Kachchathivu feast:

Creating a great brotherhood across the Palk Strait

By Ranil Wijayapala

St. Anthony, the patron Saint of the fishermen and the seafarers, according to the belief of the Catholics, has given this one and half square kilometres tiny dotted, uninhabited island of Kachchathivu in the Indian ocean, prominence for the fishermen from Sri Lanka and India.

Pilgrims from both countries attending the mass

Pilgrims from Sri Lanka and India awaiting their boats at the jetty

Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage, Army Commander. Lt. General Daya Ratnayake, Director General Coast Guards, Rear Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne,Commander Northern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Sarath Dissanayake and Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Udaya Perera attending the mass

The fishermen from both countries believe that a small shrine dedicated to St. Anthony located in this tiny island is a blessing and their lives will be protected and their fishing life prosper.

That belief has made them so enthusiastic to arrive in this tiny island after spending hours on a risky journey on crowded wooden hulled boats cutting the waters of the Indian ocean.

Eventhough the island has no source of drinking water no shelter to relax except for the shrubs fill with thorns and no source of food, their devotion to St. Anthony has made all those difficulties unbinding in their pilgrimage.This tiny island has naturally become a blessed land to bring communities of both countries warring over the issue of fishing together in one platform.

Repeating that ritual of having the annual feast in dedication of St. Anthony in this tiny island, more than 5,500 fisher folk made their feet into this small island on March 15 and 16 marking yet another year of solidarity between Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen despite the controversies they are having over poaching issue and illegal fishing methods.

Irrespective of the territory they have come, they all touched the feet of the St. Anthony's statue in one faith and huddled in front of the shrine they prayed and light candles before altar together and praise the God with Halleluia in one voice during the mass.

Though they feet on a uninhabited arid land which comes under Sri Lankan territory to participate in this annual mass with faith, they were blessed enough to have the required facilities on their arrival despite the fact that they see them in their perspective. The land was best prepared for the event and Sri Lanka flags fluttering in the breeze gave them all a warm welcome.

Whether they came all the way from Gurunagar, Kurikadduwan, Nainatheevu or Delft from the Jaffna peninsula, all the way from Negombo or from the Indian side from Rameshwaran, Pamban in Tamil Nadu they all disembark from the same barge installed by Sri Lanka Navy to facilitate their arrival.

Though the number of Indian pilgrims participating in the feast outnumbered the Sri Lankans they all moved together in one direction from one end of the island to the other to take part in a mass conducted by the catholic priests from the two countries along with dignitaries representing Sri Lanka and Indian governments.

It was an event open for the citizens of two countries and Indians who wanted to participate need no permission from the immigration officials of Sri Lanka though it is an island that comes under Sri Lankan territory. Those fishermen who lock horns each other at the sea in search of lucrative fishing grounds move in togetherness in this event of brotherhood. The open market provided an opportunity for the people from both countries to buy things and exchange what they have brought.

They share their experience and say how many times they have attended the feast along with their grandfathers and great grandfathers, giving innuendos to the others about to whom the islands belongs to.

But in front of St. Anthony they all mute their arguments as they believe it was his blessings what matters for them but not the matter to whom the island belongs to.

So it naturally becomes a ground for the unity of communities from India and Sri Lanka.

But underneath this smooth operation a huge operation continued through the Sri Lanka Navy to facilitate the process.

If not for the operation the Sri Lanka Navy began more than two weeks ahead of schedule to clean the environment and construct makeshift structures and toilets to facilitate the people, the feast of this nature would not be possible.

According to Commander of the Northern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Sarath Dissanayake, they commit the Navy personnel from Northern Naval Area command to facilitate this event more than two weeks ahead of the event."It is not an easy task to provide electricity and specially drinking water to the people attending this feast as we have to transport generators and water tanks from the mainland in the Jaffna peninsula to facilitate this event. To provide drinking water for the people attending the feast we had to transport 110,000 litres of water to the island in tanks", Rear Admiral Dissanayake said.

Temporary jetties were made ready for people to secure their boats conveniently and special SLN life saving and medical teams were there on the island to ensure the safety of the devotees attending the annual festival. Provision of sea transportation for the VIPs attending the feast was also undertaken by the Sri Lanka Navy to facilitate the process.

Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage who graced the occasion along with Army Commander Lt. General Daya Ratnayake said that after permanent peace returned to the country in 2009 Sri Lanka Navy could facilitate the Kachchathivu feast from 2010 for the benefit of the people attending this event.

"This is a place of meeting for worshippers and place of brotherhood for both the countries. We have received a lot of support from the Sri Lanka Army, Police and the Government Agencies together with the Catholic Church in Jaffna, in a very meaningful manner.

The Indian High Commission is providing us financial assistance to do this in a more organised manner", he said.

"I am sure you will understand that it is not easy to provide logistics to 5,500 people who have come to worship St. Anthony. The Government of Sri Lanka has taken every step to provide food, water medical facility transportation, and the coordination for those who have come to this island", he said while addressing the media at the end of the mass conducted by priests of both countries to bless the people gathered there at the shrine.

"We see this Kachchatheevu feast as an event of friendship across the Palk Straits between the two countries. So we will continue to facilitate the Kachchathivu feast because this is a very great occasion as only one day a year can we meet like this", the Navy Commander said.

The Mass was conducted by the Vicar General of Bishop's House of Jaffna, assisted by the Parish Priest of Delft and Kachchathivu. They thanked the Sri Lanka Government, the Sri Lanka Navy and the Government officials for assisting them to make this event a success.

It was with great togetherness the people of both countries participate in the event and embark again on their boats to start their return journey to their countries but leaving all garbage in the island making it a place infested with polythene.

So it is up to them to give small thought about the cleanliness of the island when they come back next year to the island to worship St. Anthony without leaving it as burden to others.

Pix: Thilak Perera