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| Sunday, 17 November 2002 |
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Short Story A saga of the exploited
Senarath has to leave Berlin on transfer to Colombo. Among the more difficult chores, that he has to perform, is the discarding of papers and mementoes, collected over the years, which are really a burden. He rummages through these heaps of memorabilia to select the ones, he wants, to take home to Sri Lanka. He feels that there is nothing much to be thrown; he feels nothing could be discarded. "Sena, please allow me to destroy all this rubbish..." "You have collected them from your school days..." "There will be no place to stack them in our small house in Sri Lanka....." Senarath's wife Sujee is reasonably annoyed at his habit of collecting pieces of paper belonging to a lifetime. Experiences "Aiyo... Sujee don't do that. Behind each piece of paper collected here, there is a history; there is a story. They represent 'men and matters', and experiences that I treasure..." "Please don't throw them. If you do that, you will be throwing away my whole past..." Senarath sits near the bundles of paper, to select the important documents, from the unimportant. It is a tedious task. Senarath's eyes meets a letter written in Sinhala, the paper is visibly yellowing, the ink discoloured, the edges moth-eaten, surviving because it has been preserved inside a diary. "Look Sujee.... I value this paper. There is a poignant story behind this..." Sujee reads the almost disintegrating letter written on a paper torn from a student's exercise book... The English translation reads something like this. 1951.08.08 "Punchi Mahaththaya, I received my wages from the Mudalali. The tobacco chena is thriving. During this season Mudalali will reap a good profit. I cannot work in the Chena anymore. Whenever, I came back from the Chena to Mudalali's house you helped me to do my little accounts with Mudalali. I thank you for this. Punchi Mahaththaya, I have observed that you are a bright boy. You will no doubt become an important person in the future. You are boarded at this Mudalali's house, and, I know that you have financial difficulties. However, all this will come to a successful end; please keep this Rs. 5 for your expenses. I will not return to work here.... anymore. I wish I could give more money. May the Triple Gem Bless you. Wijehamy" This letter is ancient to say the least... "Senarath tells his wife. "Why did you preserve it..." Sujee asks Senarath Deep Thought Senarath falls into deep-thought over his past. He remembers the small room in which he lived and the bunk bed, which was used to keep his clothes and also to sleep, and the little table used to keep his books during his school days. Wijehamy slept on the floor in Senarath's room, on days, he stayed at Mudalali's place. It was the Year of One-Thousand Nine-Hundred and Fifty One. Wijehamy would have been in his late 50s at that time. He was a healthy, well-built man, about 6 feet with brawny arms; he wore a palayakat sarong and a white banian, over which he wore a white shawl. When he bathed, he washed one set of his clothes, and dried them for the following day. Cleanliness was inborn in Wijehamy. His bare chest bore bushy black hair. The eternal smile on Wijehamy's face, perhaps, hid his worries. Senarath was around 11 years when he encountered this interesting personality. Senarath recollects the interesting conversations he had with Wijehamy. "Wijehamy... where is your home and village..." "Punchi Mahaththaya ... I am from Bentara... "Bentara Gangen Eha"... - On the other side of the Bentara River" "Where are your wife and children..." "This is not a question to ask..." Wijehamy said. "Where were you born...." "Who knows those details. You should ask the Registrar.... How do I know them...." Wijehamy retorted, though he did not mean any offence. Riots "Any interesting events you could remember of your past Wijehamy...." "You know Wijehamy, we were taught by our history teacher about the 1915 riots. British mishandled the situation, didn't they..." "1915 Riots...." It was called the Sinhala-Muslim riots. It started from Gampola on May 28 in 1915. At this time there was general discontent in the country on account of the exploitation of people by the Malabar traders, who monopolised the maritime trade. To add to that the British suspected the Sinhala leaders who were involved in the Temperance Movement and Buddhist revival. The Perahera by Buddhists in