Is J. R. Jayawardene’s “Thing†bigger than Andiris Appuhami’s “Thing?â€ÂÂÂ
Posted on May 24th, 2010
Geethanjana Kudaligamage
Rajapakse, regional politics, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Eurocentric DevelopmentalismƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and the western hegemony (Part 8-D)
People of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Other LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ or ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”peripheral Lanka,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ at times, ridiculed ColombianƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s self-alienation from the common manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s native culture.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
One day, somewhere between 1979 and 1982, I was waiting to catch the bus 177 on Horton place with another fellow artist from down south. He was well known in the art circle for his hilarious sense of humor.
We were waiting in front of the Aesthetic Studies. All of a sudden, with all those noise of sirens, President J.R. JayawardaneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s red color Daimler limousine and its motorcade appeared and swiftly passed us in a matter of seconds.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The moment was so symbolic. My friend, a man usually talkative was silent and contemplating while gazing at the direction of the vehicles were heading. However his facial expression was telling the awful story of the condition of estrangement and alienation. He may have thought about the gap between him and the man who was traveling inside the car. I was trying to read him. Suddenly he broke the silence and saidƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-He is going to the parliamentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-How do you know?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ I asked
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Why? DidnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t you see that?
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-What?
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-His ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Bath Gediya?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (Rice parcel) ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-It was sitting between the back seat and the rear windshield?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
(What he meant was the space where mostly speakers located in cars. But at that point it never occurred to me that JRJƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s car was fully covered with curtains.
I guess, with confusion in my face I replied,
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-No!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
My god, I saw everything, it was wrapped in a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”SiluminaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ news paper, I even saw those ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”karola thell-dapuƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ oil stains on itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ (fried dry-fish oil stains)
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Then only I realized that he was joking. But the philosophical complexities of my friendƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s joke were fully analyzed and understood only after I recollected it later than twenty five years.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Today I know that he was ridiculing, not JR but us, including him, for having a ruler who didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have anything in common with us, or any relationship to the shared experience of our lives. His political sarcasm was portraying that JRJ also going to work to fulfill his job in the parliament like any other common man who going to work with home-made rice parcel. But he knew that JRJ was a complete stranger to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Bath Gediya,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and an alien to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Karola,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”MartianƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to our life style, an extraterrestrial ruler ruling our land. He was a stranger to our customs, cultural metaphors, our history and its heritage, a celestial creature to our mythos and ethos, our epics and rituals, arts and entertainments, our folklore and traditions- name it, he never had anything common with us. He never had any mental relationship to anything of ours in this specific cultural geographical space called Sri Lanka. In plain words, he ruled a foreign land. The land was foreign to him. He was foreign to us.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If you asked a black person in the USA of the reason why so many of the working class black people do not maintain bank accounts, they may say jokinglyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Hay maan you woodn getit,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦itsha bluk tin.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
(Hay man, you wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t get it, itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s a black ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-thing.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚)
Again if you asked him why he didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t want to have an American national flag in front of his house, he might sayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Itsha fuƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ng wiyt-tinn doood,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
(ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ItƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s fuƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ ng white thing dudeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚)
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Here we can see every community have commonly shared and associated experiences. They are their own ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-things.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We Sri Lankans also have such shared experiences, Sinhalese Tamils alike. Let us call it our ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Thing.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Every community has something in common to keep them within one fold. That ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-thingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ in multiracial settings, transcends the race. Trust me, I personally know this. I am telling this not through my cultivated knowledge through education, but through my life experience of being born and raised in such multicultural social setting.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The element which holds together a given community cannot be reduced to a symbolic identification like NIC, passport, birth certificate etc. The true bonding agent of this community always implies a shared relationship toward a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Thing.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ That means, members of a community who partake in a given ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”way of lifeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ believed in their above mentioned ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-thing.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ They call it ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-our thing.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This relationship toward the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ThingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ structured by means of fantasies, the way the said community organize its feasts, rituals, traditions of mating, its ceremonies, in short, all the details by which they make visible of their unique way of organizing their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-way of LifeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and their enjoyment of living. Community identification on the other hand is the ability to access, or the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”know-howƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to access to this psychological terrain that feeds the physiological function of its enjoyment.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As I said, this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-thingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ on the other hand, is the thread binding all members together for them to think as one cultural entity collectively sharing their own ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ThingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ together. This is the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ThingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ that carries their civilizational/cultural enjoyment incarnated again and again throughout the history. This unbroken ancestral cultural memory of the enjoyment reincarnates when we sense them through traditional cultural metaphors and symbols, may it be visually perceptible, sensing through hearing or sensing its fragrance through which one can feel it. That is why we still sense our cultural bondage when we hear a poem like Gajaman nona, even though we live out of the country. When we hear a poem likeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Thutakala levan guna nana ruwini neka leda
