Columns

Once Chennai was like a desert city. Today it is a beautiful city full of trees. The beach was dirty. Today it is clean, well swept daily and full of tourists. We have many a story such as ‘Andare the Court Jester’ and even the ‘Alibaba and Forty thieves’ but the message is clear, we do not know where we are heading!

When I visited Chennai and saw the slogan ‘Tree Bank,’ it was a taxi driver who explained its meaning. “Reverend Sir, banks can go bankrupt and collapse. They can become unprofitable. You can never say. But if we grow trees, they will be secure and lasting. So in this country people are keenly investing in trees.”

When I came back, I placed ‘Tree Banks’ advertisements in the newspapers. Many companies helped me and published the advertisements free. This happened in the 1980s during the time of President J. R. Jayewardene. We did not stop at advertising but went to Kurunegala looking for forest areas with Mahogany and Teak trees. We helped the villagers and with their help, gathered and collected many valuable plants and seeds.

The small trees we planted around the Beira Lake are full grown now. We were assisted by Gangaramaya Technical College students to collect plants and seeds. When some businessmen observed our work, they bought up land and started growing trees and sold the trees to those who were interested. We are not sure whether some know this history. But the results were frightening. Companies who sold these trees became bankrupt. Some who invested in this Tree Bank concept lost their money. But we did not stop our mission.

There is a large property at Urumutta in Akuressa. This was a large rubber plantation under the British and came under the Bhadrawathi Fernando Fund later. Since this land belongs to a Gangaramaya devotee, we have planted thousands rubber, tea, coconut, mahogany, teak, tamarind, arecanut and vanilla trees on this land. These trees, including Tea and cinnamon, grow naturally without any chemical fertilizer. Similar plantations could be seen in Kurunegala Ambakote Shakerlie Estate, Nugadanda Estate in Ingiriya, and in Suriyawewa, Weeraketiya and Galboda.

At Urumutta there are many roads going up to Rajjurubandara Devale, with another route having a pathway with more than 800 steps. In addition, there is a motorable road to reach the Devale in just two minutes. Many devotees come to this famous Devale on Poya days and during the weekends. The Vihara has been carved out of a 40-ton rock with an eight-ton statue of Lord Buddha.
There are trees such as mahogany and teak around the parks and the Beira Lake in Colombo. These were planted by the Municipal Council on our guidance. There were no mahogany trees in Kataragama earlier. Today, Kataragama’s Gangaramaya Rest is surrounded by mahogany and teak trees. We also gave some coconut saplings and they are bearing fruit now.

Sri Lanka’s Timber depots are selling foreign timber. Coconut rafters are expensive. We cut trees but do not plant new trees. In the 1970s especially, the Government took over private estates, but could not protect these lands. Trees were cut down and the state plantation bodies went bankrupt. Today, Canada is a success story in planting trees. It is the same with Malaysia and Indonesia. Dubai, which is mostly desert, is growing more trees than Sri Lanka. There is no better country in the world for planting than ours. But we are importing food, timber, roof sheets and even needles and thread. We need underground springs for our wells to have water. But underground water is slowly decreasing. Who will save us? We are running short of even sand and cement.
We do not have enough hardworking people who will save our country from the debt crisis. There are too many lazy people around and too many sick people. Too many accidents. Little or nothing can be done without money.

We get into debt when weddings and funerals come our way. We spend far too much. As for weddings, I believe it is okay to have some enjoyments, but it needs to be done in a moderate way. We need to promote the concept of ‘First the home and then the village’. President Ranasinghe Premadasa started the Urban Development Authority. It has vast powers. But it is more interested in taking over land than development. If we develop our fields, get new types of paddy planted and export the crop, we could develop. The pungent chillie costs Rs. 500 a kilo. We import Jasmine flowers from India. We must grow what we can and export what we can to earn a profit.

We are proud to have helped in reestablishing indigenous education at the time it went into decay. Buddhist student monks received scholarships. Under our advice, Minister Lalith Athulathmudali inaugurated degree courses, and the salaries of those with indigenous course degrees were increased. Today’s university students may not be aware of this.

Today it is ‘Samurdhi.’ Then it was ‘Janasaviya’ started with the help of Gangaramaya. We are told there are now 2.5 million applicants for Samurdhi aid. People are becoming poorer. At that time we helped in getting the midday meal for children and the cultivation at village level. During the war against terrorists, the National Hospital’s accident ward was in a state of disrepair. Our Technical College students helped renovate it.

On august 8, the President presented the Pradeepa Pooja Certificate to me. Another 47 graduates of Vidyodaya received this certificate. I do my duty with commitment and integrity. During the time of Minister Loku Bandara, I was nominated for the highest degree, but I did not accept it.

All temples, religious organisations, and capable retired persons must get together and take steps to develop the country. This will help the younger generation and take our country to prosperity. This is my wish for our beloved country.