D.S. Senanayake and World War II

How DS saved Ceylon from a food crisis

By D.T. Aponso-Sariffodeen 

D.S. Senanayake's contribution towards Britain's war effort marked a turning point in Anglo-Ceylon relations and brought about propitious opportunities for Ceylon in its advent towards self-government. As enemy troops ravaged through Burma, Netherlands East Indies and Singapore, Ceylon's strategic importance to Britain as a naval and air base for its military operations against Japan accentuated. Furthermore, as the Indian National Congress adopted the stance of non-cooperation and non-participation, Ceylon's support became vital for Britain's defence in the Indian Ocean. D.S. Senanayake, who understood Britain's weakening position in Asia, offered his sustained support towards the war effort. Furthermore, when Malaya fell into the hands of the enemy and when the source of rubber was depleted, Mr. Senanayake assured Britain increased production of its much needed tea, rubber and copra, and brought Ceylon to the forefront as a primary resource producer for the Allied forces. 

In the local environment, the demise of Burma marked a termination of Ceylon's main source of rice. In order to avoid a food crisis, D.S. Senanayake entered into negotiations with India and succeeded in including Ceylon as part of the economic orbit of India. With the Japanese air raid on Ceylon the non-Ceylonese trader, who dominated the import trade together with the wholesale and retail trade, vacated Ceylon causing an overwhelming food shortage in the island. Mr. Senanayake took this opportunity to bring the import trade under Government control and assured the distribution of foodstuffs, islandwide, with the assistance of the Co-operative Movement. His actions avoided a devastating food crisis and marked a turning point in price controls and effective distribution of food throughout the island.

Japan's entry into the war precipitated the need to organize Ceylon's civil defence on a more intensive scale. Therefore, on January 1, 1942, the Civil Defence Department was created and the Auditor-General, Oliver Goonetilleke, became the Civil Defence Commissioner. Dr. Ivor Jennings, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ceylon, assumed duties as the Deputy Civil Defence Commissioner. As food control and distribution was one of the responsibilities acquired by the department, D.S. Senanayake, as the Minister of Agriculture and Lands, also became a part of this organisation. Their services became so vital to the smooth running of the civil and military authorities of the island, that Mr. Goonetilleke soon renamed their collaboration the "Breakdown Gang" and their motto became "Go anywhere, do anything". The foremost project the Civil Defence Department was delegated with was the preparation of an airstrip across the Colombo Racecourse; and because of his famous reputation for getting things done, D.S. Senanayake was put in charge of this project. 

The Japanese air raids of April 4 and 9,1942, caused a serious food shortage in Ceylon. The bombing caused the non-Ceylonese traders to flee Ceylon closing down their businesses and the local merchants left the city for their homes in the country. The non-Ceylonese trader monopolised the import trade, and had a very substantial control of the wholesale and retail trade. As a result the entire system of food distribution came to a standstill. 

Mr. Senanayake who was in charge of emergency food control schemes during the war, took maximum advantage of this situation and brought under government control the importation of foodstuffs, wholesale and retail trade, that was dominated by the non-Ceylonese merchant. After the air raid on Colombo, Mr. Senanayake entrusted the Colombo Municipality with organising 54 rice depots to distribute food rations to the people of the city. A system of rice ration books was implemented and assigned to these depots to facilitate the distribution of provisions. Consumers were able collect their rations from the respective depots which their ration books were attached to.

In the wake of a drastic food scarcity in Ceylon, Mr. Senanayake put his ideology of the Co-operative Consumer Societies, with a new decree, into effect. The Co-operative Consumer Societies in Ceylon, took its initiative from the co-operative organisation of the British Colonial Government, who embraced the doctrine of Cooperative Credit Societies for small scale agriculturists. Mr. Senanayake believed that the less skilful Ceylonese trader with the association of the Co-operative Consumer Societies would be able to compete with the non-Ceylonese merchant more effectively. He also believed that through these societies the Ceylonese population's needs could be met more effectively at government controlled prices. Profiteering was rampant and debt had encroached upon the public due to credit facilities offered at high prices by the non-Ceylonese trader. Therefore, Mr. Senanayake launched a planned drive, of a very intensive scale for the organisation of Co-operative Societies throughout the country. This attempt by Mr. Senanayake was recognized as the most effective machinery for the equitable distribution of supplies during the difficult times of the war.

