. This helps to eliminate dangerous misunderstandings that interfere with harmonious and happy living (c)logical inconsistency in people’s habits, beliefs as motivation for their actions. Many people in marriage often behave in an illogical manner. Such illogical behavior nevertheless serves to fulfill or assuage an unreal, but perceived fear, insecurity or sorrow. In this case the other partner should try to understand this action and the reasons behind it instead of cavalierly condemning it as silly, stupid and irrational. Furthermore it would be idiotic, ineffective and very foolish, at this point, to attempt to cram one’s own conception of logic and rationality down the partner’s throat Rather, it would be helpful to initially calmly and unemotionally to accept that illogical or bad or even ‘stupid’ behaviour arises due to the individual’s peculiar perceptions of the world around them, and also to accept that to this individual this behaviour is perfectly ‘reasonable’ according to their own peculiar perceptions. Such acceptance and understanding will facilitate more penetrating and constructive discussion of the subject, without mutual accusations, acrimony, recrimination and the like. (d) anxiety is a universal block to healthy communication in married couples. Anxiety can arise from a host of real or imagined difficulties in the relationship, and the first casualty of anxiety is intercommunication between the couple. Here again it is useful to accept the partner’s anxieties and resultant behaviour, calmly and with understanding and good humour, before proceeding to a full, fair and frank discussion of this behaviour with a view to exposing the anxieties to the harsh light of day and cause their dissipation.(e) principles, regulations, regimens as well as perfectionism can also stand in the way of full and frank and open communication between partners in a marriage. This matter is touched on under (a) above. It must be remembered that in a marriage, it is not words that matter, nor this principle or that, nor the ‘proper’ way of talking or behaving, nor what other’s think, nor this theory or that, nor any particular ideology. What is of paramount importance is to preserve, safeguard and maintain the self-respect, dignity and integrity of each other. This mature attitude to even apparently silly stupid and foolish behaviour will facilitate better intercommunication and thereby promote the resolution of differences and difficulties.
Very frequently people ask ‘What if I were to lose my temper and shout at my partner’, Actually, it is very useful to ‘let off steam’ in this manner now and again, taking great care however never to demean or humiliate one’s partner in the process. People need to give in to their innermost thoughts and feelings, and this should be done, preferably, through the normal means of fair and frank intercommunication. If this is adopted as a regular practice, it will avoid the build-up of bitterness, indigence and resentment that invariably cause one to ‘lose temper’
Mutual Compatibility
The third ‘secret’ of an enduring marriage is increased mutual compatibility. The more a couple is compatible with each other, the greater the chance of success of the marriage. Since marriage is a partnership between two individuals, the degree of marital compatibility will depend on how well the two partners relate to each other in normal day to day living. That is how well do they get on with each other. Is the partnership blessed with a good deal of harmony, agreement and peaceful and friendly settlement of differences of opinion? Or is it full of strife discord and conflict? Obviously the former marriage would be a very successful and compatible one, while the latter would have very little compatibility.It must be emphasized that very often, as it so happens, compatibility is never 100% and never nil, but settles somewhere in between, say at 50% on the average. Therefore it follows that every marriage will have its share of discord and disagreement. A mature couple will realize this and expect certain areas of disagreement to crop up in daily life, and being a mature couple they will develop skillful and intelligent ways of handling the problems that arise from disagreement and difference of opinion. These problems should never, repeat never, be ignored or swept under the carpet, but should be discussed openly and frankly, remembering that whatever the problem is, it is just that, a problem, and not the end of the world, and every problem has a solution and even more than one solution. So, an intelligent couple will discuss the matter between themselves, in the knowledge that it can be resolved with mutual understanding and cooperation. Incompatibilities of temperament, physique, tastes, preferences and habits can to a considerable extent, be worked at so as to improve mutual satisfaction. Two important traits here are affection and acceptance. If a partner can love the other and accept the ‘unpleasant’ behaviour in spite of any obnoxious or disagreeable qualities, instead of hating the partner because of such shortcomings, there will be a greet likelihood of obtaining the partner’s voluntary - and willing cooperation in improving the situation. Out of love and mutual respect, partners will often be amenable to change, but irritation and nagging will do the opposite.
