Mihikatha Nalavala beautifully played and sung by my friend Suraj Ranasinghe

A Lotus rises out of mud as a fragrant bloom.

A boy was born in a poor neighbourhood of New Orleans , known as the "Back of Town"

His father abandoned the family when the child was an infant. His mother became a prostitute and the boy and his sister had to live with their grandmother.

Early in life, he proved to be gifted for music and, with three other kids, he sang in the streets of New Orleans and his first gains were the coins that were thrown to them.

A Jewish family, Karnovsky, who had immigrated from Lithuania to the USA , had pity for the 7-year-old boy and brought him into their home. Initially given 'work' in the House, to feed this hungry child. Then he remained and slept in this Jewish family home where, for the first time in his life, he was treated with kindness and tenderness. When he went to bed, Mrs. Karnovsky sang him a Russian Lullaby that he would sing with her.

Later, he learned to sing and play several Russian and Jewish songs. Over time, this boy became the adopted son of this family. The Karnovskys gave him money to buy his first trumpet; as was the custom in the Jewish families, they sincerely admired his musical talent.

Later, when he became a professional musician and composer, he used these Jewish melodies in compositions, such as St. James Infirmary and Go down, Moses.

The little black boy grew up and wrote a book about this Jewish family who had adopted him in 1907. In memory of this family and until the end of his life, he wore a star of David and he said that it is in this family that he had learned "how to live a real life with determination. ''

This is the true story of LOUIS ARMSTRONG.

 What a wonderful world!!

Music and Dance in my life by Dr Nihal D Amerasekera

We were fortunate to have spent our childhood in an independent Ceylon out of the shackles of colonial rule. One hundred and forty six years of British rule had left an indelible mark on Ceylonese society. We emulated the British and their ways infiltrated every aspect of the lives of the middle and upper classes.

When I was growing up what I saw around me had a tremendous and lasting effect on my life. I have fond memories of seeing the British way of life in my home town in Kegalle. Although the country was independent there were many British “up country” Planters still around. Those were the lazy hazy days of the immediate post Colonial Ceylon. There were bridge parties in the afternoon and all-women tennis fours at the Kegalle Planters Club. The Club was the hub for all social events in the district. This was the watering hole for the British planters and for our own Brown Sahibs. They drank whisky and played billiards. Those were the days of proper ballroom dancing of fox trots, quick steps and waltzes to the music of Victor Sylvester or Joe Loss Orchestra. Cricket matches at weekends and dancing in the evenings kept the members entertained. These close encounters fuelled by the booze often became a hotbed of gossip and innuendo. Our former British rulers believed we’ve never had it so good. Perhaps they were right!!

My early childhood was spent in rural Nugegoda with my grandparents. My father was serving in the “outstation” as a government  servant. I grew up with several cousins who lived in the same house, schooling with me. Then my aunts played the guitar and made us sing the Sinhala music of the day and also the popular operatic arias like Santa Lucia. We enjoyed entertaining the visitors and loved the applause and the sweets that followed.

I must not underestimate the part played by Radio Ceylon and its commercial arm in popularising both Sri Lankan and Western music. Lama Pitiya is one of my earliest recollections of a childrens program with stories and music. Siri Aiya, Karu Aiya and artistes like Indrani Wijebandara and Chandra Cabraal produced wonderful entertainment for children. There were many guests attendees like Rukmani Devi and GSB Rani Perera who enlivened and enhanced the reputation of this marvellous program. The Radio Ceylon English service too had some fine presenters and announcers who brought the music of that era to life. Hit Parade and Sunday Choice had an enormous following. We were glued to the radio when those programs were on. The passage of years has dimmed my memory of those tremendously exciting times which captivated and enraptured us during those heady days of our youth.

As I was boarded at Wesley College my love of music prevailed. I joined the choir. Then much of it was Church music.  It was Hymns during Sundays and special songs for the period of Lent. Carols services during Christmas were a colourful event. Singing together as a group was great fun and had enormous camaraderie. We formed barbershop quartets singing in four part harmony and also took part in Operettas. Those were immensely exciting times.

Our generation became part of the music revolution in the mid 1950’s.  The slow music of the crooners like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Perry Como gave way to the intoxicating rhythm and the stirring beat of Bill Haley and the Comets. I well remember seeing Rock Around the Clock at the Savoy when the Bambalawatte boys danced unashamedly in the aisles of the cinema to the rousing and electrifying music. I was in the school boarding then and could only watch in awe and amazement the craze unfold amongst teenagers in Colombo.

It was not until I entered the Faculty of Medicine that I saw freedom. The permissive society had reached our shores with the hippie culture and the contraceptive pill. The excitement and the pleasure of dancing has no equal. The pounding rhythms drove us all into a frenzy. Being so close to female company in such subdued lighting heightened our sexual desires and sent our pulse racing. It was at University I learnt to combine the rhythmic music and the twirl and swirl of the gyratory dancing. The combination was awe inspiring, truly magical and immensely exciting. The University calendar had many dances held at its halls in Reid Avenue. It was here the students showed off their wares, girl friends, boy friends and their ability to dance. Alcohol gave them the confidence and lubricated the joints while the hormones did the rest. Live music of Harold Seneviratne Combo or Sam the Man provided the music putting us in the mood. There was the inevitable Baila session to end the night. Those were wonderfully exciting years.

When Duke Ellington visited Ceylon in 1955 he played in an airport hangar in Ratmalana. The school decided it wasn’t to be missed and we were taken for that thrilling performance. I still remember him play that simply magical piece “syncopated clock”. But it was in 1956 the film “High Society” with Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra . that brought jazz into my life giving it a new dimension.  Dixieland Jazz began in New Orleans. It was characterised by improvisations. I loved the sound of the brass and woodwind instruments and the strumming of the banjos. Radio Ceylon often played the piece called “Ice Cream” by the Dutch Swing College Band and this got me hooked on Dixie. I recall our batchmate  M.H Cassim was a fan of Dixieland music too and invited me to his home in Colpetty to listen to the Dutch Swing College Band and Eddy Peabody on his superb HiFi system in full stereo.

