by Alan Ho Chok Chan
A Historical Perspective
In Sanskrit the name Sri Lanka means a bright and shining island. Resplendent is the appropriate word.
An Indian Ocean island, about 92 times the size of Singapore, with a population of only 21 million , 74.8% Sinhalese, the rest being Hindus, Tamils, and small numbers of Burghers, Malays and Vedda, the last believed to be the original indigenous population of the island.
Its ancient history dates back some 2500 years BC, about the same time when Athens was in its prime, and Socrates, bearded and bug-eyed, roamed the streets of the cradle of Western civilisation, stopping and asking people : “ What is the Good Life? And how to live it ?” ; and Gotama Siddartha ( or the Buddha: the Enlightened one ) gave his first dharma talk at Deer Park, about one hundred years earlier ; and would-be Christians , have to wait another 25 centuries to hear the teachings of a carpenter’s son.
Sri Lanka’s rich cultural / religious traditions originated from repeated invasions and colonisations as far back as 500 years BC, when a Bengalese prince, Vijaya, landed and established the first Kingdom near Mannar, supposedly connected by a land bridge to southern India, to be followed by some 189 native monarchs recorded in the pre-Anuradhapura period.
The Anuradhapura period started around 380 BC, marking the arrival of Buddhism from India, this lasted for about 1400 years dating from the arrival of Mahinda, a son of the Buddhist emperor Ashoka. Buddhism won over the local monarch, who propagated it among his Sinhalese population. Sri Lankan Buddhist monks studied in the ancient university of Nalanda, and returned with the Tipitaka, popularly known as The Three Baskets of Buddhist knowledge–the earliest Buddhist scriptures largely transmitted in oral tradition, the Pali canon. In Sri Lanka, this was preserved in written form on palm leaves, the first recorded documents in Buddhism, which became invaluable when Nalanda university was destroyed.
Sri Lanka’s variegated history was marked by invasions, ancient and recent, by south Asian dynasties like Chola, Pandya, Chera and Paliava. In the Kandyan period, Portuguese explorers and invaders, followed by Dutch East India company, and eventually British rule, until independence was declared on 4th February 1948. Till then its social, educational, political and cultural system were largely anglicised, and post-independence, it still functioned as a democratic republic, with an elected president, who appoints a prime minister, and a cabinet to help run things.
Our Trip
First mooted in mid January 2016, it received overwhelming response from our cohort of 20 old classmates and their spouses. Designed to visit the majority of Unesco’s Heritage sites ( there are 8 ! ), at a leisurely pace and lodged in choice four- star accommodations, replete with a Sri Lankan guide familiar to our leader’s family, it was a cushy no-brainer. With the helpful advice from classmates who’ve been there, done that, we even get to tailor-make the itinerary, such as cutting out the baby elephant feeding, and the jungle walk, and getting an extra day in Nuwara Eliya, the high altitude, English tea plantation stay in the renown Heritance Tea Factory.
Ominous Signs
We never factored in the low-pressure zone, with accompanying southwest monsoon and cyclonic winds, which assaulted Sri Lanka about a week before our departure, inundating the south, central and western parts of the island with rainfall as heavy as 355mm of rain in one day ( more than the total rainfall in one year ). Landslides, floods resulted, and whole villages buried in mud. In all , 101 lives were lost, and another 100 unaccounted for.
We kept our eyes and ears glued to CNN, BBC, Internet, Sri Lanka Disaster Relief Centre , and of course, daily updates from our tour guide, a Mr Arosha.
I never for once doubted our ability to go, but what we do when reaching there, is another matter. I reckoned, since my trip, and locum’s paid for ( at $650 per day ), I’ve no reason to potter around in my garden. Worst- case scenario : I am prepared to get downright muddy and do some medical-relief work in the Tsu Chi Disaster relief centre run by my friend’s wife for 10 days,( if that were my karma )
My brother said I’m crazy, my elder daughter too…
A Silver Lining
Towards 20th May, the situation changed, the low pressure zone, the cyclone and the rains shifted towards south India and Bangladeshi coast.
The Sri Lanka airport no longer diverts planes, the Kelani river no longer washes away bridges and roads. The displaced people however, still numbered about half a million.
On 22nd, with rain gear, umbrellas, extra socks and sweaters in place, we flew.
(Feature image shows aerial view of approach to Colombo, with large swathes of flood waters)
( end of part 1 ) To be continued
Dr Alan Ho Chok Chan is a Paediatrician in private Family Practice. He also spends time golfing, swimming, playing tennis, wine tasting, playing guitar and singing. He is also a bibliophile and voracious reader.
