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Walking through and reliving those moments
By Salma Yusuf
Businesswoman. Wife. Mother. And to balance all three is what Rohanthi Alahakoon, 25-year-old author aspires to achieve. Author? Yes. But then, where does the writing come in? Writing is her hobby, and now it’s official! Rohanthi’s first book ‘Moments in Time’ was launched on April 2.

It all started in 2004, when Rohanthi was reading for her degree in International Business and Marketing at Minnesota State University, Mankato, USA. She would find herself, as she sheepishly confesses, scribbling poetry as a result of boredom during university lectures!

Moments in Time, as the title suggests, describes her life experiences and is divided into three sections - Moments, Reflection and Curiosity. It traces a series of unconnected experiences and situations that the writer has faced, each of which has resulted in an emotional outburst, the vehicle of which has been the written word. It is almost as if the writer is taking the reader by the hand and reliving those life-defining moments of her adolescence. She explores a variety of topics, ranging from her feelings for her loved ones to her recollections of her schoolgirl days at Bishop’s College to her graduation, from the tsunami, to her last dance, and her vision for Sri Lanka.
Each story presents a thought-provoking insight into the wealth of feelings that are often overlooked but nevertheless attached to every human situation.

Moments in Time is written in poetry form but can be enjoyed by all age groups. It can be appreciated by non-poetry lovers too for though the diction and metre are simple and make easy reading, she has a highly evocative style.
In addition to writing, Rohanthi is also very passionate about ballet. She says that she ‘loooooooooves dancing!’ and not surprisingly, her teacher Oosha Saravanamuttu was Chief Guest at her book launch.

Asked what the greatest challenge was in this literary journey of hers, she says it was the fear that people would not like her work. She was unsure of her talent and constantly battled within herself to go on.

Rohanthi has many more books in the pipeline and does not want to confine herself to one genre. Currently working on a Math elementary workbook for grades 1 and 2, she is also writing a story with her brother, working on 8 books in all. Her “ultimate goal”, which she defines as “something I have to do before I die”, is to make a blockbuster movie of one of her writings.

This young achiever works at MAS Holdings and enjoys her work thoroughly. Being very sentimental, she fondly recalls her grandmother's last words to her: "Reach for the stars and don’t ever forget your roots". She seems to be living up to it as she is juggling her work and reading for a Master’s degree in Business Administration at the Australian College of Business and Technology while still finding time for her family and friends. Gratitude to those who have helped her along her journey in the 25 years she has walked the earth is very apparent.

Her determination and drive are praiseworthy. But what is striking is her philosophy: “It’s okay to do what you love” because, to quote Rohanthi from Moments in Time, “Don’t let anyone make you feel that you can’t have what you deserve”.

Moments in Time, by Rohanthi Alahakoon, is available at Vijitha Yapa, Sarasaviya and Samayawardhana Bookshops.

Anagarika: The man, his task and the many hurdles
By D.C. Ranatunga
A chance meeting with a stranger some years ago paved the way for historian W. M. K. Wijetunga to gain possession of a valuable collection of letters by Anagarika Dharmapala in the last few years of his life. He found the letters written to Ven. Matiwala Sangharatana Thera of the Mahabodhi Society, very interesting and informative.

In addition to publishing these letters, Dr. Wijetunga has done an assessment of Anagarika Dharmapala's service in a book titled 'Anagarika Dharmapala/ Siridevamitta Himi', which he describes as "a fresh assessment of the achievements and the setbacks faced by the Anagarika".

Describing how the Anagarika had faced these setbacks with 'metta',' upekka', ' weeriya' and 'appamada', Wijetunga calls his work the saga of a leader who defied all odds and made Sri Lanka proud. He is happy that with the publication of the letters - 22 in all - a wider readership would be able to read them and appreciate the enormous service rendered by the Anagarika.
Wijetunga sees two distinct features in the Anagarika's style of writing. One is the use of short simple sentences. The second is his practice of saying whatever he has to say directly without, as the saying goes, beating about the bush.

The letters, most of which were written in 1932 (he died in 1933) also indicate that after he donned the robes, the Anagarika's tone had softened. As D. B. Dhanapala had commented, "I could hardly believe that the mellowed, reposeful monk before me, talking of his vision of reclaiming India to Buddhism at the newly built Mulagandhakuti Vihara, was the same eruptive volcano that I listened to in Galle".

