Gajalakshmi
Paramasivam- 15 July 2016
Settling Pithur Kadan / Ancestral Debt
I thought of Pushpa – my husband’s
university colleague Santhiragasan’s wife – when I was making string hoppers
this morning. These days, most ladies of my age even in Vaddukoddai buy
string-hoppers rather than make them. I like to make them myself and often I
recall Pushpa whose dedication to home-cooking and especially making
string-hoppers was/is inspirational. Likewise, when I make cakes I often thank
my Aunt Pathma from my heart. Such seeking is like getting their blessings. In
both instances even though they are both clever at such cooking it’s not the
technical skills that inspire me. It’s more their dedication to making them for
the family. Attributing credit to them makes me feel good and hence I appreciate
more and more the value of attributing credit to those who taught me and more
importantly those from whom I learned. I
now realize that this is ‘shared’ ownership which motivates us to work just to
feel the experience.
Just yesterday, in response to Mr. Malinda Seneviratne’s invitation
I read his write up on the visit to Sri Lanka, of Ms Nisha Biswal, Assistant
Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs in the United States Department of State.
The message from Mr. Seneviratne read:
"Do you think that we think if Sri Lanka
cures itself of all its ills you will get off our national back? No. We have no
illusions. Say your piece, by all means but spare us the lectures".
That sounded very much like former
President of Sri Lanka speaking through Mr. Seneviratne about whom Wikipedia states:
‘Malinda's
father Gamini Seneviratne was a civil servant while his mother Lakshmi was a
teacher in Royal College, Colombo. Malinda attended
the same school and in 1983 selected for University of Peradeniya in Arts
stream. While studying at the University, Malinda was offered a scholarship
from Harvard University USA in sociology. He
graduated in 1993 and enrolled in Cornell University to do the post graduate
studies.’
I therefore conclude that in terms of
Higher Education – Mr. Seneviratne owed USA. One who has settled the guru-debt
would have not lost the wisdom of his guru in global governance. In preparing
for the upcoming Testamentary case in Northern Sri Lanka, I wrote as follows –
as part of our side submission:
It is submitted that the status of the Deceased is a higher wealth
than the money he had custody of . Equal share amongst all siblings is in
breach of the hierarchical pathway through which males carry common family
status. The children of the sisters have the right and the responsibility to
carry their fathers’ lineage with sons doing so even after their marriage.
Administrative rights is one way of confirming as to who carries this status
developed and held by the Deceased at its highest. It also motivates the
younger generation to pay their Pithur Kadan/Ancestral Debt.’
I fully believe
that the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) failed to pay its ancestral
debt to Tamil political elders and hence limited itself to the credits it
earned from the People – especially the young and the active - to lead them. I on the other hand, attribute
credit and own an issue before I make decisions on behalf of the whole. That’s
the kind of grooming I have received from parents – not only my parents but all
parents in the cultural structure that supported me – especially in education
and homemaking. Now I realize that there is a strange and wonderful connection
between this and my home-ownership. I ended up inheriting the temple in Northern
Sri Lanka taken care of by my paternal
grandmother who was / is my mentor. Under normal circumstances, I would not
have inherited the common owner title. Then there is the land in Colombo –
which happened to be owned by my Accounting guru – Mr. A.T.Benedict. Then the
property here in Coogee, Australia – a property owned by Prima where I worked
before joining Airlanka. In terms of both home-properties I bought I had just
enough money. But I had deep investment in home-ownership – strong enough to
last beyond the seas and beyond time. Like with my employment – in neither case
was there any direct connection with the previous owners. I now realize with
deep appreciation – that to the extent I accumulated ownership values either by
working more than I was paid relative to others in the institution / family and/or
paid my respects to custodians of the structure that supported me – I inherited
the value of their work. When we lose consciousness of/transcend the outer forms of this inheritance – we carry
the value as Energy through the system of Nature and this helps us have the
higher experience as and when we so seek. Hence in my case – educational and workplace
as well as home ownership feelings came with me from one place to another and
from one period to another. Like virtual reality – all those who helped me get
there, help me have the experience in common.
Those who rely on themselves
only tend to lose this motivational energy and hence tend to show more and
experience less. I fully believe that this is the reason why Sri Lankan
Government failed and the Indian Government succeeded after British left.
Gandhi paid his respects to the British – through the punishments he accepted.