Itakala aruth puwathara ma nona sanda
Rata thula sirin awrudu magul viya sonda
Mata thula sathos natha numba nawothin adaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦..accompanied by low toned southern low country drum, we being psychologically taken back to our cultural memories of the past, like when we sense a familiar food smell even when we actually living out of the country.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ When a community sharing a common set of experiences and when we organize and enjoy our festivities together, such experiences devaluate racial and ethnic differences. For instance, in my teenage life, we all friends belonging to all races went to see Wesak together. We all enjoyed the experience together, no matter our relationship to our blood lines of our races.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Although this above said ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ThingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ appeared to be so fluid, the belief toward the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ThingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ has a reflexive structure that is appropriate to communicate among the members of the said community. If asked, they would say, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I believe this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ThingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ because, that others of my community believe in the same ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Thing;ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ after all, it is our ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Thing.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Now, for instance, we all know that there is a school of thinking according to which, Portuguese historians say, the Tooth Relic was captured by the ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and their historians say that they destroyed it. But Buddhist people do not believe it. They simply share the collective belief of having it in the temple of the tooth. (Please note, colonial and Colombian attack is aimed for constant messing and destroying this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ThingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ due to its characteristic fluidity)
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now in the case of JRJ, he is not a part of this shared enjoyment of the common man. He is outside the collective relationship toward this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Thing.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Instead of becoming a part of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Thing,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ he was menacing the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ThingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ like Ranil did, with the help and the collaboration of all external forces, to destroy the mental and physical space that this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ThingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ is flourishing throughout the history bonding different races together creating our own national ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ThingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ On the other hand, JRJ had accustomed to a cultivated ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Thing,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”shared enjoyment,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ shared with his ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”varigeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of his own people in Colombian lumpen class. Although it was a borrowed ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Thing,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ he thought that it was his own ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”thingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ For his community, the native was the outsider; the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”OtherƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Thing.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ For that reason, native didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”know-howƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to access to it. And then again, in the case of JRJ, he also didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have the accessibility or the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”know-howƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to get into the nativeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Thing.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Largely due to his superiority complex, thinking that native culture is inferior to his own. These two entities were split apart and lived in two different psychological terrains, like the British Colonizer and the native lived during the high-time of colonialism.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ One of the former US ambassadors to Sri Lanka told me that he had never seen a comfortable man like JRJ. But when I saw JRJ appearing before the media and their television cameras in the USA with President Ronald Regan, I saw JRJƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s uncomfortable inferiority complex ridden face, so I realized that Edward Said was right about the colonial education systemƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s creation of the colonized with a certain degree of separation from the white universe preventing the colonized to acquire the full assimilation of it, when he said thatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-When you have English teachers teaching a lot of natives, one of the thing they try to teach you is that you can acquire some of the knowledge of England and its poetry and language, but you canƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t ever be English,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦.So you grow up learning the language and culture and history of this place that was your masterƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s and, at the same time, are forced to concede that, although you were learning it, you could never be a part of it. And so that strange disjunction provided me, many years later- I didnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t know it then- with a kind of perspective on it: the realization that you could absorb it and yet remain alienated from itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. (Said, Edward. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Power Politics and CultureƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Vintage books, 2002)
