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Apreciations Buddhist revivalist's
unfulfilled dream To understand
the man and his vision, we must go back to his roots and the fervour
of Buddhist consciousness that century. H.D. Albert (as he was originally
named) was an exceptionally bright schoolboy, of humble origins,
from a village off Horana. He found a place in Ananda College where
he was supported by his older brother Surveyor, H. Don David, a
truly self-sacrificing man who never married as he spent his youth
supporting his younger brothers and sisters till they stood on their
own feet. Young Albert
fulfilled all his expectations. As a schoolboy, intoxicated with
the nationalist ferment of Ananda, he boldly discarded his English
name and re-named himself, Ananda (after his beloved school) Mivanapalana
(after his village). His life-long friend Gunapala Piyasena Malalasekera
had similarly jettisoned the colonial label of George Pieris. Mivanapalana
was a brilliant student and carried away so many prizes that, one
year, he had to hire a rickshaw to carry the load home to his proud
brother. He was an avid reader all his life. His well-thumbed prize
books, carrying Ananda's proud crest, now adorn the bookshelves
of his children. When Mivanapalana
completed his schooling he continued at Ananda as a teacher. He
belonged to an enthusiastic band of young teachers and students,
overwhelmed by the charismatic Kularatne, who unstintingly gave
their all to build Ananda into a national monument imbued with Buddhist
values and Sinhala traditions. Mivanapalana
and his friends, inspired by Kularatne, renounced western clothes
and proudly adopted Arya Sinhala dress. In this group were G.P.
Malalasekera, D.T. Devendra. W.E. Fernando and D.C. Lawris. While yet a
teacher, Mivanapalana qualified as a lawyer. The law was his chosen
vocation as he relished the cut and thrust of debate - in the classroom,
in friendly conversation and the courts of law. Early on he battled
the hide-bound, black-coated legal establishment and won the right
to appear before the bench in Arya Sinhala dress - the very first
lawyer to do so. Mivanapalana
was a successful lawyer who developed an unrivalled expertise and
a wide practice in transport and insurance law. He pioneered the
establishment of the General Insurance Co., among the first wholly
Ceylonese-owned insurance firms. Many successful insurance executives
and entrepreneurs began their careers under his tutelage. Characteristically,
his company head office was in the Olcott building of the Buddhist
Theosophical Society. Mivanapalana
was closely associated with Malalasekera in founding the All Ceylon
Buddhist Congress (ACBC). This was the first Buddhist organisation
in colonial Ceylon with an all-island scope. Its annual conferences
held in provincial centres were important public occasions which
focused on vital issues that concerned the entire Buddhist community
and provided a forum for grassroots level participation. In 1952, the
ACBC took the initiative to call the very first major international
gathering of Buddhists which established the World Fellowship of
Buddhists. Mivanapalana was one of its founding fathers. Buddhist philosophy
was the motive force in Mivanapalana's life. He read widely and
discussed what he read tirelessly with his friends and scholars.
In the early 1940s the course of his life was changed by Henri Van
Zeyst, an intensely spiritual young Dutchman, who had left a Jesuit
monastery and come to Ceylon in his search for Buddhism. Van Zeyst entered
the Sangha as Bhikku Dhammapala and many yet remember his tall,
noble figure in dark brown robes. Mivanapalana became his foremost
acolyte. The partnership of Dhammapala and Mivanapalana made a tremendous
impression on Buddhist schoolchildren in the mid- 1940s. Dhammapala
spoke to them in simple English, brilliant with human cameos and
an impish humour that made Buddhism real and meaningful to the young. Dhammapala
would have achieved nothing without Mivanapalana's organizational
genius and unflagging generosity. Their partnership
and the fervent enthusiasm they inspired among their following of
schoolchildren inspired the formation of the All Ceylon Buddhist
Students’ Union (ACBSU) run by the students themselves. For
many years it was a lively, vital and vocal organisation with its
own journal (BEES) and enthusiastic conventions, playing an activist
role in Buddhist schools. All philosophies
and psychology were of absorbing interest to Mivanapalana. His immense
library had books on Hindu, Greek and Christian philosophy and psychology
with copious marginal notes made in his characteristic spiky handwriting
as he read deep into the night. He was an active member of Dr. Ratnavale's
Rotherfield Psychological Society which he frequently addressed. Dhammapala,
however, gradually began to feel that life in the Sangha was not
his path to salvation. Convinced Buddhist though he was, Mivanapalana
stood by his friend in this traumatic period of spiritual striving.
This path led to various Indian teachers, among them Krishnamurthi,
and finally back to a finer more mature understanding of the Buddha
Dhamma. Education was
Mivanapalana's other great love. He was an exponent of both mental
and physical education. He was an enthusiast of physical culture,
devoted to "pumping iron" decades before it became today's
fad, and even found the time to head the All Ceylon Weight Lifters'
Association and organize Indo-Ceylon championships. Mivanapalana's
personal generosity knew no bounds. It was as widespread as it was
unobtrusive as he never sought personal glory or titles. Coming
from a village, Mivanapalana was deeply egalitarian in his convictions.
He firmly opposed snobbery and exclusiveness of every kind and envisioned
education as the path of success, as it had been for him and many
friends. He became,
thus, a natural ally of Dr. C.W.W. Kannangara in the struggle for
free and equal education for all children in this country. He travelled
far and wide in the countryside addressing meetings in this cause.
Fortunately, he lived to see the fruition of this vision and the
establishment of the first Central Schools. While in India,
Mivanapalana was impressed with the non-formal and holistic education
imparted in the Theosophical Schools at Adyar and the beautiful
mountains of Rishi Valley. They aimed to develop the child's personality
without compulsion and to impart knowledge without the sharp spur
of competitiveness. He returned
to Ceylon determined to replicate these institutions in an inspiring
location. He purchased a vast extent of wooded hills and valleys
in Rangala, remote from urban centres and established the foundation
of a self-sustaining education community. It was staffed by idealistic
youths serving both village children and others bold enough to hike
the hills to awaken their consciousness and latent abilities within
the community of ‘Shanti Valley’, as Mivanapalana named
it. This wonderful
dream was never to be fulfilled. The wheel of karma turned too fast
and Mivanapalana never lived to see the fulfilment of his grand
vision. He died in the prime of life, at age 53. Neither the ACBSU
nor the Shanti Valley School could survive the loss of their moving
spirit. Our country
became poorer with the loss of Ananda Mivanapalana, a free and wondrous
spirit. Fifty years on, it is timely that we remember him while
there are yet men and women who can recall his bright passage through
our firmament. Only memories
remain We miss you,
Ruvani Happy birthday,
my son We long to
see your loving smile and hear your soft words of love and laughter. Not even for
a moment did I think I will lose you so soon. Sweet memories and
dreams are all I have of you. May the good Lord keep you safe in
His arms and may your soul rest in peace till we meet. |
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