Sara Seeya’s power cut wisdom

Sara Seeya, who cultivated the paddy fields in the Bellanwila marsh, before a jogging track and a lake were built there, told me this when he came to meet me recently one evening.

While we were talking there was a power cut. He stopped talking and started laughing. I was rather surprised and cursed the situation we are in. He stopped laughing and in a serious tone said in Sinhala, ‘Sir, you are educated and may know the history of our country. It is said that during the reign of King Parakramabahu, he had said that no drop of water shall flow to the sea without serving man. Towards this end he built over 30,000 tanks, big and small, one of which is Parakrama Samudraya, to provide farmers with enough water to cultivate in both Yala and Maha seasons. If these are restored and irrigation facilities provided, it would not be unnecessary to release water from the reservoirs during the dry season for cultivation purposes and hydropower stations could work continuously.

He left soon after the purpose he came for, saying ‘Mun okkoma horu, rata kanava mahaththaya’ (Sir, all are rogues, destroying the country).

G.A.D. SIRIMAL

Boralesgamuwa