28 March, 2024

Blog

Illiterates Who Conduct Self-Cremation!

By L. Murugapoopathy

L. Murugapoopathy

When asked, “What would you do if you get ten million?”

“I will build a library.” Said, Mahatma Gandhi

“What would you do if you were stranded on a lonely island?”

“I would live happily with books,” said Jawaharlal Nehru

“Don’t forget to write on my grave, for therein sleeps a bookworm,” said Bertrand Russell.

When asked what the greatest human invention is, “The book,” answered Albert Einstein without a second thought.

“No other freedom is necessary for prisons other than the freedom to read books,” said Nelson Mandela.

When asked what he wanted for his birthday Lenin said without hesitation “A pile of books.”

Whenever Charlie Chaplin, agreed to act in a film which was always for several hundred thousand, he always bought a book from the first hundred of the advance money he received.

“The best gift you could give a child is a book,” said Winston Churchill.

When asked “what are the formidable weapons of struggle.? “Books,” said Martin Luther King.

Bhagat Singh was reading until the very last moment before he was hanged.

“The one who comes to meet me with a good book that I haven’t read is my best friend,” said Abraham Lincoln.

Do the enraged book burners know this information? If not let them know at least now.

The protest that started as “Gota Go” has successfully celebrated its hundredth day. Since this struggle commenced many extraordinary scenes have been staged in the capital and other parts of the country

These scenes include incidences of the burning of houses of those who were part of the Rajapaksa brothers’ regime and their supporters. If the victims have insurance against property damage, they would of course get compensation.

But can the books that were burnt in those houses be recovered…?

Hitler, who was described as a dictator and even a tyrant, told his soldiers during World War II not to attack hospitals, schools and libraries. They were advised not to throw bombs there, so we have read. Even Hitler, who was hell-bent on exterminating the Jews, had such thoughts about books.

However, the Sinhalese religious chauvinists while spreading the message that Buddhism should be protected and maintained and the Buddhist Dharma should be followed, allowed books to be burnt in the presence of those who spread those very messages.

Yet we know very well that some hundred thousand books were burnt to ashes when the Jaffna public library has burnt to the ground 41 years ago in 1981. At present around 2,500 books have been burnt at the Colombo home of the veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe. When we listened to Wickremesinghe’s tearful speech after he watched the burning incident, we were reminded of the Venerable Father David who died of a heart attack soon after the burning of the public library in Jaffna in 1981.

Since these racial riots commenced in 1958 and such riots and arson attacks continued unabated in 1977 – 1981 – 1983 and still continue to happen even in 2022. Does it mean that Buddhism as a religion, philosophy and way of life is dead in this country!?

What crime did the books commit…? Those who burn them even if they are not intelligent people, one would assume that they would have read at least a book or even a newspaper in their lives.? Our forefathers have taught us the age-old tradition and etiquette of touching and worshipping a book by kissing it even if one accidentally happened to step on a book lying on the ground.

Does anyone wonder who taught the tradition of burning books?

Those elements who burn books are akin to those who cremate themselves! Such people have no absolution or salvation for their acts.

It was the police battalion that was sent from Colombo by the then government of JR Jayawardene, on that day in 1981, which was a few days before the District Development Council elections, who ended up torching the Jaffna public library, the Jaffna Eelanadu newspaper office and the Poobalasingam books shop. They also burnt and destroyed a vast amount of wealth including the residence of the then Jaffna member of Parliament, Yogeswaran.

Ranil Wickremesinghe was the education minister at that time. After the arson attack, JR Jayewardene paid compensation for the Jaffna public library destruction. He also ordered a judicial inquiry. The money that was allocated for all this did not come from the pockets of the police. It came from the coffers of the government. It’s people’s money!

Presently Ranil Wickremesinghe’s house and the books therein have now been burnt. He will of course get compensation for it from the government. This again will be paid with peoples’ money.

Don’t these arsonists know about all this…?

Most of the protestors who started the Gota-Go protest at Galle Face were the younger generation born after 1981. There were many university students among them.

The Galle Face protests continued during June. The burning of the Jaffna public library was also remembered. A famous poem written by Professor Nuhman was recited and displayed in all three languages and books were also collected on the occasion. Some of the demonstrators travelled to Jaffna and handed the books over to the Jaffna public library. With this backdrop and even before people could forget these events, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s house in Colombo and its valuable books and paintings were burnt.

Ranil Wickremesinghe tearfully said that the destroyed works included books from the Portuguese-Dutch period and that he and his wife had previously decided to donate the books to many places including the Peradeniya University and the Colombo Royal College.

Unless Sinhalese chauvinism of book burnings and actions to place buddha statues at every location where there is a Bo tree all over the Country are recognised and punished, Buddhism will not thrive in this country.

While Gautama Buddha performs his eternal silent penance as an idol, aren’t the book burnings quite visible to the eyes of the Buddhist monks who go on their walkabouts clad in their saffron-coloured robes? One hopes at least they should take some measures to create awareness among people and reform these illiterates.

