The police barriers will not be moved!
 Garrison
Cemetery
It was a proud 1st of November for the Trustees
of St. Paul's Church, Kandy and the British High Commission, when, after
many months of hard work (and hard money too) Kandy's Garrison Cemetery
- a long neglected, long-moldering plot of weeds and wilderness - was ready
to be reopened, having been lovingly brought to its pristine state.
British Ambassador David Tatham came. So did eight British Members of
Parliament. So did Suzy Price of the BBC. That was on the morning of the
1st. On the 31st of October, however, the Trustees of St Paul's were pressing
panic buttons. Sundry persons with no doubt sundry axes to grind were determined
to be as obstructionist as possible. No!
The police barriers will not be moved! This is a sacred area! No! You
had no right to
arrange for any ceremony of any kind within the precincts of the Cultural
Triangle!
No! There will be no Memorial Service! The very Idea! And who gave you
permission to even trim the grass in the cemetery? St. Paul's! Hah! Do
you know that not one window can be replaced in your church without leave
from the Cultural Triangle!
Earlier this column detailed the huge labour of love in bringing this
resting place of so many to good order. What raised an ugly head on October
31 was ugly in the extreme. Orders were even given to the police to impose
a ban on the proposed proceedings. It mattered not that this would be a
naked insult in the face of the British government. The people who took
this stand simply dug their heels in and refused to budge. They couldn't
care less, they maintained. Let the British MP's and their precious ilk
walk! And what service? Who arranged such a service?
It took Professor Anuradha Seneviratne to make these obdurates see sense.
He reminded that the Cultural Triangle had no real legislation over anything
after 1815. He got the police to raise the barriers. The bad taste didn't
go away, however. Although the members of Her Majesty's government drove
through, attended a short but beautiful service and were greatly impressed
by the supportive presence of the Mayor of Kandy and a lot of very important
people, the other 'important people" who wished to sabotage the whole
thing were naturally, not present. But a Trustee of St. Paul's tells me
that from now on a sort of 'war' will go on, especially since these "important
people' have lost the first battle!
Have a swimming Christmas
The Queen's is organizing a Christmas Swimming Carnival for children
under 14. Usually, the hotel stages its Kiddies' Christmas party, but this
year, for the first time in Kandy, Chula Ekanayake tells me, it will be
poolside revels from 1 to 4 pm on December followed by a really bonzer
party till eight.
Swimming events will include free-style, back stroke breast stroke and
dolphin or butterfly with children grouped under 8. 10, 12 and 14. "There'll
be prizes and gifts for everyone," Chula said. At the party the Hezonites
will provide the music and the man with the cherry nose and white beard
will be there too. As Food & Beverages man Nimal Siriwardena said,
It will be a whale of a time." What is more, the children are told
to make as much noise as they like. After all, it's their party!
Sausage war
A Colombo-based NGO is demanding that Muslims in the Central Province
give up buying "a culture of sausages thrust upon you by spurious
food manufacturers." The NGO is now threatening to visit Central Province
schools in a bid to stop Muslim children eating sausages at school canteens
and tuck- shops.
"The canteens in the bigger schools are the worst offenders,"
it is claimed, with "sausages and sauces taking pride of place.' Parents
are told to "shun sausages altogether". They are told that "cooperation
is needed to fight this sausage menace in our country."
Seems like the poor Banger is getting a banging. Even Muslims in business
are asked to "please co-operate with us in this campaign to reject
sausages. Do not store, promote or sell this product in your business places."
I ask you.. are people going off their sausages? Even in the last world
war a favourite Tommy song in the trenches went like this:When the golden
sun sinks in the West and the sausages all go to roost... You see, even
the Tommies called the Huns "sausages." And if these "sausages"
gave the poor Jews hell, what is this NGO so anti-sausage for? If it's
any consolation, the NGO also claims to have checked out McDonalds in Colombo
and given the restaurant the green light. Muslims can eat their fill at
McDonalds.
Do McDonalds serve sausages?
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