User talk:Asokadayan

SRI LANKA : THE SINKING PARADISE
SRI LANKA : THE SINKING PARADISE

SRI LANKA is  just about everything anyone could want a nation to be. Beautiful. Rich in natural resources. Environmentally congenial. Geographically commendable,. Industrially capable. Politically stable. But………………. There are problems. My consideration is that we Sri Lankans have attitudinal problems more than anything else. Perhaps more than the economic,(perceived to be the most serious, right now.) To put it in simple terms our negative attitudes outweigh the positive ones. This is cancerous as we all can see it everywhere: from the garbage collectors to three wheeler drivers to restaurant keepers to school teachers to factory workers to journalists to CEOs to politicians. From the Lower class to Middle class to Upper class. Young and adults. Privileged and average. I used to live with this conviction for a long time being a part and parcel of the system and sometimes unwillingly, helplessly contributing to it like a lame duck. And I never got an opportunity or a stimulation to write something about this amidst my busy work life. I personally believe the best candid assessment that we can ever have about our ‘positives & negatives’, ‘ successes & failures’,  and  ‘myths & facts’,  is from none other than a reliable Sri Lankan visiting the Island after a long stint abroad. Because it is reasonable to  believe  that such a person may be able to see things in a more balanced mind. Neither a foreigner who is completely alien to this land nor a ‘local’ rooted here firmly can do this perfectly.

I got this rare chance recently !

An elderly Sri Lankan friend of mine who teaches at an American University as a  Professor recently visited me while spending his vacation  in Sri Lanka. He had left the country in mid seventies (during his school days ) for his higher studies, now a ‘fully-pledged’ familied man; married to an Amercan woman, with a U.S.  citizenship and this was his first ‘ landing’ after about thirty five  years. I had always enjoyed his company for his congenial style of talk and his open hearted, ‘down to earth’ approach to anything, during the school days, though he was a senior to me. Before landing here, he and his family had carefully planned as to how they should spend their vacation, where to go, whom to visit, so on and so forth. In fact, they had dreamt many things, for their two months long vacation here, according to him. I would like to start this article with his few last words when he departed. When asked how he felt about  being in Sri  Lanka after three and a half decades,  and his two month long vacation here, he said:   “Few nice things…….more frustrations!” After his departure, I gave a serious thought to what he had said and also  I just wondered whether he was overwhelming with sheer frustrations all the time or with mixed  feelings. Sure, he had not had complete disappointments here, I guess. But his ‘ Quality’ expectations from his mother land would have been much higher, no doubt. Why did he and his family feel so ? Was due to that they came from a different social and cultural milieu so that their assessment was not fair and balanced ?

Let us look at his ‘few nice things’ first, as he felt it.

Arriving in the Island during Vesak festival times, and experiencing the last days of LTTE defeat by the Government,  as any Sri Lankan sees it, he also had his genuine gratitude to the President and the government for ending the terrorism and creating an environment within which ‘ordinary’ people can now get about their daily routines without being subjected to bomb blasts. What a consolation! he said.

His first impression, as he said, about the country after thirty – five years was a mixture of both good and bad. ‘Good,’ is referred to as the visible physical developments which he termed as materialism. In his own words : “This is not the Colombo that we lived with during our school days. Our Colombo did not have this much cars – particularly modern luxury vehicles such as   Mercs, Bmws, Volvos, and Prados on the roads. Our cars were Fords, Austins, Morris minors, Volkswagens, and Fiats. Ugly, compared to what we have today but nice machines ! They were also few and far between. These luxury vehicles surely gives the wrong visual impression to an outsider that Sri Lanka has any economic problems. And the Three Wheelers and the Private Buses were never heard of those days. The new high rises (buildings), though a ‘chock-a-block’, create a grandiose  look now. Those days ‘Ceylinco House’ was our pride. And, where’s the ‘Gamini Hall’ where we sought our solace in the morning show by cutting the school? And we didn’t have TVs let alone Sattelite and Cable. We didn’t know desk-tops, laptops, and Mobiles. And these mushrooming places for learning were never thought to be. We only knew Pembroke, Acquinas, Lawrence, Oxonia and Wellawatte Polytec. The only Capital City that we had was Colombo, not ‘Jayewardenepura’”.

During the Vesak festival days my friend and his family  had really  enjoyed the “Dan-Sel” where they had been fed with more than enough different varieties of free  food and drinks. (This, of course he said, was something that had remained unchanged inviting the sweet past memories / reminiscence of childhood.) Rice & Curry,  String Hoppers, Plain Hoppers, Bread,  Noodles, Koththu, Cutlets, Ice-cream, Manioc, Sweet Potatoes, Orange- Barley, Betel-leaves, and even Soda! The list was endless, according to him. Our great cultural & religious  practices were still the same  during ‘Dan-Sela’ times at least – he observed !

