Thorns, flowers, need and deed

Renton de Alwis

 

A day ago, my friend late Ranjith Gunawardena’s brother Gamunu, Chef par excellence turned hotel industry leader and administrator, made a surprise visit to see me at Kiula. We spoke about many things. One such was about road construction. The roads here are a dream. I love my visits to Tissa, to Hambantota. What was earlier a tedious 6 hour journey to Colombo is now four, thank to an hour of hassle free driving on the Southern Expressway.

The road construction and the congestion, I describe in this article on the High level road is now no more. This was written and published in mid June 2011 and many new road constructions have been completed since then. Although, Colombo’s peak time congestion is still on, Gamunu is of the view that the circular road project, when constructed would be an answer to that.

As the article questioned then and I venture to do now, is if new road construction will alone solve congestion issues on the road? Isn’t there a strong need to look at the demand side as well? Isn’t the limitless importation of vehicles; number, types and classes, an issue. Aren’t energy saving options, capacity utilisation options such as number of passengers travelling in each vehicle and peak-time charging systems for traffic management, the dire need to set in place  and enhance our public transport systems, things we should take a serious look at, for rapid action. A lot of course, has been done. Much of it should have been done decades ago.

Doyens of specialists and planners, the likes of late John Diandas and Ray Wijewardena were of the view then, that a much more efficient highway of the A9, built right after independence would have been catalectic in creating racial harmony and allowed us to have a happier recent history for our nation. Engineer/thinker D.L.O Mendis promoted the idea of directing the Mahaveli waters to the North, to create a new Northern river based irrigation system.

These and other ideas and actions need be explored in depth, when we make this, our common future for our nation. There will be in the process, the thorns that will prick, flowers that will be offered. Yet what need be top on the agenda is nothing but considerations of sheer long-term need and clean and efficient deed.  Now, allow me take you back to June 2011....  

I had watched a recent discussion on transport on television on the theme ‘the impact of widening of roads on traffic congestion’. This came into the recall-mode in my mind on the evening of Saturday last, when my friend Shelton Gamage and I took over an hour to move three miles on the old road between Pannipitiya and Kottawa. He was driving and I was busy keeping my wondering mind in check, sharing some thoughts that popped-out at random.

We were on our way to the Janakaraliya theatre festival that played in a tented complex at the UDA Project grounds in the Homagama town. To be exact, it was a right turn at the prominent and colourful signage across the road that read “Sambuddhathwa Jayanthiya 2060 -  Piliwethin Pelagasemu”.

Of getting there

Having gone through a similar ordeal the previous evening to get to the plays ‘Seethambara Pata’ (an adaptation of the story ‘Emperor’s clothes’) and ‘Andara Mal’ (an original theatrical innovation on creativity and innovation that thrives amidst hardship), I knew that road widening and overhead-bridge construction was on at High Level road.  Getting to Homagama from Maharagama on that road was a challenge and it was drizzling. We opted to deviate to the old road a little after Maharagama, to use it as a by-pass. To our surprise repairs were also being done to the side-drains on that road, making both congested. Everyone around us; the three-wheelers, motor-cycles, the four wheel drives, big and small cars, cyclists and pedestrians were trying to outdo each other in what looked an insane-scramble to get ahead, often creating deadlocks that took a while to untangle to get on the move again.

Back again, to the panel on transport on Rupavahini. The panellists were all specialists on the subject. If I recall right, a couple of university lecturers and officials including a DIG of Police in charge of the subject. The discussion was interesting for one of the university dons suggested that merely increasing ‘supply’; i.e. widening of roads and building new roads will not solve the problem of congestion.

 

Symbiotic need

According to him, it had to be a symbiotic effort of also managing ‘demand’ on the use of the roads. Otherwise he claimed, we would get back to square-one, with more, better quality roads that would lead to expansion of capacity. For with unhindered import of vehicles and other lifestyle features that would increase utilisation of the new enhanced capacity, would lead to creating another round of increase in the ‘desired demand’ for travel on the roads including for useless pursuits. That in turn would create the need for enhancing capacity for there will be congestion at entry/exit points.  This would seemingly be interpreted as a need for more expansion of road networks etc…. and the vicious cycle will continue. The representative of the Police Department called for more consideration of each other, discipline, order and the strict enforcement of the law on the roads as panacea.

