Features

The Beginning Of An “Oriental” Experience

Published

3 years ago

2023/04/2

by Goolbai Gunasekara

Excerpted from Chosen Ground: The Clara Motwani Saga
(For much of the information in this chapter I am indebted to Visakha students of the years between 1933 and 1945)

Curiously enough, Mother was not the first American principal of Visakha Vidyalaya. As Principal of the first Buddhist school for girls, situated in a small building in what was then Turret Road, Dr. Bernice Banning had taken charge of twenty children of leading Buddhist nationals. The parents of these twenty guinea pigs had the courage to ‘sacrifice’ their offspring in the cause of Buddhist education.

One of these ‘sacrifices’ was Vimala Wijewardene, who was to become Ceylon’s first woman Minister (of Health). There were also a few boys. One of them was Dudley Senanayake, a future Prime Minister of Ceylon; his cousin, R.G. Senanayake, a future cabinet minister; M.D.H. Jayawardena, a future Finance Minister; and Jinadasa Attygalle, a future medical specialist.

Several able Principals had preceded Mother – all of them foreign. None except Mrs. Pearce stayed long enough to make any impact. One British lady, I am told, resigned because her English friends disapproved of her association with local Sinhalese parents. Mother inherited Mrs. Pearce’s efficient administration.

Now what of Mother’s experiences as a new and amateur educationist in a country as different from her home as if she had stepped into the pages of an oriental novel? She loved the Sri Lankans from the start but a few shocks awaited her. One day an irate parent arrived at Mother’s office.

“You have the daughter of a low-caste family in this school,” she told Mother, “and the child sits next to mine in class.”

Coming from the State of Kentucky, which certainly must have practiced some form of racial discrimination, Mother was nonetheless deeply shocked when she was asked not only to move the offending child’s desk, but to preferably banish the ‘intruder’ from Visakha.Mother was a very tall person and could, when she so desired, be imperious. At this point she. so desired. She drew herself up to her full height.

“Mrs. V’ she said coldly, “when I enrol a student in Visakha I do not inquire to which caste she belongs. I am quite unconcerned with social status. My only concern is with the child’s mind, and her behaviour in school. However, if you feel very strongly about the matter, please write me a letter and I shall lay the matter before the Board.”

Mother shrewdly guessed that putting such a complaint in writing would never be done. She was right.

But the incident taught her a valuable lesson. To the end of her days Mother never inquired as to social standing or financial standing of any of the school’s parents. This probably irritated the affluent, but endeared her to all others.

Mother had yet another experience that brought home to her quite forcibly the fact that she had not left racism at home in America. Upon her arrival in Ceylon she was invited to join the Colombo Swimming Club. Unaware that at that time the Club was a bastion of white privilege, Mother went along to meet the Committee for the mandatory interview.

As the interview progressed, Mother began to feel distinctly uneasy: she realized that she was obviously in the wrong place. Her unease crystallized when one of the Committee turned to her and said:

“Of course, Mrs. Motwani, we will allow your children to swim here as a courtesy to you.”

Mother was appalled.

“Do you mean to say my husband cannot swim here?” she asked. “I’m afraid not,” said the President. “I’m sorry, but those are the rules.”

Mother declined membership, and was very critical of a British friend who did join the Club in spite of her Sinhalese husband being banned from the premises.

“Why did you do it?” she asked her friend. “Didn’t you feel it was an insult to your husband?”

“I did it for the sake of my children,” was the answer.

Mother could not see what possible benefits would accrue to her friend’s daughters from membership of the Swimming Club. It is ironical to reflect that, at the time of writing, I am a Trustee of the very Swimming Club that denied membership to my father.

Visakha had a lovely hostel with long airy dormitories, large windows and a sunny atmosphere. The ‘baby dormitory’ was her special love. Boys and girls aged from four years old to six were lodged here, and her special pets were Manilal Gunawardena and Neomal Dias, great grandson of the founder.

Mother would kiss all eighteen ‘babies’ goodnight each evening.

Manilal kept her in the room as long as he could.

“May I have some water, Mrs. Motwani?” he would ask, just as she was ready to turn out the light. The Matron would try to hush him up, but Manilal had a battery of requests. He needed to go to the bathroom. He was scared of going alone, and needed Mother to hold his hand. In short, Manilal just wanted her there until he fell asleep. His two older sisters had no patience with him, and in any case were in other dormitories.

