The Eighteen Group

The Eighteen Group is not a revolutionary group. In fact, I came across them in a book I reviewed recently. It is a motley group, the only common denominator they display being that they are an all male group.

There is also one common factor regarding the time phase they lived ie the period between the 19th and 20th centuries. They were also aesthetics and that presumes, as regards the conditions of the period owned to a social standing where one was free from day-to-day encumbrances of living that makes life so dull and uneventful and uninspiring. Of course, there are many in the world who surmount such circumstances and rise, but as far as I know such humans you can count on your fingers here, especially during the dismal period mentioned.

Dismal is an understatement to describe this period. Learning had fallen so low. Pirivenas had gone into abeyance along with the sacred books of yore. Concerned Bhikkhus were hiding them from the non-Buddhist rulers for fear they would be destroyed and that led to another form of negligence. In fact, it was a White scholar who retrieved our Mahavamsa from a temple in the South. A book misplaced is a book lost,cries out library slogans. It happened very often here.

Dismal times

They were indeed dismal times as far as the Sinhala language and writings were concerned. Who ignited the blaze again? Some are reluctant to admit that the trailblazer came from distant Tumpane. The name itself had become a byword for a habitat of ‘Stupid folk’ that entails an interesting episode. To make a long story short, the episode was connected to an alms-giving to the canine species who being strangers to table etiquette had an eye always for the other one’s share the area just shook with their howls.

The king coming to know of this debacle, asked as to its cause and was enlightened by courtiers, probably in exaggerated terms. The king, Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe, who befriended the Sangharaja much, had burst out, “Niley Sangharaja vuvath,gama Thumpane”. This leads to the insinuation that the village was already known for this type of crazy act.

Recently, I happened to read a piece on Timbuktu. Oh! Go to Timbuktu, one exclaims. So, Timbuktu has become a byword for remoteness and dull living. But this piece informs that the Dark Continent of Africa is not dark at all.

During a discussion

While the European invaders were sampling tasty pieces of it as implied in the Rape of Africa, historical and literary documents were being hidden in Timbuktu which was the name of their protector,a mere female who lived in North Africa and opted to collect them all.

Literary renaissance

Now we have forgotten all about our 18 Group we began with and may be coming to it, in small steps. What is remarkable is that they were not ordained to light the torch of learning that caught the fire flames emanating from the literary renaissance triggered by Velivita Saranamka thera. Bhikkhus in the South infected with the spirit such as Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera ignited the whole process in South Lanka. Not to be outdone a group of lay people, much concerned began their own successful voyages. Mainly via the print medium. Most of them took to the print medium like ducks to water.

They aroused the lazy slumbers of many citizens, writing articles, beginning their own newspapers, exhorting people to good living patterns via frequently held meetings, debating with each other.

Their chief weapon strangely seemed to be the newly sprung newspaper and in fact the 18 Group come under the title pioneers of Sinhala journalism. Going through the list, however, one gets struck by the fact that two Buddhist journalists have been left out ie. James de Alwis and Sir James Peiris. James De Alwis alienated from the Sinhala Buddhist community by prophesying in his introduction to Sidat Sangara Viyarana that the island will soon be converted to Christianity. It was even more ill-received than the prophesy made by Governor North in Galle that very soon the superstitions of Buddhism will be destroyed. Frederick North was a European and Christian, hence entitled to be pardoned.

If an intense survey is done to find out the background of the 18 Group, it is sure to throw up many a rustic background but they rose timely to the occasion when all things indigenous seemed to be giving their last gasp.

When only English newspapers were being circulated, they came up with their own brand fashioning the language to flexible forms that would appeal to the reader. Features such as Letters to the Editor were encouraged drawing the average man into the orbit of mass communication.

For many years no woman seemed to be bold enough to enter the field. It was at first a typical all-male group that dabbled in books and newspapers which was probably considered an all male kingdom. The limitation of mega newspaper institutions such as Lake House to male staff for years is symptomatic of this trend. Kamalakka an idol for children for many years was just a masquerader. The fingers with which “She” wrote beautiful stories and poems for children of the 40s and 50s were covered with bristly hair. The discovery, I remember made me cry at the hypocrisy of the world.