Open letter to Sir Arthur C. Clarke

By Kalakeerthi Edwin Ariyadasa

'We may, discover that our place in the universe is humble indeed. We should not shrink from the knowledge if it turns out that we are far nearer than the angels. Even if this is true, a future infinite promise lies ahead. We may yet have a splendid and inspiring role to play, on a stage wider and more than ever dreamed of by any poet or dramatist of the past.

For, it may be that the old astrologers had the truth exactly reversed, when they believed that the stars controlled the destinies of men. The time may come men control the destinies of stars.'

Arthur C. Clarke - 1999

Dear Sir Arthur,

As a living, terrestrial, carbon-based biped, you (to use your own

expression) orbited the sun for 90 years. During the past five years your interred earthly remains continued the solar orbit, though the said carbon-based biped was bereft of life. Had you not passed away in 2007, you would have been 95 on December 16.

Urgent issues

A multiplicity of urgent issues, has prompted this open letter to you. In the recent years, a whole series of developments has begun to disturb mankind to the very depths of its being.

The widespread rumour that the world will end on December 21, set off an unprecedented global alarm. It is 'unprecedented', because it swept across the world at a surprising clip, aided and abetted by the swift and sophisticated media of communication, that mankind has inherited from your pioneering concepts. Sri Lanka, in particular, is currently in the throes of a trepidation, caused by a host of phenomena, that many tend to believe is 'space-related'.

To begin with there was a phase of freak weather. Severe droughts parched the cultivated land. Tanks and natural streams dried up leaving behind baked and cracked layers of soil. Suddenly heavy rains arrived accompanied by thunder bolts and vast floods. This recurring drought and flood phenomenon continues unabated.

All those one could categorise as 'natural', though they had unusual features.

Today as we address this open letter to you, waves of nameless fear have begun to traverse the length and breadth of our land. These are brought on by a series of mysterious occurrences.

Red Rains baffled us. Some averred that these could have been caused by a species of algae from space.

Enigma

The latest enigma is the appearance of travelling lights in the night sky.

'Are these flying saucers?' some wondered. Eye witness accounts deepen the mystery. Photographs and TV images

have been produced. I am quite certain Sir Arthur, that you would fully appreciate the degree to which our people are shaken, when these events assault their mind, as if the rumour of the end of the world were not sufficient.

This is exactly where this open letter comes in. If you were around alive, the world would consult you to obtain a sobering explanation.

We in Sri Lanka would have felt, quite safe from all those 'space' related menaces, had you been with us to provide sage counsel.

Given such a context, we yearn to the very core of our being, to know if you have re-incarnated somewhere, keeping a watchful eye on what is happening to us in this turbulent vortex of so-called 'space' allied occurrences. But, there is a bit of news, that you may perhaps deem salutary.

We have, at long last, a communications satellite, that could be considered our own.

As a nation, we should feel awkward to recall that, we were not able to loft our own communications satellite when you, the God Father of extra-terrestrial communication relays spent more than half of your valued life in Sri Lanka.

In my open letter to you, I have an important personal observation to make. When I marked my 85th birthday way back in 2007, you wrote me a cordial letter. In that latter of December 1 you said, 'I see that you are catching up on me.

Intriguing wish

I'll be turning 90 on December 16'. May I indicate that, I turned ninety as you expected, on December 3.

I have an intriguing wish for you to ponder on. In the Buddhist work titled Anagata Wansa Desana (The Discourse on the Future), it is said, that a seven-day devastating rain will occur. Those who are caught in it, calamity, Kamavacara devata (Worldly Deities) appear and warn people to remain inside without exposing themselves to this slaughter rain.

Those who see others as enemies and would kill them. Prior to this heed and remain indoors are saved. In this open letter my plea to you is to appear as a 'Kamavacara devata' and warn mankind of impending disasters. Incidentally, Sir Arthur, do you have anything to do with these travelling lights, seen sporadically, in Sri Lanka's night sky?