Features

MARRIAGE TO GERTRUDE WICKRAMASINGHE

Published

7 months ago

2025/06/29

Thilina Walpola

Official picture of Gate Mudaliyar Norman Wickramasinghe and wife Caroline

CHAPTER 7

Gertrude’s brother-in-law and sister strongly opposed the marriage because I was only a clerk. But she was determined and said she would only marry me or remain a spinster.(N.U. Jayawardena, interview by Roshan Pieris, 1987)

Meeting at the Resthouse

While waiting in Tangalle for his letter of appointment to the clerical service, NU was introduced by an uncle to an important member of the Durava clan who had achieved government recognition – Gate Mudaliyar Norman Wickramasinghe of Gorakana, Moratuwa. He and his wife Caroline and daughter Gertrude Mildred (known as Gertie) planned to stop at the Tangalle Resthouse on their way to Kataragama. The main reason for this visit was to see if NU would be a suitable husband for Gertrude. Marriages during this period were arranged by relatives and elders and did not deviate in terms of caste. Norman and Caroline Wickramasinghe had, no doubt, been on the lookout for bachelors who were bright and with good prospects for advancement.

It was not unusual for young women with some wealth and status to marry educated men of the same caste – even if of humbler social origins – as long as they had good prospects. Sometimes a prospective father-in-law would even finance the education of an intelligent young man, of his own caste, who would later become his son-in-law. One famous case of a ‘dowry scholarship,’ as it was popularly known, was that of James Peiris, a leading political figure of the 1920s. His education at Cambridge was paid for by Jacob de Mel, one of the wealthiest landowners and liquor renters of the time, whose daughter Grace married Peiris.

Caste-consciousness was widely prevalent and did not disappear with capitalist development and modernist trends. While the caste system did not apply in public life or government service where merit was the criterion, caste feelings found expression in private life, especially in the arrangement of marriages. In the public domain (except at election time), caste solidarity was overshadowed by class interests, since the local capitalists included members of all castes. Society was also fractured by disputes of a class nature, in the form of employer-employee conflicts. But ethnicity and caste had not been wholly driven out of people’s minds. This would have been true of NU and his relatives who, while trying to move beyond a traditional status, did not forget their caste origins, especially in the choice of marriage partners. At the same time they were conscious of belonging to the Sinhala-Buddhist community of the South – with its regional identity and history based on the ancient southern civilization of Ruhuna and its kings.

Both Norman Wickramasinghe and his daughter took an immediate liking to NU, a bright young man who appeared set for a career in the public service. Horoscopes were compared and were found to match. Gertrude was keen to marry, and her father gave his consent.

However, her elder sister Winifred and her husband Shelton Pieris, a wealthy landowner, felt that Gertrude should marry someone who occupied a better position in society. They were alarmed that the marriage of Gertrude to a ‘lowly clerk’ would diminish the status of the family, and also suspected that NU would benefit financially from this marriage, since Gertrude was her father’s favourite child. Winifred and her husband placed Norman Wickramasinghe under so much pressure that he reluctantly called off the intended marriage. Gertrude, however, was adamant about marrying NU. Since there was no immediate solution to the problem, the matter was left for the time being (de Zoysa manuscript, p.6).