Gampola was not permitted to take place. The riots spread all over the country..." "We were young Punchi Mahaththaya. We could not understand much of what was happening at the time. But we were with the people who rioted against the British....." Senarath was pleasantly surprised by the analysis of history by Wijehamy. "What do you remember of that upheaval..." "Did you also participate in it...." Wijehamy grinned. "Have you also participated in Mini Merum (killings) ...." "Miniwala Monawada Maranne...." "What is there to kill in the dead. They are already dead...." These were memorable dialogues that Senarath had with Wijehamy, during those school days, Senarath recalls. Vote "Whom did you vote for, at the 1947 elections...." "I did not vote for anybody.... Punchi Mahaththaya ... The 'big' people come to power, with our votes but they do not look after the poor after coming to power... Better not to vote, for them....." ".... I like the Sama Samaja Party - But they cannot form a Government...." Wijehamy would have been quite an active political animal from his small days. Even Independence was given to us by the British for two reasons; Firstly they had to grant Independence because India was given Swaraj. Secondly after World War II, the British could not keep colonies, because of geopolitical reasons. Power "After the Sudda (Whites) the "Kalu Suddas" grabbed power. But they acquired wealth for themselves at our expense." Senarath felt that Wijehamy had a nodding acquaintance with Marxism - at least the theory of it. Wijehamy could read and write; he never spoke about his family, home or village. When his monthly wages were paid, Wijehamy left the Chena with his belongings, i.e. his sarongs and the banians wrapped very meticulously in an old newspaper. (Carrying cellophane bags had not, yet become the mode.) The cloth bag, which was in vogue was Wijehamy's knapsack; for weeks he was on holiday; he came back only when his money was over. No one knew where he went or whom he saw. During his return journey, he did not forget to bring some local biscuits for Senarath. Biscuits "Punchi Mahaththaya, I bought you something... Do not show this to Mudalali's family...." Senarath did not understand why Wijehamy said this when handing over the parcel of biscuits to him. Wijehamy read the newspapers; whether it was current or old news mattered little to him. Returning from his trips he bought the "Samasamaja" newspaper. Perhaps, Wijehamy sympathised with Senarath, who was a young boy undergoing hardship trying to make ends meet, and studying under difficult circumstances. "Punchi Mahaththaya ...... You must study well...... We are like this, today toiling in the chenas, weathering the sun and the rain, because we did not study properly. I wish I had a son like you ....." Senarath recollects Wijehamy mentioning during a conversation. Weakness "I had this weakness during my school days: my inability to stick to one place; Punchi Mahaththaya ...... I liked to move from place to place, as I could see different people, places ...... You know that saying ..... "aevidda paya dahas vatee" - "He who has travelled the wide world is well-informed, and his experience invaluable." "So I travel ......" Wijehamy used to say. Whether Wijehamy did not stay at one place because of the 'travel bug' or, for any other reason, young Senarth could not fathom. Punchi Mahaththaya ..... I worked at a Wellawatte Spinning Mill. We were not paid well. The employers exploited us. We had to work long hours. The working conditions were not good, either; if you fell ill and could not report to work, you were sacked. There were no rights for the poor .... worker ..... We struck work once; around 150 workers were sacked. I was one of them. We had a brave leader ..... we assaulted a Manager. He was hospitalised. We absconded from the scene. "I do not know what happened after that. Maybe the Manager survived ..... "Wijehamy's voice fell. He had a long pause. There was a deep silence. Exploited Once I told you Punchi Manaththaya that, the "Suddas" gave power to the "Kalu Suddas". The wealth was in their hands; they ran the factories for their benefit only. Continued next week by Satharatilaka Banda Atugoda |
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A
gusty wind from the nearby woods sweeps the autumnal leaves whither and
hither. Senarath sees a lone boat paddled by a youngster in the "hund
sea" hund-lake in front of his residence through the glass windows.
His room is totally disorganized.
