Features

Saints, Dacoits, and Development-Wallahs in Pakistan

Published

1 year ago

2024/11/10

Thilina Walpola

Devotees gather at the shrine of the Muslim Sufi saint Shah Hussain in Lahore, Pakistan

by Jayantha Perera

In 1994, the Pakistan Government received financial support from the World Bank to build a reservoir in the swamp-filled depression called Makhi Dhand in the upper Sindh. Its purposes were to encourage sedentary, irrigated agriculture in place of transhumance practices (moving livestock from one ground to another in a seasonal cycle) among scattered, mobile communities and develop the most backward area in Sindh by building roads, schools, hospitals and decent dwellings for settlers. The name of the proposed reservoir was Chortiari. My task was to make the residents in Makhi Dhand aware of the project, conduct a socio-economic survey in the area, and prepare a resettlement and income improvement plan for their benefit.

In 1909, Sir Edward Cox, a British official, stated that notorious criminals found refuge in secret recesses of Makhi Dhand. Local villagers sympathised with those ‘Robin Hoods’ by supplying weapons, food and other necessities. When I visited the area in 1994, Makhi Dhand had the same notoriety. It was known as the breeding ground of dacoits and ‘miscreants.’ Households were scattered, and the people were subsistence farmers and herdsmen. There were no schools or hospitals in Makhi Dhand. The nearest town was Sanghar, where villagers obtained medical help and other assistance. In villages, I found a community that, despite the odds, had not given in to abject poverty and marginalised life but had shown remarkable resilience.

In the 1860s, a family of pirs (saints) in Sindh claimed they were direct descendants of the holy men of the Sufi faction of Islam in Arabia. In the latter part of the 19^th century, Zasir Pir organised people in Makhi Dhand and Thar Pakar Desert into a brotherhood called Jamiat, which had two tiers: salims – people who venerated pirs and depended on them for subsistence; second farqis – diehard pir followers, who formed an anti-colonial revolutionary group called ‘Hur.’ Its membership spread to Thar Pakar Desert, and Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Bengal provinces. At that time, Zamindars (landowners), Haris (tenants) and cattle herders in rural Sindh supported the group out of fear and respect.

Makhi Dhand was the epicentre of several anti-British colonial uprisings in the 20^th century. Its residents maintained a close relationship with Afghans during the Kalifat movement in Sindh in the early 20^th century, a pan-Islamic movement in North India and Afghanistan to preserve the status of the Sultan of Turkey as the Caliph and ensure his control over the Ottoman Empire.

My socio-economic survey team members were from Sanghar town. They knew influential personalities in Chortiari. One of them was Variyam Fakkir, a Pir. Variyam told me that although people worshipped him as a Pir, he was only a second-tier Sufi saint who had not yet reached full pirhood. He was a religious man and a political leader in the area. He owned a large area of land in Chortiari, and his followers cultivated it as his haris.

Variyam told me his great-granduncle led the 1910 rebellion against the British from Makhini Dhand. When the uprising failed, he served a lengthy jail sentence at the Hyderabad prison. He lost all his permanent and movable property when the British confiscated them. Two decades later, the British captured Pir Pagaro, Varyam’s granduncle, when he, too, organised a revolt against them. The British kept him in Prison for several years. When released from Hyderabad Prison in 1936, he rekindled the revolutionary zest among his followers. He organised a fresh uprising against the British. The British imposed martial law in 1942 and enacted the ‘Special Hur Act’ to deal with ‘miscreants’. Variyam told us that the army and the air force did not spare even their pots and pans after dynamiting and looting their communities. They raided their cattle and goat pens and stole gold jewellery. He could not continue his story as he was distraught, and he wiped his eyes with his shawl several times.

After Pakistan was created in 1947, Salims and Farqis joined together. They dropped their resistance to the new state because it was an Islamic state and were happy to become citizens of a new nation. Their transition from resistance to acceptance was a testament to the community’s adaptability. Variyam became a strong ‘vote bank’ for national and local politicians. Regional or national political parties depended on him for votes during local and general elections.