: Wedding photograph of NU and Gertrude

: Gertrude as a young woman

: Gate Mudaliyar Norman and Caroline Wickramasinghe

: Steps to the verandah of the Tangalle Rest house

: The Tangalle Rest house

The Wickramasinghe Clan

Norman Wickramasinghe was from a family of landowners in Matara, who had educated their sons at St. Thomas’ College, Matara. Many of the family were in government service – with several in the next generation going into academia and research. Wickramasinghe joined the government service in July 1894 as fifth clerk at the Fiscal’s Office, Colombo. He made progress and, by 1902, was the Head Clerk of that office. By 1913, as a Class I, Grade II clerk, he had a salary of Rs. 1,980 a year, and ten years later, he was promoted to the Special Class with Rs. 4,500 a year, rising to Rs. 5,500 in 1928. He was promoted to Deputy Fiscal, Colombo and upon his retirement in 1931 the title of Gate Mudaliyar was bestowed on him. (The title “Gate Mudaliyar” was originally given to local officials who were interpreters and translators to the Governor. In later years it was one of the ‘native’ titles awarded for services to government departments. The “symbols of power” attached to the post included a distinctive uniform. (See Patrick Peebles, Social Change in Nineteenth Century Ceylon, 1995, New Delhi, Navrang). Wickramasinghe married Caroline Gunaratne whose father was a well-known surveyor, and no doubt received a good dowry. They had two daughters and a son. Wickramasinghe’s property included a house in Gorakana and two rubber estates of 25 and 50 acres in Avissawella. He gave his daughter Gertrude, the 25-acre estate and his son, the 50-acre estate. Wickramasinghe’s “Wasala Walauwa” was a few miles from Moratuwa, a town that had prospered in the 19^th century, renowned for the enterprise of its liquor traders. These traders – mainly from Moratuwa and Panadura – had accumulated large amounts of capital, which they invested in the plantation and graphite sectors, and in education abroad for their sons.

Wedding photograph of Gertrude’s sister Winifred and Shelton Pieris

Norman Wickramasinghe’s first cousin was Dionysius Lionel Wickramasinghe (1909-2005) of Panadura, whose sons were the brothers R.H. (Hugh) and P.H. (Percival) Wickramasinghe, both Cambridge graduates in the 1930s. Hugh became a civil servant; and Percival, who was briefly in the Indian Civil Service, upon returning to Sri Lanka became the first non-British Chief Government Valuer. Percival’s son Chandra Wickramasinghe, is an internationally renowned astronomer and Director of the Cardiff Centre of Astro- biology in Britain. Another of Norman Wickramasinghe’s cousins, Wilmot Wickramasinghe, was the father of Dr. Sirima Kiribamune, a former Professor of History at the University of Peradeniya. According to NU’s daughter, Neiliya:

There was always an argument as to whose brains we had inherited – my mother said it was the Jayawardena brains and my father said it was the Wickramasinghe brains. My mother’s second cousins Hugh and Percy

Wickramasinghe were Cambridge Wranglers (with degrees in Mathematics) and my father was very proud of this. (Neiliya Perera, 2006)

This may have made NU all the more determined to obtain a foreign degree himself, and he had the full support of Gertrude in this ambitious venture.

Norman Wickramasinghe’s eldest daughter Winifred’s wedding to Shelton Pieris reflected the elevated status of the Wickramasinghes. It was an era of grand weddings held in the western tradition, but the wedding included a local poruwa ceremony. The national newspapers covered the event, reporting that the civil registration was attested by W.D. Battershill, who was a Deputy Fiscal, and by Abraham de Alwis. One paper reported that:

The cake occupying a room by itself was cut with the bride’s father’s sword and served with champagne… The Eastern Jazz Band… played during the afternoon. Lavish hospitality was dispensed till late in the evening.

The bride was dressed in western attire, popular during the 1920s among young women of notable Sri Lankan families. A newspaper described the bridal wear:

A simple frock of palace silk trimmed with pearls and a large rosette of heather at the waist… with a flowing white georgette veil… Her ornaments were brilliants and pearls, the gifts of her parents, and she carried a butterfly bouquet of May Queen roses. Her going-away dress was of biscuit crepe-de-chine richly trimmed with silk lace, and a hat to match.

Gertrude Wickramasinghe

The Wickramasinghe’s younger daughter Gertrude Mildred, born in Gorakana on 29 May 1905, was educated at the leading girls’ school in Moratuwa, Princess of Wales’ College – the sister school of Prince of Wales’ College, Moratuwa. The schools served children of the prosperous merchants and their relatives from the Moratuwa-Panadura region. Although a Christian school, many pupils like Gertrude Wickramasinghe were from Buddhist families who were keen on educating their daughters.

