Features

‘Thomia’: Richard Simon’s Masterpiece

Published

1 year ago

2025/03/16

Thilina Walpola

St Thomas’s College Mt Lavinia

Reviewed by Rohan Pethiyagoda

As schools go, St Thomas’s College Mt Lavinia has, since its inception in 1851, had a disproportionate influence on the affairs of Sri Lanka. In ways both good and bad, it created the modern incarnation of this country. After all, four of our first five prime ministers were Thomians (‘Thomian’, by the way, is a Latin diminutive of Thomas, like Tom in English).

The passage of almost 175 years more than justifies a book on the history of the school. Most such histories, however, tell the story of the school through the lives of visionary founders, eminent principals, and illustrious past pupils. That’s if the author is someone other than Richard Simon. His ‘Thomia’ is a magisterial account of the social and political evolution of Sri Lanka from the early British period to the turn of the 21^st century. Into this is woven the story of the school, from its modest beginnings in Mutwal to the national institution it has become today.

Such a narrative in the hands of a competent historian could be guaranteed to produce a compelling read. In the hands of the master storyteller that Simon is, however, it results in a masterpiece. Regardless of which school you attended, if you’re at all curious to know how Sri Lanka came to be what it is, why we turned one way or the other at each of those fateful bifurcations of history, this is the book for you. Having read the first volume prior to publication, I now find that I simply cannot put down the second, save for my aching arms: the thing weighs almost five kg, something you need to bear in mind if planning to ferry copies to friends overseas.

Younger readers brought up on rose-tinted history textbooks that venerate the nation’s founding fathers might find Simon excessively unforgiving of their sins. After all, post-Independent Ceylon was born with a silver spoon in its mouth. And then, in just one decade, those venerated founding fathers laid waste to it all. The ‘hartal’ of 1953 sent a clear message to future governments that Ceylonese were determined to live beyond their means: that there is, after all, such a thing as a free lunch. Then came the anti-Tamil pogrom of 1958, followed by Bandaranaike’s assassination the following year. That first disastrous decade also saw, in 1956, Sinhala being entrenched by law as the sole official language, effectively marginalizing Tamil and undermining English, the lingua franca. Add to that the economic malaise that plagued this country since Independence, caused entirely by political bungling, and the scene for the consequent tragedy is set.

Worst of Times

The air of nostalgic despair hidden beneath the acerbic wit that enlivens the book’s pages perhaps reflects the fact that Simon himself attended St Thomas’s at the worst of times. He warmed the benches of the Lower Fourth during the winter of the nation’s discontent. In 1966, Dudley Senanayake had decreed that we be the only country in the world to shun the seven-day week and adopt the lunar calendar instead. Well, how did that go? One consequence was, as Simon points out, Sri Lanka exported less in 1968 than in 1958. To hasten the sinking of the ship, also in 1968, Senanayake abolished English as a language of instruction in schools across the country.

Then came Sirimavo, ushering in an era of destitution, with everything from rice to cloth being rationed, businesses nationalized, homes confiscated, personal assets capriciously seized, and ceilings placed on incomes and dividends. The ‘standardization’ of GCE Advanced Level marks in 1971, whereby to enter university Tamil students were required to score around 10 percent more than their Sinhalese counterparts, signalled the first shots of the civil war to come. The first JVP insurgency saw the derailment of a generation and the slaughter of thousands of youths. The victims included KDK Perera, a Thomian schoolboy who disappeared en route to his parents’ home in Diyatalawa when schools were closed following the imposition of emergency rule. The liquidation of Richard de Zoysa (to whom Simon dedicates ‘Thomia’), this time by the UNP, would come two decades later. So bad did things become by 1973 that the lawn of the school’s revered quadrangle had to be uprooted and replaced with manioc to feed the boys.

Renaissance

It was only in the fourth post-Independence decade that the renaissance finally began. Today, St Thomas’s is without a doubt the jewel in Sri Lanka’s educational crown. Its manicured lawns, curtained dormitories and sparkling toilets give no hint of privations past. The students too, have a spring in their step. They ooze confidence: no limp handshakes, no averting their gaze when they chance upon a stranger. Basking in a rare cricketing win against a school three times their size, this week saw them standing taller still.