Another joyful experience was to have a chance to taste the same old style Sri Lankan type food  during their tour at local restaurants (popularly known as ‘Hotels’ here, everywhere) rest Houses, and lodges. These were of course, not misnomers by our ‘definitions’ for they were tasty, delicious, and affordable food items with exclusive Sri Lankan labels. As he ‘raved’ how ‘cool ‘ it was to enjoy “Cutlis’, ‘Noodilis’,  ‘Bistake’,  `Istoo’, ‘Pride Rice’,  ‘Pride Chicken’,  and of course, ‘Dan Kotuwa Special’  nowhere to match in the world.He had thoroughly known that these terms originated from Sri Lankan cooking, composition and jargon. Perhaps the nicest of the ‘few nice things,’ as he said had happened on a trip to Polonnaruwa. While returning from Dimbulagala, (a rock temple), they had  asked their rented – car driver to stop the car for he and his family (wife and two teenaged children) had suddenly developed a bad stomach and it had compelled them to run to a toilet! (May be due to some unpalatable food taken earlier in the day at a restaurant, according to their belief.) However, this, being a deserted remote area with parched lands, finding a ‘suitable place’ was a dream let alone good toilet facilities. At this moment they had noticed a small shack like hut far away. Having approached the small hut with the bursting need under control, he had learned that these poor people living in  the  hut had no  latrine ( or toilet ) to offer them, as one would reasonably expect. There only humble gesture was to direct them to the nearby shrubs and then to a village tank some distance away for cleaning purposes. Once they returned from their `expedition’, they were treated with a boiled herbal drink (‘Beli- -Mal’) back at the hut which the farmer family had recommended as a good medicine for stomach upsets. (It had certainly been so because of it’s soothing effect as my friend later recalled with gratitude ! ) And what’s more, It had also been more amusing for them to later learn that the water used in preparing the herbal drink was from the same (one and only) village tank itself since they didn`t have other options for the water. Although the whole episode had given them great fun, this had made them to inquire how they make day-to-day living without having access to proper latrines and water facilities.

According to what my friend had found out this is the second generation of those people living there and the conditions become worse for these 10 – 15 scattered families in the area who make a living either as dry-zone farmers or laborers, and the dry season makes them virtually helpless with no income. The tank in the area also dries up during this period showing no mercy on them. It is only during the rainy season that they could cultivate their highlands with vegetable and other crops. The Govt. officials and the politicians often turn a blind eye with false promises and lame excuses, according to them. And what was more pathetic for them during the last decade or so had been the regular  threats from the LTTE. Although this has been over now, they become constantly subject to the attack from wild elephants every now and then.

Sure, these innocent people continue to languish in abject poverty and mal – development and their genuine hospitality is remarkable, My friend had concluded. This had inspired him to look for a possible way to help them in some manner.

Now, let`s start with his bitter experience as he saw it.

Having understood the sorry state of affairs of these poor families, my friend and his family had decided to offer them some help by way of providing a few tube wells and latrines so that at least they may be able to acquire an acceptable living condition. As my friend later revealed their genuine intention was to ensure that these people become actual beneficiaries of their humble generosity. To this end, he had naturally wanted to make the right point of contact without wasting any more time for they had only a few weeks to go before they leave the country. Their first point of contact had been an Unit Manager (known as `Grama Niladhari’) in a small office some twenty kilo meters away. Through him they had been led to a Divisional Secretary`s Office at a near township. The DS’ office had advised them to consult an agricultural Project Office since they claimed the authority in granting formal approval for a subject of this nature. The staff at the agricultural office had been skeptical about the procedure. Their advice was to contact the Minister.

You won’t believe it! My friend had wasted nearly two weeks in trying to get an appointment to meet the relevant Minister back in Colombo. My friend had met three different secretaries of three different levels at the ministerial office and each had promised to arrange a meeting with the Minister. But nothing had happened despite his repetitive telephone calls from time to time to these so called secretaries. (One need not be surprised as to why frequent allegations of indifference, negligence and discourtesy are brought against Public Officers !) His next move was to contact a local NGO engaged in undertaking some rural development work in the Dry Zone areas of North Central Province. After a series of discussion with the officials of the Organization, they had finally agreed to undertake the Project only on three conditions : One, to treat and recognize it as an initiative from the NGO itself. Two, to deposit at least 50% of the proposed budget in this organization`s bank account in order to commence it immediately. Three, to help them by financing a similar small scale project in another district, too.

Understandably, this man and his family were not very happy with the first and third conditions though they had no strict reservations about the second. (Apparently their intention had been to hand over their donation to this poor community within few weeks` time before they leave the country.) In simple terms, these people didn`t like somebody else taking the entire credit for their hard earned money and good intention. Conversely, they were budget minded and not fabulously rich people to afford the time and money as they wish while holidaying. To paraphrase his own words:

“My genuine intention was to do something in a small way to these poor people and to the Country where I was born and bred at least after some thirty years time when I am here..”

Needless to say, their relentless effort had borne no results for the NGO concerned were little adamant about their First and Third demands!

Imagine, their sheer frustration ?

