Features
Aluth Avurudhu rituals
Doing nothing
To us Sri Lankans and particularly to the Sinhalese, this laying off work is the easiest and most pleasant thing to do, very often practiced all through the year. This taking it easy is a national or racial trait; no doubt about that. Consider the home. Many a housewife lazes around and if she is well-to-do, her life is one of leisure where she relaxes and servants carry out all household chores in their own styles. Enter an office. Plenty empty seats either of officers on leave or those gone out for a cuppa tea or to the toilet. In days gone by when wearing a coat was mandatory, many an empty chair had this garment draped across it.
Government schools often saw classes empty of teachers and the staff room full of them. Many were on leave since they felt compelled to take the allocated number of days off. Private schools were strict on leave taking and rightly so since teachers had full weekends off when the work week for other government officers was only five and a half days with half Saturday being an office day. They also enjoyed long holidays thrice a year. Strict private schools allowed leave of only one day for a funeral of an immediate family member. This in contrast to the habit of office goers who would take leave even if an in-law’s in-law is dead. Another abhorrent habit was attending funerals of relatives of an officer. If a small office, the entire office would close for the day, or a section of a larger office, and the officers would travel even far to the funeral, which trip eventually turned out to be a picnic. Hence the nonagathe just suits us fine. (I speak in the past tense since this is how I remember the enacting of this ritual in schools and officers)
Temple going is almost a pastime to many a so named Sinhala Buddhist. To the politician it is a political gimmick currying favour with the Sangha and projecting a pious image of oneself to the constituency. The bigger the tray of jasmines carried, the greater the clout of the person. Prez Premadasa must have had millions of photographs taken of him with large trays of jasmine in hand. Ex Prez Sirisena was admired since he observed pansil in public with his prayer-clasped palms placed on his forehead. He eventually turned out to be the most untrustworthy!
Money, money
A very significant event of the New Year rituals in ganu denu, which calls for money to change hands, with of course benefit to one person. People did this simply. Money in coin form then – silver and gold – was placed in a couple of betel leaves, and exchanged among family members of equal status and gifted to children. Then came a slight ambitious change. People went to prosperous kades or stores and exchanged betel clad notes. Preferred were the Indian traders in their vertis, called hettiya. Now banks are selected. Cass does not know how the bank transaction is enacted: is it the usual or does the bank give away money receiving not even a betel leaf? Podi Hamuduruwo distributed dollar notes. Wonder how it is now in the temple by the Beira Lake.
There is no need to wonder how it is with people. Those who are in politics to do something for the country and its people in repayment for all the country has given them – free education, free medical attention (if sought) and a wonderfully blessed country to be born and bred in, are very few in number. But thank heavens we have quite a number of these in Parliament. The opposite of this good lot are those leaders and their chosen bureaucrats who destroyed Sri Lanka and sent it spiraling to bankruptcy and near starvation and privation for most. This variety of politician conducts one-sided ganu denu : you give, I receive and of course with the added activity of I grab whenever possible. They were confident their misdeeds would never be exhaustively investigated nor punishment meted. How will matters pan out if the very welcome proposed Bill against corruption becomes an Act and Law?
Harvest festival
The April New Year is invested with astrological significance and guided by propitious times decreed for all major doings of life: cooking, eating, bathing, religious activities, resuming work (interestingly named veda allanawa) and setting out to one’s place of work. However, it is essentially a harvest festival like so many celebrated around the world.
The Maha crop has been harvested. Granaries are full. The tireless labour of the paddy cultivator is rewarded. Thus, he needs R&R and hence the Sinhala and Tamil Aluth Avurudha of time off to sit and stare; imbibe and perchance try his luck in a spot of suudu.
This age old, traditional, happy cycle of events was somewhat disturbed by climate change and the shifts and vagaries of the monsoons. But our ancient kings and then later, far sighted persons like D S Senanayake, C P de Silva and others built huge wewas and irrigation channels. Then came a large boon: the accelerated Mahaweli Scheme moved from 35 years to just six by JRJ and executed by his chosen young minister – Gamini Dissanayake. Harvests were fine and farmers generally happy.
Within the last three years came a tsunami of change; the most stupid, unthinking, cruel act of going organic overnight by a President who did not use his brain to sift the advice given him to ban chemical fertilisers et al. Rumour had it that ill advice was from a doctor of the GMOA and a monk who seemed sanctimonious. The Prez should have harkened unto advice by experts that poured in to NOT take that drastic step. Prez Gotabaya just went ahead with the total ban of chemical stuff, which the soil had got used to.
Our agriculture was ruined – not only paddy cultivation but vegetable, fruit and horticulture. Tea was badly affected. The Prez, with that prideful dream of heading the first country that went totally organic, saved some forex but lost much much more and impoverished the farmer – the backbone of our country. Suicides then must be laid at his doorstep and his brethren and Gov of CB. Two harvests were ruined. Mercifully, this time around, the return from the paddy fields is better, thanks to foreign donors who distributed fertilizer and other necessities. But the harm done will have its effect for many more years.
Giving
The Avurdhu season is one of sharing and giving. People return to their parental homes bearing gifts to all elders. Children get not only new clothes but gifts too. Charities are remembered and imbursed. It’s the time for food trays to circulate in neighbourhoods.
Even a simple person of no great means or significance, Cassandra, is bereft of many thousands. She gladly remembered those who help her live her life from the garbage collecting woman to the three-wheeler drivers and others. Past domestics too. It’s a deep dip into her purse but given with joy and gratitude. However, she faces bills and taxes increased approximately threefold; her income drastically decreased.
Her thoughts turned to past leaders of our county. They, and if they be dead, their spouses are paid very high by us the people of this country, to live in great style in palatial houses; bills paid, we suppose; vehicles and free petrol/diesel; safety assured by escorts and guards. Maybe their medical bills are also met by us, the citizenry. In most of these cases, Cassandra dares to say: undeservedly. For one thing all of them are very well off with earned money, gifts received and … The worst punch in the stomach is that many of them ruled us badly and one or two ruled the country to ruination. And we pay them to live in great comfort, while because of their short-sighted policies, misguided actions and plain stupid mistakes almost 20 million are bereft of adequate money, necessities and peace of mind. More have fallen below the poverty line and many hardly have one nutritious meal a day. The worst is that due to mistakes made and extravagance of some, a large percent of our children are malnourished and marked for life.
Cassandra brushes this loud grouse aside and wishes her readers a much better year ahead of poverty reducing, COL descending and greater peace of mind!