BOOK REVIEW
TITLE : MAHATMA GANDHI LANKGAMANAYA SAHA SRILANKEYA DESHAPALANAYA [ MAHATMA GANDHI VISIT TO CEYLON AND SRI LANKAN POLITICS ]
Published by Sarasavi Prakasakayo
Reviewed by Hemantha Situge
The splendid book entitled: Mahatma Gandhi - Lanka Gamanaya Saha Deshapalanaya [ Mahatma Gandhi visit of Ceylon and SriLankan Politics] written by the well-known writer Sampath Bandara published by the Sarasavi Prakashakayo to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahathma Gandhi was released recently.
The introduction of this opus states that last November marked the completion of 90 years on Mahathma Gandhi's visit to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka )Also the 30th January last year completed the 70th Death Anniversary of this icon of the yester year.
The reviewer had the opportunity to read and re-read this book finds two momentous incidents to mark the sixteen days of Gandhiji's visit which spans from 12-11-1927 to 29-11-1927 requires to be revived our interest and placed of record.
Firstly the fate of the Na ( Messua ferrea) tree planted by Mahathma Gandhi hitherto that remains as a protected tree under the Fauna and Flora Ordinance ( Chap 567) N. 2 of 1937 as amended .S.D. Saparamadu in his first Volume entitled: SRILANKA a WILDLIFE INTERLUDE Tisara Publications 2006 found at page 205 has stated that:
" Na Tree at Kotte ( Messua ferrea)
This tree was declared a protected tree under Section 43 schedule 6 of the Fauna Flora Ordinance in 1990.The notification the description : " Tree plant at Kotte by Mahatma Gandhi visited Sri Lanka in 1929 and the tree evidently planted during this visit. The department was not able to give any information as to the location of this tree and whether it is still standing"
'Mahatma Gandhi visited Sri Lanka in 1929 ' is evidently a lapsus calamai or a lapsus pennae. The house that he lived in C Arumugam's mansion named " The Arc" in Cotta Road Rajagiriya. The tree and the house is no more which is evidently was demolished and cut-off and has taken a part of it by the building and the garden of the " Voet Inn " Sri Lanka Law College Hostel , 1163B Cotta Road Rajagiriya.
This reviewer could neither trace any references in Mahadev Desai's With Gandhiji in Ceylon Published by S. Ganeshan 1920 and nor in Gopalakrishna Gandhi(editor) 's Gandhi and Sri Lanka 1905-1947 Vishvalekha 2002 . on the exact day Gandhi planted this tree at Rajagiriya " The Arc".
A political biography entitled :" J R Jayewardane of Sri Lanka 1906-1956 Volume 1, written by K M da Silva and Howard Higgins at page 63 records an incident occurred in December 1930 ' provides evidence of the rapid progress of Dicky's [JRJ's ] politicization.' Thus:
" In the first of the incident , unveiling of a portrait of Gandhi in the premises of the Law College , Dick was at the centre of the controversy that erupted.Considering that the governing body of the Law College consisted of Supreme Court judges , and most of them British, the decision to unveil a portrait of the arch-rebel of the raj provocative; it became doubly so, and a calculated act of defiance,at a time when Gandhi was in jail. The first problem was to raise funds to pay the artist, David Paynter- a highly regarded Eurasian artist resident in the island who had been commissioned to do the portrait of Gandhi in the Law College, this financial support dried up if it did not evaporate altogether. One result of this reneging on promises of support was an acrimonious exchange of letters between the head of a prestigious firm of lawyers - a friend of E.W. and the Jayewardane family and Dick .Eventually it was Dick himself, who made good the financial loss sustained by the refusal of established lawyers to keep their promises of money to pay for the portrait.He had saved a tidy sum of money from his salary as his father's private secretary and part of this was diverted to this purpose.........
E. W. was a member of the governing body of the Law College was instrumental in preventing it from banning the unveiling ceremony.Arguing that" The rebel of today is the martyr of tomorrow " he pointed out that the law students had not asked for permission to hang the portrait on the wall of the College , but merely had invited them to be present at the ceremony." The portrait was unveiled by Chairman of the Ceylon National Congress Francis de Zoysa K C the main speaker was C E Corea and the vote of thanks were delivered by J R Jayewardane himself who had relinquished office as his fathers private secretary.
The opus also states that ' the portrait itself is an undistinguished piece of work. Gandhi appears there at prayer an ascetic and the overwhelming impression is on of penitence and submission. There is nothing there of other facets of the mans personality especially his irresistible vitality'.
These incidents bear ample testimony to the fact that the charisma of Mahatma Gandhi has made a remarkable impact on Sri Lankan political arena. Sampath Bandara's book is a befitting true tribute to this unique Indian leader sui generis.
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