Exams came and went with monotonous regularity until it was all over. We were all doctors now and the rapid dispersal began. Internship was a baptism of fire. Onerous on-calls and busy schedules filled our days and nights. I was then working in Kurunegala. There were social gatherings and dances at the Upper and Lower Clubs. Those were a magnet for the hardworking interns. With my two left feet I was never going to set the dance floor on fire but enjoyed the drink and the camaraderie of those lavish events. Many parties were held in the House Officers Quarters with much singing and dancing. By 1968  the beat had died down to the music of the Beatles- now more subdued, Englebert Humperdink and Tom Jones.

After emigrating to the UK, family and career took precedence and dancing went on the back-burner. There were parties and dances in hospital during Christmas and on special occasions when it was mostly sedate and proper. However my love of music remained strong as ever. With the passage of years classical music became my first love. London is the Mecca for music lovers. Now I live 20 minutes walk from the Royal Academy of Music and easy striking distance of the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Festival Hall. These venues have classical music events everyday. Music now fills my life and I have no words to describe the peace and contentment I feel.

Since its origins in 15^th Century Italy, Ballet has captured the imagination of audiences worldwide. Breath-taking choreography and graceful movements make it so pleasing to watch. I see most ballets on TV but see some of them live in London. Rudolph Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn are recognised as the best dances of the 20^th century. Much has been written about their sad lives and their tragic deaths away from the spotlight. The Opera is not for everyone. Much of the old operas are in Italian and the stories are hard to follow. They require much homework to read up about the story. Operas of Puccini and Verdi are popular for their fine music. Georges Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers” is set in ancient Ceylon. Although not as famous as “Carmen” which he wrote 10 years later I like it for its connection to my homeland.

Retirement gave me the time to travel the world. One of the best trips was to South America. Watching the Tango danced by professionals in El Viejo Almacén in Buenos Aires was simply a magical experience. The Tango is a mesmerizingly beautiful dance. Its elaborate movements relate a story. The tango music is a mix of Spanish, African and South American rhythms that became popular in the 19^th century. This music and the dance initially began in brothels and its movements show the titillations of the ladies and the fire in the belly of their clients. Soon the Tango caught the imaginations of the people and  began to be accepted by high society in Buenos Aires.

Despite the 42 years in exile my love for Sri Lankan music hasn’t left me. Listening to the old music from back home is always an emotional journey and a reminder of those places and the people. The music of Sunil Santha, Chitra and Somapala from my childood days in Nugegoda.  CT Fernando, Sanath Nandasiri, Amaradeva and Victor Ratnayake from those later years will always be with me. How can I ever forget the ubiquitous Hindi music that was ever present in the  tea boutiques and shops all over Colombo. I still own a fine collection of Lata Mangheskar, Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle songs to remind me of those years in Sri Lanka.  I was an avid filmgoer in my youth and saw many of the Sinhala films right from the old BAW Jayamanne’s “Broken Promise” and “Kela Handa” to the later films of Lester James Peiris. Their music have a special appeal and a place in my memory. Rukmani Devi and Mohideen Beig featured prominently in those films with their memorable songs. Their haunting melodies and the poignant lyrics will always remain with me. Many of the old favourites have been revived by younger singers with a faster beat and modern instruments. I love these new versions which have instilled life into the old.

 Baila entered our mainstream culture when the likes of Wally Bastian, Patrick Denipitiya, MS Fernando and others made it popular by their live performances on stage and on radio. This music had tremendous appeal with its pulsating beat which is an invitation to dance. The love for baila with the lively music and the rhythmic dancing is a constant reminder of my medical student days. In the Faculty there were events held in the Common Room in the evenings when the booze flowed freely and music filled the air. I recall JC Fernando singing and playing his guitar with students dancing around him. RL Thambirajah singing “Come and see the wild west show” was a regular feature and was so well received. The final year trip was a journey full of wonderful memories and the final fling of an incredible 5 years.

Music and dance have been a large part of my life. It has given me immense pleasure and continues to do so today.

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All by myself - a musical composition

All by myself - a musical composition by Mahendra with lyrics based on the poem "Tears" by Polish Poet Magdalena Podobinska.

Language humour

Language Humour

The places where I’ve been
I like visiting unusual places and I learnt a lot in the process.
Recently I was in Teresting. Many people gathered round me to listen to me
I have been in Quiring where people were very happy to answer questions.
When I was in Trepid, nothing seemed to bother me!
I was once in Fant. We have to have been there at least once or we would never grow up.
But then, I was in Cap Able and there you need a lot of help.
I have been in Solvent, I’ll never advise anyone to go there.
And when I was in Coherent, the gibberish I spoke there!
Recently I dreamt I was in Ferior, and got up feeling glad it wasn’t real.
2
I have also been in Dolent, where I could pass a lazy time.
Oh yes! When I was in Visible, no one seemed to notice me.
Same as when I was in Distinct, people just peered at me!
A few times I have been in Dulgen, truly easy-going in many ways.
Another time, I was on Tenter-Hooks in a place called Restless near the edge of Reason, but I calmed down by the time I left.
I was in Ade Quat ending a phase of depleted resources. Beware, don’t go there!
I was in Consol Able to face my problems when my best friend immigrated.
I was in Diffe Rent at a time I had many problems. But I returned more motivated.
But when I was in Ter fer in ghost territory, I learnt a few lessons in human relationships.
I have again been in Coherent. There, I had had one drink too many.
Once I was in Continent of Water Works. I didn’t like it at all. So cold and wet!
3
I had in Nertia, to do a vital assignment but clearly lost the plot.
I was in Viting, dressed in a bikini. I got unwanted attention!
I was in Can de Scent. Someone angered me. I hear it is a common occurrence there.
I have been at Logger Heads. You can’t do it alone.
You need someone to be with.
Then I have been in Vent. I’ve always wanted to be. Now I am back with two new projects!
I have been in Consist entering an area where one could be sure of nothing.
When I was in Tuit I ventured into Holy territory. You could get a march over your counterpart if you are there.
I was in the Dol Drums in Melan Cholia. Nothing could cheer me up, there.
4
Finally I was in Vincible. It was great to know I could reach it!

