The day that was which did not spare the time to watch the Rugby World Cup

I was picked up at 9.45am, the group consisted of the driver, the policeman in uniform assigned to protect on the front seat, the MP and myself and the photographer in the back bucket seats of the Landcruiser. Our first stop was at a Temple in the constituency, where the kids were in the ‘Daham pasala’ outfits seated outside on chairs and tables with their teachers. There was a short event with two short speeches and the handing over of an envelope of money to the chief priest for the development of the religious education of the kids at this temple.

Next a historic but poor temple in the District, where the MP’s coordinating secretary had gathered the kids and adults in the Large square hall, where the formalities with a loudspeaker were in place upon arrival and proceedings began by the lighting of the oil lamp and the prayers followed by the speeches and the distribution of chairs, big and small for the daham pasala. The chief of the dayaka sabha showed the plan for the development of the temple, an ambitious one which included buildings for the daham pasala, all of which required funds! They requested the MP to assist them from future decentralized budget funds.

Next stop a funeral house of a party member which the MP was requested to attend by the local Pradeshiya Sabha member, who then showed us his foundation building and volleyball courts and asked us to help publicize his CD of songs meant for kids. He has done many programs for the development of preschoolers.

It was a Muslim wedding for a late lunch, where the sexes were separated. Even the bridegroom ate with us at the table without the bride, as all the females were gathered in a separate place in a communal hall. Even here another local Pradeshiya Sabha member was present and at table, and the chat with the contacts was what the people found useful, along with the chats on the gossip of the day.

We were then off to distribute some sports equipment to young post school men, who had come across the MP a few months ago and had complained about the lack of an area to play sports. The local school was out of bounds for them, but there was no government land to provide them with a play ground.

After dropping in to the electorate house for coffee, it was to another funeral. It was of the 96 yr father of the MP’s constituency secretary. The leader of the opposition, we both have a common Hulugalle ancestor, arrived at the same time we did. He was seated between the MP and me while he was engaged in chit chat, with old party hacks about the time he knew the deceased, over 30 years ago.

I was dropped off at home at 7.30pm. This was how Sunday, October 23rd was spent.

A philosophical way to come to terms with a life changing event

It is evident that we could face unforeseen, sudden and catastrophic changes to our lifestyles. The accident I had in January was one such event. At the time of the accident, I thought I was lucky to be alive. My vehicle was totaled, and I was concentrating on recovery and back to work in a few months. Alas it was not to be.

In the middle of my pain, I had to spend to have the vehicle towed to Colombo, and expend a lot of energy doing paperwork, and filling out documents so that I could get the insurance claim. VIP on the spot was bull shit, due to the fact of my being injured and hospitalized. I was lucky to have the presence of mind to have someone call in the insurance agent to photo and document the vehicle. Even then they lost the details as the agent used the wrong license number to file. Anyway in the end I only received half the value of a replacement vehicle, which meant I would have to borrow the other half to get a vehicle to recommence my business. With all this going on I could hardly fight the Ministry of Justice for justice for me.

I then lost the job I was doing at the stock brokerage to supplement my farming, and when my recovery took an inexplicably long time, I had to contend with the shock of being told, the bone was not healing and that I would require a bone graft which I had at the end of July. It was apparent then that I was out for the count for months more. An additional cut to take bone from the hip and insert into the leg after scraping out tissue that had formed since the original operation meant it was another 6 months. So a whole year of having to be on crutches and not being able to walk or do anything much was a scary thought. I had expenses and no income.

I had to dip into the insurance proceeds to cover the day to day expenses, until I got the offer of this job and started working. It is amazing how much a job can increase one’s outlook and forget about one’s disability. There is so much to do every day, and technically it is a job with no holiday, as the work and expectations never end, it is one of dealing with human beings and their problems and needs. I therefore am of the belief that I was meant to stop what I was doing, as the pace of my work growing, managing, driving and delivering was too taxing on my body. People less than half my age could not handle this even though I was doing it.

The main thing is, I am enjoying this aspect of social work, as we are always trying to look for good people to delegate different tasks. They are hard to find. We also fire fight, like yesterday when I arranged publicity in the press within a few hours, the sudden loss of jobs of 500 people with no notice. In the coming week I will try to assist them in arbitrating some form of redress, so they are not made destitute.

The short story of Asoka, one who no one bothered to truly understand

My incapacity put paid to my schedule and income, all happening in a flash, way back in January of this year. I was also managing my sister’s property adjoining mine, and so this was an opportunity for her to get into managing hers. She had her own vision of what she wanted to achieve, and brought a person to live there whose village was in Pelmadulla, which we discovered later, and was given the task of cleaning up, and planting a place full of fruit trees of her own choosing. He appeared obedient & grateful for a place to call his home, as he had nowhere to go.

Initially people frightened him with ghosts at night and making odd noises, which he was able to withstand. He was able to stop the thefts (by the ghosts) of produce from her land, and generally show positive results, when after 4 months he brought a woman to live with him as a common law wife from the next village. She had an adult son, just as he had children who were married. I do not know what happened to his wife. Whilst my sister and I found it suspicious, we did not interfere in his choice of companion who stayed in the house with him, and after information, warned him about parties and drinking, which he vehemently denied indulging in.

