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PAVURU VALALU
The story revolves around the rights and wrongs of adults

by Nanda Pethiyagoda
As the title indicates, this piece is a mere comment and not a review of the Sinhala film now in the fifth circuit. It will be short and hopefully succinct. The film was good but not outstanding nor innovative, hence a comment rather than a review.

The story of the film is adult. Here was a woman, Violet or Viola, whose husband had left her for another while her two daughters were still very young. Taking in sewing orders, Violet kept herself and the two girls and the house in the Fort, Galle, managed. A person who she had jilted when he was on one of his naval voyages returns and reconnects. He is ill so she brings him to her home to look after him. They get physical and she gets pregnant. With the connivance of her old servant (distant relative?) she aborts and then goes insane.

An Adult Film

The theme - the rights and wrongs of the seniors - is adult, dealt with in a mature manner. It is controversial too; projected realistically without sentiment and unjudgementally.

The most noteworthy feature of the film is its treatment of the audience as adult and intelligent. No explaining and elucidating by either the camera or dialogue the unfolding of the tragedy in detail, step by step. It was straight narration but even a major pivotal incident like Violet finding herself pregnant with all its attendant complications is merely mentioned as a question to her man (Tony Ranasinghe) as to what they should do and his replying that the younger girl's wedding should be hastened.

Cinematic Devices

Face and body language, background sounds and silences played a major role in the film both to create atmosphere and propel the story forwards.

Constant thumps on the stairs as the daughter climbs up or the mother climbs down are indicative of continuous action, life being full of worry and useless activity, leading on to tragedy and death, resulting often from moments of stolen happiness. Life is a struggle and has its ups and downs.

The background music from the gramophone, (surely with its flower like appendage), creates the period in which the story takes place. Rukmani Devi sings one of her earlier songs, plaintive and reminiscent, so do earlier singers of the land. Recitation of the Catholic liturgy and a christening introduce the rigidity of social life of the time, circumscribed by religion and societal norms. The cats shriek at night, foreboding ill luck and disaster.

The whirring of Violet's sewing machine is meaningful - denotes ceaseless activity to keep body and soul together and when in emotional turmoil the whirring is fast and furious. The soft murmur of the sea in Galle or its rough dash and crash create moods of contentment and sacrifice and love on the one hand and turmoil and catastrophe on the other.

The camera pans often on the entrance to the Galle Fort and on the street where Violet and her daughters live, or the beachhead with its lighthouse and late evening skies. We are thus made to realize it is Galle of 50 to 60 years ago and perhaps that what happens to human beings is as immutable as the stately constructions and nature itself.

Telling Contrasts

Juxtaposition of situations and personalities and incidents plays a major role in the film. Violet meets her returned sailor in his hotel room - grizzly, obese, drinking whiskey and totally reliant on his walking stick - while at home her daughter is in labour. Violet's eyes light up as remembered love warms her even though she refuses the proffered wine, while back home her eldest daughter sweats and groans as she is helped by the midwife to deliver her child, the result of love.

Violet feels remorse at having spoilt Victor's life by her marrying another while he was away, and against that is the joy of the newborn.

Again juxtaposition when the second daughter, starry eyed about her future with the rich boyfriend who has just bought himself a red racing car, is told by him that his parents have consented to visit them to discuss the marriage. Against this is the discovery by Violet that she is pregnant.

Truths

Universal truths come across. Then as it is now, one has to pay for moments of love and happiness if they are not approved by convention, religion and society. This is particularly so in the case of a woman. Violet pays the ultimate price, worse than death since she goes insane as a result of her attempt to destroy evidence of her intimacy with her visitor.

Another truth: the high-riding of the male. Violet's husband abdicated responsibility and left his family for another woman. But mere suspicion that Violet is involved emotionally with the visiting sailor is enough to accuse her cruelly and threaten her.

Sympathy mixed with remorse invariably softens a woman's head and heart, often bringing in its train trouble. Violet feels guilt about her having jilted the sailor and sorry for his condition. She takes him for treatment and realizing no hotel employee would boil concoctions and apply pattu, she invites the man home until he feels better.

The relentless wages of blind religious faith and being ruled by society are conveyed by Violet's going insane with guilt at having gone against the Church and teachings by aborting her child. Her guilt is pushed over the limits of sanity by her daughter's intended mother-in-law visiting to say the wedding is over. "No son of mine will marry the daughter of such as you - a disgrace to society." No thought at all of the deprivation Violet has suffered all through her life and how naturally she would grab at any proffered genuine love and concern.

A plus point of the film is that the viewer is given the autonomy to interpret situations and even the end for himself/herself. Violet and Victor looked so happy as they sat in the back of the car, nestled together, with Violet being taken to the mental hospital. Could it be that he was taking her off to a secret hiding place where he would help her back to sanity? Or was he planning to commit suicide with her in the sea they both knew so well? Would the second daughter finally marry her young man?

The Actors - Excellent

The stars were very good. Nita Fernando who directed the film was Violet, the mousy mother of two, discarded by her husband and straining at the sewing machine until she responds to a note sent by the resumed sailor and then proceeds through love and closeness to insanity .

Tony Ranasinghe was excellent as the swarthy ex-sailor. He kept me guessing as to whether he was back to wreak revenge for having been jilted or did he genuinely love Violet. Yes, he did, was the conclusion.

Sangeeta Weeraratne was absolutely the second daughter: lovely, lively, attractively on the brink of womanhood yet showing teenage mannerisms in her full flared skirts and curling up in bed with romance paperbacks. She had to portray much of her role through body language and she did it very competently. She watched what was developing between her mother and the man invited to stay over; was adult enough to refrain from fussing or questioning her mother and probably was innocent of the birds and the bees and what they did and what results.

Thank goodness for persons like Nita Fernando, the other producer of the film, Tony Ranasinghe and Sangeeta. They have combined their talents and intelligence to give us a good Sinhala film.

Drama in the Indian Ocean
An LTTE arms ship attacks the fishing fleet as gunboats foil its mission

By Niresh Eliatamby in Devinuwara
The trawler captain's voice rose to a scream over the radio.

"Oh, my god! They're shooting at us! They're going to kill us!" Raja shouted in Sinhalese.

As the captain of the "Deepa III" spoke, the hundreds of other trawler crews listening in heard the staccato barking of a machine gun in the background.

For several minutes, the firing continued, a death knell interrupted only by the frightened cries of "Budu ammo" and "Apiwa maranna epa," from the Deepa III's crew.

Then, abruptly, the transmission went dead.

Fearfully, the crews of other trawlers discussed the situation over the radio.

Who had attacked Deepa III? And more importantly, what was its location?

No-one was sure. Trawler-men are very competitive for fishing grounds, and usually don't reveal their locations to each other for fear that rivals will sneak up and cut their nets, ruining their livelihood. No-one had known where Deepa III was fishing, and the panicked captain Raja hadn't given the location while he spoke during the attack.

After several minutes, most of the Sri Lankan fishing fleet, scattered over thousands of square miles in the eastern Indian Ocean, decided that the most likely possibility was that Deepa III had strayed into the Indian Economic Exclusion Zone, the so-called EEZ which stretched for 200 miles from the Indian coast. Under international law, only Indian trawlers can fish there.

"Raja and his men may still be alive. Perhaps they'll end up in an Indian jail charged with poaching," K. L. Chaminda told his crew on the "Tharangi," which was about 150 miles east of the Trincomalee-Mullaitivu area. "But we are safe since we are in the Sri Lankan zone."

His three crewmen agreed. Besides, they had now been at sea for only five days since leaving Dondra Head. Their hold was still empty, and the Thalapath fish were to be found in plenty around here.

It was Wednesday, March 3. The Deepa III incident was at 2.30 p.m. Colombo time.

"Deepa III and our boat were together until the previous day, but we split up to look for better fishing grounds," N. G. Ajith, a crewman on Tharangi told the Island. Deepa III was also from Dondra.

Just over the horizon from Tharangi, the "Titus II," also from Dondra, was fishing. Its captain, Athula Jayatissa, spoke to Chaminda on the radio. Jayatissa was a much respected trawler man among the Dondra fisherfolk, and he too agreed that they should stay.