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ JRJƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s comfort was similar to that of the superiority complex of the colonizing planter who thought he was superior to the native although he was nobody in his mother country. JRJ was comfortable before the native because he thought he was superior to the native due to his close proximity to the white culture of the above Said planter. But when he happened to look in the eye to eye before the white man, this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”GoliathƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in the local, all of a sudden transformed into a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”LilliputƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in the global. IsnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t that magical? What a shame? I think JRJ might have discovered the message in the eyes of Ronald Regan. He must have succumbed to the burden of the white gaze, and may be never possessed any tools for his defense acquired through his colonial education.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ JRJƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Martian character was pretty clear image for the common man. He never been able to fool them even though he performed ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Wap MagulaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ acting likes of a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”goviyaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in 80s. People knew this is just a comedy show piece. But when the same people saw the images of President Rajapakse, walking along a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”NiyaraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in a paddy field while having his ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”SaronƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ folded up in half length, thought that he is genuinely sharing their own ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ThingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ unlike JRJ or Ranil.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Rulers and leaders must emerge from the self same cultural soil, on which that peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s lives be born, flourished and perished. If the ruler is not emerged from the very roots of the said culture, and if this ruler is maintaining hegemony of an alien culture upon the majority people, then such tenet must be considered as colonialism, no matter the ruler was bone in the land or elsewhere. If the state and people doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have any cohesion over socio-political and cultural issues, then such state can never be considered as the state of the said population. ItƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s alien, it absolutely Martian rule. JRJ and his period of rule never shown any clue of understanding of the shared experience of the lives he ruled. He never was a product of the soil. That fundamental lapse of qualification left the question mark allover JRJƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s life and his becoming the leader of the land and finally, his tenure in power. Only after twenty five years I realized that my friendƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s attack was directed to the very heart of the problem that was nothing but the element of alienation and the estrangement between the native and our political leadership. Although it seems like a joke, for me it was a philosophical attack to the very nucleus of the problem. See, what a deep meaning that was loaded in my friendƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s joke?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Think about his selection of metaphors;
Bath gediya; Rice parcel is an indivisible part of the lives of majority of the working class belonging to lower middle class, in Sri Lanka. Government servants, school teachers, students, traders going to work and to educational institutions are familiar with this component of their life. But it doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t associate with JRJ.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Silumina paper; this news paper have been published targeting Sinhala only readers, usually full of bull..sh..t meant for the supposedly stupid layer of the society to Colombian standards. This paper was symbolically related to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Sinhala onlyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ readers, ordinary native population but not JRJ and his class. He was alien to it.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”KarolaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢: Any eminent lawyer, even one in the caliber of Choksy, coming in defense of JRJ from this case might say, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-We can at least try to win in the cases of earlier two charges, of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Bath GediyaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-SiluminaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ news paper, but we can never defend the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”KarolaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ case in defence of JRJ.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ They might say that JRJ definitely loose that part of the case, due to his estrangement to it. But ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”karolaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ is indivisible part of the ordinary Sri Lankan diet. Food of any group of people represents important part of their cultural metaphor. The fundamentals of any culture of any group of people have its own shape, sound, and rhythm, shades of colors, fragrance and taste. Food of a nation largely represents this fragrance and the taste of any given culture. JRJ was out of it.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Through this careful selection of motifs of Sri Lankan culture, the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”rice parcellƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, Silumina news paper, and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”KarolaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, my friend tried to juxtaposition and to associate them with JRJ. His strategy was to juxtaposition this non-corresponding opposite elements of SL culture with JRJ and to expose the anomaly, irregularity, incongruity, abnormality and estrangement. His technique was to ridicule our notion of thinking JRJ as one of ours, by putting JRJ and us into single cultural basket he intended to cause a spark of the clash of two opposites before our eyes, He juxtapositioned the sample of Colombian model of JRJ with native model through its cultural symbols, and showed us how ridiculous they look when they put together. He selects native cultural symbols like selecting costumes and putting them on to the dummy of JRJ and shows us how ridiculous it looks. Associating aspects of common manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s life with that of the life of the leader of the nation, my friend creates an anomaly, a vulgar combination of things that do not get along with each other. Making a comparison between these two opposites, he ridicules our mythical notion of thinking JRJ as one of our own. He shows us that oil is oil and water is water, and when you mix them together, they still remain separate from each other. Dear readers, the only way to mix oil with water is to subject these two contradictions under high speed revolution; that is the only way can mix these together.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In the first case, he knows that taking a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Bath Gediya is a part of common manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s lifestyle; a father traveling by train coming to his work place in Colombo city, to share his contribution to his countryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s economy brings a rice parcel for his lunch, because, obviously these fathers cannot afford to take the lunch from the restaurant next door to his work place. Not only because he is marginalized economically, but also he being marginalized culturally. He has been marginalized by alien culture of the restaurant. He doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t know what to eat there; he has no idea how to handle European dinning manners. He frightened to think about the embarrassment that would fall upon him if he makes any mistake, create any odd situation. He retreats. That is what exactly Colombians want him to do. He departs. This is what we call ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Existentialist deviation.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ He submits himself to the marginality and the alienation of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Minority Culture.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ He accepts its dominance and his defeat.