Pen Portrait of Anagarika Dharmapala
Posted on September 16th, 2012
By Gomin Dayasri
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Had he lived in Colombo in 2012 amongst i-pads and i-phones, Nokia and Reebok, Anagarika Dharmapala would have mocked the Colombians as a fawning cringing crawling mob that worshipped at the alter of the UNP and with fortunes changing offer pooja before the shrine of Mahinda Rajapakse, solely for personal advancement in search of mercenary merchandise. He would have treated any form of patronage with disdain – he did not care two hoots for position or personality, colloquially spoken.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He lived in more complicated times under the yoke of SmithsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and JonesesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and yet feared not to throw stones at bloated sitting ducks of the White ManƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Burden carrying a colonial neurosis and a jaundiced liver.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The sage ridiculed the British as uncouth barbarians who lived in an era where Sri Lanka possessed a great civilization around the tank and the temple; he pronounced – clothes and cars did not turn a man brute to a gentleman refined. He beckoned Sinhalese to stand erect and not to bend or bow but to act with pluck and spunk ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”virtues that still need inculcation.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He spoke in praise of Sinhala-Buddhist civilization that teaches tolerance in true Theravada tradition to bore and bear. He instilled a fighting spirit, when pinned to the back of the wall, after exercising tolerance to the maximum, to resolutely come fighting out of the corner and triumph over the axil of evil. This was the formula under which terrorism was overcome.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The wisdom Anagarika in his fiery oratory enunciated was lost on his sheepishly sleepy generation but was plucked by the now generation to finally unleash fire and fury on terrorism and defeat it comprehensively – achieved by a loss of blood and broken bones, mostly of Sinhala Buddhists. Had he lived to witness the spectacle, it sure would have made him proud, in this being the finest hour, when they practiced what he preached. What his peers failed to achieve his great grand children succeeded following unconsciously what he had driven home hard. Anagarika [means ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”homelessƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢] stands vindicated for what he stood and shrieked for, those being the remaining virtues in a society, where graft and grease, lies and deception, scandal and sleaze, destruction and plunder takes precedent.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Born high to an aristocratic family Anagarika [named at birth Don David Hewavitharane] fabricated and wore simple clothing befitting his title ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” sartorially less a fakir more a sadhu- than the Mahatma. A scion of a family renowned for philanthropy being the son of Hewavitharane Don Carolis; his father founded the respected firm of H.Don Carolis & Sons, famous for furniture, and his grandfather established a leading Buddhist educational institution for monks, Vidyodaya Pirivana at Maligakanda. He received Christian and Catholic tutelage and as represented in the Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon (edited by Arnold Wright) ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦..at every theological center he attended his teachers did their utmost to bring home to him the value of the principles and practices of the Christian faith. But these efforts were in vain. What repelled him in Christianity was the deliberate destruction of innocent animal lifeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦..ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ While attending St. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia he came in contact with Madame Blavatsky an Colonel Henry Steel Olcott carrying on a ethical – religious movement known as the Theosophical Society. He soon found it difficult to relate to their occult tenets and extended universalism. His passions were ingrained deeply in religious inquiry and to relentlessly pursue his abiding interest he resigned from public service (Department of Public Instruction) and withdrew from family revenue sources associated with estates and carpentry.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He knew the order of priority ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” the degenerated Sinhalese had to be regenerated. To strengthen roots required fertilizer: to eliminate weeds need weedicides. Intimate insight into village life acquired by many visits, he knew where to pitch, to access simple minds from which the momentum was gathered. He concentrated on the five-stroke engine that was a forerunner to a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢56 reconditioned and unleashed rocket exocet, carrying as its flagship – the Pancha Maha Balawegaya [Force Mighty Five] parceled into a winning combination of sanga-veda-guru-govi-kamkaru. Evolution of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢56 finds the imprints and footprints of Anagarika around it. He showed the way, they took to the road.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ People gathered at temples, schools, markets, ayuruvedic clinics, paddy fields, and primitive village workshops to listen in the night after work. The tom-tom beaters went announcing in the morning of a sermon and in the night a long train of carriers with ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”pandamƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ stick and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”chuluƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ torches were seen wending their way to listen to a worldly ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”banaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ preaching, where Anagarika stood upright and in an imperious tone denounced imperialism. It was the reverberation of the sound emanating from this Renaissance Man that awakened a subjugated nation to rise against the expanding uncontrollable jungle tide of western conditioning. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He was a missionary that carried the BuddhaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s message to the land of BuddhaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s birth. Times were easier then than now, as both the countries in affinity were rising against a sweeping western tide. He created the Mahabodhi Society of India (1891) and revived Buddhists virtually extinct in the homeland of Buddhism. He instituted a successful law – suit to regain the present Buddha Gaya Temple compound against the Hindu High Priest of Buddha Gaya. This was a hole-in-one for the Buddhists of India as they had a formidable home to operate from as the majority of faith were from the purported depressed castes and lacked clout.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It was from AnagarikaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s course of action that Dr Ambedkar picked the cue to find solace for the downtrodden of India: Buddhism offered them a right to equal treatment on moral grounds outside the constitutional provisions. Dr Amedkhar, the father of the Indian Constitution, brought millions from the depressed castes to Buddhism and it was the monks from Mahabodhi that administered ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”panch silaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in their native languages to the new converts.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It was said Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India during his long term found time to spend at the various centers of the Mahabodhi in India, learning Buddhism and kept a statue of the Samadhi Buddha as depicted in the Anuradhapura period, in front of his seat at his home desk to find peace and solace in troubled periods. The Chief Priest of the Mahabodhi in Calcutta the late Venerable Jinananda told me that Nehru accepted any invitation that originated from a Buddhist source however insignificant the event was, as he found tranquility and serenity around a Bo tree, which he did not find in his own faith as a Kashmiri brahamin.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Anagarika was selected in 1893 to represent the Theravada chapter at the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago, USA. Anagarika travelled widely establishing temples from New York to Yokohoma. His prime centers were situated in Saranath, Buddhagaya and Calcutta from where he operated living his last days as a bikkhu under the name of Reverend Devamitta Dharmapala at Saranath. The sole goal he was unable to achieve was to make Saranath, a campus of an International Buddhist University of excellence.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He was a revivalist and reformist of the Sinhala Buddhists. He did not give a wake up call with the sound of an alarm bell but with a generous pouring of hot water on the face as shock treatment. He awakened a nation under foreign rule to create resurgence of patriotic fervor. He was a fortunate not to live under threat of a Political Package, Constitutional Bill of 2000 or the Post Tsunami Structures or under a live Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement with the IPKF or the CFA under Norwegian Facilitators and Scandinavian monitors. Anagarika would have launched a homemade handbomb with his own hands, if he were around.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He was an added burden to the White Mans Burden. Probably he disliked Brown SahibsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Kalu SuddhasƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢) more. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚
September 16th, 2012 at 2:05 pm
Anagarika Dharmapala’s views are more relevant today.
September 16th, 2012 at 3:02 pm
Gomin, even without i-pads and i-phones, Nokia and Reebok, Anagarika Dharmapala was condemned and humiliated by a press campaign as a fanatic, racist, homosexual.This campaign was spearheaded by the Lake House group of the press and the Lake House took the leadership of the attack. At that time Lake House was owned by D. R. Wijewardane uncle of Mr. J. R. Jayawardene himself, and a grand father of Mr. Ranil Wickremesighe.
In 1915 commercial-ethnic rivalry erupted into a riot in the Colombo against the Muslims, with Christians participating as much as Buddhists. The British reacted heavy-handedly, as the riot was also directed against them Dharmapala had his legs broken and was confined to Jaffna; his brother died there. Captain D.E.Henry Pedris, a militia commander, was shot for mutiny. Inspector General of Police Herbert Dowbiggin became notorious for his methods. E. W. Perera, a lawyer from Kotte, braved mine and submarine-infested seas (as well as the Police) to carry a secret Memorial in the soles of his shoes to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, pleading for the repeal of martial law and describing the atrocities committed by the Police led by Dowbiggin
Hundreds of Ceylonese arrested by the British colonial government during the Riots of 1915. Those who faced imprisonment without charges included prominent figures of the independence movement F.R. Senanayake, D.S. Senanayake, Anagarika Dharmapala, Dr CA Hewavitarne, Captain Henry Pedris, D.C. Senanayake, Baron Jayatilaka, Edwin Wijeyeratne,[1] WA de Silva, Arthur V Dias, John Silva, Piyadasa Sirisena and AE Goonesinghe.
September 16th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
NeelaMaha, you forgot a very importent person. Cryil Mathew. He said NO ENGLISH MAN Should put his back on my horse. Shoot my horse before you shoot me. There were many like him but forgotten today.
September 16th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
And so our great current leaders, the great ‘thinkers’ see the merit of Commonwealth (to the amusement of murderous English speaking Colombons), and hold the CHOGM, the subtle citadel of power of the British ungulate, with bowing down to Mad Cow in 2013, that will be the day our past heros will rise up from their graves including Dharmapala, who apparently observed that he would not wish a future birth in SL. Anyone who wishes to see this great man’s work, personal stuff, should meet Ven. Sumedha at Sarnath, a monk who is totally dedicated to the unparalled work Dharmapala did. In one of his writings Dharmapala observed something on these lines ‘Sinhalese will criticise if nothing is done; even if something is done still Sinhalese will criticise’.
September 16th, 2012 at 5:48 pm
Thank you.. Good genes never dies…
September 16th, 2012 at 6:12 pm
As usual excellent Artical by Gomin. It will be highly debatable that Anagarika will take the side of Sinhala. Jwaharlal will certainly take the TNA (EELAM) side. One sentance that I like to challange is the “Buddhists virtually extinct in the HOMELAND OF BUDDHISM”. Home land of Buddsm is not INDIA it is NEPAL. Gutama Buddha openly said his preachings will never be undestood by Indians beacuse they are STUPID. It will spread only in all other counrties like China.