The Story of Ceylon Stamps

The Story  of Ceylon Stamps – Vimal Dias

The first Ceylon stamp was issued on 1st April 1857 and is listed as SG # 1 in Staley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue. It was issued 17 years after Britain issued the first postage stamp in the world in 1840. SG 1 of Ceylon was a 6d stamp, whereas the first postage stamp of Britain was the Penny Black, 1d in value.  Why the Colonial Government of Ceylon decided to issue a 6d stamp as the first stamp is unknown. However, Ceylon got a One Penny 1d. a blue colored stamp a few months later in 1857.

A.            Stamps Issued During the Reign of Queen Victoria

Postage stamps issued during the reign of Queen Victoria spanned a period of 46 years, from 1857 to  1903. Postage stamps bearing Queen Victoria, basically fall in to 3 key categories. These are;

1.)           Stamps denominated in Pence and Shillings Issued in imperforated form, where individual stamps had to be cut from sheets using a pair of scissors. Stamps with clear margins on all 4 sides are quite rare and they usually carry a premium. The number of stamps issued during this period is limited and spans from SG 1 to SG 17.

2.)           In year 1858, Ceylon stamps denominated in Pence and Shillings were issued in perforated form which made it easier to tear off individual stamps from sheets. However, perforations of those days were very rough, because the number of perforations per inch were very low compared with modern stamps. Hence, stamps of this era often had missing perforations, because they  couldn’t be cleanly torn from a sheet. This is normal for stamps of this age.

3.)           The third era is characterized by stamps issued in Rupees and Cents. This era started in 1872 and continued until the death of Queen Victoria.   Stamps in this era starts from SG 121 to 264. Since a lot of stamps were printed and used during this period, many stamps from this period are still quite common and inexpensive compared to stamps issued during first and second eras.         

Stamps issued during the first and second eras (in Pence and Shillings) are extremely rare and very expensive, as these stamps are now well over 160 years old. Value of stamps like any other item depends on supply and demand. However, the supply of these stamps have dwindled considerably over time, due to destruction and loss of stamps over the years. Only a few currently remain among a handful of collectors and dealers who have taken the trouble to preserve these valuable stamps. Since most of the Ceylon stamps have been held in Sri Lanka under hot and humid conditions, it has also become very difficult to find stamps in good condition.      

It is also interesting to note that all stamps issued during era 1 and 2 were printed in a single color. Perhaps printing technology at that time didn’t support multiple color printing. However, in era 3 (Queen Victoria stamps issued in Rupees and Cents) stamps were printed in 2 colors, making them nicer but still  depicting the face of Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria stamps issued in era 3 were often overprinted to change the value of a stamp. Perhaps they were out of stock of given denomination and therefore stamps having high stock levels were overprinted in black with a new denomination. As per Stanley Gibbons Catalogue, they were overprinted locally at the Government Printers in Colombo. Some of these overprinted stamps are very rare, but one needs to be careful about fakes too.      

Stamps issued during the 19th century in Ceylon as well as in most other countries were definitive stamps. The practice of issuing commemorative stamps came later in Britain during the 20th century and much later to British Colonies. Definitive stamps were used for a much longer period of time and hence they usually became very common as large numbers were issued. On the other hand, commemorative stamps were issued to commemorate a specific event and lasted only for a short period and hence numbers issued were much smaller.  

Victorian stamps of Ceylon have to be carefully studied as there are many varieties of a given stamp based on the following key factors that influence its value.

-              Type of paper on which it is printed. eg. On normal, bluish, yellowish or on chalky paper etc. All these variations are listed in the SG catalogue.  

-              Water mark. eg. No water mark, inverted water mark & sideways etc.

-              Imperforated or perforated. It was very common for a given stamp to come with different perforation counts, making some very rare. Hence, it pays to always check the perforations of a given stamp using a perforation guide.     

-              Number of perforations per inch on the horizontal and vertical sides of the stamp.

-              Mint or used. Mint stamps in unhinged form is very difficult to find as almost all collectors up to around 40 years ago used hinges to stick stamps in their albums. Only later did stock books and mounts replace hinges. So finding unhinged mint stamps from these times would be very difficult.

-              Some stamps were printed using more than one die and hence stamps were printed using 2 or 3 dies. It may be that dies had to be changed after a while because they got worn off. However, the die 1 and die 2 were often not identical as there were slight differences. These differences are listed in the SG catalogue and are easy to identify once you know what they are. Prices quoted vary widely depending on the type of die.      

-              The color of the stamps. It is very common for a given stamp of this era to have been issued in many shades of the same color or in different colors. Correctly identifying the color of a stamp using the Stanley Gibbons Color Guide is therefore most important, as prices could vary so much based on its color.      

As you can see, collecting Ceylon stamps of this era would be quite interesting and also challenging in many ways. If you are going to invest in good stamps, you really need to know what you are buying. Buying stamps in good condition at a discounted catalogue price would be a challenge. For this, the best place to buy these stamps would be in US where the demand for Ceylon stamps would be rather low and it will also be easier to find stamps in good condition due to favorable climatic conditions.    

