Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

20 November  2019

EMPEROR  MODI BECKONS KING GOTABHAYA?

Yesterday, I rang an older cousin of mine who is in a nursing home in Canada. I was happy to learn that even in the nursing home, my cousin Pushpam Akka – kept herself active in terms of Sri Lankan governance. It felt that we were relatives through Sri Lankan election issues also. I believe, I have developed many such relationships through my media work also. As I said to a senior Australian Tamil recently – one of the values of Relationships is that it protects us from becoming indebted to the provider / senior by action.  A relationship is naturally formed through a combination of common belief  and apparent common wealth. Where there is only Common Belief – and no apparent common wealth we naturally Energize each other. Hence within family ‘free’ exchange of money as quid pro quo is prohibited. This has become an issue of significance in the Impeachment hearings against the current American President. If quid pro quos happen for the benefit of less than the whole – they bring about internal divisions.

In 2005 when the LTTE ‘ordered’ Tamils to ‘not vote’ they became outsiders to those Tamils bound by belief in democracy. We concluded that there was quid pro quo for our voting rights as Sri Lankans. The LTTE ‘separated’ itself from Democracy.  Last year we observed this divisive culture continue during the Constitutional crisis – when ministerial portfolios and party memberships were made pawns in the political game. This stunts the relationship with each other in Parliament and with the People. Those of us who were ‘insiders’ to governance of Sri Lanka – through our own avenues – including family in Sri Lanka – had the ‘insight’ to know that quid pro quos had taken place. The natural power of belief in self-governance rights of Tamils who chose the political pathway, did not channel itself to support LTTE for the simple reason that we were not relatives any more. We coexisted as individuals. We are thus not protected by each other’s truth but we do merge at the destination.

Through the 2019 Presidential elections, Tamils have balanced the books to become more common than we were in 2005. That is very satisfying to those of us who are committed to Democracy.  What about the Sinhalese?

As per Japan Times report headed ‘Gotabaya Rajapaksa sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president’:

[Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya administered the oath of office to Rajapaksa at the ancient Ruwanweli Seya Buddhist temple in north-central Sri Lanka….

…..Rajapaksa said he will maintain Sinhala and Buddhism as the country’s primary culture and provide them with state support but will allow other groups to preserve their religious and cultural identities.

According to Sri Lankan history books, the Ruwanweli Seya temple was built by warrior King Dutu Gemunu after defeating an invading Tamil king from present-day South India.]

Hindus consider the Earth to be a reservoir of the Truth that  happened at a particular place. Likewise, the Aborigines in Australia. In my home suburb of Coogee, the yearly Koojay Corroboree, on Coogee Beach, confirms respect for land ownership of Aborigines to whom Coogee was home before migrants. In Australia, they are referred to as Traditional Owners. The parallel is recognized in Hindu ceremonies – including in marriages – by presenting the bride and the groom respectively as the heirs of three generation elders who have upheld those traditions.  In funerals and memorials for those who have passed away – the one who has passed away is added to the common ancestral spirit. Those who do so have the right to draw on those ‘traditional powers’.

One is therefore entitled to interpret that Mr Rajapaksa was invoking the powers of King Dutu Gemunu as his ancestor and therefore confirming his heritage as ‘terminator’. It is interesting that Anuradhapura Kingdom was  the Central kingdom of Sri Lanka when Ruhuna in Southern Sri Lanka was a sub-kingdom. King Gotabhaya is reported as  Dutu Gemunu’s grandfather. Hence one is entitled to consider that the Traditional  power of  Anuradhapura was invoked by Mr Rajapaksa when he took oath on Monday – 18 November 2019.

Did he thereby invoke also the spirit of Ellalan – the Tamil Emperor from India? Is this being confirmed by the following:

[Jaishankar, who arrived here on a two-day unannounced visit, said President Rajapaksa has accepted Prime Minister Modi's invitation to visit India on November 29] Economic Times of India.

Whether it is positive Energy (Punniyam) or negative Energy (Paavam) once we recognize and accept truth – the Common Truth leads us. Hence one may very well ask the question ‘Is Ellalan taking Gotabhaya to India? If Sinhalese had a relationship with Tamils – then investment in that relationship would protect both sides. Otherwise the ‘spirits’ in the environment get into us – like sooniyam / curse or blessings.

Mr Harsha Gunasena in his Colombo Telegraph article ‘Defeat Of The Oppressed

presents his interpretation as follows:

[The present government imposed certain taxes on the rich in order to increase government revenue which was a necessity and as a result the rich may have voted against Premadasa but for  the vast majority of the rural population, the main issue may have been the national security and related issues connected to nationality.

Nation state is a recently developed concept. India was able to adopt it at the time of the independence due to the foresight of the leaders of the Indian independence struggle. In Sri Lanka among the majority Sinhala Buddhists the term nationality is confined to identify their own ethnocentric group. They consider the members of the other ethnicities as outsiders. 

However, history teaches us a totally different story. Over centuries in Sri Lanka there were no clashes between Sinhalese and Tamils as ethnic groups. The clashes were among the kings and princes. They were concerned about their power and not the ethnicity. In Elara’s army there were considerable number of Sinhalese.  Magha, who ruined our civilization in 13th century, was not a Tamil. Sinhala kings got support from the Pandyans  to attack Chola invaders, both were South Indians.]

One is reminded that Dutu Genmunu was disobedient to his father and fought against his brother Tissa. That is also invoked in terms of relationships. In terms of Tamils – Operation Ellalan – which was LTTE’s successful  attack on Anuradhapura Air Force base while Mr Gotabaya was Defence Secretary – confirms the power of Anuradhapura to Tamils who are true soldiers.

Highly respected  Late  Bahukutumbi Raman, of India’s Intelligence Agency is reported to have stated about the above attack that it "had been preceded by painstaking intelligence collection, planning and rehearsal."

To my mind, a big part of it is inheritance of Emperor Ellalan’s corporate wisdom about  Sinhala kings who ‘dictate’.  It worked through the opposition.

Tamils by honoring Ellalan as an ancestor  – inherited his wisdom.