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ These two opposite domains then will be normalized through the false Marxist interpretation of economical disparity. They said ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Dhanapathi panthiya bhanga wewa! Nirdhan Panthiya dinewa!! They comfortably discarded the historical evolution of this Dhanapathi Panthiya and nirdhana panthiya in Sri Lanka. In fact this was not only economic disparity. Genealogy of this disparity stemmed out of colonial roots. This economic disparity was a result of, mainly due to the direct translation of colonial socio-economic and cultural structures into post colonial social structures.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In which the Colombians exchanged their positions with the white masters. This slippage of a fundamental historical and social fact can not be a spontaneous ideological mistake of the leadership of our old Marxists. Instead, I always suspect it as a deliberate slippage.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The cultural disparity of these two extremes was normalized through a very superficial explanation. The true explanation never came into the surface. I think, firstly, due to our MarxistsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ being a part and parcel of this Colombo bourgeoisieƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s class. Secondly, it occurred due to their ideological fallacy of traditional Marxist attributing these two cultural extremes with the presumed spontaneous development of universal social evolution. That means, according to this theory, firstly they have approved Hegelian notion of backwardness of the uncivilized nature of the native societies, Sinhalese and Tamil masses alike. As Marx himself did, they approved British civilizational mission, for bringing backward societies to capitalist modernism. According to Marxist belief in the Darwinian social evolution theory, bringing backward Sri Lankan society to capitalism is a step forward toward the advancement of human evolution therefore, a step forward to revolution. As a result of this, Colombians received the tag of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”more civilizedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”more worldly wise,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ therefore, gained more economical benefits, whereas, the natives were uncivilized or less civilized and les worldly wise therefore, received less benefits.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The attribution of respective representation in the economic disparity in the cultural sector was assumed again as a part of the above said social evolutionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ to say, when someone becoming a capitalist, then he automatically will be assimilated to the top of cultural hierarchy, of the Colombians. The culture of this capitalist class is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”happened to beƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ European. And the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”proletariats,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (Nirdhanayas) for not possessing any means of production other than their labor, their culture will be less civilized and will be the position of the native. We definitely need further clarification from Dr. N. M Perera and Colvin R De Silva for this interpretation and for misguiding Sri Lankan masses for half a century. Actually among all these people, JRJ was the sincerest to my knowledge. At least he was honest for his class, and when Colvin died, he did not say ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-the political bastard was deadƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ without mincing his words he said,
ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-My best political friend was died.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
JRJ always used symbolism and sarcasm in his speech. I am sure our readers will understand his symbolism here.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ However, in fairness to old Marxists I also would like to mention here that Marx himself believed that Britain was doing a yeomen service to the revolution by transforming backward societies of colonies into modern societies. He believed that colonial enterprise of Britain was part of social progress. I discussed about this in an earlier part of the article.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ But this is not the lifestyle of JRJƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s. I donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t think that any one would think that JRJ would have ever unwrapped a rice parcel wrapped in a newspaper in his life. So if he doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have experienced our shared experience of common manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s life, how can someone blaming him for not understanding our problems.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ When I recall about JRJ, a mysterious feeling always goes across my spinal code; a feeling like the one you get, when you find someone is peeping into your bathroom through the key hole when you are inside fulfilling the call of nature. Such feeling might get worse if you find that this peeper is an alien. That is the exact feeling I get when I think about JRJ. This feeling began to bother me ever since I heard something about JRJ from my late ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”guruƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, artist Stanley Abayasinghe.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ One day when I went to Mr. AbesingheƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s house at Siebel Avenue, Kirulapone for the class, he had finished the official President JRJƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s portrait and asked me if I have any suggestion to it. I said it was wonderful, and I asked about JRJ since he had spent a long time with him for the portrait. He was telling me about JRJ, and I was listening to him like a kid if he was telling me about an extraordinary species living in the jungles of Congo that we have had read a lot about, but never have seeing. While explaining all these random things suddenly he said something that struck my mind. He said, JRJ had asked him to paint a historical painting depicting the historical scene of Dona Katharina going to Kandy with the Portuguese army. That was the exact moment I got that above said strange feeling. Holly-moly! Look this guy is peeping into my bathroom!
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t care if JRJ was explaining artistic value of Wordsworth like our typical English teachers in schools who talk ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”worth of the words of WordsworthƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, while never even having seeing Daffodils; or if he was talking about bravery of Nelson, while ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”admiring KappetipolaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s political correctness, and high principles that nowhere practical in colonial world, of sending whole invading British army without harm back to Colombo after joining the rebellion, for self same army to come back in another day to destroy whole Wellassa including him. But I got very upset when I heard that JRJ was interested in the history of Sri Lanka.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ever since that day it was mysterious to me, because I never found any significance in this incident other than Konappu Bandara raping Dona Katherina right in the middle of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ battlefield after he annihilated whole invading Portuguese army and his getting married to her obtaining much needed legitimacy for his claim for the throne of Sri Lanka. What is the relevance in this story? I still canƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t figure out.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ To be honest, if any one of you asked me to choose my room mate between JRJ and Prabhakaran, with thousand apologies to my readers, I will choose Prabhakaran. However naughty he may be, and unlike with JRJ, we have a lot to share in common. Although he may kill me afterward, at least we can have a dinner together with ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”karola hodiƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Brother! Enemy is not living in Jafna, But in Colombo.