Gandhi did not judge them as individuals but through their own laws in Common
and marked himself a ‘failure’ through their laws and rules. For himself he
used his Truth and maintained his dignity. He was the example they followed.
When the British
left Sri Lanka – Sinhalese as majority race laid claim to Governance as per the
rules of Democracy. But the British, the Dutch and the Portugese were minorities
ruling majority in Sri Lanka. One needed strong Administration towards this.
The way a member of majority applies the law
would be different to the way a member of minority applies that same law.
Application is fundamentally driven by our motivational forces – commonly known
as ownership forces. Even within a family a junior usually has to fight harder
than a senior for Governing status. That is reality – due to seniors having the
responsibility to provide service and juniors enjoying as beneficiaries. One
who has status usually tends to use authority as a weapon to get the job done
or to show that it has been done. But unless s/he attributed credit to those from
whom s/he inherited the position status – s/he loses the value of ancestral
blessings / energy. Had the heirs to the Sri Lankan throne paid their respects
to the colonial rulers also – they would have inherited the Administrative wisdom
of colonial rulers in governing Sri Lanka as a whole.
But ‘Sinhalese
only’ Nationalists - often skipped that part of our Common ancestry and
activated the kings before them. Likewise ‘Tamil only’ Nationalists. Neither
side has had a political leader who renounced as Gandhi did to consolidate the sovereign
forces of ordinary citizens – especially those who had little or no knowledge
of the Common Law. As per Hindu legends Ramayanam and Mahabharatham – ruling families
often had to renounce personal pleasures to raise their thinking to the higher
level and be answerable to all. Towards this they needed to place the Nation’s
interests before theirs. Majority Sinhalese leaders in government failed to
inherit the Colonial wisdom of minorities – and therefore were limited to their
own strengths. The tendency with such persons is to not have someone above them
– representing their ancestral structure. By ‘showing’ Sinhala-only, Tamil-only
and White-only – these leaders lost the
true governance power of the mothers (males included) of their nations – who feel
first and think later. A member of minority who ‘feels’ a place is her/his home
– has natural governing power. Where the pathway was feel first think later –
that person has mother’s intuitive powers. If a foreign pathway is enforced on
such a person – the imposer loses governance value and shrinks her/his kingdom.
That is the law of nature.
Had Mr. Rajapaksa
paid his debt to those who developed that ruling seat – whatever its name may
be - he would not have opposed
international monitoring missions during the war. The message from Mr.
Seneviratne to Ms Biswal ‘to say her piece and spare his group her lectures’
shows poor grooming and the Rajapaksa genes. Large families / races that are
not committed to higher common pathways tend to ‘grow’ instead of being ‘groomed’.
Families that are groomed through the higher pathways would place family/ community/nation
before self. Had Mr. Seneviratne paid his dues to the USA – he would have ‘included’
the strengths of American wisdom as his. If like Gandhi – he sought to be
driven by Truth – he needs to renounce any status from his American education –
before he treats a fellow American leader as if s/he was below himself and ‘tells’
her what s/he should or should not do. Such ‘telling’ embarrasses all of us to
whom Sri Lanka is home – including through our inheritance from colonial
rulers.
As I said recently
to a Vaddukoddai person – ‘If you are not
ready to share your Muthusum/Heritage with a person – treat him as an Equal and
that means you do not take any authority over him even to advise.’
I learnt this beautiful lesson from our
Thesawalamai ancestors who practiced Gender based Equality long before any
Common Law came into force in Northern Sri Lanka. Even one person of Northern
Sri Lanka truly believing in our ancestors who gave us Thesawalamai Customary
Law would empower self-governance entitlement of Northern Sri Lankans – whatever their race or
religion. Anyone including Tamils - claiming ruling rights need to bow to those
ancestors before taking their positions as rulers. That is the Pithur Kadan
that needs to be paid to inherit their ownership Energy. All others are foreigners – even if
they are Tamils. The Dutch respected Customary Laws and hence Equality between
cultures – enough to codify customary laws. Sinhalese failed due to their
desire to rule the whole.
I believe that by being a hardworking home-owning
Australian living in Coogee which was originally an Aboriginal habitat and
paying my wholehearted respects to Aborigines who were ousted by those who
sought pleasures above home-values – I add to the safety of Coogee. Given that I
became global by foregoing earned Australian status to uphold my Truth – I add
to our Global safety. Every true owner has the power to invoke natural powers
of protection – each as per her/his ‘inclusiveness’ of other cultures.
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