Unbreakable Twigg

It is the depths of winter in Aotearoa – New Zealand, and the trees are full of leafless twigs, and the ground is littered with twigs broken by the wind. However, the Twigg dominating the conversation at present is Emma Twigg. The Women’s single scull rower of the NZ Olympic team, who won gold at the Tokyo games. The story behind this 34-year-old woman is remarkable. She had come 4th (just out of medals contention) in the three preceding Olympics. For nine years she had come 4th but she had kept on training, kept of believing in herself and after 12 years of supreme dedication to her sport she achieved the pinnacle, she was crowned an Olympic champion! Now, here is a story people, a story of self-belief, a story of dedication, and a story of never giving up. This is extremely relevant to those living in the Pearl. During these days of bleak despair when any faith we had in those steering the ship of state has been eroded, we need to believe. Believe in ourselves, believe that our country is great and that the 2000 plus years of recorded history cannot be wrong. We have the substance, the core values, and the discipline to be great once again. What we need is leadership from both those we have given the power to lead and more importantly from within ourselves.

Disregard the stories of six athletes and “officials” of over 10 times that number, representing the Pearl at the games! In the Pearl, it seems no one needs to earn what they get, with hard work and discipline. The “sports Minister” is in attendance at the games I am told, a “sports minister” who is still wet behind the ears and has done NOTHING to earn or even deserve the title and office he holds. During these bleak days of stark depression, look inwards people of the Pearl. Are you being disciplined in your day-to-day activities? Are you being kind to your neighbours to your fellow workers, your elders, and your parents? Give what you don’t need for yourself, share what is extra, days of competing with your neighbours, and ensuring that you do better than them in the rat race can come later, if you wish to resume them in the future. Right now, be an unbreakable twig, sway, and twist with the wind, stay warm in the freezing, bone-chilling cold of this metaphorical winter and keep going until spring and then summer reaches your lives. For it certainly will, “nothing lasts forever” is one of the watchwords of our great philosophy, isn’t it? The current charade will also go away in time, but our failing seems to be that we never learn from our past mistakes … then again people much wiser than me have said those things about the voters of the Pearl. The month of August is always the worst in my estimation as far as the winter goes in Aotearoa. Towards the end of July, we usually get a false spring. A few warmer days come by, and blue skies (not the usual grey skies and cold rain) arrive, so much so that even some plants and shrubs get fooled into blooming. However, Winter always has the last laugh and there is a sharp blast of freezing Southerly wind (usually of gale force) originating in the South Pole that sweeps through the land before the arrival of Spring.

August in the land that was once the pearl of the Indian ocean is always associated with the Kandy Perehera as far as my memories go. Not the Perehera that the public sees but a more intimate behind-the-scenes situation leading up to the spectacle that is put on for the public. The elephants greeting each other when they meet for the annual highlight of their lives, yes, they actually talk to each other, and if only I was privy to their language, what stories they must be exchanging! The pride of the elephant who is picked to carry the casket and the sulks when he is not allowed to do it for the full ten days (that would be too much of a strain for one elephant) that have to be dealt with by his guardians with many sweet treats and other forms of his favourite food. And so many hours of sitting with the affronted one and telling him (it is always a male) that this is not an insult, but it is done in his best interest! The wonderful talents of the dancers and the drummers who put on a show before the Perehera starts, as a form of warm-up. The master drummer brings along a star pupil and starts a drumming duel (like the duelling banjos that some of you may be familiar with) a duel that gets more and more intricate. The master plays a tune, the pupil has to play the exact same one and so it progresses until the pupil falters, or the second “cannon” is fired from the Dalada Maligawa signalling that it is time to get on the street and form up for the procession. The audience is always enraptured, included in the sheer exuberance, and have I been privy to some incredible talent! The grace, the beauty, and the sheer joy expressed by the Ves dancers’, the intricate verses of the chants of the Pantheru exponents of the art, these things form the core and the very foundation of my memories of August in the Pearl.

The five years I spent as the lay trustee of a temple built in the 11th century, that had an annual Perehara, almost led me to bankruptcy but cannot be measured in monetary terms. Unfortunately, this aspect of the Perehera is not on display to the public and hence all we hear about is the alleged cruelty to the elephants with no acknowledgment of the real purpose of this occasion. It is basically an expression of joy, a showcasing of talent, a way of thanking the Gods and nature for a successful harvest, and a prayer for success in the next agricultural season. It is also a vital form of entertainment for the hardworking farmers and other tradesmen an aspect that cannot be ignored and has been picked up by politicians with their “Gam Udawas” and other suchlike tamashas.

The latest information I have from very reliable sources on the Covid front in the Pearl is not good. I am told the hospitals are full to overflowing and proper isolation of those infected is impossible. Vaccination seems to be the only, albeit possibly temporary, solution that is available. We can do nothing but fight on and while doing so believe in ourselves, have faith, be kind and make sure that as many of us as possible remain unbroken like the twig in winter.