May as a month dedicated to peace remembrance

By Surya Vishwa 

The Harmony page in 2021 ran a series of articles in the first few months of the year running up to the month of May, dedicated to peace being the centre point of remembrance. The overall aim of this endeavour is for peace to be the sole focus in the month of May, which marked the dawn of a new era in Sri Lanka in 2009; one that is devoid of the sounds of guns, bombs and needless deaths of human beings in the prime of their lives. 

War or abominations, such as riots or targeting any set of humans based on their ethnicity or religion, was never a quality associated with the ancient Singhala civilisation and what has to be remembered is that in the one and only so-called ethnic war that this civilisation has witnessed is with an invader and not a Lankan Tamil. Veterans of Singhala heritage, such as Prof. Nimal De Silva, acknowledge this fact.

It is time that we reflect in this difficult economic backdrop that it is in our national interest to remember that the colonial occupation of lands such as ours changed forever the psyche of the local people and made them think that every solution for national wellbeing, including peacebulding and justice, should come from elsewhere. Today, what we may know about diverse machinations may just be the tip of the iceberg. 

The solution, however is ours, the people; and we have nothing better than the great Buddhist teachings of loving kindness and the ancient Hindu-based values of wisdom that was part of our ancient culture, to help us formulate for ourselves a stable platform for national unity and prosperity. 

National unity cannot come when a nation is each year unnecessarily glorifying war or when such glorification becomes a local tourist puller to the Northern district. It does not do justice to the thousands of lives of young Sinhala youth who would have been alive if there was peace. The needless glorification of the battlefield without setting a foundation for a locally engineered model for national unity does nothing for stemming national dependence on the world. This dependence is interrelated and pertaining to many dimensions that range from the spheres of economy, natural resources as well as education and thus open to diverse manipulations. 

There have been hundreds of military generals and high command in the Sri Lankan military who have strived to be peacemakers even in the height of battle and have succeeded. These stories do not often come into the limelight in the local media and definitely not in the international media. The Harmony page, in celebrating everything that is holistic, humane and beneficial for humanity and its wellbeing has published many inspiring narratives of peace that are out of the typical INGO dominated peace frameworks. 

One is how the former Chief of Staff (2016), (Retd.) Major General Ubaya Medawela, who served as the Security Force Commander (Central and West), and as Military Advisor to the Office of Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in the Sri Lankan mission to the United Nations in New York, when he was stationed in Aluthgama, carried out several humane acts during the unrest that ensued in the area in 2014.

Another story we carried was the type that often does not get space in the mainstream media; that of the now-retired former Commander of Security Forces of Jaffna, Major General Ruwan Wanigasooriya, known for his Buddhistic compassion and spirituality, welcoming the heartfulness meditation group to Jaffna for holding meditation for military officers. 

These acts help to showcase the truth that those in the military are humane beings and doing their duty if there is a situation of war. The military of any nation are not the creators of war. They sacrifice their lives for stability of the nation and although there may be exceptions in any military worldwide of errant acts done on individual basis, it is a great fallacy to showcase many military forces as war-addicted groups of people. As another greatly humanistic military officer (Retd.) Major Berty Perera once told this writer, no one appreciates peace as a soldier.

Major Berty Perera at the worst stages of battle in Vakarai after the collapse of the 2002 peace process, was in charge of civilian affairs and was known to have instilled such absolute trust in the local people that he could not travel without having a small procession of locals following him. He was also known for pooling the family resources to fund the tuition fees of many young Northern students. It was a common sight for such students to come after school to his office to show him their academic progress. 

The reason the above details are mentioned is to glorify the humanistic actions that are initiated by human beings wherever they are and whoever they are.

Buddhistic wisdom makes us remember that the duty of Statesmen is to prevent situations that allow some human beings to take to terrorism and then take a nation to ruin. The same wisdom would show us that no one is born either a saint or a murderer and that society to a large extent helps to create both sets. 

We, therefore, begin this year to once again champion the cause of glorifying peace in the month of May so that it will be a month of compassion, understanding, empathy and wisdom. Given the correct social circumstances, it could be argued that persons such as LTTE leader Prabhakaran could have been moulded to use the same skill they used for war, for peace and prosperity. 

Hence we will this year highlight stories of wisdom and capability that cut across the economic, spiritual, agrarian and traditional knowledge-based spheres to promote the creation of a national model of unity and prosperity that will no longer have Sri Lanka at the behest of the carrot and stick war-peace intrigues of diverse entities. 

In upholding May as a month of peace, we will, therefore, uphold the fact that the term government signifies each and every Sri Lankan. Doing so will also help in showcasing to the world that the majority population of the Sinhalese are not a strange war adoring race but those borne out of a peace prioritising ancestry who never resorted to abominable acts such as mass murder to take over land or power.

In starting the series to commemorate peace, we below share some rare case studies of heart-lifting conversations from the North.

Charles Shelton is a former LTTE cadre who surrendered after the end of the hostilities in mid-May 2009 to the Government military; he thereby spent around a year following the rehabilitation process initiated by the State. He today runs a successful Puthukkudiyiruppu-located educated, focused photocopying shop in the district of Mullaitivu.