To some, all this might smack of privilege. That, it is anything but. As Simon consistently emphasizes, though perhaps not in these words, the values the school seeks to inculcate in its pupils are thrift, modesty and egalitarianism. No-one cares who your father is, or how you travel to school. As important is the fact that despite being part of the Church of Ceylon establishment, the school is remarkably secular, with Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Malays and Sinhalese mixing effortlessly with one another. This ‘colour-blindness’ is something that distinguishes even adult Thomians. If SWRD had to fake being a Sinhala Buddhist supremacist bigot to win votes, he did that on his own time.

Labour of Love

In ‘Thomia’, Simon presents a masterly analysis of Sri Lanka through the colonial and postcolonial periods: colonialism versus nationalism, Christianity versus Buddhism, Sinhalese versus Tamil. The text is livened by his sometimes-sardonic wit, highlighting the political blunders that put us in our present predicament. His text is impressively well-researched, citing hundreds of references to substantiate its claims. To write a history of the school would have been easy: after all, there’s a wealth of documentation. But to have set it into the context of Sri Lanka as it evolved through almost two centuries, to write the biographies of luminaries long dead, is a monumental task. And it is a task that, in this labour of love, the author has executed to perfection.

Simon tells the story of STC and Sri Lanka without ever seeking to glorify the school’s alumni. After all, those first five Thomian prime ministers were abject failures (my words, not his). Born into privilege and nurtured in the arts of liberal-democratic governance since 1932 by the British, they seemed to have learned nothing. As soon as they got their hands on power, their single-minded quest was for the lowest common denominator.

Being Sri Lankan Thomia

’s heft is commensurate with its vast scope. The book’s two volumes run to almost 1,000 pages. There are no illustrations to clutter the text, no photos of neatly-serried schoolboys in blue shorts, no portraits of famous alumni. Thomia is a monumental contribution to the historiography of Sri Lanka. Every Thomian worth his salt should buy a copy, and the rest should make arrangements to purloin one. This is not a book to read on the bus. This is a book that will help you, regardless of where you were schooled, to understand how Sri Lanka came to be what it is today.

Refreshingly, Simon’s command of English is excellent, as is his narrative style. I cannot think of a more readable Sri Lankan historical text, notwithstanding the high bar set by the likes of KM de Silva, Nira Wickramasinghe and Kumari Jayawardena. Sticklers for tradition might start from their seats at his addition of a possessive ‘s’ to the school’s name: St Thomas’s, rather than the standard St Thomas’. My only (minor) grievance is that the indexes omit many names mentioned in the text. Then again, to do justice to a text so rich in material, a comprehensive index might add another 50 pages to a book that is already a veritable thonker.

Thomia

is not a book written just for Thomians: it is a book for everyone who thinks seriously about what it means to be Sri Lankan. If you are numbered among that vanishingly rare community of Thomians who, educated largely in absentia, find themselves unable to read, you ought to buy one for the same reason people buy Patek Philippe watches: You never actually own your copy. You merely look after it for the next generation.

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Features

Mannar’s silent skies: Migratory Flamingos fall victim to power lines amid Wind Farm dispute

Published

7 hours ago

2026/03/26

Sahan Weerasooriya

Victims: Flamingos / Birds found dead in Mannar

By Ifham Nizam

A fresh wave of concern has gripped conservationists following the reported deaths of migratory flamingos within the Vankalai Sanctuary—a globally recognised bird habitat—raising urgent questions about the ecological cost of large-scale renewable energy projects in the region.

The incident comes at a time when a fundamental rights petition, challenging the proposed wind power project, linked to India’s Adani Group, remains under examination before the Supreme Court, with environmental groups warning that the very risks they highlighted are now materialising.

At least two flamingos—believed to be part of the iconic migratory flocks that travel thousands of kilometres to reach Sri Lanka—were found dead after entanglement with high-tension transmission lines running across the sanctuary. Another bird was reportedly struggling for survival.

Professor Sampath Seneviratne, a leading ornithologist, expressed deep concern over the development, noting that such incidents are not isolated but indicative of a broader and predictable threat.