(To be continued)
———————————————-
May 25th, 2010 at 4:07 am
Quite interesting and entertaining content. To be honest to my conscience, I want to add the following. One of my office workers who was a die-hard UNPer and a member the inner circle of JRJ’s typical group of men who unleashed hell on opposition used to tell me about collecting produce from an estate owned by JRJ somewhere close to Colombo – Maha Nuwara road every weekend. According to him, JRJ was very sensitive to selection of food and relied heavily on these collected from his estate with some preferences that are close to any other person living in the country. Spouse had a greater influence on the man.
Refer Karola “Thing” (Dry Fish), it is one of my favourite regular things. I never gave up my carrying of bath gediya while living with Sudda and never felt anything as such. The Colombian story has a much bigger and wider aspects to it. I hope you could see that side by approaching as an outsider, non-Sri Lankan or even as an outsider to the humanity to see the reasons for these divisions. For me, it is a sad event that brings pain for not being able to correct some of our own past that contributed to this subhuman existence giving way to a breed called Colombians or those serving alien forces. We never listen to “Tikira”, but respect what Bishop Chickera (Tikira pronounced by Portuguese) says.
Refer “southern low country drum”, it is the oldest from of such instruments that gave way to other types just like the string instruments that carry names like Ravana-strum in EU countries. In proper terms, this should be called the Sinhala drum, something unique and ancient that has the rhythmic resonance on our body giving way to healing. What you might call the upcountry drum comes from Kerala community, brought into entertain the monarchies of that country who ruled by virtue of their blood line.
You know very well that those who are claimed to be high and mighty by association are just nobodies within the English community. Vanquished are always vanquished in the eyes of the conquerors. A journey to realise that truth can be achieved if we have a regime of crippling sanctions by the English IC. That will also demonstrate the superior power of the Sinhala community in the deep south that I come from who never had such beliefs or thoughts of inferiority that I hear a lot from many Colombians.
May 25th, 2010 at 6:07 am
The series on Eurocentric Developmentalism is very revealing & entertaining. Kudos to Geeth !
We too heard that the table at “Braemer” (JRs residence) was very local in content, and had ‘buth curry’ laid out in good
old Southern style.
We have to note that JR came into power during the time of the Cold War between USA & the Soviet Union. At that time, India, due to geopolitical realities and her own new emergence out of Colonial power, was with the Soviet Union. Therefore her antagonism toward an obviously west friendly GoSL led by JRJ.
J.N. Dixit, India’s envoy to Lanka at that time, played no small part in harassing Lanka. Dixit, who died (of a heart attack) right after the Tsunami in Dec 2004, was a Chennai born Dalit man converted to Catholicism.
May 25th, 2010 at 7:08 am
WEll done Getha. I agree 100% that when we were young we live together wth Tamils, Muslims, and Chrtians. I was educted in SRi Lanka and went A/pura central Iwas staying with my uncle and our next door niegbour was tamil. They had kids in our age. WE played together and went see Sinn Molen (a tamil festival) together and we went old town Anuradhapura during Wesak and Poson times. WE went our chritian frineds during Christmas and so on. I think most still do that. By the way my favorite is Karawal and Pol smabola (it is hard get sometimes in the US)
May 25th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Geethanjana, the room mate Prabakeran you selected was, a homosexual, according to his look-alike. During the interview he reveled it and was published in various news media including Sinhala.net Did you know Sinhala can now read between lines after May 19th 2009? May I ask why did JVP loose many parliamentary seats? The answer is; they want to give Northern Province to the Tamils to create a Tamil only areas. My understanding is, Indian RAW is giving large somes of money for propagating your thougt process. Your last sentance is the best. “Brother! Enemy is not living in Jaffna but in Colombo”. You might think avarage Sinhala doesn’t know what you are proposing! Why you brought JRJ in to your article focal point is because he created the Executive Presidency. Whthout this authority this war could have not won. What you have written is called “Word Smithing” in American English. Hoops! I forgot; why don’t you request permission from Gotabaya to build a statue to Prabakeran in Jaffna. I am sure Jaffna University students will help you out with funds. During the the time of JRJ this type of retroaction was common but today Sinhala knows what is between the lines. Can’t you see the protests for the Indian Trade agreement? (Yhaoo.news 05/25/10 and Colombo Page 05/26/10) HE MR even had to meet with the protesters to assure them that he will not do any thing to harm SL economy.
May 26th, 2010 at 3:55 am
Fran Diaz:
Did you get the infromation from the Catholic Church about Dixit?
DIXIT is a name used by Brahmins only! Further J.N.Dixit was the step-son of a Brahman Sitaram Dixit. He was a Malayali and not a Tamil. Your barkings (as usual) aginst Hindus are worse.
His father was a famous Malayalam writter Paramu Pillai. He was not a DALIT at all!
Are you thinking that your Catholics lead by a WHITE NAZI, superior to DALITS?
