Pre-independence socio-cultural scene
A brief postscript:
Professor Sunanda Mahendra
It is observed that the predominant pressures
that created the resourceful climate of opinion to usher in the
independent status happened to be two-fold basically. Firstly it was the
indigenous oriental pressure grasps on the regaining of the lost
identity that sounds to have happened due to the impact of the
colonialism.
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Though the colonial rulers happened to be three types: Portuguese,
Dutch and English. The last one was more forceful and needs a closer
scrutiny. The second pressure to obtain the independent status happened
to be the very understanding on the part of the socio cultural identity
on the part of the British rulers.
Ruling power
In this direction it is observed that initially the British colonial
rulers inclusive of the very first governor Fredrick North was of the
view that if the ruling power has to be retained more to forcefully
several cordial factors had to be put into action. This included the
teaching of English and the establishment of the English schools.
As a result gradually in most capitals of the country, like Colombo,
Kandy, Matara and several other places like Missionary schools sprouted.
Then it was also their role to instigate a certain degree of religious
conversions for the more vernacular bestowing better positions like
Mudliyars, Gage Mudalis, Vasala Mudalige and Tolka Mudalis linking their
family patterns to a better and lucrative vision of helping them to
climb the social ladder culminating in obtaining certificates of merit
from the British Dominion.
Unusual change
This scene could be well developed to show how the conscience of
general masses could be transformed to suit an unusual change in the
pattern of life around them.
The well-to-do families in the country immediately grabbed this
opportunity of social climbing with the so called western mannerisms,
calling their parents 'mummies' and 'daddies', and their elderly
relatives as 'uncles' and 'aunties'. This was looked own upon by a main
sector of indigenous opinion leaders who happened to be more rooted and
independent.
They happen to be lovers of the classical literature to the past,
religious minded.
They happened to represent the indigenous populace from a diversity,
mostly drawn from the local schools or search of learning. A few hands
that could be cited are the most reverend Hikkaduwe sri Sumangala Thera,
Most reverend Ratmalane Dhammaratna Thera, the celebrities like
Anagarika Dharmapala, Walisinghe Harischandra, venerated journalists
like Pandita Dharmaratne and Munidasa Cumaratunga, and novelists of the
calibre of Piyadasa Sirisena and poets of the calibre of Ven. S Mahinda
of Tibet who had come to stay in the country well versed in oriental
languages.
Those personalities like John de Silva, Sir D B Jayatilaka and Dr. C
W W Kannangara and host of other stalwarts spearheaded certain moments
which may have convinced the colonial rulers about the dignity in which
they clamour.
History records several instances where some of the local Government
agents of a high calibre have had tutelage under some of the learned
Buddhist priests of the country. In one instance the governor Hamilton
had the chance of being a pupil of Venerable Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala.
Colonial rulers
Then there are instances where the colonial rulers of the calibre of
Lodringon and Emerson Tennent have recorded their bliss of learning
under some of these erudite scholar monks.
In this manner we also observe the link of the two streams polarizing
in a way that had enhanced a certain degree of mutual understanding to
gain the independence required. Some of the colonial rulers happened to
have shown their amazement at the scholarship of the celebrities like
Sir James de Alwis who was erudite enough to translate the greatest
Sinhala Grammar text called Sidat Snagara into English with a long
introduction. Nevertheless de Alwis by that time remained a Catholic as
his family lineage may have been forced to do so.
The two main seats of learning the Vidyodaya Pirivena in Maligakanda
and Viyalankara Priviena in Peliyagoda happened to be the declared open
by Venerables Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala and Ratmalane Dhammarama in 1873
and 1875 respectively.
The two main seats of learning during the post independent era
created a climate of opinion pertaining to the need for the release from
the colonial yoke, in order to create a better cultural climate in the
country. The scholars engaged in this fact were not only oriental
scholars, but were also blessed with the learning in English, Latin and
Greek.
This was one of the main challenges for the colonial rulers who
established their galaxy of English missionary scholars with brand names
such as S. Thomas, St Joseph, Wesley College, Trinity College and de
Mazenod college, all over the country.
One of the strangest event one could observe is the gradual entry of
Pali, Sinhala and Sanskrit teachers into the tutorial staff of each of
these institutes.. In most instances the oriental scholar who taught
these languages too happened to be a scholar in English as well.
This created a finer impetus on the student as well as governing
bodies. The missionary scholars which commenced via 'Colombo Academy' in
1836 by no means spread its tentacles with this challenge.
Even in a seat of learning which was named as Royal College, the
bilingual scholar happened to be more suited than the others. Though the
bend towards the West was extant, there grew another stream that
clamoured for an independent status. This climate of opinion was
influenced by the Indian political and cultural scene, which enters into
a broad segment or an area of studies.
In the rediscovery of most of the mass media structure in this
pre-independent scene, one finds the most enlightening factor as the
commitment to a national liberation struggle via dominantly the print
medium spearheaded by such periodicals as Sinhala Jatiya, Sinhala
Bauddhaya, Sainahal Balaya, Lakmini Pahana, and Sarasavi Sandarasa. This
was the trend followed by some of the followers in the field of print
medium, and the socio cultural communication scene created for the
electronic media.
In these fields as well as the other media structures the visible
factor was the non-commercialized frame which spread more avenue for
creative skills. This is visualized as the spirit and vein that was
inherited from the pre-independent and post independent era which
culminated in and around 1956.
Academic depth
Even from an academic point of view some of these factors have not
been studied in depth. The words of the celebrated poet and journalist
Munidasa Cumaratunga reverberate in my mind as he said: "The need to
rethink in creative terms is what we need to uplift the society, and not
the need to possess a slavish mind via alien links." Needless to state
that the mechanics of politics that had gone into the endowment of
Independence in 1948 was merely via a gift of need, but something that
was won with a grave sense of understanding of a national socio cultural
struggle in search of a self liberation. In this process, I am sure some
of the factors are still hidden from the eye because of the conventional
historian, who had written based on sources, at his beck and call.
Today we should be in a position to rediscover or reread some of the
media oriented events in the light of our knowledge in communication
sciences.
Indigenous teaching
Besides we visualize the social responsibility as the guiding beacon
of the media structure where the central theme happened to be the
liberation from the colonial bonds. If one were to reinterpret poems of
Ven. S Mahinda or Piyadasa Sirisena in this perspective, a western
oriented literary critic may debunk the their creative skill. This is
what happened even during a brief period prior to the Independence. The
university education which was more Western oriented disregarded and
overlooked the national conscience of the local creative functions.
The same continued to be even after the establishment of the two
universities initially named as Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara. The pattern
of the indigenous teaching was not continued as they were also
represented by the western oriented academic structure of the Peradeniya
University. Still the stigma continues and one could see how this
happened via the research output of each of these universities. |