So they stayed, and laid their nets. Almost all the other Sri Lankan trawlers out there, numbering more than a thousand, most of them from Trincomalee or the southern province, did the same.

In Colombo, nearly 300 miles away, an official at the radio control room of the Ministry of Fisheries got on the phone to his superior.

"Sir, a trawler named Deepa III reported being shot at by an unknown vessel. Then the transmission went dead," he said.

The reply came quickly. "Inform the navy."

For Fisheries Ministry officials, reports of missing trawlers happened very often, with boats breaking down, being swept away by gales, etc. Often, boats strayed into Indian or Maldivian waters and were arrested.

But minutes after the attack on Deepa III, unknown to the trawlers blissfully laying out nets on the high seas, the Sri Lanka Navy began one of the largest search operations in its history.

Naval officials were expecting an LTTE arms ship off the east coast. While it seemed unlikely that such a ship would attack a trawler, these days nothing was to be disregarded.

More than a dozen gunboats left their patrol stations near the east coast, and began steaming east, hoping to find the unknown attacker.

Nothing more was heard from Deepa III.

But that evening, a gunboat made a gruesome discovery.

The shattered wreckage of another fishing boat was found 120 miles out. It was identified as the "Baby Nathaly," whose home was Trincomalee, a Fisheries Ministry official told the Island.

As the sun began setting, another gunboat came upon yet another wreck, this the "Dulan Putha," also from Trincomalee.

Both Baby Nathaly and Dulan Putha appeared to have been sunk earlier.

One had evidence of a fire, which caused confusion among the searchers. A few days earlier, the owner of a boat had reported from the south that his trawler called in saying it had accidentally caught fire and the crew was abandoning ship.

Was it an accident? What was going on?

The search continued. The gunboats met many other trawlers, who reported no problems. Naval and Fisheries Ministry officials were nervous now. Had they got alarmed over nothing, or was there something out there?

But the next day, March 4, yet another trawler was found, capsized and abandoned. This was actually a vallam from Trincomalee, "Samaya.".

At about this time, the Fisheries Ministry alerted the navy that the owners of four other trawlers from Trincomalee were reporting their vessels were overdue. They were the "Sachin Putha," "Three-Star," "Ranji Putha," and "Jeewan". All were categorized as missing.

For three more days, nothing more was found. The attack and the sunken boats were still a mystery.

By this time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had ascertained that none of the four crews was in Indian custody. The evidence now pointed to the LTTE. But the Tigers' small boats never ventured so far out to sea.

"It had to be a larger vessel, and we strongly believed it was an arms ship," a Fisheries Ministry official told the Island. "It was probably waiting for the right moment to make a dash for Mullaitivu, and the fishing boats stumbled upon it."

Yet, no-one was sure. Were the gunboats on a wild goose chase? Precious resources had been thrown into a search, which could be for nothing.

Although the navy has few vessels capable of staying out on the high seas for long, the warships persevered, scattering across an area five times the size of Sri Lanka, and combing the entire Sri Lankan EEZ, 200 miles out.

Then, as the search began to wind down, a dramatic incident happened.

Chaminda on the Tharangi and Jayatissa on Titus II chatted to each other over the radio at 5 p.m. on March 7. They had made it a habit to do this every day. Nothing was unusual that day.

Then, at 5.30, the radio crackled again.

"Tharangi, this is Titus II. There's a ship coming towards us. It's heading directly for us. We're going to run," captain Jayatissa's voice was anxious.

Chaminda answered quickly: "Titus II. What is your location?"

"Our location is . . ." Jayatissa read out the co-ordinates.

Hundreds of miles away at Dondra, a radio officer in the area communications center of the Fisheries Ministry listened to the conversation. With him was Piyasena, the mudalali who owned Tharangi. Piyasena had come to the radio room to send a routine message to his boat.

As the transmission started, the Dondra Communications Center alerted navy headquarters in Colombo.

But out at sea, things were going badly for Titus II.

"The ship is too fast. It's gaining on us. We can't outrun it. What do we do?" Jayatissa shouted The slow trawler wasn't built to act like a speedboat.

"Athula, don't run. They may start shooting. Stop and see what they want," Chaminda advised

Titus II slowed and came to a halt. The ship came alongside.

"Athula, what kind of ship is it?" Chaminda asked. Tharangi was 22 miles away, and over the horizon. But hundreds of other fishing boats were also listening.

"Its name is Marie Amma. It's got a blue hull. The cabin is white. There's a red crane on the forward deck," Jayatissa gave details of the ship.

Then, in a frightened voice: "They are talking in Tamil. One of them is reaching out with a boathook. They are tying our boat to theirs ...

The transmission broke off, abruptly.

Tharangi tried to regain radio contact, but Titus II never answered.

After a few minutes, Dondra Center called up Tharangi, and asked it to head towards Titus II's location. Gunboats were already on the way, the center said.

But by then, chaos reigned out at sea. Every trawler with a radio was chattering excitedly, spreading the news, speculating, advising. Like a school of fish with a shark in their midst, the fishermen were panicking. As one, they were fuming their trawlers and running towards Sri Lanka, more than 200 miles away.

"Dondra, we're scared. We can't go there. We don't want to die," Chaminda answered.

Then, Piyasena, Tharangi's owner, spoke: "Tharangi return home immediately. Don't get yourselves killed."

Tharangi was already running as fast as it could towards Trincomalee.

So were hundreds of other boats, racing helter-skelter for safety.

But racing in the opposite direction were the navy's gunboats.

For the first time since the search began five days before, the navy knew where to look. For Titus II had given its location. No longer were the gunboats groping in the dark.

The fact that the attacking ship's crew spoke Tamil also confirmed the fact that it was an LTTE vessel. By its size, it could only be an arms ship.

The mysterious attacker knew it too. Its crew were probably listening to Titus II's conversation with Tharangi. Within minutes, it raced away from the area.

When gunboats got to the location, there was no sign of the ship or Titus II.

It is believed that the ship, its mission failed, pulled out of the area, knowing that if it stayed, it would be only a matter of hours before it was hunted down. It is believed to have fled towards Southeast Asia, possibly to Burma, Thailand, or Malaysia which are well known as being frequented by smugglers and gunrunners.

A few hours later, the fleeing Tharangi caught up with two other fleeing boats, Giri Hela and Thejana, also from Dondra and sailed with them to Trincomalee. There they found hundreds of other boats, which had run from danger. The fishing grounds were emptying of trawlers.

Most crews were unsure of what to do. They faced financial disaster if they didn't take back a good catch. Yet, they were too scared to go back.

Tharangi's crew, for one, had had enough.

Turning south, they steamed along the coast and came home, reaching Dondra on March 10. Their hold was nearly empty, but they valued their lives too much.

"We're broke, and we don't know when we will be able to go back. But at least we are alive,'' said Chaminda.

He moaned the loss of his friend Jayatissa of Titus II.

'We called him Athula Aiya. He was like a brother to me, and a friend to all of us. It is because of his description on the radio that we are alive. We pray that he's still alive somewhere,'' he said sadly.

For fisheries officials, there was some satisfaction in knowing that the navy had carried out a deep sea search operation very well in the vast area of the eastern Indian Ocean, although the attacker got away.

"If the navy had not sent gunboats out on March 3, taking a huge risk by weakening their patrols near the coast, many more trawlers could have been sunk," said a fisheries ministry official. "They were close enough that when Titus II gave the location, the ship had to flee. Its lethal cargo didn't get to the LTTE."

The incidents served as a warning that countries in the region need to co-ordinate efforts against terrorism, piracy and narcotics smuggling. "This time it was only Sri Lankan boats which were attacked. Next time, the victims could be boats from Bangladesh, Thailand or India. SAARC and ASEAN countries need to get together, and have a treaty about this. Countries which don't have sufficient deep sea warships should even be gifted vessels by the larger nations," said a fisheries ministry official.

For the fishermen, who have always had an uneasy relationship with the LTTE near the coast, it was a bad shock to be attacked in international waters, hundreds of miles out.

"Now we don't know where we can be safe. The Tigers are destroying our livelihoods," said Chaminda.