Rudyard kipling (1865- 1936)
Allan da saa BandaranaikeRudyard Kipling was born in Bombay and moved to Lahore when his father, Professor of Archaeological Sculpture, was appointed Curator of the Government Museum. At the age of six he was sent to England and two years later he entered United Services College, Devon. He returned to India at the age of 17, remaining there for seven more years as reporter for the Lahore Civil and Military Gazette. Thereafter he travelled widely and resided in America for a brief period. He settled in Rotting dean on the Sussex coast and the last verse of the poem he wrote in 1902 expresses well his feelings for the place.
"....God gave all men all earth to love
But since men’s heart is small,
Ordained for each one spot, should prove
Beloved over all.
Each to his choice, and I rejoice
The lot has fallen to me
In a fair-ground — in a fair-ground,
Yea, Sussex by the sea.
The home he lived in is preserved and visited by numbers of tourists and his bold hand-writing may be seen on some of the documents on display there. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and held the Rector ship of St. Andrew’s University. He wrote a great deal of prose but his poem "If" is very popular.
"IF"
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you.
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired of waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good nor talk too wise.
If you can dream and not make dreams your master:
If you can think, and not make thoughts your aim.
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools.
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken
And stoop and build them up with broken tools.
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch and toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss.
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone.
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to you Hold on".
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch:
If neither fools nor loving friends can hurt you.
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run.
Yours is the earth and everything that’s in it,
And which is more, you’ll be a man, my son."
Some of us who are now described as ‘elderly’ will remember The Charge of the Light Brigade"- the famous poem of Alfred Lord Tennyson written in 1834 after the debacle in Balaclava in the Crimean War when, due to a misunderstood order, 247 British Officers and men out of a total of 637 were killed. Over fifty years later Rudyard Kipling wrote The Last of the Light Brigade". It was about the few remaining heroes of that battle and rather critical of the English in their attitude to those who fought so valiantly against heavy odds.
THE LAST OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
by Rudyard KiplingThere are thirty million English who talked of England’s might
There are twenty broken troopers who lacked a bed for the night.
They had neither food nor money, they had neither service nor trade,
They were only shiftless soldiers, the last of the Light Brigade.
They felt that life was fleeting, they knew not that art was long,
That though they were dying of famine, they lived in deathless song.
They asked for a little money to keep the wolf from the door
And the thirty million English sent twenty pounds and four.
They laid their heads together that were scarred and lined and gray;
Keen were the Russian satires, but want was keener than they;
And an old troop sergeant muttered "let us go to the man who writes
The things on Balaclava the kiddies at school recites".
They went without bands or colours, a regiment ten-file strong;
To look for the Master-singer who had crowned them all in song.
And, waiting his servant’s order, by the garden gate they stayed,
A desolate little cluster, the last of the Light Brigade.
They strove to stand to attention, to straighten the toiled-bowed back;
They drilled on an empty stomach, the loose-knit files fell slack.
With stooping of weary shoulders, in garments tattered and frayed,
They shambled into his presence, the last of the Light Brigade.
The old Troop Sergeant was spokesman and "beggin’ your pardon" he said
"You wrote of the Light Brigade, Sir, here’s all that isn’t dead;
And it’s all come true what you wrote, Sir, regarding the mouth of hell
For we’re all of us nigh to the Workhouse, an’ we thought we’d call and tell".
"No, thank you, we don’t want food, Sir, but couldn’t you take an’ write
A sort of ‘to be continued’ and "see next page of the fight?"
We think that someone had blundered, and couldn’t you tell ‘em how?
You wrote we were heroes once, Sir, Please write we are starving now".
The poor little army departed, limping and lean and forlorn,
And the heart of the Master-singer grew hot with the "scorn of scorn"
And he wrote for them wonderful verses that swept the land like flame
Till the fatted souls of the English were scourged with the thing called shame
O thirty million English that babble of England’s might,
Behold, there are twenty heroes who lack their food tonight;
Our children’s children are lisping to honour the charge they made
And we leave to the streets and the Workhouse the Charge of the Light Brigade.
