Book review

Exploration into post-war eastern region

Title: Yudden Passe
(Post War Exploration into War Ravaged Eastern Sri Lanka)

Author: Sugathapala Mendis

Publisher: S. Godage and Brothers (Pvt) Ltd

Pages : 288

Veteran Journalist Sugathapala Mendis has authored 'Uthurukare Gaveshanaya - 2011' which narrates bitter experiences of the people in the Northern Region. How they had suffered the consequences of war is nicely laid out in the book.

In his preface the author pays tribute to political leadership and dedicated services of armed forces and Police. They had made the dream come true when they defeated the LTTE, world’s number one terrorist group.

Armed forces and the Police, fighting the battle against the enemy with total dedication, wiped out the much boasted and claimed invincible terrorists who tried to thrash and dash all hopes and aspirations of a tolerant, free and fair, peace-loving nation to the ground. History records that ours is a country where all communities found shelter and live under the bosom of Mother Sri Lanka.

But extremists in all camps, with ulterior motives ignite peace loving people with extremism and nationalism endangered the lives.

They suffered for 30 long years and it was a great relief to one and all when they heard that the Sri Lanka heroic Armed forces and the Police ultimately had crushed and wiped out the enemy, the cause of decades long ethnic strife, never to raise its ugly head again.

These books authored by Sugathapala Mendis perhaps are the first of this kind, published in this country, dealing with the sad episodes and bitter experiences of people lived besieged by terror. The end of 30 year long terrorism, which made them virtually human-bombs, was a big relief to the people living in North and East.

The two books Yudden Passe and Uthurukare Gaveshanaya-2011 were written after visiting the two regions affected by ethnic strife, help fill the vacuum to some extent.

The books are written based on first hand information collected meeting and travelling through minds of the people severely affected and from the field visits in the war affected areas in the Eastern Region. The information thus gathered are scrutinized and subjected to an in-depth study and research with a critical mind.

The present book is a compilation of 28 articles written to Divaina, Sunday Edition after touring the areas of the Eastern Region. The content of these articles provides ample thought provoking citations and calls for a deeper understanding of the issues that led to the chaotic situation. The subject matter discussed provokes the readers to think deep, resolving never to have a repeat sordid life experience in any part of the country at all times.

The author’s preface gives succinct history of our country and her people. He looks at events with critical mind including the times the country lived under the British Rule as a Colony, and attacks the British policy of divide and rule with vengeance.

He is critical of the local leaders who took the reins from the British Imperialists, followed the system better than their imperial masters. He criticizes the slavish minds of the rulers since independence following the system where Sri Lanka is projected as a plural society, to this day.

Before invasion, all communities lived as one people and that was the strength of Mother Sri Lanka had, to fight the enemy come in whatever form either within the rank and file or from outside.

This invader especially British monarchy hated to see. They interfered in the internal administration, implanted the seeds of discord and as a result communities lived in peace and harmony for centuries were divided into groups with classified different ethnic groups and put them into fight for division.

Sri Lanka has seen how countries fought tooth and nail, divided, dispersed and collapsed. Thanks to Providence the dream of division on ethnic basis never became a reality in Sri Lanka despite the escalation of ethnic wars engineered by external forces.

Sri Lanka Armed forces along with the Police fighting the enemy with one mind and putting their best with dedication crushed the head of the enemy astonishing the international community.

The book brings out all that thought pattern in sequence and invites the state to look into emerging issues to help those people live in their land of birth in peace and unity and help them to stand on their own feet as they did long decades ago contributing heavily to the growth of national economy.

While dealing with post war situation the author takes us into areas and places of historical and archeological importance. Kumana national forest, Bambaragasthalawa, Arugambe coastal belt, Sangamakande, Raja Gala, Marandamoone Sannaliyan, Thoppigala, Mangalarama Temple in Batticaloa, Pasikuda, Paanama, farmers in Mawilaaru are some chapters calls for careful reading.

A number of them are really new to many of us and the wealth of information provided therein are very useful to students and those tend to do more research in the areas that suffered most due to ethnic strife.

The author tells us that Bambaragasthalawa was a place of worship with a historical past and the visitor could see only the remains of buildings and a cave with the sleeping Buddha statue. It is an archeological site unknown to many of us and author takes us to similar places of historical value.

Sangaman kanda is said to be the highland, the place where the Buddhist monks used to live. It is said that the land is measured using the Sangaman Kanda Light House in one corner and using the Light House at Galle face as the other corner. Devundara Thuduwa, Peduru Thuduwa, Sangamankanda and Galle Face are the four places of Sri Lanka land with the highest length and breadth.

He introduces to the reader Marandamoone, a village within Kalmune electorate in the Ampara district which suffered heavily the 2004 December 26th tsunami. It is where the Sri Lanka handloom industry now flourishes and throws a challenge even to the Indian sarongs popular among the locals.

The sarong woven here said to be very much superior to the Indian product and needs the attention of the state. For these people did not lie low defeated by the tsunami disaster but rose from the shackles and moved on developing themselves setting an example for others to emulate.

The readers should appreciate the efforts made by the author to record the life and times of a people living in the Northern and Eastern regions during the terror period and immediately after the freeing of the two regions from terrorist grip.

Events occurred before and after the escalation of violence are still fresh in our minds. But for the future historian of politics and social life of a people lived under the besieged of terror will be of great importance and the present writings based on first hand information would help to grasp the true and correct picture of events to the future student of history and politics of this land.

The language used is clear, lucid tempt to read at a stretch without feeling tired. It carries a number of photos with explanatory caption to register important events in the minds of readers.

The book is worth reading.

WIRUMA