Irrigation in ancient Rajarata

by Prof. W. I. Siriweera
Vice Chancellor
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka

Paddy introduced to Sri Lanka in the first millennium B.C. was initially a rain-fed crop, but later development of its cultivation was supported by irrigation. Artificial irrigation also provided water for domestic consumption in the Dry Zone which comprised seventy percent of the land area of the island.

Therefore the artificially created small village tanks of early settlers and their descendants brought into being a society based on the harmony of the tank and the people living around it. A large number of village tanks were constructed using communal labour and were the collective property of the villagers. The ownership of irrigation works by individuals too is evident from the occurrence of the term vapihamika in inscriptions at least from the first century onwards. The population growth in the city of Anuradhapura necessitated the construction of medium- sized tanks through state intervention to enhance the supply of water to the city. Thus by the first century B.C. three medium scale reservoirs, Tissavewa, Basavakkulama or Abeyavwwa and Nuwaravewa had been constructed.

The growing pressure of population and the demands of a developing civilization for an increase in agricultural production underlined the need for large-scale state enterprise in the utilization of water resources. As a result, in the first century A.D. in the reign of Vasabha (65- 109 A.D.), the first step was taken towards the construction of larger reservoirs and canals. He constructed eleven reservoirs including the Mahavilacchiya and twelve canals. His monumental work, the Alahara canal was constructed by damming the Ambanganga, a tributary of the Mahaveli.

Growth

During the reign of Mahasena (274 - 301 A.D.) there was a spurt of state enterprises in irrigation. Among many, his most imposing work was the Minneri reservoir fed by the Alahara canal. He also constructed Kavuduluvewa by damming the Kavudulu Oya, Huruluvawa by diverting the water of the Yan Oya and the Kanadaraveva by impounding the waters of the Kanadara Oya.

Towards the latter part of the fifth century, Dhatusena (455 - 473) constructed eighteen reservoirs. The most important contribution made by him was the construction of the Kalaveva by joining two reservoirs built earlier. The 54 mile long canal, the Jayaganga which conveys water from the Kalaveva to the Tissaveva at Anuradhapura is also attributed to Dhatusena. Besides, Dhatusena constructed the Yoda Vava in the Mannar District which was fed by a canal 17 miles long which diverted the waters of the Malvatu Oya. There are no rock formations connecting the bund of the Yoda veva and the bund impounded water on all sides. Therefore the embankment of the Yoda veva is seven miles long but in height it is the shortest amounting to only fourteen feet.

By the end of the fifth century A.D. state enterprise in irrigation had resulted in the development of two major complexes of irrigation, one based on the Mahaveli river and its tributaries and the other drawing on the waters of the Malvatu Oya and Kala Oya. By this time two other subsidiary complexes based on the Yan Oya and the Deduru Oya too had come into existence. In the subsequent centuries, these were further developed with the construction of Padaviya, Naccaduwa and Mamaduwa tanks by Moggallana II (531 - 551) Kurundu Veva and the Minipe canal by Aggabodhi I (571 - 604) Kantalai and Giritale reservoirs by Aggabodhi II ( 604 - 614).

Of the reservoirs constructed in the eighth, ninth and tenth centuries, reference may be made to Tabbowa, Vahalkada, Vannikulam, Allai, Horivila and Kandalama tanks.

Twelfth century witnessed the zenith of irrigation activity. Parakramabahu I (1153 - 1186) is said to have constructed or restored 165 dams, 3910 canals, 63 major tanks and 2376 minor tanks. His outstanding achievement is the construction of the Parakramasamudra by amalgamating three earlier tanks. This large reservoir received water from the Angamadilla anicut built on the Ambanganga and a connecting network of canals.

There were hundreds of minor village tanks in Ruhuna but large scale reservoirs were few in number. Even these few reservoirs, namely, Tissavewa, Mahagamavewa and Yodakandiyavewa are not comparable either in size or in the technological sophistication they display with the major irrigation works in the Kala -Malvatu and Mahaweli complexes. Nevertheless, the two major hydraulic complexes of the Kala Malvatu and Mahaweli rivers, as well as the reservoirs in Ruhuna and the small village tanks, spread over most parts of the Dry Zone, provided both a back-drop to, and a foundation for a civilization which flourished in the period up to about the thirteenth century A.D.

Technology

Particularly important in respect of irrigation technology are the large reservoirs and canals which required careful planning and the use of equipment to move large quantities of earth and huge stone slabs, as well as utilization of steel tools to work on hard granite.

In the construction of reservoirs, the gaps along the low ridges running across the Dry Zone plains were used efficiently to impound the water flowing through them. Two different techniques were adopted after careful examination of the physiographical and topographical conditions for impounding water. According to one, an embankment was built using natural rock formations across a valley where water was available from seasonal streams and rivers to build a reservoir. According to the other, part of the water flowing down the rivers was turned into excavated canals which conveyed water to more distant lands and reservoirs. For this purpose, dams were constructed across the rivers.

Whichever method was used, many reservoirs and canals in an extensive area were connected with each other through an intricate network so that the excess water from one invariably flowed into another. The construction of long canals such as the Jayaganga and the Alahara, connecting large reservoirs, required expert knowledge and accurate devices and instruments for levelling and surveying the land to achieve the minimum gradient in the flow of water. For instance, the 54 mile long Jayaganga has a low gradient of six inches to a mile during the first seventeen miles of its course. The construction of large reservoirs required the handling of huge stone blocks, and as Parker has observed, "stones weighing up to ten tons" were used in some irrigation enterprises of Parakramabahu 1. For the construction of the embankment of the Padaviya reservoir, about 592,500 cubic yards of earth had been brought to the construction site from a distance. The outer wall of the Sukharanijjhara dam on the Deduru Oya, constructed by Parakramabahu I was built with well-cut stone blocks which are so intricately fitted that joints are only a quarter of an inch wide, while its inner core was formed of rubbe laid in lime concrete.

There was an advance in irrigation technology in the early centuries of the Christian era with the construction of the bisokotuwa or the cistern sluice, the ancient version of the modern "valve pit" to regulate the outward flow of the water of the reservoirs. All the sluices were constructed with burnt bricks or stones. The brick-works were laid in excellent mortar made with lime burnt from coral. The stone-work in all the sluices consisted of long thin slabs of considerable breadth. The sluices consisted of three essential parts (a) a rectangular open well or pit (bisokotuwa) from a spot near the crest of the dam down to a certain depth, (b) an inlet culvert through which the water passed into this well; (c) a discharging culvert from the well to the foot of the outer slope of the bank. To the bisokotuwa an apparatus was fitted by raising or lowering of which the culvert could wholly or partially be closed. There were also flood gates in large reservoirs at different levels.

According to Paranavitana, the terms ananika and adikaya found in early Brahmi inscriptions indicate an "irrigation engineer" and an "officer in charge of canals" respectively. The usage vavaiaruma in an inscription of the ninth century has been interpreted by C. W. Nicholas as connoting an inspector of reservoirs. Nicholas is also of the opinion that the term "dolos mahavatan" found in tenth century inscriptions denotes the department in charge of twelve great reservoirs.

Labour Mobilization

The larger reservoirs and canals demanded the diligent organization of labour resources each utilizing the labour of around "50,000 men for many years". Although no clear evidence regarding the manner in which labour was mobilized in the early periods of history is available, inscriptions of the ninth and tenth centuries indicate that corvee labour was utilized for the purpose. The terms vari or variyan found in some of these inscriptions mean corvee labour and gand kandat vari or vavu mehe indicate labour for irrigation works. The term vari sal found in these inscriptions is probably the impost on the peasants to feed this labour force. The Sinhala classic Saddharmaratnavaliya written in the thirteenth century contains the first direct reference to carvee duty by the term rajakariya. This work states that all laymen had to perform rajakariya or work for the king.

Decline

Although the Dry Zone civilization based on a complex irrigation network collapsed after the middle of the thirteenth century, the reservoir system took a longer time to break down. For instance, the great reservoir at Kavudulla seems to have been breached only in about 1680 A.D. Emerson Tennent who visited the Minneri reservoir in 1848 found that its embankments had remained nearly perfect though overgrown with lofty trees. Yet, after the thirteenth century, the remains of the proud cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa stood in ruins, a ready prey to the jungle encroaching upon them.