*Originally written in Tamil; Translated by Mahroof Noor Mohamed

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Latest comments

  • 8
    2

    A well presented article at a time of need. The Jaffna library was burnt not by people or protestors but it was organised by thugs and criminals brought by ruling UNP government in which Ranil Ranil Wickremasinghe was a Education Minister and Gamini Dissanayaka and Cyril Mathhew were present. None of those responsible for that crime was punished even though both governments who were ruling between 1981 and until now. More than 10000 books, magazines, manuscripts, historical records were burnt.
    In the case of Ranil Wickremasinghe’s house library there are number of unknown truths remain in the dark. Who knows who did?

  • 4
    1

    DOES IT MEAN THAT BUDDHISM AS A RELIGEON, PHYLOSOPHY AND WAY OF LIFE IS DEAD IN THIS COUNTRY? That is a million Dollar question. How much buddhism as a religion and sinhala as language (Bhashawa) exploited by the politician since independence| Well Rajapksas pretended to be the last bastion of Buddhism although
    R Premadasa was the creater of Ministry of Buddha Sasana. Curiously secretary to the ministry of Buddha sasana has been a Gynaecologist recently. MR went to Anuradhapura paid a religious visit to Sri Maha Bodiya and Ruwanvali Saya weekend preceding May 9th before unleashing brigade of thugs to attack Aragalaya protesters, which culminated in his resignation as Prime Minister. True RW shed crocodile tears that he lost valuable collection of books and arts. It is a moot point who were behind torching his house and indeed houses belonging to ministers. It is astonishing that Mahanayakes of Asgiriya and Malwatta are maintaining a deafening silence in the current upheaval. Only Omalpe Sobitha thero is representing the monks views.

  • 3
    1

    Here, it is appropriate to quote from an article, “President J. R. Jayewardene and the Sri Lankan Tamils,” by A. J. Wilson, the then go-between Jayewardene and Amirthalingam, printed in the Lanka Guardian of 15 March 1995.
    The relevant portion:
    ‘The incidents relating to the burning of the library throw interesting light. Gamini Dissanayake (It may have been at the President’s request) explained to me on the phone what happened. However, Gamini himself may have volunteered to do this, for he was a good friend of my brother-in-law, Samuel Chelvanayakam Chandrahasan, with whom he developed a lasting friendship commencing from their Law College days. All that I know was that while Gamini talked to me on the phone, the President was by his side. I heard his whispering details which probably escaped Gamini’s memory.
    Jayawardene and Dissanayake
    Gamini told me that the police were “enraged at the killing of their comrades.” On the night of the burning, they, the police, had gone “mad with anger” and were determined to wreck vengeance. He did not explain the reason for Mathew’s intervention in the election. He only said that when the President learnt of Mathew’s plans to go to Jaffna with his fleet of CTB buses, he told Gamini “have an eye on Cyril.” I cannot understand why he did not order Mathew to stay in Colombo.

  • 5
    2

    People who are educated and by that I mean well read not just some fancy degree or doctorate will always be despised by the uneducated arrogant and utterly jealous masses. The Sinhalese are full of such people egged on by their half backed ignorant clergy and cunning politicians. Ranil has an encyclopediatic knowledge about the history of Sri Lanka gained by reading his books. Being a history buff myself I know the importance of books written by the Portugese missionary Don Quayroz for example. I have seen a copy of one of the murals that were also burnt. These are priceless and depict our history. This shocking Sinhalese trait of not having any regard for not only historic books but even structures is also born out of a blinkerd version of history which is lopsided and inaccurate which has been drilled into their heads by the ignorant Buddhist clergy.

  • 7
    2

    When the guys burnt Nariyas house they did not intend to burn his books but his house only and his identity. But when they burnt Jaffna Library they knew too well that they were burning a priceless library and a cultural genocide of Tamils. So there is a big difference. Ranil is an enemy of the entire sri lankans and a guy totally rejected by people and even his party was completely erased. UNP one time alternative party is totally destroyed by this evil, slimy. selfish man. So whatelse one could expect from this guy. Now Rajapakshas have hired this slimy guy for their protection only, knowing well what kind of unethical person he is, yet I have my reservation. This guy has never worked with anyone harmoniously . He has only back stabbed they people who employed them. So let us wait and see what he does to Rajapakshas.

    • 1
      2

      Ranil never thought of donating at least part of his books to the burnt Jaffna library. Why? He was the minister of education during the inferno.

    • 5
      1

      Svendu: On November 14, 2018, the High Court of Madras ordered to destroy 2,000 copies of a book that reportedly supports the banned Sri Lankan Tamil militant organisation LTTE.

      TFN: the above were books that supported the LTTE, we could have saved those books and sent them to you. Svenduuuuuu, the books that were burnt in Jaffna were mainly books relating to 4000 years of Tamil culture and literature. Many other books were books that were not to your taste such as books on mathematics, science, history, Etc., which are not suitable and healthy for your consumption.

  • 4
    1

    Svenduuuu, also we are talking about books being burnt in Jaffna, not in Madras, which is in India. These are two separate countries. Poor Svenduuuu cannot tell the difference. Maybe start reading Chandramama first, maybe you will become a bit literate, at least you can recite those mini stories to your neighbour’s kids. I am sure you are not smart enough to produce kids.

Leave A Comment

Comments should not exceed 200 words. Embedding external links and writing in capital letters are discouraged. Commenting is automatically disabled after 5 days and approval may take up to 24 hours. Please read our Comments Policy for further details. Your email address will not be published.