Inspiring designs for architecture enthusiasts
Contributions to Architecture by Panini Tennekoon. Reviewed by Punyakante Wjenaike
Although the subject of architecture and I are far apart, I was inspired to write this review because of the author of the book. Panini Tennekoon is a close cousin and, more than that, a close friend. Relations are not often, friends.

When I was a child I was one of the privileged few permitted into the privacy of his den, his room. Inside it I used to marvel at his 'creations'. Panini must have been a young man of 19-20 years, a quiet, unassuming person with few words and a shy smile. Beautiful landscape paintings hung on his walls alongside big-busted Sigiriya frescoes delicately drawn. Pieces of sculpture lay scattered about with one or two cats purring between them.

I remember his gifting me with a beautiful little ship, carved out of wood and painted blue and white. I was thrilled. We were under-going World War II and there were not many toys on shop shelves to buy.

After he graduated from S. Thomas College he decided that architecture was where his heart and his talents lay. Many people are compelled to chose an unsuited vocation to make a living. Lucky is the man who can be happy in his work.

Panini followed a course in architecture at the University of Peradeniya. He was selected for a course in the same subject at the Bartleet School of Architects, University of London. Due to adverse living conditions prevailing at the time in London because of the war he decided against it. However in 1955 he was awarded a Colombo Plan scholarship to the School of Architecture at the University of Melbourne, Australia for five years. Due to his good performance he was able to reduce his time spent in Australia to three years. He returned, with a prize and a letter given him by the Professor of the University of Melbourne, to serve his motherland. It was the first time an Asian student had been awarded a prize.

In Sri Lanka, he began as the assistant architect in the Public Works Department. In 1977 he became the Chief Architect, Additional Director in the Department of Buildings. In the year 1979 he assumed duties as Chief Architect of the Greater Colombo Development Authority now known as Urban Development Authority.

From the year 1991 to 1993 he was consultant architect of the architectural unit of the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau.

He also created a memorial to D. S. Senanayake with a hall flanked by lions at Independence Square.

Apart from mighty politicians Panini remembered the suffering of the Kataragama beauty queen Manamperi. He erected a mural showing the humble, rural life she had led until her tragic death. In 1979 I too released a story about her in a book titled The Rebel.

Among the well-known public buildings created by Panini are the park bungalow of Giritale, the aquarium of the Zoological Gardens and its restaurant of Dehiwela, the towering Aukana Buddha on Bauddhaloka Mawatha, University hostels, circuit bungalows and tourist guest houses. The pictures of these items are in the book. He also designed a low cost housing scheme for President Premadasa.

He is responsible for the recent design of the Teaching Hospital Complex on the premises of Colombo South General Hospital at Kalubowila.

Copies of Panini's well illustrated book are available at his residence -15A, Maitland Crescent, Colombo 7. For those interested in architecture it is an inspiring book.

The charge
From encounters with ill-tempered elephants to rescuing trapped deer, Cecil Dharmasena brings to life the wilds of Wasgamuwa
By Cecil Dharmasena
The rather stockily built, dark skinned animal had no tail tuft. Though not very significant, it caught my eye as it stood across the tank bund, peacefully feeding on the short grass. Within minutes, the peaceful atmosphere changed dramatically. With a sly but nonchalant look, it was slowly and deliberately walking towards us. Something told me the overt nonchalance was feigned so as to throw us off guard. But as the urgency in its stride increased, even Gemunu, our tracker, seemed fidgety and finally blurted out, "start the engine...!"

As the jeep sprang to life, up went the trunk into its mouth and the elephant charged head on. Reversing was out of the question because right behind us was a large herd coming to water in the Wilmitiya tank and we were on the tank bund with very little room to manoeuvre. I had no choice but to 'charge' the charging elephant which suddenly looked huge, a formidable fighting steel tank, trumpeting and roaring madly. The distance between us was just 25 feet.

Those next five seconds will forever be etched in my memory. We all screamed with choice four letter words thrown in for good measure, while I revved the engine and went straight at the massive creature. Within a couple of yards of the bonnet, it got cold feet and turned away slightly and right on cue, I swerved the jeep away and around the beast which then turned full circle, its huge posterior brushing the offside door. Another fraction of a second and I was past it, roaring away safely along the bund.

I stopped 50 yards ahead and everyone took deep breaths while I reached for the bottle of water and a cigarette. My mouth was dry and sweat dripped down my face while my heart pumped madly. It took a few minutes to calm down while the elephant known popularly as "Dolphin' at Wasgamuwa National Park, stood eyeing us for a while before heading off into the forest.

Some years ago, we were on our way to "Sansthapitiya' (so named because the Timber Corporation or "Sansthawa' had logged all the trees there long ago) and at a little muddy pool by the roadside were two huge elephants locked in mortal combat. One had been pushed down onto its knees, while the other, almost kneeling, was pushing it head to head. It was an awesome sight and the grunting and loud bellowing was enough to scare the daylights out of even the most experienced forester.

