 India:
realising the two extremes
Prasad Kariyawasam played for All Island schools cricket team while
captaining the Southern Province team in the Seventies. A bright spark
who joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1981 Kariyawasam held diplomatic
appointments in Geneva, Riyadh and Washington. Foreign Ministry's, former
Director Publicity and the official spokesperson is today the new Deputy
High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in New Delhi. A simple and a graceful Lankan,
Kariyawasam received a warm welcome by the Sri Lankans in Delhi recently
at a dinner hosted by High Commissioner Mangala Moonesinghe and Ms. Moonesinghe.
I had the opportunity to meet many Lankans in Delhi who have reached
great heights. They made me feel proud. Dr. Palitha Abeykoon is WHO Regional
Advisor on Human Resources for Health, Dr. Tissa Cooray, Dr. M.H.W.Gunaratne,
Dr. W.W.G. Fernando are his other colleagues and experts attached to the
WHO. They all occupy top seats at World Health House, WHOs Regional Office
for South East Asia.
Wilfred Nanayakkara is Country Director United Nations Industrial Development
Organisation.
Dr. Ranjith Alwis is a specialist on occupational safety and health
at ILO along with I.R.M. Amarakoon. Ms. Seela Ebert is the Regional Director
Commonwealth Youth Programme, Asia Centre.
Sarath Amarasinghe is attached to the Centre for Study of Social Systems,
School of Sciences at the Jawaharlal Nehru University while Dr. Sarath
Illangantillake heads the Regional Potato Research Centre looking after
the potato cultivation in the region. He has varied interests from Literature
to Art to potatoes.
On the mercantile front former Cricket Board Treasurer and PR man Kumar
Weerasuriya looks after the Master Card International Operation as Director,
Area Countries South Asia and Channa De Vaas Gunewardena heads the multinational
EDS Computer Services as General Manager.
On the Defence Front Rear Admiral A.H.M. Razeek and Air Commodore G.D.
Perera are having a stint at the National Defence College of India. I hear
that Air Commodore G.D. Perera is tipped to take over as Air Forces Chief
of Staff on his return to Sri Lanka. Jayantha Seneviratne has a Bachelor
of Arts Degree from Sri Lanka and Master of Arts from India.
He is a translator cum Announcer Sinhala Unit, All India Radio for the
past eight years. He calls himself an author and founder and President
Satyavadi Society. He is a bachelor in search of sathya (Truth). Will he
ever find it. I wonder.
Many students are at tached to the Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru Universities.
It is important that our students who make plans to come to Delhi realise
that Delhi is not a city of gold. I would say it is a difficult city.
One has to fight all the time, to get what one wants and nothing comes
easy. Food in the North is different to what we are used to in Sri Lanka.
You can't take a cool walk to a Banana Leaf, Saraswathie Lodge, Greenland's
or Shanthi Vihar like in Colombo. The food is less spicy.
What we are more used to food from Southern India. One has to take difficult
street walks in search of food which agrees with our palate. The best place
for Sri Lankans to eat is at Andhra Bawan. Food is tasty and spicy, just
like at home.
Violence, robbery and eve teasing are on the rise in Delhi. The Supreme
Court has asked the authorities to take drastic action. Many road blocks
and checkpoints have come up all over. However, the situation is still
not under control. Delhi has blamed the neighbouring state of Haryana for
the increase in crime but Haryana has hit back saying that their criminals
are not responsible for the breakdown in law and order situation in Delhi.
Most of the criminals roaming in Delhi are from Uttar Pradesh and from
Bihar (The most famous son of Bihar is the politician, Beatles look alike
Laloo Prasad Yadav).
I hang out and hang loose at the India Habitat Centre and at the Indian
International Centre down Max Muller Marg., something happens every day
at these places. Film shows, lectures, exhibitions, plays, seminars etc.,
it is interesting and very educative and I get the chance to open my eyes,
my heart and my mind. Whenever I walk to these places I forget that I am
in New Delhi and it helps. Sri Lanka needs a place like the Habitat Centre
soon.