When I met him last year, having spoken of the usual issues and challenges the North faces in uplifting the post-war economy, he shifted to a deeply personal account. Following is his narration in verbatim:

“About a year after I returned from the rehabilitation camp and decided to set up a communication centre, I had put an advertisement in an English newspaper for a used photocopy machine. A senior lady telephoned me in response to the advertisement. She was selling her late husband’s office equipment and she gave me an appointment to meet her. She was in central Colombo in a location that could be described as posh. I told her I was travelling from rural Mullaitivu. 

“She did not know my background and I decided to wait till I met her in person to disclose that I had been with the LTTE. However, travelling to Colombo I felt that I should have told this to her on the phone and that I was wasting my wasting time going all the way to Colombo as I felt more and more that she would not be willing to sell me the equipment because of my background. Yet I mustered the courage and went to her house and after a brief introduction told her I had been with the LTTE and that I had completed the rehabilitation process. She was a Sinhala Buddhist and the response was genuinely Buddhistic. 

“She acted as if she did not hear what I said and so I repeated it. She responded by asking me if I was tired and offered me water and then tea. She also insisted that I must stay on for lunch and inquired about my dietary preference. She told me about her husband and children and from what I gathered I was about the same age as her son. On that day she treated me just as she would treat her son; with absolute compassion and understanding. Although I was in the rehabilitation camp, I had not interacted with many Sinhalese civilians there. It was mostly military persons and a general distance was kept. I had not had such a detailed discussion with a Sinhalese civilian before and never such a sample of absolute kindness. It transformed my own mind and assumptions.” 

Shelton’s narration shows us that we all are often victims of our circumstances/karma and that the purpose of life is to break free of these. Hence we have to understand that becoming a ‘terrorist’ is a process that is connected to a multitude of reasons and also comprehend philosophically that there are multiple forms of ‘terror’ that go hand in hand with manipulation, exploitation and corruption.

Below is one more narration that shows the spiritual beauty of the North as told by Ayiathurai Kandasamy, the manager of a small bookstore specialising in spiritual books in the Nallur area. The Sri Lanka Book Depot, a popular haven for books on especially Eastern spirituality, is run by Aiyadurai Kandasamy, a seeker in both spirituality and knowledge. Having once worked as a labourer at the Highways Department in Ratmalana in the 1980s, before he left for abroad for employment he has today amassed sufficient funds to complete his family obligations and run this bookshop. It mainly fulfils his love for knowledge and facilitates interaction with readers of similar interests. 

Having conversed with him several times on my visits to the North, following is his verbatim narrative as of early January this year.

“Do you know that we do not think? Most human beings do not spend time thinking. Because of this, they go round in circles most of the time. Those who devote their time to meditation spend time to think and then thinking itself dissolves. Have you heard of Yogaswami, Sellapa and Kudai Sami? These are among the three most famous sages of Jaffna. They meditated with the Muslim Fakirs under the trees in Nallur. Their religion was the Universal Truth. The Universal Truth which is within us is not Buddhist or Hindu or Christian or anything else. 

“It is this truth that all spiritual seekers sought regardless of their culture or religion. They did not invest in mansions and riches which are unstable entities. They invested in themselves and lived under the richness of the open sky. Yogaswami who now has two ashrams dedicated to him in North and East wanted to learn spirituality from Sellapa and one day when he went to see him Sellapa who was known to chase people away, chased him away saying ‘it is all finished – what have you come for – go and learn.” 

“The same day, he died. These were the great sages that lived amongst us and who our parents knew. Kudai Swami was thus known because he always was seen with an umbrella. That was his roof. Like the other Northern sages of their time they lived in the unsheltered open air, but Kudai Swami resorted to the luxury of setting up an umbrella when it rained or maybe if the heat of the sun became unbearable! Learning about themselves was their ultimate task and in doing so, they helped others in a way that schools and universities do not help people today. There are many ashrams and meditation centres in Jaffna. Few who come from the South know of these.” 

Further reading

https://www.ft.lk/harmony_page/Celebrating-May-as-a-month-dedicated-to-peace/10523-717115

https://www.ft.lk/front-page/A-Catholic-priest-of-Mannar-shares-insights-to-spirituality-and-peacebuilding/44-716331

https://www.ft.lk/harmony_page/Celebrating-May-as-a-month-dedicated-to-peace/10523-717532

https://www.ft.lk/harmony_page/The-potential-for-Lanka-to-declare-May-as-a-month-dedicated-to-peace/10523-716174

https://www.ft.lk/harmony_page/Winning-the-war-of-minds-is-more-important-than-winning-the-war-of-arms/10523-714286

https://www.ft.lk/harmony_page/Children-in-Kilinochchi-and-Mullaitivu-plant-jackfruit-to-commemorate-peace/10523-718259

https://www.ft.lk/harmony_page/Initiating-facilitation-of-Lankan-north-south-link-for-human-wellbeing-and-entrepreneurship-creation/10523-717531