September 16th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Those genes that defeited terrorism are the ones that built the magnificient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.
Britishers left us 60 years ago and we are going nowhere. Our confused leaders went astray and started doing world politics while our neighbours like Singapore developed in leaps and bounds. There was at least one with some vision and that was JR. During Sirima’s time we were going backwards and had ‘hal polu and miris polu’ along our roads. This was changed by JR with the so called ‘Mad Cows’ goverment’s help. I watched the ‘Mad Cow’ opening Victoria on TV from Nigeria some 30 years ago. Thanks for that effort today we have surplus rice production. Those turbines they installed are working continuosly for 30 years while the power plants installed by our confused leaders break down within few months after commisionning. Even yesterday I had 9hr power cut in a suburb of Colombo.
I think some of our heros took us on the wrong path with confrontational attitude. To my mind that did not serve any purpose. Perhaps Wijewardenas were right.
September 16th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
The worst damage colonial rulers did to this country is to introduce a very large number of South Indians. Local population was increased by 50% by South Indian illegal immigrants. Natural resources of the island didn’t increase but the dependents on the limited resources increased by 50% due to this. It permanently destroyed the self sufficient economic system.
It is the root cause of the war and what is called ‘ethnic problem’. South Indians have been traditional rivals of native Sri Lankans. By introducing them into the island in such large numbers, colonials destroyed the social fabric of the nation. This is a dirty colonial practice seen around the world. A group of Europeans with historical conflict with locals were settled in Palestine. Australia, USA, Canada and New Zealand had to endure a large influx of Europeans who outnumbered and wiped out locals.
Unfortunately, our national heroes failed to redress this disaster which is the worst of all Dutch and British atrocities.
September 16th, 2012 at 9:35 pm
I thought during the Buddhas time the India was one territory inclusive of Pakisthan, Bangladaesh,and Nepal and many other cities. Under these conditions I believed Kapilawasthu & Devadaha were adjoining villages and Lumbini where Bodhisatva was born in-between these villages are now in Nepal. I do not know much about geographical differences but only the Buddhas arrival to this World as told in Buddhist texts.
September 16th, 2012 at 10:18 pm
My opinion is,that he made a division between Muslims and Sinhalese that irepairable.the wound he made to Muslims of Sri lanka is still bleeding.the elements of Don David Doctrines are still working behind the seen,and creating chaos among the Sri lankans.(the ethnic problems of Sri Lanka is created and cultivated by him).his grand parents are the betrayers of Sri lanka.they help invaders to occupy the Sinhalese kingdom.(he is,hela jaathiyatama nindaavak).one thing we as a Buddhists not realizing is,that the grand children of who betray the country of Sinhala is sistematically ruling till date,from independent.(by playing racist card,as portraying great libarators of Buddhist community.but they are crusaders).
September 16th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
As I have read Buddhist history, present day Nepal was called Mahabharata and they had their own kings in ancient times. Although Buddha was born around Nepal that doesn’t mean Buddhism arose in Nepal. The core teaching of Buddhism was based in India and all past and future Buddhas were/will reach enlightenment at Buddhagaya, which is in India.
If one analyses our history under the yoke of British, the devastation of Hill country forest cover to grow tea was the greatest ecological disaster on this planet of a country which doesn’t have much land mass. True their seeds sown on Lankan soil, mostly Christian/Catholics still beat the drums about the great days of the British and their hypocritical Kandyan Convention. I wish another Dharmapala be born in Lanka to educate these pathetic elements and once and for all wipe the British history from the face of our beloved land, to bring back dignity to our culture and heritage, while reminding that we didn’t need turbines those days to be labled ‘ the granery of the east’ during Great Parakramabahu, exporting rice and other commodities. Should these elements be hanged or sent through the turbine. Am I being too harsh?
September 17th, 2012 at 3:38 am
Excellent article – yet it is so difficult to do justice to a multi faceted character. His fierce oratory was directed at feather brained Sinhala folks and at times sounded harsh and unforgiving to immigrant minorities, buthe remained a friend of Colombo elite – e.g. Ponnambalam Ramanathan and Arunachalam who fought the the case of interned Sinhala leaders. A charismatic leader, he cast a spell over many with his anti imperialist zeal. A lady from Honolulu Mary Jenner was one who helped him to set up the Mahabodhi Society that started London Buddha Vihara, Technical schols in India, fight the rights of Buddha for Bodh Gaya. He planted a sapliing from BOdhi tree in Honolulu in 1903, in the Botanical Garden now named Mary Jenner.
September 17th, 2012 at 7:34 am
I agree totally with Dilrook. Colonial Administrators (British & Dutch) brought in over one and half Million Tamils as indentured labor, with subsequent more illegal migrants from Tamil Nadu. This is what destroyed the STABLE social fabric of Sri Lanka. If some people think that such illegal migrants are a cheap source of LABOR, then they ought to first consider the Social Costs to the indigenous people of Sri Lanka, and weep.
Guarding the coastlines and deporting all illegal migrants is paramount to maintaining peace in Sri Lanka.
