Tea Planter Turned Naturalist

“The forest is a peculiar organism of unlimited kindness and benevolence that makes no demands for its sustenance and extend generously the products of its activity: it affords protection to all beings, offering shade even to the axeman who destroys it. “-Gautama Buddha-

Ever since reading these words as a boy and each time thereafter, the words meant more and more to me. Hence, I felt compelled to start reading Max Morgan Davies’ book From Ceylon to Sri Lanka-experiences of a naturalist tea planter. I started from the chapter titled “Sinharaja Rainforest” which is headed by the above quotation.

What I learnt from this reading greatly enhanced what I knew of this forest reserve from visits years ago. He wrote of some politicians in the 1970s who had commenced logging operation but was mercifully stopped in the nick of time by then Prime Minister J.R. Jayewardene (who became President by an amendment to the constitution in 1978) in 1977. Recent newspaper articles indicate that another set of these vandals destroyed this national treasure by constructing a five foot wide road and clearing a part of forest for tourist hotels.

Even Wilpattu has not been spared – a motorable road runs right through the reserve. These acts indicate the ignorance of these perpetrators of a national crime which calls for all persons in a position to do so “to play a role in the ongoing effort to save Sinharaja from new intrusions which threaten its existence as a unique biosphere area declared a World Heritage Site in 1984”. This was the situation in the mid 1970s.

What is equally disturbing is the loss of the country’s forest cover excluding the reserves. In 1992 it was 2,046,599 acres (A Guide to the National Parks of Sri Lanka – Department of Wildlife Conservation). By 2008, in just 16 years, it was decreased to 1,421,954 acres (Dept of Census and Statistics – obtained ever the telephone after a great deal of persuasion!). A 30% decease. If allowed to decline at this rate, by 2070 there will be no forest cover except in the sanctuaries and that too if allowed to exist undisturbed.

The book was lent my by a friend as he presumed I would have met the author who was a planter in the upcountry for about 10 years until he left for Tanganyika in 1959 to take up the position of assistant warden of a conservation area. Although I do not recall meeting him, his name came immediately to mind as every planter of a region, if he had not met another, knew him by name as the community was small and the Planters Clubs brought them together. I remember the author was an assistant in the Ury Group in the mid 1950s when I was in charge of the Tea Research Institute’s substation at Passara.

Morgan-Davies writes practically nothing about planting per se but writes briefly about his movement up the ladder professionally. Two things that drew my attention were that within three months of employment he was able to buy a BSA 350 motorbike and about three years later a Morris Minor Tourer. That was how salaries, particularly of mercantile executives, matched the costs of goods.

Today, or even earlier, an assistant superintendent in an estate, I guess, will have to save for almost a lifetime to buy a 1,500 cc Japanese car assuming that prices and salaries move as they do now. Shows how things have changed for the worse over the last 60 years in this country when our neighbors –India, Thailand, the Maldives, Malaysia, Singapore have progressed; India particularly with a population of over a billion.

I have digressed – carried away by a great sadness for all of us who could lead better lives and haven’t even hope of doing so, as things are, even though resources were and are available in plenty.

Although Morgan – Davies lived in this country for roughly 10 years and made visits in 2002, 2004, 2005, (periods of stay not indicated), he reveals an unmistakable love for the country, its jungles, and the simple people he associated with on his shoots by himself and hunting trips with others. During these outings he gathered a great deal about the customs, habits, history folk lore etc. Of wildlife he writes extensively and with authority.

There is an entire chapter on Sardiel’s fame/notoriety commencing with his birth in 1832 and death by hanging for murder on May 7, 1864. Of his schooling the author writes “and the so-called affluent class of village boys wearing shorts…..” If Sardiel was in school at five years of age in 1837, the British dress of short trousers would not have been adopted in remote Utuwankande in just about 22 years from the signing of the Kandyan convention in 1815. According to the author, Sardiel’s criminal record began with his stealing silverware from an army officer’s dining room in Colombo where he was employed as a young man. Even before, he was guilty of pilfering brinjals from a chena close to his home and was praised and encouraged by his mother for helping her. Hence petty crimes had grown to serious criminality as time went on.

