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| Sunday, 16 April 2006 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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When Avurudu games change with the time
Light Refractions Lucien Rajakarunanayake If you haven't put the clock back by 30 minutes it is time you did it now. The pundits might dislike it and say we are stepping backwards in time, but none of them wanted the time changed to GMT plus six hours until it was done during a crisis in power supply in May 1996. They were all happy living with the time of the colonial era till 1996.
Some foreign commentators have observed, with BBC publicity, that the change of the clock will make those living in the North and South agree at least on one thing, that of time - a small step towards unity. It's funny how these pundits, who see the seeds of unity in time, are totally ignorant that the vast majority of Tamils, living in the North and East, as well as elsewhere, have always accepted a common time for New Year festivities. This includes the Tamils under the LTTE jackboot in the Vanni. Whether it was under the old or now time, both Sinhalese and Tamils light the family hearths for the New Year at the same auspicious time, and observe the same time to have the first meal of the traditional New Year, and for other rituals and practices associated with the traditional New Year. As for the Tigers in the Vanni, the approach of the New Year made play the game they enjoy most: that of blood and tears. They discovered hitherto unknown Tamil people ready to explode mines, grenades and other explosive devices, killing and maiming many, to the utter delight of that ever grinning Thamilchelvan and his Sun God in the Vanni, with his insatiable bloodlust. They must have enjoyed their biggest Avurudu festivity with the bloodshed in the clashes at Trincomalee last Friday afternoon, when one of their now ubiquitous "people" hurled a powerful grenade at a military checkpoint near the vegetable market. They were telling the international community that whatever anyone else may think about them, their tradition of New Year fun, as its runs through the whole year, is the satisfaction of bloodshed. Even the Slimming Monitors feared that such violence could spread to other parts of the country, too. No doubt that was the expectation of the Tigers, as well. But, in a commendable demonstration of overall restraint, people elsewhere doing their last minute shopping for the New Year, did not fall into the careful trap laid by the Tigers for a bloody New Year all over. It's time that the KoKo-Chairs, particularly the Old European Club opened there eyes to see for themselves the glaring provocation by the LTTE, compared with the overwhelming calm and restraint by the Sinhalese, and acted accordingly, at least as they have done with delight to Turkey vis-…-vis the PKK. The Sun God in the Vanni and his Tiger entourage must be planning more bloody and grisly games for their perverted fun during the rest of the festive season, and beyond. The TamilNet and other pro-LTTE websites must be awaiting a feast of violence to report to the world, especially after the humiliation suffered in Canada, where it's not a happy Pongal season for the Tigers. Elsewhere in the country the festivities went on. The traditional game of climbing the grease pole had different versions. At the centre was the main grease pole with Chintana Mahinda already on top, waving to all below and throwing betel leaves down to be picked up by the lucky. What awaited the lucky ones remained a secret. At the Green Elephant Mela climbing the grease pole event was one uncontrollable melee. Aliraja Ranil, who had reached the top many Avurudu festivities and defeats ago, was still there. The competition there was to push him off his perch. There was so much grease on the pole that many who tried the climb, slipped down very fast. The only persons who made some headway, although yet failing to get within pushing distance from the top was Sakala Banda or Hanguran Aliya aka Merchants' Ward and the Dark Mahinda from Devundara. At the revived Blue Hand Avurudu Ulela, the Bandara Menike from Attanagalle was already perched atop the grease pole, with no one else trying to climb it. One of the organizers said there was no competition to reach the top, because they were all waiting for her to slip down fast, bored by being up there with nothing to do, and no one cheering her. At the Rathu Avurudu Keliya, there were red shirted ones present in large numbers. Each one who entered the place was given a bell to ring, with prizes on offer for those who attracted others with their bells. But it seemed that ring as much as they may, the numbers entering the grounds from outside were very few. A red ideologue I spoke to said, the crowd was small because they had forgotten to bring an effigy of Erik Solheim for a darts game. Or, that's what he thought. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
Whether the new time is only a matter of going back to the old time,
strictly adhered to by Buddhist monks and most astrologers, and also the
Tamil Tigers, it is now the Avurudu season which is the time for much fun
and games all over the country. 