The Wickramasinghe family

Both schools had been endowed in 1876 by the famous businessman- cum-philanthropist, Charles de Soysa of Moratuwa who, in 1870, had given a banquet at his home in Colombo for two sons ofQueen Victoria who were visiting the island. Charles de Soysa was one of the richest men in the island, with wealth derived mainly from coconut, rubber and tea plantations – the original accumulation being by his father, Jeronis Soysa, in liquor retailing in the Central Province. Charles de Soysa’s wife, Lindamulage Catherine de Silva was an heiress – the daughter of Chevalier Jusey de Silva, another wealthy liquor merchant of Moratuwa.

When Gertrude Wickramasinghe joined the Princess of Wales’ College around 1911, the principal was Priscilla Marshall, a Sri Lankan Eurasian who held this post from 1909 to 1938. She was a graduate of Madras University and was keen to promote female education, encouraging pupils of the school to sit for the Cambridge Junior and Senior examinations, as well as introducing new subjects, including Science, Botany and Latin, into the curriculum. The Marshall family were educationists, and Priscilla Marshall’s sister, Ruth ran St. Clare’s School in Kollupitiya.

Princess of Wales’ College, started in the era of local capitalist expansion, was developed with the intention to promote female education and also cater to the demand by rich, educated men for wives with an English education. Like other Christian schools, Princess of Wales’ College not only aimed at providing educated Christian wives for Christian men of the same class, but also produced English-educated Buddhist women – as suitable wives for Buddhist men.

Wedding photo of NU and Gertrude

Girls’ Education

From the late 19th century onwards, Sri Lankan women had advanced in literacy, educational achievements and access to paid employment. It was an era when middle-class girls were encouraged by their parents to become ‘properly educated,’ thereby erasing any image of backwardness and illiteracy. Girls’ high schools on the British model attracted the attention of the new-rich and those aspiring to economic and social advancement. Colonial education in English for girls was academically oriented and geared to the Cambridge Junior and Senior examinations. In 1881, the first local girl took the Senior, and five sat for the Junior examinations. By 1900 the figures were 15 and 77, respectively. But girls’ schools also emphasized the ‘good wife and mother’ aspects of education – sewing, music, painting and other ‘ladylike’ accomplishments – the accepted hallmarks of the ‘respectable’ bourgeois woman. Some women sought further qualifications, and by the 1890s there were female doctors, nurses and teachers in Sri Lanka (Brohier, 1994).

By the early 20th century, there were many good schools for girls including the missionary schools. They included Bishop’s College, Methodist College, Holy Family Convent, Ladies’ College and St. Bridget’s Convent (all in Colombo), as well as Girls’ High School and Hillwood in Kandy, Vincent School in Batticaloa, Ferguson’s High School in Ratnapura, Southlands in Galle, Newstead School in Negombo, and Princess of Wales’ in Moratuwa. Although there were several Buddhist girls’ schools – Sanghamitta (Galle), Mahamaya (Kandy), Sri Sumangala (Panadura), as well as Ananda Balika, Musaeus College and Visakha Vidyalaya in Colombo – many Bud73 dhist parents, anxious for academic qualifications combined with strict discipline, continued to send their daughters to Christian missionary schools. Both NU’s father and Gertrude Wickramasinghe’s father were no exceptions. The increase in the number of schools geared to providing, from among their co-religionists, suitably educated wives for educated males benefited both the upper and middle classes. There was often a fusion of the old and new rich. Those ‘long on status and short on cash’ bought their way into families who were ‘long on cash and short on status.’ An educated daughter was also an asset. Neloufer de Mel has noted that, among the “ingredients that comprised Sri Lanka bourgeois respectability” was an education in English for girls, which “had to be modern, i.e. Western-oriented.”