Of Ratnapura Morgan-Davies writes: “….The Kelani Valley was once not only lush tropical forest but home to extinct rhinoceros and hippopotamus and wild pig…..” Today thousands or millions of years later, Ratnapura has a New Town which looks like an abandoned town after the Law Courts finish for the day and the Old Town crowded with its architectural monstrosities of gem mudalalis’ houses and their shopping complexes.

The author writes about the Residency at Ratnapura which was until recently the official residence of the Government Agent of Sabaragamuwa and was occupied by Morgan-Davies senior in the 1940s. He mentions that the same premises were occupied by Ehelepola Maha Nilame during the rule of Sri Wickrama Rajasingha (1798-1815). My recollection of this sprawling bungalow and acres of lawn was when Mr. A.R. Ratnavale my teacher at Trinity, joined the then Ceylon Civil Service and was posted as GA, Sabaragamuwa Province. He held many other responsible positions and finally was our Ambassador to Germany.

Recollection – Law, Order, Discipline

In an advanced state of age one cannot often remember the name of a person whose face is very familiar or for that matter, sometimes, what was eaten at dinner the previous evening. A younger friend recently said that when asked for the registration number of his car, he had to take a look at it from his office window. Strangely however, some events, significant or not in school and thereafter going back decades, come readily to mind.

For instance Mr. P A Buultjens (a most outstanding cricketer in his day) claimed in his civics class in Form II in Trinity College that all man needs to live well were food, clothing and shelter. When then did education, health care, transport and other needs like security, human rights, entertainment come to be added to the list?

Some 40-odd years ago and before, parents could find places in schools of their choice for their children without scheming, planning teaching the little mites to lie before they could even pronounce their names properly. Every district had a government hospital, several government dispensaries and maternity homes. Every patient, whether rich or poor, was treated free of charge; quality medicines included.

If privacy was desired, hospital wards had cubicles and rooms with a variation in diet for which charges were levied. Plenty of medical practitioners were in the health service – competent, patient and caring. In those times there may have been just one or two private nursing homes in addition to such as the Joseph Frazer and Hatton Nursing Home, both managed by Trusts for the benefit of non-nationals living in the country.

The Ceylon Government Railway and many private bus companies provided the people’s needs of public transport. Hiring cars with distinguishing number plates of numerals in red catered to the richer passenger. In the eastern coastal areas and Jaffna, ferries conveyed passengers, vehicles and domestic animals across lagoons, rivers and shallows seas for nominal fees.

In Kandy the M Henry Bus Company operated within the town and its suburbs – Peradeniya, Katugastota, Ampitiya and Tennekumbura. The Silver Line Bus Company covered the Matale and Mahiyangana areas while the Madhyama Lanka Company served the upper Hill Country. These were well managed, buses ran to set timetables, passengers were issued tickets and given the correct change and treated like valued customers.

The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd transported its newspapers, with a limited number of passengers, in buses to the outstations leaving Lake House late at night carrying the day’s papers. The one and only incident connected with bus travel which I was subjected to and will never forget occurred in one of those buses to Kandy from Colombo. The bus was cruising at a steady 30 mph close to Nittambuwa, almost the whole road all to itself, hoodlights off, some passengers fast asleep, others dozing when suddenly a blood curdling yell came from a passenger in the middle of the bus.

The driver in his excitement or fear virtually stood on the brake pedal bringing the vehicle to a violent shuddering halt in the middle of the road throwing the half awake or sleeping passengers over their seats, under the seats and all over the narrow aisle. Some tried to squeeze themselves out when another full throated yell-Budhu Ammo, kava kava came from another direction. There was utter chaos with passengers searching frantically for physical injuries when at last the driver and conductor took charge of the situation bringing some order.