I am sure Anagarika Dharmapala would have agreed to the above.
People of that time may have not given him due recognition out of fear of the British Administrators who could be ruthless (WW II time).
If living in present times, AG would have addressed the Social Security systems in operation at the present times here, that the various Social Security nets must continue. He would have agreed that to Survive, Sri Lankans must be strong from WITHIN the country, laying high emphasis on Morals & Ethics through the various religions as well as through good Business Ethics. AG might have said : Making money within fair Morals & Ethics would be the smartest act of future businesses/individuals here can address. Laying emphasis on the Health & Security/Safety of the People, integrity of the country, preservation of the environment, the Seas, & Air quality, IS smart thinking. We are all INTERDEPENDENT human beings, irrespective of differences in ethnicity, religion, social status etc.
Making it so as a mark of regard, respect and thanks giving to all of our Great Patriots such as Anagarika Dharmapala who
served the country so well, may be one of the the wisest things Sri Lankans have ever done.
September 17th, 2012 at 11:48 am
Dilrook, Fran
Pray tell me where the Sinhalese came from?
September 17th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Fran,
Since you are an expert in the “caste” system.
Perhaps you would like to explain where and how our President (Govigama Caste- created by the De Saram Clan) is able to control the Durava Caste (Merv Silva), Karava Caste (Nalin De Silva),Salagama Caste (Wimal Weerwansa) and other caste like Raja, Bamunu,Velenda to name a few?
You may be right the Caste System in Sri Lanka & India did play a major part in upheavals/conflicts in Sri Lanka but i believe now, its who you know, what you know and playing “both sides of the coin” is far more important.
Fran- You ought to visit Sri Lanka more often.
September 17th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
Marco,
Since you are doing well in the UK and therefore with proven survival skills, and your genes come from both Tamil & Sinhala parents, you ought to know best how things are re :
* where Sinhala people came from,
* the Caste system origins (btw, I am not an ‘expert’ in the subject, merely have knowledge of the outlines of it all),
* how matters play out in the party politics of democracy in.
Why ask ? We are where we are, and it’s best to play the Game for the advancement of the most amount of people in Lanka. It’s a waste of time, energy & money to do otherwise.
September 17th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
There are still agitators that insult our heroes and all I can say is they are morally bankrupt .. Patriots that fought colonials have no race or religion and their undying love for the country is good enough for us to salute them.
Colombian class is nothing but a parasitic class that was created by the the Imperial masters and colombians conveniently forgot that but still insult the present rulers with out due facts. One guy here even hinted that he could not get a job in SL due to the fact R family control everything… Really ? This guy looking for fat cat public job and possibly not qualified to work in private sector…
Love of the country and the people should come, above any politics, unfortunately those morons that work with colonial agendas will never get things right due to their moral compass always pointing to imperial masters.
September 17th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Marco,
Since you have asked this question I will answer on two of our great people on the basis of what I have read.
Parakramabahu the great was born in the village of Dedigama. His grand father was a Tamil and his general who fought for him in South East Asea was a Tamil too. There are numerous villages around Dedigama with names sugesting that there had been a kingdom there.
Anuradha who founded the city of Anuradhapura was the son of a Greek princess. We now know that there had been a Greek settlement near Anuradhapura. His other brothers settled in other parts of Sri Lanka like Ruhuna and Dighawapi. They are supposed to have come from North India perhaps with their followers from Mangalore area. Unfortunately I have lost that book written by a reseacher.
Sunil,
As for the turbines, everyone knows that they are used to drive generators or airplanes and not for watering paddy fieds. Also, whatever the things people may say, history once made cannot be erased. I am no supporter of JR’s UNP though I praised his policies. We have never been their suppoters. I do not support west either. Perhaps one good thing the 500 years of Colonial rule did was to prevent SL changing the religon like Indonesia or Malaysia.
Reading through the above comments from various people, my thinking is that the Colombians did more damage to the Sinhalas who live in the hinterland, by subterfuge than the colonial powers. Who owns the prime lands in Colombo?.
September 17th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
Marco:
[Quote] Pray tell me where the Sinhalese came from [Unquote]
Sinhalas didn’t come from anywhere. They originated in the island which is now called Sri Lanka. When humans migrated to the island, there was no ethnic/linguistic groups among humans (circa 40,000 years ago).
If Sinhalas came from India, there should be Sinhalas in India. There aren’t. Tamils came from India in the last 300 years and that is why 90% of Tamils are in India. All Tamil cutural matter are South Indian imports.
Don’t get confused with the Ramayana originated Wijaya story (543BC). That was not the begining of the Sinhalas who were already established in the island by then. 701 Begali men and 701 (probably) Dravidian (South Madura) women (their consorts) could not have changed anything in the island. They and their children had to go with the majority Sinhalas and drop their culture.
September 17th, 2012 at 6:42 pm
Aloy:
[Quote]Parakramabahu the great was born in the village of Dedigama. His grand father was a Tamil and his general who fought for him in South East Asea was a Tamil too. [Unquote]
Wrong.