According to Wijetunga, the Anagarika was driven by three missions - one can even call them obsessions - from a very young age. Awakening the Sinhala Buddhists from their slumber induced by the colonial rulers, missionaries and other foreigners with well-entrenched commercial interests was the first.
The second was to win back for the Buddhists the world over, the sacred places in India associated with the life of the Buddha which were, at that time, in the possession of non-Buddhists. Thirdly, the Anagarika was bent on reviving Buddhism in India, at the same time spreading the Dhamma in the other parts of the world.

"Anagarika pursued his triple mission with ceaseless effort and determination, undeterred by detractors, saboteurs and character assassinations. He also had to face the wrath of the colonial masters who forbade him travel to Sri Lanka while making him a virtual prisoner in India for over five years," Wijetunga writes. The Anagarika assesses himself as an educationist during the period 1886-90 and thereafter as a person striving to revive Buddhism in India.

Wijetunga, in his assessment of the Anagarika, picks up the major transformations in his early life. He changed his name which appeared in the birth certificate as Don David Hewavitarana to Anagarika Dharmapala. Then he changed his attire from European clothes to a white cloth, a shirt and a shawl. (Later he dressed in yellow).

He was a vegetarian from his young days and though he asked his father for five rupees a month in place of the salary he was earning as a clerk, his father always gave him more. He also left home and lived in a small room in the office of the Buddhist Theosophical Society (BTS).

A feature in the Anagarika's life was the transparency he displayed. A highly principled man, he strove to lead his life strictly according to the Dhamma. He acted with utmost self-confidence and self-discipline. He displayed tremendous patience. Wijetunga quotes from the Anagarika's statements to prove these qualities. "Without anyone's assistance I worked at the Mahabodhi Society all by myself. I started an English magazine for the Society. Determination, courage and compassion helped me in my work.”

The Anagarika had a tough time in India. "There were days I didn't have a cent in my hand. With no money to buy something to eat, I remember days when I had just a few cents to buy a chew of betel which I used to gulp down and satisfy my hunger. In Saranath I had no bed to sleep on. I am trying tonight to sleep on two benches,” he wrote in his letters.

His philosophy of life was spelt out thus: "I have realised that being a householder protecting the house and rearing children is a sorrowful life. Therefore I decided to lead the life of a celibate. Although I like to become a monk, it is more useful to be a celibate for the rest of my life. For a selfish person, it is better to become a monk. For a person who wants to work for the welfare of others, he can be of greater service by leading the life of a celibate.”

In studying the Anagarika's work plan, Wijetunga was convinced that in today's terms, he was a fine strategist well versed in strategic planning. He knew his strengths and weaknesses and planned his activities accordingly. In January 1891 he went across to India and studied the state of Buddhagaya and Isipatana. In March 1891 he came to Calcutta and then to Burma and met several people and exchanged views with them. Here he identified two valuable links in the international network.

Having realised the need for an institutional framework to move forward, he set up the Mahabodhi Society in May 1891. This was considered a most fruitful step forward taken in concurrence with Colonel Henry Steele Olcott. Thereafter the Mahabodhi Society became his focal point. His next target was to house a few monks in Buddhagaya thereby establishing the right of the Buddhists to the sacred place. This was done in July 1891 when arrangements were made for a few Japanese, Burmese and Sinhalese monks to reside there. In October 1891 he delivered a public talk in Calcutta on the relationship between Buddhism and Hinduism to build goodwill between India and Sri Lanka.
The talk created a lot of interest among academics, intellectuals and journalists. An international Buddhist conference was held on October 31, 1891.

Wijetunga lists out the Anagarika's activities in the years that followed including visits to London, America and Japan, the launch of the Buddhagaya Fund and organizing the first ever pilgrimage to India by the Mahabodhi Society. The Anagarika's letters describe the struggle he had in getting back Buddhagaya for the Buddhists and although he could not achieve his goal during his lifetime he paved the way and twenty years after his death, in 1953, the Government of India placed Buddhagaya under the Archaeology Department ensuring freedom of visiting the sacred place without hindrance.
Wijetunga goes on to analyse the hard times the Anagarika faced in Sri Lanka in his effort to create a national consciousness among the people and how those with vested interests never supported him. Describing him as a trail blazer, Wijetunga describes him as "possibly the only Sri Lankan" who could have undertaken so many gigantic tasks ranging from the National Revivalist Movement to saving Buddhagaya, reviving Buddhism in India, and Buddhist missionary work in the West.

He quotes D. B. Dhanapala to sum up the Anagarika's service: "But for his work in Ceylon, we might yet be a colony of the British Empire; our culture a primitive pretence; our language a vernacular according to the classic meaning of the word; and our religion a secret ritual. He gave new sight to our eyes; new hearing to our ears; a new touch to our fingertips; a new feeling to our hearts."

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