(He was filled with remorse for not being able to help but he had learned that Sri Lanka is a country where you can’t even make a donation without political blessings, sometimes ! ) They had encountered their next bitter experience at a leading Private Hospital in Colombo. This time it was just one week prior to their departure. They had made a prior appointment to see a Physician at this hospital for their teenaged son had developed a skin rash with mild fever. The Number (according to the waiting list ) given to them was Six and the time was 5.30 p.m. on this particular day. After waiting for almost two hours the patients had been informed that the Physician would not be available that day due to unavoidable circumstances and the patients could make use of the given Numbers and Times the following Monday (Which was two days later), if the patients so wished. My friend and his family had decided to stay for another two more days as they had no other option. On the notified day the Physician had of course arrived but been late for two hours. Though their appointment time was at 5.30 p. m., they had actually been called into the doctor’s chamber around 7.30 p. m.  Actually as my friend revealed it was not the only agony they had faced there. Within minutes of their belated consultation with the Physician began, they had been interrupted by a another influential personality who had intruded into the chambers and identified himself as a Minister. Without any apology he had got a prescription written for some health problem followed by a discussion running into almost half an hour. What my friend and his family couldn`t understand was doctor’s seemingly helplessness over politician`s audacious behavior and his failure to apologize for the intrusion.

(Needless to say, I had a difficult time in convincing them that these happenings are very much the norm in today`s Sri Lankan life rather than the exception.)

Another unacceptable behavior of our people as they noticed, (and as we all know) is the habit of throwing garbage everywhere. Is this a perverse effect of urbanization? Their encounter with this abominable behavior of some people had been on the Avissawella-Hatton route (somewhere around Kitulgala), on their way to Hatton. They had parked their vehicle by the side of the river ( that moved slowly along the highway) just to admire the scenic beauty of the area in the early morning hours. What had captivated his family, though, was the breath – taking panoramic view visible from the road. As they described, the distant mountains and the awesome valley clothed in a mantle of lustrous flora are so typical of up country Sri Lanka that makes you hypnotized for hours. But it had not been possible for them to admire nature`s beauty for long. Within minutes, a tractor had appeared carrying a heap of garbage in its trailer and unloaded the refuse near the bank of the river. This was just about hundred meters away from where they were standing. When enquired as to why they throw garbage on that particular spot in that manner, their reply had been that since they could find no other available place in the area, they are compelled to do it over there.

The simple question is: ` Are we showing the world that we Sri Lankans are degenerate in our behavior?’

Their worst ordeal was yet to come. It had happened just a few days prior to their departure. It was their driver whom they trusted as most reliable who had created this mishap this occasion. This person was a young man of about twenty years old and had had a distant relationship to my friend`s family in Sri Lanka. And he had claimed a strong integrity and honesty towards his character from his relatives here before joining as my friend`s temporary driver for the rented car.

To do some last minute shopping around Colombo they had borrowed a friend`s car. On the day of the incident they had parked the vehicle along a by-lane as parking was a problem and decided to roam around on foot. Some of their personal belongings, namely - a camera, a hand bag, package of glassware, and a laptop computer they had left in the boot of the car under lock and had asked their driver to remain in the vehicle until they return. Their shopping spree had taken just about two hours. What they had found on their return was an unlocked car with the young driver missing ! Needless to say all their personal belongings were also missing. ( Fortunately, the young man had been kind enough to leave the car switch key in its hole.)

As my friend later retorted their anguish and the Shocking Surprise was mainly due to the fact that despite this man having had close family connection to their relatives in Sri Lanka, His intention to brave such a shameful act at the last moment, (of course, being with them as their reliable driver for almost two months.) `An unknown driver or stranger doing such a thing is not uncommen and unusual even in America,’ they languished.

My learned friend had taken little time off to contemplate (before leaving) as to why things are more on the negative side when it comes to peoples` attitudes and behaviors in Sri Lanka today. Unlike his school days, people now seemed to be more selfish, arrogant, indifferent, and indisciplined. Was it due to commercialization? Or A side effect of three decade long war in the country? Or as some Economics pundits put it, a perverse result of globalization? Or in plain terms `cussed lapses’ in mass scale politicizing everything?

He was not sure. My answer to him was that the root cause for all these things was due to our wrong attitudes. Don`t you think that little bit of `value addition’ in our day to day life is all what we need to change our attitudes ? Don`t you think that such behavior would have averted these devastations in Education, Health Care, Water Supply, Electricity, Transport, and environment ( just to name a few ) that we experience today ? –

Don`t you think that we would have averted these mass scale corruption, theft, waste and Bribery ?

Don`t you think that we would have averted producing politicians who assume god-like status thriving on nepotism and cronyism?

Don`t you think that we would have averted this civil war right at the beginning without killing thousands of people and destructing massive amount of properties ?

The experience my friend and his family left with me has pushed me into a very confused state of mind at the end, however. The truth is something else, I am certain. The truth has no real bearing on most of these things that happen in Sri Lanka, today.

“ We`ll pray for the best !“ he said at his departure.

So, I began to pray.

“God, please help me to remember that nothing bad is going to happen to this country Which you and I together cannot handle.”

“God, please grant us that old – fashioned, simple Sri Lanka that we truly loved during our childhood once again, if possible.”