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| Saturday, 1 November 2003 |
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High time to turn back to the roots by Nemsiri Mutukumara Purtugisi karaya So run the first few lines of the baila sung on the Portguese soldadus in one of their merry times during their barbaric, and ignominious, period of the occupation of Lanka's maritime provinces in the sixteenth century. His Holiness the Pope in a Papal Bull decreed the East to the Portuguese and the West to the Spaniards. True to the baila, wherever the Portuguese soldadus marched, they turned the place upside down so much so making them unrecognisable. Place names became innocent victims of Portuguese callous behaviour. The irony of this sad episode of foreign enemies ignorance of Lanka's village names, still continue to be used by many people in the country - notably the Sinhala people and some people in the Eastern province. Let us come from Madakalapuva: The Tamil speaking people while using Mattakalapu in Tamil use the derogatory Portuguese name - Batticaloa in Roman character. Crossing side-ways to Halavata in the North-West, foolishly continue to call the rich and fertile soil as "Chilaw". A little distance downwards one finds the village of Migomuva - which goes back to over two thousand years - the period of King Kavantissa. Before the birth of the heroic Prince Gemunu, Queen Viharamahadevi desired to taste bees honey. This sweet, nutritious and healthy delicacy was found in plenty in Migomuva - which derived its very name from bees honey. During the sojourns of marauding tribes of Portuguese soldadus, the name of the village was heard as 'Migomu' and they jumped in glee and called it "Negombo". The Portuguese baptism of Migomuva as Negombo has neither a meaning nor relevance at all. Marching along the coast line, the Portuguese misused place names according to their whims and fancy. For them Kollupitiya became Colpetty; Kotte road - which has gone into Lanka's modern history as to how the Sinhala soldiers took the Portuguese for a ride - came to be called "Cotta road". In the North the ancient Mantota was changed as Mannar. In deep down South, during their rampage of the Devinuwara - city of gods - Devalaya, the place came to be called Dondra - and still for some stupid countrymen it is Dondra. Besides desecrating pure and original names which are pregnant with decent and civilised meaning, unlike village names of Europe and America's which is odd as described by writer columnist Padma Edirisinghe in the "Daily News" there is hardly any tangible contribution the Portuguese made for Sri Lanka and her peaceful and peace loving people during their misadventure. Portuguese cannot be blamed totally for this misadventure because His Holiness the Pope's order was to "convert the heathens" by the might of the sword if the book fails. The book means the Holy Bible. Pope's disciples to the path of least resistance and convert a few with new names and monetary and material benefits and a large number of innocent Buddhists sacrificed their precious lives steadfastly remaining to their devoted Buddhist way of life without becoming turncoats. A number of churches they built has been found to be constructed on the strong foundations of destroyed Buddhist Viharas or Hindu Kovils. The glorious forts along the maritime provinces in Galla, Matara, Yarlpanam stands as eloquent testimony to a decent and civilised stay of the Dutch in Lanka. Yet one word has to be added here. A plethora of names like Almari, Kabakunittu, Nona, Sapattu have crept into Sinhala and Tamil usage. The British were a totally different kind of fish. As a nation, "Britania rules the waves" (Because Britain possessed a fine naval power). From underneath, the 2500 years of culture, civilisation, education and way of life began to weaken and instead alien unhealthy, irrelevant European customs and manners came to be adopted slowly. Like the Dutch, the British too, continued to retain the Lankan place names of the Portuguese without changing, for, it is believed European solidarity. However, the Asians in particular, came to call this bluff once and for all times, during the mid twentieth century when one country after another fought vehemently and secured total freedom from the Europeans, for that matter, from France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Dutch and Britain. India gave the lead followed by China. The Dakshinakhanda which the British called Deccan retained its original beautiful Sanskrit/Hindi name. Many others followed. In China, the misnomer of Peking was changed to its original name of Beijing. The time is ripe and opportune for Sri Lanka people to create a dent in the use of foreign - particularly European names misused village names, the unhealthy unhygienic and useless European customs and manners once and for all times and demonstrate the genuine traditional original way of life instead of the adopted: "Kume bebe "Eat, drink, make merry and die" style European way of life. |
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