His grand uncle was Vijayabahu the Great, the man who wiped out the entire Chola clans from the island. His grandfather was of Indian origin (probably Kalinga – Orissa) not a Tamil. There were two powerful kings of the Kalinga branch and the Arya branch of the royal dynasty. King Parakramabahu’s family belonged to the Arya branch which clearly disproves any south Indian connection.
There is absoluelty no historical evidence to say he was a Tamil. The confusion stems from his father’s name – Manabharana which is a Pali Sinhala name with good Sinhala meaning and absolutely not a Tamil name.
Etymology is not history. Those without historical records twist words to make historical claims.
What is more important is what the great king did.
He initiated the process of the total wipe out of the greatest Tamil kingdom ever existed – the Chola kingdom – from the face of the earth. In doing so, he almost fulfilled the task his grand uncle – King Vijayabahu – started. He aligned with Tamils (in South India) of the Pandyan and Chera (Kerala) clans and used them to attack Cholas. Like his grand uncle he also aligned with Kalinga (Orissa) to fight off Tamils.
September 17th, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Muhandiram:
Please stop insulting the greatest Sri Lankan leader during British times.
He played no part in the 1915 riot which was caused by Afghan and Kerala illgal immigrants (called Coastal Moors) who did not understand the local customs and practices that were here for over 2,000 years.
Had the British and Dutch invaders not allowed other invaders (from South India and Afghanistan) into the island, there would not be any conflict here. They are the root cause of all problems, wars, environmental damage and poverty.
September 17th, 2012 at 10:12 pm
Dilrook,
Thank you very much. I will refer to the copy of Mahavansa which I read in my wife’s ancestral house at Dedigama some forty years ago.
September 18th, 2012 at 4:12 am
Dilrook says : “Had the British and Dutch invaders not allowed other invaders (from South India and Afghanistan) into the island, there would not be any conflict here. They are the root cause of all problems, wars, environmental damage and poverty”.
Absolutely correct !!
Illegal migrants are the cause of most problems. They do not know Lanka and her people. They bring in the Tamil Caste Mindset into Lanka. Are they cheap Labor ? No. They cost Sri Lanka her very integrity and liberty. They are fodder for Separatist/inimical movements. They are very expensive to maintain !
Guard our coastlines. Deport all illegal migrants. Tamil Nadu has enough resources to take care of all her people.
Follow this simple formula, and with clear thinking leaders, Lanka can be whole again.
September 18th, 2012 at 10:26 am
Not only from Tamil Nadu would people come into Sri Lanka as illegal migrants, but also from Maldives and other Indian Ocean areas that makes fairly easy sailing to Lanka beaches. I am surprised to learn of illegal migrants from Afghanistan. Afghans destroyed Buddhism in those areas, and come to Sri Lanka, a primarily Buddhist country – how ironical and absurd, and what purpose in mind ?
Indeed, Sri Lankans MUST be Aware & Beware of illegal migrants from anywhere, report & deport them. All the western countries are intolerant of illegal migrants, and we ought to be the same, mostly because Sri Lanka is small and in a vulnerable location too.
September 18th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
“Sinhalas didn’t come from anywhere. They originated in the island which is now called Sri Lanka. When humans migrated to the island, there was no ethnic/linguistic groups among humans (circa 40,000 years ago). ”
Enough said!
September 18th, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Marco,
“Where the Sri Lankans came from?”:
Please go to any location in Colombo and take ten people at random. They will look all different. Go to New Delhi or Karachchi and do the same. Their features are almost the same. I think that is because most of the people we see in Colombo are Kallathonis. They are shabilily dressed and look neglected, they must have come from different countries around Sri Lanka. If you go to any South East Asian country and have a look, you will see that the people care about their appearance unlike the Kallathonis in Colombo.
Someone has to make a serious effort (a crusade) to clean up Colombo of these elements.
Perhaps Gota can do it.
September 18th, 2012 at 7:12 pm
Fran Dias:
Add to that the direct contribution of South Indian illegal immigrants made to separatism, war and violence.
Three cases in point. Top three separatists in Sri Lanka are all South Indian illegal immigrants or their close relatives.
1. SJV Chelvanayagam – Born to Ceylon Tamil migrants in Ipoh, Malaysia. Illegally migrated to Ceylon for studies and stayed back. Father of separatist politics.
2. V Prabakaran – Born to Ceylon Tamil parents whose parents were Kerala illegal immigrants.
3. MG Ramachandran – Born in Sri Lanka to illegal immigrants from Kerala.
Illegal immigrants must be humanely treated with dignity and deported at the earliest instance.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike signed a pact with India in 1974 (and 1964) to accept half a milliion South Indian illegal immigrants each in exchange of a worthless island called Kachchathivu which is still used by India and is the only border dispute we have.
September 18th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Aloy:
You are right. Statistics confirm it.
In 1921 census Ceylon born Tamils were 6% in Colombo city behind Europeans (6.1%), Muslims (22%), Sinhalas (49%) and Indian born Tamils (illegal immigrants) (16%).