Revival

The increase in the overall population of the island particularly with the increase in Indian immigrants, the rise in the average annual rice import and the alarming situation of food supply in the country, led the British colonial administrators to embark on a policy of restoration of the irrigation works and on colonizing the Dry Zone from the middle decades of the nineteenth century.

In the subsequent decades most of the ancient irrigation works were restored, and colonization programmes were launched initially by the British Government, and after independence by the Sri Lankan government. Yet the twentieth century irrigation experts have failed to achieve what the ancient irrigation engineers have achieved. They have failed to perfect the ancient intricate irrigation system and the control of siltation which contributed to the maximum utilisation of water resources.

People and Events
An excellent new Sri Lankan publication

by Nan
Henry P Abeyasekera brought out his most recent book: Some Colourful Cameos of Sri Lankan Life on 10 March.

I met the author at his home on 6 March and spent a wonderful afternoon in conversation with him, seated in the open verandah, tastefully furnished with antiques and overlooking a delightful garden. Tea was served as tea should be served, which so reminded me of tiffin in an upcountry planter's bungalow of gracious living.

Let's Talk About the Book, He Says

I wanted to talk about the author more than about the publication, but Mr. Abeyasekera would have none of it. He very definitely said the book was important and the author's place merely in the background. He spoke freely and our conversation moved easily but he was keen that nothing be written about him. The little he said about himself however, and connections we forged through talking about mutual acquaintances, made it obvious that here was a gentleman in the true sense of the word; a person who loves Sri Lanka, cares sincerely for it, served it faithfully and is now greatly perturbed by the rot that has set in. It was also apparent that his was a sharp and perceptive mind, age notwithstanding; quick with a fund of knowledge and a treasure trove of anecdote and history of the country. The moment he greeted me I knew he was the sort of person I greatly admire and whose kind is moving towards extinction - a knowledgeable, cultured, true Sri Lankan.

Fascinating, Unusual, Readable

Dr. Gamani Corea in his Foreword to the book says: "Henry P Abeyasekera has presented us with a fascinating, unusual and highly readable book." The author elaborated on the term unusual as it applies to his book. He says firstly it is unusual because it is not a novel, nor a collection of short stories nor even autobiographical or a memoir. Mr. Abeyasekera will shy away from placing himself centre-stage. It does not deal with a single topic or subject area, nor can it be said to belong to any one particular genre.

It is a collection of comparatively short pieces written by the author over the last four decades as contributions to the print media. Each chapter is on a different subject with no connection one to the other, except in a few instances. Chapters are not placed in sequence. It is a cleverly written 'slide projection' of a variety of subjects: political, social, religious and historical. Thus the term unusual in the Foreword to the book.

Some Colourful Cameos of Sri Lankan Life covers a wide spectrum of subjects and a time span from the very start of British occupation of Ceylon: "On the 16th of February 1796, Colombo surrendered to the British forces"; to Reaping the Dragon Harvest which details the present terrorist scourge. Ethnic disturbances are described, analysed to a certain extent and a long term solution identified: intermarriage. Personally I do not agree with the author on this too distant solution to bring complete amity between the Sinhalese and Tamil races.

He ends his 186 page book on an ominous note: "For if the war is not brought to a speedy end, there is the inevitable danger that some force will take matters into its own hands, outside the control of the democratic establishment, engulfing and overwhelming even the raucous declamations of sectional interests and bring even a greater calamity to the land."

In between are 31 chapters of historical fact, vignettes of the social milieu of different eras, cameo portraits of the famous and less known, and anecdotes. Here are a few of the tantalizing chapter headings:

Eventful 1933 and the beginning of newspapers in Ceylon
The Father of the Nation and his bureaucrat lieutenant
The Prime Minister Stakes, 1952
Political power, privilege, perks and pelf as causes of the JVP insurrections
The Panadura Debate
The day of the Yakkos: President Premadasa dispels the power of the elite
Caste - an unwanted heritage
Some bons mots of Sir John Kotelawala
Maduwanwala Ratemahatmaya
Kandalama too is given a chapter - a place the author loves to go to.

Purposes that Prompted Publication

How did the book come to be published?

Mr. Abeyasekera had contributed articles to the newspapers during the last half century, starting in 1954. "My contributions were accepted and some of the reading public, friends and acquaintances told me they maintained files of my articles." Naturally gratified he acceded to their suggestion that he collect the articles in a book. Thus, from writing articles he moved to book production. He selected the most interesting and most representative articles of different eras in Sri Lanka's recent history for publication in book form. His selection had necessarily to be sparse, costs of publication being what they are.

He has spent much money, time and effort, and shed the proverbial blood and tears on the production of this jewel of a book, a gift to posterity.

The author had certain purposes in mind when starting out on the arduous task of seeing his writing through publication in book form.

The present generation, according to the author, are so tied up with careers and making a living of life that they do not have ample free time to read. The older generation, in contrast, were steeped in the classics; studied the humanities; and had time and the desire to read widely. The young of today are well informed on computer science and information technology; management techniques and are engrossed in the commercial and mercantile world. Thus the writer wished to open windows to a kaleidoscopic view of the past and recent past to place these young people in the picture, as it were.

I fully endorse what he said.

A second idea was to present to the reading public a revival of the memories of our colonial past, to present lessons to be learnt and the constant reminder that both the current problems we suffer and benefits we enjoy are a legacy of those eras gone by.

Along with this was the presentation of personalities we should remember and revere - persons who were in the freedom struggle; persons who contributed to the improvement of the lot of the Ceylonese and also those who caused problems!!

Social reformism was targeted, principally through the chapters on caste in Sri Lanka, an idea of superiority in certain groupings in society. These social segregations and distinctions are fast disappearing but they do make their presence felt in various situations. For instance we do not talk habitually about caste or label this one as padu caste or that other as a goigama. Yet the caste question is very much with us. Proof? Run your eye down the marriage proposals in a Sunday newspaper that has gone into this business and I need not tell you how almost every one of the notices mentions caste. Caste is insiduously present and elitism evident. Elections sometimes are won on the caste issue.

The author was a first batch Divisional Revenue Officer, then on the team that nationalized the Colombo port, General Manager of the National Textile Corporation, and from 1973 on the Panel of the Industrial Courts. Thus he gathered a fund of knowledge about the country and its people: the elite and the ordinary peasant; and events that occurred even before the British left the colony. He gives us insights to people's make-up and character and to the inner workings at the highest public and political levels.

A Delightful Intellectual Pot Pourri

He speaks of the insurrections against British rule: 1797 led by Singho Appu, the 1830 attempt and Puran Appu's 1848 effort and analyses in depth the JVP insurrections. Dealing with the ethnic question and the terrorist problem, he brings in the "Muslim factor in the ethnic triangle."

More absorbing to me are his articles and snippets of the famous and not so famous: D S Senanayake, Sir John Kotelawala, Maduwanawela Dissawa to whom he devotes two whole chapters, Sir Arthur Ranasinghe, Charles Ambrose Lorenz, Victor Dhanapala, Cyril Arnold Janz of St John's, the author's school, and Ranasinghe. The great advantage the author has is that he was closely linked and associated with many of those he writes about and is thus able to give unique, hitherto unreported insights to their characters, actions and decisions taken.

The book is illustrated with portraits and pictures. The cover, designed by Nelun Nadarajah, is totally apt and very attractive. Six stamp size photographs of the famous are impressed on a background map of the Island with pale pictures of the Kandy Lake, the Parliamentary complex in Sri Jayawardhenapura, a church and dagoba and ruins of Polonnaruwa around it.

I could fill the entire page of this paper in praise of the book and its writer/publisher, but the Editor will not allow it, hence I end this preview with the earnest suggestion: go to Malalasekera Pedesa, off Malalasekera Mawata, previously Longdon Terrace, and buy yourself a copy of this book.

The Trinity week-end

Reviewed by Sharm de Alwis
The second week-end of February gladdened many Trinity hearts.

