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| Sunday, 15 June 2003 |
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Flood relief Sel lipi by Gotabhaya Swasthi Shree! Thus says his sacred Majesty, the gracious Great King, glorious Chakravarthi, King of the Kings of Maya, Pihiti and Ruhuna, Mahoora of the Vanniala-aeththo and ruler of all lands from Yapapatuna to Sampanthota: Around the time of the full-moon Poya day of Vesak, the southern regions of this resplendent isle were inundated by the worst floods for fifty years. It appears that the strength of the deluge was exacerbated by the gem pits, the digging of which has weakened the soil, making them more vulnerable to earthslips. Mountains slid down into their valleys like Asuras felled by the mighty Sakra with his giant bow, blocking the outflow of the rivers and worsening the floods. The first affected was the >Ruhunu Rata and the country of the Saparas, but the clearing of the blocked valleys flooded the Pasyodun Rata in its turn. This has rendered lakhs of people homeless and hungry. The authorities everywhere responded to this calamity with utmost dispatch. Manthris, Korales, Gamaraalas and their subordinates rushed to send food and clothing to those rendered destitute by landslides and floodwaters. From every corner could be heard the cry 'give unto your compatriots, who are in need'. Our allies of Dhambadhiva sent us a ship, loaded with provisions, physicians and divers, to aid us in our plight. Even the pereliya, Velu sent chariots of food and clothing from his northern abode. However, it has come to the notice of the Maha Wasala that in a certain area, clothing donated for the needy has been incinerated as useless. For, it appears, this deluge of aid, rivalling in intensity the original flood itself, has in several areas fallen into the wrong hands. It is said that, in the metropolis of the Saparas, the Saman-protected city of Ratnapura, a single bag of de-watered cow's milk - of the naeng-gurama variety, brought from the antipodean isles of the Southern ocean - can be obtained at 20 kahapanas, as against 120 elsewhere. Items of raiment are cast away by the wayside, amidst an abundance of garments, especially in the Sapara pura itself. Alas, it seems the superabundance of wealth in that opulent city has turned people's eyes away from the suffering of others. As people in the less accessible areas undergo untold hardships amidst the wrecks of their fields, their homes and their lives, others take advantage of their plight to turn the floods of flood relief to their own advantage. And this remains true in other, less gem-rich areas as well, as unscrupulous elements attempt to become flood-rich overnight. It is said that, in the jungles of Sri Vijaya, in the lands of the Jas, there is an ant which protects its dwelling from flood waters by blocking the entrance using its head. It later drinks those waters that escape into its den and micturates it outside. Alas, how much better seem these ants of Sri Vijaya than the citizens of this dhammadweepa in defending their homes from the over-enthusiasm of the gods of rain! For the result of the depredations of the miscreants, among the supplies sent to those suffering from the effects of the floods, is surely to be more poverty, and consequently more crime as the poverty-stricken attempt to feed their children by any means available. The Maha Vasala is of the opinion, therefore, that the criminal elements who attempt to rob the wretched refugees of the floods should be tied to posts and dis-entrailed by tusk elephants, in the manner of our ancestors. Swasthi Shree! This rock edict is made on the day of Ravi of the month of Poson of the year of the Saka Era 1930. |
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