Villagers in the Chortiari project area were proud people. They delighted in talking about their past adventures and bravery, including their century-long resistance (1850 to 1948) to the British administration, especially its police personnel. The villagers’ pride in their history was palpable, which evoked a deep respect for their heritage. They ascribed their current rampant poverty and marginalised social status to the imposition of the Criminalized Tribes Ordinance in 1871 by the British. The British used such laws and regulations to control their movement, subjugate Pirs, and confiscate or destroy their property, crops, and animals.

I explained to Variyam the importance of converting Makhini Dhand into an irrigation reservoir. Irrigation water would enable them to cultivate two crops yearly, giving them a regular household income. I told him the World Bank would also build roads, schools, and hospitals for the benefit of the local people.

For three weeks, I stayed with my socio-economic survey team at an abandoned circuit bungalow (guest house) built in the 1890s by the British. The house did not have doors or windows. It was built on the principle of cross-ventilation. Two large dirty punkas (cloth fans) hung from the roof in the large bedroom and dining area to fan visitors. A cook and a punka vallah (fan operator) arrived from Sanghar to serve us. Punka vallah was a lazy man and pulled the fans for us for about two hours after dinner. As a result, we suffered the unbearable heat and mosquito bite through the night. He disappeared at 10 pm and re-emerged in the late morning of the following day.

The cook was a fine man with a Sindhi cap and a well-preened large black moustache. He dressed differently from the punka vallah, perhaps to emphasise his higher status. He served us parathas or ghee rice, a watery lentil curry, fried okra and palla (local salmon) fish for all three meals. He brewed strong tea with crushed cardamon and powdered brown sugar. We relished his syrupy tea, especially in hot afternoons with local biscuits. He identified himself as a Pathan from North-East Province. He had spent ten years in the army.

After sunset, we occasionally lay on charpoys (cots) in Variyam’s spacious compound. We listened to his breathtaking stories while drinking hot tea and munching local sweets. We were happy to lie down on charpoys with rough hemp ropes interwoven into small, squared nets to enjoy the cool desert breeze. After sunset, the compound was dark, and we could not see each other. I feared dacoits, and I thought that they would emerge from tall grass patches to kidnap us. Variyam assured us that nothing would happen to us because we were his guests.

In the evenings, a giant comet covered a part of the dark sky. Variyam interpreted its appearance as a bad omen and predicted that India might attack Pakistan. He wanted to know when the Chotiari Reservoir would be built. Variyam lamented that constructing a reservoir would wipe out archaeological sites and forests. He wanted to know our genuine thoughts about the proposed reservoir. He told us he could stop the project overnight by calling his followers.

He repeated his concerns regarding the state’s encroachment into his peoples’ land. He explained how the British established permanent settlements in Sindh by bringing loyal tribes and communities from Punjab, Rajasthan, and Bengal. At the same time, the British restricted the movement of the original inhabitants in the area and erected guard posts to supervise them. In some locations, villagers were relocated into new settlements. They needed passes from the military to leave their area. He wondered whether the same would happen to them with the construction of the reservoir and the arrival of outsiders with the state’s patronage.

Variyam loved to dramatise from his charpoy how his granduncle, as a 12-year-old boy, took part in the 1920s uprising. He imitated how the British cannons boomed – “boom, boom, boom” and the sound of machine guns – “truck, truck, truck.” The Delhi Government dispatched platoons of soldiers to Sindh to control chaos when the locals attacked police stations and government offices. The young Pir Pagaro organised his followers in Thar Pakar and central Sindh and harassed the government until the British captured him in 1927.

Ali Jinnah, a famous lawyer from Bombay and the future founding father of Pakistan, defended him at a sessional court in Karachi. Jinnah pointed out to the judge that with the imposed draconian laws, the people could not live in Makhi Dhand as human beings. The court sentenced the young man to eight years in Prison. He told us with a broken voice that in 1943, the British hanged Pir Pagaro at the Hyderabad Jail with several others for high treason after their failed insurrection in the early 1940s.

We walked to village settlements with local guides through tall savannah grass patches. At some settlements, there were only three or four households. Most residents believed they were pastoralists. They pointed out the idea of land ownership was alien to their culture and pleaded not to destroy traditional pastoralism in the name of development.