'The perfect balance between beauty and restraint'
Jayasiri Semage, well-known Sri Lankan painter, will hold an exhibition on paintings titled ‘Rhythm of My Canvas’ at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery, from 19th to 22nd February.
Jayasiri Semage’s style is so individual to him that we need not look for the signature to identify his paintings. Every work of Semage is well embose with his identity. This is a sure sign of a really great artist.
Along with this unique individuality there is something that makes him an artist of oriental tradition. His style blends very well with Ajantha-Sigiri tradition and also with Far-Eastern Buddhist art. He has definitely drawn much inspiration from spiritual and meditational tradition of Buddhist culture.
The perfect balance between beauty and restrain coupled with eloquent depiction of happiness and satisfaction can be seen in his mildly revolutionary yet traditional approach to figure and decorative motifs.
This perhaps explains the reason why the Chinese Buddhists of Singapore and Malaysia loved his paintings and wanted him to paint their Goddess of Mercy (Kwan Yin) on large canvas.
Semage is a maestro of line. Line seems to be at his command at the very moment he wants.
It is true he handles shapes of colours too with the same effect, yet much of his works is dominated by line.
Those who have observed modern art may look down on line dominated traditional art. But everyone knows that only a highly gifted and well-trained artist can handle lines creatively to express aesthetic sentiments. Semage has a knack for line-manipulation which pleases the taste of those who love oriental tradition of art.
Jayasiri Semage held his one-man exhibition of paintings at the National Art Gallery, Colombo while still a student at Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda. Subsequently he got the opportunity of displaying his paintings at various exhibitions held by the Ceylon Society of arts and won awards on many occasions.
His paintings have been exhibited in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Russia and one of his works is displayed in Chinese Buddhist Temple in Singapore.
Semage, the gifted artist is an all-rounder in all aspects of traditional and modern art and paintings.
He is well versed in visualising and erecting pandols, decorations of all types of indoor and outdoor designing.
* Jayasiri Semage well-known Sri Lankan painter will hold an exhibition of paintings titled "Rhythm of My Canvas " at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery from 20th to 22nd February 1999.
"Cupid Nite" a pre Valentine dance will be held at the Ceylon Intercontinental on February 13.
It will commence at 9:30 pm at the poolside where the atmosphere will be one of soft music, roses and candle light. Chaminda and Chandani assisted by a DJ will provide the music to create a romantic ambiance.
Ultra-long-ranged aircraft: the wider implications
by Dilip S. SamarasingheAt the end of 1999, the Sri Lankan Airline industry is expected to undergo radical charges. This will be the result of the introduction of new aircraft types. The first Airbus A330 of a fleet of six aircraft will enter service with Air Lanka and supplement the National Carrier’s fleet, which also includes its four-engined stable-mate the A340 and the smaller, shorter-ranged A-320.
On a technical level, the A330, like the other aircraft to roll out of the Airbus Industries factories in Toulouse, is revolutionary. Airbus made first aircraft to use two-man cockpits and they were built with "commonality" in mind. Since all Airbus aircraft are technically similar, pilots may be switched from one model to another and they may be serviced by the same technical crews. These are now becoming the industry norm.
However, what makes aircraft like the A330 different is their capability to serve distant destinations with direct flights.
Ultra-long ranged aircraft are the fruit of over a decade of research and were first rolled out of the assembly lines of Airbus Industries, Boeing and Mc Donnell Douglas (now part of Boeing) in the early 1990’s. The first to enter service was the three engined McDonnell Douglas MD-ll, followed by the four-engined Airbus A340 and the twin-jet Boeing B777. Subsequently, Airbus unveiled the Airbus A330, a large twin-engined derivative of the A340, with a range of 11,700 kms. Airbus A330s can link Colombo to most of Europe, much of East Asia and Australia with direct flights.
The fact that all manufacturers decided to develop similar long-ranged airliners indicates that they are the type needed by airlines today. In fact major airlines had been lobbying Boeing and Airbus to build machines with ranges of upto 14,800 Kms for many years.