When Manilal left Visakha to go to a boys’ school, saying goodbye to Mother was hard for them both.

“No one writes to me,” he told Mother sadly. All letters from home would go to his older sister. “Will you write me a letter?”

It was the first letter Mother had ever written to a cute little five-year-old, and Dr Gunawadena told her he treasured it a long time.

Romantically-minded teenage girls at Visakha were also greatly interested in my handsome North Indian father, who put in an appearance from time to time dressed in jodhpurs, the Indian sherwani and a Gandhi cap. Father created an aura of romance around the new Principal.

“My Hindu Moon Star

I love you

‘Yes I do,”

sang the seniors, to whom a North Indian lover was the ultimate of their unspoken dreams. And all the world, especially these Asian girls, brought up in that era for nothing else but marriage, loved a lover.

“Clara and Kewal became instantly loved,” wrote Manel Ratnatunga (nee Hewavitarana), the well known Sri Lankan authoress.

During Mother’s first years at Visakha she naturally introduced certain very American ideas. Sita Rajasooriya, well known today for her dedication to the Girl Guides and the Sarvodaya Movement, writes:

“Just before the senior Cambridge exam Mrs. Motwani occupied us with other activities. We felt this was a serious drawback to that last minute cram. She told us to put our books away, and on the night before we sat for the first paper the examination class was treated to a gala dinner given by the Staff.

“Mrs. Motwani told us this was an American custom. There is no doubt that our excellent results were due to Mrs. Motwani who helped us clear our minds and avoid last minute agitation. I was also one of the first to give Mrs. Motwani the Sinhala `ayubowan’ greeting on the first day she entered Visakha. She returned it so gracefully we were enchanted.”

The observance of Sil on Poya Days was made compulsory. Day girls joined boarders in a full day’s program arranged by Venerable Bhikkhu Narada. Mother joined the girls, sat on the floor with everyone and observed the customs. Rev. Narada conducted a meditation class one day and saw Mother seated with a perfectly straight spine (she always had a straight spine), hands correctly folded, eyes closed. He switched to Sinhala:

“See, girls,” he told them, “open your eyes and look at your Principal. THAT is the posture you must assume at religious functions.”

Mother opened her own eyes to find the whole school’s collective gaze on her. She blushed in confusion, and asked the venerable monk if anything was wrong.

“No, no, Mrs. Motwani,” he assured her. “I was just telling them to copy you.”

Mother used to say afterwards that it was a compliment she never forgot.

Leila Wijesekara, niece of Sir Baron Jayatilleke, writes that she grew very fast to be so tall, Mother always gave her the male lead in any drama. She was always the centre V in the double ‘V’ meant to represent ‘Visakha Vidyalaya’. Mother ranged all the children downwards from Leila’s towering figure.

Grace Jayasuriya (nee de Silva) goes back even further:

“I remember presenting a bouquet to Lady Stanley, wife of Sir Herbert Stanley, when she visited Visakha. I was a tiny girl. I was twelve when Mrs. Motwani came to the school. She was very beautiful. She allowed us to have midnight feasts, and shut her eyes to the fact we were breaking rules. We had ‘Boarder’s Days’ when normal rules were suspended. I had no mother and my father wanted me to marry young. Mrs. Motwani objected to an early marriage and persuaded him to allow me to join the Lady Irwin College Home Science Course at Visakha. Those were Golden Days, the memory of which will always linger in my heart.”

Thercy Samarajeewa, writing to Mother, said:

“A scene rises before my eyes. I see you with us students at dinner. I see us hostelers sitting at your feet in the garden while you told us stories of your home in Kentucky. I see the queue waiting to say goodnight to you at the end of the evening. I hear your voice telling us ‘Remember only what you GET, never what you have GIVEN’.”

It was an axiom Mother herself followed all her life. She always remembered a favour and never bore a grudge. Father was not over pleased with Mother’s selective memory.

“There is a special God for angels and fools,” he would tell us, his two daughters, “and your mother qualifies for His attention on both counts.”

Mother would smile serenely and go calmly along, thinking thoughts that pleased her and remaining true to her own code of ethics. At this distance of 60 years from childhood, I can see how strong parental example can be, and how difficult it is to emulate it!