“These migratory birds depend on specific flyways that have remained unchanged for centuries. When high-risk infrastructure, like poorly planned power lines, intersect these routes, collisions become inevitable,” he said. “What we are witnessing now could be just the beginning if proper mitigation measures are not urgently implemented.”

Environmentalists argue that the Mannar region—particularly the Vankalai wetland complex—is one of the most critical stopover sites in South Asia for migratory waterbirds, including flamingos, pelicans, and various species of waders. The sanctuary’s ecological value has also supported a niche with growing eco-tourism sector, drawing birdwatchers from around the world.

Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Justice, Dilena Pathragoda, said the incident underscores the urgency of judicial intervention and stricter environmental oversight.

“This tragedy is a direct consequence of ignoring scientifically established environmental safeguards. We have already raised these concerns before court, particularly regarding the location of transmission infrastructure within sensitive bird habitats,” Pathragoda said.

“Renewable energy cannot be pursued in isolation from ecological responsibility. If due process and proper environmental impact assessments are bypassed or diluted, then such losses are inevitable.”

Conservation groups have long cautioned that the installation of wind turbines and associated grid infrastructure—especially overhead transmission lines—within or near sensitive habitats could transform these landscapes into lethal zones for avifauna.

An environmental activist involved in the ongoing legal challenge said the latest deaths validate earlier warnings.

“This is exactly what we feared. Development is necessary, but not at the cost of biodiversity. When projects of this scale proceed without adequate ecological assessments and safeguards, the consequences are irreversible,” the activist stressed.

The debate has once again brought into focus the delicate balance between renewable energy expansion and biodiversity conservation. While wind energy is widely promoted as a clean alternative to fossil fuels, experts caution that “green” does not automatically mean “harmless.”

Professor Seneviratne emphasised that solutions do exist, including rerouting transmission lines, installing bird diverters, and conducting comprehensive migratory pathway studies prior to project approval.

“Globally, there are well-established mitigation strategies. The issue here is not the absence of knowledge, but the failure to apply it effectively,” he noted.

The timing of the incident is particularly worrying. Migratory flamingos typically remain in Sri Lanka until late April or May before embarking on their return journeys. Conservationists warn that if hazards remain unaddressed, larger flocks could face similar risks in the coming weeks.

Beyond ecological implications, experts also highlight potential economic fallout. Wildlife tourism—especially birdwatching—contributes significantly to local livelihoods in Mannar.

Repeated reports of bird deaths could deter eco-conscious travellers and damage the region’s reputation as a safe haven for migratory species.

Environmentalists are now calling for immediate intervention by authorities, including a temporary halt to high-risk operations in sensitive zones, pending a thorough environmental review.

They stress that protecting animal movement corridors—whether elephant migration routes or avian flyways—is a fundamental pillar of modern conservation.

As the controversy unfolds, one question looms large: can Sri Lanka pursue sustainable energy without sacrificing the very natural heritage that defines it?

Pathragoda added that for now, the sight of fallen flamingos in Mannar stands as a stark reminder that development, if not carefully planned, can carry a heavy and irreversible cost.

Features

‘Weaponizing’ religion in the pursuit of power

Published

7 hours ago

2026/03/26

Sahan Weerasooriya

President Donald Trump; miscalculating in M-E / Ayatollah Khomeini; Architect of Iranian Revolution

A picture of US President Donald Trump apparently being prayed for by supporters, appearing in sections of the international media, said it all loud and clear. That is, religion is being flagrantly leveraged or prostituted by politicians single-mindedly bent on furthering their power aspirations.

Although in the case of the US President the trend took on may be an exceptionally graphic or dramatic form, the ‘weaponizing’ of religion is nothing particularly new, nor is it confined to only religiously conservative sections of the West. For example, in South Asia it is an integral part of politics. The ‘South Asian Eight’ are notorious for it and it could be unreservedly stated that in Sri Lanka, the latter’s ethnic conflict would be more amenable to resolution if religion was not made a potent weapon by ambitious politicians of particularly the country’s South.

The more enlightened sections of Christian believers in the US may not have been able to contain their consternation at the sight of the US President apparently being ‘blessed’ by pastors claiming adherence to Christianity. Any human is entitled to be blessed but not if he is leading his country to war without exhausting all the options at his disposal to end the relevant conflict by peaceful means.