But our tracker calmly instructed me to stop right there and switch off the engine. On no account was I to start without his saying so. The mammoth battle went on barely ten yards from us and before long the inevitable happened. Both giants turned around and saw us uninvited spectators distracting their private duel. With a loud scream, the nearer bull came at us. What I can yet remember is the strong muddy and musty smell that emanated from both animals which were in 'musth', their temporal glands (cheek glands) oozing with 'musth' fluid. This is the time that male elephants become extremely aggressive and amorous to boot.

It took only a second for tracker Liyaneris to open the door, step out right before the charging monster and scream "hitu aliya" (stop elephant!). It was no "manthram"; just those two simple words, but yelled out loud as a thunder clap and with total control and authority. The charging beast skidded to a stop just six feet from the jeep and Liyaneris stood there, arms raised, almost under its jaws. With trunk raised and ears widespread, the beast slowly backed away with low guttural sounds before turning with a trumpet and going back to its duel.

Meanwhile, Liyaneris confidently got back in the jeep while we remained thunderstruck, unable to comprehend what had happened. The ladies in the party had all but passed out.

Liyaneris told me later that to stop an elephant, you have to stand outside with feet firmly on the ground. This was absolutely essential, according to him. The only rational interpretation I could give was that the elephant gets perturbed by a man defiantly standing before it rather than by someone shouting from inside a vehicle. And elephants are generally scared of men and will run off if you stand your ground and shout loud enough. Probably the scent of your hormones may have something to do with it as well. But I wouldn't recommend anyone to try this experiment. It certainly is a somewhat suicidal option.

Not all elephants in Wasgamuwa are aggressive although they are generally ill-tempered and finicky in the presence of vehicles compared to the rather tame creatures at Yala and Uda Walawe which have become well behaved and sophisticated by their long association with thousands of tourists who flock there daily. But "Dolphin" (which began its campaign of terror by kicking over a Dolphin van) and "Bonnet" which has the propensity to smash in the bonnets of vehicles with its massive head, are two of the really cantankerous pachyderms at Wasgamuwa. You never know when or where you'll meet them and only some sort of providential intervention can save you from calamity. Once, a brand new double-cab had to be towed away with its bonnet and engine smashed in by "Bonnet". So it is important that you keep your eyes open all the time and work out an escape route if you happen to meet one of them.

"Maha-Kabaraya" is big. I mean really big. It is supposed to charge on sight, but at times can completely ignore you as I found to my surprise last year. At Ambagahapitiya one evening, we were watching a fairly large herd of about thirty elephants. It included many babies and a half grown tusker. Half an hour later, out walks "Maha-Kabaraya" from a patch of forest. The "Kabara" or light patches of skin on its trunk, face and ears and the huge size makes it unmistakable. It came towards the herd and started smelling out each female. Some females submitted while others ran off. Then it slowly walked up to the three females which were feeding right besides the jeep, with "musth' fluid squirting out of its cheek with every step. I wanted to start up and move away but the tracker confidently said it was not in an attacking mood. As usual, he was right. I calmly checked out every female while standing right alongside the jeep. I could have stretched out my hand and almost touched it. Unfortunately the tracker forbade photography, since the clicking of a camera could have changed its disposition within seconds.

Wasgamuwa Park was a Strict Natural Reserve many years ago while its northern sector was an intermediate zone where hunting under licence was allowed in bygone days. Thankfully in 1984, with the advent of the Mahaweli scheme, Wasgamuwa was declared a National Park inclusive of all areas between the Amban ganga and Sudukanda range on the west and the Mahaweli in the east. Its total area today is 393 sq. km. (152 sq. miles).

Wasgamuwa is steeped in history with several large tanks such as Wilmitiya, Malagamuwa and Dastota built by ancient kings. Driving over the Sudukanda range on the eastern sector, one comes across some ruins and a stone inscription pillar, now fallen and exposed to the elements. At Malagamuwa, there are stone pillars and an ancient anicut in ruins.

A unique feature alongside the Mahaweli are the low lying natural depressions carrying water, called "ebbe". Kok ebbe, Yudagana ebbe, Wavul ebbe and Kiri ebbe always carry some water and are generally full of bird life.

Many years ago, we noticed a barking deer (Muntjac) stuck in the mud at Yudagana ebbe. It was the height of the dry season and while the deer struggled pathetically to extricate itself, a pack of jackals watched from a distance, expectant of a tasty meal that night. The tracker and I managed to move a fallen log into position across the mud and while I held the tracker steady on the log, he gingerly bent down and got hold of the deer by its ears and pulled it out. The deer, a male, and its mate which had by now come out of the thickets, stood together looking at us till we were gone, an obvious look of gratitude on their little faces. The jackals, having lost their buffet, didn't look so happy. But we felt elated like two boy scouts having done their good deed for the day. It was the topic of conversation that night at our camp-fire by the river.

One night at the riverside campsite, we were relaxing after dinner. The breaking of branches heralded the arrival of an elephant. It was deliberately coming towards the camp although we built up the fire and made a few noises. Apparently, the over-ripe pineapples we had, seemed to attract it since even we could smell the fruits from quite a distance. Finally, the tracker had to light a few crackers to discourage further intrusion. It would have been the lone bull we had seen that evening close by. At three in the morning it came again and more crackers had to be lit. I dread to think of what would have happened if we had not heard it in time. The general rule is to eat all the fruit before they become too ripe.

