Review

Depression and deprivation at Ragama hospital

By Ranee Mohamed

If we think the patients in the psychiatric wards of the Ragama Hospital have a problem with the way they think, visit these...... 

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> Let us revere him by practising what he preached

> An elephant's bundle of joy

> 'Let the image of one nation dominate our thinking'

Depression and deprivation at Ragama hospital

Perfume being sprayed at the imaginary beauty clinics in the women's ward is lost in the air. The stench reigns supreme.

No complaints, no cries

"How do they endure this?" I ask myself. But there are no complaints, no cries. Only laughter and chatter.  Men and women walk all over, there are few beds but even more patients. These patients do not have the faintest idea about the conditions they are made to live in. Trapped in worlds of their own, they roam around the dirty wards, some of them singing, some humming and others crying.

Then there are patients on beds looking up at the roof, some of them are lost in thought, others are counting their fingers. If they were sane, they would be counting the days to get out of here.

Who is responsible for these wards situated almost in the basement of the hospital? The ward remains hidden and as one begins to approach Ward No. 28 and No. 29, one gets a whiff of things to come.

A white painted rail gate is kept locked and mentally ill patients look outside. "Many of them want to run away and commit suicide," said a worker who thought we had come to see a patient in here. "The doctors and the nurses in here are doing a wonderful job, but look at the conditions they have to put up with," said an old woman who had brought her daughter here.

The male and female ward situated under one roof, without a barrier or a door, gives free access for male and female patients to mingle together. The attitude of the authorities seem to be, 'Who cares? They are mentally ill and their complaints will not be taken seriously.'

But how fair is it to expose patients, especially patients who are mentally ill to such serious health hazards - ghastly toilets, sewage water all around them, flies, suffering and suffocation?

Still, nobody is complaining. The young woman in the corner is as white as a ghost. That is because she has dabbed a layer of talcum powder on her face. She is chanting. "I am useless. I am useless," she continually chants. "She has been let down by the man she loved. Thereafter, she has had several disappointing sexual experiences with several men," explains a relative. "That is what led to her eventual breakdown" she points out.

Traumatised by love

There are many women here who have been traumatised by love.  A young girl sits in a corner. She has been chided and blamed for the death of her boyfriend who professed his love for her when she was 14 years old. "Thereafter the boy ran before a moving train and his relatives began to blame our girl for his death. Anyway, the blame and the loss of her boyfriend caused her to go into this state of depression," explained a member of her family.

There are many women who have broken down in life's battles. Girls who have been raped, and women who have gone overseas but come back in a state in which they are unable to recognise their family members.

In the men's ward are men who have had alcohol problems, family problems and those who have been assaulted. "A man who had been assaulted by the police kept yelling in here," said a daily visitor to the ward. The men's ward is depressing - young men dressed impeccably sit inside in groups, some are holding little radios - they are listening to music, but the radios have no batteries.

It is plain to see that the mentally ill patients in here have many needs and many desires. There may be things they like to eat and drink, but they do not know what they are missing and the world outside is too busy in this festive season to find out either.

Some of them are over talkative, others quiet, some hypersexual. There are many men and women in here living in close proximity. There is the danger of hypersexual men living close to hypersexual women, there is the danger of disease and the aggravation the daily discomfort of life brings for these people who are mentally ill.

In a corner on the floor, on a tattered straw mat sits an old woman. "She was looking for her sons because she had been abandoned. Someone had told her in jest that they had died. It was then that she became a psychiatric patient. But when the sons were informed that she was in hospital, they came but refused to take her or spend time with her or spend on her,  " explained an employee. But all this has made no difference in the life of this old mother who sits crouched on the floor. She cannot recognise anyone now.

So what do we do for these poor people, locked in their own worlds; who in turn have been locked inside unclean wards with little or no comfort? What do we do about this section of human beings about whom we will never find out for no one in their 'right mind' will ever visit these wards?

The rat race continues

Outside, the rat race continues; plastic Santas sway in the wind and people hover over coloured plastics. It is difficult to keep our thoughts together. I want to get out of the wards and go back to the coloured open world outside, but photographer Berty Mendis almost makes me stay in here. He sways to my side and whispers that his camera is "blocked" and is not working.

I carried his heavy camera in my handbag, I smuggled it into the ward for him, and now he tells me that it is not working. There can be different reasons why people can lose their minds.

And if Berty Mendis comes back with the photographs sane after a second trip to Ragama on his motorbike in the scorching sun and heavy traffic on Thursday, then life has truly been kind.