Since then Indian born Tamils (illegal immigrants) increased and became Ceylon Tamils. This gradual shift is perfectly recorded in subsequent censuses.
If anyone has Colombo City census data for 1901 and 1911 please post them.
September 19th, 2012 at 6:02 am
I shall attempt to summerise a number of issues related to ILLEGAL MIGRANTS :
The chain/trail of events as far as ILLEGAL MIGRANTS (IMs) from Tamil Nadu area are quite evident for all to see. Such transformations have been going on for quite a while, but now has become a SECURITY Issue for Sri Lankans. Whilst an atmosphere of Tolerance (Buddhist ? the Anagarika will disagree – the Buddha preached Awareness), prevailed in the past re IMs , Sri Lankans & authorities cannot afford to remain quiet on this issue any more, as IMs are tied to Security issues of Sri Lanka.
Statistics reveal the ‘transformation’ of the Illegal Migrants quite clearly. They become ‘Ceylonised’ sooner or later, one way or another, depending on which area offers the most, materially speaking plus security for themselves, usually via the different religions, or being categorised as ‘Ceylon Tamils’ or ‘Upcountry Tamils’ (to gain recognition/protection from India). Tamil speaking Muslims could be mainly Tamil people of illegal lineage. Illegal Migrants have CAMOUFLAGED themselves one way or another.
Re using IMs as Labor for the tea plantations, there are tea plucking machines (Chinese mainly) available now which can be used easily by anyone and there is no need to do back breaking work on this job. Mechanization & Modernization must be done re all plantation activities (tea, rubber & c/nut), labor in Sri Lanka. Do not take local Labor for granted – they may protest sooner or later. Labor needs to feel they too are progressive.
If about a Million Tamils left Sri Lanka after the set up Riots of 1983, and their numbers remain the same or more to date, how did this come about, other than through Illegal Migration ?
Sri Lankan authorities must be doubly careful and stop illegal migration into Lanka as there are Tamil Aspirations to separate from India. As far as Indian security issues are concerned, Sri Lanka poses a threat to Indian security if TN finds hopes of separation via a separate state for Tamil only first in Sri Lanka. Untoward foreign interference in the region may spring from IMs who get educated free in Lanka and go abroad with false propaganda against Lanka.
The worst of it is that some of them become rabid leaders for killer Revolutions in Sri Lanka, (ignoring Democratic processes of change for the better), depriving indigenous Sri Lankans of their lives & property.
Not only do Tamil illegal migrants pose a danger to both India & Sri Lanka, we also find that a Maldivian (Muslim) has used Sri Lanka to launch a revolution against Pres. Gayoom in the Maldives. Abdulla Lathufee, an illegal migrant from the Maldives, who landed by boat on the beaches of Sri Lanka, launched his revolution to oust Pres. Gayoom. Lathufee made his plans from a duck farm north of Colombo. Every Tom, Dick & Harry who wants anti-Democratic action for change seems to land on Sri Lankan beaches as Illegal Migrants ! As such, Sri Lanka poses a danger to various foreign governments (however lethargic or undemocratic they may be for their own people), in close proximity to Sri Lanka. This sense of Sri Lanka being laid back re the issue of Illegal Migrants must stop.
Sri Lankans themselves must become aware of the dangers posed by Illegal Migrants and demand that Illegal Migrants be identified & deported. We too would like to see that this be done in a humane manner (per Dilrook).
State & religions must be kept apart, particularly regarding Security issues. In the context of present day dangers posed to Sri Lanka, I am sure that great patriots such as Anagarika Dharmapala would have agreed.
September 19th, 2012 at 6:57 am
Another negative factor from Illegal Migrants would be that more Tamil ONLY the North of Sri Lanka becomes, the more comfortable Tamil Nadu leaders would be claim Resources that legally belongs to Sri Lanka as part of Tamil Nadu. The Tamil ONLY factor gets enhanced via Illegal Migrants from Tamil Nadu.
Cases in point are : (1) Illegal fishing rights for Tamil Nadu fishermen in Lanka sea waters, (2) Jayalalitha wanting to contest the K’tivu island ownership in India’s Supreme Court.
September 19th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
Aloy,
Not sure you have answered the question of where Sri Lankans ( Sinhalese, Tamils) came from?
Your example of ones appearance or dress sense is rather shallow and not worth commenting any further.
Fran, Dilrook
I suppose you would’nt understand that most if not all Sri Lankans (sinhalese and tamils)share and have Indian genes and blood.
September 19th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Dear Marco,
We ARE mostly of Indian descent ! Have said so many times. We just don’t want to be under anyone’s jackboot plus their negative approaches to life, or be made use of and dumped, all for no thanks, that’s all.
What’s YOUR solution to discontentment of some folk ?
September 19th, 2012 at 5:17 pm
Marco,
Tamils, obviously from Tamil Nadu or South India. Sinhalese, in my opinion most of them indegenous people. It is recorded in history that when Vijaya came Kuweni was weaving clothes. There must have been a well developed civilisation. But Sinhala language is very much North Indian. It is very easy for a Sinhalese to learn Hindi. My daughter learnt it in two months when she was in CIS, Colombo through her Indian friends. She started speaking better Hindi than most North Indians according to her friends.