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Features

Cyclones, greed and philosophy for a new world order

Published

16 hours ago

2025/12/8

Thilina Walpola

Floods caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka

Further to my earlier letter titled, “Psychology of Greed and Philosophy for a New World Order” (The Island 26.11.2025) it may not be far-fetched to say that the cause of the devastating cyclones that hit Sri Lanka and Indonesia last week could be traced back to human greed. Cyclones of this magnitude are said to be unusual in the equatorial region but, according to experts, the raised sea surface temperatures created the conditions for their occurrence. This is directly due to global warming which is caused by excessive emission of Greenhouse gases due to burning of fossil fuels and other activities. These activities cannot be brought under control as the rich, greedy Western powers do not want to abide by the terms and conditions agreed upon at the Paris Agreement of 2015, as was seen at the COP30 meeting in Brazil recently. Is there hope for third world countries? This is why the Global South must develop a New World Order. For this purpose, the proposed contentment/sufficiency philosophy based on morals like dhana, seela, bhavana, may provide the necessary foundation.

Further, such a philosophy need not be parochial and isolationist. It may not be necessary to adopt systems that existed in the past that suited the times but develop a system that would be practical and also pragmatic in the context of the modern world.

It must be reiterated that without controlling the force of collective greed the present destructive socioeconomic system cannot be changed. Hence the need for a philosophy that incorporates the means of controlling greed. Dhana, seela, bhavana may suit Sri Lanka and most of the East which, as mentioned in my earlier letter, share a similar philosophical heritage. The rest of the world also may have to adopt a contentment / sufficiency philosophy with strong and effective tenets that suit their culture, to bring under control the evil of greed. If not, there is no hope for the existence of the world. Global warming will destroy it with cyclones, forest fires, droughts, floods, crop failure and famine.

Leading economists had commented on the damaging effect of greed on the economy while philosophers, ancient as well as modern, had spoken about its degenerating influence on the inborn human morals. Ancient philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Epicurus all spoke about greed, viewing it as a destructive force that hindered a good life. They believed greed was rooted in personal immorality and prevented individuals from achieving true happiness by focusing on endless material accumulation rather than the limited wealth needed for natural needs.

Jeffry Sachs argues that greed is a destructive force that undermines social and environmental well-being, citing it as a major driver of climate change and economic inequality, referencing the ideas of Adam Smith, John Maynard Keynes, etc. Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Laureate economist, has criticised neoliberal ideology in similar terms.

In my earlier letter, I have discussed how contentment / sufficiency philosophy could effectively transform the socioeconomic system to one that prioritises collective well-being and sufficiency over rampant consumerism and greed, potentially leading to more sustainable economic models.

Obviously, these changes cannot be brought about without a change of attitude, morals and commitment of the rulers and the government. This cannot be achieved without a mass movement; people must realise the need for change. Such a movement would need leadership. In this regard a critical responsibility lies with the educated middle class. It is they who must give leadership to the movement that would have the goal of getting rid of the evil of excessive greed. It is they who must educate the entire nation about the need for these changes.

The middle class would be the vanguard of change. It is the middle class that has the capacity to bring about change. It is the middle class that perform as a vibrant component of the society for political stability. It is the group which supplies political philosophy, ideology, movements, guidance and leaders for the rest of the society. The poor, who are the majority, need the political wisdom and leadership of the middle class.

Further, the middle class is the font of culture, creativity, literature, art and music. Thinkers, writers, artistes, musicians are fostered by the middle class. Cultural activity of the middle class could pervade down to the poor groups and have an effect on their cultural development as well. Similarly, education of a country depends on how educated the middle class is. It is the responsibility of the middle class to provide education to the poor people.

Most importantly, the morals of a society are imbued in the middle class and it is they who foster them. As morals are crucial in the battle against greed, the middle class assume greater credentials to spearhead the movement against greed and bring in sustainable development and growth. Contentment sufficiency philosophy, based on morals, would form the strong foundation necessary for achieving the goal of a new world order. Thus, it is seen that the middle class is eminently suitable to be the vehicle that could adopt and disseminate a contentment/ sufficiency philosophy and lead the movement against the evil neo-liberal system that is destroying the world.

