Gordon Weiss And The Dynamics Of Redemption
By Darshanie Ratnawalli -August 11, 2013
Darshanie Ratnawalli
Not for personal gain is this exercise of mine but in pursuit of redemption. Redemption is a curious thing. To counter every wrong pattern that gets drawn on the canvas of existence, it draws some other pattern, next to which the wrong pattern looks so godawful and out of place that it soon gets erased by the collective forces of existence.
Gordon Weiss too has sat in front of his computer and drawn the following pattern;
“The hitherto relatively contiguous area that has formed the basis for a Tamil claim to a historic homeland will be broken up and interspersed with hundreds of army camps, staffed by Sinhalese soldiers…There is nothing new about the creeping erasure of Tamil territorial claims in the name of development…Archeologists and historians, sanctioned by the government, unleashed on to conquered territory and possibly funded by UNESCO, will supply the academic legitimacy for the ‘re-territorialisation’ of Sri Lanka. Eventually, postcards will be printed of newly minted Buddhist sites in formerly Tamil areas, and tour guides will regale sightseers with stories of their discovery and antiquity. Just two weeks after Prabhakaran’s death, the president’s wife unveiled a statue of Sanghamiththa…the woman who – two and a half thousand years before- is said to have brought a seedling of the holy Bo tree to Sri Lanka. The statue now sits in the middle of one of the HSZs, in the heart of Tamil Jaffna…”- (‘The Cage’, pp.255-256)
An Appeal To The Congress Of Religions
Chandra Jayaratne
The General Secretary,
Congress of Religions,
C/O. The General Secretary
National Christian Council of Sri Lanka
368/6 Bauddhaloka Mawatha,
Colombo 07.
Dear Sir,
Representations to the Select Committee of Parliament to Recommend and Report on Political and Constitutional Measures to Empower the People of Sri Lanka to Live as One Nation, Promoting Social , