Welsh through Sri Lankans’ eyes

By Sunil Dharmabandhu

Life in a town called Moratuwa, Ceylon, as it used to be called in the mid-1940’s was simple and austere. It succeeded when, on February 4, 1948, Ceylon was granted independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. Dominion status, within the British Commonwealth, was retained for the next 24 years, until May 22, 1972, when it became a republic and was renamed the Republic of Sri Lanka. Predominantly Sinhala Buddhists, other ethnic minorities such as Tamils, Muslims and Burghers, of Dutch ancestry, with a population of around 6.6 million, lived in harmony. A typical family had about five children supported by a sole breadwinner, the father. Mother was the matriarch bringing up the children within the limited budget. Children of the day were contented, smiling and happy with their meagre and more often than not, contrived toys of sorts to play with, in the abundant open spaces even in urban areas. Only a privileged few could afford a motor vehicle, children playing cricket, with improvised bats and wickets on pieces of bare land traversed by a quiet road, was commonplace. The majority commuted to work by state-run train or bus which would fill up only during rush hour morning and evening.

With no TV, nor Internet, families would gather around a sought-after British made Cossor radio when it was working or a bland rental Rediffusion box to spend time listening to mandatory Sunday Buddhist sermons or drama series. Attendance at Sunday school for Buddhists and Christians was the order of the day. Graffiti did not exist; tattoos were seen only amongst the riff-raff! It was far from being fashionable. Smoking and chewing betel with arecanut were amongst the bad habits some parents indulged in most homes and public transport and how uneducated spat through windows was unbelievable! Women smokers were rare, especially in public. Our generation had the privilege of being educated in the English medium, albeit pronunciation was wayward unless one’s parents could afford private elocution classes! However, grammar was drummed into our heads unlike the younger generations all over the world today, not least in the seat of English language, over here in the UK!

Meanwhile, Wales was a little-known part of Britain unless one was a keen student and an avid reader, frequenting public libraries, surprisingly though under British rule. The answer probably lay in the socioeconomics and geopolitical histories as Westminster ruled with an iron fist. Major employers were in the state-run mining and transportation industries.

Just two years after I was born, on July 6, 1946, a historic moment in British history followed on July 5, 1948, a culmination of a bold and pioneering plan to make healthcare no longer exclusive to those who could afford it but to make it accessible to everyone. The National Health Service (NHS) was born and it was to become the envy of the world! One could argue it still is despite a massive increase in population and inevitable cutbacks.

However, life in Wales, in the 1950’s was far from being a bed of roses. The economy was still reeling from the ravages and austerities of the Second World War. Ordinary families had to economise in every possible way to make ends meet. Most people couldn’t afford even a black and white television. In many ways, it mirrored life back home in Ceylon which centred on Colombo, similar to Cardiff. Back home, peasantry who lived well away from the coastal belt had never ventured to admire the beautiful Indian Ocean, only calling it the “Big Pond with crashing waves.” In Wales too much of the economic progress and development centred on Cardiff, the capital and Swansea, the second-largest city. Mains gas and sewage were rare and remain limited to Cardiff, Swansea and other big towns, leaving vast swathes of Wales to depend on oil, LPG or coal for heating and hot water. A slow process of tapping into renewable energy sources like solar and wind turbines is on the horizon.

The Welsh language is seeing something of a renaissance as some schools have become Category A to make teaching in Welsh compulsory. Yet, only some 30 percent of the population speak Welsh. Like Fernando’s, Perera’s, Mendis’s, if one were to toss a coin in a crowd, it’s bound to land on the head of a Jones, Williams or Davies in Wales. It stretches further in the Welsh National Anthem ‘the Land of my Fathers’ in its beautiful and patriotic lyrics, so emotional and powerful to our own!

