Shame on Bens young and old

I am sorry that I have to digress from my pet subject cricket and comment on an incident that took place in my school that has rocked and shocked not only the schools but also the nation.

It was unbelievable and unacceptable that a young rugger player had been crudely beaten up by the senior and junior ruggerites for apparently skipping practices.

And it stunned the writer all the more because the school in question was his Alma Mater St. Benedict's College which has always maintained the highest traditions come adversity or good times.

Information has it that the player who was given the "treatment" had not attended practice having suffered an injury in an earlier fixture. If his injury was the reason then the excuse is acceptable.

But whatever the circumstances no individual or individuals can take the law into their hands and launch an assault on a player who was utterly helpless in this crowd of bullies.

Law of the Jungle

This incident must be condemned in the strongest terms possible and the law of the Jungle must not be allowed to foster in this or any other school. It is alleged that the captain of the senior rugger team of the school had got the senior and junior ruggerites to line up, stood the player in question in the middle and ordered the assault, like some underworld thug.

The player who had been assaulted and suffered bleeding injuries had informed his grandmother, his mother being abroad at the time of the assault who then promptly made a complaint at the Kotahena police station.

Niranjan Abeywardena, the Officer-in-charge of the Kotahena police an outstanding former flanker for the police and Sri Lanka team, who is doing an efficient job in keeping Kotahena clean, immediately had the players arrested and produced in court and they had been asked to reappear in court yesterday. This incident has gone to sully the good name of the school which was famous for maintaining the lofty traditions from time immemorial.

If school boys could resort to thuggery early in life, one shudders to think what the future holds. After all these are our future citizens when this incident took place we wonder where were the master-in-charge and the coach of the teams.

During our time as sportsmen of the school, the first man on the scene before practice began was the master-in-charge. He would give direction till the arrival of the coach.

Apparently the master-in-charge would have been missing in this instance. Had he been there this ugly incident that has earned the school a black mark could have been avoided.

Earlier it had been brought to the notice of the writer, that when a cricketer fails to attend practice, he is summoned the next day and slapped. True that discipline must be maintained, but not with mariakade style tactics.

There are more dignified telling styles by which discipline can be maintained. When I was a cricketer in the school, the Director was Rev. Bro. Alban, the master-in-charge A. Gnanapragsam and the coaches were Edward Kelaart, Francis Casiechetty and Bertie Wijesinghe.

Instructions

In our days the rule was that the cricketers had to be ready for practice by 3.30 p.m. One day I arrived at 3.31 Gnanapragsam gave me a stare and I immediately got the message and knew what awaited me. He summoned the captain who was Lovellyn Rayen and gave him instructions that I was to be posted to fine leg for the rest of the practice session and not given a bat or a bowl.

After the practice ended, Gnanapragsam asked me to stay back and gave me a lecture on punctuality and discipline and I still remember his words - 'If I want you to come at 3.31, I must be a fool to ask you to come at 3.30. And he warned - don't come late again'. Gnanapragsam's lecture stood me in good stead later in my career as I would be very early at the club before play began.

Even in my workplace I have not been late for duty. That was the fear and the virtues the Christian brothers, and the masters inculcated in students.

Another incident that was told to me was concerning Albert Fernando, who later turned out to be a world class football coach with his Brazilian training who produced champion football teams in the school with regularity.

Albert was captain of the football team, when it is said he arrived a few minutes late than the stipulated time that players had been asked to gather. The Brother in charge at that time was Bro. Ladislaus, a Czech who was a stickler for punctuality and discipline.

Captain or player however indispensable did not matter to Bro. Ladislaus. Albert was dropped and to his dying day Albert remembered that and would always talk about that disciplining.

Many old boys who I met and others who telephoned me expressed their shock, disbelief and disgust at what has happened to sully the good name of the College and what it stands for .

Some of the old boys said they were embarrassed when their colleagues at work poked fun at them recalling this incident. What's happening to the green, white and green school they ask?

Breakdown of discipline

Obviously for an incident of this nature to take place, shows that there has been a breakdown of discipline in the school. That is sad when one thinks of the glorious past that the school enjoyed and was looked up to and admired for.

Excuses would be made and reasons adduced. But it must be remembered that excuses however good have no place in a righteous society. All right thinking persons would certainly condemn the act.

The authorities that run the school and the authorities who the school is answerable to must not accept this as schoolboy pranks, but must order an investigation, the offenders brought to book however powerful they are and appropriate punishment meted out so that it would serve as a deterrent, to the other sportsmen of the school those to come and also to other schools in the country.

Old Bens young and old must be hiding their faces in shame.