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Vesak or Valentines?
By Dilrukshi Handunnetti
Vesak: To the majority, it carries a special spiritual message associated with the Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Passing Away. Despite the colourful Vesak kudus and pandals that give such an air of festivity to Vesak, it is essentially a time for quiet reflection and serene spirituality.

With the invasion of consumerism, however, many things have altered, even the manner of celebrating Vesak. Today, the accent seems to fall on the mundane, the celebration, and that again is a far cry from how Vesak was observed a few years ago. Little wonder that plastic Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck have replaced the traditional olu bakkas or the humorous looking masks associated with Vesak and that Vesak greetings are now similar to Valentine's Day cards.

It is against this backdrop that the government decided to crack down on Vesak cards that infringe upon Buddhist religious sentiment by 'indecency and violation of the sanctity of the occasion'. Imposing a tough ban on the printing and selling of such cards, the Ministry of Justice, Judicial Reforms, National Integration and Buddha Sasana recently instructed police stations to take action against those violating the new regulations.

But how effective is the ban? Despite orders to seize vulgar cards and to charge the offenders, what we saw at various card shops was an attempt to outwit the authorities. With the ban being strictly applied to the sale of cards with images of actors and actresses in romantic poses, traders have instead, settled for doves and peacocks, roses and rabbits complete with passionate verses.

From Maradana to Bambalapitya, it is a sea of make- shift card shops, each containing cards with romantic greetings. Under the guise of Vesak greetings, many contain wishes to meet again in the journey through Samsara as lovers. Even cards with wishes for early unions are being sold!

S.A. Ariyaratne runs a tiny card shop at the Kirulapone junction. He believes that preferences have drastically changed over the years. A decade ago, the demand was for cards with Buddha images. Today, his customers want roses and soldiers.

"Often girls come looking for soldiers' images or cards with sentimental verses. It is the elderly folk who actually spend time reading the written word. Young people prefer glossy cards with romantic messages and pictures," he said.

And there indeed were elaborate cards with paper hearts bursting open, hearts nestled among roses and turtle doves bearing rings.

Asked about the ban on indecent cards, one printer said that 'indecency' has not been legally defined. "In an open economy, everything depends on supply and demand. People are not satisfied with the Buddha images alone. They want cards with actors, flowers, soldiers etc; Many want cards with romantic expressions."

Practising his seasonal business of card-selling during Vesak were Mahendra and his wife Swarna in Maradana. One card caught my eye- an image of the destroyed Bamiyan Buddha which seemed to be popular with many.

Seetha Illangathileke who bought a dozen Bamiyan cards said that the present day cards were so vulgar that she felt ashamed to send them. "They have no Vesak thoughts. At least this card will mean something special as all Buddhists mourned the Taliban's destruction of the ancient sandstone Buddha statues."

According to Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero, Secretary of the Jathika Sangha Sabhawa and chief priest of Naga Vihara, a Vesak card should essentially carry a religious message, irrespective of the relationship between the sender and receiver.
"First, a Buddhist must understand the significance of Vesak. No other event is as important as Vesak to a Buddhist, yet many lose sight of its significance," noted Ven. Sobhitha.

Shashika Perera is a young card seller from Mt. Lavinia. He claims that cards with roses and hearts sell like hot cakes. Last year he sold over 400 such cards and has invested more in such cards this year. "That's where the money is. That is the market. So what is wrong?" he asks.

But Sugathasena, Shashika's father who runs another temporary card shop has different views. "The new regulations are necessary. People are forgetting that Vesak is about impermanence and sharing a spiritual message. Even to lovers, we should be sending meaningful messages," he said.

His stall too, had a few cards with the customary love lines. His defence was that they were surplus cards from previous years, as he did not wish to invest in them anymore. " I don't want to be nabbed by the police," he said.

Said M. Manjula Pushpakumara, a young card-seller from Kirulapone, "Young people go for the picture and the glossy finish. Often, older folk come and ask us to select the verses. I am a Buddhist too. I would rather sell spiritual cards than cards with cheap sentiments."

But few vendors shared his view. Many felt that they were simply catering to public demand. They claim that the first step should be to stop printing offensive cards. "We buy them because they are available. When we supply the demand, the market expands," they claim.

Cards don't come cheap either. The more romantic the card, the higher the price. The decorative cards with hearts and doves resembling wedding invitations were priced at Rs. 70 each while others ranged from Rs. 50-60.

Questioned about the effectiveness of the ban, Buddha Sasana Minister W.J.M. Lokubandara said the police have been instructed to seize indecent cards and institute action.

The Minister said the ban has been misinterpreted by some to suit their purposes. "Many think that we have only banned the sale of Vesak cards with pictures of actors or couples. The words 'indecency and injury to religious sentiments' have been carefully included to cover other aspects too."

" It is not a matter of introducing tough laws, but one that calls for action. Wrongdoers should be nabbed and immediate action taken. It is also inadequate to look at the cover when some of the verses are steamy and lustful. Only strict action can serve as a deterrent in the future," said the Ven. Sobhitha.

Vesak cards, as Ven. Sobhitha says should only be spiritual messages , an exchange of Buddhist thinking. They should carry no mundane or personal thoughts. What the authorities cannot do by seizing indecent greetings, the buyers could do by being mindful of the message of Vesak.

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