The
Duruthu Poya day was celebrated by all Buddhists last Saturday. The
significance of that day is the recall of the first visit of the Buddha, the
enlightened one, to our land. Prior to his arrival he had resolved a conflict
between two powerful brothers through rational intervention. While here, the
Yakkas and Nagas had the benefit of his wisdom, but it is said that their understanding
of the Buddha word was not up to the mark.
This
article written during the Poson Poya period in July 2011is significant for
Poson signifies the celebration of the introduction of Buddhism to this blessed
land of ours. Both events were important, for they were about peace, goodwill,
substance and above all about wisdom.
I
chose to repost this article today, for there are uncalled for and unfortunate
inciting by a section of our society, against another. Social media is being
used to spread hate campaigns. Whereas, the call of our times should be to
spread words of wisdom and peace, the Buddha and the Dhamma bestowed on us. The
need is to avoid conflict and to promote better understanding and brotherhood
among the different racial groups and communities.
Efforts
of the likes of the good customs officer who had taken on to query and
investigate the poison in our food, through the pesticides and insecticides we
import, the sustenance of our love of Mother Nature and the exemplary life
styles of our Muslim brethren in Kaththankudi were written about, during the
Poson Poya day of 2011.
It
was to serve as a reminder to us, that there are other more important issues
and lessons that we must focus on, than those that some with devious intentions
choose to take on. We can not as a
nation afford to let these evil forces raise their ugly heads once again to poison
and destroy our nation.
Today is Poson Poya. Many
millions of coconut oil lamps, wax candles and electric bulbs will be lit to
signify this day when Arahath Mahinda Thera first met King Devanampiyatissa.
The Thera brought with him the gift of the wisdom of the Buddha Dhamma and
engaged the King in an interactive dialogue, upon which Davanampiyatissa,
sought the way of the Dhamma. We shall hear many a sermon reminding us of this
significant incidence, observe the eight precepts, set-up dansala’s, make
contributions to erect pandols, sing Bhakthi geetha and perform Bodhi-puja.
Mihintala Pawwa will
glitter with light and will remind us that it is here, that the idea of setting
up the world’s first wild-life and nature sanctuary germinated. This day then,
goes to serve as a gentle reminder of the deep symbiotic relationship we humans
have, with Mother Nature and that it should be an integral part of our Buddhist
way life.
Giving all
In my quest to present
my column to you today, I thought of this day and its significance. Strangely, there
surfaced two thoughts which happen to be on opposite poles. Yet they were to me,
significant, for they stood for things deeply relevant that I believe we must set
our minds to, on days like this resolving to take strong action, as we move on
with our lives.
First was a recent feat
of my young friend Samantha Gunasekara of the Customs Department. I first got to
know Samantha and his friend Jagath Gunawardana, environmental activist and
lawyer, as two young school boys. They are placed firm in my memory for they were
active members of the founding group of the Young Zoologists Association of Sri
Lanka (YZA for short) in the 1970’s.
Both were then and still are committed students of and activists for nature.
Under the then director, Late Lyn de Alwis’s visionary guidance, they formed
and ran an active outfit of the YZASL at the Dehiwela Zoo, giving their all to build
the organisation to be the success it has become now.
I remember the active
research studies and campaigning they took-on to get the Bellanwila marsh
declared a sanctuary and several other such pursuits. Their early campaigning,
joining hands with the likes of Professor Sarath Kotagama, activist Iranganie
Serasinghe and members of the Wild Life Nature Protection Society saw the birth
of new environment legislation and related statutory organisations.
No compromises
They fought against
wounds we inflicted on Mother Nature then, and continue to do so now. They are a
two-some, like some other exceptional individuals I know, who have incorporated
their passion into their daily and professional lives. No compromises are made
for they know that ‘deals can not be cut’ with Mother Nature and her good
health. That ‘Off set Funds’ and ‘Trust funds with share options on public
goods’ i.e. assessing the pecuniary value of the air we breathe, the water we
drink or the forests that give us these as capital, are not options for us to
consider. These are some of the ‘innovations’ that the financial ‘wizards’
pursuing the dominant Western model propose that we in the ‘developing’ world
take-on. A further discussion of this phenomenon must be on our agenda, but I
shall leave it for another occasion.