 

Panellists cited case studies from several other countries on how demand management can take place. Of course, more emphasis on enhancing the capacity and quality of public transport was on top of the agenda. Thankfully, this is being focussed on, with much weight and improvements witnessed already. Yet, in Sri Lanka mass-transit transport remains the poor person’s mode and the craving is to have more of personal ownership; motor--cycle, three-wheeler, car, four-wheel drives and the sports utility vehicle (SUV) fuel-guzzlers that are hardly used for sports pursuits. The adverts and promos showing the ‘merits’ of such lifestyle and the creation of rapid wealth that goes into meeting the unmanaged demand for the fulfilment of such craving, may not augur well for a society, that at the policy level, is aiming to be self-sufficient and content.

Mind games

 

It is ironic, that constructing a Formula One Racing Circuit is being talked about. Even more than the extravagant cost of such ventures, what is lethal is the message it generates in shaping the mind-sets of our young, to accept the idea of benefit of some, as against benefit of the many.  Such will certainly work contrary to the harmonies development of a sufficiency economy we profess to seek.

 

I was shocked to overhear a girl in her early-teens in the Southern city of Matara, point to a passing vehicle on the road and yell in Sinhala, “Thathi look … that is the latest number series on that SUV”. I gathered that she was the daughter of the owner of the restaurant we had stopped at for some food.   

 

According to the specialists, demand management to reduce individual vehicles on our roads, can come in many forms. Levy of toll-charges to enter freeways and highways at certain times of the day could be one. Placing curbs on import of vehicles of certain class and type is another.  Substantial pricing differential on fuel for individual and public transport is yet another, but more importantly working on establishing the right values on placing ‘the greater good of many - before self’ on top of individual agenda, will be the key.

 

Drum beats

 

This is the season, when we venture to become practitioners of what we seek, through the theme “Piliwethin Pelagasemu” and there were many lessons that could be learnt through the solid actions of the players of the ‘Jankaraliya’ (in Sinhala), ‘Makal Kalari’ (in Tamil) or the ‘Theatre of the People’.

 

At the end of the performance of ‘Andara Mal’ on Friday last, I stood stunned. The play had been the end-result of a theatre workshop of the group held in Ampara. A Muslim boy from Panama near Arugam Bay, had shared how he was exposed to real drum music for the first time in his life at the workshop. His school had a dance teacher but no musical instruments; not even a drum. They learnt of the drum and its various shapes and forms, from what was drawn on the black-board by their teacher. Of this real life experience was born, ‘Andara Mal’ to depict the efforts of a group of rural school children and their innovative dancing teacher. It portrayed how creative they could be, when forced to make do, with the meagre resources they had.  They learned to dance to drum beats without a drum. They created a harmonious symphony by drumming on desks, with pieces of wood, tin, paper, bottles and coconut shells. We witnessed such creativity emerge, while being privy to the waste and the excesses around us. Like the drums they got from the authorities, just so they could create a welcome dance for the politico who visits the village to open a culvert, we heard that a priority was ignored in repairing the village tank to provide water for cultivation which was their sole livelihood. Climax is reached when the drums they got and assumed was theirs, were taken away after the function was over.    

 

Beyond the tent

 

For eight long years, Parakrama Niriella and his team had worked to establish its mission of developing a culturally and spiritually awakened society enabling it to live in peace and harmony. They had travelled from district to district, organizing drama and theatre training for youth, providing cultural and spiritual experiences while offering people an opportunity to participate in cultural activities.

 

Janakaraliya is a multi-ethnic drama group consisting of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim youth. It was established with the intention of bringing together divided communities and is dedicated to heralding the message of peaceful coexistence among multi-racial and multi-ethnic societies of Sri Lanka.  It had ventured to take the theatre arts beyond mere enjoyment and used the method of ‘Applied Theatre’ in education and personal development of underprivileged rural communities.

 

Hope and resolve

 

Saturday night’s performance of ‘Matikarraththaya’ served as ample evidence of the success of Team Niriella’s effort. Played by actors of different races, it added to the validity of the theme of the play. Virtues of truthfulness, fair-play and appreciation of goodness, could not be compromised for money, power or might.

 

Seeing these young players in action, it gives us hope that we have the resolve to get right, whatever has been wrong with us. It demonstrated what a small, potent and determined group of people could do to help and guide us all, through sheer resolve and dedicated effort.

While watching the play, sitting in a packed audience, I imagined that there were many seats ‘empty’. Empty, for they should have been filled with the likes of the drivers we witnessed when in the traffic jam, the movers and shakers of ‘Projects’ and those who crave for creating wealth without purpose or meaning. There was so much said by the players on that make do stage inside the tent.  
 

Yet, there was so much more that one could hear, from what was left unsaid.
 

 

 

 

Pix credit: Autolinknews.lk