B.            Stamps Issued During the Reign of King Edward the 7th

The reign of Edward the 7th was relatively short lived, starting from 1903 to 1911, a period of only 8 years. Some of the stamps issued during this era were printed in 2 colors.

C.            Stamps Issued During the Reign of King George the 5th

This period spanned from 1912 to 1935. Early issues of this period mostly depicted the face of King George the 5th , printed in a single color or in 2 colors. There was no significant change in the way stamps were designed and printed compared to the 3rd era of Queen Victoria. However, in 1935 there was a great departure from this tradition of portraying only the head of the king or queen. For the first time, common and key scenic views of the country were portrayed in the form of pictorial stamps in 2 colors. They had the face of the king printed on the top right hand side of these pictorial stamps. This was a refreshing change and these stamps are very beautiful and say a lot about the life and times in Ceylon at that time. In fact, not much of the scenes depicted in here have changed even today.       

D.            Stamps Issued During the Reign of King George the 6th

This period spanned from 1935 to 1948.There were no significant changes worth mentioning in the design and printing of Ceylon stamps during this time. The pictorial stamps of Ceylon issued during the reign of King George the 5th were more or less used with the head of King George the 6th replacing that of KG the 5th.   However, the design and colors of some stamps were changed, notably the addition of the tea plucker on 6c stamp and a change of color on the 5c stamps depicted palm trees and the sea. The reign of King George the 6 suddenly ended in 1952, while his daughter the present Queen of Britain was on safari at Tree Tops in Kenya. He was rather a weak king and a sickling. 

E.            Stamps Issued During the Reign of Queen Elizabeth the 2nd

Queen Elizabeth the 2nd became the Queen of England in 1952. So we didn’t have any stamps under her rule as Ceylon became independent in 1948.

F. Stamps Issued During the Reign of Queen Elizabeth the 2nd

After independence, the Government of Ceylon started issuing postage stamps both definitive and commemoratives under the name of Ceylon. However, from 1972 onwards, the name of the nation was changed from Ceylon to Sri Lanka and this change was reflected in stamps as well. During this time, the frequency of issuing stamps increased and stamps were issued to honor many local hearos. A stamp Bureau was also established under the Post Office to serve local and foreign philatelists. Due to the high rate of issuing stamps during this era, it is rather difficult to maintain a complete collection of stamps of this period. Hence, it would be better to focus on the early issues of Ceylon under the British period.

Virtual Reality. What is it and what are its uses?

Virtual Reality is a computer technology that uses realistic images, sounds and other sensations to  replicate a real environment or an imaginary setting to make the user feel he is really present in the simulated environment so that he sees, hears  and is able to interact with this space.

 

How it is done

It is made possible by the use of a head set incorporating video, sound and other technology using computer science. It owes its availability to the computer age and is one of the most important methods of the 20th century. Two companies, HTC and Valve Corporation, produced it.

Its history

Its concept has been there and used in films in the mid-1900s but it really owes its advancement to the computer age. We can all remember the early ‘infant’ of 3D viewing by View master glasses. With the advent of computer technology the method improved by leaps and bounds but strangely it never ‘took off’ as predicted. However its use is expected to be more and more sought after in the future with the relentless advancement of computer technology and its use in cinema production and games.

Its uses and applications

Its commercial use in films and games for entertainment, and its use in games arcades as found in California are well known. We can also socialise by VR, we can do business, we can have a prior view of, for example, where we shall go on holiday and we can even ‘meet’ our relations on the other side of the world with a realistic effect of them being in the same space as ourselves and with modern equipment even the sensation of touch can be brought into the experience.

In Medicine, it is used in the treatment of pain. Morphine is said to relieve 20% of pain but VR uses scenes of ice and snow to immerse the patient in, so that his or her pain is felt as a cold sensation with immediate and complete relief without the disadvantages of drug therapy.

It can be used in the treatment of drug addiction and phobias where VR is used to put the subject in such an environment that he can imagine a completely different situation, for e.g. a phobia for flying being cured by VR bringing the subject to get into the plane and experiencing safety and comfort and absence of danger. Hence in phobia treatment it is done by repeatedly exposing the patient to the feared situation and showing that no harm takes place. 

It has been used in the training of surgeons where a 360-degree view of the operation is provided by VR thus allowing subject to get a closer and more realistic appreciation of the operation. The fist VR surgery took place in Oxford. Remote control surgery has been performed by VR using a robot doing the surgery in one place and the direction coming from a real surgeon in a remote situation, even another country. For anxiety disorders it is equivalent to seeing a therapist face to face but cheaper. Why has it not been used to a greater extent? It has been the cost to some extent but in 2 to 3 years it is expected to be cheaper and more freely available.  Your smart phone can also deliver it!

Work has been made easier by VR where a person could work from home while feeling he is in the office environment with colleagues giving one the benefit of being in the same space. Thus one can be in two places at once with VR.

It is used in immersive Journalism where VR makes the reporter feel that he is, for instance in a jungle with a bear in front of him and hearing the roar making it more realistic for the reporter and viewer.

The Travel Industry is going to use it to sell e.g. Holidays where the customer is shown the actual place with scenes, sounds and touch e.g. feeling of the breeze on oneself and seeing the sun shine using VR to give him a 360 view plus a physical experience.

What are the disadvantages?

We’ll end up living in a virtual world. The personal touch the eye contact, the feedback are all going to be lost to some extent. The projection however is that it will not have the take up of the level of smart phones. The latter was one and a half billion but VR take up is projected to be in the tens of millions range.  But the potential is great.