The Global South, which comprises the majority of the world’s poor, may have to realise, before it is too late, that it is they who are the most vulnerable to climate change though they may not be the greatest offenders who cause it. Yet, if they are to survive, they must get together and help each other to achieve self-sufficiency in the essential needs, like food, energy and medicine. Trade must not be via exploitative and weaponised currency but by means of a barter system, based on purchase power parity (PPP). The union of these countries could be an expansion of organisations,like BRICS, ASEAN, SCO, AU, etc., which already have the trade and financial arrangements though in a rudimentary state but with great potential, if only they could sort out their bilateral issues and work towards a Global South which is neither rich nor poor but sufficient, contented and safe, a lesson to the Global North. China, India and South Africa must play the lead role in this venture. They would need the support of a strong philosophy that has the capacity to fight the evil of greed, for they cannot achieve these goals if fettered by greed. The proposed contentment / sufficient philosophy would form a strong philosophical foundation for the Global South, to unite, fight greed and develop a new world order which, above all, will make it safe for life.

by Prof. N. A. de S. Amaratunga
PHD, DSc, DLITT

Features

SINHARAJA: The Living Cathedral of Sri Lanka’s Rainforest Heritage

Published

17 hours ago

2025/12/8

Thilina Walpola

Damp and thick undergrowth

When Senior biodiversity scientist Vimukthi Weeratunga speaks of Sinharaja, his voice carries the weight of four decades spent beneath its dripping emerald canopy. To him, Sri Lanka’s last great rainforest is not merely a protected area—it is “a cathedral of life,” a sanctuary where evolution whispers through every leaf, stream and shadow.

“Sinharaja is the largest and most precious tropical rainforest we have,” Weeratunga said.

“Sixty to seventy percent of the plants and animals found here exist nowhere else on Earth. This forest is the heart of endemic biodiversity in Sri Lanka.”

A Magnet for the World’s Naturalists

Sinharaja’s allure lies not in charismatic megafauna but in the world of the small and extraordinary—tiny, jewel-toned frogs; iridescent butterflies; shy serpents; and canopy birds whose songs drift like threads of silver through the mist.

“You must walk slowly in Sinharaja,” Weeratunga smiled.

“Its beauty reveals itself only to those who are patient and observant.”

For global travellers fascinated by natural history, Sinharaja remains a top draw. Nearly 90% of nature-focused visitors to Sri Lanka place Sinharaja at the top of their itinerary, generating a deep economic pulse for surrounding communities.

A Forest Etched in History

Centuries before conservationists championed its cause, Sinharaja captured the imagination of explorers and scholars. British and Dutch botanists, venturing into the island’s interior from the 17th century onward, mapped streams, documented rare orchids, and penned some of the earliest scientific records of Sri Lanka’s natural heritage.

Smallest cat

These chronicles now form the backbone of our understanding of the island’s unique ecology.

The Great Forest War: Saving Sinharaja

But Sinharaja nearly vanished.

In the 1970s, the government—guided by a timber-driven development mindset—greenlit a Canadian-assisted logging project. Forests around Sinharaja fell first; then, the chainsaws approached the ancient core.

“There was very little scientific data to counter the felling,” Weeratunga recalled.

: Poppie’s shrub frog

: Endemic Scimitar babblers

: Blue Magpie

“But people knew instinctively this was a national treasure.”

The public responded with one of the greatest environmental uprisings in Sri Lankan history. Conservation icons Thilo Hoffmann and Neluwe Gunananda Thera led a national movement. After seven tense years, the new government of 1977 halted the project.

What followed was a scientific renaissance. Leading researchers—including Prof. Savithri Gunathilake and Prof. Nimal Gunathilaka, Prof. Sarath Kottagama, and others—descended into the depths of Sinharaja, documenting every possible facet of its biodiversity.

Thilak

“Those studies paved the way for Sinharaja to become Sri Lanka’s very first natural World Heritage Site,” Weeratunga noted proudly.

: Vimukthi

: Nadika

: Janaka

A Book Woven From 30 Years of Field Wisdom

For Weeratunga, Sinharaja is more than academic terrain—it is home. Since joining the Forest Department in 1985 as a young researcher, he has trekked, photographed, documented and celebrated its secrets.

Now, decades later, he joins Dr. Thilak Jayaratne, the late Dr. Janaka Gallangoda, and Nadika Hapuarachchi in producing, what he calls, the most comprehensive book ever written on Sinharaja.

“This will be the first major publication on Sinharaja since the early 1980s,” he said.

“It covers ecology, history, flora, fauna—and includes rare photographs taken over nearly 30 years.”

Some images were captured after weeks of waiting. Others after years—like the mysterious mass-flowering episodes where clusters of forest giants bloom in synchrony, or the delicate jewels of the understory: tiny jumping spiders, elusive amphibians, and canopy dwellers glimpsed only once in a lifetime.