Jagath has created a
Facebook Group called ‘Nature’ and feeds it with many wonderfully detailed
information of what happens in the natural world around us. Once in a while, he
takes on his usual activist role to feature wrong-doings and the recent story
on arsenic in the pesticides in use in Sri Lanka
Slow killers
Forensic and clinical
research done by a joint Keleniya and Rajarata Universities Sri Lanka
Stand by them
Samantha, now the deputy director of customs in-charge of Protection of
Bio-Diversity and National Heritage is quoted to have said that his and his
team’s lives have been threatened, for they moved to seize consignments
of pesticides on suspicion of containing banned substances. The said consignment
contained some 400 packages of toxic substances containing banned chemicals
such as arsenic and mercury. The shipment had been imported as insecticides,
herbicides, rodenticides, bacteriacides and fungicides by six multinational
agrochemical companies operating in the country. While it will be desirable if
the names of the companies and the countries of origin of these imports can be
published for the common good, we must vehemently condemn the actions of those
who attempt to scare off public officials who are honest and sincere. We must
indeed stand by these officials in support. Let us hope that ‘authorities’ will
venture to take action on these culprits, for we are talking here of taking
away innocent lives of our own people.
We all know that pesticides and insecticides to be ‘big business’ in Sri Lanka for almost a half
century and has been a major inflictor of threats on reducing our bio-diversity
and powers of natural resistance. We have for far too long being having a ‘love
affair’ with imported high yielding stains of seeds and plants and fallen for
the trap of receiving the accompanying ‘poison’ that are needed to sustain
them. The likes of Late innovator, engineer cum farmer Ray Wijewardene, proved beyond
any doubt through eight long years of hard-demonstration at his coconut ‘farm’
in Kakkapalliya, that staying away from the use of fertilizer, pesticides and
herbicides could in fact, result in enhanced productivity and yields in our
agriculture.
Local and strong
My next Poson Day thought also takes me to back to my youth, when we
enjoyed wearing those then famous Kattankudy branded sarongs. They had a
reputation for quality and durability and were considered by all, as one of the
best local products around. Beyond 1977, with the advent of the free economic
policies, we saw cheap imports of many brands and varieties of sarongs flood
our markets signaling a slow and painful death of the sarong industry of Kattankudi.
What we got was a cheaper choice of a variety of sarongs, loosing out on the
availability of a more durable, quality product of our own.
Today, most will remember Kattankudi for the massacre LTTE
terrorists carried out in 1990, killing 147 of her innocent Muslim inhabitants
at their prayer sessions at four mosques. It was murder most foul and damaged
the core psyche of this oasis of a prosperous town, located a few kilo meters
from Batticaloa on the Eastern Coastal belt.
Fine blend
I first visited the area in the 1970’s and 80’s for work
associated with coast conservation, passed through several times thereafter and
then spent some time there again on a research initiative on youth unemployment
in the mid 2000’s. I was impressed on how the people of Kattankudi, comprising
over 90% Muslims had recovered from that shock of the massacre and were moving
on with their lives with resolve. Perhaps the hurt still rages on, but there is
very little to show its impact on the community at large. While there, I was
curious how this area of a few square kilo-meters had achieved such quality of
life. Everyone there seemed content and happy. There was a fine blend seen between
spirituality and material success.
Right practice
On inquiry, an elderly resident of Kattankudy related a story that
said it all and I must share it with you on this Poson Day. He told me that a
high ranking officer from the IPKF that operated in the area in the late 1980’s
had asked some of them of the secret of the success of Kattankudi as a social
and economic hub, compared with the relative backwardness of areas adjacent and
around it. Their answer at the time had been “since you have just arrived in
the area, you should come back again after some time, observing the happenings
in Kattankudi for some time”. About three months later, the officer had
returned to meet them to brief them of his findings. He observed that it was
the deep sense of spirituality among the community, their general financial
acumen and the ethic of hard work.
The Kattankudy elders had responded with a ‘but these did not come to us with ease, you must also observe that we reinforce our spiritual beliefs on a day to day basis, always help each other and practice the precepts without exception. Did you notice that we do not have a single bar or liquor store or a cinema in the whole of Kattankudi?”
When we observe this Poson Poya especially during this year of the
Sambuddahtwa Jayantiya, the examples of Samantha, Jagath and elder residents of
Kattankudy, present us with solid examples of how we could take on determined
action for “piliwethin pelagasseema” giving that resolution potent expression.
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