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by Nemsiri Mutukumara

Statues are erected in many parts of Sri Lanka in honour of those whose work was recognised by the people who put up the statute. In bronze, stone and cement those edifices can be seen across the country from Kankesanthurai to Kataragama.

Among those one would find monuments sculptured in recognition of the life time service during the British Colonial period by a handful of national leaders like Anagarika Dharmapala, Colonel Henry Steele Olcott - the American Theosophist turned Buddhist, Mohottivatte Gunananda Nayaka Thera, F. R. Senanayake and the Venerable Mahinda of Sikkhim. These great men represented the cause of the people, the country and the nation. They unleashed the liberation struggle in their characteristic style to inform and educate not a single community but the whole mass of people to march forward to regain national freedom for once and for all times from the tyranny of oppression and suppression heaped upon the sons and daughters of Mother Lanka by the British and the decadent remnants of the short lived Portuguese and Dutch imperialists rule of Lanka.

Referring to statues and national leaders Martin Wickramasinghe "the pre-eminent figure in modern Sinhala literature ....in newspaper and literary journalism" has often times observed, says Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera - a well-known writer, that "Mr. D. R. Wijewardene is the only national figure that deserved a statue."

Don Richard Wijewardene was not the first Sri Lankan to establish a company to edit print and publish newspapers.

Before him, many individuals started newspapers, weeklies, fortnightlies and monthly journals. Regrettably, most of them, if not all, fell on the way side. Their failier could one say due to lack of vision. That is a debatable subject for another occasion.

D. R. at the prime of his youth enjoyed the privilege of acquiring higher education in Britain. A product of the Cambridge University undergraduate Wijewardene had the rare opportunity of meeting with the future leaders of India like Lala Lajpat Rai, Bepin Chandra Pal, Surendranath Banerji and a leading light of India Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a member of the Imperial Legislative Council.

Of these meetings during his student days, he writes: "My interest in politics began during my undergraduate days at Cambridge. There were kindred spirits from India, Ceylon and other parts of the East".

Impressed by the thoughts, words and deeds of the contemporary Indian visitors to Cambridge that every educated young Indian or Lankan had a historic role to play in the public life of his respective country, Wijewardene was fired with the deep commitment to make the monumental sacrifice he was destined to do on his return home after studies.

Before his return home as a Cambridge graduate and being called to the Bar at the Inner Temple London, some like-minded Lankans had begun their crusade against the British Raj and were fearlessly taking their agit-prop - agitation and propaganda campaign to the enemy's camp - the British Parliament where all types of obnoxious pieces of one sided legislations were passed depriving innocent, unarmed but decent and civilised Asians and Africans of their basic freedoms and human rights.

Wijewardene was in touch with local events and organised the first deputation to the Secretary of State for the colonies with Mr. H. J. C. Pereira. Among the others of the group was Mr. E. W. Perera of the Lion flag fame.

At the time, Wijewardene had a good friend, a Sri Lanka born Englishman by the name of F. H. M. Corbet. Corbet was a practising barrister in England. "It was in his Chambers that I first met E. W. Perera who was even then a keen politician and displayed many of the qualities which gave him a leading position in the legislature many years later", Wijewardene recalls.

Thanks to Wijewardene's organisational campaign and skilful lobbying among other benefits Lanka was given another concession of a seat in the Sudda dominated Legislative Council. It was called the Educated Ceylonese seat.

The result was the preponderant majority of the Sinhala people electing Mr. Ponnambalam Ramanathan (later Sir) against Dr. Marcus Fernando (later Sir).

Wijewardene who was still in London organised a second deputation to meet the Secretary of State.

The British who introduced a series of multifarious vices to wean the people - particularly the majority Sinhala Buddhists from their traditional way of disciplined lifestyles, went on opening taverns in every nook and corner for the sale of toddy under the guise of checking illicit liquor.

The purpose of Wijewardene's campaign was to protest against the multiplication of toddy taverns.

His action in England paved the way for the birth of the Temperance movement, the Amadyapa Sabha to fight against the British evils.

Wijewardene while in England collected old books and paintings; Portuguese and Dutch maps of Lanka.

Unlike many young Lankans who went to England for higher studies, Wijewardene refrained from travelling in the European continent nor inside Great Britain.

Don Richard, the third male child of seven sons and two daughters lost their father Muhandiram Tudugalage Don Philip Wijewardene an industrious timber merchant of Sedavatta when the mother Helena Weerasinghe who "was not only fair and favoured with good looks but was practical" was barely 38 years of age.