It has been used in the present time to give subjects a virtual trip to the past for example to be virtually transported to a Museum of 500 years ago to experience looking at art of that era as if it were happening now.

It is expected that VR, which is a technique of the late 20th century, is about to take off in the next 2 to 3 years!

Sent by Zita Perera Subasinghe

References: Programmes on BBC Radio, Accounts on Wikipedia and other Internet sites.

The horrors of War

by Mahendra

She looked over her shoulder

Looking everywhere desperately

There were people everywhere

They were all running

Some were crying

All were frightened

Keep running 

Keep going 

She held on tightly to her little hand

Running all the time

Everybody was running

Sounds of gun fire

Screaming and crying

Swearing and shouting

Pushing her way through

Where is she ?

Where is my little daughter

Just a moment ago she was here

Clinging to my skirt

Eyes wide with fear

Crying and sobbing

Now she is gone

What am I to do ?

I am lost

We are all lost

They are catching up

We must run faster

Run where ?

Just anywhere

Must get away from this madness

There is so much sadness

Keep running

Keep going

Can’t stop now

I don’t want to die

My children need me

Keep running 

Keep going 

Rani Enko by Mahendra

The song I sing is "Rani Enko", which I am sure  you will recall with pleasure. The original hindi song on which it is based, was from the B&W film Patita (1953). The song was sung by Hemant Kumar and Lata Manjeskar. The Sinhalese version "Rani Enko" was sung by that great combination Rukmani Devi and Mohideen Beg. This is my effort accompanying myself on my Yamaha Tyros 5

 The Camp in the Jungle 18 06 2016

After receiving the inspiration of Razaque’s words and Mahendra’s minimalistic drawing and poem, about those poor beings in the Jungle, I am encouraged to write the following and reflect on their pain and sadness and what we should do.

It’s Just a Farce

Yes that’s it! You heard me right

That’s what the honest eye can see

What happens, to any human’s plight

Is what takes Dame Fortune’s fancy

Not what you do or what you get

But just what you are prepared to give

Don’t just look at your MD Midget

But how refugees have to live

Not the banquet in  4 star hotel

But that little girl you saved

From the ‘Camp- in- the jungle’ hell

Where the ground with thorns is paved

No indulgence, no post-theatre trip

Just clothes for that poor family

Those who live in Poverty’s grip

And gobble food so hungrily

Not to have our chins wagging

But Go! Give that unused antique!

Those posh clothes forever hanging

Also that metal vase unique

It will surely raise much money

‘Every little helps’ It’s true!

Even old shoes, (It’s not funny!)

And those clothes your child outgrew

Join up! Collect it!  Be sure to send it!

To those children cold and damp

 Get together, like Beckham, ‘Bend it’!

And send proceeds to Refuge Camp

It’s the best thing you’ve ever done!

 More than winning a Sweep Ticket

Is to save those kids on the run

Living in a camp in the thicket

Before our inevitable last breath

The thing to do to keep us Zen

Is saving children and adults from death

Living in forsaken jungle den

Refugee Child

The Refugee Child

I am scared

Where are we going

It is so tight here

Where is my father

It is so dark here

I am hungry

I am thirsty

Who are all these strange people

I want to go home

Why is that man carrying a gun

Where is my doll

I want to go home

I am so scared

Cyril Ernest – Cardiologist and Cricketer par excellence

VIRTUAL INTERVIEW

It is my great pleasure to record this virtual interview with my pal Cyril and I thank him for his kind permission to post this on our own Blog, ColomboMedgrads1962, which as we all know is the brainchild of Lucky Abeyagunewardene.

Speedy: Good morning Cyril. 

Cyril: Good morning Speedy, or should it be Mahen?

Lucky, Me and Cyril 2012 Reunion

Speedy: Don’t mind! I know that you are used to calling me Speedy. Cyril, most of us of course know that you entered Medical school in 1962 after  doing a six-month course in chemistry at the University of Ceylon in Colombo. But coming from St Benedict’s, how is it that you were sent to Peradeniya and not Colombo?

Cyril: That remains a mystery but I was very happy at Peradeniya at the brand new Medical school there.

Speedy:  It is also on record that while at St. Benedict’s College you excelled in several sports – cricket, hockey, tennis, and track & field – representing your school in all these sports and also playing in combined-schools teams, and participating in public schools events and meets. Of course once you entered Medical School, your priorities must have changed. Tell us how you met these new challenges, i.e., pursuing a quite demanding study schedule with sports.

Cyril: Absolutely right Speedy. Once I entered the university, studies were my major concern, though I pursued my sporting career but confining myself to two sports – cricket and hockey. With my sporting prowess, I was able to get into the university cricket and hockey teams. Being in Peradeniya was a distinct disadvantage to combine sports with my studies, as all the sporting events were in Colombo. I was somehow able to manage to combine both pursuits, sports and studies, and keep up my grades, while being on the varsity teams for both.

Speedy: There were many talented cricketers in University at the time. Could you tell us a bit more about them?

Cyril: That is correct. When I entered medical school my classmates included contemporary cricketers Cecil Saveryimuthu, a fellow Bendictine teammate (pace bowler), Senarath Jayatilleke, a dashing batsman from St. Anne’s College Kurunegala, and Kumar Gunawardena, a wicketkeeper/batsman, from St. Thomas’ College. Talented as they were as cricketers, they did not pursue playing cricket and decided to concentrate on their studies. My other school contemporaries, Lareef Idroos (St. Thomas’ College), Harsha Samarajeewa (Royal College), and Kiththa Wimalaratna (Royal College) continued their pursuits in cricket. We were teammates in the University Cricket Eleven.

Speedy: That is an impressive list! I know that the University Cricket Team took part in the Sara Trophy Tournament. Tell us a bit more about those times.

