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The Caste System

by Vijaya Chandrasoma
Sri Lanka has been long considered a caste-blind society on the basis that it is a predominantly Buddhist country, and the Buddha himself denounced the caste system which was the accepted social stratification system in India.
However, the Sinhalese caste system certainly prevails today, perhaps not to the same degree it existed 100 years ago.
Though the significance of castes may depend on social and educational standing, it still plays an important role in matrimony. Personals in today’s newspapers abound with matrimonial advertisements, which, rather like the dating sites of the west, remain the best way to contract a marriage in a country where open and casual dating is still, by and large, frowned upon. And, unlike the dating sites of the west, requirements of race, religion, caste and often horoscopes are almost always specified.
Whether it’s a marriage based on caste, social and financial standing, or other criteria of compatibility; or the “love marriage” preferred by the progressives, the institution remains a crapshoot. The odds of divorce in the west currently stand at even money, because divorce is both easy and subject to no stigma. Divorce in Sri Lanka is rarer, as it has a social infrastructure to hold a marriage together, but the odds of a happy marriage, without divorce entering the equation, are also about even money.
Caste has never been an issue in our family. For those of us in the lower, or horrors of horrors, mixed lower castes, we proudly say that we do not care about caste. Rather like the billionaire who says he does not care about money. Or the lady married to an Adonis who says she doesn’t care for looks.
There is an interesting story about one of my aunts, which may throw some light on the caste system prevalent in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in the mid-20th century. The social injustice this system represents prevails, to a lesser degree, even today.
My aunt was a most attractive lady, who met a gentleman at the university. They had a romantic relationship, and were planning to get married. There was one huge problem, however. My father was from the Karawa (fisher) caste, while the prospective groom was of the ‘high’ Goyigama (farmer) caste. Or was he even from the so-called aristocratic Radala caste? I don’t know, my knowledge of the caste system is just about non-existent, constrained as it is by an explanation given by my father, which I will relate at the end of this anecdote. They were planning nuptials, without first getting the blessing of the groom’s parents.
When the father of the prospective groom heard about the impending social disaster to his family, he immediately took a train to Hikkaduwa and imperiously told a villager to summon my grandfather to meet him at the railway station. The villager came back with the response from my grandfather, that if the honorable gentleman wishes to meet him, he’s welcome to do so at his residence.
So the noble gentleman humiliated himself by proceeding to my ‘low-caste’ grandfather’s house. Shunning traditional formalities, he told the old man that his son and my aunt were planning on getting married, which was unacceptable because of the difference in caste. To which my grandfather replied, I am sorry, sir, but you must get your son to stop this marriage. I am unable to do so, as I already have agreed to the marriage of my oldest son (my father) to a lady of an even ‘lower’ caste. My mother was of the ‘low’ Durawa caste, traditionally toddy-tappers, a caste I suspect didn’t even make the top ten. So the high-caste gentleman went back to his aristocratic mountains, and prevailed on his son to desist. Which was the end of that romance.
Time went by. My aunt, obviously a glutton for punishment, fell in love with another of these ‘high-caste’ types. His father, too, objected to the marriage, and made the same trek to Hikkaduwa, meeting with the same response from my grandfather.
My grandfather used to break into English when he was excited. So when his daughter came home for her vacation from the university, he exclaimed, “Your second father-in law also came”.
That particular high-caste gentleman disregarded his parents’ objections and married my aunt. Actually, he was a nice guy, and he was trading up. They enjoyed a long and very happy marriage.
My father’s attitude to the caste system is best illustrated by his answer to a question I think my younger brother Praki asked him when he was about seven years old. He said that the kids at school were talking about their castes, and wanted to know to which caste we belonged. My father said, Well, son, your mother is Durawa, I am Karawa, so you must be Jarawa (filth or trash in Sinhala).
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We are working to stabilize and restructure an economy that was in disarray -President

The National New Paddy Harvesting Festival (Aluth Sahal Mangalya), a traditional annual ceremony of offering the first portion of the freshly harvested Maha season paddy to the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi, was held this morning (04) under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the historic Sri Maha Bodhi premises in Anuradhapura.
The ceremony was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Agrarian Services under the theme “In unison, let us cultivate the land, to build a self-sufficient nation” (අහරින් ස්වයංපෝෂිත දැයක් තනන්නට එක මිටට ගොවි බිමට), following the guidance of the Atamasthanadhipathi, the most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera.