JRJ too a Malayali but a DALIT from the same Kerala!
May 26th, 2010 at 6:16 am
Mr Mudali :
I have nothing against Dalit people. In fact, I sympathise with their plight very deeply. I am all for their emancipation from a inhuman 3,000 ys old system of Institutionalised Discrimination (Navi Pillai’s words, not mine).
I have no idea where Mudali gets his genealogical expertise from. I get my information from the internet and asking questions from educated people. I am quite unprejudiced and am only looking for answers through the truth in any situation.
The truth must be told and faced, or else we will never find solutions to the problems that beset us.
The fact remains that Tamil Nadu has over 5 Million Tamil Dalits. The latest figures on the Net puts it at 11 Million which I think is padding because some other poor people join into the Dalit groups for attention & some sort of Voice for their troubles.
Frankly, I do not care where a person comes from provided they are well motivated toward a peaceful, prosperous & undivided Lanka, and genuine in their intent. As citizens of Sri Lanka, I think we should all expose people who we believe do not have that intent. Mr Dixit was one such person who did not have good intent for Lanka. His intent needs to be exposed, and his background as well.
May 26th, 2010 at 11:20 am
Mr. Kit Athul,
Before your jump into the middle, step away from your tail, and read the writer’s all articles in the sierees Mr. Kithul. We can see you love JR, and know Parabha’s sexlife. May be sleep together. Mr.Kitul, grass is not on the top in the Kitul tree. On the ground only. OK?
May 27th, 2010 at 12:23 am
Referring to interesting comments on this article I wish to add the following.
Jyotindra Nath Dixit (January 8, 1936 – January 3, 2005), commonly referred to as J.N. Dixit was an Indian diplomat: Born in Chennai, then known as Madras, to famous Malayali writer Munshi Paramu Pillai and Retnamayi Devi. He got his surname, Dixit, from his stepfather Sitaram Dixit, a freedom fighter and journalist… (Ref. Wikipedia).
The widely used word Malayalam by Madu S MudLiar, derogatory from Sinhala view, is a reference to Kerala people, most likely the remnants of ancient Sinhala population that lived in the subcontinent carrying all attributes very close to Sinhala attributes, whose royals had inherited the local throne under manipulative and hybrid influences. The regular insult hurled at Sinhala people on genealogy by this Madu S MudLiar is based on a pro-Elamist primitive research exercise carried out by Dr. Gautam K. Kshatriya (1996) who claimed Sinhala as predominantly Malayali/Tamil origin, and not Bengali origin. There is another funny version created later by Dr Sarabjit Mastanain (2007), which claimed Sinhala as predominantly Bengali origin, and not Malayali/Tamil origin. Everyone should know that the sample was 120 Sinhala??? people from Colombo (Colombians). The funny story is the results were based on the assumption made in both cases that Sinhala originated from the said group and not from the other group, and then proved it. What a great achievement! Lucky, the researchers did not assume that they were of European descent or coming from hell. We start with assuming balls are spherical and then go on to prove that they are truly spherical without even touching them. No wonder why police in the west love to fix their culprits using genes though their courts reject it. Without a clear idea of who truly represent Sinhala identity, fabricating such stories is a typical Demala/Hindi approach to claim ownership to anything and everything belonging to anyone and everyone.
One of the horrible ethnic attributes they demonstrate is getting stuck to whatever that crept into their shells. Refer Alahapperuma, I claimed Ala Haranna keruma for many reasons. If it comes from Tamil, the nearest word is Alagaperumal. I wish someone tell the meaning or the meaningless nature of this funny word. I saw recently referring to Yam Digger in typical Tamil style not knowing that there was a sting in it. Does anybody know what Tamil ancestors ate while Sinhala ancestors ate yam? That could be an interesting yam digging to find Tamil ancestry.
The Madu S MudLiar even went to the extent of calling that I come from Tamils. I am the best example for myself to find the truth as I could not relate myself even a minute grain of Tamil, Hindi or Bengali character when tested for whatever they would do and what would be my response. There is no limit to their shameless inhuman behaviour. They would claim to anything that goes with black skinned people anywhere in the world to proves that they come from the oldest civilisation. That is not a big deal at all. Every human that infest the world physically come from a small group of humans that have centred around a specific locality. One of the most outrageous claims is the ancestral link to aborigines of Australia. This is a blatant lie because they are worlds apart from this group when it comes to human values. Since Geethanjana was at some point talking about ship building, I suggest to watch “Ten Canoes” to find the oldest way of shipping though the story is about something else.