On Friday was the Prize-Giving, the first official function of the new Principal, Dr. W. R. Breckenridge and it was heartening to note the school curriculum comprises Greek & Roman Civilization, Comparative Religion, Agriculture, Project Farming, Community Development, International Relations, Folk Lore and Kandyan Dancing. Dr. Breckenridge said that he would be introducing a Prize for History of Trinity so that boys would have an awareness of the traditions they, themselves, are steeped in.

On the following Saturday was the AGM of the OBA and Harindra Dunuwille, Rohan Athureliya and Roger Abeyratne were elected without contest to the posts of President, Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. The Executive Committee remained unchanged except for the Secretary.

Mr. Dunuwille welcomed the new Principal, Dr. W. R. Breckenridge and the new co-vice Principal, Mr. W. B. J. C. F. Jayawardena.

"Trinity is the first secondary school in the Country to have attracted an University Professor as the head and we are certain that Trinity is in good hands."

Under the auspices of the Minister for Cultural Affairs, Trinity had scored another first when students of Trinity are now engaged in archaeological excavations in Menikdenne in Dambulla.

Harindra spoke of Lakshman Jayakody as "one of a rare breed; a gentleman in Politics" like Sarath Amunugama and Rohan Abeygunasekera who were also present at the Dinner. Harindra Dunuwille who apart from being the President of the Trinity OBA, is also the Mayor of Kandy, castigated those in power politics who have caused a growing disenchantment amongst the populace. He addressed the need to re-establish decent standard of behaviour and relegate to the rubbish heap the distasteful conduct that is prevalent today by the custodians of norms and morals. It was a pleasing thought that the Trinitians in Parliament have not succumbed to gross and vulgar display of speech and deed even in these troubled and turbulent times.

Harindra stressed the need for the independence and dignity of the Public Service. "Bureaucracy can be controlled as there are checks and balances, by recourse to Courts for enforcement of Fundamental Rights and there is also the Office of the Ombudsman. Regretably, the politician stands above and is not accountable for his deeds and mis-deeds. The time is rife to establish a strong civil society. Even the OBAs of Trinity could form a part of that civil society. The answer is not a third political party but a strong civil society that can exert a strong lobby within the Country. Harindra Dunuwille then proposed the Toast to Sri Lanka and called upon Lakshman Jayakody to propose the Toast to College.

Lakshman Jayakody said he was rather reluctant to propose the Toast in the traditional manner because of the two Opposition Members of Parliament present at the function who might make capital of the Hon. Minister for Buddha Sasana proposing a toast with wine. He would propose the toast "with fresh water, not even with mineral water."

27 years ago at the Centenary Prize Giving of Trinity College, Mrs. Bandaranaike had said, "My Deputy Minister of Defence and Foreign Affairs is a Trinitian. My Secretary of Foreign Affairs is a Trinitian. My Security Officer is a Trinitian. My Bodyguard is a Trintian. My Private Secretary is a Trinitian. My Controller of Emigration and Immigration is a Trinitian, Two young and important members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Karan Breckenridge and Jayantha Dhanapala) are Trinitians. If I were a boy, I too would have been a Trinitian."

He felt secure in the thought that Trinity College, Kandy Would go into the next Millennium in the safe hands of Dr. W. R. Breckenridge. "He will bring back the discipline that Trinity had. The College, Parents, Board of Governors, Old Boys and well-wishers will laud his efforts."

The new Principal of Trinity, Dr. W. R. Breckenridge, thanked all those who rallied round him from the moment he was offered the post of Principal. He then harked back to his student days at Trinity.

With reference to some of the observations made by the President of the OBA, he said "You may think now that I could not have held a ball in my hand, but I did play cricket for Trinity U14 in the distinguished company of Nimal Maralanda, Malsiri Kurukulasuriya, Senaka de Chickera, Lalin Fernando.

But I was a slow and painful batsman and our coach, Mr. Theodore de Silva demoted me from No 1 to No 10."

The student of Trinity that he was and the disciplined son of a legendary father, Dr. Breckenridge quoted the poet Eliot:-

"In my beginning is my end
And in my end is my beginning"

He had gone full circle and is now beginning from where he ended.

The men who tanned the hide of us (S. V. O. Somanader)

By Cecil V. Wikramanayake
One of the teachers to whom this writer owes his prowess with the pen is now long dead. But, it is said that a man is not dead as long as there is someone who remembers him.

How can I ever forget that tall, ramrod straight man who taught me English at the Methodist Central College, Batticaloa, when I was just a lad entering my teens. S. V. O. Somanader was his name. What those initials stood for I have never been able to find out, for he was always known as S. V. O. Somanader. When he wrote articles to the news papers, he always signed off as "S.V.O.S.", seldom using his surname. But everyone who read his articles knew who the writer was.

S. V. O. Somanader could write on almost any subject you could

name. And he could do so in just the time it took to write it. He had all that knowledge at his fingertips, so to speak.

In class, he had little need to look into text books. He would teach us, often without looking at any book, so well had he prepared his lesson for the day. I wonder whether there is any teacher today who can do that - teach off the cuff.

Often, at least once a month, he would take us pupils out of the classroom to places like Rugam, Unnichai and other places in the Batticaloa district. It was an outing with a purpose. For what we learned on these trips stood us in good stead in later life. They were lessons on a variety of subjects, not merely English Literature, Grammar and Composition.

We studied on these outings about the fauna and flora of the land in which we lived. Somanader did not need text books for these lessons. He knew every bird, beast, reptile and whatever, their habits, almost their very language. He would spot some rare bird high up in a tree, show it to us and then tell us all about the bird, without ever referring to a book.

He was invariably right, as I discovered shortly after I had bought Henry's Birds of Ceylon for my youngest daughter, several years later, when we lived on the borders of Udawattakelle in Kandy, and I found that she was a bird fancier.

When S. V. O. Somanader taught me English, how to speak and write it, he made it interesting, and gave meaning to the guidance he provided us with. One thing I remember very well is his teaching us how to write so that the reader would go on reading without getting bored.

"Use simple language" he would say. "You will find that a book that is easy to read is a book that does not contain bomb blast."

One day, when we had been studying the life of Dr. Samuel Johnson, way back in 1936, a bright lad in the class was heard to tell his neighbour, "You are a sublime mediocrity, intoxicated by the exuberance of your own verbosity."

S. V. O. Somanader, who had very sharp ears as well as very good eyesight, heard this remark and had the boy who said it stand up in class.

"Puvinayagam," he said in a mild undertone, "Don't be a pedant. It doesn't become you." One of the other things I learned from S. V. O. Somanader was about how to write an essay. "When you end what you are writing, keep the reader on his toes." He would say. "Be like the scorpion. Have your sting in the tail. "

This advice about using simple language and keeping up interest in the story to the very end, is something I have tried to follow in my nearly fifty years in journalism, despite the efforts of some who have tried to tell me to "use big words, strong words to impress your readers".

Like S. V. O. Somanader told me, I have always tried to inform my readers rather than try to impress them. Perhaps this is the reason why my file of letters from readers of what I have written is such a voluminous one.

William de Alwis, who together with Oscar Rajasooriya introduced me to journalism, has paid a tribute to S. V. O. Somanader after their first meeting, way back in 1978. On my last meeting with Oscar a few days ago, he gave me a letter he had received when he was in the Asian Service of Deutsch Welle, from H. M. H. Wijekoon, a government surveyor from Pannala. It enclosed a cutting of a short article William de Alwis had written of that first meeting. I don't think I can do better than quote from what Willie wrote:

"We found ourselves high and dry one idyllic afternoon with nowhere to go and nothing to eat on the beach of Kalkudah. This was decades before the hotels got there and a colleague, Oscar Rajasooriya and I had brought a globe-trotting couple from Switzerland on a do-it-cheap scooter ride to this skin-diver's paradise.

"Until too late we have given little thought to food and lodging and the only sign of life was a lone figure in wind-whipped white robes standing at the pier a short distance away.

"We were debating a quick ride to a wayside boutique for some buns and plantains for dinner when a friendly voice hailed us. It was our first introduction to Batticaloa's S. V. O. Somanader who had strolled up unnoticed.