Clearly there was value placed on an English education, a knowledge of modern subjects and qualities of discipline and industry instilled by the missionaries that would make their daughters not only good wives but also assets to their husbands. (de Mel, 2001, pp.106-7)

NU, who no doubt preferred to have a wife with an English-medium education, was thus keen on marriage to Gertrude, in spite of the opposition to the marriage in sections of the Wickramasinghe family, especially Gertrude’s brother-in-law and sister. But Gertrude was defiant and insisted on the marriage. Finally, several years after they had first met, the wedding took place in 1929 at the Wickramasinghe home, in Gorakana, Moratuwa. NU, who was 21 years of age, received a cash dowry of Rs. 10,000 and a 25-acre rubber estate in Avissawella. Norman Wickramasinghe found a house for the couple in Lunava, a fashionable suburb of Moratuwa, for which he paid the rent, and also gave his daughter an allowance equal to NU’s monthly salary at that time, which was Rs. 112 (de Zoysa manuscript, p.7). To NU, the money, the rubber estate and house were tremendous incentives, giving him the economic security to further his driving ambition to study. He worked hard at his job, continued to give tuition, and most of all, never gave up studying to improve his own position in life, and perhaps to prove to the Wickramasinghes that he could succeed.

(N.U. JAYAWARDENA The First Five Decades Chapter 5 can read online on https://island.lk/early-employment-and-the-move-to-colombo/

(Excerpted from N.U. JAYAWARDENA The first five decades)
By Kumari Jayawardena and Jennifer Moragoda ✍️

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Features

The Venezuela Model:The new ugly and dangerous world order

Published

1 day ago

2026/01/9

Thilina Walpola

The US armed forces invading Venezuela, removing its President Nicolás Maduro from power and abducting him and his wife Cilia Flores on 3 January 2026, flying them to New York and producing Maduro in a New York kangaroo court is now stale news, but a fact. What is a far more potent fact is the pan-global impotent response to this aggression except in Latin America, China, Russia and a few others.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro described the attack as an “assault on the sovereignty” of Latin America, thereby portraying the aggression as an assault on the whole of Latin America. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva referred to the attack as crossing “an unacceptable line” that set an “extremely dangerous precedent.” Again, one can see his concern goes beyond Venezuela. For Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum the attack was in “clear violation” of the UN Charter, which again is a fact. But when it comes to powerful countries, the UN Charter has been increasingly rendered irrelevant over decades, and by extension, the UN itself. For the French Foreign Minister, the operation went against the “principle of non-use of force that underpins international law” and that lasting political solutions cannot be “imposed by the outside.” UN Secretary General António Guterres said he was “deeply alarmed” about the “dangerous precedent” the United States has set where rules of international law were not being respected. Russia, notwithstanding its bloody and costly entanglement in Ukraine, and China have also issued strong statements.

Comparatively however, many other countries, many of whom are long term US allies who have been vocal against the Russian aggression in Ukraine have been far more sedate in their reaction. Compared to his Foreign Minister, French President Emmanuel Macron said the Venezuelan people could “only rejoice” at the ousting of Maduro while the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz believed Maduro had “led his country into ruin” and that the U.S. intervention required “careful consideration.” The British and EU statements have been equally lukewarm. India’s and Sri Lanka’s statements do not even mention the US while Sri Lanka’s main coalition partner the JVP has issued a strongly worded statement.

Taken together, what is lacking in most of these views, barring a negligible few, especially from the so-called powerful countries, is the moral indignation or outrage on a broad scale that used to be the case in similar circumstances earlier. It appears that a new ugly and dangerous world order has finally arrived, footprints of which have been visible for some time.

