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| Sunday, 25 August 2002 |
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Sel lipi: Rock Music Swasthi Shree! Thus says his sacred Majesty, the gracious Great King, glorious Chakravarthi, King of the Kings of Maya, Pihiti and Ruhuna, Mahoora of the Vanniala-aeththo and ruler of all lands from Yapapatuna to Sampanthota, including the mighty port of Gokanna: It has come to the notice of the Maha Vasala that the open air musical 'bali thoyila', otherwise known as the 'sangeetha sangdharshanaya', has become one of the most popular forms of pagan worship in this land (second only to the observation of the 'bahubootha pettiya', better known as the 'roopavaahiniya' or, in Hela basa as the 'tele-disiya' or 'tele-visaya'). It is said that at these alfresco gatherings, the star-worshipping youth of the country come to watch and listen to the 'nachcha, geetha, vaadhitha' of such great kolam performing troupes as the 'Ahiguntikayo' and the 'Sooryakaantha Mal'. Furthermore, they congregate at such places of iconolatry and do ritual dances, even in the rain, it not being unusual for the dancers to be bathed in mud from head to toe. Sometimes these yakko worshippers are driven into frenzied contortions as the shamanistic cantors 'Bahubootha and Santhuk' chant their Orphean 'rap' slokas. Of course such forms of idol-worship are tolerated in this land of supreme harmony. Sometimes these pagans take their fetish objects (known by the name of 'kesset pees') and carry out their wild, bacchanalian 'junthu' rituals near the Viharas at Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, but even then they are tolerated. However, what cannot be tolerated is when such worship takes the form of 'guti keli' and rival gangs of worshippers attempt to sacrifice one another on the altars of their icons. It has come to the notice of the Maha Wasala that such attempts at ritual sacrifice have been made at the mighty port city of Gokanna, otherwise known as Thiru-Kona-Malaya. Following a public exhibition of the people's industriousness, there has been a nocturnal, cabbalistic 'sangeetha sangdharshanaya' on the esplanade of that town. In the early morning yaame at which the yakkos come out, some of the congregation have attempted to carry out the esoteric incantations themselves. Thereafter, rival sects of worshippers have attempted to sacrifice one another using paashanas (rocks) and muguras (cudgels). On failing to sacrifice one another, the worshippers have turned the power of their sacrificial paashanas and their oblatory muguras upon rathas plying the streets, upon the shops and emporia of that metropolis and upon the mura hewavayas guarding the esplanade. Some mura hewayas, attempting to prevent this wanton lustration of the persons and property of the public, have been ritually stoned and are lying wounded. Several of the cultists themselves have been taken into protective custody at the mura kutiya. The cause of these disturbances seems to be the misunderstanding, on the part of the laity of this 'junthu' cult, of its liturgical language, the 'Kaduwa'. The mistranslation of 'rap', in its sacramental sense, as 'to hit', of 'club' as 'mugura' and of 'rock' as 'paashana' have surely caused this problem. So let it be proclaimed throughout the realm that 'rock music' is a special kind of 'sangeethaya', not an open invitation for the populace to hurl stones at each other. This rock edict is made on this day of Ravi of the month of Nikini of the Year of the Saka era 1929. - Gotabhaya |
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