Most villagers first refused to talk to us, but later responded when we told them we were their pir‘s friends. A man told us not to waste time visiting houses because each household had the same story of poverty, discrimination, and wounded pride. Several old people were waiting for the second coming of Pir Pagaro, who had sacrificed his life to redeem them from their agony and destitution. They were worried the World Bank and foreign workers might disturb his second coming. One man told us a descendant of Pir Pagaro would bring sweeping changes, including independence and economic prosperity, to Makhi Dhand. He opined that our patchwork of development might betray his grand plan.

The government officials, who had refused to join the survey in Makhini Dhand for security reasons, told us that villagers, including Variyam, did not own any land there. The British had confiscated all their land under martial law in the early 1940s. They asked me if the state would compensate the land acquired for the reservoir. This was a critical issue that I had to deal with when formulating the resettlement and income improvement plan. In the plans, I recommended compensation for land and other assets acquired regardless of their ownership status.

One day, I completed an interview with a farmer before 4 pm in a remote settlement. I waited with the translator for other team members to return to go back to the guest house. Two unknown young men emerged from the forest and walked towards us. They talked to the translator. Then, they approached me and asked what I was doing in their village. The translator translated the question and winked at me. I did not know why he winked at me. I told them we were meeting villagers to collect information and to tell them about the proposed reservoir.

One man raised his voice and asked me, “Have you obtained our permission to build a tank on our land?”

“Yes, we have already talked to your pir and several other elders, and they think the project would benefit all villagers,” I told him.

“But you did not talk to us about the tank.” he retorted.

“We plan to talk to all households before building the tank,” I told him. The two men talked to the translator again. The translator told me, “Please be careful with these two fellows. They can harm us.”

I smiled and asked him, “Where are their guns if they are dacoits?”

My response annoyed the translator. He talked to the two men again. All three laughed, and one man went to a nearby hut and returned with an AK-47 rifle.

The translator said, “Didn’t I tell you to be careful. Now they have an AK-47 rifle. They can take us wherever they want. Especially, they might like to take you with them to demand a ransom.”

Fortunately, at that moment, the other survey team members returned. One of them recognised the two men. They talked to each other and shook hands. Before leaving us, the gunmen told me through the translator, “Do not roam in our area after 12 noon.”

I told Variyam about my encounter with the dacoits. He thought for a minute. In a sad voice, he said, “The problem with my people is their impatience and foolishness in making enemies from outside.” He asked me not to report the incident to the police or government officials in Sanghar or Hyderabad. He reassured no one would harm us while we were in Makhi Dhand. On the same evening, he organised a musical party for us and served delicious food. The songs focused on their ancestors’ bravery, the purity of Sufism, and the pan-regional spread of the Hur brotherhood. Sometimes, the singer cried and waited for the audience to respond to his wailing.

I sat next to Variyam, and he told me how his father had organised similar evenings and got special cakes from Bombay called ‘Bombay cakes’ for such occasions. It had a generous sprinkle of dried raisins on the top, and its crust was thick and hard. He had not seen a Bombay cake for about 30 years. He asked me to get a Bombay cake for him. I asked a friend in Bombay to bring a Bombay cake for me whenever he visited his uncle in Karachi.

After three months, my friend delivered a Bombay cake to my residence in Hyderabad. The cake was large, nicely wrapped, and placed in a decorated box. My friend told me the cake would stay fresh for two weeks as it was a ‘dry’ cake. Purkahn, my driver, and I drove eight hours with the cake to Chortiari. Variyam was delighted to see me and the cake. We ate a small piece of it, and I saw tears in his eyes. He wanted me to come back to Chortiari so that he could tell me the whole story of his ancestors. I promised that I would revisit him, and I left his house with a feeling of respect and gratitude.

All News Advertisement

Features

Race hate and the need to re-visit the ‘Clash of Civilizations’

Published

13 hours ago

2025/12/25

Sahan Weerasooriya

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: ‘No to race hate’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done very well to speak-up against and outlaw race hate in the immediate aftermath of the recent cold-blooded gunning down of several civilians on Australia’s Bondi Beach. The perpetrators of the violence are believed to be ardent practitioners of religious and race hate and it is commendable that the Australian authorities have lost no time in clearly and unambiguously stating their opposition to the dastardly crimes in question.

The Australian Prime Minister is on record as stating in this connection: ‘ New laws will target those who spread hate, division and radicalization. The Home Affairs Minister will also be given new powers to cancel or refuse visas for those who spread hate and a new taskforce will be set up to ensure the education system prevents, tackles and properly responds to antisemitism.’

