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| Wednesday, 12 September 2001 |
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Letters | |
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Ranil’s Modus Operandi didn’t work due to his cunning tactics. He tried to mesmerize our President but failed miserably. He is crazy for power like his uncle J.R. who was responsible for the present Constitutional crisis. However, Ranil must understand that he cannot defeat the duly elected government by resorting to thuggery and demonstrations in the streets. As a Leader of the Opposition he must keep his self respect instead of begging for premiership and our dynamic President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga knows too well of his mala fide intention.The senior stalwarts of the UNP must advice Ranil not to indulge in fruitless attempts by bringing in no confidence motion and impeachment of the President. By doing so he becomes the laughing stock. He lives in fool’s paradise. M. MUBARAK-Rajagiriya. Irregular recovery from pensioners Further to J. Wickremasuriya’s letter (DN Sep 1) pensioners are further taxed by a private bank, as they are forcd to deposit the pension receipt into their accounts and then withdraw same incurring payment of Rs. 2 (stamp), thereby paying a total of Rs. 7 as stamp fees for their meagre pensions. State banks do not adopt this system as pensions are paid directly, instead of depositing and withdrawing. O.P.- Raddolugama Last week I was travelling with my friend to his village in the mahawa junction express office train No. 470 (Moratuwa Mahawa) that leaves the Colombo Fort station around 1800 hours. The compartments were so packed with passengers that I asked my friend whether it was how they return home daily after a day’s hard work. Being disgusted of strenuous travelling he said that the train was having 17 compartments due to the fact that a very large crowd board this particular train, specially because it is an express one. However, the compartments have been reduced to 15 as the guards have complained that they were unable to signal the drivers from a long end. If what my friend told me was the actual reason for the reduction of those compartments. I think common sense should have prevailed to join those 2 removed compartments to the compartment of the guard so that guards could have a better view towards the engine drivers. I believe that the authorities concerned are well aware of the fact that this particular train is filled to capacity with passengers occupying every inch of the footboard risking their life. Therefore, without shortening the usual length of the train please replace the removed compartments for the somewhat convenience of the travelling passengers who are more or less glued to one another in every compartment. It is no exaggeration to say that people occupy even the toilets of every compartment in a bid to rush home. NAZLY CASSIM-Colombo 1. Buddhists, how grateful are we? Gratitude is what Buddha displayed by example on attaining Enlightenment. The question that has arisen in my mind is, have we as Buddhists followed that noble example? I cannot say yes.The Buddha found the way to Nirvana but who brought the Great Dhamma to us in Sri Lanka? He lived here for 35 years and helped to propagate the Dhamma. He was Arahat Mahinda.Now where is that Statue of Arahat Mahinda in the Temple? How can a parent who takes a child to the temple tell the child, who and how Buddhism came to this land and then lay a flower at the foot, and show gratitude to Arahat Mahinda? Once a year on Poson Poya day we show up and talk of Arahat Mahinda and that is about all. Very much like the Westernised birthday party.We do know that Buddhism was at the point of annihilation from this land at the end of the 19th century due to Missionary action. Then came that great American, Colonel Henry Steele Olcott, who ‘showed us the way’ to overcome the threat, and thereby saved the language, the culture and Buddhism. Have you heard the name of Colonel Henry Steele Olcott in any of the sermons in temples or over the Radio and TV channels? Now where is this gratitude that Buddha displayed? Our religious leaders down the ages and we have to take the blame for failing to show our gratitude to both, Arahat Mahinda and Colonel Henry Steele Olcott in a fitting manner. The problem today of youth not heeding elders and children not displaying gratitude to their parents is an outcome of our attitude towards those two great personalities, Arahat Mahinda and Colonel Henry Steele Olcott. My humble appeal to the religious authorities is that we should have a statue of Arahat Mahinda with a Mal Asana in every Buddhist temple, and even that of Colonel Henry Steele Olcott, who had the more arduous task of opposing Missionary Forces than in the era of Arahat Mahinda, which had no such opposition. In addition, I hold the view that no Buddhist temple is complete without a “common Mal Asana for worshipping parents”, where one and all can lay flowers and show their gratitude to parents. The dayakas of Abeysinharama Kolonnnawa have already constructed a mal asana for this purpose which is very popular amongst worshippers. It is worth seeing and emulating. May the dayakas of other temples follow. G. P. DHANATUNGA-Kolonnawa It was mid-forties that an enterprising young man from Koralawella, Moratuwa opened a bookshop, on the way to our first Central School in Matugama in front of Rest House/Circuit Magistrate Court.The atmosphere at the new Bookshop was very friendly and cordial, students from 3 main schools, Central, Ananda Sastralaya & St. Mary’s started pouring in and business was flourishing. To assist the owner there was a diminutive young man with a pleasing - smile to help students in selecting creative reading whom I later came to know was a cousin of the owner and by the name W. D. Albert Perera.By and by when passing the bookshop we could hear pleasing music pouring from a violin played by young Albert in his spare time. After my school career, I was thrilled to see this young man appearing as a hermit in the secondly released Sinhala film “Asokamala”. His background singing in several stage dramas of Premakumara and Chitrasena was really a treat to any son of the soil with a musical ear. Early fifties when I came to work at the then Income Tax Dept. Lankadeepa Editor D. B. Dhanapala sponsored a scholarship fund to send young Albert Perera to India to learn his basics in Raghadhara Sangeethay.After Amaradeva returned and set foot on his native soil what he had rendered in music to this day makes us feel we truly belong to this country and we are her genuine sons “Boomiputras”. W. SAMARANAYAKA-Maharagama
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