Mrs. Helena Wijewardene bravely shouldered the entire responsibility of bringing up the seven sons and two daughters in accordance with the traditional Sinhala customs and Buddhist discipline.

She imbubed in her children the unique qualities of Sinhala Buddhist culture which fashioned the way of life of the people from the time of King Devanampiyatissa from 236 years Before the Common Era - well-nigh 2300 years.

With the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya as the nucleus of cultural, religious and spiritual sustenance, Helena Wijewardene provided ample opportunity for her children to lead dignified and disciplined lives and be patriotic to the motherland.

All her sons Don Philip Alexander, Don Lewis, Don Charles, Don Edmund, Don Richard, Don Albert and Don Walter were products of Saint Thomas' College which was located, then at Mutuvella in Colombo North.

The two daughters were Mrs. E. W. Jayewardene (mother of J. R. Jayewardene) and Mrs. Arthur Seneviratne.

At the Sedavatta school where D.R. had his primary education "efforts were directed towards learning the three "R"s."

"At St. Thomas', I merely concentrated on my studies. There were no influences in school life which as far as I can remember, tended to direct one's interest into the broader life of the community. For example Ceylon History was not taught". Wijewardene recalls in later years.

Despite this vacuuna that which accounts for D. R. Wijewardene's monumental and magnificent knowledge of Sri Lanka's history, the spiritual legacy of the nation, the painting, art, architecture and sculpture which blossomed into their fullness with the benign influence of the Buddha Dhamma was the solid domestic foundation. Helena Wijewardene laid at home under the exemplary guidance of the erudite and disciplined Buddha-putras of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya.

Mrs. Wijewardene being the Chief patron - Maha Upasika, was herself an embodiment of a disciplined lady.

She was the Guide and Pathfinder of the Wijewardene family - as shown by the Buddha "Mata Pitaro pubbacariya vuccare - The mother and the father are the first teachers".

If not for the mothers overwhelming influence that penetrated deep into their system, the young Cambridge graduate was unshaken by the attractions or distractions of British women for whom many a Sinhala Buddhist young man had fallen a prey, before and after Wijewardene. Young D.R. returned home clean.

When he started the "Ceylon Daily News" he not only established a newspaper business, he also laid the foundation for a newspaper empire where within a short time, newspapers rolled down daily in three languages - English, Sinhala and Tamil.

While in England, he had already decided to start a newspaper to fight for the cause of regaining freedom. By the time, he arrived he was fully equipped mentally with the techniques of the trade - how to survive in a competitive world.

He bought the "Ceylon Independent" from a sale. Without making it a competitor to the "Ceylon Daily News", he allowed it to die.

Wijewardene teamed up with his brother DC (Don Charles) and published the "Dinamina" which they bought from H. S. Perera.

Overnight, the "Dinamina" rose up in popularity reaching remote areas of the country.

Although the paper had no front page pictures and sensational stories, people everywhere - including the Bhikkhu Sangha welcomed it.

The Venerable Rajakiya Pandita, Akuratiye Amaravamsa Nayakathera, the Chief Sanghanayaka of the Southern Province and the Vidyodaya Parivenadhipati when asked about his memories of the "Dinamina" last Wednesday February 20, recalled that when he began reading the "Dinamina", he was a Samanera a novice at the Pahala Kihimbiya Purana Maha Viharaya.

"There were no photos. Page One had four to six columns. Stories of local events, the government notices, a few provincial news items, an editorial comment, price list of goods, foreign news from India, Japan and England and feature articles. There were many things to interest a wide readership. So the people eagerly awaited its arrival every morning", the Nayakathera said.

He had been a reader from its inception to date. He was also a contributor from the time of his samanera days to the present times, Nayakathera Amaravamsa who will be 92 years on April 10, 2002, explained.

As fantastic as the fete he performed in building a newspaper empire from nothing, was the three-storeyed building he constructed on the Beira Lake - a pool of mud along the Colombo-Galle railway line.

Anyone entering the Lake House building would be thoroughly amazed to witness the skilful planning and the deft designing of the entire construction and the interior lay out.

The building is constructed in such a way that any type of modern machinery and equipment can be easily installed without major restructuring of the building.

Under any emergency, the entire workforce - now numbering over 2500 - can leave their desks and other places of work through the numerous exists found in the outfit.

Walking along the corridors one would be overjoyed to appreciate the different kinds of traditional Sinhala motifs adorning the walls.

The grills on the walls in all the floors are adorned with the design of the Dhammcakka - the wheel of righteousness.