It is not that the US has not invaded sovereign countries and affected regime change or facilitated such change for political or economic reasons earlier. This has been attempted in Cuba without success since the 1950s but with success in Chile in 1973 under the auspices of Augusto Pinochet that toppled the legitimate government of president Salvador Allende and established a long-lasting dictatorship friendly towards the US; the invasion of Panama and the ouster and capture of President Manuel Noriega in 1989 and the 2003 invasion of Iraq both of which were conducted under the presidency of George Bush.

These are merely a handful of cross border criminal activities against other countries focused on regime change that the US has been involved in since its establishment which also includes the ouster of President of Guyana Cheddi Jagan in 1964, the US invasion of the Dominican Republic in 1965 stop the return of President Juan Bosch to prevent a ‘communist resurgence’; the 1983 US invasion of Grenada after the overthrow and killing of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop purportedly to ensure that the island would not become a ‘Soviet-Cuban’ colony. A more recent adventure was the 2004 removal and kidnapping of the Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, which also had French support.

There is however a difference between all the earlier examples of US aggression and the Venezuelan operation. The earlier operations where the real reasons may have varied from political considerations based on ideological divergence to crude economics, were all couched in the rhetoric of democracy. That is, they were undertaken in the guise of ushering democratic changes in those countries, the region or the world irrespective of the long-term death and destruction which followed in some locations. But in Venezuela under President Donald Trump, it is all about controlling natural resources in that country to satisfy US commercial interests.

The US President is already on record for saying the US will “run” Venezuela until a “safe transition” is concluded and US oil companies will “go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money” – ostensibly for the US and those in Venezuela who will tag the US line. Trump is also on record saying that the main aim of the operation was to regain U.S. oil rights, which according to him were “stolen” when Venezuela nationalized the industry. The nationalization was obviously to ensure that the funds from the industry remained in the country even though in later times this did lead to massive internal corruption.

Let’s be realistic. Whatever the noise of the new rhetoric is, this is not about ‘developing’ Venezuela for the benefit of its people based on some unknown streak of altruism but crudely controlling and exploiting its natural assets as was the case with Iraq. As crude as it is, one must appreciate Trump’s unintelligent honesty stemming from his own unmitigated megalomania. Whatever US government officials may say, the bottom line is the entire operation was planned and carried out purely for commercial and monetary gain while the pretext was Maduro being ‘a narco-terrorist.’ There is no question that Maduro was a dictator who was ruining his own country. But there is also no question that it is not the business of the US or any other country to decide what his or Venezuela’s fate is. That remains with the Venezuelan people.

What is dangerous is, the same ‘narco-terrorist’ rhetoric can also be applied to other Latin American countries such as Columbia, Brazil and Mexico which also produce some of the narcotics that come into the US consumer markets. The response should be not to invade these countries to stem the flow, but to deal with the market itself, which is the US. In real terms what Trump has achieved with his invasion of Venezuela for purely commercial gain and greed, followed by the abject silence or lukewarm reaction from most of the world, is to create a dangerous and ugly new normal for military actions across international borders. The veneer of democracy has also been dispensed with.

The danger lies in the fact that this new doctrine or model Trump has devised can similarly be applied to any country whose resources or land a powerful megalomaniac leader covets as long as he has unlimited access to military assets of his country, backed by the dubius remnants of the political and social safety networks, commonsense and ethics that have been conveniently dismantled. This is a description of the present-day United States too. This danger is boosted when the world remains silent. After the success of the Venezuela operation, Trump has already upended his continuing threats to annex Greenland because “we need Greenland from the standpoint of national security.” Greenland too is not about security, but commerce given its vast natural resources.

Hours after Venezuela, Trump threatened the Colombian President Gustavo Petro to “watch his ass.” In the present circumstances, Canadians also would not have forgotten Trump’s threat earlier in 2025 to annex Canada. But what the US President and his current bandwagon replete with arrogance and depleted intelligence would not understand is, beyond the short-term success of the Venezuela operation and its euphoria, the dangerous new normal they have ushered in would also create counter threats towards the US, the region and the world in a scale far greater than what exists today. The world will also become a far less safe place for ordinary American citizens.

