Kade Aiya won the war for us
Actress
and screenwriter Jenny Lumet, writing about her grandmother Lena Horne,
made the following observation: “There are people who do their thing,
and they pick up the nation. And when they’re done, we’re all in a
different place. They move us along whether they know it or not.”
A year ago there was much agitation about who deserves credit for
defeating the LTTE. The focus of course was on the big names. That’s
natural. Moments of victory spawn paternity suits. Troops fight and they
must fight for wars to be won. They will not fight if they are not sent
to battle and cannot win battles if not adequately prepared. Politicians
send men and women to the battlefield but that decision is significantly
impacted on public will. Public will does not fall from the sky. It is
systematically nurtured.
Pro-federalist ideologues
There was a time when it was believed the LTTE cannot be defeated.
That notion was crafted by pro-LTTE, pro-federalist ideologues who
managed to cosy up to the highest in the land at the time. That
erroneous and perniciously crafted view had to be defeated not with gun
and bullet but superior ideas that were more effectively argued. Those
fathers who brought forth idea and nurtured were not talked of at the
time of grabbing, bragging rights. They did not claim nor complain. They
just did their thing.
Some
fathers are known even if their roles are not acknowledged. Some did
their thing without fanfare in the everyday of their lives. They even
watched the celebrations and cheered as though they are the happy
recipients of the fruits of others’ labours. Kade Aiyawas one such man.
Kade Aiya was not Kade Aiya before he set up his small retail store
in Galkissa but we will come to that later. I lived for a year and a
half in Galkissa and Kade Aiya’s shop was at the top of the lane. That’s
where I went to get the newspaper, sugar, tea, eggs etc on most
mornings.
Political analysts
Kade Aiya was made of smiles and good humour. He had opinions which
he expressed without malice. He knew what he had to sell and put profit
after customer satisfaction. For example, he would forego the few rupees
extra he might earn by selling product one if he thought product two was
better value for the customer’s money. He suggested, never insisted.
He was not a busybody or a gossip but he not only knew all his
regular customers but put like-thinking people in touch with one
another. If someone complained of any ailment, he would recommend a
doctor-customer, for example.
He knew their names and they got to know each others’ names. The man
who did all this was always Kade Aiya, even to those who were much older
to him and those young enough to be his grandchildren.
Kade Aiya knew I wrote to newspapers. He quickly figured out where I
stood on important issues and finding a lot of commonality spoke freely
about all kinds of matters, particularly political affairs. ‘Mamath
karanne maadya vedak!’ (I am also engaged in media work) he admitted
once.
He argued very astutely that there is no such thing as neutrality in
journalism. He knew that there is politics in choice of lead story, the
wording of the headline, privileging of certain columnists and opinions.
He was convinced that the LTTE should be and can be militarily defeated.
He knew which papers supported this position and which consciously tried
to subvert it.
He would market the newspapers that supported his position and even
point to particular articles when handing over the paper to the
customer. He sold other newspapers, yes, but would on occasion suggest
to the customer that other papers were better. He never had such papers
on top of the pile. He was being political in much the same way as most
editors and media institutions are. He was a father, in much the same
way that Dr Nalin De Silva was a father of the military victory over the
LTTE and the ideological triumph of Eelamists, some masquerading as
rights advocates, political analysts and academics.
Solidarity builder
Kade Aiya brought people together and he nurtured goodness by his
generosity. Kade Akka told me last night that her husband was used to
collect all kinds of things (for example the tops of soda bottles) that
schoolchildren may need. She said that there were numerous occasions
when people came to their house after he had closed shop to ask for
something needed for some school project. He always had something to
give. Kade Aiya was a solidarity builder who did his thing quietly.
Kade Aiya died a few days ago. His wife was amazed that a simple
owner of a roadside shop (it was so tiny that few would notice it from a
passing vehicle) was known and loved by so many. He did his thing and in
the process picked up the nation. We are all in a different place thanks
to what he did. Thanks to his tribe, he might have added.
Kade Aiya’s name was Ratnasiri Gammanpila. That’s a name no one who
had the privilege of stopping at his shop to buy a newspaper or some
sugar would know or remember. Kade Aiya would take, some forgetting
though like the nation, hard to let go it is part of us. Kade Aiya too
part of who I am, and so many others too. He moved us all along towards
victory.
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