 Dreams
waiting to come true
Two men, one dead, one still among us, had
and hold two dreams - dreams of Kandy, dreams of science, history, culture....
both arising from love. The first was the late Dr. Cyril Ponnamperuma who
piloted the IFS until that wonderful Sri Lankan trait, jealousy, drove
him away.
Come to think of it, there is this one unregistered organisation in
this country where membership swells uncontrolled - the J Plus Organisation,
where every member is on the Jay roll of honour as long as he or she stays
true to form, dragging down the achiever, besmirching the name of the winner,
scorns the diligence of the dedicated and ousts the best to uphold the
mediocre. This, I think, deserves a special monograph some day, but let
it slide for now. Dr. Cyril Ponnamperuma had this dream.
A Science City. Take the stretch between Getambe and Peradeniya. The
scientific institutions are many and varied. This stretch will take in
Gannoruwa as well (with its Plant Genetic Resources Centre) and the Galaha
Road where everything from Veterinary Medicine to Livestock breeding is
pursued. Even the Botanical Gardens remains, a monument to Botany! So how
about it? Let's get the show on the road. Let's declare Kandy's Science
City! We can even now make Dr. Ponnamperuma's dream come true!
Remember my piece of Dona Katherina's burial place? Well, Mr. S.B. Karaliyadde
is still fighting tooth and nail to have that area in Kegalla declared
an Archaeological Reserve. Dona Katherina, the consort of King Vimala Dharma
Suriya, who was the king who built the Dalada Maligawa, deserves more than
this surely. Mr. Karaliyadde was most rueful when he met me last week.
"Officials promised to look into things when they all came to Kegalla
for the big exhibition there," he said, "but I suppose the tamasha
overrode all else." He has written to and called on Mr. Siran Deraniya-gala,
but admits that the Archaeological Department is inundated with letters
such as his.
But is it so laboured a business to declare Dona Katherina's burial
place an Archaeological Reserve? Also, as Karaliyadde reminds, the people
of Dumbara, who held a special love for their queen, did much to help in
the building of the Maligawa. "They brought the finest Napane timber
from Pathadumbara," he said. And Karaliyadde's dream? That a statue
of Dona Katherina be erected in the girdling green of the Maligawa... and
her burial place be saved from present encroachment and desecration.
Two dreams - and so easily made to come true. Can we see it all happen,
please.
Phonebanking
HongKong Bank has introduced its new Phonebanking
service which gives round-the-clock access to the Bank to obtain account
information and carry out specific transactions on the phone. The service
is offered free of charge. The Phonebanking number is 332211.
Choir Festival
Under Choir Direc tor and organist, P.Gerald
Cooray, the Kandy Church Choirs rolled out in prayerful melody on Saturday,
June 27 at the Methodist Church in Yatinuwara Veediya, Kandy.
This festival has become an annual event, sponsored by the Kandy Bible
Society. This year, with the participation of choirs from eight churches
and schools, the Festival took the form of a Choral Service where about
100 voices rang out the anthems "Lead me, Lord" and "Come,
Holy Ghost." The congregation also joined in several hymns and it
was a splendid tribute to splendid faith as they sang the Lord's song,
not by the rivers of Babylon, but in the heart of the city!
Forests and trees
Professor H.P.M. Gunasena of the Post Graduate
Institute of Agriculture, Peradeniya, informs that the University's Oxford
Forestry Institute (a link project of Forestry Research) has three publications
which are available free to all interested. You could collect the publication
of your choice from the PGIA at Old Galaha Road.
The books are: "Gliricidia in Sri Lanka," "Calliandra
- A Multi-purpose Tree for Agro-Forestry Systems in Sri Lanka," and
"Neem in Sri Lanka."
Outsize zips
Go to any "thrombol" shop, ask
for a zip and you'll get the standard 8-inch. If you're lucky, the man
could dig out a 12-inch but in colours that are surely called Frightened
Peach or Gizzard Green. There's this tailor in Kandy who tells me that
as far as he knows, and in his umpteen years of experience, there are two
very large Kandyan gentlemen who need 15-inch trouser zips in the place
where it most counts. Every time they come to him it's the same old moan.
"How to get? Last time I had to go to Colombo and hunt in the side
streets of Pettah. So go. If you had any sense, you would have brought
some extra zips the last time."
Well, they have a point there. Also, they didn't take kindly to the
tailor's suggestion that he put in a three-inch patch either north or south.
"Either way makes it difficult in the extreme." "Difficult
for what?" "That's not your business." Our tailor dislikes
zipping down to Colombo. "Why can't they make some 15-inch zips?"
he cries. Evidently, our zippies don't measure up to the Kandy biggies.
Aney, sin, no?
Balm for the block
Seen at Katugastota: those police road barriers
on wheels, all yellow and black, tigerishly striped with a black STOP order.
That's on an upper cross panel. Beneath, another panel with the consoling
words in red: VENDOL BALM. What a soothing thought. Reach for the balm
especially when driving anywhere is today's major headache.
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