In praise of a great soul
Wednesday, February 20, 2019 - 01:00
Title:
Mahatma Gandhi Lankgamanaya Saha Sri Lankeya Deshapalanaya
Author:
Sampath Bandara
The
splendid book entitled: Mahatma Gandhi - Lanka Gamanaya Saha Deshapalanaya
[Mahatma Gandhi visit of Ceylon and Sri Lankan Politics] written by the
well-known writer Sampath Bandara was published by the Sarasavi Prakashakayo to
commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was released
recently.
The
introduction to this magnum opus states that last November marked the
completion of 90 years on Mahatma Gandhi's visit to Ceylon. On January 30,
2018, was the 70th Death Anniversary.
The
reviewer had the opportunity to read and re-read this book and finds two
momentous incidents to mark Gandhiji's 16-day visit from November 12 to 29,
1927. It requires to be revived.
The
Na tree (Messua ferrea) planted by Mahatma Gandhi remains a protected tree
under the Fauna and Flora Ordinance (Chap 567) N. 2 of 1937. SD Saparamadu, in
his work ‘Sri Lanka, A Wildlife Interlude’ states:
“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’s visit to Ceylon is evidently a lapsus calamai or lapsus pennae. The
house that he lived in C Arumugam's mansion named as ‘The Arc’ in Cotta Road,
Rajagiriya. The tree and the house are no more. They were evidently demolished.
A part of it is occupied by garden of the Voet Inn, Sri Lanka Law College
Hostel, 1163B, Cotta Road, Rajagiriya.
This
reviewer could not trace any references in Mahadev Desai's ‘With Gandhiji in
Ceylon’ (published by S Ganeshan, 1920) and Gopalakrishna Gandhi's ‘Gandhi and
Sri Lanka 1905-1947’ about the exact day Gandhi planted this tree at the Arc.
A
political biography titled ‘JR Jayewardene of Sri Lanka 1906-1956’, written by
K M de Silva and Howard Higgins, records, on page 63, an incident that occurred
in December, 1930.
“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 EW and the Jayewardene 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...
EW
was a member of the governing body of the Law College. He was instrumental in
preventing it from banning the unveiling ceremony. Arguing that the rebel of
today is the martyr 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 Ceylon National Congress Chairman Francis de Zoysa KC. The main
speaker was CE Corea and the vote of thanks was delivered by JR Jayewardene
himself who had relinquished office as his father’s private secretary.
The
magnum opus also states that the portrait itself is an undistinguished piece of
work. Gandhi appears there at prayer as an ascetic. The overwhelming impression
is one of penitence and submission. There is nothing there of other facets of
the man’s 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.
-Reviewed
by Hemantha Situge
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