The food crisis during the war years granted Senanayake the opportunity to revamp the Co-operative Consumer Societies with a new directive. His approach ran counter to the concepts of orthodox Co-operators and officials of the Department, who had been nurtured on ideas of self-help and voluntary effort without Government assistance and intervention. Although there was doubt with regard to the government intervention and financing, in the wake of a national emergency, Senanayake's challenge was taken up in the spirit that it was given, and officials and Co-operators responded alike to the call setting aside their differences to set up the organisation that was needed. The food depots that were organized in Colombo after the bombing, were taken over by the new Cooperative Department in the middle of 1943. In order to further enhance this campaign, a plan was drawn up to divide the city of Colombo into 105 convenient areas with a Co-operative Store serving each area. 

This objective was accomplished within six weeks: 102 Societies were registered and three existing Co-operative Societies were brought within the scheme to complete the required 105. In April of 1942, when Senanayake assumed control of the food drive, Ceylon had 52 Consumer Societies with a working capital of Rs. 246,000. By April 1945, in three years, it had risen to 4,004 stores with a membership of 1,010,575 and a capital of Rs. 5,977,664. The total sales of these stores amounted to Rs. 119,316,949 with net profits of Rs. 3,010,758. 

Through the Co-operative Movement D.S. Senanayake achieved a dual objective: an equal distribution of commodities, at government controlled prices, throughout the island; and Ceylonizing the import trade. The Co-operative Movement served the Ceylonese most efficiently during the war years. It posed an effective check on the profiteer and hoarder and had an immediate effect of lowering prices of the private retail shops. Furthermore, due to a well-organized network of distribution throughout the island, foodstuffs reached the consumers' hands effectively and food rationing became a reality. 

In this manner, the Movement served over two-thirds of Ceylon's population, especially the lower income groups. As it spread nationwide, a substantial portion of the trade that had been dominated by non-Ceylonese for many decades, was restored to the hands of the Ceylonese almost overnight, thereby preserving the profits of trade, which was quite substantial, for the benefit of the people of Ceylon.

Somawathie shines again

Roads desolate except for the occasional military vehicle, are now being used by the people. Public transport has revived and a few shops have come up by the side of the main road. The Somawathie village is limping back to life. When we visited the ancient site last week it was a hub of activity with the Road Development Authority officials, archaeologists and rehabilitation officials working together to restore basic facilities for visiting pilgrims.

For Ratninde Soratha Thero, the chief priest of the Somawathie Raja Maha Viharaya who fled the temple 15 years ago fearing LTTE attacks, the Medin full moon Poya on March 28 will be a homecoming, an answer to his constant prayers after years of denial.

" We fled the area 15 years ago when an LTTE attack became imminent, and managed only to revisit the temple once when the "Chuda Manikya" was removed. With normalcy returning to the village and devotees happily paying homage here, my happiness knows no bounds as I prepare to return," enthused the priest. 

The incidents that led to the abandonment of the Somawathie Vihara are heartbreaking. 

The first warnings that the temple was under threat came when terrorists brutally massacred a Buddhist monk in a smaller temple nearby known as the "Punchi Somawathiya" . Aware that they were to be the next target of LTTE gunfire, Ven. Soratha left along with villagers to the nearby jungles. They slept in the mosquito infested thickets, survived without facilities, food or even a drink of water, each day bringing its own hardships and fears. 

Ven.Soratha Thero recalled those days of keeping vigil, the uncertainty that surrounded their lives and their painful decision to abandon the temple and head for Lankapura to seek temporary refuge in a small temple. 

The priest's departure, was followed by a visit to the village by armed LTTE cadres who occupied the temple premises for days. 

The Somawathie chaitya, the villagers say, lies upon a land route used by the LTTE cadres to cross over from Trincomalee to Batticaloa, hence it was an area strategically important to them. 

Obviously, the large presence of devotees and the daily temple activities hindered their movement which is why they decided to occupy the temple premises.

However, the actual attack was launched on Sungawila, the village closest to the sacred site, just seven km from Somawathie where terrorists overran the army barracks there. The dawn attack caught the military men unawares as they were attending to their morning ablutions. 

