Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

27 January  2020

THE TRUE REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA IS SECULAR

There is a Tamil saying that ‘whatever we see with our eyes is false; whatever we hear with our ears is false; only that which we thoroughly investigate and learn about is fact’. This is presented by Thirukural as follows:

[epporul yaar yaar vaai ketpinum apporul
mei porulkaanpathu arivu] Thirukural 423

The motto  of the University of Jaffna is ‘Mei porul kaanpathu arivu’ (That which finds truth is knowledge)

That ‘Fact’ is ours because of the research we did. If we merely stated what happened it is of hearsay value. Hence to identify with the truth in a fact – we need to go deeper and deeper into that fact until we become that fact. Then and only then is it our truth.

If Independence is truth – freedom is ‘fact’. The Sunday Observer has presented a picture under the title ‘Heroes who fought for independence’. At the top is a part titled 1815 – The British captured the whole country by signing the Kandyan Convention. The picture ends with the report – The first Prime Minister of independent Ceylon Hon D S Senanayake hoisted the lion flag at the ceremony on February 4, 1948.

On the face of it – both are ‘what happened’. We did not witness either. Hence it is hearsay.

Wikipedia reports as follows about the Kandyan Convention:

[The Kandyan Convention was an agreement signed on 10 March 1815 between the British and the chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom, British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) for the deposition of King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha and ceding of the kingdom's territory to British rule. The king, of South Indian ancestry, faced powerful opposition from the Sinhalese chieftains who sought to limit his power. A successful coup was organized by the chieftains, marking the end of 2358 years of self-rule on the island and resulting in the imprisonment of the king in Vellore. The treaty is quite unique in that it was not signed by the monarch on the throne but by members of his court and other dignitaries of the kingdom.

The convention gained a degree of infamy when, according to apocryphal sources, Wariyapola Sri Sumangala, a Buddhist monk of the kingdom, seized and trampled a Union Jack hoisted by the British, demanding the flag of Kandy be left flying until the Convention was signed. ]

Wikipedia states about King Sri Vickrma Rajasingha as follows:

[Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (1780 – January 30, 1832, born Kannasamy Nayaka) was the last of four Kings, to rule the last Sinhalese monarchy of the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka. The Nayak Kings were of Telugu origin who practiced Shaivite Hinduism and were patrons of Theravada Buddhism. The Nayak rulers played a huge role in reviving Buddhism in the island. They spoke Tamil, which was also used as the court language in Kandy alongside with Sinhalese. 

The King was eventually deposed by the British under the terms of the Kandyan Convention, in 1815, ending over 2300 years of Sinhalese monarchy on the island. The island was incorporated into the British Empire, and Sri Vikrama Rajasinha was succeeded by George III, as monarch of British Ceylon.]

Many years ago I wrote about Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. I was seeking through my feelings as Sri Lankan and to that extent that picture became my ‘fact’. This was confirmed when I ended up in a Guest House at Rajasinghe Road in Wellawatte – a majority Tamil suburb in Colombo. There was the painting of  King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha and his wife – both wearing the Tamil culture ‘Pottu’ – the Hindu representation of Third Eye/Insight. To me it was no coincidence but rather the blessing of an ancestor who was betrayed by his Sri Lankan rivals. Back then there was no demarcation between Hindus and Buddhists nor Sinhalese and Tamils at People’s level. Since I also did not so demarcate – I believe that King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha’s spirit led me to this fact.

When we invest in the Truth / Soul of an issue – there comes a point when we connect to the Soul through our own truth. From then on the Soul  takes over and leads us. These to my mind are ‘miracles’. The information in Wikipedia is the skin of the issue as it happened / manifested in the past. It becomes our fact as per the truth in us in relation to the same issue. The picture in the Colombo suburb was such a miracle. I did not plan nor was I consciously seeking. But the blessings came from the origin.

This report confirms that  Tamil King Ellalan who is reported to have been killed in the war against  Sinhalese King Duttu Gemunu was succeeded by other Kings from South India. Hence according to my ‘fact’ - the last Lankan Monarch was a Hindu of Indian origin. Every Hindu Sri Lankan has the opportunity to inherit this Governance power by believing in Sri Lanka and also by being a Hindu.