More compounded would be his problem if his directives lead to the death of civilians in the hundreds. In the latter case he is stringently accountable for the spilling of civilian blood, that is, the committing of war crimes.

However, the US along with Israel did just that in the recent bombings of Iran, for instance. The majority of the lives lost were those of civilians. If the US President is endowed with a Christian conscience he would have paused to consider that he is guilty of ordering the taking of the life of another human which is forbidden in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Moreover, the ‘pastors’ praying over the US President should have thought on the above lines as well. May be they were in an effort to curry the President’s favour which is as blame-worthy as legitimizing in some form the taking of civilian lives. Apparently, the realisation is not dawning on all Christian conservatives of the US that some of these ‘pastors’ could very well be the proverbial false prophets and the latter are almost everywhere, even in far distant Sri Lanka.

However, the political reality ‘on the ground’ is that the Christian Right is a stable support base of the Republican Right in the US. Considering this it should not come as a surprise to the seasoned political watcher if the Christian Right, read Christian fundamentalists, are hand-in-glove, so to speak, with President Trump. But it is a scathing indictment on these rightist sections that they are all for perpetrating war and destruction and not for the fostering of peace and reconciliation. Ideally, they should have impressed on their President the dire need to make peace.

That said, political commentators should consider it incumbent on themselves to point out that religion is being ‘weaponized’ in Iran as well. Theocratic rule in Iran has been essentially all about perpetuating the power of the clerical class. The reasons that led to the Islamic Revolution in Iran are complex and the indiscreet Westernization of Iran under the Shah dynasty is one of these but one would have expected Iran to develop from then on into a multi-party, pluralistic democratic state where people would be enjoying their fundamental rights, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, for example.

Moreover, Iran should have taken it upon itself to be a champion of world peace, in keeping with its Islamic credentials. But some past regimes in Iran had vowed to virtually bomb Israel out of existence and such regional policy trajectories could only bring perpetual conflict and war. Considering the current state of the Middle East it could be said that the unfettered playing out of these animosities is leading the region and the world to ‘reap the whirlwind’, having recklessly ‘sowed the wind’.

However, religious fundamentalism-inspired conflict and war has spread well beyond the Middle East into almost every region since 1979, the year of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. So much so, knowledgeable opinion now points out that religious identity has come to replace nationalism as a principal shaper of international politics or “geopolitics”, as quite a few sections misleadingly and incorrectly term it.

Elaborating on the decisive influence of religious identity, the well known and far traveled Western journalist Patrick Cockburn says in his authoritative and comprehensive book titled, ‘The Age of Jihad – Islamic State and the Great War for the Middle East’ at page 428 in connection with the war in Chechnya ; ‘If nationalism was not entirely dead, it no longer provided the ideological glue necessary to hold together and motivate people who were fighting a war. Unlike the Islamic faith, it was no longer a belief or a badge of identity for which people would fight very hard.’ (The book in reference was published by VERSO, London and New York).

In his wide coverage of Jihadist Wars the world over Cockburn goes on to state that today a call from a cleric could motivate his followers to lay down no less than their lives for a cause championed by the former. The 9/11 catastrophe alone should convince the observer that this is indeed true.

However, as often pointed out in this column, there is no alternative but to foster peace and reconciliation if a world free of bloodshed and strife is what is being sought. Fortunately we are not short of illustrious persons from the East and West who have shone a light on how best to get to a degree of peace. Besides Mahatma Gandhi of India, who was the subject of this column last week, we have former President of Iran Mohammad Khatami, who made a case for a ‘Dialogue of Civilizations’ rather than a ‘Clash of Civilizations’.

The time is more than ripe to take a leaf from these illustrious personalities, for, the current state of war in the Middle East has raised the possibility of a war that could transcend regional boundaries. The antagonists are obliged to exhaust all the peaceful options with the assistance of the UN system. Besides, war cannot ever have the blessings of the sane.

Features

Venerable Rahula Thera’s 35-year green mission and national Namal Uyana

Published

7 hours ago

2026/03/26

Sahan Weerasooriya

Venerable Rahula Thera

It was 35 years ago, on March 28, 1991, that Venerable Rahula Thera, then a young monk, embarked on a journey to the Na forest in Ulpathagama, Palagama, in the Anuradhapura District. Today, three and a half decades later, this mission stands as living proof of the enduring bond between Buddhist philosophy and the natural world.