The villagers shudder, recalling the gruesome incidents that followed. Dissanayake, a chief dayaka of the Somawathie chaithya who was responsible for providing all facilities to the pilgrims was mercilessly slaughtered by the Tigers along with his four daughters. The entire village wept when their bodies were piled inside Dissanayake's house. And Dissanayake himself was a harmless man who dedicated his entire life to serving the devotees,"the Ven. Thero noted. What followed was utter neglect of the sacred area. Illegal felling was rampant and the valuable forest cover which contained ebony, teak and rare medicinal herbs was plundered. 

The only consolation, according to villagers was that the chaithya was spared of any ravages. 

Conflicting opinions have been expressed about the Chuda Manikya of the ancient chaithya. Villagers claim that it was removed by the terrorists during an attack five years ago, but left abandoned in the thickets due to some mysterious reason. However, archaeologists counter this school of thought claiming that the Chuda Manikya collapsed due to corrosion. 

The precious gem was recovered from the thickets by villagers and is now kept at the Archaeological Department in Colombo.

"When I heard about the removal of the "Chuda Manikya", I got onto a tractor to get here. Some villagers and soldiers fearing that I would come to some harm accompanied me. Villagers were inconsolable that the "Chuda Manikya" was gone. It is of great symbolic value to Buddhists and it was to our relief that the gem was discovered in the jungle area," the Thero said.

Despite the many uncertainties in life, the ceasefire has brought about a semblance of peace to these villages that have not known a quiet moment in the past decade. 

With villagers eager to plough their fields and recommence their little businesses, Somawathie is also having its visitors, both from the nearby villages and far-flung areas. 

For Kamala Jayawardhane, a devotee who had been denied the opportunity to visit the temple she daily worshipped at as a youth, the chance to revisit Somawathie is a long cherished dream. 

" I have come here often in the past. We who live in these villages that are under constant threat have very few opportunities to enjoy the simpler joys of life. 

"I feared that I would never make it to Somawathie before I breathed my last," she said, her eyes alight with eagerness.

And for the likes of Kamala and those from Somawathie and the surrounding villages, the ability to visit and worship at this sacred temple is an emotional issue and one that is close to their hearts.

Special ceremonies

In celebration of the reawakening of a temple long forgotten and unvisited, several activities have been planned for the forthcoming Poya.

Plans have been made to celebrate the annual "Aluth Sahal Mangalya" or the rice festival at the Somawathie Chaitya instead of the Gal Viharaya - Polonnaruwa. 

A sapling from the Sacred Bo tree in Anuradhapura is also to be planted here with several leading philanthropists being actively involved in these programmes, according to the Administrative Officer of the Lankapura Divisional Secretariat R.Weerawansa.

The culmination of the Poya Day activities will be the re-installation of the "Chuda Manikya" and the illumination of the chaitya with 84,000 oil lamps, an ancient Buddhist ritual to invoke blessings. 

Special security arrangements have also been made for the day while a special bus service will be operated during the Poya period with better facilities being provided for pilgrims.

For Ven. Soratha Thero and the villagers- it is a time of forgiveness and fresh hope. 

"We want to leave the bitter past behind us and move forward," he said.

Conservation or destruction?

An archaeological team completing their initial surveys on the historical site told The Sunday Times that the clearing of the forest covered area has led to the destruction of ancient tiles, bricks and even some granite carved items.

The haphazard manner in which the area was cleared without proper guidance from the Archeological Department has been the problem, they say.

The dagoba is covered with graffiti since visitors began pouring in since last Poya, much to the annoyance of the archaeologists who appeal to the general public to refrain from destroying an archaeological site that is being restored at great cost for posterity. 

Plastic bags, polythene and empty bottles have been strewn all over by over enthusiastic crowds.

The beginnings

According to the Mahawansa, the royal couple left Ruhuna and sought refuge in Raja Rata over a disagreement with King Dutugumunu who was also the nephew of Somawathie. 

At the queen's insistence, a chaitya was built in this area. 

Seven stone inscriptions detailing the history of the dagoba have been found in the area.

Since then, two kings have renovated the chaitya and visitors can view the section of the chaitya which reveals the three layers illustrating the three periods during which renovations were undertaken. Its accidental rediscovery by a senior government officer came in 1948 and since then it has been a revered place of Buddhist worship. 

The most recent restoration was in 1970.