Boosting our village life

by T. L. A. Perera

(July 20, Keselwatta, Sri Lanka Guardian) When we, as Sinhala Buddhists, boast of our unique 2500 year old culture, we highlight our ancient village culture and that rustic, rural way of life. We even specify that our village was in close proximity of a Wewa, Dagoba and Pansala. No mention is made even of a ‘polathu school,’ a Grama Sevaka, or any administrative body. It has to be presumed that the men are farmers, either paddy or chena. Even the Mahawansa does not describe as to how the ordinary people lived, under the King. Our chronicles mention the lives of our Kings but nothing of his vassals (Gettho), who had to perform Rajakariya by royal decree and live in servitude.

Only royalty could use chairs or beds or couches and the vassals could not wear jewellery. The villages in those times were a feudal system, with no citizens, but vassals who were called ‘Gettho.’ Those who performed Rajakariya were not paid but were given land to cultivate and live on the produce. Even their clothing was stipulated, without any finery even for the women. Their houses were mud huts with cadjan or branch roofing, with an open verandah where the only bed was to be seen with no mattress and spread with a mat; one main door which led into the one living room and the kitchen (Muluthenge) was at the rear, a low roofed mud structure with an open fire for cooking. Usually, there was no well as they had to depend on the near by wewa for their water, washing and bathing. During the drought they had to go miles in search of water. Toilets were not heard of, even now in some very remote villages. This I believe is a fair picture of our village before 1505, when with foreign invasions, all ways of rural life changed.

The objectives of the JHU, JVP, and affiliated chauvinist groups are to get at least the rural farmer folk to this way of life and live on the produce of the land and ban all imports. Wheat, flour, sugar, apples, grapes, butter, cheese, milk foods, foreign liquor and cigarettes are the culprits which transform our rural lifestyles and drain our national revenue, by the billions each year, forcing whatever government in power to beg for foreign aid for survival. So, our visionary President identified the most undeveloped villages and pledged to develop them with or without foreign aid or NGO intervention. However, no model plan was stipulated on how these villages are to be developed like what President Premadasa did, and to develop and retain the village values, customs and traditions. Most of Presidnt Premadasa’s Gam Udawas are highly developed towns with so many facilities. Will this ‘Gama Neguma’ too end up the same way by transforming remote villages into small townlets?

However, I would request those sincere nationalists to watch the ‘Yeheliya’ teledrama episodes shown on Rupavahini and see what sordid crimes are committed daily in our remote villages, where mostly helpless women and young girls are subjected to rape and abuse and in most cases, incest and how they end up not in any temple or Buddhist institution but in a convent where they are cared for after their horrendous experiences. How has the ‘Dagoba’ and the ‘Pansala’ effacted their rural rustic lives? Is banning foreign liquor the only priority? What about the kasippu which has become a growing industry? It is sad to say that our monks have failed to protect our villages and have taken to politics and professions to earn a salary and perks and live in luxury, blaming the foreign forces for our plight.
- Sri Lanka Guardian