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| Sunday, 14 August 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Edward Henry Pedris : Accused of a crime he never committed
He is Edward Henry Pedris, a young man shot by the British rulers of the time, for a crime he never committed, on false accusations that he incited a mob to revolt against the government. July 7 this year marked the 90th anniversary of his death in 1915. Edward Henry Pedris was the only son of D. D. Pedris, one of the richest businessmen in Pettah, which was then the centre of business and commercial activity. He also owned vast properties in Colombo, and extensive sugar cane plantations. Edward Henry was born on August 16, 1885, the only son in a family of five. D. D. Pedris had great expectations for his son - to take over his business and be a leader in the community. But the son had other ideas. He had his schooling at the Colombo Academy, S. Thomas' College and back again at the Colombo Academy, which by then had shifted to its present site and re-named Royal College. At both schools young Pedris had shone in sports and been a top scorer in cricket. After leaving school, instead of joining his father in his business, young Henry opted to join the Town Guard Service. Maybe he was attracted by the Town Guards on horse back, dressed in smart uniforms. In May 1915, communal riots between Muslim and Sinhala people broke out in Gampola and soon spread to Kandy, Matale, Kegalle and then to Colombo. Martial law was declared on June 2 and many leading Buddhists were imprisoned. Town Guards riding on horse back had to keep law and order in the city. Volunteers were also recruited and they were given orders to shoot anyone they thought was causing trouble. The British rulers of Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was known then, misconstrued this riot as a rebellion against the government, whereas it was only a communal riot. Henry Pedris was accused, without any evidence, of shooting at a Muslim mob in Pettah, while on duty. Another false accusation was that he incited a crowd of Sinhala people to march into Colombo from Peliyagoda on the other side of the Kelani river. He was imprisoned and tried by a special military court, and sentenced to death. Sir Hector Van Cuulenburg, the elected member of the Legislative Council pleaded on Pedris' behalf, but the government, did not pay any attention to his pleadings. Many leading citizens like Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan intervened, but to no effect. His parents offered to pay his weight in gold for his release, but the government was adamant that Pedris should die.On the morning July 7, 1915 when the jailor came to blindfold him. Henry Pedris said, "Don't blindfold me. I want to see me being shot". One of the Punjabi soldiers got down by the British to quell the riots, shot him but missed the target. He shot a second and a third time and missed both times. Then a British officer shot him and Edward Henry Pedris fell dead. His tragic death was the beginning of the national struggle for independence from British rule. The bereaved parents built a temple in his memory, and to pass on merit to their only beloved son whose life was snuffed out in his 27th year. The temple Isipatanarama was built on five acres of land in Havelock town D. D. Pedris had bought 10 years earlier in 1905. It is said to be the largest temple in the city of Colombo, complete with Dagoba, Bo-tree Budu Ge (Image house) and preaching hall. The Dagoba was completed in 1922. The murals in the image house depicting the life of the Buddha and Jataka tales were done by M. Sarlis, the master painter of temple murals of the day. His statue in front of Pedris Park was unveiled by late President J. R. Jayewardene on July 7, 1978. - Sumana Saparamadu ############ The pretty, witty Jane Austen
Jane was born on December 16, 1775 in Hampshire, England, where her father was a Reverend. She was the second youngest in family of eight children. Jane was one of only two girls in the family. Six of the children lived at home with her. Jane started writing books at an early age, about 16 or 17. Her early work Juvenilia was not published, but family members saw in Jane an ability far exceeding her years. Jane was, however, aloof around strangers. She did enjoy the company of others, but according to friends and family, Jane was even more comfortable playing games with children. Jane has been acknowledged as being very witty. Her older sister Cassandra had always warned Jane that her actions would lead to her being banished by others. However, as she became older, she also became more reserved around strangers. This is probably because she listened to her sister's advice. Jane lived with her mother, her sister, and a friend, Martha Lloyd, in Hampshire, England until she moved to Winchester, England, in May 1817 because of ill health. Jane's death occured a few months later. One of her more remarkable traits was her observation of human character and nature. Most, if not all, of her characters were based on family members and close friends. At the time of her death, Jane was still unmarried. She was engaged to a priest at her father's church, but the young man died before they married. Jane was not readily recognised for her work during her life, mostly because of her style of writing and her character developments, and because she was a female. Jane's writing, at the time, was not considered the style of the times. This might be because her character development was very detailed. Hundred and sixty years after her death, her work resurfaced and gained new acceptance and a more dedicated audience. During the mid 1990s, several of her books were made into major movies. Overall, the pretty, witty, Jane Austen was a woman of true intellectual talent and passion. Her work, talent, and mystique have immortalised her among the greatest authors of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
Those who travel to schools in the city from suburbs to the South East
of Colombo may pass Pedris Park at Havelock Town. They can't miss the
statue at the northern end of the park. Whose statue is it? 
Jane Austen was an author and wrote six books; four of these Sense and
Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and
Emma (1815) were published before her death while Northanger Abbey and
Persuasion were released after her death. 
