It is with great disappointment, disgust and anger that we viewed the statement made by Nimal Siripala de Silva, a senior government minister on TV, and telecast repeatedly on Swarnavahini, where he termed all those who voted against the ruling party, at the recent Western Provincial Council election as ‘gonas fit to eat grass.’

This was soon after the Western Provincial Council election. This shameless statement had the support and assistance of politicians of the ruling party who got their henchmen to pile stacks of hay at main road junctions.

Let us analyse the unprecedented victory of the UPFA. Of course the winning of the war was one factor; but the voting also showed another clear picture. All those who scored the highest number of votes, except a few, have been either charged in courts for various offences or accused of rape, thuggery, embezzlement of funds, forgery and murder.

May I ask Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva to what category those who voted for these criminals fall into, and what word he would use to describe them.

As for us there are words which we as educated and well bred persons would choose not to use as their use would make us look like Mariakade people.

However, it is with some relief that we see that Prasanna Ranatunga has been elected as chief minister. He has a clean record so far, and has refrained from offering ministerial posts to those with a criminal record. It augurs well to expect a set of gentlemen to guide the destinies of the Western Province. We are waiting to see.

Is this the result of the Election Commissioner’s call a day before the election, not to vote for undesirables with criminal records?

About two to three years ago it was indeed a pleasure to walk along the Mount Lavinia sea beach. However, today it is not so. The Sri Lanka Air Force took the trouble to plant a series of trees along the beach.

Each tree was protected by four S-Lon reinforced pipes around which was installed a nylon net as a further protection. But today nothing is left because of beach rugger played along the beach. The S-Lon pipes are all broken and the trees are no more. Around 40% of seats installed along the beach are broken and 90% of the dustbins installed are also broken.

This is a serious matter and no one seems to have done anything about it. This beach is a tourist attraction. Hence the government should ban all games played along the beach, especially beach rugger.

A number of persons have been seriously injured and taken to hospital because of rugger players. The beach is there for visitors to walk along and enjoy the fresh air. But today it is most dangerous to go along the beach.

The ministry charged with the function of maintaining the beach should first clear the entire beach, ban all forms of games being played there — including beach rugger — and make the beach a safe place for people to visit.

I find the statements made by some government officials not only amusing but most embarrassing. Take the case of the recent ‘travel advisory’ apparently issued by the US to its travelling citizens. It appears that US citizens have been told to be watchful of travelling within Sri Lanka due to possible terror attacks. This has upset government officials who are up in arms objecting to it on the grounds that it is over a few months since the LTTE terrorists were destroyed and that such a statement was unnecessary as the ground situation is entirely different.

Was it not recently that our ministers when asked at a news conference as to why security was still heightened, barricades were still on and roads suddenly closed causing inconvenience to the public, respond that intelligence reports indicated the presence of LTTE cells in the south and that there were possibilities of attacks.

When will those in power learn that it cannot tell one story to locals and another to foreigners?

No one can blame either the Americans or anyone else for taking precautions especially when the very government in power here admits to such insecurity.

Has anyone stopped to think what a strange phenomenon it is that those individuals who claimed to have the goods on the regime for their wrong-doings, and declared that they would be revealing all in due course, never lived up to tell the tale?

Their’s was the mistake of declaring their intentions before hand, for, being forewarned is being fore-armed. The result was that they were expeditiously removed from the scene before any such threat could be put into operation.

The death of Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi was too convenient to be put down as an accident as declared to be. Lasantha’s brutal murder removed an embarrassing thorn in the side of the regime and prevented any telling and damaging evidence of wrong doings being revealed; there appeared to be a strong hint that this was in the offing.

Their deaths and the manner in which those occurred contain a message for all who believe in and would uphold democracy. Should we let it die with them?

Mahanayakas and the baby elephants

In the Karaneeya Metta Sutta a mother’s love is expressed thus by the Buddha: "Just as a mother protects her only child like her own life…" This is what the Pinnawala elephant-mothers felt for their babies.