Madu says people of “similar cultures” should get closer. What a heap of garbage. All the human cultures that divide humanity by religion, race or other attribute has its roots on very distinct features that are unique. The ploy to bundle together Buddhism with Hinduism is not just outrageous, but and insult to human intelligence as it is like saying black and white stand to depict the same natural colour. Neither this applies to Sinhala and Tamil when it comes to find equality. Those preaching such silly arguments to reconcile differences are either outsiders or people driven by hidden agendas like the Peelamists.
Madu can fool the like minded migrants of all hues trying to live on their residual parts of links to their lands of origin. But when it comes to Sinhala people, VP, the worst, was better than his parents or Madus who are more dangerous than the obviously dangerous felons, who carry the venom under their skins to build such silly morons. So be aware. Though I am not interested, If any Madu wants to find an answer to their problems, they should look within their own ethnic make-up than laying more waste to insult other people.
I appreciate any Sinhala person commenting whether Parapa could be the same as Parama using pre-historic Sinhala vernacular.
May 27th, 2010 at 7:20 am
fran:
“Good intent” cannot be demanded but it must be cultivated. If Sri Lanka goes against India, a well brained diplomat like J.N.Dixit never sit and watch. He reacted in possible manner.
DALIT people of India is not an issue of Indo-Lanka politics. But it is the politics of Catholic Church which is a partner of LTTE terrorists.
Now the Sri Lankan issues are handled by Malayalis of India. You have to know that from Dixit, Narayanaswamy, Menon to Nirupama are all Malayalis. The involvement of Malayalis of India in the affairs of Sri lanka because of the malayali connection of Sri lankans.
May 27th, 2010 at 7:32 am
Priyantha:
The Royals and the concept of Kings, Kingdoms are all originated in the Hindu civilization in the Ganges Valley and not from Maradana or Dematagoda.
Instead of YAM DIGGING, you better dig the history and learn the languages of neighbours!
Many of the contributors of the Lankaweb will run away if you start to give meanings of their names.
Vante Mataram = Bengali. Try to find out the meaning!
May 27th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Mudali:
“Good Intent” is usually assumed to be an emotion flowing from a persons Heart, usually a spontaneous emotion
rather than a cultivated one. It can be cultivated through ones Mind, but the ‘cultivated variety’ may not last very long – the cultivated types can be swayed quite easily, especially by money & power. Those with genuine good intent know instinctively what is right from wrong. They are Life Supportive and generally make good leaders, because others FEEL their good intentions.
Going to the subject at hand: Mr Dixit believed that CONTROL had to be exercised over the smaller nations around India, and how he set about it was detrimental to the well being of Lanka’s people, and other countries in India’s neighborhood.
In fact, he was called by some as “India’s Hatchet Man”. Dixit was a well educated but hard headed diplomat, and no friend to Lanka. He too was caught up in the politics of the Cold War, but, he had no thought about the ramifications of the hastily got together remedy that was forced on Lanka. I think India became unpopular with her neighbors due to Mr Dixit’s artifical CONTROLS.
Dalit people are the most lowly people in Tamil Nadu society. Their plight is pitiable. They are ones who yearn to leave Tamil Nadu for a better life. Lanka being the closest neighbor abroad is in some danger because of illegal migrants from Tamil Nadu. It is not the Caste Tamils who need to leave Tamil Nadu, it is the ones without Caste, the Dalits. I am bringing this point across to readers of the Lankaweb over and over again, hoping that life will improve for the Tamil Dalits, sooner the better for us all.
We Lankans believe in being good neighbors with India, there is no need for Mudali to go into ‘defence mode’ over that !. We have many connections with India; nobody denied that – there is no need for Mudali to point out the obvious. However, we in Lanka need to be aware that there are over 5 Million Tamil Dalits in Tamil Nadu, and that this situation of INSTITUTIONALIZED DISCRIMINATION has gone on for over 3,000 yrs. and it is detrimental to Tamil Nadu & Lanka. Mudali says that the Tamil Dalit issue is “not an issue of Indo/Lanka politics”. I would say it is a hidden issue in Indo/Lanka politics and should be brought out into the open, if this is at all possible.
I will not be pursuing this topic anymore in this column.
May 28th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Prasanna, I am not a hero worshiper or lover of JR policy, as you state it. All what I am saying is in the last sentance. “Brother! enemy is not living in Jaffna, but in Colombo”. Prasanna, learn to THINK, for some unknown reason you cannot do it! If the author states that the enemy is in Colombo, how did so many Sinhala soldiers die in Jaffna? What I am stating is not Aeistotle logic, but simple commom man down the street corner logic. May be they fired missiles from Colombo to kill Sinhala soldiers? I hope the author will answer my question in his continuation article. This Brother, Sahodaraya, Thavaris rhetoric would have been belived in JR’s time, but today Sinhala has their own country to them selves, and can think independently to make clear judments. (example Indian Trade pact). I recently had a visitor from Moscow. I just mentioned “Thavarise” to him and he said if we find a Thavaris in Russia, Putin will kill him.