It is this promptness and single-mindedness to defeat race hate and other forms identity-based animosities that are expected of democratic governments in particular world wide. For example, is Sri Lanka’s NPP government willing to follow the Australian example? To put the record straight, no past governments of Sri Lanka initiated concrete measures to stamp out the evil of race hate as well but the present Sri Lankan government which has pledged to end ethnic animosities needs to think and act vastly differently. Democratic and progressive opinion in Sri Lanka is waiting expectantly for the NPP government’ s positive response; ideally based on the Australian precedent to end race hate.

Meanwhile, it is apt to remember that inasmuch as those forces of terrorism that target white communities world wide need to be put down their counterpart forces among extremist whites need to be defeated as well. There could be no double standards on this divisive question of quashing race and religious hate, among democratic governments.

The question is invariably bound up with the matter of expeditiously and swiftly advancing democratic development in divided societies. To the extent to which a body politic is genuinely democratized, to the same degree would identity based animosities be effectively managed and even resolved once and for all. To the extent to which a society is deprived of democratic governance, correctly understood, to the same extent would it experience unmanageable identity-bred violence.

This has been Sri Lanka’s situation and generally it could be stated that it is to the degree to which Sri Lankan citizens are genuinely constitutionally empowered that the issue of race hate in their midst would prove manageable. Accordingly, democratic development is the pressing need.

While the dramatic blood-letting on Bondi Beach ought to have driven home to observers and commentators of world politics that the international community is yet to make any concrete progress in the direction of laying the basis for an end to identity-based extremism, the event should also impress on all concerned quarters that continued failure to address the matters at hand could prove fatal. The fact of the matter is that identity-based extremism is very much alive and well and that it could strike devastatingly at a time and place of its choosing.

It is yet premature for the commentator to agree with US political scientist Samuel P. Huntingdon that a ‘Clash of Civilizations’ is upon the world but events such as the Bondi Beach terror and the continuing abduction of scores of school girls by IS-related outfits, for instance, in Northern Africa are concrete evidence of the continuing pervasive presence of identity-based extremism in the global South.

As a matter of great interest it needs mentioning that the crumbling of the Cold War in the West in the early nineties of the last century and the explosive emergence of identity-based violence world wide around that time essentially impelled Huntingdon to propound the hypothesis that the world was seeing the emergence of a ‘Clash of Civilizations’. Basically, the latter phrase implied that the Cold War was replaced by a West versus militant religious fundamentalism division or polarity world wide. Instead of the USSR and its satellites, the West, led by the US, had to now do battle with religion and race-based militant extremism, particularly ‘Islamic fundamentalist violence’ .

Things, of course, came to a head in this regard when the 9/11 calamity centred in New York occurred. The event seemed to be startling proof that the world was indeed faced with a ‘Clash of Civilizations’ that was not easily resolvable. It was a case of ‘Islamic militant fundamentalism’ facing the great bulwark, so to speak, of ‘ Western Civilization’ epitomized by the US and leaving it almost helpless.

However, it was too early to write off the US’ capability to respond, although it did not do so by the best means. Instead, it replied with military interventions, for example, in Iraq and Afghanistan, which moves have only earned for the religious fundamentalists more and more recruits.

Yet, it is too early to speak in terms of a ‘Clash of Civilizations’. Such a phenomenon could be spoken of if only the entirety of the Islamic world took up arms against the West. Clearly, this is not so because the majority of the adherents of Islam are peaceably inclined and want to coexist harmoniously with the rest of the world.

However, it is not too late for the US to stop religious fundamentalism in its tracks. It, for instance, could implement concrete measures to end the blood-letting in the Middle East. Of the first importance is to end the suffering of the Palestinians by keeping a tight leash on the Israeli Right and by making good its boast of rebuilding the Gaza swiftly.

Besides, the US needs to make it a priority aim to foster democratic development worldwide in collaboration with the rest of the West. Military expenditure and the arms race should be considered of secondary importance and the process of distributing development assistance in the South brought to the forefront of its global development agenda, if there is one.

If the fire-breathing religious demagogue’s influence is to be blunted worldwide, then, it is development, understood to mean equitable growth, that needs to be fostered and consolidated by the democratic world. In other words, the priority ought to be the empowerment of individuals and communities. Nothing short of the latter measures would help in ushering a more peaceful world.