The main innovation that they will introduce will be the disappearance of the technical stop. Since the airline industry emerged as an alternative means of travel to road, rail or sea, the technical stop was one aspect airlines could not do without. Apart from the time lost, airlines had to pay landing fees and fuel charges each time they stopped at a point. In the relatively few years that ultra - long ranged aircraft have been in service, they have had a major impact on the airline industry. Consumers now have the option of selecting direct non-stop flights and there are clear indications that this is their preference over flights operated with technical stops.
Commercial considerations have also played a big part in the selection of aircraft such as the A330. Modern airline marketing strategies stress the fact if an carrier operates many flights to a point it improves considerably the flexibility of its service. This in turn leads to consumer preference owing to a greater choice of selection.
It therefore follows that airlines would prefer to operate a 300- seater in the A330/A340 class more often to a point rather than mounting fewer flights using the larger B747. It is for this reason that all manufacturers have experienced huge orders for the former type. Today demand for ultra-long ranged aircraft far outstrips that for aircraft with smaller or larger configurations. The Boeing 747, "the Jumbo Jet", today is mainly used on the busiest routes or to points where airport congestion precludes any increase in frequencies.
Another impact of aircraft such as the A330 on the industry is that the whole concept of service has been redefined. The trend has been to make air travel as "normal"! an activity as possible as far as the passenger is concerned. It is no longer a highly cramped means of getting about from one point to another. The new facilities offered on board include on board telephones, fax machines, news programmes and the latest movies. In the future, it is expected that thanks to satellite technology, passengers will be able to book hotels or to hire cars at their arrival point while still on board a flight.
Ultra-long ranged aircraft are therefore the shape of things to come and their introduction will contribute to making Sri Lanka a more attractive destination for visitors, for investors and as a transit point for travellers.
The Language Lobby
Environmental language - touching the earth with loving fingers
Carl MullerAm I driving this subject into the ground? I know that people cannot bear to listen to a constant carping, but we do get a lot of it on, say, child abuse, where some writers go on and on, world without end, amen. Good for them. They’re taking a stand and I’m all for it. Who knows, there may be some institutions who will also say: "Hey! This fellow’s on our side. Let’s pull him in and save the whales!" I hasten to assure you, I’m not wearing anyone’s stripes or colours. What I am trying to do is demonstrate the power of language - a language that can make us stop, listen and be a little less stupid than we are. We are standing tall today with the planet at our mercy. But the wheel will surely turn, and so the poet can ask:
And what of when the thriving townships fall? Those
Mining towns and factory- riven states: those hearts
Of great industry, rich and proud, where people thrive
And eat off food-filled plates? How soon they lie abandoned,
Empty shells - (The Book of Job reminds of empty heaps) -
Declining as the dereliction spreads and havoc wrought
As hungry widow weeps.
The Book of Job...The environmentalists book of prayer, surely. In Chapter 12, verses seven to eight we have this:
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee; Or speak to the Earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee."
And as far as I can make out, the ancients, and those people of the American plains, lived with Nature and did not make of the earth a malignant ulcer. T.C. McLuhan, in his book "Touch the Earth" quoted these words of a Wintu American Indian:
"When we kill meat, we eat it all up; we don’t chop down the trees, we only use dead wood. But the white people plough up the ground, pull down the trees, kill everything. The spirit of the land hates them. The Indians never hurt anything, but the white people destroy all. Everywhere the white man has touched it, the earth is sore."
This is why the lines of the WWF offering I quote has this to say:
Think back, when rural man with Nature lived and settled
As the red man of the plains: they hunted, fished and
Dearly loved the land; and prayed for food and danced
For needed rains. Appreciating Nature did they live in
Humble teepees, tents of bison hide; they only killed to eat
And never to waste; in harmony with Nature did they bide.
And then the white invaders, like a plague descended
On the land to work their way, and ruled the plains and drove
The red man out, and order fled and havoc came to stay.
Yes, the hack and burn of conquest. And the victors patted themselves on the back and said they brought "civilization." They tamed, they said, the "savage". God! What an imposition that was!