He gripped my arm: "Quick see there! You are lucky. That's also an illicit immigrant" S.V.O.S. was pointing to a little bird in the shrubs. We were not too interested in bird life at the time, however. He sensed this and was also quick to sense why. "Have you eaten?"

"That was SVOS all over. "Love surpasseth all" he said with amusement pointing a fatherly finger at the young couple frolicking in the water quite oblivious to the desperate predicament Oscar and I had been discussing. "Come home. Come home now."

"We went and found ourselves in the lap of Eastern hospitality at its best. A pleasant evening spent in the discussion of matters close to SVOS's heart - from the coastal veddahs to legendary finds of ambergris and from migrant birds from as far off as Siberia to fossilised crabs and singing fish.

"We spent five memorable days there. Old Mr. Somanader, as we called him, saw to it that we had a deserted house placed at our disposal with its caretaker looking after our needs.

None in that quartet will ever forget him and I am sure we all still have the little keepsakes he distributed as parting gifts to each of us - a fragment of a fossilised crab for Dr. Peter Zurcher of Zurich, a cluster of peacock feathers for his wife Astrid, and a bird's feather each for Oscar and me - now treasured mementoes of a great educationist, a great father, a great and good man."

Is it any wonder then that I can never forget this "man who tanned the hide of us" as we sang in later years at Trinity ?

English through KNOW WORDS

Publisher: Arjuna Hulugalle Dictionaries
42 Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha,
Colombo 3.
Telephone: 573517
Fax: 576031
E-mail: hajh@sri.lanka.net
Price: Rs. 29.50

The latest Arjuna Hulugalle Dictionaries, KNOW WORDS, is a stunning little book. Beautifully printed with a handy format even for busy travellers, it is an easy and challenging way to acquire a large number of words and meanings of the English language.

Who today would ask the question "Why learn English?" Even those who did stray intellectually who deceived themselves and others by saying "Why English? Why not French, German or Japanese?" realise the strength of the language. Before, they felt pushed to speak, read and write English. Today, their children and grandchildren thirst for English and will not leave a stone unturned in order to master it. These same offspring use the English language for their own benefits and no one else's.

English is proven as indispensable. Young people are straining every sinew to learn it. They see its power to control their careers, relationships and future.

The older Sri Lankans will remember how much emphasis was paid to improve their English by testing language competency through "Word Power" in the Readers Digest. KNOW WORDS is a similar method, provoking and teasing the reader to search for correct answers. The pronunciation of the main words are also given in Sinhala script.

Each page carries a score card to check one's progress and accuracy. There are slogans prodding, encouraging and stimulating the reader to sustain interest. There is plenty of fun, value and friendly competitive spirit.

The secret of improving the capacity to use words and make the most effective use of the tests is to constantly have a dictionary as a companion by your side. One cannot emphasise enough that reference to dictionaries is the only way to improve fluency.

The fascinating programme of English language aids and dictionaries published by Arjuna Hulugalle Dictionaries has been carefully designed on almost a modular basis to help teachers and students. Apart from being accepted in this country, leading Indian publishers have commenced negotiations to publish them in the subcontinent.

Logically, effective "tri-lingualism" is the only solution to our so called ethnic crisis. In the short term, it is unlikely that we have the resources, skills and political willpower to reach this state. Let us concentrate on teaching of English on a mass scale as a second language. As a link language it is also quite feasible. KNOW WORDS will make a substantial contribution to these efforts.

Dr. C. B. Yahalawatte

An appeal to Rev. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero

by B. Gunatilake
The events that unfolded in the last two decades in the political arena of this resplendent but hapless nation, point unequivocally to one alarming and despicable tendency - that of communally motivated communal factions attempting by subterfuge and skulduggery to divide this country on communal lines with the hope of crowning themselves as petty potentates of the carved out regions.

We have the megalomaniac Prabhakaran who heralded his evil mission by exterminating the very people whom be publicly claims to liberate and still continues to kill, so that he can claim without being challenged that he is the sole representative of the Tamil people, to the exclusion of those Tamil leaders who he has massacred. He wants one third of the country and two thirds of its coastline for 12% of the population of which 40% lives outside the area that he wants for his people.

Then we have Mr. Ashraff of the Muslim Congress who wants a separate region carved out in the East for the Muslims despite the fact that the most distinguishing feature of their demographic pattern in the dispersal of their population in every nook and corner of this country. The subtle efforts made to introduce fundamentalism and the concept of Jihad by adopting surreptitious strategies by some minor factions of the Muslim community would eventually undermine the cordial relationship that the Muslim community nurtured and enjoyed with the Sinhalese for centuries. This, the conspirators believe, would reinforce their claim to a separate Muslim nation.

Then comes the concept of Malayanadu which most people believe, not without reason is expounded by Minister Thondaman. He has already, through the unabashed wielding of his political clout, won for his own community privileges that he has persistently and stubbornly denied for the indigenous Kandyans. He has prevailed on successive Governments to unofficially acknowledge that the Kandyan estate lands are de facto, the traditional homeland of the Tamils of Indian origin and that the Sinhalese inhabitants of these areas should not be given an inch of land even for village expansion.

The dire economic conditions in which the Kandyans have lived for centuries need no expatiation here. The perplexing and tragic enigma in this entire drama is the stoic silence kept by the members of Parliament who represent the Kandyan areas, in the face of the most provocative and belligerent behaviour of Thondman. Their cowardly attitude may be due to the selfish desire to survive politically, although they cannot be blissfully ignorant of the horrendous injustices perpetrated on the Kandyans from the beginning of the British hegemony up to the present days.

When many of the remaining Kandyan villages went under water with the inauguration of the Mahaweli scheme, Thondaman looked on with absolute glee, how the miserable villagers were expelled from his dreamland to be settled in the "border villages" of the North and the East. Thondaman did not raise any protest here, because he knew that the settlers would eventually dissipate there as cannon fodder for Prabhakaran's marauding gangs.

These antics of the minority communal parties make it abundantly clear that they are not concerned about the security of Sri Lanka as a nation. What they want is political power at the cost of the destruction of Sri Lanka as a nation state. It is the majority Sinhalese community who have consistently, fearlessly and unwaveringly taken the forefront in the struggle for preserving the territorial integrity of this nation. The only exceptions among them have been some of the NGOO who have to sing for their supper and therefore would sell their soul for a mess of pottage and also of course the Sinhalese politicians of all hues and colours, who have been worshipping at the feet of minority politicians to secure their support to come to power and remain in power.

If this is the factual situation, it is incumbent on the Sinhalese to take the initiative to save the nation from being pushed into a bottomless mire, into which we are already very well and very fast, on the way. They have taken the initiative only as responses to specific challenges. This is not good enough. This nation has to be grateful to the National Sangha Sabbha, the National Joint Committee. The Sinhala Commission and the myriad of affiliated bodies who fought with velour and gallantry against the nefarious package of the Government, which if implemented would have spelt disaster to the unitary state and what is left of the communal harmony that has been forged among the communities. But the struggle must continue until the Sinhalese have a political base which can effectively thwart all attempts made by politicians to achieve self aggrandisement at the expense of the country of their birth.

The Sinhalese organisations have among their illustrious membership, priests and laymen of great learning, sagacity sincerity, patriotism and impeccable honesty who have a tremendous capacity to win any battle, because they are selfless men with the will to make any sacrifice for the common good of the community.

They are aware that all the Governments in the past succumbed to the nefarious and demeaning demands of minority communal parties because they had to appease them in order to retain the support of their members of Parliament. Thondaman recently had the temerity to expound this position by declaring publicly that it is he who decides who should govern this country. Thondaman has had to have only 6 seats in the Parliament to make this claim, which of course is a perversion of all tenets of democratic governance. Ashroff also wields the big stick on the Government for the same reason and his detestable design is to get his own kingdom with the power of only five seats in Parliament.

If this obnoxious political phenomenon is what makes the Sinhalese politician to creep and cringe before the minority politicians at the expense of the security of the state and its unitary character, why cannot this strong body of monks and laymen take the initiative in order to find a permanent solution to this malaise that afflicts this unfortunate nation? Time has indeed come to swing the pendulum in the opposite direction. This initiative which everyone knows is the only solution, is to form a political organisation with the objective of winning a sufficient number of seats in the Parliament, to pressurise the Government, mainly, not to embark on any course of action that would jeopardize the national interest of the country.