 First death anniversary of the Most Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero

Let us revere him by practising what he preached

Thaman lebu divipivethe
kotasak deya samaya wethe
Puda nokaloth eyin puthe
Melowata kisi palak nethe

The Tibetan national, Ven. S. Mahinda Thero, in his above famous Sinhala poem said, "If one does not commit at least a part of the life (that he/she is blessed with), for the betterment of his nation and religion, then that life ceases to have served any purpose in this world."

Looking at Ven. Soma Thero, in the light of the above words, we will begin to  identify him as aperson who has committed not a part of his life, but his whole life for the sake of the nation and religion. As Buddhists, we know the karmic force of death is unavoidable and that we bring with us a destined span of life. But, however much we are aware of the 'reality,' when death occurs 'prematurely' to a person who is close to the heart, as lay people, we find it unbearable. It is this 'closeness to the heart,' which brought forth the truly heart-rending outpouring of great grief at the demise of Ven. Soma Thero. The yellow flags displayed in all parts in our country very clearly endorsed that his style and manner of preaching and its contents had a great impact on the lifestyles of the Buddhists in our country.

Knowledgeable priest

Educated at Isipathana Vidyalaya - formerly Greenlands College - Ven. Soma Thero in lay life was known as Somarathna who represented his school in rugger. Ven. Soma Thero was trained as a bhikku at the Bikkhu Training Centre, Maharagama. The several books on Buddhism he wrote over the years were the results of his fluency in Pali and his intense research into the teachings of the Buddha. His interest in meditation has been amply demonstrated in his book Buddhastupa, which is a useful guide to those interested in meditation. His deep and abiding veneration of Lord Buddha was evident in his words and his publications, where his knowledge in dhamma was truly reflected. His final book was completed the night before his untimely passing away.

Soma Thero always tried hard to teach the people the essence of pure theravada Buddhism. Soma Thero's preachings were aimed at taking us towards a purer Buddhism; to make Buddhism in Sri Lanka purer by preaching against the adulteration of Buddhism with shades of other devotions and adherences. He preached the absurdity of paying equal pooja to the Hindu Gods as to the Buddha, expecting mundane rewards. Due to outside influences, he said Buddhists have started believing in the occult and were  becoming egotistic with passing time, thereby forgetting the basic principals and tenets of Buddhism.

Soma Thero always recognised, accepted and respected diverse religions and beliefs but he was vehemently against  distorting pure Buddhism by influences of other faiths or religions and he embarked on a successful mission of systematically purging the accumulated distortions of the dhamma. His campaign was against the ill practices and those who attempted to identify those with the Buddha's teachings. His message was very clear: "Do not turn to any higher power for liberation or concessions because the Buddha has shown the correct path to peace, prosperity and contentment through dhamma." If someone engaged in practices that were contrary to the teachings of Lord Buddha, Soma Thero was fast to point it out, whilst explaining what practices to follow.

Last letter

In his last letter he has mentioned the value of the man. Manu - mental faculties and ussana - elevate, and hence manussana in Pali refers to human beings who have the ability to elevate their mental faculties. For that, people need a religion to drive them away from unwholesome acts and to engage in wholesome actions. Soma Thero always preached "do not adhere to meaningless practices but abide by the five precepts. As a result your wisdom will then grow and you will live comfortably protecting your earnings, living a life full of wisdom and achieving blissfulness."

Soma Thero travelled  extensively in Sri Lanka, spreading the message of Buddha on how to lead a simple life based on the five precepts. Thousands flocked to listen to him and the regular television programmes of Soma Thero on religious and social issues became popular programmes that received many responses. He answered the layman's questions and gave solutions to gnawing problems with equal ease.

Not only in Sri Lanka,  but in Australia too Soma Thero did his part in propagating the dhamma. He first visited Australia in 1986 and realised that Mahayana practices had a strong foothold in Australia. In 1989, he established the first Sinhala Viharaya in Melbourne known as the Melbourne Sri Lankan Buddhist Viharaya for the correct practices of theravada Buddhism. In 1993, he established a Buddhist Viharaya at Noble Park and it was later moved to Berwick and is called Sakyamuni Sambuddha Viharaya.

Soma Thero was of the opinion that the 450 years of subjugation, colonial domination and the consequent degeneration of moral values had to be confronted with a national resurgence. He highlighted the general lethargy of the Sinhalese and implied that tolerance is good but not to the extent of closing one's eyes to the deliberate attempts to tarnish Buddhism and the name of Buddhists. He wished that Sinhalese Buddhists would rise against this through peaceful means and by practicing true dhamma. He alerted  Buddhists to real threats and preached how to face those threats with dignity.