I travelled to Haryana, Agra and Jaipur last week. It was hectic but
interesting. The state is known for its agricultural activities, vast farmlands
and industries. It is the neighbouring state of Delhi.
The farmers in Haryana use horses, camels, buffaloes and even asses
to get their work done. The animals and men work hard for a living but
man becomes beast most of the time. Former Indian cricket captain Kapil
Dev is a famous son of Haryana better known as the 'Haryana Express' and
the 'Haryana Hurricane' for his fast bowling.
However these days he has declared war against the Haryana cricket administrators
for getting complacent.
Agra is not what you think. It is a very dirty place except the Army
Cantonment area and in and around the Taj Mahal Poordo are displayed all
over requesting people to keep Agra clean and green. But the call is ignored
and people carry on regardless. Agra is known around the world because
of the white marble Taj Mahal.
A wonder of the world. But I had my own thoughts of the Taj Mahal. A
monument of love created by a romantic fool for the woman who gave him
14 children.
His son later imprisoned Sha Jehan before he built a Black Marble Mahal.
The great emperor of love died a loner.
It is true that Taj Mahal is real. But is love real like the Taj? My
foot.
What happens to the many couples who visit the Taj and vow forever and
ever? We never know. Just listen to singing grand mother Tina Turner, what's
love got to do with it?
Indian Oil Corporation Mathura Refinery is situated close to Agra. The
Refinery has taken giant steps to live in harmony with nature. They have
planted 50,000 trees in the Agra region. Jaipur is the capital city of
Rajasthan.
It is widely known as the 'Pink City' because of its Pink Palaces. It
is a very busy and an active city. Jaipur brings the Old World charm to
the modern world. A section of Maharajah's Palace is open to visitors and
managed by the State Government. The present Maharajah is a retired Lt.
Col. of the Indian Army. Jaipur is also world famous for its International
Polo grounds and the Polo Tournament. Taj Hotel operates from the Rambagh
Palace. It is wonderful how the Taj operates the Hotel within the Palace
premises maintaining the old charm and even traditions.
A must for Honeymooners. Raja Sharstri is a well-known astrologer in
Jaipur. He knows Jaipur like his palm, and many foreigners lend their palms
because of his charm. He advises people to be less sentimental unlike Shajehan
and be practical. Ibrahim is a drug peddler in Jaipur who believes that
'grass' is always greener. In the night his imagination runs-riot. To him
Sri Lanka is De Silva and Jayasuriya.
What attracted me most in Jaipur was the Jantar Mantra observatory of
Jaipur created by Maharaja Swai Jai Singh II the founder of Jaipur. It
is the largest observatory in India. The huge instruments in intricate
masonry offer an accurate measurement of time, the declination of the sun,
the altitude and the azimuth, the position of constellations in the sky
for the day, the eclipses and the allied astronomical phenomena. It is
both a feat of science and a work of architecture. It is an amazing creation.
Don't miss Jantar Mantar when in Jaipur.
Travelling around India I realised that India is a country of two extremes.
The very rich and the very poor and as usual the middle class stuck in
the middle.
It is clear that United States is trying, to be the International Policeman.
They impose bank, economic sanctions, form special clubs and raid American
Restaurants selling Havana Cigars. But keeping America out, I feel that
India cannot afford to be nuclear as there is much more to take care of.
Neither can Sri Lankan politicians afford to have Benz, Volvo and BMWs.
The men on the streets, they are suffering.
An Indian cartoonist recently dressed our CBK in a swimsuit. Shoba De
thinks that Chandrika is sexier than India's Alisha, Sheweta and Madonna
put together. Jayawewa Chandrika.
Stop Over 1: At Sirifort Auditorium where Chitrasena presented Kinkini
Kolama. Dr. Chitrasena and Vajira are still excellent at their age. Upekha
and granddaughter Reshma are graceful. But, daughter Anjali needs to take
a break. She is not graceful anymore. Looks tired and wasted and is very
obvious to the audience.
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