A Cultural Rediscovery-II

aturesThe Island Features Tuesday 11th May, 2010 7 BY J. B. MULLER amber yellow maskat; and then, Manga (pron. ‘manja’) with tam- from Jaffna, Kolukaddai and bourines, coconut shells, bottles f a cook merely boiled some Seeni Ariyatharam. The sheer and spoons. white or red rice and offered variety of home-made food and All of this is enjoyed by Iit you, you would eat it if you beverage is exhausting. Who everyone unless there are some were very, very hungry, right? hasn’t enjoyed Chicken Buriyani few brooding Cassandra-like big- But it would be basically flat and or Ghee Rice; Malay beef curry ots decrying the polyglot nature tasteless. On the other hand, if or Nasi Goreng? of Sri Lankan culture. the cook added some turmeric to There are an entire gamut of In the realm of language, Sri it, some peppercorns, car- damoms, cloves, a stick of cinna- Southerners raised the bogey of mon, some pieces of rampe their domination through the [Pandanus latifolia], a few leaves bureaucracy. The tom-tom beat- of karapincha [Murraya ing began in earnest with ‘race,’ Koenigii], and some salt; then ‘language,’ and ‘religion’ as the tempered it with some sliced big A Cultural rallying cries and both sides onions in sizzling coconut oil and were equally guilty of fanning added it to the rice (your salivary the flames of hatred, distrust, glands are already working over- and separatism. We must collec- time), the aromas from that dish tively kill this and bury it, espe- of rice and the taste would be cially so when the Mahinda out-of-this-world, right? You’d Rediscovery-II Rajapakse Government is talking also eat it with gusto. If I were to to the political leaders of the Tamil National Alliance in the hopes of reaching a modus operandi or ‘way of working together’ towards a full and final reconciliation even though the wounds may take a couple of gen- The politicians of erations to heal thoroughly. Let almost a hundred us all pray that this will happen. years ago (not quite) Biologically, the inhabitants “ of this Island have more genes in bought this specious common with each other and theory and used it to nothing to prove that any seg- further their agen- ment of the population is either das in both the superior or inferior to another. North and the South. Therefore, if there are so many factors that conduce towards an The insecure overarching unity why should we Northerners keep on quibbling about ‘ethnic’ became the ‘vic- rights instead of arguing about tims’ and the fundamental human rights for all? Why do we want to perpetu- Southerners raised ate ethno-religious representa- the bogey of their tion that divides rather than domination through unites? These arguments are the bureaucracy. irrational and illogical. We must wake-up to ground realities after The tom-tom beat- over three decades of bloody, ing began in earnest murderous war in which over an with ‘race,’‘lan- estimated 100,000 died. Those guage,’and ‘reli- deaths and the many thousands stray into the realm of our cur- religious and secular cultural fes- Lankans have adopted hundreds, saladha and so on. still living in our midst without ries this would become more of a tivals and festive occasions cele- if not, thousands of words, from What all this and more gion’ as the rallying limbs, eyesight and other grave culinary article. Our culture or brated in and outside homes with all over the world. Here’s a rep- demonstrates is that we Sri cries and both sides disabilities should tell us in the composite Sri Lankan culture friends and family such as resentative sample of loan-words: Lankans have more things in were equally guilty unequivocal terms that there can is something like this analogy ‘Magula’ or the wedding, the Raban, sarong, sampan (Malay); common with each other and the of fanning the be no more bloodletting. If ‘eth- about the spiced rice. Devana Gamana—Maha Magula Kapiri, marakkal, arrack countries around us that we nicity’ or ‘language’ or ‘religion’ There’s no gainsaying the fact three day’s later, Aluth (Arabic); kokis, piscaal, kakkus- should have no difficulty whatso- flames of hatred, were at the bottom of it we that in the urban centres the Avuruddha or New Year, siya, kantoruva (Dutch); pipigna, ever in thinking of ourselves as distrust, and sepa- should take a long, hard look at inhabitants enjoy the astonishing Vadiviya Pamineema or Coming- baila, sumbaraya, sappathu, Sri Lankans FIRST and whatever ratism. We must ourselves and ask the question: variety of our cuisine represent- of-age, Kath Bandi Magula, Aluth pigana, mesaya, sabang, saala, else afterwards. If we look back collectively kill this “Was it worth it?” This question ed by the Sonahar [Moor] god- Sahal Mangalaya, Kiri saya, tombuva, beeralu-renda, objectively we’ll find that our