More crucially, it will also complicate global relations. It would no longer be possible for the mute world leaders to condemn Russian action in Ukraine or if China were to invade Taiwan. The model has been created by Trump, and these leaders have endorsed it. My reading is that their silence is not merely political timidity, but strategic to their own national and self-interest, to see if the Trump model could be adopted in other situations in future if the fallout can be managed.

The model for the ugly new normal has been created and tested by Trump. Its deciding factors are greed and dismantled ethics. It is now up to other adventurers to fine tune it. We would be mere spectators and unwitting casualties.

Features

Beyond the beauty: Hidden risks at waterfalls

Published

1 day ago

2026/01/9

Thilina Walpola

Bambarakanda waterfall. Image courtesy LANKA EXCURSIONS HOLIDAYS

Sri Lanka is blessed with a large number of scenic waterfalls, mainly concentrated in the central highlands. These natural features substantially enhance the country’s attractiveness to tourists. Further, these famous waterfalls equally attract thousands of local visitors throughout the year.

While waterfalls offer aesthetic appeal, a serene environment, and recreational opportunities, they also pose a range of significant hazards. Unfortunately, the visitors are often unable to identify these different types of risks, as site-specific safety information and proper warning signs are largely absent. In most locations, only general warnings are displayed, often limited to the number of past fatalities. This can lead visitors to assume that bathing is the sole hazard, which is not the case. Therefore, understanding the full range of waterfall-related risks and implementing appropriate safety measures is essential for preventing loss of life. This article highlights site-specific hazards to raise public awareness and prevent people from putting their lives at risk due to these hidden dangers.

Flash floods and resultant water surges

Flash floods are a significant hazard in hill-country waterfalls. According to the country’s topography, most of the streams originate from the catchments in the hilly areas upstream of the waterfalls. When these catchments receive intense rainfalls, the subsequent runoff will flow down as flash floods. This will lead to an unexpected rise in the flow of the waterfall, increasing the risk of drowning and even sweeping away people. Therefore, bathing at such locations is extremely dangerous, and those who are even at the river banks have to be vigilant and should stay away from the stream as much as possible. The Bopath Ella, Ravana Ella, and a few waterfalls located in the Belihul Oya area, closer to the A99 road, are classic examples of this scenario.

Water currents

The behaviour of water in the natural pool associated with the waterfall is complex and unpredictable. Although the water surface may appear calm, strong subsurface currents and hydraulic forces exist that even a skilled swimmer cannot overcome. Hence, a person who immerses confidently may get trapped inside and disappear. Water from a high fall accelerates rapidly, forming hydraulic jumps and vortices that can trap swimmers or cause panic. Hence, bathing in these natural pools should be totally avoided unless there is clear evidence that they are safe.

Slipping risks

Slipping is a common hazard around waterfalls. Sudden loss of footing can lead to serious injuries or fatal falls into deep pools or rock surfaces. The area around many waterfalls consists of steep, slippery rocks due to moisture and the growth of algae. Sometimes, people are overconfident and try to climb these rocks for the thrill of it and to get a better view of the area. Further, due to the presence of submerged rocks, water depths vary in the natural pool area, and there is a chance of sliding down along slippery rocks into deep water. Waterfalls such as Diyaluma, Bambarakanda, and Ravana Falls are likely locations for such hazards, and caution around these sites is a must.

Rockfalls

Rockfalls are a significant hazard around waterfalls in steep terrains. Falling rocks can cause serious injuries or fatalities, and smaller stones may also be carried by fast-flowing water. People bathing directly beneath waterfalls, especially smaller ones, are therefore exposed to a high risk of injury. Accordingly, regardless of the height of the waterfall, bathing under the falling water should be avoided.

