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| Sunday, 16 November 2003 |
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Children of royalty? Sel lipi by Gotabhaya 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 nearly one hundred and seventy years a paatashaalaya, which now stands on the grounds of what was once a cattle farm in the middle of the cinnamon grove of the sublime city of Colomb-thota, was to all the pupils of all the paatashaalas in this great and glorious realm, the very epitome of educational excellence. Its alumni excelled in all the shilpa-shaasthra, learning not merely of puskola poth, but also about human beings and, most importantly, about the game of 'lom-kambili andhina mugdayange keliya'. Among its past pupils it numbered many a maethi-aemathi, as well as skilled physicians, famed scholars and wily lawyers, not to mention humble carvers of sel-lipi; two of them re-wrote the basic law of the land. It has come to the notice of the Maha Vasala that now the students of that most excellent of schools are running amok on the streets like rogue elephants in 'must'. It seems that several of the inmates of that most regal of educational establishments have taken it upon themselves to start a blood-feud with the students of the neighbouring paatashaalaaya, that named Thibaha-thana. Apparently, a dozen students of the paatashaalaya of their fathers, at least five of them under the influence of intoxicating mathpaen and, like the Nalagiri tusker, had charged with drawn swords and spears into a dispute with several pupils of the Thibaha-thana at an eating-house nearby. Several days later, as a result of this disagreement, a bloody battle had occurred in front of the premises of the paatashaalaaya of kings between pupils of that establishment and about thirty of the students of the Thibaha-thana, of whom five received wounds and were betaken to a hospital with all due speed. Later, it appears, it had been claimed that the pupils of the Thibaha-thana had stormed the fortifications that girdle the former cattle farm. Whether this happened or not is subject to dispute, and it is feared that this disagreement may in turn lead to further bloodshed. Then the question needs to be asked whether this disorder has sprung, fully grown, from the hitherto sacred premises of the most kingly of latter-day Taxilas. Alas, it appears not to be so. Several of the maethi-aemathis of the audience hall were formerly taught of puskola and men within its hallowed walls, and the deportment of the denizens of the audience hall is known not to be exemplary to young people in paatashaalas. It is indeed sad that such behaviour is generally expected only from Yakkos, demons of less skill and education, or prethas, ghoulish and ever-hungry spirits. It is certainly not that which is expected from the scions of families of officers and gahapathis. The demeanour of the youths was more like that of Gavaras, wild bulls. It is to be wondered indeed, whether the spirits of the cattle that once inhabited the premises have been reborn in the denizens of the paatashaalaaya where the thriving of Lanka's learning commenced. What, then is to be done? Whereas the first answer to this question might be to string up the offenders between two puwak trees and split them asunder, or to impale them upon a public ula, perhaps some less draconian solution might manifest itself after some meditation. As a first measure, it is therefore decreed that the aforesaid paatashaalaya of kings should hitherto be known as Bintenna Maha Vidyala. Swasthi Shree! This rock edict is made on this day of Ravi of the month of IL of the Year of the Saka Era 1931. |
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