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• Days before the Sun God has even begun his annual transmigration in celestial spheres, an astrological rebellion on earth in Lanka strikes fear and confusion

Days before the traditional new year arrives, an acrimonious star war has broken out between two camps in the Cultural Ministry’s 42-strong State Astrologers Committee.

This dedicated galaxy of professional star gazers’ fiercely fought dispute, revolves around whether to dine on the 13th night or breakfast on the 14th morning to herald a peaceful and prosperous new year for the family and country.

Such are the weighty thoughts that occupy the minds of those who reside in the land of the lotus eaters. Long before the Sun God has even begun his annual transmigration in the heavenly spheres to become exalted in the fiery War Lord Mars’ constellation of Aries, their collective fancy, whilst they await the summer feast, profoundly takes a gastronomic turn. And for good reason, too.

For many in the Western world, the dispute might appear a trivial issue but for the natives of Lanka, it’s one worth enough to draw blood. Ever since the great economic debacle, they must perforce exist on one square meal a day, and the auspicious time when to consume the day’s sole sustenance is no laughing matter but one that boggles the mind.

MAIN NEKATH TIMES AT A GLANCE - The Sun’s transmigration begins on April 13th night at 9.05, dressed in blue and facing south, when it enters the constellation of Aries. The lighting of the hearth is at 11.06pm and the time to partake the first meal at 12.06 am that night.

To starve all day and eat at night or eat at morn and starve all night is the question that perplexes ‘nekath’ makers, and keeps them up all night, burning the midnight oil. For the controversy hasn’t blown away but has intensified in strength. The swords are drawn and the battle is on, with each camp zealously protecting its own hallowed ground and refusing to yield an inch.

The State Astrologers Committee was set up in 1991 by the then Cultural Affairs Minister Lokubandara to establish a standard auspicious time for everyone to simultaneously participate in New Year’s rituals at one given moment. In March each year, it delivers its certified prescription list of nekath times to be followed by the nation, no questions asked.

Throughout the last 33 years of its existence, though it hasn’t been without its fair share of squabbles, consensus has governed its decisions. A spokesman of the astrological committee, Ananda Seneviratne explained how this process works.

Speaking of how a common auspicious time is chosen to engage in the New Year traditions, he said, “Many of us spend months on end studying the planetary positions and selecting the best auspicious time. We do this by ourselves at home individually. And then, the Cultural Ministry informs us of the date for a meeting. We attend it and present the best auspicious times we have individually arrived at. A long discussion ensues for hours at length to consider the auspicious times presented and a sheave of the best times presented are taken up for greater discussion. Out of these best time, the quintessence is chosen.”

But this time there’s revolt in the Oracle of Lanka’s Delphi and lily-white astrologers from the old school find their honest findings challenged most undeservingly. The row between the old guard and the breakaway rebels, centres around whether it’s best to go by strict astrological rules or plug for an expedient time for convenience sake on April 14th morn, had escaped from the committee room and gone viral on social media. On one YouTube Channel debate, a rep from the old school and one from the rebels nearly ended in blows.

While the rebels attempted to batter the bastille down with spurious claims that eerie times when devils climbed trees – yakku gas nagina velawata – had been given by the other faction, the old die-hard guard solidly held the fort by explaining how astrological principles on which nekath were made, had prevented them from giving more convenient times.

A veteran astrologer in the state committee with over 60 years of experience, Gunapala, said: “The auspicious times given are dictated by the movement of the sun as given in the almanac. The Sun starts its transition at 9.05 pm on 13th night and to eat at 12.06am. According to the principles of astrology, the auspicious times for lighting the hearth and consuming the first meal must take place within 6 hours and 24 minutes of the Sun’s transition to Aries.”

Astrologer Gunapala said: “We could not have taken a time later on the 14th morning as it would have been against the principles of astrology. We could not have taken an auspicious time earlier because the Rahu Kalaya was till 10.30 pm and because it was the Mars horawa. That being the reigning time of war lord Mars it would have spelt violent disaster for the country. So we waited for the hour to lapse. What follows is the hour of the sun, the majestic hour which is best for stately functions. Furthermore, the sun is placed in an extremely fortunate position.”

“Some may fear that we have chosen a time when corpses are burnt. But we had no other time to give than this auspicious time according to the movement of the Sun this year,” he said.

You can’t really blame the old guard for picking the best possible time for the people to engage in their first activities in the newly dawned year. The decision to give auspicious times is dictated by the entry of the sun to the constellation of Aries. And no deviations can be made from these astrological rules. If they pick another time on the basis of convenience, it will amount to heresy.

But the rebel group opt for convenience and promote breakfast on April 14th morning as the ideal time. They claim, to celebrate the New Year at the midnight hour, will result ‘in Sri Lanka going up in flames.’

As if this land is flowing with milk and honey, where all have three square meals a day, where families are cosily tucked up in bed by 8 at night and sleep untroubled till the break of dawn. They claim the official night times, will mean adults and children will have to stay up late, and what’s worse, on empty stomachs. Their time of convenience is to light the hearth on the 14th morn at 6.17 dressed in red. No doubt it will be a popular choice but then it will be at the expense of ignoring basic astrological tenets.

