The struggle to gain Independence

KALABHOOSHANAM CHELVATAMBY Maniccavasagar

THE conferment of Dominion status in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) on February 4, 1948 is an important landmark in the history of the National Independence struggle in this country.

Accordingly, in the National calendars every year February 4 has been declared as the Day of National Independence in this country.

In fact, our national history is replete with wars signifying national freedom. Further, the 18th and 19th centuries have produced some of the bright thinkers, intellectuals, political leaders and social and religious reformers at a time when Sri Lanka (Ceylon) had suffered three centuries of Western conquest particularly by Portuguese, Dutch and Britishers who held sway over Sri Lanka.

During this period a large mass of people were oppressed, suppressed and subjugated and exploited in their own social areas by those who claimed to be superiors simply on the basis of birth.

To talk of a revolt was something forbidden and unthinkable. But, some of the great statesmen and patriots on account of their power-packed words and dazzling deeds attained immortality.

Select group

To this select group belongs D.S. Senanayake, F.R. Senanayake, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, Sir Baron Jayatilleke, E.W. Perera, D.R. Wijewardena, James Peiris, Arthur V. Dias, Al Haj Dr. T.B. Jayah, Sir Razik Fareed, Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan, Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam, Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy, Sir Waitilingam Duraiswamy, Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy, Ven. Anagarika Dharmapala, Sri La Sri Arumuga Navalar, C.Y. Thamotharampillai, C.V. Swaminatha Aiyar, Swamy Vipulananda, Handy Perinpanayagam, S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, G.G. Ponnambalam (Senior), C. Vanniya Srigam, M. Thiruchelvam, James T. Ratnam and several other patriots dedicated their lives for the ideal in the pursuit of which they were unmindful of danger or death.

Salt of history

They suffered much to maintain the honour of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Lapse of time has not bedimmed the splendour of their achievements and their epic heroism.

The deeds of such men are the salt of history and their remembrance on this great and glorious occasion of the "National Day" shall remain a precious heritage of our race.

S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike who was a great statesman, silver tongued orator and linguist was born on January 8, 1899 to a wealthy and distinguished family in Sri Lanka. He was the only Son of Maha Mudaliyar Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike, a very distinguished personality in his days.

S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike received his secondary education at S. Thomas College, Colombo, where he excelled both in studies and in sports.

He passed the Senior Cambridge Examination with high honours gaining third place in the British Empire.

Thereafter he proceeded to Oxford University in 1919 where he played a significant role in Oxford Union. Soon he became famous as a gifted speaker and he debated with well known personalities and made a memorable speech in 1922.

In 1923 he was elected to the coveted post of Secretary of the Oxford Union.

After having been called to the Bar he returned to Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1925. In 1927 he was elected to the Colombo Municipal Council and with the introduction of the Donoughmore Constitution in 1931 he was elected to the State Council unopposed as a member for Veyangoda.

In 1936 he was returned unopposed. He even acted as the Leader of the House in 1945 for D.S. Senanayake. In 1947 he became the Member of Parliament for Attanagalla in the newly formed House of Representatives.

He held the portfolio of Health and Local Administration, but resigned from the Cabinet, on political grounds in July 1951.

As soon as he resigned he made a significant speech which resembled that of Abraham Lincoln. He said "I am solaced at this melancholy occasion and out of all the conquests, the conquest oneself is the greatest conquest. Today, I have conquered myself and malice towards none charity for all".

In fact, he had the courage of his conviction. He gave life a meaning, purpose and dedicated himself for that purpose.

After his resignation he formed the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and in 1952 he retained his Seat and became the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives.

In the 1956 General Election he swept the polls and became the Prime Minister. During his tenure of premiership he introduced reforms and did everything with unsurpassed distinction and unsullied honours.

D. S. Senanayake entered public life by identifying himself with the temperance movement following in the footsteps of his brother F. R. Senanayake. He was educated at S. Thomas' College where he excelled in sports than studies.

Though he received his education up to seventh standard, he was able to become the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (Ceylon).

One of the foremost journalists of Sri Lanka late D. B. Dhanapala referred to him as "A remarkable man with nothing remarkable in him. He further said that "the secret of his success is the success of his secret".

In fact, his Temperance Movement was looked upon with suspicion by the British for two reasons. It aroused the people to a sense of responsibility and to free themselves from foreign rule.

It deprived the government of a large portion of their revenue through sale of toddy and arrack, rentals and tax on foreign liquor which was increasing in leaps and bounds.

So when riots broke out and spread rapidly from the Central Province to the West and South, the British thought it was a plot to throw them out.

Martial Law was declared and the leaders of the "Temperance Movement" were taken into custody though there was not a single evidence against them. Undoubtedly D. S. Senanayake was a great builder of tanks and a Statesman with charismatic personality.

F. R. Senanayake's contact with Public Affairs was now a period of about 20 years from his return from Cambridge to his early death at the age of 43. But his influence pervaded the decades beyond his lifetime.

He was born on October 22, 1882 at Botale where his father Mudaliyar Don Stephen Senanayake had already won recognition for his public spirit. The Mudaliyar's discerning intellectual promise in FR, his second son, sent him to Cambridge.

The father called him "The London John". His eldest son D.C. who had a philosophical bent migrated to Colombo and was dubbed as "Colombo John" and his third Son D.S. was called as "Kelay John".

F.R. Senanayake was a man who had high regard for truth. No one in his days commanded so much influence as FR though paradoxically he did not choose to sit in the Legislative or hold executive office in the Ceylon National Congress.

Don Richard Wijewardene (D. R. Wijewardene) was one of the greatest patriots Sri Lanka ever produced.