Features

The perennial challenge of peace-keeping and reconciliation

Published

13 hours ago

2025/12/25

Sahan Weerasooriya

Christmas

Peace on Earth to all people of good-will is the perennial and the pristine song of Joy and hope aired in every nook and corner during every Christmas season commemorating the Birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. In his own day, Jesus of Nazareth was himself a wonderful instrument of peace and reconciliation in his own homeland of Palestine. He was open to all classes of people, whatever their ethnicity, race, language or social class with preference particularly to the sectors of the poor among these social strata. He would freely crisscross the various regions of Palestine which at that time was tri-partite: Galilee in the north with its fishing villages, lakes graced with wonderful beaches and imposing ranges of hills and valleys; Samaria in the middle and Judea in the deep south which located the religious centers of Judaism with its magnificent temple and also housed the State buildings of the Roman prefectures.

Liberation from Oppression

Entire Palestine was colonized with Caesar sitting in Rome his capital and having his legates governing the local provinces. People too were living in the expectation of a Messiah who would fight the colonial power and thus bring liberation to their oppressed motherland. There was a strongly prevalent messianic current of hope circulating and the longing for the day and the appearance of the Messiah, the liberator. Though inundated by Roman paganism and constantly under the threat of foreign invasion, the people kept to their traditional religious beliefs with their festivals, pilgrimages, rituals and rites and laws.

Unfortunately, there was a historic breach with the breakaway of the Samaritans from the Jews, both claiming to be authentic descendants of their earliest patriarchs. They had different holy centers of worship. Jews considered the Samaritans a hybrid race enabled by the inter-marriages encouraged by the invading Assyrian foreigners (721 BC) with the local population that were not deported by the invaders. It was a historic schism that had very sad socio-cultural, religious and political repercussions. As time went by, this enmity had created many tensions and had percolated into many other serious issues that caused estrangement within the country. The story of the Good Samaritan who came to the rescue of the Jew fallen among the robbers along the road to Jericho and the sole leper who returned to thank Jesus following his healing and who happened to be a Samaritan are gospel incidents that strived to heal this division and bring reconciliation among the two dissenting groups. Creating confusion among the general public was also the fact of the misunderstanding of the mission of the Messiah wholly thought of as a purely political liberation which was only a partial truth.

The homeland of Jesus was desperately in need of a profound spiritual and religious revolution. There had to be a more humane understanding of the Law of Moses, the great code of the national ethic and putting relationships in their correct perspective despite the fact that the land was surrounded on all sides with kingdoms and ruling monarchs who were pagan and the worship of idols was rampant. People treasured their religious and cultural traditions and were in great fear of them being lost when invading foreigners threatened their sovereignty and even territorial integrity. Their very land was sacred for it was the land of their God and therefore defended against any foreign pagan aggression. In fact, there had been often and on many insurrectionist movements rebelling against the Roman colonial rule that were summarily crushed.

Religion at the service of Freedom & Liberation

Jesus Christ saw the need of introducing a new spirituality based on a new ethic to restore the religious sensibilities of Israel. From the mountain he taught the classical sermon on the Beatitudes which declared the poor as blessed and those who suffered persecution for the sake of justice and righteousness as blessed too. It would be the meek who will inherit the earth and those who are merciful would be the true children of God. Pharisaical spirit of religion that is subservient to the letter of the Law that kills and false religiosity limited purely to rites and rituals were to be empty of meaning. Love of God to be total had to be matched with the love for the neighbor. Even enemies were to be loved without conditions. Self-righteousness had no place in the spirituality he propounded. People have to be fed both with spiritual food of truth as well as material nourishment to feed their hunger as he multiplied fish and loaves in the Galilean mountains to cater to the thousands who had flocked to hear him and sought blessings of healing and solace. Many were stunned wondering how the son of a carpenter could have such wisdom and powers even over demons who rattled at his presence. Simple jealousy, unfounded fear and a great amount of misunderstanding and suspicion finally caved in from his enemies, the religious authorities of Jerusalem and the Roman governor that led to that shamefully blatant and unjust condemnation ever recorded in legal history: the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

In some ways the celebration of Christmas, which is the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ is being caricatured with commercialism and mere external fanfare with décor and illuminations. The deeper truth is that we are celebrating a spiritual event that was decisive in history: God entering the world in the real physical and bodily appearance of a human being. He made humanity make its peace with God and brought enlightenment about the mystery of life and death declaring the importance of love and respect of others in neighborly love and forgiveness. Like an industrious fisherman he cast his net into the deep and distant waters for an abundance of harvest that would bring civilization itself a mighty haul of blessings. Christianity is very much alive in its two millennia history cutting across cultures and civilizations witnessing to the belief in God and the dignity of man who has an eternal destiny. This religion is pro-life in all dimensions: safety of the unborn, the sacredness and inviolability of every life, the sanctity of marriage, life-beyond death, no violence of any kind, no wars, no nuclear weapons, no arms race or unwarranted ethnic or racial superiority, no danger to sovereignty of nations and their territorial integrity and safe haven for refugees and migrants of every hue.

It is in some of these very difficult issues that peace-keeping and work of reconciliation are becoming global priorities. Science and technology alone are no saviors of humanity embattled as it is in problems that appear to be very dramatic and far extensive. In no way should human beings become victims of their own creations however impressive they may be. Humanity must be the center of our global concerns and innovations with everything serving it towards a better quality of life. A Human being must never be instrumentalized in dehumanizing experiments. On the contrary, he must be served in all things so that his unique place in creation may not be displaced and continue to be the final point of reference in all world’s undertakings and ventures. To this must all regional and international bodies commit themselves in earnest. Christianity considers Jesus Christ the Lord to be the goal of human history, the focal point of the longings of history and of civilization, the center of the human race, the joy of every heart and the answer to all its yearnings as the great Vatican II Council document put it (Gaudium et Spes 45) while the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts (Gaud. et Spes 1).

Christianity & Secularity

It is this spirit of Jesus Christ that impels Christianity to be closely involved in the world society’s journey which registers the triumphs and failures of history. Wherever it has gone, it has opened hospitals for healing the sick, schools for education and other charitable institutions thus playing the role of the Good Samaritan in keeping the fires of charity and compassion alive in a society always prone to various kinds of natural disasters and human conflicts that bring misery and suffering. Christianity favors an economic system that is neither radically socialist nor downright capitalistic and holds primacy of labor over capital, thus taking a clear anti-Marxist stand in this ever important socio-political issue. The dignity and working conditions of the worker with the issue of a living wage, pension benefits, sharing of profits, private enterprise are considered important human issues to be dealt with within the parameters of social justice and labour rights. Democratic principles are preeminently Christian in outlook empowering people to make the needed political options in constructing a system of governance and rule that benefits the common and the greater good. Christianity wishes its voice to be heard in international fora and in contexts in which important decisions affecting people globally are made.

If the spirit of Christmas is to endure beyond its usual annual celebration, the challenges of the Christmas event must be faced and due response to its newer questions met with courage and hope. In the concrete, they are the peace among nations, inter-religious harmony, war against terror and fundamentalisms, economies without disparities and respect for human rights as well as basic freedoms. These are all elements for reconciliation and building-blocks for peace-keeping. Military superiority and economic imperialism are the most satanic forms of modern paganism that plague our world creating so much suspicion, instability and tensions. More spirit of listening, dialogue and understanding are in demand for a stable world and a new form of warm humanism. In emulation of Jesus Christ the eminent peace-maker and reconciler, it behoves that all those who claim to be peace-makers and agents of reconciliation pursue the same mission. Thus, the spirit of Christmas is preserved ever alive.

by Rev. Fr. Leopold Ratnasekera OMI
Ph.D., Th.D.

Features

So this is Christmas …

Published

13 hours ago

2025/12/25

Sahan Weerasooriya

The world over, Christmas is being celebrated today. However, in our part of the world, Christmas, and the lead up to the New Year, will be observed on a sombre note.

With this in mind, I wish my readers a Blessed Christmas and let’s hope 2026 will be a good one … without any fear.