The mahanayakas perhaps even chant this sutta. Do they preach about maithri to all beings?

In this instance where is the maithri for all beings, big or small, seen and unseen, born and yet to be born? The mahanayakas gave no place to the dhamma when they accepted the elephants.

The psychological trauma caused to the mothers and the babies by separation is tremendous. This point is easily ignored because they are animals — dumb and defenceless. The damage has been done and no amount of patting on the head or feeding will compensate the damage done. But the law of karma stands firm. Irrespective of the judgment given, whoever indulged in this act of cruelty will face it squarely one day.

A bhikku has to give up ownership of everything — parents, relatives, property etc. — when he gets ordained. Where in the dhamma does it say that a bhikku can own animals?

A rational voice

I am an Indian Tamil, educated overseas and married to a Sinhalese lady. We are living in Bangalore and are blessed with two kids. My kids speak their mother tongue and I am proud that our family is a symbol of Tamil-Sinhala unity. 

I have been following the recent conflict in Sri Lanka and was surprised to see how ‘journalism,’ a noble channel, has been plagued by one-sided views from both the Tamil as well as Sinhala communities. I accidentally ran into your website and found an article written by Mangala Samaraweera – Sri Lanka: Towards a ‘Mugabesque’ Utopia.

This is the kind of viewpoint I have and whenever I blame the LTTE, my Tamil friends get angry and whenever I blame the Sri Lankan government, my relatives get angry. I am completely convinced that our region doesn’t think win-win and both the sides are equally responsible for this catastrophe.

I am so surprised that this region has people of the quality of Mangala Samaraweera who can think rationally and raise critical questions. Most importantly, writing this from a country, which has been so unkind to journalists.

Till today morning, I thought only Western journalists can think rationally and act fearlessly but your website quashed all my beliefs and I am really proud that our region also has a rational voice.

Please continue your good work and I am truly inspired by your courage, sincerity and honesty. The future will be peaceful only if people think like your team. If I want any viewpoints, I will visit your website only.

Saluting your noble profession!

St. Mary’s College, Dehiwela has been an icon in the history of Christian education over the years. The students of the school stationed both in and out of Sri Lanka would no doubt bear testimony to same. However with time the standard of the school began to deteriorate due to the negligence of the relevant authorities and all efforts made by the old boys to put it back to its enviable position were ignored by those in authority.

However a drop of golden sun brightened the compass of the Dehiwela area with the arrival of Rev. Fr. Ernest Poruthota as the parish priest of Dehiwela. He was very keen to restore the school back to its pristine glory and towards this end he obtained the services of Anthony Perera of Wattala as the principal of the school. It was during Principal Perera’s tenure that the school underwent a reawakening.

With the retirement of Anthony Perera, C.D.C.T.R Jayawardena took over as principal. It was a choice made by Rev. Fr. Poruthota.

The new principal was a tower of strength to the school community and worked untiringly for the upliftment of the school. She deserves a word of appreciation for the Herculean task she shouldered in restoring St. Mary’s College to its former glory.

St. Mary’s College which has a proud history is to celebrate 100 years of existence soon.

This school which was started by foreign missionaries and served the area well irrespective of cast, creed and religion has under Principal Jayawardena maintained its great tradition and even produced candidates for the Olympics.

Rev. Fr. Poruthota was correct to have called her the next Joan of Arc as she led the school courageously facing all odds.

However it is very disturbing that she decided to retire prematurely. Though she has not made public the circumstances that led to her retirement we understand that she was highly disturbed by the haphazard way in which teacher transfers were done. The result of all this is that the school has lost a dedicated principal and an efficient administrator.

Principal Jayawardena is the grand-daughter C.D Anthonius Jayawardena of Maggona, the first principal of the Teacher Training College, and is the daughter H.A.P.Jayawardena the renowned audit officer. Her mother Leonora Andrady was a school principal.

The old boys of the school take this opportunity to express their appreciation of the great service rendered by Madam Jayawardena to the school and wish her God’s blessings and a long life.

