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| Sunday, 29 December 2002 |
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Sel Lipi : CONVICTS 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: For many years now, the ilandhaaris, the handsome young men of this resplendent isle have been caught in the grip of that Aryan sport, the lom kambili andhina mugdayange keliya. For days and days together, they don their white lom kambili and sannaaha, and play with muguras and pandhus. In the wider world outside this dhamma-dweepa, the mallavayas, the Champions led by the small-made yodhaya Sanath, have carried the fame of this realm far and wide. Now it has come to the notice of the Maha Vasala that the mallavayas have encountered difficulties in the parangi land of Palleha-Yata. Of course, our heroes are no strangers to calumny in that land of the arcane rituals of 'dinkum', where the mythical 'fair go' is said to prevail. Not many years ago, the demi-god Murali had his name besmirched by the keli-vinishchaka, the judge of the contest known as Kesha. Later, the noble korale and demi-god Arjuna had to lead his band of heroes off the battlefield, when Murali was once more accused of having no pandhu. This time, however the 'Bim Ooras' (as the people of Palleha-Yata are known) did not even wait until the warriors of this paradise island walked out onto the battlefield. As the brave ilandharis landed from their dhandu-monara, they were surrounded by the hated demons of the customs and excise and were searched to see if they were smuggling any contraband from this land of riches to the poor, impoverished land of the Swagman and Jambuck. Of course, the Bim Ooras have reasons to worry. In the past two hundred years, many foreign animals and plants have been brought to that island-continent and have become pests. The spread of the rabbit in that vast realm is a supreme example of human idiocy; rabbits were brought as pets and spread throughout the country, as there were no natural predators, eating the indigenous animals out of house and home, as it were. But this is just one example. Many thousands of plants and animals have been transported to Palleha-Yata, to become pests. Foreign dogs have escaped from houses and interbred with the Dingo (a close relative of our own Sinhala Hound) to produce super-killer dogs who eat whole sheep. So perhaps the Bim Oora customs officers were scared that our ilandharis were attempting to smuggle in exotic plants or animals? Were they worried that the; mallavayas were trying to take in leopard cubs, sloth bears or perhaps even lorises? Perhaps they were worried that seeds of various grasses (such as cannabis sativa) were adhering to the white lom kambili of our boys' clothing? The Maha Wasala counsels the players to accept this all with good grace. The fears of the Bim Ooras may not be justified, but we must make allowances for their paranoia. At least our players were not made to drown in the Indian Ocean, as the Pahala Yata government has forced certain refugees to do. They were not interned in stockades (a holdover from two centuries ago, when all the immigrants had to be enclosed after transportation) and made to suffer untold hardships. We must tolerate the national customs of all foreign countries, however barbarous they might seem. Likewise, we must tolerate the barbarous behaviour of the national customs and immigration officers of the Bim Ooras. They simply don't know any better. Swasthi Shree! This rock edict is made on this day of Ravi of the month of Unduvap of the Year of the Saka Era 1929. - Gotabhaya |
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