Preachings

Soma Thero was surprised to note the effects that  alcoholism had in the country. He began a campaign to make the nation realise the ill effects and the moral degradation due to alcoholism and made headway in protecting the younger generation from intoxicants. His preaching of moral values was appealing not only toBuddhists, but also to many who were non-Buddhists, but were wise enough to understand the truth of his words. Soma Thero passed away at a time when people had begun to appreciate his work, his words and the results of living a life advocated by him. His demise has robbed the Sinhalese Buddhist nation of one of its most illustrious representatives. He loved the motherland. He helped the Sinhalese Buddhists to be aware of their great Buddhist heritage and their capability and capacity as a nation.

Dullabho purisa janno naso sabbaththa jayathi  - 'Rare people are not born everywhere.' Soma Thero was a rare human being. He was an exemplary bhikkhu who served to enlighten the masses with the liberating essence of dhamma. The only way we can continue to revere him is by living our lives according to the dhamma, upholding the values he pointed out to us and in treading on the path - in the way he showed us - through example and precept and rising up together as a nation.

May most Ven. Soma Thero attain Nibbana!
- Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera

An elephant's bundle of joy

By Risidra Mendis

Situated approximately 10 kilometres from Kegalle town on the Colombo Kandy main road is one of the most sought after places in the country, the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage.

This is the only place where both locals and foreigners can see a large number of elephants in one place.

There is never a dull day at the orphanage for the veterinary surgeons and the mahouts. However, the most exciting days at the orphanage for them are probably the days on which a new babies are born.

Landmark

An elephant giving birth is not a rare occurrence. But when Kumari gave birth to Gajaba, she created history at the orphanage. The birth of Kumari's baby - the seventh to be born at the orphanage this year - set a record for the highest number of births recorded for a single year since the inception of the orphanage.

The first elephant to give birth at the orphanage was also Kumari. She gave birth in 1984. At the time there were 32 elephants at the orphanage. At present the total number of elephants is 69, with 43 females and 26 males. Some of these orphans even live to see their grandchildren born at the orphanage.

"Credit should be given to veterinary surgeons Dr. Chandana Rajapakse and Dr. Samanthi Mendis, Chief Mahout Sumana Banda and his team who work round the clock to make the Pinnawela orphanage what it is today. Their tireless efforts, sleepless nights, commitment and dedication have contributed towards the upkeep and development of the orphanage," says Director, National Zoological Gardens, Brigadier H.A.N.T. Perera.

According to orphanage officials, the decision to start an elephant orphanage was initially met with criticism and protests by the villagers. However, amidst the protests, the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage was established in 1975, on a land of nine hectares covered by a coconut plantation that can be seen even today. At the time of inception, there were only seven orphans at the elephant orphanage.

Poisoning

According to environmentalists, one of the orphans died due to food poisoning. "The villagers fed the baby elephants with milk rice mixed with poison. Fortunately only one baby died due to food poisoning," they said. The babies that survived were Kadhira, Vijaya, Mathali, Kumari, Komali and Rasangi.

As time went by, due to the rapidly decreasing elephant population in the country, local and foreign elephant experts suggested that a scientific captive breeding programme for elephants should be started at Pinnawela.

Since then the Pinnawela orphanage has become the home to many elephants that are orphaned or stranded by their herds due to various reasons.

All elephants at Pinnawela belong to the Elephas maximus maximus species, the Sri Lankan sub species of the Asian elephant or Elephas maximus in Sri Lanka. This sub species is found mainly in the dry zone evergreen forests and drier hills covered by Savannah type vegetation to a lesser extent.

Ideal location

Pinnawela belongs to the low wet geographical zone. Due to the abundance of natural food in the surrounding area and the uninterrupted flow of water in the Maha Oya throughout the year, this area has become an ideal location for elephant conservation. A mature elephant requires as much as 300 kilogrammes of foliage and 200 litres of water every day.

Work at the orphanage starts at 7 a.m., when the young elephants are given their milk. The gates are opened to visitors by 8.30 a.m. By 9.15, visitors enjoy the excitement at the orphanage when the bottle feeding begins for the babies. By 10 in the morning the herd leaves for the river. They return from the river two hours later. At 1.15 p.m. the babies are bottle fed and at 2 p.m. the herd is taken to the river. At 4 p.m., the herd returns from the river and the babies are bottle fed again.