Marking the 35th year of this green mission, Rahula Thera’s relentless dedication has transformed the National Namal Uyana into an environmental landmark admired not only across Sri Lanka but around the globe, as well.

When studying the life of Venerable Rahula Thera, one cannot ignore the profound connection between Buddhism and the environment. Buddhism is a philosophy deeply attuned to nature. The historical use of the sacred “Na Ruka” by all four Buddhas: Mangala Buddha, Sumana Buddha, Revata Buddha, and Sobhita Buddha — for enlightenment —demonstrates that from time immemorial, Buddhism has maintained a sacred bond with the Na tree. From the birth of Siddhartha to his enlightenment, the propagation of the Dharma, and even the great Parinirvana, all of these milestones unfolded in verdant, living landscapes.

Venerable Rahula Thera did not embark on the Namal Uyana mission seeking government support or personal gain. His commitment sprang from a deep devotion to the Buddha’s teachings on grove cultivation. A grove cultivator is one who spreads compassion for nature. As the Vanaropa Sutta teaches:

Venerable Rahula Thera reclaimed Namal Uyana which was then under the control of timber smugglers and treasure hunters. The term “Wanawasi” does not merely mean living in a forest; it signifies finding rest and enlightenment through nature, free from the destructive roots of greed, sin, and delusion.

Another defining aspect of Venerable Rahula Thera’s 35-year mission is the purification of the human mind. He has consistently taught the thousands who visit Namal Uyana that a person who loves a tree will never harm another human being. As the Dhamma proclaims:

It is important to remember that Venerable Rahula Thera devoted his life, without fear, speaking the truth and taking necessary action, tirelessly advancing the national mission he began. From 1991 to the present, he has worked with every government elected by the people, maintaining impartiality and independence from political ideology. Yet, he never hesitated to raise his voice fearlessly against any individual, of any rank or party, who committed wrongdoing.

Religious and Social Mission

The National Namal Uyana is not merely a forest; it is a magnificent heritage site, dating back to ancient times. Scattered across the landscape are boundary walls, the remains of ancient monastery complexes, and stone carvings believed to date back to the reign of King Devanampiyatissa. In earlier centuries, this sacred land had served as a meditation sanctuary for hundreds of monks. The name “National Namal Uyana,” by which this ecological and archaeological treasure is known today, was introduced by Venerable Rahula Thera in 1991. The government’s later recognition of the site as the National Namal Uyana stands as a significant achievement for both religion and national heritage.

Venerable Rahula Thera is a monk who has lived a life of renunciation. A striking example of this is his decision not to assume the position of Chief Incumbent of the National Namal Uyana Viharaya, instead entrusting the temple to the Ramanna Nikaya and its trustees. In doing so, he set a precedent for the contemporary Sangha. The Thera himself stated that he was merely the trustee of Namal Uyana, not its owner.

Legacy and Continuing Inspiration

The 35th anniversary of Venerable Wanawasi Rahula Thera’s arrival at Namal Uyana is not merely the commemoration of a period of time; it is a message of nature to future generations. Through his work, the Thera revived the ancient Hela tradition of loving trees and venerating the environment as something sacred. This religious and environmental mission remains unforgettable.

The revival experienced by Namal Uyana, after the arrival of Venerable Wanawasi Rahula Thera, is beyond simple description. Some of the major accomplishments achieved under his leadership include:

* Securing and protecting the largest Rose Quartz (Rosa Thirivana) reserve in South Asia.

* Restoring the Na forest spread across hundreds of acres, providing shelter to numerous rare plants and animal species.

* Transforming the area into a living centre for environmental education, offering practical learning experiences for thousands of schoolchildren and university students.

* Drawing the attention of world leaders and international environmentalists to Sri Lanka’s unique environmental heritage.

In recognition of his immense contribution to environmental conservation, Venerable Rahula Thera was honoured with the Presidential Environment Award and the Green Award in 2004—a significant moment in his life. Yet the Thera himself has always remained devoted to the work rather than the recognition it brings, making such appreciation even more meaningful.