It was the love of the country which led him prepare as a student in England for his life's work. It was his realisation that the struggle for Independence was the one most worthy of a wealthy young man's energies that guided him to politics.

Although he possessed a strong personality he had not sufficient confidence in his ability to excel in debate or sway crowds by power of speech.

He chose the far more effective method of influencing men by establishing newspapers among the best in Asia and published in the National languages as well as in English.

He was the third son in a family of nine and was born at Sedawatte where his father the late Muhandiram D. R. Wijewardene, a wealthy merchant who lived in Colombo.

D.R. Wijewardene was educated at S. Thomas' College when REED was warden and the Rev. G.A.H. Arndt was sub-warden. Among his contemporaries were D.S. Senanayake and Francis Molamure. From S. Thomas', Wijewardene went to Peterhouse, Cambridge.

Indeed that it was in his undergraduate days at Cambridge that his interest in politics began. There was a wave of unrest in India over Lord Curzon's action and prominent Indian leaders came over to England and addressed meetings to inform the British public on their situation in their country.

D.R. Wijewardene's major contribution was the moulding of public opinion through the highly successful newspapers.

Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan was indeed one of the greatest freedom fighters among the Tamil party. There were several able, talented and even brilliant men who aspired to national eminence. But, none touched the heights of greatness as Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan did.

When he rose in the Forum of the Legislative Council his British Conquistadors poised to unsheathe their swords of hostility against him. The Ceylonese Knight neither flinched nor wavered. He instilled fear into their hearts and also commanded their grudging respect.

"How pleasant it would be Sir, he once taunted the then British Governor as he addressed the Legislative Assembly in 1877 to bash in the sunshine of Your Excellency's smiles, how nice to be courted by officials as a man who says pleasant things.

What do I gain for myself by this opposition by choosing to express an independent opinion which is very unpalatable to the Government? Do they treat me with respect for doing what I believe is my duty? No, they even challenge my motives.

It does not matter to me Sir, I do not want the favours of the Government. It is enough that I am able to say what I feel to be right. "That will be my comfort. Those words of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan should be etched deep into the hearts and minds of those who call themselves politicians.

Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam was one of the most productive men of his age," said the former Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike at a public meeting.

He was born on September 14, 1853 as the younger son of Ponnambalam Mudaliyar. Like his elder brother P. Coomaraswamy, he was brought up under the kind protection of his maternal uncle Sir Muthu Coomarasamy.

In the reports of Christ College Sir Arunachalam is referred to as a brilliant mathematician and an able classic scholar.

In 1875, he not only graduated but also qualified for the Bar and wanted to enter the legal profession. But his uncle advised him to sit the civil service examination and he was the first Ceylonese to enter the civil service through the open door of competition.

The glowing moment of his political life came in 1919 with the birth of Ceylon National Congress of which he was the President.

Sir Razik Fareed was the uncrowned king of the Moors of Ceylon. He was the founder of the Moor Educational Plan through which the poor Moor Community took its place with the other communities of Ceylon as an equal footing. Sir Razik Fareed entered the State Council in 1944.

As a politician, he proved to be an ideal Minister of Trade. He was also a member of the Colombo Municipal Council from 1937-1940 and the second State Council whose term ended in July 1947.

Sir Razik Fareed not only helped the poor, but also established several Boys and Girls schools for the betterment of their education and culture.

Undoubtedly, he was a fearless champion of his community and a loyal supporter of his party.

Dr. T. B. Jayah was considered to be one of the greatest leaders of the Muslim community. He sacrificed his whole life for the betterment of Muslims education and Culture.

In fact Dr. T. B. Jayah played a pivotal role during the crucial phase of Sri Lanka's historic march towards national liberation. His life was an inspiring saga of service and sacrifice.

He had been rightly called the architect of Sri Lanka's unity. His political sagacity, robust patriotism, practical wisdom, and great administration skill made him one of Sri Lanka's great statesmen.

Furthermore, the total agreement of President Mahinda Rajapakse and the LTTE to solve this ethnic problem by negotiation, persuasion, consultation is indeed a welcome step and President Mahinda Rajapakse should be highly commended." He is indeed a champion of peace, a social democrat and a personality with a Mission, vision and foresight.

Indeed, the people of Sri Lanka desperately want to see an end to the years of conflict and furthermore the unstinted support by the United States and Switzerland's assurance to e a facilitator with utmost support should be welcomed by everyone.

In fact, President Mahinda Rajapakse's unshakable confidence that the Government is in a position to arrive at solution at the Geneva talks to the National problem that has been pressing for a long time really confirms a new beginning - the beginning of reconciliation between the two divided communities looking for peace, the beginning of a new phase in prosperity and the beginning of the end of bitterness.

In fact, Sri Lanka which had been described by great men as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, the Paradise isle of the East, the island in the Sun is passing through the most critical and crucial period in history.

As such the need of the hour is profound and abiding love of the country and greater sacrifice for the sake of our children and future generations.

Even the Buddha, Jesus Christ and Great Saints and Sages have said that "man should have a cultured and refined wisdom" and everyone irrespective of caste, creed and religion should realize the impermanency of life and to lead the path of love and truth.

That is why the Emperor of Peace the Buddha said "Hatred will never cease by hatred, it will only cease by love".

There is an apt Tamil saying which describe that "Royalty kills at once but Divinity will pause and kill". Further, it is most appropriate to remind Emperor Asoka, who gave up war after the Battle of Kalinga and embraced Buddhism and became "Dhamma Asoka".

Mahatma Gandhi once said that" in the midst of darkness, light persists".

As such, on this memorable occasion of "Independence Day" all communities and denominations should have the nobility to handsomely acknowledge the virtues of those who differ and should never forget that their detractors are made of the same flesh and blood and endowed with the same instincts and passions, hopes and aspirations.