Hypothermia and cold shock

Hypothermia is a drop in body temperature below 35°C due to cold exposure. This leads to mental confusion, slowed heartbeat, muscle stiffening, and even cardiac arrest may follow. Waterfalls in Nuwara Eliya district often have very low water temperatures. Hence, immersing oneself in these waters is dangerous, particularly for an extended period.

Human negligence

Additional hazards also arise from visitors’ own negligence. Overcrowding at popular waterfalls significantly increases the risk of accidents, including slips and falls from cliffs. Sometimes, visitors like to take adventurous photographs in dangerous positions. Reckless behavior, such as climbing over barriers, ignoring warning signs, or swimming in prohibited zones, amplifies the risk.

Mitigation and safety

measures

Mitigation of waterfall-related hazards requires a combination of public awareness, engineering solutions, and policy enforcement. Clear warning signs that indicate the specific hazards associated with the water fall, rather than general hazard warnings, must be fixed. Educating visitors verbally and distributing bills that include necessary guidelines at ticket counters, where applicable, will be worth considering. Furthermore, certain restrictions should vary depending on the circumstances, especially seasonal variation of water flow, existing weather, etc.

Physical barriers should be installed to prevent access to dangerous areas by fencing. A viewing platform can protect people from many hazards discussed above. For bathing purposes, safer zones can be demarcated with access facilities.

Installing an early warning system for heavily crowded waterfalls like Bopath Ella, which is prone to flash floods, is worth implementing. Through a proper mechanism, a warning system can alert visitors when the upstream area receives rainfall that may lead to flash floods in the stream.

At present, there are hardly any officials to monitor activities around waterfalls. The local authorities that issue tickets and collect revenue have to deploy field officers to these waterfalls sites for monitoring the activities of visitors. This will help reduce not only accidents but also activities that cause environmental pollution and damage. We must ensure that these natural treasures remain a source of wonder rather than danger.

(The writer is a chartered Civil Engineer specialising in water resources engineering)

By Eng. Thushara Dissanayake ✍️

Features

From sacred symbol to silent victim: Sri Lanka’s elephants in crisis

Published

1 day ago

2026/01/9

Thilina Walpola

The year 2025 began with grim news. On 1st January, a baby elephant was struck and killed by a train in Habarana, marking the start of a tragic series of elephant–train collisions that continued throughout the year. In addition to these incidents, the nation mourned the deaths of well-known elephants such as Bathiya and Kandalame Hedakaraya, among many others. As the year drew on, further distressing reports emerged, including the case of an injured elephant that was burnt with fire, an act of extreme cruelty that ultimately led to its death. By the end of the year, Sri Lanka recorded the highest number of elephant deaths in Asia.

This sorrowful reality stands in stark contrast to Sri Lanka’s ancient spiritual heritage. Around 250 BCE, at Mihintale, Arahant Mahinda delivered the Cūḷahatthipadopama Sutta (The Shorter Discourse on the Simile of the Elephant’s Footprint) to King Devanampiyatissa, marking the official introduction of Buddhism to the island. The elephant, a symbol deeply woven into this historic moment, was once associated with wisdom, restraint, and reverence.

Yet the recent association between Mihintale and elephants has been anything but noble. At Mihintale an elephant known as Ambabo, already suffering from a serious injury to his front limb due to human–elephant conflict (HEC), endured further cruelty when certain local individuals attempted to chase him away using flaming torches, burning him with fire. Despite the efforts of wildlife veterinary surgeons, Ambabo eventually succumbed to his injuries. The post-mortem report confirmed severe liver and kidney impairment, along with extensive trauma caused by the burns.

Was prevention possible?

The question that now arises is whether this tragedy could have been prevented.

To answer this, we must examine what went wrong.

When Ambabo first sustained an injury to his forelimb, he did receive veterinary treatment. However, after this initial care, no close or continuous monitoring was carried out. This lack of follow-up is extremely dangerous, especially when an injured elephant remains near human settlements. In such situations, some individuals may attempt to chase, harass, or further harm the animal, without regard for its condition.

A similar sequence of events occurred in the case of Bathiya. He was initially wounded by a trap gun—devices generally intended for poaching bush meat rather than targeting elephants. Following veterinary treatment, his condition showed signs of improvement. Tragically, while he was still recovering, he was shot a second time behind the ear. This second wound likely damaged vital nerves, including the vestibular nerve, which plays a critical role in balance, coordination of movement, gaze stabilisation, spatial orientation, navigation, and trunk control. In effect, the second shooting proved far more devastating than the first.

After Bathiya received his initial treatment, he was left without proper protection due to the absence of assigned wildlife rangers. This critical gap in supervision created the opportunity for the second attack. Only during the final stages of his suffering were the 15th Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment, the 9th Battalion of the Sri Lanka National Guard, and the local police deployed—an intervention that should have taken place much earlier.

Likewise, had Ambabo been properly monitored and protected after his injury, it is highly likely that his condition would not have deteriorated to such a tragic extent.

It should also be mentioned that when an injured animal like an elephant is injured, the animal will undergo a condition that is known as ‘capture myopathy’. It is a severe and often fatal condition that affects wild animals, particularly large mammals such as elephants, deer, antelope, and other ungulates. It is a stress-induced disease that occurs when an animal experiences extreme physical exertion, fear, or prolonged struggle during capture, restraint, transport, or pursuit by humans. The condition develops when intense stress causes a surge of stress hormones, leading to rapid muscle breakdown. This process releases large amounts of muscle proteins and toxins into the bloodstream, overwhelming vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, and liver. As a result, the animal may suffer from muscle degeneration, dehydration, metabolic acidosis, and organ failure. Clinical signs of capture myopathy include muscle stiffness, weakness, trembling, incoordination, abnormal posture, collapse, difficulty breathing, dark-coloured urine, and, in severe cases, sudden death. In elephants, the condition can also cause impaired trunk control, loss of balance, and an inability to stand for prolonged periods. Capture myopathy can appear within hours of a stressful event or may develop gradually over several days. So, if the sick animal is harassed like it happened to Ambabo, it does only make things worse. Unfortunately, once advanced symptoms appear, treatment is extremely difficult and survival rates are low, making prevention the most effective strategy.

What needs to be done?

Ambabo’s harassment was not an isolated incident; at times injured elephants have been subjected to similar treatment by local communities. When an injured elephant remains close to human settlements, it is essential that wildlife officers conduct regular and continuous monitoring. In fact, it should be made mandatory to closely observe elephants in critical condition for a period even after treatment has been administered—particularly when they remain in proximity to villages. This approach is comparable to admitting a critically ill patient to a hospital until recovery is assured.

At present, such sustained monitoring is difficult due to the severe shortage of staff in the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Addressing this requires urgent recruitment and capacity-building initiatives, although these solutions cannot be realised overnight. In the interim, it is vital to enlist the support of the country’s security forces. Their involvement is not merely supportive—it is essential for protecting both wildlife and people.

To mitigate HEC, a Presidential Committee comprising wildlife specialists developed a National Action Plan in 2020. The strategies outlined in this plan were selected for their proven effectiveness, adaptability across different regions and timeframes, and cost-efficiency. The process was inclusive, incorporating extensive consultations with the public and relevant authorities. If this Action Plan is fully implemented, it holds strong potential to significantly reduce HEC and prevent tragedies like the suffering endured by Ambabo. In return it will also benefit villagers living in those areas.

In conclusion, I would like to share the wise words of Arahant Mahinda to the king, which, by the way, apply to every human being:

O’ great king, the beasts that roam the forest and birds that fly the skies have the same right to this land as you. The land belongs to the people and to all other living things, and you are not its owner but only its guardian.

by Tharindu Muthukumarana ✍️
tharinduele@gmail.com
(Author of the award-winning book “The Life of Last Proboscideans: Elephants”)