Bows and arrows come to town:

Let Goddess Ratnavalli help the victims!

by Padma EDIRISINGHE

In this second decade of the 21st century, the Sri Lankan newspapers deviating from dullness report a tantalising tale. That is that a Veddha or huntsman, denied access to see a warded patient in the capital of the hill country shot the security officer with an arrow and injured him seriously. That made an acquaintance ask me why I don't write a piece on it.... As a compliment or degradation of my style of rambling, she said that finally the piece may not contain anything about the main topic, but all other inconsequential things, but nothing like trying, she said. To encourage me more, she added that the hunters are the people mostly in vogue today after that crime in the Kandy Hospital.

I was about to say that I don't know much of them when I suddenly remembered that I have written a whole book on them. Published? No. How can I publish other people's books for it is only a translation. So I did not write it but only put into a strange language what has been written by somebody else, no less than an erudite university professor on the subject.

Translation

Why didn't he or the assigned publishers get it published? I don't know. Was the translation of inferior quality? Those were the pre Email days Wonder of Wonders, now you sit and type a whole big book, press some buttons here and there on the magic machine and all the gods in heaven, the whole thing gets reborn in another distant place. The more sophisticated may take the marvel in its stride, but I owning a bucolic background, pause to wonder on the wonder of it every time I do it.

What about the Veddhas? I have already warned that this piece could carry nothing about them. But that is unfair. I told my friend about the translation and that nobody claiming it, it lies there in my mess of books for about 3 years, after the publisher who on inquiry by me said that the author is abroad and cannot be contacted. A phone number I tried was as dead as the corpses that get appreciated after their deaths. Surely, persisted my friend, there is nothing to prevent you, using some material from it. Ethics is involved, I said, but equally true was the fact that I just hated to take out all that load of printouts and rake matter. But now that I have roused the reader's interest or assume so, let me give a few facts I consider interesting perhaps from my feminine perspective. Also these facts would not be so commonplace as the parroted fact that they are the oldest inhabitants of our island and have much more claim to our land than the lions who arrived later. Now to one fact of note.

Religion

And that is about their religion. I lent an ear to a conversation in the House by the Beira one day. It was about a program scheduled at Bintenna.The objective was to convert the Veddhas to Buddhism.

"How are these hunters to live after they become Buddhists? They can't observe the five precepts while violating them at the same time". The actual issue was the "Panathipatha" precept. Non-Buddhist readers, please consult the Buddhist scriptures. The opposing party argued that many Buddhists do both these, I mean observing and violating, simultaneously.

And another quipped that one must eat to live and then only can one go on to other things. I listened with all humility. Now in that translation I remember reading the objects of worship of the Veddhas. Of course, all nature's phenomena were worshipped simply because no one could understand their workings while influencing their lives day in and day out. So, one has just to honour them. If you are reminded of a parallel situation I am not responsible.

Into that hotch-potch of objects and personnel worshipped fall a strange group. These are the outcast women from families of noble lineage. In fact, the list begins with Kuveni, our first queen. Though spurned by the king of the major race, she is taken on by the |Veddhas as a goddess and even celebrations held in her honour. Is it due to the fact that her two children, according to legend amalgamate with the Veddha tribe or did they in their primordial goodness as against the corruption of the other advanced party, feel sorry for the woman, herself a daughter of a chieftain or local king and chased away to make way for a female of aristocratic lineage and bushels of wealth? (Ingratitude just at the start). Who acts nobler?

Piece

Then I remember this piece (the ream of translated papers still not pulled out) due to its sing-song nature. It is sung at a celebration of Ratnavalli, obviously another outcast from a royal family.

"Parakumba rajuge doo, Ratnavalliye" is the chorus line, meaning, a beseeching to Ratnavalli, daughter of Parakramabahu. Now we have had so many Parakramabahus in our monarchy line that it is difficult to decipher which Parakramabahu fathered the royal lass who had disgraced herself in some way. But the huntsmen had taken her on. Her father could be the one who was he only one of our kings to create an empire by annexing a part of a foreign country or the one who penned a great poetic work as Kavisilumina or the one who vanquished the independent power in the North and established Sinhala Buddhist hegemony. But the daughter had gone amiss. Perhaps she, like Kuveni, fled to the real heirs to the Land of Lanka.

Now to the arrows, one of which was wielded in the Kandy Hospital probably in broad daylight. In this 21st century. Bows (Dunu) included in the list of WMD?

Probably not. Is there a list of WMD germane to Sri Lanka? If there is, better include the Dunu Eethala in the list before another security officer or a man doing his duty join the dead. These are the days of spring, Arab spring included. Spring or Vasanthaya, springs in the most unexpected palaces led by the most unexpected segments of humans. On the streets, by the village wells, in the medley of shanties. Women seems more aggressive than the men while only people like me roost in houses and watch the dare devilry on mini screens. Some say all this deadly jugglery is because we are in Kaliyugaya or its end. I am not sure which.... Others take refuge in the Maya calendar.

Whatever it is, the cry can arise and there will be many sympathisers as that White lady who had initiated a campaign in Europe that Lanka should be returned to its Adivaseens whose homeland it is . Till that is settled the Adivaseens should be at least given the freedom to go about in their tribal dress or undress. But wait, till one of them gets a chance for a face to face meeting with the highest officers in the land who for courtesy's sake condescend to admire the kit worn and armaments carried and then the hunter takes a swap with his arrow incited by the Diaspora group. Then we have only Goddess Ratnavalli to turn to, as all hell breaks loose again in the Island of Serendipity.