The core message in the report ‘Wariyapola Sri Sumangala, a Buddhist monk of the kingdom, seized and trampled a Union Jack hoisted by the British, demanding the flag of Kandy be left flying until the Convention was signed.’  is presented in the Observer picture as well. This means that to the Observer Reporter -  the way Tamil LTTE and Sinhalese Government colluded to get rid of Indian Peacekeeping Forces – the Sinhalese chieftains and the British colluded to eliminate those of Indian origin – be they Buddhists or Hindus. Back then the two religions were part of each other.

So what did we gain on 04 February 1948 that we had in February 1815  but lost a month later? Self-Governance.

In his Sri Lanka Guardian article ‘Freedom! Freedom! Where art thou?’ Zulkifli Nazim quotes as follows:

[Without Freedom of thought and expression I am a slave to the demagogues, preachers and ancient traditions claiming the right to tell me what to think, how to live, what to believe – and that I must not question, but only obey. This is not a full human existence. To be truly free to live, one must be free to think and speak.” 

A. C. Grayling – British Philosopher and Author.]

But what is my moral authority to publish my thoughts and feelings? It is the Truth that I discover and/or the respect I pay of my own free will to one who discovered Truth that is the authority to express/publish. Militants and activists who so express themselves would naturally facilitate opportunities for others to discover the truth. But one who takes such opportunity has to pay the royalty of respect. Otherwise it is mere hearsay and is lifeless rubbish in the mind of the user.

Did the Lankans from 1815 to 1948 – fight for Independence from the British or were they then militants like the JVP and the LTTE? The parallel question for the 2009 war is ‘Did the Government Forces fight to invade Tamil area - Northern Province or did they fight to discipline the LTTE?’ Effectively it is the parallel of repatriating Sri Vikrama Rajasinha with the help of British – whose current parallel was the USA and the UK  and all other countries that listed the LTTE as Terrorists even though they were not directly affected by the LTTE. Those who idly accumulate surface information/ what happened. As leaders in global group – the USA & the UK have the responsibility to do the parallel with the Government Forces. By failing to take responsibility – the Sri Lankan Armed Forces confirm inheritance of the Chieftains’ powers against Buddhism itself. Mr Talduwe Ratugama Rallage Weris Singho, who killed Mr SWRD Bandaranaike was a Sinhalese in the clothes of Buddhist clergy.

The Sinhala Maha Sabha established by Mr Bandaranaike, lacked funds and this led to Buddhism becoming the theme.

As per my own experience – my belief was developed at the primary level when I asked through a particular form of Divinity and I received it. It is difficult to ‘ask’ a language as if it were Divine. Hence the best way was to divide as Buddhists and Hindus and combine former with Sinhalese and latter with Tamils. Rural Sinhalese driven by religion would have naturally lost consciousness of the fact that Buddha was Indian and therefore ‘foreigner’.

The Divide & Rule habit of the British was also inherited by the likes of Mr Bandaranaike who was killed by that very demotion. The more we ‘see’ benefits for our policies the greater the tendency to divide. Chieftains needed to ‘see’ and all armed militants and Politicians who promoted armed war – are/were heirs of the Chieftains. They are not heirs of Buddha or any other religious leader.

Using the name of Buddhism to get votes confirms this excitement of ‘possession’. Likewise, using the name of Tamil homeland without a particular belief in Divinity – makes such fighters Tamil Chieftains. Most Tamils known to me are believers in religion. The above mentioned author Zulkifli Nazim confirms this as follows:

[We Sri Lankans also have a penchant for religion and we should be able to practice any religion - Buddhism, Christianity. Hinduism, Islam or any other. We may print or write whatever we want and express ourselves in a decent manner.]

Every place where one realizes independence through Islam is a Muslim part of Sri Lanka. Likewise others. Where one uses the Secular pathway it is Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka. THAT is the Royal Ruler.  All others are delegated authorities of that ruler.