The white-skinned gods held sway and marked the end -
The end of Indian lands, the Indian trail...and then
The nations died; they shared the fate of others too
Who kept that balance frail, and trembled as the
Crushing juggernaut of lusting white with roaring
Hymns of greed now dug and chopped and hacked
And killed with glee, and subjugated Nature to his need...
And still it happens, still we hack and burn - the treasures
Of our forests now laid waste - you hear the axes?
Now the dozers roar while Nature bleeds before
This manic haste.
It would seem that we are driven by some vast inner curse driven to use the Earth badly. Even as I write these lines, plans are afoot to destroy a large chunk of the Udawattakalle forest sanctuary in Kandy for a 20-foot road. What marvellous callousness! Nobody gives a fart for this land we so mistreat, and when we have done our worst we wonder why the land refuses to treat us well. People who sit and plan such destruction are playing the modern game. They don’t see a living land. Worst of all, they don’t even see their dead future.
Yet, seated in their chambers and their halls, are august
Groups of men who nod and say, ‘let’s turn the earth
For capital we need,’ and contribute to pristine land’s decay.
And so are forests felled and rivers dammed, and ploughs
Torment the virgin soil of old; and concrete cities rise
In quiet glade...and this is urban progress, we are told.
How soon before the desolation sweeps, such unadulterated
Ruin we see, while gentler rural people fight to live, or,
Raising hands in horror, seek to flee. Extermination is
The modern game - who cares if wildlife die through lack
Of home? If birds no longer glance like jewels bright and deer
In dales of green no longer roam? The devastation of our
Forest belts...the indigenous people’s misery...impoverishment
Marks each wailing day as living land becomes a dust-filled sea.
In his book, "I Have Spoken", V.l. Armstrong gives us the words of a Creek Indian Chief who listed the passionate way the white man swallowed everything:
"On this land, there is a great deal of timber, pine and oak which are of much use to the white man. They send it to foreign countries and it brings them a great deal of money. On the land there is much grass for cattle and horses, and much good food for hogs. On this land there is a great deal of tobacco raised, which likewise brings much money. Even the streams are valuable to the white man, to grind the wheat and the corn that grows on this land. The pine trees which are dead, are valuable for tar."
In ‘Touch the Earth" McLuhan also quotes an Akawaio Indian of Guiana who opposed the damming of the Upper Mazaruni river and the destruction it would cause to his people:
"This land is where we are at home, we know its way. It is needed for those who come after us. The spirits around us know us and are friendly and helpful. This land keeps us together within its mountains - we come to understand that we are not just a few people or separate villages but one people belonging to a homeland. If we have to move we will be lost to those who remain in other villages. This would be a sadness to us all, like the sadness of death."
And the lines sing on, asking us what the hell we are really doing, what the hell we really are:
And is this pride? Just see the nation’s debts - huge
Budget deficits are all we know; with money crises stirring
Social ills; with angry peasants screaming now for more...
And suddenly the guerrilla is seen with machine pistol
Stalking through the land, and bloody revolution rises
Strong and fires of greed on every side are fanned.
Well may we ask why It’s a big "why?" but who really gives a damn? In their report to the European Ecological Action Group in 1984, E Goldsmith and N. Hildyard told of a poster placed by the Bontoc and Kalinga tribes-people of the Phillipines who were threatened by the Chico dam development which would dispossess them of their tribal lands The poster read
"The dams are all we talk about these days. It is like talking continually of death, of certain death. The President will have to put us all in prison if he wants to continue with the construction of the dams on the Chico. Better still, he should bomb us out of existence. This would be much easier for him and for us because we are not going to allow the destruction of our homes and fields as long as the breath of life is in us.
Let the poem say it all
Why must we threaten Nature’s habitats, and stamp upon
Our precious reserves so? Hear how the tribals plead to keep
Their land and nurse the trees and never lay them low. But
Government cares naught for lowly pleas until the pleading
Turns to anger red, then protectors are locked in narrow cells
And police states take census of the dead. And to this day
The battle rages on: Industrialists and developers file in
Legions bold to harry and ravage and mock the beauty of
Sweet Nature’s smile. They clash when conservationists
Rise up to guard the earth from predatory men who care not
For the grandeur of the hills or for the vixen in her chalky den.