May 29th, 2010 at 10:31 am
Kit Athul, or Kithul, If you read all the articles you will not ask this question again and again. If you asking question after read them, then your bird brain cant handele the articles. You must leave those articles for wise ones. You read something you can understand.
The reason why we think you are a “Nayata Kahina” Colombian is your acting like you do not understand what this writer was talking about in this whole series. The centence you grabed was about ‘Colombian elite class politics’. thay marginalize non elite poor people in sri lanka. This Colombians are the ones undermining nations future. That is what writer say.
Kitul, common mans logic is wiser than you. You are below that. We don’t believe that you don’t understand it. Enemy was in Colombo from portugeese time. Still they are there. Read the article series. If you still don’t understand what writer says even after reading all articles, if you don’t understand what he means by enemy is in Colombo means, then you re a Colombian, otherwise you are not intelligent enough to read these articles. Let the intelligent people to read them, and you start reading something else. Kit athul we saw enemy was in Colombo during elections and in war time and peace talks. Sinhala country was saved by our forces from Colombian mafia first, and then from their tererists fighting in the north those days. Colombian mafia wanted to devide contry amoung them, half for Ranil’s clan and the other half for Thiruchelvan clan and their jafna eliete they also living Colombo. They Wanted to hit the Sinhalese below the belt. Ok? Your people in Colombo wanted to give half of the country to parabakaran. Did your Colombian fight in the army? But our village boys fout. If you don’t believe enemy is in Colombo by now, you cant claim to be a srilankan first and sinhales then. Kithul, grass is not on the tree, but on the ground ok?
May 29th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Thank you Prasanna for a good batting!
May 30th, 2010 at 12:34 am
Prasanna, you arrogance should not hide the meaning of the sentence “Brother! Enemy is not living in Jafna, But in Colombo.”. This essentially tells that your enemy is Not Tamils, but Colombians, essentially your other half. Do you think any of us using English are wiser or not Colombians? The Colombian thing is more an internal conflict between those supporting MR and RW. For true Sinhala people, they are both the same. You will find the truthfulness of my words in the near future. What makes these two differ is the one in the government (Power) was for war and the other in the opposition was against war. The reason is nothing but Power. You saw what happened after winning the war. This happened earlier when there were gains before elections (e.g. CBK -Jaffna retaking). From what is happening now, I hope Sinhala people do not have to write off the 30,000 kids lost to the war.
Refer Geeth’s articles, there are interesting content as well as other stuff. I am following the content and have made my feelings known several times after reading the content. Some are actually revisionist, one-sided, carrying western political and cultural influences, and lacking the full grasp. By the way it is the nature of being human. Your own English do not support your wiser claim. The Colombian thing is internal bickering and posturing among the fellow travellers. The real external enemies of Sinhala are those who invaded their country such as Hindus, Tamils, Portuguese, Dutch, English and any would-be invader. But there is a significant number of enemies within who were the reason for current Sinhala plight. One thing I hardly understand is the loud-mouthed English speaking and servile crowd (including myself) taking over the ownership to Sinhalaness. In fact, the worst of all enemies of Sinhala people are the bogus Sinhala people, the migrants grown up in Lanka now serving their English masters (I know it for sure). I wish you get the facts right before telling others. Those blaming everything on Colombians are themselves Colombians or who aspired to be Colombians. Some stories are like the sour grapes. Thiththaya (Colombian) is having its turn and Sinhala people should take the blame for it. This could have been very different if Sinhala system had a clean up process like the English. In that case, I am yet to find an English behaving in an un-English style. Surely, they are very good at killing not just the weak natives, but their own if needed (They are normally made to kill by themselves, the best method of getting rid of enemies within and without).
Since the titles carry the name Rajapaksa, I offer the challenge to let the experts tell me how the Rajapaksas championing English language and values, who try to perpetuate the English system enjoying all the benefits of administering the English built government become Sinhala Patriotic government. Obviously, some people must be speaking from the other end. The real enemy within is this government system and its supporters who try to give life to what their masters could not do.
M.S MUdali, any comment that take the truth away looks like heavenly music to you. You should not get these English speaking lot as the deciding factor on Sinhala future as they are just a pain in the back left behind by their masters. The next Sinhala cycles will be definitely anti-English and will not depend that much on this lot. By the way I read your last comment in response to my other comment and wonder whether you try to label me a Christian (Cannibal) or a Western boot-licker (Criminal). Isn’t it typical to do such things by inheritance just like calling me a Tamil? I wish you had read a few of my early comments about both.