should be asked in Point Pedro hamba-rotti with mutton curry Ammalage Dana, Maha nauv (Portuguese), Amma, appa, troubles began with ‘communal’ and bury it, espe- and in Devinuvara, in Batticaloa made of lots of coriander and Shivarathri, Navarathri, Thai aiya, akka, kannadi, kottai, representation and the subse- cially so when the as well as Colombo. This is the coconut milk; or the Tamil Pongal, Id-ul-Fitr or Ramazan, Id- mudaliyar, aiyo, manna, kasi, quent jockeying for the power to Mahinda Rajapakse only piece of Planet Earth that masala thosai with shambar and ul-Azha or Hajj, Ka-Muruthal, aanang, thakkali, katamaran, command and control. That’s Government is talk- we could all call “Home” and we ulundhu-vaddai; or lampries Nikkah, and so on. Each is dif- adi, gova (Tamil), Aappa, idiappa where this ‘majoritarian’ busi- must learn to live within that baked in a banana-leaf; or rice ferent in the various regions of (Malayalam; Kankung, rickshaw, ness came in. The European the- ing to the political home peacefully without tram- with pol-sambola and kiri-hodhi the country. The Sonahar and the ayah (Chinese); Deshaya, grama ory of ‘Aryan superiority’ pro- leaders of the Tamil pling each other’s ‘tails.’ One (aanang). Each, in its inimitable Malays, though both following sevaka, sangeeth, devi (Hindi); pounded by Arthur Joseph National Alliance in could well ask the question: way, is a treat to be savoured. On Islam, have different ceremonies Kochiya, enigma, club, bus, tyre, Comte de Gobineau and later by the hopes of reach- “Why the hell can’t we or are we the other hand, if it was merely and ways in which these are cele- cricket, bistek, rosa, nombara his disciple, Houston Stewart all a bunch of air-headed rice with pol-sambola and kiri- brated or commemorated. The (English), Praja-tantra, shalya- Chamberlain, gained ardent con- ing a modus operan- morons?” Seriously, the Tamil hodhi, everyday and everywhere, Christian community largely cel- karma, chaya-rupa, surya-balaya, verts here who believed that di or ‘way of work- Union, the Sinhalese Sports Club, that would be very, very boring. ebrates Christmas and Easter trasta-vadaya, harda-spandana, because the Sinhalese spoke an ing together’ the BRC and the Malay Cricket This is just one aspect of our and the Catholics of Negombo parigana-kaya, vag-vidya, and Indo-Aryan language that they towards a full and Club should all be able to play mutually-shared and enjoyed cul- have their Passion play on Duwa rupa-vahini (Sanskrit). This list were racially ‘Aryans.’ But the friendly 50-over matches or even ture. Our attractiveness lies, Island. could go on and on and what it whole ‘Indo-Aryan’ theory was final reconciliation Test Matches in the real spirit of hopefully, in our profoundly All segments of the popula- means is that these words have about language and not about even though the the game and we don’t need some enduring diversity tion have different types of been seamlessly integrated into race—but the damage had been wounds may take a “ woolly-headed ideologue telling When it comes to sweetmeats music and dance: The Sinhalese the everyday language, enriching done and its bloodiest manifesta- couple of genera- us that it is an imperialist impo- we have the unique bibikkan [or have three classical dance it immeasurably. Many plants, tion was the race terror during tions to heal thor- sition. We must learn to play the bolo de coco] or coconut cake forms—the Kandyan, herbs and fruit trees were intro- the Nazi Era. game all over again in the spirit made from coconut jaggery, rice Sabaragamuva and the Ruhunu; duced and bear their original The politicians of almost a oughly. Let us all of brotherhood and camaraderie flour, and a bouquet of spices; the Tamils have the classical names sometimes slightly modi- hundred years ago (not quite) pray that and repair the tears in the tapes- then the Flemish dough cake or Bharata Natyam, the Burghers fied to suit our speech patterns— bought this specious theory and this will try of Sri Lanka—otherwise, Breudher [Broeder] beloved of their Kaffiringha Baila with its rambutan, mangus, durian, bil- used it to further their agendas happen. we’ll have to paraphrase the the Burghers; Kalu dhodhol with toe-tapping rhythms and ing, kambaranga, beetroot, rabu, in both the North and the South. words of a melancholic song and embedded cashew nuts vies for humourous lyrics. The minis- karrot, manyokka, gova, The insecure Northerners sing: “Don’t Cry for Me—Sri place with bright crimson or cule Kaffir community has its thakkali, pappol, minchi, saldiri, became the ‘victims’ and the Lanka.” Piece of Sir Isaac Newton’s apple tree to be carried into space piece of Sir Isaac Newton’s of motion to be correct.

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