Our Sinhalas too have started following the dress sense of Kallathonis in Colombo. It has become the norm. It is very important to have a good dress sense. One Engineer whome I recruited from SL to work with a foreign consultant went for a meeting in a government department in that country. The department head advised the consultant not to send that fellow again to that department as he was shabily dressed and smelly. There were other top SL people in that meeting, and it was a shameful thing to all of us. I am sorry I have deviated from the topic so much. That is because you said dress sense is not worth commenting about. As you see this dress sense is according to the place of origin of the people concerned.
Some one will have to start a clean up of Colombo of all these undesirable elements. I hope Jayalalitha’s attemp to take back Kachchativu succeed. It will give a golden opportunity and a moral right for SL to get rid of all these people as well as those who got citizenship from Sirima-Shastri pack.
September 19th, 2012 at 5:20 pm
Sorry, Correction: “started speaking Hindi better than most North Indian expatriates”
September 19th, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Marco:
There is no question about genetics and blood. It is totally unimportant. Humans and chimps are 99% similar genetically.
Scientifically there indeed are genetic differences and similarities between Sinhalas and Tamils. But it is not relevent to the genuine need to deport all illegal immigrants.
No need to cloud the real issue. Most problems facing Sri Lanka are due to illegal immigration after 1824. At least the illegal immigrants identified in documents subsequent to the Citizenship Act 1948 must be deported. There aren’t enough resources for natives and illegal immigrants in this small country with a currently unsustainable population density of 320 persons per square kilometre.
September 19th, 2012 at 6:31 pm
Aloy:
[Quote] But Sinhala language is very much North Indian. [Unquote]
Sinhala language originated in Sri Lanka itself.
A better way to put it is Sinhala language and North Indian languages belong to the same group of languages – Indo Aryan. That is why they are so similar and very easy to learn. Not only these, all (emphasised) majority languages of these nations are Indo Aryan and there is not a single country in the region with a Dravidian majority.
Sri Lanka – 85% of the people (and 75% of native speakers) of an Indo Aryan language
India – majority Indo Aryan languages – 80% (Hindi, Oriya, etc.)
Bangladesh – 100% Indo Aryan languages
Pakistan – 100% Indo Aryan languages
Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives – 100% Indo Aryan languages
As can be seen, Sri Lanka is no exception. There is no need to create exceptions in the region.
I too can speak and understand a fair bit of Hindi and Divehi effortlessly than Tamil. I never had to learn them. It comes naturally. In my view all Sri Lankans should be taught Hindi instead of each others’ language (in addition to English). It can connect them to the language, culture and economics of close to a billion people in the region and bypass Tamil Nadu.
Present government strategy of reaching to friendly Indian states bypassing Tamil Nadu will become easier.
I too hope India takes back useless Katchchathivu “dowry” along with half a million Indian illegal immigrants we accepted in return.
September 19th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
Dilrook,
The subjects of a ruler do what the king does. The fashionable language at the time Britishers took over Kandy was Tamil. All Singhala leaders signed the agreement in Tamil.
Perhaps the ruling class that came from Nothern India with their followers would have been speaking a Sinhala like language. But the intrigueing question is how come our Veddas also speak a language similar to Singhala.
Going back to what the king does, in Malaysia the Arabs cured a sickness of the king that was incurable for a long time. So, he accepted Islam and the whole country became muslim.
Perhaps they attemted same on our Kandiyan king but did not succeed, because their influence diminished as Portugese arrived in Colombo.
September 19th, 2012 at 10:16 pm
Aloy:
No; Sinhala could not have come from India because nowhere in India there is any sign of it. It developed in Sri Lanka itself from ancient languages like Pali and Sanskrit which were the languages of the region including north “India”.
Father of Modern History (a Greek) identified the people in the island as ‘Paliputhra’ (sons of Pali language). It also explains why Buddhism spreaded so fast in the island because of the same language. Tamil Buddhist scholars in South India had to learn Pali to learn Buddhism. But the vast majority of Tamils (Tamils lived in South India) had no chance of learning it.
Veddas are an interesting case. Yes; their own language is very close to Sinhala. Maldivian language is also very close to Sinhala.
Some Kandyan chiefs, not all, signed the 1815 Pact in Tamil letters. A signature is a personal thing. But the Kandyan Convention was written in Sinhala and English only. So Tamil was not a language in use even at that time.
Even the 1656 (?) Nallur Convention was written in Portuguese and ‘Chingalese’ languages and nothing in Tamil.
Agree that the Portuguese invasion may have prevented an Islamic invasion. However, North India and Maldives were under Islamic invasion before that time. It was Lankans’ military skills that saved them. Even the Portuguese with advanced fire power suffered huge losses in Lanka. Islamic invaders could not have lasted such an onslaught. Spread of Islam was peaceful in Lanka. It was unthinkable for Buddhists to follow the religion of the king in Lanka as the king had to follow Buddhism just to remain king.