Several known personalities also send their greetings and best wishes to The Island readers:

* Noshin De Silva (Actress):

Happy Holidays to everyone across our beautiful island! As we move toward the end of the year, my heart goes out to all communities affected by the recent floods and severe weather. In these challenging weeks, we have also witnessed the true spirit of Sri Lanka through the humility, compassion, and unity of people coming together to support one another. May this season bring comfort to those rebuilding, gratitude to those giving, and hope to us all. Wishing everyone Peace, Healing, Great Health, and a very Happy New Year!

* Melloney Dassanayaka (Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2024):

As we celebrate the blessings of Christmas and step with hope into a brand-new year, I am reminded of the strength, resilience, and spirit that define us as Sri Lankans. This festive season invites us to reflect, to appreciate what we have, and to look ahead with courage.

Be positive and embrace every opportunity that comes your way. Be smart, be brave, and work hard for yourself, because your future is shaped by the determination you carry within.

May this Christmas fill your hearts with peace and joy, and may the New Year bring you endless possibilities, renewed strength, and the confidence to pursue every dream.

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas and a Bright, Prosperous New Year!

With love and warm wishes.

* Raffealla Fernando (Photographer/Designer):

Wishing you a beautiful, light-filled Christmas and a New Year overflowing with inspiration.

As a photographer and designer, I’m constantly searching for the moments, colours, and stories. that make life extraordinary and this season always reminds me how much beauty there is in the simple things: warm laughter, shared memories, and the quiet magic of togetherness.

Thank you for being part of my creative journey this year.

May your holidays be filled with genuine joy, and may 2026 bring you new adventures, brighter light, and endless reasons to smile.

This season, I’m also wishing for something close to my heart: for Sri Lanka to rise up bigger, better, and stronger. Nothing more to ask for than peace in these turbulent hearts, peace of mind for every soul, and the strength to rebuild our country in the coming year.

Merry Christmas, and a Vibrant, Inspiring New Year.

* Andrea Marr (Singer – Australia):

Wishing you all a Blessed Christmas and a Joyful New Year. May the message of Christmas remain in your hearts and give you peace.

* AROH (Music group):

We thank you for sharing your year with us, for every lyric sung, every rhythm embraced, and every stage shared. Your incredible support fuels our passion and continues to inspire the music we create.

Although the past few weeks have seen heaps of problems cropping up, may your Christmas be filled with Joy, Peace, and the beautiful harmony of family and friends.

Also, may the New Year bring you prosperity, health, and a score of exciting new possibilities.

We look forward to connecting with you through music in the coming year, as well.

* Melantha Perera (Singer):

Music heals the soul, and sharing its gift this season fills our hearts with joy.

May our melodies spread love to every soul, making our Creator smile as we celebrate His birth.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a New Year in perfect harmony!

* Natasha Rathnayake (Singer):

As we close another year and step into a new one, may this season remind us of what truly matters — kindness, connection, and love for all living beings.

Let’s carry forward the lessons, the healing, and the gratitude we’ve gathered, and step into 2026 with open hearts, courage, and compassion.

Wishing you and your loved ones a Christmas filled with blessings and joy, and a New Year that inspires clarity, creativity, and love in all that you do.

With love, and abundance of blessings!

God bless.

AROH

* Sohan Weerasinghe (Singer):

Yes, Christmas is back and 2026 is around the corner. It’s time once again to convey my good wishes and also to remind myself to be careful of my waistline as I have a weakness for goodies, especially Christmas cake!

Have a fabulous Christmas and New Year and you also must do your utmost to help the needy people around you, especially those affected by the disaster that took us all by surprise; give till it hurts!

* JJ Twins (Duo):

As the magic of Christmas fills the air and a brand-new year approaches, we extend our heartfelt thanks to our wonderful community for your continued support. May this festive season bring you joy, peace, and time spent with those you cherish.

We also take this moment to warmly wish Ivan Alvis a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year filled with success and happiness.

Jesus bless you all, and may you have a Christ-filled Christmas and New Year!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Bright, Successful New Year!

* SEVEN NOTES (Music group – Dubai):

SEVEN NOTES

As we celebrate the joy of Christmas and welcome the dawn of a brand-new year, we extend our heartfelt wishes to the readers and the dedicated team of The Island newspaper.

May this festive season bring peace, love, and harmony into your homes, and may the New Year 2026 be filled with success, good health, and new opportunities.

Thank you for inspiring communities across the globe with trusted journalism and unwavering service.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year 2026.