The old land of my fathers is dear to me, Mae hen wladfynhadauynannwyli mi,

A land of poets and singers, famous celebrities;Gwladbeirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;

Her brave warriors, ardent patriots,Eigwrolryfelwyr, gwladgarwyrtramâd,

For freedom they lost their blood.
Trosryddidgollasanteugwaed.Country, Country, I’m party to my country,Gwlad, Gwlad, pleidiolwyfi’mgwlad,

While a sea wall to the pure favorite land,Tramôryn fur i’r bur hoffbau,

O may the old language continue.
O byddedi’rheniaithbarhau.
Old mountainous Wales, the poet’s paradise,
Hen Gymrufynyddig, paradwys y bardd,

Every valley, every cliff, to my eyes is beautiful;
Pobdyffryn, pob clogwyn, i’mgolwgsyddhardd;

Through a patriotic feel, how charming it is
Trwydeimladgwladgarol, mor swynolywsi

Its streams, rivers, to me.
Einentydd, afonydd, i mi.
Country, Country, I’m party to my country,
Gwlad, Gwlad, pleidiolwyfi’mgwlad,

While a sea wall to the pure favorite land,
Tramôryn fur i’r bur hoffbau,

O may the old language continue.
O byddedi’rheniaithbarhau.
If the enemy raided my country under his foot,
Ostreisiodd y gelynfyngwlad dan eidroed,

The old Welsh language is as alive as ever,
Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed,

The force was not diminished by the horrors of treacherous rain,Ni luddiwydyrawenganerchyll law brad,

Than the peculiar harp of my country.
Na thelynberseiniolfyngwlad.
Country, Country, I’m party to my country,
Gwlad, Gwlad, pleidiolwyfi’mgwlad,

While a sea wall to the pure favorite land,Tramôryn fur i’r bur hoffbau,

O may the old language continue.

O byddedi’rheniaithbarhau.

So, how do they manage to refer to someone in particular and avoid confusion? It’s no problem in Wales, just give a nickname corresponding to his or her job, trade or physiognomy like Davies the school (teacher) from Davies the saer (carpenter) or even John sandwich (he brings homemade sandwiches to work). The Welsh too are very friendly, sociable; even strangers wouldn’t drive past without a smile and a wave. Equally, rub them on the wrong shoulder, they can be nasty, trust me, similar to Sri Lankans.

It’s not uncommon to come across many in the rest of the UK who had visited the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Asia, and Africa but had not set foot in Wales to appreciate and admire its natural beauty and culture! Bardsey Island, for instance, known as the legendary ‘Island of 20,000 Saints’, is located 1.9 miles off the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The Welsh name means ‘The Island in the Currents’, while its English name refers to the ‘Island of the Bards’,

or possibly the Viking chieftain, ‘Barda’. It has no hot water, electricity, showers or Wi-Fi, but the chair of the island’s trust says that is exactly what gives it its appeal. “More people are opting for a digital detox,” Siân Stacey believes. She said the island, YnysEnlli in Welsh, offers a sense of security that has become more important in the past year. “People travel to Bardsey for a reset. I guess they want to get away from it all and it is such a calming experience.

“In recent years more people have been seeking the simple way of living – life on Bardsey is peaceful and here you can see nature at its best.” It’s fair to say there are many amongst the Welsh who had travelled overseas but had not crossed the Severn Bridge, gateway to England!

Wasn’t it how it used to be back home in Sri Lanka especially in rural areas? People knew each other, were friendly and helpful.

I grew up in Moratuwa, attending a local school of repute, strict discipline, Moratu Vidyalaya under one of its most revered Principals, late A.M de Silva before gaining admission to Royal College to study for my Advanced Levels. It turned out to be a culture shock! Many of my contemporaries came from Colombo 7 and were highly connected in the social class. There was a distinct air of superiority amongst them. They were mostly chauffeur-driven to College.

Financial difficulties to pursue a university education forced me into seeking employment in banking at Bank of Ceylon and later at Grindlays Bank in Colombo before embarking on a new life in Wales and met my future wife, Delyth. We then moved to Surrey in search of greener pastures, leaving behind the greenest one could ever find!

Talk about long names which only the local people could pronounce both in Sri Lanka and here in Wales. How about this which got into the Guinness Book of Records for being the longest place name!