One day he was rushed to hospital after an attempted suicide and released a few days later, ostensibly because he had taken some agricultural poison due to a fight with the woman. He then said she had left and that he was rid of her as she was not a good influence. We got wind that he was drinking and warned him off that. I went to Polonnaruwa on the 5^th of September and he seemed fine, and the only untoward sign was that he was insistent that he needed money even though my sister had not asked me to give him any. Due to my being in crutches I was not able to go into the house and otherwise inspect the place, and generally took him to the rice mill to collect the rice that had been milled to take to my sister.

A few days later (not a week had passed) when I get a call saying he was seen through the window dead. Upon investigation he had taken Gramoxone a lethal weed-killer. My sister immediately sent a person to do the necessary, and notify the next of kin. We discovered only then that he was a black sheep of a respectable family, who had taken to drink, whose relatives said he was happy until this association with this woman who drove him to drink.

The addiction lead him to dispose the stuff my sister had bought for the property, from pumps, to piping, sprayers to even the paddy, I had told her to store in her place in preference to mine, as I was less trustful of it under my supervisor’s care. We are now looking out for two reliable people to oversee both properties!!

The ups and downs of assistance in times of need

In the past few blog entries I gave a brief review of the experiences of the past month of having a person to help me with my day to day activities and there are many other notable points I have omitted. It was nevertheless a challenging and not altogether fruitless exercise in human relationships. The reason I was compelled to look for someone, was that my long time Man Friday wanted to explore his opportunities in employment where the daily wages were substantially higher.

Those jobs are taken by contractors who then pay these guys, buddies from the same village, on a per diem basis. So he was sent out to places like Parsekuddah to lay down pipe on the roads for water sewerage and the like. Other job sites included a private hospital in Gampaha to do the pipework for a bank of toilets etc.

He returned unannounced with his tail between his legs and ten shades darker, unwilling to discuss the matter. So I was not inconvenienced in that regard.However no telling when he would disappear again!

I went for a check up with the Surgeon today, that was 12weeks after my bone graft and he whilst pronouncing that the bone was taking hold in the graft area, told me that I should still not put any weight on the right leg until he gives the OK. I was hoping the weight bearing would be permitted, but that was not so. It is not the most pleasant of circumstances living on one leg for so long, now nearly 9months and it looks like I will be like this till the end of the year.

I understand the boy who went back home is now helping his father with his Chena cultivation, and goes out at 5am in the fields to prepare for the ‘thala’ or sesame sowing season as soon as the rains which are expected any moment. He told me his brother took in Rs300,000 last season for his harvest, and that this crop has few predators of animals or birds, unlike kurakkan, another favorite of chena cultivators that birds prey on. A further crop is ‘Aba’ or mustered that they grow.

All is not lost as his nephew who he brought with me is on the farm looking after my dogs and seems settled in not having to deal with me on site, and allowed to do his own thing on his own time. No doubt if he gets homesick or wants a change of scene he would up and leave. I now know about 10 from Ampara doing various jobs in the Western Province when they find opportunities available to them.

Despite my incapacity, I have been able to go to Polonnaruwa and meet up with the various people who are helping me there. The problem is that when I get certain work done, I am unable to supervise and take corrective action before it gets out of hand. Lets just hope my instructions are carried out without too many cockups! I guess the outrageous ones will no doubts be fodder for the blog.

A story of a boy from Ampara a reflection of the state of our ‘Rural Youth’ Part 4

a continuation from the previous blog entry

As if that was not enough, I think these growing boys need to eat more than three meals a day, constantly angling to eat. My problem was that I am not completely set up for a cooking experience! And still have to get the gas cooker oven serviced. As I eat seldom or eat out, it does not bother me, but buying three meals in Colombo 7 is not an easy task and inevitably the amount given to him for food, exceeded his monthly wage. I had budgeted on it being equal to his monthly wage but not a lot more! Over and above what was being consumed from the tea and biscuits type which are bought it separately and are not part of the budget.

I was always a little concerned about him walking the streets of Colombo 7 at night in order for him to pick up a dinner or go to a supermarket to pick up some milk. Gregory’s Road may be today arguably the best designed street anywhere. One side is for pedestrians as it is part of the Defense Secretary’s daily evening walk, and the other side is for parking vehicles cross ways in demarcated parking bays. There are about 20 uniformed policemen on duty 24 hours a day due to either the Embassies or the Ambassadors residences being on this road. In addition there are about 40 people who are 24 hour security personnel guarding the entrances of pricey homes or by-lanes. He could be liable to be picked if he was not dressed in suitable attire. His choice of attire is not to my liking so each time he went out, an alarm bell rang about his the likelihood of being stopped and questioned sans ID.

The final crunch came when he refused to go to the farm to help his nephew with washing the dogs. He was just being spoilt, never having to do anything in his life, part of Sri Lanka’s youngest son syndrome, where they are really good for nothing and can do nothing but yap and complain and talk back when corrected.

What sets him apart from the numerous people I see who are looking for jobs, with qualifications and degrees, who in their 30s are still looking for their first job is the confidence he has in dealing with people, and total lack of respect for anyone. When you get someone who has rarely been corrected in their lives, and possibly not been controlled by anyone even their school teachers, authority is something alien to them. I while realizing this, thought the army would have taught him some respect for the elders.

He realizing that he could not take any more correction, decided to go back home on his own wish, and fortunately did not drag his nephew along with him, who is on the farm exclusively taking care of my dogs, as I am not in a position at the moment to spend time with them except one day a week when I play with them.

Ironically there was no ill will between us. It was simply that he could not obey!

Concluded (I intend visiting him one day in his surroundings to get an idea of his environs)