Cyril: Yes Speedy. Looking back now, I often wonder how I did it!  Playing cricket on the Varsity A team, in the Sara Trophy Tournament, was very time-consuming and it did, to a certain extent, interfere with our academic pursuits. However, we persevered and we were regular members of the University Eleven. We were regular members of the Sara Trophy cricket team from 1961/62 to 1966/67.

Speedy: Could you give us some idea of the schedule in those days?

Cyril: During the cricket season, which was from March to August, we were involved in matches with our rival teams every weekend and having daily practices during the week. This was quite a tedious routine and we stuck to our tasks, helping the team to be a force to be reckoned with. Unlike the other participating teams in the tournament, Varsity had to contend with key players missing matches due to exams, as well as, leaving the team on graduation. Despite these hardships, we were an enthusiastic band of players and during our time, we reached the final playoff rounds every season between 1962 and 1967.

Speedy: What were the greatest achievements of the Team that gives you a lot of pride?

Cyril: 1962/63 was a great year, when we won the Sara Trophy championship, being national champions in cricket under the captaincy of Carlyle Perera – another medico. The next year too, we almost won the championship under Buddy Reid – another medico, losing by the slimmest of margins (0.04 points) to Bloomfield due to an unfortunate error in the field, a dropped catch. The university cricket team was rewarded for their national championship with an all-expense paid trip to Singapore and Malaysia in 1963. Here too, we excelled. Lareef, Harsha, Kiththa and myself, were preparing for our second MBBS exam, and foolishly we took our textbooks and skeleton to study on the tour! Which, of course, never materialized, being distracted by other goings-on.

Speedy: It is my recollection that there were a lot of Medicos in the Varsity Team in that era who Captained the Team. Could you please tell us a bit about them?

Cyril: Your recollection is good! I see that so far you have been spared from memory changes which some of us may experience in the future. The Varsity cricket team was captained in 1963/64 by Buddy Reid, followed by Mohanlal Fernando in 1964/65, Lareef Idroos in 1965/66, and myself in 1966/67. In 1966, I captained the University of Ceylon cricket team on its’ tour to India for the inter-university cricket tourney in Bangalore.

Speedy: How did you fare in Bangalore?

Cyril: We had a very good team, but we were unable to advance beyond the second round, due to local conditions and most importantly, the biased umpiring decisions by the local umpires.

Speedy: That must have been tough to take.

Cyril: Yes it was and there were other unexpected problems too. Let me tell you an interesting story. I went on the Indian tour just three weeks before the third MBBS exam. I was in a panic on my return because of a lack of preparation for my exam. However, two of my classmates, whose names I shall not reveal, helped me out immensely by coaching me in bacteriology and forensic medicine. They were my life savers. Unfortunately, when the results of the exam were revealed, I had passed and they had failed in the very subjects they had helped me with.

Speedy: That seems so unfair, but that is life I suppose!

Cyril:  Yes indeed!

Speedy: Tell me Cyril, did you ever represent Sri lanka in cricket?

Cyril: Lareef Idroos and I, from our class, were fortunate enough to have represented Ceylon in international cricket competitions.

Speedy: That is a great achievement and we are very proud of both of you. Any other unforgettable cricketing memories?

Cyril: Well, there is something which I shall never forget. I was playing on the Rest Eleven against the Nationalised Services Eleven at the Colombo Oval in the Robert Senanayake trophy pentangular tournament in 1967, just one week before my finals. I was batting well and a Sylvester Diaz (pace bowler) bouncer did me in when I tried to hook him and had my nose shattered. I was taken to the emergency room, by taxi, with blood streaming, and had Dr. Rienzie Pieris reset my displaced nasal bone fracture. You wouldn’t believe that I came back and batted again, scoring 48 runs – this was at a time when I was vying for a place on the Ceylon side. I went back to BLOEM with a thundering headache but recovered in time to take my final exam the next week, and managed to pass again.

Speedy: That is some story Cyril, speaks volumes for your courage and tenacity.

Cyril: Not really Speedy. When these things happen, you just get on with it as best as you can!

Speedy: Any other cricketing memories from those days you want to share with readers?

Cyril: During our days in medical school, we also played on the medical college team, in the annual Law/Medical game. Lareef, Harsha, Kiththa, Easwara Kanapathipillai, and I were teammates in 1966. Lareef captained the side. After graduating from medical school we went our separate ways and Lareef played for SSC, and I played for the NCC side and later for the Adastrians, when I joined the Air Force.

Speedy:  You left Sri Lanka and moved to California in February 1972.

Cyril: That is right, In February 1972 I migrated to the United States, Lareef having left in 1971. I joined Lareef in New York and we were together at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, where there were several other Sri Lankans doing internship and residency. In 1977, I moved to California, Lareef having moved there in 1976.

Speedy: Were you able to pursue your interest in Cricket?

Cyril: We both resumed our cricketing career in California, playing in the Southern California Cricket Association tournament. Our cricketing abilities were recognized by the USA Cricket selectors and we were both selected to play on the USA Cricket team in 1979 against Canada in Vancouver. Lareef did well, scoring 60 runs in the first innings and I got 4 wickets in the match. I was once again selected for the Associate Member World Cup tournament in 1982, representing the United States in Birmingham, England. I took an interest in the administrative aspects of USA cricket and was at one time manager of the USA team, and also chairman of selectors, despite the heavy schedule of being a Cardiologist. Lareef and I were members of the Hollywood Cricket Club and we went on many a tour to countries like Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, South Africa, England, South America, and the West Indies. Those were happy outings and we had the privilege of meeting and playing against many an old test cricketer.

Speedy: Cyril, that was a most enjoyable journey with you and I am sure all our readers will enjoy reading it as much as I did. Thanks you so much and I look forward to seeing you in March next year at our Reunion.

