Aragalaya lives on

Carefully listening to the current party-political discourses from various rallies, broadcasts, pod castes and YouTube interviews, one can easily discern how much the famously unique Aragalaya has influenced them. The best example is Anura Kumara Dissnayake. He is surely standing up for the freedom and dignity of every citizen and for genuine democracy. He is 100% against corruption, and promises to punish the corrupt and recover the loot. He clearly advocates equality and fraternity rejecting all sorts of chauvinism. He is practically repeating what Nagananda Kodituwakku wrote in his new Constitution; no pensions, no perks, no permits, no privileges, no businesses to the parliamentarians. AKD has proved he is non-violent and speaks of ‘maithree’ and charity.  It has become impossible to say anything politically relevant and worthwhile without reference to the three values that emerged and graced the Aragalaya – Nirpakshika, nirprachanda and adaraya.

The spirit, the values and the message of Aragalaya have changed the civic and political outlook of the people drastically. There is no way another ideology can take over the political discourse of the country, whether it is socialism, communism, capitalism, neoliberalism, racism, communalism or religious chauvinism. It has become the socio-political benchmark of contemporary Sri Lanka.  A political party that does not make its own values of Aragalaya has no chance at the hustings. Young Sri Lanka certainly can be proud of what it achieved at Gotagogama, perhaps the only thing in the country we can be proud of at the moment.

Aragalaya

 was good; it was beautiful; it gave young Sri Lanka a meaning to life, a vision and a hope. Nothing good is ever wasted. The murderers, cattle rustlers, chain-snatchers, cads, drug traffickers, human traffickers, bond scammers, hooch makers, liars and scoundrels of the robbers’ parliament and the government, which destroyed the agriculture and the economy of the country and declared it bankrupt, dare to make fun of the Aragalaya, accuse it of ruining the country’s economy and insult it with diabolical lies but the insects fail to make an impact. They are a pack of dogs howling in vain at the moon.

Nothing good is ever wasted. Every single good word, deed and thought will bear fruit. This is a universal truth, for everything is interrelated and influences everything else. Take the concept of Nirpakshika. It is the primary-authority (paramadipatya, the concept popularized by Nagananda Kodituwakku, now used by all politicians.) of the citizen who is free and independent. It is this primary-authority that the citizen hands over to the politician he elects to the Parliament. He is not swayed by anybody or any ideology; any political party or any race, religion, caste or language. He decides freely on his own as a dignified human being. Nirpakshika gives every individual full dignity, authority and independence. That is what young Sri Lanka looks forward to. Slaves, bootlickers, dependents on hand outs and beggars have no place in new Sri Lanka. This is something excellent and beautiful that Aragalaya has gifted to the people of this country. It will not be wasted.

Let us take the second value that emerged in the Gotagogama.

Nirprachanda

(non-violence) is such a noble and elevating concept which brings to mind great men like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King; it is the brilliant gem of the Aragalaya. It is founded on the universal brotherhood and sisterhood of all people of all races, religions, languages and countries; respecting every one of them and assuring them an equal share of the wealth of the world. It is a wonder how this value emerged so strongly at Gotagogama. It proved that we humans are naturally and basically decent and good. If allowed its freedom it blossoms into the great idea of Nirprachanda brotherhood and sisterhood. The liars in the government still blame the Aragalaya for the violence that happened in the evening of 9th May. They provoked it themselves and expected ordinary people to be non-violent when they beat up mercilessly our innocent, non-violent, lovable protestors at Gotagogama. Today, nirprachanda is taken for granted in the political discourse. Race and religion, the last resort of the scoundrel, has no chance in young Sri Lanka. The government is trying again and again to provoke some racist or religious incident to create another Black July but they fail every time.

Finally, and incredibly, the Aragalaya peaked at the level of great religious leaders of the caliber of Lord Buddha, who gave us “Maithree” and Jesus Christ, who gave us “Love”. They called it the Aadaraye Aragalaya. The word Aadaraya needs some explanation. It is Saint Paul who brought it from mystic Platonic heights down to earth in the first letter to the Corinthians chapter 13:

… Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 Love never fails …  And now these three remain (forever): faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

To reach that level without any help from any leadership, without any organization, without any powerful religious or political backing is the climax of Aragalaya and proved that Young Sri Lanka is completely different and a generation like no other. The old codgers in Diyawannawa were totally taken by surprise and left dumb. Soon they are going into the dustbin of history and spend their retirement in jail.

Yes, nothing good is ever wasted; certainly not Aragalaya.

Fr J.C. Pieris