Bordering the ceiling are paintings drawn on similar pattern to the Kelaniya Vihara paintings illustrating Buddhist themes.

Wijewardene took upon the responsibility himself for providing for the future, in case any newspaper was to run at a loss.

As a result, the observer, the evening newspaper can be well looked after despite its losses and continue its publication as the oldest newspaper in Asia, which is a proud achievement for the Sri Lankan people.

The Lake House newspapers go into history with many firsts.

The "Dinamina" printed in natural colours the Lion flag of Lanka. D. C. Vijayavardhana in his book "Revolt in the Temple' states:

"The Dinamina edition created quite a stir in the island. The newspaper office which at that time located in Norris Road (present Olcott Mavata, Pitakotuva) Colombo, was stormed by crowds clamouring for copies of the paper which by noon was changing hands at five rupees a copy, and telegrams began to pour in from the outstations requesting more copies, but the edition had been exhausted within a few hours of the issue. Vast crowds gathered on the road opposite the newspaper office and police had to be called in to control them."

That was the first occasion when our people saw for the first time the lion flag after it was removed by the British and deposited in the chelsea hospital in London in 1815.

Wijewardene who learnt that E. W. Perera was responsible for obtaining the Lion flag, he ordered a copy drawn exactly in colour and despatched so that he could reproduce the flag in his paper the "Dinamina".

Though Wijewardene maintained a low key profile throughout his life, his name, became a house-hold word with the ever growing, readership of Lake House papers.

Since he shunned publicity to his national, cultural and religious activities, some people, not excluding the scribes of the day took advantage to conceal wittingly or unwittingly his disciplined domestic background and the learning and knowledge he acquired from his great mother and the Sinhala teachers who taught him at home and the spiritual enlightenment which was his blessing from the Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya patronised by the Wijewardenes with his brother Don Walter taking a leading role in the affairs of the Vihara and the bhikkhu sangha.

The four sublime states of living as initiated in the philosophy of Metta-Karuna-Mudita-Upekkha provided all the necessary ingredients of liberalism, justice and fair play. He inherited the upper middle class Buddhist family tradition of the Wijewardenes. He was exceedingly devoted to his mother who was his pathfinder in life from his childhood.

Even in political campaigns Wijewardene applied Buddhist principles of non-violence and non-hatred to the struggle.

Sir Ivor Jennings, an Irish Christian, the first vice-chancellor of the Peradeniya University of Sri Lanka commented that, "As a Buddhist he (Wijewardene) could not advocate or allow his newspapers to advocate methods of violence..."

This statement bears ample testimony to the rigmarole that Wijewardene borrowed Liberalism from England.

When Sri Lanka's first University was to be constructed in a locality that would be pleasant and second to none in Asia, Wijewardene's advocacy for a residential University located away from all distractions of the capital city of Colombo, finally won the day and the Sri Lanka University came up majestically in the Dumbara Vallay in the hill country.

Wijewardene could not live to see the accomplishment of the cause of the University he had championed. The Wijewardene Hall stands as a living monument to his ideals.

Before his demise he donated his books from the Donald Ferguson Collection relating to the Dutch and Portuguese period in Lanka and all the maps he purchased in England and elsewhere.

Wijewardene also bequeathed a valuable collection of books and manuscripts purchased from the Library of W. A. de Silva to the University Sangharama in Peradeniya.

The Sangharamaya - a residence for the undergraduate bhikkhus of the University had been agitating in his mind during the latter part of his life. His main object was providing separate accommodation with all facilities provided to the bhikkhus to enable them "to obtain a University education in order that they may be able to perform a dharmaduta service both in Sri Lanka and in foreign lands.

As he has done with his newspapers, he also made a Trust for the maintenance of the Sangharamaya with a contribution of Two lakhs of rupees. At present among the Trustees, Mr. Ranjith Wijewardene who succeeded him as Chairman of the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, renders an invaluable service for the benefit of the Sangharamaya.

Now in conclusion let me come to the subject of a statue. As Martin Wickremasinghe often used to say that D. R. Wijewardene was the only national leader who should be remembered with a statue, I would like to associate with the former editor of the "Dinamina" with a slight variation.

Since D. R. Wijewardene is not only a national leader but a national hero as well, let us those present and past employees of the Lake House group of papers erect a twelve foot bronze statue of Don Richard Wijewardene, the collossus on the round-about with him facing the Lake House building.

I am sure contributions will pour in abundance. Any balance left over may be used to provide scholarships to 25 needy and bright students in all the twenty-five districts in the name of the founder of Lake House newspapers.

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