And this the tragedy, the tale of greed, for progress must
Be fast - no time to stare; and short-term development still
Commands while power sits and nods without a care for
What is right and what is natural; and if ‘tis well a balance
Should be struck that gives assurance in the years ahead -
Or all be damned - we rule! We turn a buck!
No, I have not finished. If we just stop to take stock, every one of us, we will find that none of us can avoid Nature’s accusing finger. I am sure my good editor will let me play this out to the finish, if only to bring this large WWF offering to a conclusion. But what do we all face today, even as we prepare to step proudly into the next millenium? I ask you to consider this line - verso one of Job, Chapter 17:
"My breath is corrupt; my days are extinct; the graves are ready for me. "
A trans basin diversion tunnel
ON THE HORTON PLAINS THAT TOOK MAHAWELI WATERS TO THE UMA OYA BASIN IN THE ANCIENT DAYS
by Sudath GunasekaraWe all know that the ancient hydraulic civilization of Sri Lanka associated with the Tank and Canal building in the Rajarata has been universally acclaimed as an irrigation marvel in the whole World. It is also generally accepted that there is no known parallel to this system in any other Country.
However, how many of us know that there has been an equally marvelous, if not more, even from a modern engineering stand point, hydraulic system in the high plains of Central Sri Lanka built by our ancient people.
The purpose of this article is to bring to light for the benefit of those who care for knowledge, a brief account of this system which is .purported to have been built around the 1 5th century or before. According to R. L. Brohier, the authority on ancient irrigation works in Ceylon, this system was first discovered by William Hall of the P.W.D. in 1857. It was visited by Mr. Baily the A.G.A. of Uva who himself was regarded as a pioneer in irrigation development during the colonial period. According to their estimate this Tunnel has been built around the 15th century. Probably the entire system of canals consisting of ten in all traced by Brohier in this region may have been carried out during the same period.
The existence of this hydraulic system dispels the popularly accepted notion that the Central Hills Particularly the upper parts of Sri Lanka had not been opened up for human settlements prior to the arrival of the British. The only reference available to this regard is to the legendary Ravana period when Sita was supposed to have been kept a captive on these plains.
This canal system throws much light on the irrigation skills of our ancient people. Advanced knowledge, both on trans-diversion and canal building and tunnel construction is evident from these ruins. It also points to the presence of advanced human settlements in this region during this period. I think, therefore this region should serve as a field museum for those who are interested in medieval irrigation works in Sri Lanka
As Brohier noted, "more tangible data in proof of the former populations of (his region remains in the evidence of rivers which were diverted from their natural channels on opposing hills which were cut through and the waters thus decoyed in to the adjacent valley to join a stream flowing in this natural bed, whose course? eventually obstructed by a dam, poured its accumulated waters in to canals which branched in various directions"
Apparently, not a river in these times flowed but was made used for irrigation. This evidence points to another interesting fact of Sri Lanka history where the sunny Uva has been another cradle of advanced irrigation settlements.
According to Brohier, "the most interesting account of one of these assets of upper Uva, embodying a degree of engineering skills which affords a first clue to the industry and intelligence flourishing in the Eastern Hemisphere when the West was in a state of barbarism is this 726 feet long trans-diversion tunnel.
Beyond this tunnel the canal extends over seven miles to catch the waters of five large effluents of the Dambagastalawa Oya whose natural course lay past Lindula to the basin of the Kotmale Oya. The Ela starts at an elevation of 7000 feet above mean sea level.
"It was my pleasant duty" wrote Mr. Hall "to trace this canal which led the waters of the five streams in question in to the Boohoo - Ela or tunuel. The tunnel according to him was 220 yards (726') long, l0 feet high and 40 feet below the surface level of the dividing ridge. In the construction of this tunnel five shafts had been sunk and the tunnel dug from one to the other. "Curious to record" he says, "though this tunnel had probably been in existence for two or three centuries, if not many more, it had satisfactorily functioned although not lined or cased with any masonry or other sheathing."
"Such an undertaking, built at the cost of immense labour" saya, Brohier "during a period long before spirit levels and leveling staves simplified the science of tracing a channel as we know it today, is a very certain indication of a large, industrious and civilized population in the neighborhood."
This canal is only one of ten other such major canals of ancient origin which were designed and built to conduct the water from the woods above to the ranges of paddy fields in the deep valleys beneath. North of the Boohoo-Ela a second Major channel tool< its source in the perennial springs of an immense marsh between Pattipola and Ambewela which till not long ago was called the Mipilamana Tank. This ancient work encircled the mountain spurs and rolling patnas dropping from an elevation of 3000' to 6000' length of ten miles and ended in a stretch of fields below Erabedda.
The third channel will be noted to the north and East. It started from a dam set in the angle of a ravine below lower Ambewela Estate and carried water to the fields at Palugama.
The fourth channel which feed the paddy fields at Nuga Talawa and Maligawe Tenne is alluded to have been there from the days of legendary Ravana the Great. Tradition states that the formation of this water course was directed by the giant Ravana and that he completed that canal in one day. Among the other channels Uma-Ela 12 mile water course is the most important
All these large canals in the upper Uva had been out of use for centuries. Mr. Baily the A.G.A. of Badulla in 1855 was the first to draw attention to them. "It redounds to the credit of this indefatigable pioneer that this network of ancient channels led through a difficult country by a race long since passed away, full of industry and intelligence, is once again brought in to use to cultivate the plains below."
At a time, in our history, when alien people who have migrated to the country yesterday are trying to claim their legitimacy to this land from the legendary times of Ravana (5000-6000 B.C) by erecting monuments to the Indian hero god Rama and their Monkey King, Hanuman and our own so-called leaders who try to divert history for political gain, let this be an eye-opener for them to realize as to who have really founded the civilization in this country.
A doll for Shayeya
by Priyanthi WickramasuriyaAs Shayeya informed to all and sundry, Aunty Vicky who had married her Thaththie, had now become her new Ammie. When people tried to commiserate with her for having a stepmother, she pooh-poohed them. Shayeya did not remember her old Ammie very well, but Auntie Vicky (now her new Ammie) was all loving attentiveness to herself and her sisters and brothers. As Ranjith put it, "Other stepmothers start off by trying to get rid of the first family; but our new Ammie has pulled the family together in a way it wasn’t before. "And now Ammie was heavy with child, and Shayeya eagerly awaited for the day when the new baby would be born.
Came Christmas, with all its attendant festivities, and the baby loomed large in the air. It was actually due in late January, but Thaththie was looking worried. For the doctor had said that it might, it just might appear a bit early. So, led by Ranjith and Rumeshka, every evening the children prayed to Virgin Mary to ask God that the mother and child would come safe through the ordeal. Perhaps the Virgin Mother and God heard their prayers uttered in such good faith. Throughout her pregnancy, Ammie remained serene and beautiful. Christmas Eve came, and they had a small party after attending church at midnight, and then they went to sleep again.
On Christmas morning the children awoke, and were led into the parlour, and lo and behold! There was the most beautiful Christmas Tree they had ever seen! Of course no one but Shayeya noticed that the little room next to Thaththie’s and Ammie’s where Ammie used to do her sewing was again unlocked after the space of a week or so. Ammie must have been making clothes in secret for the three dolls there were upon the Tree addressed to Shayeya, Thushari and Samanthi. All the dolls were beautiful, but Shayeya’s was the most of all. It had rosy cheeks, dimpled and fair, and golden hair that curled in soft wavy ringles. To Shayeya it was a day of magic.
Evening fell, and the windows were shut, and the lamps lit. Grace was said, and they sat down to dinner. There was chicken roast with large helpings of potatoes, not to mention cabbage which Thaththie assured was good for the soul and would help to make Shayeya’s hair curly; followed by Christmas Pudding with cream as accompaniment. Shayeya wondered aloud, how Ammie managed all that what with the state of her health, and Rumeshka said it was the miracle of love. Ammie only smiled, and modestly remarked that Thaththie and Rumeshka and Ranjith too helped. "Helped a lot, you might say," she added. Dinner over, goodnights were said amidst kisses all around.
