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| Sunday, 6 January 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Walking to an unknown destiny...
The East is noted for small, sporadic LTTE-militant units sojourning in jungle pockets while crawling on to pounce on the strongholds of the security forces. It was such a straggling rank of enemy we saw camping before us. Female combatants - long hair dragged back in tight knots, lean muscles encased in striped green and brown - squatting at the tent door, conversing in low voices. Armed males - hovering to spring at any change of scent. The agonised watch peaked at the makeshift watch-tower as the December drizzle chilled and blew the horizon out of eye-sight. But wait - shadowy phantoms were already on the embankment - stealthily creeping, steadily advancing, filtering through the thicket in swift ambush. Soldiers - torso black-cloaked, hair tied in streaming black cloth - sweeping on yet another clearing operation. I could feel a pricking on my skin and a rush in my blood. Suddenly, shots rang out. Phantoms threw themselves on ground and rolled over, slicing the air with a volley of rattling gun fire.
The little boy next to me, flung his tiny hands against both his ears and fled to his mother, whimpering "Amma, mata bayai.. bayai (Mother, I am scared)". There was a criss-crossing of deafening shots from both sides. An enemy shot found its target and the victim fell. All at once, there was a commotion behind us. "Mage Rattaran Budu Puthe! (My darling son)" An ageing mother, darted forward, overturning chairs in her overwhelming grief. Army officers in the audience caught her and pulled her back, calming her, "Amma, this is only a show...!" You may smile, reading this on print. Yet, it is poignant testimony to the harrowing trauma constantly raging in the hearts of mothers sending their sons and daughters to a tediously-drawn-out war. The venue was Maduru Oya Army Training School. The occasion was the Passing Out Parade of Recruit Course No.34 and Women Recruit Course No.03 at the Parade Square on December 23. We had just been entertained to a mock Army operation.
"You have given me the chance to be back at the school where I was the Commandant ten years ago," said Major General C.J. Ranaweera RWP RSP USP accepting the salute of the new initiates to the Army. "My tribute goes to your parents who gave you to the Army as a gift of peace." The young trainees (425 males and 25 females) dextrously played out their weapons to the packed audience of parents, siblings and friends from outback provinces, braving torrents of rain to witness the prowess of their loved ones. Then, with a boom of gun-fire, they marched off the grounds to the sound of drums through billowing coloured smoke - to the call of the country, while mothers and fathers ran from either side to greet them. The moment was heavy with emotion - a lump clung to my throat and I felt proud of the youngsters as they walked to their unknown destiny - (to peace, I hoped) - with heads held high. Best female recruit - D.A.A.S. Dayaratne, 20, Kuliyapitiya Best male recruit - R.M.P.I. Ratnayake, 23, Tissamaharamaya Best female shot - L.C.S.P. Kumari, 22, Anuradhapura Best male shot - L.M.A.P. Rajapakshe, 21, Ampara |
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