This ritual, which dates back to the era of ancient monarchs, saw the participation of farmers from across the country. In accordance with tradition, they prayed for timely rains and fertile fields and invoked blessings for a self-sufficient and prosperous economy through agriculture.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake first paid homage and received blessings from the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi before joining the ceremonial proceedings.
The sacred procession, which carried the newly harvested paddy from near the historic Sinha Kanuwa in Anuradhapura, arrived at the sandy courtyard (වැලි මලුව) of the Sri Maha Bodhi, marking the ceremonial commencement of the New Paddy Harvest Festival.
The Most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera commenced the ritual by filling the golden bowl with the new paddy, after which representatives from all provinces added paddy from their respective regions, symbolically filling the golden bowl.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake also participated in this ritualistic moment, amidst the chanting of Pirith by the Maha Sangha.
A vessel of pure bee honey, traditionally offered to the Sri Maha Bodhi, was ceremonially presented to the President by Deputy Leader of the Vedda Community U.W. Bandiyala Eththo.
The vessel of ghee, brought from the historic Saman Devalaya in Sabaragamuwa, was also presented to President Anura Kumara Disanayake, to be used in the customary ghee offering at the Sri Maha Bodhi.
The President also received the commemorative plaque of the National New Paddy Harvest Festival and presented tokens of appreciation to farmer leaders who have made significant contributions to the development of the country’s agriculture sector.
As part of the initiative to secure a pest-free harvest, the President participated in the distribution of pest-resistant seed paddy to farming communities across the provinces.
Addressing the subsequent official ceremony, President Anura Kumara Disanayake stated that the current government is working to transform an economy that was in disarray. He noted that the Paddy Marketing Board is burdened with a debt of Rs. 28 billion, while harvested paddy is being left to spoil in storage.
The President emphasized that the current administration has accepted the responsibility of restoring and restructuring this disorderly system. He added that the government expects the support not only of the state machinery related to agriculture but also of all farming communities. He affirmed the intention to integrate Sri Lanka’s cultural and traditional systems to reclaim the legacy of the agricultural economy and thereby strengthen the national economy.
President Disanayake further stated that the country’s ancient kings achieved greatness through their contributions to agriculture and irrigation and that self-sufficiency in food was a critical factor in that success.
He highlighted that sustainable development has become a global discourse today and that Sri Lanka’s “Tank Cascade System” or “Vapi System,” stands as a remarkable example of sustainable development. The country’s irrigation system, which dates back nearly 2,000 years, continues to contribute to the advancement of agriculture even today.
As such, the government has allocated Rs. 2 billion in the current budget to rehabilitate the irrigation system and renovation work on the North Central Maha Ela Project has already commenced to revitalize the country’s agricultural industry. He added that the government also plans to develop seed farms to produce self-sufficient seeds, while protecting genetic ownership.
He further emphasized the need for fair prices for agricultural produce, both for farmers and consumers. Due to long-standing market distortions, the government will intervene over the next two to three harvesting seasons to ensure both parties receive fair prices.
The President also stated that the necessary provisions for such state interventions have been made in the current budget. Steps have been taken to create storage capacity to hold 300,000 metric tons of paddy, which is expected to mitigate market distortions going forward.
Among those present at the occasion were the Chief Incumbent of the Ruwanweliseya and Chancellor of the Rajarata University, Most Venerable Ithalawetunuwewe Gnanatillake Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the Lankaramaya, Most Venerable Ralapanawa Dhammajothi Thera and members of the clergy; Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha; Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe; Governor of the North Central Province Wasantha Kumara Wimalasiri; and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne, along with a large number of farmer leaders and other dignitaries.
- (PMD)
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The Indian Prime Minister was received at the Katunayake International Airport by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath.
PM Modi is accompanied by Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Indian Foreign Secretary and several senior officials of the Government of India.
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3. From Galle to Anuradhapura – departing Galle at 0400 hrs on 12th and 13th April
4. From Anuradhapura to Galle – departing Anuradhapura at 1500 hrs on 12th and 13th April
5. From Colombo Fort to Galle – departing Colombo Fort at 120 hrs on 10th, 11th, 15th and 20th April
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