Cyril: Thank you Speedy for your interest and I do hope that these memoirs, recalled at your behest, is not misconstrued as if I am tooting my own horn. I am still working full time and hope to attend the reunion in Sri Lanka in March 2017.

Speedy: Rest assured Cyril, there is no danger of that at all and once again, thank you so much.

The ‘Whys’ and the ‘Wherefores’ of Sri Lanka

This thought provoking article I thought was worth publishing. But we must not make the mistake of judging the current generation of Brits on the basis of behaviour of their predecessors just as we cannot blame the current generation of Germans for what Hitler did. One could go further back in the history of Sri Lanka and recall the oppressive feudal spirit that prevailed in the days of Kings with unbelievable acts of cruelty to human beings. Yes, we must learn from history but we cannot hold the present generation as hostages forever. The way to overcome hatred is not through hatred but by love.

 The ‘Whys’ and the ‘Wherefores’ of Sri Lanka

One ‘Son of the Soil’s’ reading of the

Past and the Present

By

J.B. Müller

 The Sri Lankan Diaspora overseas (mainly in Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the USA) eagerly and indiscriminately absorbs everything appearing about their Motherland in the international print and electronic media.  All what is done is done in the naïve belief that there isn’t a spin on the news and that it is completely unbiased and objective.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  Of course, expatriates would like to believe that the BBC, VOA, Deutsche Welle, CNN, Al Jazira and others are feeding their hungry and even curious minds with the unadulterated truth.

It might be useful for those in the Diaspora to know, understand and acknowledge that Sri Lankans are no longer Eurocentric Anglophiles having at long last seen through the various Anglo-Saxon-Celtic ploys to continue their domination and exploitation by other, indirect means.  No longer are Sri Lankans willing to regard their erstwhile masters as ‘superior’ beings with a ‘higher’ civilization to which they should slavishly defer.  Those ‘good old days’ are gone and good riddance!

Sri Lanka is a very old country with a long history of civilization and a matured polity unlike some ‘Johnny-come-lately’ countries with hardly 500 years of history.  The latter period of its history was marred by 443 years of European exploitation, each European power building on its predecessors to refine its instruments of exploitation.  The British were the worst and the bloodiest when it came to merciless brutality as is evidenced by the manner in which it quelled the uprising of the Kandyans between 1818 and 1822.  It committed genocide before that word was coined by slaughtering every man, woman, and child (including babes suckling at the breast!) in the Uva Province.  That province comprised of the present Badulla and Moneragala Districts is yet to recover and is just now being developed by government.  The Colonial Office 54 series of documents available at the Public Records Office in London holds all the General Orders issued by Lt. Gen. Sir Robert Brownrigg, governor and c-in-c, to Maj. General Hay McDowall and the correspondence with the Colonial Secretary, the Earl of Bathurst. (The Great Rebellion of 1818 by Prof. Tennekoon Vimalananda, Five Volumes, Gunasena Historical Series, Colombo, 1970)

In 1823 the British began selling Crown Land at two shillings an acre to British entrepreneurs—first, to cultivate cinchona [from which quinine is obtained], then coffee, then tea and rubber—from which they made huge profits for 149 years—and Mincing Lane and the members of the London Stock Exchange prospered beyond the dreams of avarice. (Land Reform Commission Report by Colvin R. de Silva, tabled in Parliament)

They created a huge ethnic and social problem by transporting indentured labour from the Ramnad district of Madras Presidency (present day Tamil Nadu).  These helpless people were auctioned off at Matale like the African slaves at Charleston, SC, and families were cruelly torn apart.  They reached Matale walking over 100 miles from Talaimannar along a route that came to be known as the ‘Skeleton Road’ because of the numbers that had perished by the wayside from hunger, thirst, snakebite, attack by wild beasts, cholera, dysentery, and what-have-you.  Their tragedy has been carefully documented by Donovan Moldrich in his‘Bitter Berry Bondage’—the story of the 19^th century coffee workers in Sri Lanka.  Another Burgher author, Lorna Ruth Wright, OAM, wrote “Just another shade of Brown” which graphically details the sexual exploitation of the women plantation workers and the creation of the Eurasian Community (disowned by their very prim and proper British fathers!)   Many authors domestic and foreign have written about what colonialism did to Sri Lanka (Ceylon up to 1972) and it is a wonder that the people of this country tolerated what was done to them for so long, so patiently. (‘Bitter Berry Bondage’ by Donovan R. Moldrich and ‘Just another shade of brown’ by Lorna R. Wright)

Father Paul Caspersz, SJ, head of Satyodaya, Kandy, has been labouring amongst the Tamil plantation workers of Indian origin for decades and has written extensively about how these human beings have been mercilessly exploited.  They have lived in sub-human conditions for over one hundred years and their emancipation has been a long and hard struggle to restore to them their intric dignity as human beings. (Satyodaya Centre, Kandy, sri Lanka)

When I was working at the then Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation as a Relief Announcer on the Commercial Service I distinctly remember reading a sign affixed to the gate of a British Club facing the Dutch Burgher Union headquarters which said: “Natives and dogs NOT allowed.”  This was in 1969!  I phoned friends working on the ‘Ceylon Daily News’ and they sent a photographer round to snap a picture.  It was published and shortly thereafter the Government ordered the Club to take down the offending notice.  Do any self-respecting people endowed with inherent dignity have to tolerate such barefaced arrogance?

