“Thaaththa,” Bindu Udagedera asked, “what is all this fuss about a pop star?”
“Well,” Bindu’s father Percy said, “they say he should not be performing in Sri Lanka…”
“Why is that, thaaththa?” Bindu wanted to know.
“Apparently, he has produced a music video which some say insults Buddhism…” Percy explained.
“Then, that is a serious matter…” Bindu agreed, “but then, why did they invite him here at all?”
“That is a question that they are trying to answer,” Percy declared, “because they say that some of the organizers were government institutions…”
“Even then, thaaththa,” Bindu said, “if the pop star is not suitable to come to Sri Lanka, all they have to do is ask him not to come here…”
“I think they have already done that,” Percy said, “because they are supposed to have refused him a visa…”
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“That is certainly better than what happened to Shah Rukh Khan…” Bindu recalled.
“Why,” Percy asked, “what happened to him?”
“Why, thaaththa,” Bindu remembered, “didn’t we get him down and then sabotage his concert by throwing grenades?”
“Ah, yes,” Percy said, “two people lost their lives too in that incident…”
“So, we have done better than that because we have now asked this pop star not to come,” Bindu suggested, “then, we won’t be leaving room for such incidents anyway…”
“I am not so sure about that, Bindu…” Percy said.
“Why do you say that, thaaththa?” Bindu wanted to know.
“Why, Bindu,” Percy said, “even before he could come, the offices of a television station were attacked apparently because they were linked to his visit in some way…”
“How did that happen, thaaththa?” Bindu was puzzled.
“Well, it was quite simple, really…” Percy declared.
“Why do you say that, thaaththa?” Bindu inquired.
“Well, people came in a government run bus, parked the bus near the office of the television station, and started attacking the station with stones…” Percy said.
“But thaaththa,” Bindu wondered, “how can they do that? Wasn’t there anybody watching all this?”
“Of course, there were,” Percy said, “because this happened in broad daylight...”
“But why wasn’t the police called?” Bindu wanted to know.
“Of course they were”, Percy said, “and the police jeep that came was parked quietly a short distance away…”
“And they did nothing?” Bindu demanded.
“Well, they did detain sixteen people…” Percy conceded.
“Ah, then justice will be done…” Bindu said, “we do not have to worry about that…”
“Yes,” Percy said, “justice has been done already because they have been released on Police bail without charges being filed against them…”
“So,” Bindu asked, “who are all these people, thaaththa?”
“We don’t know who they are,” Percy said, “but we do know that they are all from Kelaniya and that the bus that brought them also came from Kelaniya…”
“Now isn’t that a coincidence?” Bindu said.
“Why do you say that, Bindu?” Percy wanted to know.
“Why thaaththa,” Bindu said, “doesn’t our modern ‘Dutugemunu’ also hail from Kelaniya?”
“Yes, he does,” Percy agreed.
“And doesn’t he anyway have a quarrel with this television station?” Bindu asked.
“He does, I suppose,” Percy said, “but then, he does have problems with other television stations as well because he tends to get bathed in red paint when he goes near a television station…”
“Maybe that is why he was not among the crowd that came that day and attacked this television station, then…” Bindu proposed.
“But, Bindu,” Percy said, “aren’t we being unfair in assuming that all this is his work when all the evidence that we have is that those people and their bus came from Kelaniya…”
“We must put that down to coincidence, then…” Bindu said.
“Who knows there might be another coincidence soon,” Percy declared.
“What coincidence is that?” Bindu wanted to know.
“Why, Bindu,” Percy said, “isn’t there an election soon?”
“Yes, there is,” Bindu said, “but what has the election got to do with this incident, thaaththa?”
“Why, Bindu,” Percy pointed out, “in that election, the people might decide that these modern ‘Dutugemunu’s should not be sent to Parliament…”
“What is the significance of that, thaaththa?” Bindu was still puzzled.
“If that happens,” Percy said, “we have to assume that it is because of a coincidence and not because these ‘Dutugemunus are not in anyway linked to what happened at the television station…”
Bindu didn’t quite know what he should say to that. |
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