The book even includes underwater photography from Sinharaja’s crystal-clear streams—worlds unseen by most visitors.

A Tribute to a Departed Friend

Halfway through the project, tragedy struck: co-author Dr. Janaka Gallangoda passed away.

“We stopped the project for a while,” Weeratunga said quietly.

“But Dr. Thilak Jayaratne reminded us that Janaka lived for this forest. So we completed the book in his memory. One of our authors now watches over Sinharaja from above.”

Jumping spide

An Invitation to the Public

A special exhibition, showcasing highlights from the book, will be held on 13–14 December, 2025, in Colombo.

“We cannot show Sinharaja in one gallery,” he laughed.

“But we can show a single drop of its beauty—enough to spark curiosity.”

A Forest That Must Endure

What makes the book special, he emphasises, is its accessibility.

“We wrote it in simple, clear language—no heavy jargon—so that everyone can understand why Sinharaja is irreplaceable,” Weeratunga said.

“If people know its value, they will protect it.”

To him, Sinharaja is more than a rainforest.

It is Sri Lanka’s living heritage.

A sanctuary of evolution.

A sacred, breathing cathedral that must endure for generations to come.

By Ifham Nizam

Features

How Knuckles was sold out

Published

17 hours ago

2025/12/8

Thilina Walpola

Knuckles range

Leaked RTI Files Reveal Conflicting Approvals, Missing Assessments, and Silent Officials

“This Was Not Mismanagement — It Was a Structured Failure”— CEJ’s Dilena Pathragoda

An investigation, backed by newly released Right to Information (RTI) files, exposes a troubling sequence of events in which multiple state agencies appear to have enabled — or quietly tolerated — unauthorised road construction inside the Knuckles Conservation Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

At the centre of the unfolding scandal is a trail of contradictory letters, unexplained delays, unsigned inspection reports, and sudden reversals by key government offices.

“What these documents show is not confusion or oversight. It is a structured failure,” said Dilena Pathragoda, Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), who has been analysing the leaked records.

“Officials knew the legal requirements. They ignored them. They knew the ecological risks. They dismissed them. The evidence points to a deliberate weakening of safeguards meant to protect one of Sri Lanka’s most fragile ecosystems.”

A Paper Trail of Contradictions

RTI disclosures obtained by activists reveal:

Approvals issued before mandatory field inspections were carried out

Three departments claiming they “did not authorise” the same section of the road

A suspiciously backdated letter clearing a segment already under construction

Internal memos flagging “missing evaluation data” that were never addressed

“No-objection” notes do not hold any legal weight for work inside protected areas, experts say.

One senior officer’s signature appears on two letters with opposing conclusions, sent just three weeks apart — a discrepancy that has raised serious questions within the conservation community.

“This is the kind of documentation that usually surfaces only after damage is done,” Pathragoda said. “It shows a chain of administrative behaviour designed to delay scrutiny until the bulldozers moved in.”

The Silence of the Agencies

Perhaps, more alarming is the behaviour of the regulatory bodies.

Multiple departments — including those legally mandated to halt unauthorised work — acknowledged concerns in internal exchanges but issued no public warnings, took no enforcement action, and allowed machinery to continue operating.

“That silence is the real red flag,” Pathragoda noted.

“Silence is rarely accidental in cases like this. Silence protects someone.”

On the Ground: Damage Already Visible

Independent field teams report:

Fresh erosion scars on steep slopes

Sediment-laden water in downstream streams

Disturbed buffer zones

Workers claiming that they were instructed to “complete the section quickly”

Satellite images from the past two months show accelerated clearing around the contested route.

Environmental experts warn that once the hydrology of the Knuckles slopes is altered, the consequences could be irreversible.

CEJ: “Name Every Official Involved”

CEJ is preparing a formal complaint demanding a multi-agency investigation.

Pathragoda insists that responsibility must be traced along the entire chain — from field officers to approving authorities.

“Every signature, every omission, every backdated approval must be examined,” she said.

“If laws were violated, then prosecutions must follow. Not warnings. Not transfers. Prosecutions.”

A Scandal Still Unfolding

More RTI documents are expected to come out next week, including internal audits and communication logs that could deepen the crisis for several agencies.

As the paper trail widens, one thing is increasingly clear: what happened in Knuckles is not an isolated act — it is an institutional failure, executed quietly, and revealed only because citizens insisted on answers.

by Ifham Nizam