 Old Boys of St. Mary’s College, Dehiwela 

I first came in contact with Sylvia Gunatillake in 1953. I had returned from America with my parents and I was placed in Form III at CMS Ladies’ College, Colombo 3. Prior to that I had been in Standard 4 for a short time when I had to go with my parents to America. That was soon after Independence in 1948.

In Form III our teacher of Sinhala was Miss Gunatillake. I had forgotten even the Sinhala alphabet and had to re-learn the language. My class mates were using Rohini by Martin Wickramasinghe and this was almost incomprehensible to me.

Miss Gunatillake, as I used to call her then, was a diminutive figure. She had a beautiful, sympathetic face, though she could be very stern. She was a teacher in every sense of the word in that she was dedicated to character building and making us into good beings. She taught us not only from the text book but got us to bring to class various articles that had appeared in the Sinhala newspapers.

They were invariably on personalities like Mahatma Gandhi or Vinobha Bhave. Once I remember she took up the entire two periods allocated for Sinhala to scold us because she thought we had been rude to another teacher. "I have known most of you since you were little children in Standard 1, and I hate to see you growing up to be like this!" she said with righteous anger.

The repentant class (some not so repentant) remained silent. I was one, among many, who could respect and respond to her. She kept me back in Form V because my Sinhala was still not up to the mark but I did not hold that against her. In fact, it gave me time to work on this language more.

Sylvia Gunatillake was well known for her talent as a playwright. She made her debut in Sinhala plays by producing and directing her own version of Kuveni which won her a great deal of publicity and praise in the newspapers. I remember Vihara Maha Devi which she wrote next. It was a much admired play and won her many bouquets in the press.

It was taken to Kandy also and I believe it brought in the much needed funds for the new hall. She cast me in another play but I had to withdraw from it because my parents had to go abroad.

I can’t remember when I discovered that Sylvia was an aunt of mine. Much later in life when I was going through a bad patch she telephoned me out of the blue and said "Come and see me child. I want to speak to you. And don’t call me ‘Miss.’ It is high time you started calling me Aunty. After all, we are related."

At one time Aunty Sylvia was residing in Moratuwa in a section for women renunciates in the premises of a well known temple. I used to visit her there and she took me under her wing and introduced me to Vipassana Bhavana Centre at Wijerama Mawatha and took me on several trips to offer dana to the monks at Polgasduwa with her Buddhist Society friends.

She was no longer interested in writing plays. Her entire life was devoted to religion and that suited me fine, although I had not given up writing. She also drew me into a group of Buddhist ladies who meet once a week to listen to Buddhist talks. She was the main pivot and teacher around which the group gathered and met regularly at Sita Wickramasooriya’s house.

At that time I was studying Buddhism and Pali at the Post Graduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies and I couldn’t attend those group get-togethers regularly. However, I did spend time meditating with her at the Meditation Centre at Wijerama Mawatha and at Dhammakuta. I did not take to the ritual side of religion very much (a failing of mine); so she did not force me. She was very understanding. After she came to reside at ACWBC I saw her less frequently because soon after, I became ordained. Whenever I did visit her she would recount to me all her activities.

They were formidable, quite astonishing for someone of her age. Her memory was very good and her knowledge of Pali still very fresh from her university days. She was translating into English, books written by Ven. Nauyana Ariyadhamma Thero. She was invited to Ladies’ College regularly, once a week, I think, to speak to the Buddhist girls. She also had many young people coming to her for advice and counselling.

She also had discussion groups at the ACWBC. She was a teacher of Buddhism to her dying day at 93 years. The Dhamma flowed from her without pause with very apt quotations in Pali.

She was an exceptional person. The remarkable thing was that she drew a number of young people to her also besides the older mothers and grandmothers. The most remarkable thing is that she made such an indelible, endearing impression on this wide circle of several generations.

May she be well and happy in whatever realm she is in and may she attain the peace of Nibbana soon.