The two whose shouts caused all the mayhem were identified, questioned and the reptile they said bit them searched for. Soon a crab was found, then another and then a brown palm leaf bag with its mouth slightly open with crabs inside. The conductor, driver and bite victims and angry passengers were ready to draw blood and demanded the owner come forward. None did. Similar to the proceedings at an auction, the conductor called three times, but since no one was willing to face such a hostile crowd, he announced he would take the creatures home since his lamainge amma knew how to make a good crab curry to go with an arracku baage.

Barring such infrequent misadventures, bus and train travel in those days were uneventful with few complaints from passengers about overcrowding, delays, rudeness, being short-changed or pickpocketed. The situation now unfortunately is that almost daily we read of buses plunging down precipices due to mechanical failure in the bus or drunk driving; collisions with other vehicles or maiming or killing pedestrians; or if nothing else, work stoppages by bus crews when Traffic Police carry out their duties.

Accounts of train derailments, closure of whole sections of lines at short notice, ramming vehicles at unprotected level crossings for lack of even a bamboo across the road are common. Though rarely reported in newspapers, railway passengers complain of delays, dirty compartments, stench from toilets. Reading while travelling in a train is impractical due to severe jerks and conversation impossible due to the ear splitting noise of the running train- both due to years of neglect of tracks and trains.

Back to basics and attention to detail will correct these shortcomings which are comparatively inexpensive development projects which have far reaching benefits for almost everyone in the country who deserve better. We stretch out to tourists and build more and more accommodation for them. They too want a good public transport system to travel around at reasonable cost. A well coordinated road/rail service would be of immense benefit to locals and foreigners.

Why have standards of practically all services to the people of this country who contribute in one way or another to prop them up and pay their employees, declined so drastically over the last 50 odd years? I quote from a recent editorial in the Sunday Island to provide part of the answer. “By and large management of the state sector rather than the profit driven private sector proved less efficient and widened the field for political leadership to extend patronage to their supporters.

” Undoubtedly, private sector high-ups too did help their friends and relatives in companies they controlled but seldom at the expense of profit! It is well known that getting employment in the private sector was far easier than keeping the job. Efficiency, loyalty, excellent conduct were all a must if one was not to be the recipient of the dreaded pink slip.

To amplify that quote it could be added that discipline in its fullest sense in the national work force has broken down to alarming levels in the public sector and to a lesser degree in the private sector as well, in the last four or five decades. Those who should set examples are the large numbers of politicians we have. They could be the first to be placed in the dock. Many of these the country has produced since Independence are to be blamed, considering the influence on the people of this country they wield through their positions in society.

They fight tooth and nail, murder and injure their opponents and their supporters to ‘serve the people’ through Parliament, 18 Municipal Councils, 42 Urban Councils, 270 Pradeshiya Sabhas and the newer Provincial Councils. At the end of their period of office how many can truly claim to have made worthwhile contributions towards the improvement of any aspect of their voters lives.

In many instances of course, it is evident that they themselves acquired a great deal in terms of wealth in its many manifestations – girth around the middle being the most obvious and the absence of declarations of wealth or income tax returns. Reading a list of the obnoxious actions of some of these can spoil a good Sunday morning; hence suffice it say therefore they lack totally a sense of commitment and above all honour.

However, they carry on regardless and apparently thrive. So what better example for impressionable people, particularly the young? The shortest route to this kind of good life is first to tag onto a crooked politicians, then don a lily white national costume or the kapati kit, display a couple of gold rings, bracelets, an expensive mobile phone and talk with assumed authority on every conceivable topic – a lot of with promises thrown in which even they cannot dream of delivering.

A cabinet minister of several years ago, when the rot was being recognized and talked of said the cure was a little bit of totalitarian governance. Some agreed while others felt chills running down their spies. That government soon found itself in a sagrayak meda. Fortunately all is not finally lost. This country is blessed with decent, intelligent and sincere men and women in all walks of life and out of the political merry-go-round. They outnumber the scum but are as yet hardly audible and of course not listened to nor taken notice of by the swollen heads in power.