Crossing the Wasgamuwa oya which is the haunt of bear (the Park Warden had once seen a group of nine bears) one gets into thick forest full of Kaluwara (ebony) and Kalumediriya (calmander) trees. Some are so huge, it is a miracle that they have been spared by illicit timber fellers all these years. Once in this area, we came across the carcass of a sambhur, the victim of a leopard. It was the smell and the buzz of flies that led us to this gruesome spot. Examining the site, we found the tree up which the leopard had lain in wait. The whole area below showed signs of a desperate struggle. Broken branches and crushed bushes, large patches of blood and a big piece of ripped off skin embedded on the sharp end of a broken branch. The poor creature had put up a violent fight but to no avail. On the following day, the carcass which had been pulled further away by the leopard overnight, was smelling, full of maggots, flies and hordes of black ants.

At Hatharaman-handiya (4-way junction), the road ahead leads north to Kiri-ebbe and beyond to Malagamuwa tank, while a left turn will take you to the wild interior. A short distance down the right hand track brings you to a very remote and beautiful campsite by the river. The Mahaweli is full of rapids at this spot while the sand-spit at the edge of the wide river where huge kumbuks cast deep purple shadow, is a haven for birds and butterflies. On several occasions we were visited by a lone bull elephant at this camp where we normally spend around four or five days each time. It would quietly stride down to the river past the edge of our camp just before dawn and drink its fill. At sunrise, we would see its massive prints on the sand covering our own footprints of the previous day. But it never disturbed us although we could hear it feeding around the camp throughout the night.

Last year, having booked this campsite, we were on our way there when another party warned us that there was a wounded elephant right there which would attack anyone approaching the place. Fortunately, the veterinarian was quickly brought in to treat the poor animal and we were later told that it had recovered. It was a lucky escape for us that day (we moved to another campsite) and I wondered whether the poor beast was our regular "camp friend" of yore.

Once we walked past the Wavul-ebbe guard quarters down to the river and surprised a large crocodile sunning itself on the embankment. It splashed into the water at our approach. A few broken egg-shells leathery and white, a little larger than duck eggs, lying at the spot indicated a crocodile nest and we were lucky to see a mass of six-inch newly- hatched baby crocs at the edge of the water. We had inadvertently disturbed the mother guarding its young.

The riverine forest down the Mahaweli is where I saw my first red-faced malkohas. There seemed to be quite a number of these secretive and bright- coloured birds in this area.

The Sudukanda range which is about 1500 feet in elevation, runs parallel to the Amban ganga. There is a road skirting the Kadurupitiya plains that enters the thick forest at the base of the range. One branch leads over the hill while the other goes straight through to Hatharaman-handiya.

These roads are frequently blocked by fallen trees and overgrown shrub jungle and although it may take all day to hack your way through, it is worth a trip. It is an area where man has hardly set foot and the sheer remoteness of it gives one a never to be forgotten thrill. Once, passing over a small bridge on this road at the dried up Elle-oya, we were surprised by a young leopard coming out from under the bridge. It had been having a siesta in the cool shade underneath and had been rudely awakened by us.

During the rainy season, especially in December and January, the huge Kadurupitiya and Yudaganawa plains become green with fresh grass.

I have never seen so many large herds of deer anywhere else in the country, except perhaps at Bagura-Eliya in Kumana. And these deer are sleek and huge unlike their cousins elsewhere.

The Ulpath-hatha (seven springs) campsite across the Sudukanda hills is the farthest campsite where seven little springs at the edge of the hill give out clear water throughout the year. However, the water is slightly hard, with orange coloured mineral deposits around the springs. The place is said to be the haunt of bear and the "Ulama" or Devil bird. We have heard the "Ulama" (Forest Eagle Owl) many times here and at Uda Walawe and Gal Oya, generally late at night. It is eerie and frightening when one is in the heart of the jungle. Whether those who hear the Devil bird are in for bad luck, I have never found out.

Some miles from Hatharaman-handiya is Veheragala or Veddagala, a remote, large rock outcrop, up which one can drive. Poachers had used the rock to dry flesh, and the bleached, white bones of deer, wildboar and porcupine and even the scales of a pangolin (scaly anteater - "Kabal-eya") are strewn all over. The view is fantastic, with Dimbulagala rock in the far distant north, Thoppigala in the east and the Knuckles range spreading out in a blue and purple haze across the western horizon.

Late one evening we sat atop this rock. The sun sank with a crimson glow and before long, the full moon arose over Sudukanda, casting its soft, silvery blanket over the darkened forest spread out below us. The heavens glowed with a million stars while a gentle breeze rustled the bushes and leaves on the rock. Then, our silent reverie and the eerie silence were broken by the sudden snap of a branch. An elephant was on its way and it was time to get back to camp.

The writer is former Director/Environment & Forestry, Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka

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