|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 17 April 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Avurudu back in Lipton's Tea Garden Light Refractions by Lucien Rajakarunanayake "Happy Laojee New Year", was my first New Year greeting at the proper hour. "Laojee? What is that? Is it something to do with the recent visit of the Chinese Prime Minister" asked my friend. "No, that's how the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation referred to the dawn of this New Year. They had it branded as "Laojee Avurudu Udava" the dawn of the Laojee New Year. "What on earth is Laojee, we are not used to giving special names to the traditional New Year, and that is not a Sinhala or Tamil name either?" "That's a brand of tea sold in Sri Lanka, and marketed by Lipton's. Takes us back to the days when we were referred to as Lipton's Tea Garden. It appears that more than 50 years after independence, SLRC has thought it fit to go back to Lipton for inspiration, to give a special flavour to the dawn of the New Year." "Bloody hell, said my friend. We will soon have the Chinese tradition of giving the names of animals to the traditional New Year." "I'm surprised that Elephant House did not get the rights for the New Year branding at SLRC. We would have had the Ali Avurudu Udava or even better Aliya Soda Avurudu Udava ideal for the chase, with the fun going off as fast as the fizz. Ranil and his green corps must be furious at not getting an elephant branding for this New Year. From what you say it won't be long before Tiger Balm or some other product with the tiger brand name gets the rights for Avurudu Branding and we have the Koti Avurudu Udava or Dawn of the Tiger New Year. I'm sure the commercial arm of the LTTE must be working on this possibility more than on any joint mechanism for relief and rehabilitation. Well, Laojee or whatever you call it, what about the traditional Avurudu celebrations, asked my friend. How about climbing the grease pole, it's usually so much fun? There were some difficulties faced by the organisers because a trade union of the reds said they will not supply the grease for the event, unless and a guarantee was given that the rest of the CPC would not be privatised in the New Year. However, when the event got going with the pole well greased, the green team was reluctant to participate. They were convinced that their leader will slip down before he had gone even half the way to the top. There were no seconds ready to even push him to the top. "But what about the others, there must have been other teams too?" "Indeed there were. But the problem was with the reds and blues. Neither was interested in going it alone, and there was even more difficulty in getting them to climb it together, one on either side of the pole, in an innovative move. The leader of the blue team was prepared to climb it herself, but the reds insisted they must hang on to her sari-pota, which she refused saying it would be too much of a burden to carry to the top. The leader of the Red Team said this is a time for revival and did not want to risk slipping down the pole by climbing it alone. As for the team with the Tiger Stripes, they refused to participate in any majoritarian sport, until the ISGA was granted." "What about the pillow fight?" "There was an interesting twist to it. A member of the Blue Team was willing to take on all comers. The Green member was knocked down in the first round. But the problems came when a Trade Union Team entered the game, cheered on by the reds. The Blue players objected to the referee about a conflict of interest. At one stage the trade union team said they would even plunge the entire Avurudu Mela into darkness, unless they were allowed to play. Finally the game had to be postponed pending discussions among the organisers. "There must have been plenty of betel based games this year?" "Not as much one expected. The Reds won the betel chewing competition, much to the alarm of the Blues. They also won the competition for shooting the betel spittle the furthest distance. But the absence of betel leaf decor in the abundance that one saw last year was certainly noticed." "What about the celebrations in Tiger land?" "The reports are that most of their celebrations took on a martial air. There were mock battles, with Young Tigers always defeating Young Lions. But the centrepiece was a special game of 'Blind Man's Bluff' played by the Tigers and members of the SLMM. It was a game where points were gained for not observing simulated violations of the MoU. I'm told the SLMM team won it by a wide margin, and the leader of the team was gifted with an ebony bust of the Tiger Supremo." "Would you call this an auspicious beginning to the New Year?" "I don't know about that. But the most touching of the Avurudu celebrations were in the tsunami struck areas. The people there had their own celebrations, amidst all the signs of destruction and the loss of kith and kin. There were a few who took the trouble to go all the way to their temporary shelters and share the Avurudu joy with them, to show they were not forgotten or abandoned. Some of the displaced even had their own raban playing while children rode the swing amidst the debris of destruction to keep their spirits high. Efforts by the greens to organise 100 meter sprint events on the beach were met with resistance by the people there, and the organisers had to do a quick sprint away to enjoy Avurudu in the comfort of their homes much further away. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