If such a political organisation is established I am sure that in the first hustings which it will contest, it would be able to poll more than 25 percent of the votes of the people of this country. The people of this country have undergone untold suffering and misery, with no hope for the future under both the UNP and the PA, under whose dispensations, the only beneficiaries have been the politicians and their boot-lickers. The majority community is divided and is in tragic disarray clawing each other, leading to mutual annihilation, as amply demonstrated at the Wayamba elections. If this group of men can emerge as a political force, we can put the country back on track, and we will be on the way to order, progress and prosperity soon.

The only snag one can discern is the absence of a nationally accepted leader among this group of men. This had been, not because they did not have the capacity and the charisma to emerge as national leaders but because they did not aspire for positions of power in the political arena. I can name a dozen great and eminent men among them, but I would not venture to do so, because they are waiting in the wings to serve the country as politicians when the time is propitious.

Hence, this passionate and humble appeal to Rev. Maduluwawe Sobhita Thero - intrepid, sagacious son of this nation who has been in the forefront of the struggle against all moves by corrupt politicians to sound the death knell of the nation and its people, to take the leadership in forming and forging such an organisation at this crucial juncture of our countries' history. Your initiative and move would decide the destiny of this nation, irrevocably, for the next century. The enemies of this nation and crafty communal-minded writers recognised your astounding potential in this direction, long before many of us, and made a futile attempt to discredit and destroy your character.

"Buddhism Betrayed" unfortunately boomeranged on the author's dubious designs and became another feather in your cap and no amount of offering rewards to such writers and their collaborators by offering jobs and other perks in foreign climes would prevent the inevitable - the recognition accorded to Rev. Sobhita here and all over the world as the Buddhist Priest who has the capacity to assume leadership at this crucial juncture to save the country from disintegration, who in the years to come would galvanize the patriotic people of this country to action, to usher in an era of peace and prosperity with rights of one and all - all living beings - nurtured and safeguarded.

Rev. Sobhita probably is not aware of the very high esteem and adulation that he is held in, among the expatriate Sri Lankans living all over the world, in addition to the unassailable place he has secured in the hearts and minds of the long suffering people of this country.

The minorities of the country whose only aspiration is to work and live in this country with integrity and respect along with the majority, should not have any misgivings or suspicions to live under the political leadership of such an organisation because they know very well that, as amply evidenced by history, it is only the Sinhalese Buddhists who came to their rescue when the Catholics and Muslims were being tortured and persecuted under the colonial rule.

The minorities can safely anticipate that the same protection will be accorded to them in a genuinely true and authentic Buddhist organisation under the enlightened and mature leadership of Rev. Sobhita who has all the charisma and drive to forge a national consciousness which would eschew communal politics and ensure equality and fair-play to all communities within the boundaries of one nation.

I, on behalf of thousands of like-minded men, appeal to Rev. Sobhita and the able sincere men and women around him, to form this organisation without any further delay. Millions of people in this country have been waiting in anxious anticipation for many years for this organisation to emerge. Please take the initiative for the sake of the country and its people.

You will be astonished at the tremendous public response you will receive. The emergence of a viable alternative force would eliminate election violence too, since the Sinhalese would have an acceptable alternative to move away from the thugs and goons who dominate and overawe their community during elections.

We need this organisation to inspire our armed forces to prosecute the war with the complete vanquishing of the enemy as the clear objective, because no one who advocates the division of the country by word or deed, deserves any sympathy. The criminal elements who have surreptitiously entered the ranks of the armed forces and the Police and the elected democratic institutions have to be removed. The war should not be fought and prolonged for the personal glory and enrichment of powerful persons. Bribery and corruption which has permeated every strata of activity in the society have to be eliminated.

The rapid degeneration of the moral values of our society has to be stalled by bringing the sublime teachings of all religions to the fore and following them as guidelines in formulating state policy. This is the only way to return to our spiritual roots. The sufferings of the poor have to be taken serious note of and alleviated speedily. The problems of the youth of this country have to be found solutions too. The cost of living has to be reduced. All those roads that have been closed have to be opened. Our ecology and wild life have to be protected before they face irreversible extinction. Above all we have to take meaningful steps to ensure that the country is a congenial and safe habitat for the future generations to live in.

We need a third force in this country as the two main parties have proved themselves to be dismal failures in discharging their responsibilities towards the nation. The only clink of hope I and many others on behalf of whom I write is Rev. Sobhita and the other distinguished priests and laymen around him, who have proved in no uncertain terms, their ability to provide sincere and dedicated leadership in the interest of the nation for its national revival.

Hence this passionate appeal to you Rev. Sobhita. The sincere love for the country which you cherish in your heart and animated you and thrust you to the centre stage of agitation against anti-national activities, would unfailingly inspire you to take the lead in this hour when dismay darkness and disillusionment has totally enveloped this country and her people. I have no doubt that you have the humility to acknowledge the intensity of the faith that people have in you and respond to this humble request.

When Britain practised apartheid here

by Joe Segera
Britain is widely known as the kindest and most progressive colonial power in the world. It provided ample opportunities for education and above all introduced an advanced judicial system under which all were equal before the law. But our colonial rulers had also what is called the "white man" mentality at the back of their minds. Like all colonial powers the feeling that the white man was superior to the black man was somehow ingrained in them.

We were not South Africa (pre-independence Rhodesia) but there was what could be described as a revised and more humane system of the colour bar obtaining here during British rule and the early years after we won our Independence.

In colonial Ceylon, for example it was standard practice for Britishers only to travel first class in trains. It was not a rule or law, but it was common practice for the whites to insist from the authorities, station masters and the like that first class was meant only for the privileged whites such as civil servants, company directors, executives, planters and visiting VIPs.

This reminds us of the story of a State Councillor who bought a First Class ticket and took his seat in an Upcountry train. In the seat next to him sat a snooty British planter who was all the time staring daggers at him and muttering inaudible curses on him. The State Councillor was none other than Mr. G. K. W. Perera, an outspoken critic of class discrimination.

Unable to bear it any longer he stood up and told the English snob: "Who do you think you are? Back home in England your father might be a shoemaker. He must have made the soles of my pair of English shoes I am wearing." The white planter did not utter a word and got down at the very next station.

The Club, of course was a British institution. It was their second home where they relaxed with their Scotch and soda, Gin and lime and the pick of foreign liquor served by "native" waiters who slavishly "Sirred" and saluted the white masters all the time. In Colombo there was the posh Colombo Club which was exclusively for the whites. This led to the Ceylonese gentry in the higher rungs open the Orient Club.

There was also the Colombo Swimming Club which was also a preserve of the Whites. This Club enforced the Whites Only rule even after we became an independent nation. It was only after a sustained campaign launched by Tarzie Vittachi in the "Observer" that Whites Only Clubs led by the Swimming Club opened their doors to citizens of this country. The late Commander of the Royal Ceylon Navy Vice-Admiral Royce de Mel was the first black man to be admitted to the Swimming Club.

Then, in the outstations there were clubs such as the Darawella Club and the Hill Club at Nuwara Eliya which thickly practised apartheid. The Darawella Club, for instance, was so enmeshed in this sordid business that it enforced it on Sri Lankan journalists during the Queen's first official visit to this country way back in the fifties. The Lake House team of journalists covering this visit led by the late Reggie Michael were denied entry to the Club while the Queen and party were being hosted inside. They simply had to stand and stare outside.

Another incident took place when journalists and Foreign Ministry officials following a British Foreign Office Minister was touring some of the plantations at the time when there was talk about the nationalisation of our estates, were debarred from entering the premises of Hill Club in the company of the British Minister.

Some of the big hotels also kept the "natives" out. The white Manager of a leading Fort hotel, one of the oldest in the country was the guilty party. This situation was also spotlighted by Tarzie Vittachi in the "Observer". As a result the White Manager meekly gave in, saying he had just opened its doors to an influential Sinhalese Mudalali with much political clout who wore cloth and banian and wrapped a towel round his head.