Britain was one of the most ‘successful’ imperial powers on earth and they created a worldwide empire (on which the sun never set because it was everywhere on the globe) and bled its colonies.  London is such a magnificent city despite its foul weather because it has risen, literally, on the blood, sweat and tears of countless millions in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Australia.  In their imperial schema of things Australia produced the wool, New Zealand the milk, Malaya the rubber, Ceylon the tea, Rhodesia the tobacco, South Africa the diamonds and gold, Mauritius the sugar, West Africa the cocoa and so on—to the great delight of those who sat in London and counted their pounds, shillings and pence.  They didn’t mind exploiting their own in the textile mills of Lancashire and the coal mines of Scotland. [Charles Dickens]. The exported their poor Scots, Irish, and Welsh to all these colonies to supervise the black, brown and yellow natives [and the ‘half-caste’ Eurasian offspring known as Burghers, Anglos and even bastards].  The slightest rumble from their workers and the Redcoats (now Khakied) were there to shoot their b***s off!

Look at the Burghers.  The British looked down on them with great disdain classifying them as ‘half-castes’ and included them amongst the indigenous population.  In 1796 they issued the Burghers an ultimatum—learn English or leave.  Many who had the means went to Batavia (modern Jakarta).  The others stayed and learned the new tongue.  Very soon, these Burghers knew better English than the British themselves and were therefore enlisted in that great corps of clerks that they employed.  These Burghers also learned how to play cricket and challenged the British to a one-day on Galle Face Green.  They were superciliously asked what the name of their ‘club’ was to which a Burgher sharply retorted:  “Nondescripts Cricket Club, Sir!”  The name stuck.  The club still exists (from 1889).  So do the ‘nondescript’ Burghers. The entire British establishment including the ‘shoppies’ turned out one fine Sunday morning to watch these half-caste upstarts being licked.  The imperial governor himself came and occupied the clubhouse that now stands before the Taj Samudra Hotel.  Well, to cut a long story short, the Burgher ‘nondescripts’ beat the British who were ‘hoist with their own petard!’  They were learning, ever so painfully, that other people were not only their equals but could also better them in many spheres and they learned this lesson on this Island.(People Inbetween by Michael Roberts, Ismeth Raheem, Percy Colin-Thômé, Sarvodaya, Ratmalana, 1989).

There is no land on the globe that the British touched that has not been left with a wholly untenable legacy of problems:  India with Pakistan have Kashmir; the Holy land has Jewish Israel contending with Arab Palestine; the Cypriots are divided between the Greeks and the Turks; Africa is an indescribable mess.  Glaring problems were created on the North American continent with the marginalization of the native Amerindian and Inuit peoples not to mention the stand-off between Blacks and Whites.  In Australia the original inhabitants, the aborigines were decimated and then marginalized whilst their land was robbed from them by white colonists.  It is a despicable record of man’s inhumanity to man carried forward on the specious premise that ‘White is Right’ and because they had a head-start in the practice of barbarism!  What is even more despicable is that their so-called ‘Christianity’ condoned their barefaced discrimination and unfettered brutality.

Today, these Anglo-Saxon-Celts pontificate o the whole world about human rights—yes, fundamental human rights which they denied millions from the 16^th to the 20^th centuries of the Common Era.  They sanctimoniously presume to interfere in the internal affairs of countries that attempt to stand-up to their bullying (amply exposed by Wiki-Leaks).  The ongoing bloodletting in Afghanistan and Iraq demonstrate their manifest hypocrisy.

They left behind what were basically alien concepts, structures, systems, and constitutions that have confused and confuted the peoples they formerly ruled.  They uprooted and deliberately destroyed indigenous systems that had endured for millennia and which the indigenous people were comfortable with.  Today, the peoples of these lands are divided into innumerable factions and cliques contending bloodily for command and control in the name of the ‘democracy’ they left behind.  They are happy with what they see because it is a continuation of their ‘divide et imperia’ or ‘divide and rule’ policy.  It is easy to manipulate and exploit those who are divided!

Sri Lanka’s problems which some expatriates gleefully point out (as a justification for their living overseas) is a damaging inheritance bequeathed by the departing British to a class of indigenous people brainwashed and nurtured by them in their own image:  the English-speaking Middle Classes represented by several leading families of Low-country upstarts and Up-country traitors.  These families have lick-spittle hangers-on who have attained some upward social mobility and the privileges that go with that mobility and occupy the second and third tiers of governance.  Whether they inhabit the governing party or the Opposition or their sundry and various coalition cohorts they have become the ‘corrupt of the earth.’

The decent and law-abiding majority are a patient, tolerant and hospitable people (sometimes referred to as the ‘broad masses’) who have taken much abuse. If you believe the many travellers who passed through, they are a giving and forgiving people.  If we are to trust the historical record, these gentle, hard-working people have been driven to and fro by the Pandyans, Cholas, Cheras, Pallavas and Javakas; then, by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British—each, in turn, more subtly brutal than the previous.  Ever since 1186, when the indigenous polity began disintegrating with the breakdown of central authority [and fissiparous tendencies manifested themselves], there has been a traumatic crisis that is yet to come to a conclusion.  We know that history works in cycles and that that conclusion will come, perhaps unobtrusively or dramatically to sweep away the detritus of several centuries.

True civilization does not consist of the worship of science & technology or the tinsel and glitter of modernity or of roads, railways, harbours, airports, and the frenzied rush one might be bemused by.  It consists of the maturity and wisdom gained through the practice of virtue, the development of good moral character, to decent family life and values, the unswerving commitment to social justice and equity.  This also means and implies the practice and active pursuit of harmlessness and a belief in the sacredness of all life—all mankind is of one blood.  The serene tranquility of spirit thus attained is a universal norm that needs no sectarian labels.  This is the civilization that grew and was nurtured on this Island for centuries until rudely and repeatedly disturbed.  It is yet the goal of those who appreciate the intrinsic beauty of Nature rather than that of soulless concrete, glass and steel.

Let’s discuss this further if you are minded to,

jb.muller@gmail.com