Third largest lake

The Maha Oya is the third largest waterway in Sri Lanka in terms of volume of water carried to the sea, and provides the water for the elephants to drink and bathe. The flat rocky bottom of these parts of the river provides a large number of shallow pools for the elephants to splash and bathe in.

Except for a few days in June and November, the water level is less than half a metre, which is ideal for elephants. Even during the dry months of February, July and August, an adequate amount of water is available in this river to suit the elephants' requirements.

Preserving and protecting the Pinnawela Orphanage is the duty of every citizen of the country as this is one orphanage that has proved to the world the success of elephant breeding and conservation.

'Let the image of one nation dominate our thinking'

Rev. Fred S. de Silva

First President of the Ceylon Methodist Conference and Chairman of its Synod for five years, Rev. Fred S. De Silva wrote a letter to the Ceylon Methodist Church in April 1967 titled 'Cold War In Sri Lanka,' which is very relevant today. The letter speaks of the 'cold war raged on three fronts' in the country: on the political front, the sphere of religions and among the communities in the country. "It is the fear mentality that keeps the cold war going; fear of one party by another; fear of one religion by another; fear of one community by another. Let us steer clear of this fear complex and let the image of a Ceylonese nation dominate our thinking," the priest urges. Acknowledged by his contemporaries as one of the most illustrious heads of churches, Rev. De Silva's 100th birth anniversary fell on November 28. Reproduced here is the letter by Rev. De Silva.

Cold war in Lanka 

I want in this letter to write to you about some matters that concern us as a nation.

We are a part of the total Ceylonese nation. We are caught up in a cold war waged on three fronts. The first is the political front. Here one group of parties operate irrespective of the consideration whether one is right or wrong. All that matters to these party groupings is how to act in such a way in order to gain political advantage over the other groups. This tussle has gone on in the past few years and can go on until the economy of the country is totally ruined. The stark economic facts of the world and of our country cannot be changed by any political party. Facts are facts. It is a government that accepts the realities of the situation and is courageous enough to take radical action that can bring some hope of economic recovery to us.

It is now not a question of doing what was done by some popular statesman of the past quoting him as the criterion for present action, or doing something that would win over the masses or doing something to get out of a particular situation that matters, but the doing of the right thing. Harold Wilson, an experienced statesman, in one of his speeches said, "We cannot fight the problems of tomorrow with the rusty weapons of the past." A political ideology that keeps harping back to the past is irrelevant in our day.

Secondly, there is a cold war in the sphere of religions. If one religion gets a public holiday, the other religions also clamour for public holidays. Every religion is suspicious of the other gaining advantage. What religions ought to be concerned about is not how to get more public holidays, but how to make the people do an honest job of work. Work, whether it be in the office or in the field is not something alien to religion. To people who wanted to do no work on the Jewish Sabbath Christ said, "My father is working still and I am working." Churches are not clubs for people to seek their private blessedness now and in the hereafter. The Christian religion gives man the necessary driving force and motive power for his secular life to work in the atmosphere where every man is the other man's neighbour.

Christ said, "I came in order that men may have life and have it abundantly." Abundant life can come through the secular and technological revolution in which we are caught up. This revolution, to my mind, is in keeping with God's total plan for the redemption of this world as long as it is directed right.

Thirdly, there is a cold war among the communities in this country. It is obvious that ultimately no community may win but all may lose. It is not much good feeling that, if we administer the country in the national language, it would lead to our economic blessedness. That is a false assumption. It is true that for administrative purposes we must use a language in which most people can express themselves, with adequate provision for those who use other languages. By keeping the language issue simmering we may feed the emotions of people but certainly not their stomachs.

There are two national images in the minds of people that are at war with each other - 'The Major Community' image and 'The Minor Community' image. Both these images have now become ghosts that haunt us. There is not much hope of national recovery until these ghosts are exorcised. The secular and scientific revolution will sooner or later exorcise them both.

If we have allowed radio communication to come to our country; if we have allowed foreign ships to bring goods to our country; if we have allowed foreign machinery to plough our fields and we are depending on foreign drugs and foreign medical knowledge to heal us and we expect foreigners to drink our tea; we have bound ourselves with the rest of the world irrevocably. This means that prospects for higher standards of living for our people are remote until narrow nationalism gives way to an intelligent internationalism.

It is a fear mentality that keeps the cold war going; fear of one party by another; fear of one religion by another; fear of one community by another. Let us steer clear of this fear complex and let the image of a Ceylonese nation dominate our thinking. 

With all good wishes,
Yours very sincerely,
F.S. de Silva
Methodist Headquarters,
Colombo 3.