This exercise will not be complete without this story about a leading British bank in the Fort debarring locals from occupying chairs in its waiting room. The chairs were meant only for Europeans while there was a long bench set apart for the others who wished to meet the manager. The rule was enforced by the bank's cloth and banner-wearing Arachchi.

This blatant insult to people of this country in the early years of our freedom, was surprisingly enough highlighted by another newspaper, the now defunct "Times of ceylon". Its Editor then, an Englishman with liberal values with a host of Sri Lanka friends in this country was Mr. Victor Lewis. One of his staff reporters who had called to interview the Bank's Manager was one of the people who was shown the bench by the haughty Arachchi.

Symphony orchestra of Sri Lanka commences 1999 season

The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, now in its 41st year of existence, opens the 1999 concert season on Saturday, the 20th March at the usual venue, Ladies' College Hall, Colombo 3. The orchestra will be conducted by Dr. Earle de Fonseka and the concert programme includes two outstanding Concerti, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in a major K 488 with Ms. Sonia Wickremasinghe as soloist and Weber's Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F major op. 73 featuring Mr. Ananda Premasiri as solo Clarinetist. Both artistes make their debut as soloists with the SOSL at this concert.

Ms. Sonia Wickremasinghe who received her musical education in Russia, needs no introduction to audiences here in Colombo following her acclaimed Piano Recital last December, in which her masterly handling of the romantic repertoire elicited high commendation from reviewers. As such, concert-goers would now eagerly look forward to her view of this classical masterpiece by Mozart, famous for its central Adagio movement, full of poetry and pathos with exquisite, economical writing for Piano as well as Woodwind.

Mr. Ananda Premasiri, whose musical background was chiefly oriental, soon found his love for the instrument attracting him to the western classics. He is a gifted performer and has played Principal Clarinet in several orchestral concerts in Colombo previously. Weber's First Clarinet Concerto, generally popular for its melodic appeal, offers wide scope for technical display by the soloist.

The programme commences with the electrifying Overture to the Opera 'The Marriage of Figaro' by Mozart. This vivacious work, a firm favourite with audiences down the ages, is an ideal curtain-raiser and races along to its conclusion usually in just four minutes. The main orchestral item for the evening will be 'St. John's Night on the Bald Mountain' by Modest Musorgaky. This work has as its theme the legend of St. John's triumphant resistance of the hideous onslaught by the satanic forces atop the bald mountain. Musorgaky's apparent notoriety for incomplete works resulted in a re-arrangement of this composition by Rinsky-Mursakov and music lovers would probably be familiar with that version entitled 'Night on the Bare Mountain'. On this occasion, Dr. de Fonseka presents Musorgaky's original version which makes no less technical demands on all departments of the orchestra than the subsequent Rimsky-Koreakov version.

This concert sponsored by St. Regis Packaging (Private) Limited and the Yamaha Music Centre will commence of 7.00 p.m.

C. H. L. Aponso.

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Omnes Sanguines Globi!

Lest you are on the verge of confusion, if you are already not confused that is, the above phrase is quite in line with your concern. Just take a good look at the accompanying picture and you might get somewhere!

The phrase above is in a language, those of us schooled in the classical mould have learned to love, and which still has influence over the language of this article.

The phrase, as you may have guessed by now, simply means all bloody balls!

It was bloody balls and confusion, (like the plight of the farmer in the picture!), the other day, when a fellow-mustang, a bearded type, was confronted with a simple statement of fact.

"Don't talk balls", he retorted sipping his nth Beer ejecting a somewhat annoyed spherical response (He was known to love things 'spherical' from his school days!) to my inane, in his view, pronouncement that the second hand is the third hand of the clock! (Given his state of inebriation, it was rather surprising that he didn't disgorge a garbled: "don't talk c(l)ock"). Not normally known for intellectual inquiry, this was too much for him. Such inquiry is not so common for those 'schooled' by the seashore, anyway.

"How can that be?", he asked in a bothered, gruff tone. "In any case, what is the relevance? This is a cricket match and the bloody Royal-Thomian at that! This is no place for second- hand or third-hand stuff. This is the Mustangs and we are from the top drawer"! The point he didn't catch, perhaps due to compulsive seashore sickness', was that time is the essence of life. The third hand just ticks away from us, second by second, never to be recovered, while we, Mustangs, ponder over the many glorious uncertainties of a game, the 120th this time, where twenty-two no-longer 'flannelled' fools match their schoolboy wits of the willow and the cherry supervised by two more, white-coated, fools, their senior in years, called the Umpires.

Balls are a plenty in this game. You normally have red ones and now white ones as well. Then you have balls that swing or spin either way or both ways or one way or another. In edition, balls with the reverse swing, too, whatever that means. And dot balls to boot! If the great Dr. W. G. hears of these, he would surely ask all of us, gracefully or otherwise, to get our heads examined and get on with the game!

It is the business of these umpires to watch all these balls carefully for no balls or to see whether some balls are wide or not. And, indeed, whether balls are chucked or delivered within the bounds of decency. By the way, if these umpires have their hands in their pockets, then it's a fair guess that they are well up with the balls!

The umpires are a funny lot, beleaguered as they are. They add to our ball-talking confusion if only by the genetic nature of the very labels their forebears have made them wear! For instance, there is this chap, Zimbabwean umpire Kanji, who, the other day, was replaced on the international panel by another chap called Tiffin. How'zat for a shift of menu? Then there was this chap Bird, who saved his Dickie by a timely retirement, whilst Kitchen was waiting to stand with a certain Hair in an international, though Hair is only good when Dunne for the Kitchen. How anyone can stand with this Hair, let alone stand him, heaven only knows. Of course, one's hair stands on end when one hears Hair's hair-raising heresy on Murali's balls.

Perhaps this is a confusion that can best be unravelled only by the good Shepperd, if only one could catch him at the right time - certainly not when a Nelson is on, which makes him hop madly like a hare to save his soul. One can imagine the scene if Sri Lanka went on to score 999 against India in 1997 and he was around!

Anyway, when Hair is eventually Dunne by the ICC (sic!) for daring to write outside the boundary, not even a Constable would be there to help him, though a Constable can come in very handy to guard against those gone Randy' with all kinds of shady intentions of satisfying unnatural headmasterly desires with their charges. Whether these unnatural desires found filthy fruition in the classroom or the Orchard is immaterial. They are nevertheless reprehensible, especially coming from someone who certainly should have known better. Maybe they could have been prevented if a Constable was around. After all, prevention, they say, is better than Cooray!

Their natural labels apart, they say, the umpire's job is a difficult one. They are always at the butt end of a pointed finger! The more partisan you are the more of a devil the umpire becomes, in your eyes, and the more you swear that they rot in Hell. Indeed, Hell seems to be reserved for them. Once the Devil himself proposed a cricket match between Heaven and Hell, whereupon the good St. Peter smiled with benign concern:

"It wouldn't be fair", he said, "we have all the cricketers". "Ah", said the Devil, "But we have all the umpires!"

Sometimes, the anger against the umpire can get intensely personal. So much so that once a spectator was removed from a cricket match for incessantly barking -

"Kill the Umpire, Kill the Umpire".

The spectator was later identified as the umpire's wife!

All this because, and in the interest, of balls, the red ones and the white ones, which perform such tricks the umpires's naked eye simply cannot capture with split-second accuracy. But the game goes on as, indeed, it must. By the way, the other day the umpires were at the receiving end of a heavy barrage of intense verbal abuse from the 'Hill'. (You know where that is). At the end of an over, they walked over to the Hill' and sat themselves with the spectators.

"What do you think you are doing?", one of the umpires was asked by a spectator. "Well", came the answer "it appears that you get a better view from here!"

One last bit of news to increase your confusion. A cricketer's fiance once joyfully confided in her husband-to-be that she was eagerly awaiting their wedding day, when his team-mates would do him the honours by holding their bats in an arch for them to go through, just like what they did for another team-mate.

But the husband-to-be didn't think that there would be such an arch. "And why not"? asked his girl, rather disappointed. "They held their bats for him because he was a batsman". "So what"?, asked his girl, still full of hope. "I am a bowler and I dread to think what they will hold to honour me!" Omnes Sanguines Globi!

ULK

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