Early next morning, while it was still dark, Shayeya was awakened by a small commotion. Servants bustling around, Rumeshka giving orders, Thaththie scurrying to and fro, anxiously pacing up and down. Shayeya wanted to know what it was all about, but was too afraid to ask. Then Rumeshka appeared and told her, "Come along dear, and say Au Revoir to Ammie. She is going to the hospital to have her baby. Shayeya wanted to cry, but held back her tears in case Ammie saw it. For she knew the baby was too early. There were tears in Ammie’s eyes too, and her hand as she stroked Shayeya and clasped her little hand, was clammy with sweat. Thaththie and Rumeshka went with Ammie to hospital, while Ranjith held the fort so as to speak.
At last around seven o’ clock in the morning came the call they were waiting for. Ammie has had her baby they were told, and both mother and child were doing fine. Thaththie came home for lunch, but soon went away again. He did not come till late night again. Rumeshka was keeping Ammie company. The baby was fair and rosy, he told them, but tiny like all premature babies are, and was being kept in the hospital incubator at present when not being fed. It was a baby girl, he added. Ranjith was a bit disappointed, but Shayeya was secretly glad, and she was sure Ammie shared here views.
After two more days, Ammie came home for the night, but continued to spend her days at the hospital. Thaththie went to work by bus, while Ranjith took Ammie by car to hospital. Luckily it was holidays for him too. Finally the baby came home, and what a beautiful baby she was. Shayeya had wanted to call her Hansa Kumari, but Ranjith had said it was too much of a mouthful, and Rumeshka and Thaththie had agreed with him. So they had settled for Harshani instead, and a lovely name it was too, especially for a lovely baby.
Right from the start, Shayeya was fascinated with the way the baby was given her bath. It was not like the way she herself was given her bath. She herself was simply lifted into the bath earlier and then allowed to soap herself, and then would splash about, while Ammie told her stories. And then she would be lifted out again. More recently, Rumeshka would come and help her to get in and get out of the bath while Ammie watched. But with the baby it was different. The bath would first be filled with cold water, and then water from the kettle be added into it little by little, with Ammie or Rumeshka testing it with her finger. Then the baby carefully lowered into it, washed quickly, and then towelled dry. Then baby oil gently rubbed upon her, and a fresh white nappy girded around her. All the while, old Aunty Matilda would stay on the sidelines, advising, and gently correcting when Ammie or Rumeshka did anything wrong. And Shayeya too would watch eagerly, storing everything in her memory, till she herself was called for her bath. And Shayeya too longed to wash and dress the baby by herself.
At last she got the chance she was waiting for. That day, Aunty Matilda had bean laid low by rheumatism, and Rumeshka had gone back to school. Aunty Vicky had just finished applying oil on little Harshani, when the telephone rang. "Bother!" said Ammie, There’s no one else at home. I suppose, I’ll have to answer it. You look after a bit, Shayeya," and she was off. Shayeya decided to put on the nappy upon the baby by herself, and surprise Ammie. But putting on a nappy proved to be a harder task than she thought. As she struggled with the recalcitrant nappy, the baby began to cry, and so did Shayeya. Their joint bawling brought Ammie running in from the telephone. A lesser mortal might have panicked, but not Ammie. With one swift glance she took in the scene, pacified the baby, and dried up Shayeya’s tears. "This is how you put on a nappy, darling," she told Shayeya, and showed her how. Then she bid Shayeya bring her new big doll, gave her a nappy, and told her to practice upon the doll. "And," added Ammie, "you can give the doll a bath tomorrow after I bathe Harshini, in exactly the same way I do, and then dry her and put on the nappy (you’d better omit the oil, or you’ll have to give her another bath.) But you must promise me, never, never to try and bathe Harshani by yourself. You are a bit too small yet for that.
Shayeya promised, and what’s more she kept her promise. But she did not mind, as she got to bathe and dress her doll all by herself. Best of all, she named her doll Hansa Kumari, with Hansa for short, and told all her friends that she knew how to wash and dress a baby!