Independent astrologer, Ahungalle Thosa de Silva, who has no truck with either camp, said: “According to the 2024/2025 Aapa Panchanga Almanac, the auspicious time to light the hearth is at 11.06 on the 13th night. A certain group of astrologers decry this time for some unknown reason.”

She stamped her seal of approval on the chosen night time, and said: “I, as a member hailing from the astrological family of Mendis Abeysekera, famously known as Ahungalle Guruthuma, who started the Aapa Panchanga Almanac, wish to state that this auspicious time is a bountiful one for Sri Lanka. There will be marked developments in agriculture and industry as well as increased effort on the part of the people. It will usher in an era where the country will see a significant reduction in corruption and will be governed by better politicians and officials.”

The Cultural Ministry, too, has proclaimed the old guard’s prescribed list as the official auspicious times for the people to engage in traditional Avurudhu rites. The time for Tamils to light the hearth or ‘puthandu’ is also at night at 8.15pm according to Hindu astrological calculations on the sun’s movement.

So what will be your pick? Will you dare to take whatever the New Year holds and boldly sing ‘que sera, sera,’ or, since there’s a good and bad in every force, with time no exception,  tread the beaten path forefathers had trod, and, as sticklers to tradition always do, play safe than sorry. Cheers. Here’s raising a toast for the good times.

President orders review of CB‘s outrageous pay hike  FORMER UNP FINANCE MINISTER RAVI: ‘Bad show’ The President on Monday appointed a committee to review the scandalous raise in salaries of all Central Bank employees by its Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe, who used his newfound independent spoon to serve themselves a massive chunk of glorious sunshine while everyone else lay condemned under a pall of economic gloom, with the President still on the burning rope bridge urging restraint and calling all to tighten their belts. CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR NANDALAL: ‘Law allowed me’ The huge increase, which made a peon’s pay equal a doctor’s salary and rewarded its top tier for no particular meritorious feat with handsome increments of nearly a million bucks each, outraged the nation.  It was done in great secrecy and only revealed in February after staff had already taken their bulging January bonanzas home. As Ranil Wickremesinghe’s former Finance Minister in the Yahapalana Government Ravi Karunaratne said last week: “There was no absolute necessity to have granted super salary increases to Central Bank staff. There are no special humans there but normal men as in other institutions. There are other places too which have people just as clever and capable as those at the Central Bank. The Governor says it had to be increased but that is what everyone else says at their own places. Granting only themselves a massive pay hike is an inhumane act. They should realise it is done with taxpayers’ money and not from a special reserve.” Two weeks ago Governor Nandalal again defended his decision for over-the-top salary hikes and declared he will not resign. He said: ‘I don’t think we need to wait until the economy stabilises to raise wages.’ Exactly. While the Central Bank’s resources to award bomber increases for its glorified staff to merely flog a stringent IMF’s tutorial dictates of monetary discipline, can be met by its own money printing machine, the rest, alas, must perforce wait for economic skies to clear and a rainbow to shine. But blinkered to the beggary that has embroiled the rest, Governor Nandalal still has the impertinence to say: ‘This salary increases has been done under the existing legal framework.’ The Independent Remuneration Committee that has been appointed following SJB MP Harsha de Silva’s recommendation in his COPE report, should seriously consider if it is to be of any legitimate value, whether merely because one has the legal right to serve oneself a thumping dollop of icing on one’s already enriched cake, it is ethically right or downright vulgar to insensitively do so when the rest are denied their bread?

Can even snake charmer Dilith make a condemned bud bloom  BASIL: ‘American’’ Presidential hopeful Dilith Jayaweera gave a no-holds-barred lashing to Basil Rajapaksa last week for demanding a general election to be held before the constitutionally scheduled presidential poll. In a fiery speech, the leader of the recently created Mawbima Janatha Party, struck a blow for the motherland when he raised the valid and pertinent question at his party’s meeting: “Can an American dictate to us to hold general elections before a presidential poll.” He declared: ‘‘This is not a country where an American called Basil can come on vacation every now and then and play his tune. Whether the election to be held in this country is the parliamentary election or the presidential election is not something that can be left to the American Basil to decide. Who is Basil to take a hand in national politics?” DILITH: Smells blood After lambasting Basil and distancing himself as far as possible from him but balming Mahinda with praise, Dilith turned to the topic of candidate. “Prasanna Ranatunga says that there is no SLPP candidate for the presidential election this time. How can he say there is no candidate? Yes, there is no candidate for Basil’s bud. But there is a candidate for the people’s bud. That’s why I am Dilith Jayaweera.” Has Dilith set his sights on attempting a last-minute nomination shot at the SLPP candidacy? Has he seen enough of the internecine warfare ripping the SLPP apart, that he smells blood? Yes, he clearly showed at MJP’s Badulla meeting last week, this was the time to go for the kill. He threw down the gauntlet and challenged the SLPP leadership: “Put me. For the people’s sake, put me. I am the one who drew by hand the SLPP’s bud and wrote by hand the slogan, ‘Aluth Sri Lankawak’.’The bud belongs to us. To the new generation of patriotic people.” He may have been successfully able to charm a snake to rise from the bowels of Kelani’s watery bed five years ago but it will certainly take more than a heavenly miracle for him to breathe life into a condemned bud to bloom in winter’s discontent.