Letters to the Editor

Buddhism, Sinhala culture and Sinhala race are linked
This refers to 'Right to change one's religion' by Chris Deraniyagala (The Sunday Times, November 23). No one has the right to take advantage of people's poverty and illiteracy and offer them bribes, monetary help, gifts and promises of jobs to entice them to change their religion. This cannot be dubbed an individual's right.

Why the Buddhist clergy and associations oppose conversions by deception is due to many reasons. Buddhism is not a religion and does not have a system of faith, prayer and worship of invisible and imaginary gods. Buddhists follow a doctrine of reality and a way of deliverance based on the theory of cause and effect.

The Buddha says:
“By oneself alone is evil done, by oneself is one defiled.
By oneself is evil avoided, by oneself alone is one purified.
Purity and impurity depend on oneself
No one can purify another.
According to the seed that's sown,
So is the fruit ye reap therefrom,
Doer of goodwill gather good,
Doer of evil, reaps evil.

Sown is the seed, and thou shall taste the fruit thereof." Buddhism teaches maitri or compassion to all living beings and abhors the killing of harmless animals for food.
Buddhism, Sinhala culture and the Sinhala race are inextricably linked just as Christianity, western culture, western races like the Portuguese, Dutch and the British are interwoven. Buddhists sacrificed their lives to protect Buddhism.

Tamil patriot Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan told the British rulers: "The day Buddhism is not here, there will be no Sinhalese and the day Sinhalese are not here there will be no Buddhism." The Portuguese invaders inflicted untold cruelty on Buddhists who refused to convert to Roman Catholicism. Later came the Dutch who imposed Protestant Christianity on Sri Lankans.

The Christian missionaries got the rulers to harass the Buddhists who resisted change. May I request Chris Deraniyagala to read books on Ceylon History from 1505 and ascertain how their ancestors became Christians.

LTTE has no right to arrest fishermen
This refers to recent media reports about the LTTE capturing 32 Indian fishermen.
Certainly, the incident signalled a warning from the LTTE to the Indian government, as this terrorist group displayed its ability to challenge India too.

If the fishermen had encroached on Sri Lankan waters, then it is a matter for the Sri Lankan government to take action. The LTTE cannot take upon itself a task that is the responsibility of the government.

On this basis, the Sri Lankan government should stand by its neighbour and adopt stern measures. The failure on the part of the government to take action is a sign of impotency of its administrative machinery.

Politics of road widening
Thimbirigasyaya Road, one of the oldest roads in Colombo, is an important link connecting Havelock Town with Elivitigala highway. Amidst a continuous flow of traffic, residents find it difficult to either park their vehicles or turn them into their gardens. Pedestrians have no pavement and have to paste themselves against walls to avoid being run over.

What is unique is that every feeder road is wider than Thimbirigasyaya Road. One has only to look at Jawatta Road, Fife Road, Torrington Avenue and Kirula Road to get my point. No politician representing the area has bothered to resume the road-widening project which came to a halt at the Jawatta turn off a few years ago.

Recenlty, the inconvenienced residents were happy to see road-construction equipment moving in. But it turned out to be a project exclusively for a VIP and only the stretch between St. Theresa’s Church and the VIP's residence near Kirula Road was widened to ensure that no heavy vehicles disturbed him.

English teachers seek answer
The World Bank has granted a colossal sum to improve English teaching in government schools. A part of this grant is being used for buying English books for school libraries.

A grading test was conducted sometime ago to assess the standard of English teachers. Although the results of this test have not been released, its aim is unclear. If it is to help teachers to improve their standards by providing learning opportunities, it would be appreciated by the English teachers.

However, the delay in implementing plans annoys teachers. The silence and the inaction of the authorities are frustrating. Moreover, this situation will make the public think that the money allocated for this purpose remains unused due to the lack of interest shown by the officials.

All about the Viking head gear
Neville de Silva (Thoughts from London', November 30) states, "The Vikings wore a helmet with two horns. No wonder Sri Lanka finds itself on the horns of a dilemma. Vidar Helgesen on one side and the Rising Sun on the other. What an unforgettable contribution to civilisation- smorgasbord and shabushabu."

The historical Vikings did not wear helmets with two horns on them. Horns would tend to resist the helmet's deflection of sword blows, an unimpeded surface being better. The Celts apparently wore horned headgear (and nothing else) to battle, and the confusion seems to have arisen from this, a confusion worse confounded by the Victorian habit of drawing Vikings with winged helmets. Plus, of course, the winged helmets of the Valkyries in Wagner's 'Ring' operas, which made them quite the vogue in pan-Germanic circles.

However, the Hollywood film 'The Vikings' , which gives a fairly accurate representation of Viking lifestyles and clothing (if not such a faithful account of the death of Aella at the hands of the sons of Ragnar Lodhbrok), shows them in more utilitarian helmets.

Archaeology indicates that Viking helmets were actually equipped with spectacle-like appendages for protecting the eyes. So perhaps the Scandinavians are looking at the Sri Lankan situation through rose-tinted spectacles, rather than putting us on the horns of a dilemma.

Let's welcome new Trinity principal and wish him the best of luck
The Board of Governors of Trinity College, Kandy made a unanimous choice from three contenders, a Sinhalese, a Tamil and an Englishman, to be the 17th principal of the school in its long history of 132 years.

A few dissident voices have complained against the selection. Are they not exposing their concealed agenda? Re-phrased, do they have their own candidate? Will there not be protests if a choice is made between the two Bhoomiputras?

Even when the incumbent principal, Professor W.R. Breckenridge, took office with more goodwill from old boys, parents and students than even the legendary Rev. A.G. Fraser who came to College, "found it brick and left it marble", there were a few dissenting voices.

A foreigner as the principal assumes office without any hang-ups. He shows no bias on race, caste or creed. He will be the CEO, delegating authority to competent officials. Rod Gilbert will adorn with dignity the office of the principal much in the manner of illustrious men who "tanned the hide of us" -- Rev. Collins, Rev. Garret, Rev. Hodges, Rev. Perry, Rev. Napier-Clavering, Rev. Ryde, Rev. A.G. Fraser, Rev. McLeod Campbell, Rev. R.W. Stopford and Norman Walter.

The present principal has kept the college on an even keel. The new principal will not be faced with the backbiting and sectarianism rampant in today's Trinity society.
A vast majority of right-thinking, loyal Trinitians are not parochial in their views and are without hidden agendas.

They will wish Mr. Gilbert the best of luck, as he will not be shackled by the trials and the tribulations that the incumbent principal had to face. The bottom line is that the highest authority, as far as Trinity College is concerned, has made a choice and it is for everyone to accept the decision and comply.

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