September 19th, 2012 at 11:24 pm
Dilrook,
There had been no muslim invasion in Malaysia or Indonesia. It had been a very peaceful conversion. They had been devout Buddhists like Burma and Thailand. All that is required is to win over the King. I have read somewhere that some muslim healer was a physician to a Kandiyan King. In Malaysia and Brunei, the people are mild mannered and peaceful, respect elders and seniors. You can still see the signs of Buddhist culture in their society. But they do not like to talk about it. You find hundred of Singhala words, some are a little twisted, in their language. Perhaps the whole of that area had connection with Sri Lanka and India. There had been an Empire called Sri Vijayan somewhere near KL which completely vanished some 700 years ago. You may google and see.
Sorry, we are not doing justice to the topic. But somehow all these are relevant to the country.
September 20th, 2012 at 5:56 am
We think Anagarika Dhramapala would have approved of facts that Dilrook & aloy are writing in ! So let us proceed further. That he (Anagarika) inspired this debate and exchange of ideas would have been thrilling for him.
Re the Indonesian scene and conversion of the population there from Buddhism to Islam :
Re conversion of Javanese (followed by the rest of Indonesia) of Indonesia from mainly Buddhism & Hinduism to mainly Islam : In Indonesia, near the island of Java, where the impressive Buddhist temple, Borobudu, is located, nearby lies the massive volcano Krakatoa and other smaller volcanoes. It appears that it was mainly the various volcanic eruptions that caused the population of that time to abandon Buddhism (and Borobudu) and take to Islam, particularly after the eruption of volcano Krakatoa in 1883. At that eruption, the power generated was equal to about 13,000 times power of an atomic bomb and killed over 36,000 people in the surrounds. The rumor was spread that it was because the Buddhists did not believe in Islam, and therefore the eruption of Krakatoa ! The desperate people changed their religion.
Is it possible that Borobudu was built to ‘subdue’ the violent volcanoes near Java and bring good fortune to the people living there ? It is possible that Borobudu temple is built between two volcanoes, with some minor temples, in one straight line, in imitation of the volcanos located there. There appears to be some connection between the volcanos, other events and the Buddhist temples.
The big question & Lesson Learnt : Wasn’t it foolish of people to think that Buddhist temples, however splendid, would prevent a volcano from erupting ? Volcanos erupt due to magna build up deep in the heart of the earth, and nothing will prevent the magna bursting to the surface when pressures push it upwards.
Even after people converted to Islam, the volcanoes have CONTINUED to erupt.
The Buddha might have said not to live in volcanic zones, since we have no means to contain volcanic eruptions. It should be noted that even people are living now in the surrounds of the Krakatoa volcano as the soil there is rich with volcanic ash. It is a lesson for us Lankans not be SUPERSTITIOUS and to face facts as they are.
It is pointless changing ones religion to contain natural phenomena that we have no power to contain.
September 20th, 2012 at 8:32 am
If steps are not taken immediately, Buddhists may become an insignificant minority in about a hundred or so years. The Sri Vijaya Buddhist empire that extended from Sumatra to Northern tip of Borneovanished without a trace only to be discovered by a Frenchman about seven hundred years later, just like our own Sigiriya which was discovered only recently by an Englishman. Is this the theory of impermanace?.
Abortions are taking place at a rate among Singhalas and their population is not increasing, while the population of other comunities like muslims increase at exponential rate. If the present level of oil prices remain for long there will be a tipping point sooner and after that it will be a free fall.
Politicians will not be interested to control this as it is advantagous for them when there is less demands for jobs, schools etc. Who should take the lead to ensure Sinhalas stay where they are now?.
September 20th, 2012 at 8:38 am
P.S.: We are for learning some Hindi language. Many words are common to Sinhala language (same base of Sanskrit), and will prove easy to learn. It will help travel in India, easier, more friendly business connections with Indians, regional politics, greater understanding and appreciation of each others cultures, etc.
September 20th, 2012 at 11:35 am
aloy,
The Sinhala people themselves should take the lead to feel secure, happy and well in their own country. Where are the Sinhala philanthropists and artists of yesteryear ? A new batch has to come up, and given due recognition and respect from society.
The 30-yr war has taken its toll and left us tired. But we must move forward. That is the way we can honor heroes like Anagarika as well as ourselves and our children.
September 20th, 2012 at 7:32 pm
Fran,
Hindi is a beautiful language just like Sinhala; it can compete with English in world affairs. We should encourage teaching it in our schools that will give an opportunity for our people to better understand our great neighbour.
September 21st, 2012 at 5:13 am
aloy,
Yes, Hindi is a beautiful language. Knowing some Hindi as a foreign language, is a good idea. Knowing a bit of Hindi will heal our relationship with India.
It’s good to know some good English too, since it is the most universal language and the language of the computer (learning for children), and would be the most useful language of all foreign languages.
We shall have to bear in mind that our Sinhala/Buddhist identity lies with language, religion & some traditions (which may get altered with time), and not let foreign languages swamp our identity.