Children

Folk tales of Sri Lanka:

Half - wit and a pundit

Retold by R.S. Karunaratne

Sethan never attended school and helped his father to operate his ferry. His father earned a good income daily by taking people and sometimes carts across the river. Sethan loved to work on the ferry because he met all types of people crossing the river.

One day Sethan’s father fell ill. He asked his son to work on the ferry as he had gathered enough experience. Sethan was glad that he could ferry schoolchildren who always had a good word for him.

Sethan started working on the ferry from early morning.

He helped many schoolchildren, ordinary villagers and some monks to cross the river. After some time, he was able to relax as there were no more people to use the ferry. While Sethan was dozing off under the shade of a tree, Pandithuma (a pundit) came to him and told him that he wanted to cross the river. Sethan got up and started pulling the ferry carrying Pandithuma.

When they reached the middle of the river Pandithuma wanted to test Sethan’s knowledge.

“Have you ever been to school?

“No, Sir”,

“What else do you know apart from operating this ferry ?”

“Nothing, Sir,”

“If you don’t know anything else, you are a half-wit.”

“May be, Sir”.

“You see, Sethan, I know many things. That’s why the villagers call me “Pandithuma”.

“I’m glad to hear that, Sir”.

Meanwhile, the ferry started going down the water for no fault of Sethan. ‘Pandithuma, the ferry is sinking. You have to jump into the river and swim for safety”.

“Oh, my God, I can’t swim. Sethan, please save me.”

Sethan was a good swimmer like his father. He had no difficulty in taking Pandithuma to the river bank where a few other villagers were waiting to cross the river.

“Thank you Sethan for saving my life. I think I have to change my opinion about you.”

“You are not a half-wit. You know many things even pundits don’t know.” Sethan bowed his head and Pandithuma slowly disappeared from the scene.

Firsts at Art Council art competition

Some drawings which won first places at the Children’s Art Competition and festival organised by National Art and Sculpture Sub Council of the National Art Council, Department of Cultural Affairs, Cultural Ministry.

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The rush for colonies

Thoughts and actions that transformed the world

European countries had been building colonial empires for many years. England, for example, first entered India in the mid-1,600s. After 1850, however, the European industrial powers rushed to extend their colonial empires. One country’s control of the government and economy of another country or region is known as imperialism. The period from 1850 to 1914 is often called the “Age of Imperialism”.

Reasons for imperialism

There were several reasons why European countries were interested in acquiring overseas colonies in the second half of the 1800s. Many countries were becoming more industrialised, and they needed raw materials such as rubber, oil, and minerals for their factories.

Their factories produced quantities of goods that soon filled markets at home. New markets for these

 products had to be found. In addition, there was increasing European demand for African and Asian crops such as sugar, bananas, rice, and coffee. European countries wished to control the supply of these products and to make money at the same time.

Another reason for imperialism among European countries was nationalism. Nationalism is a form of national pride.

However, nationalism in some countries led to a feeling that the country was superior to other countries.

These countries began to build colonial empires because they believed that ruling lands overseas showed their superiority.

It also seemed to many Europeans that Asian and African cultures were inferior because they did not have rail-roads and factories.

Improved technology, particularly weapons, helped these European countries to take over large areas of Africa and Asia.

European expansion

Asia, with its millions of people and its valuable raw materials, was a target for European powers that wanted to expand. By 1900, almost every Asian country was controlled by foreign powers.

The Jewel in the Crown

The British called India, their most valuable colony, the “jewel in the crown.” India supplied Britain with tea, coffee, cotton and other agricultural products. India’s 300 million people were sold British manufactured goods, especially cheap textiles. In fact, Britain prohibited Indians from producing their own textiles so that they would not compete with British exports.

British rulers did bring some benefits to India. Travel and communication were improved when the British built railroads and roads and installed telegraph and telephone lines. Britain also established schools and colleges for Indians.

The Dutch and the French in Asia

The Dutch controlled a chain of southeast Asian islands they called the Dutch East Indies. These islands are now the country of Indonesia. The Dutch owned large plantations that grew products for export. The islands were one of the richest colonies, but the Indonesians did not share in this wealth.

France had colonies in Indochina, a peninsula in Southeast Asia that includes present-day Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

Like the Dutch, the French formed plantations that grew crops for export. The French also built roads, railroads, telegraph and telephone system, schools, and hospitals. Young men were educated in France to be doctors, engineers, and architects in their native lands.

Imperialism and China

Throughout the 1800s, China had grown weaker. Europeans took advantage of this weakness by seizing regions of China. Each region was called a sphere of influence, and area where a European country had economic privileges including the exclusive right to control factories, mines, and railways.

Europeans did not control the Chinese government in Beijing, but they ruled in their spheres of influence. They forbade Chinese people to enter European parts of Chinese cities without permission. Europeans accused of crimes were tried in European courts rather than in Chinese courts. Furthermore, European business people forced the Chinese government to give them favourable treatment.

To be continued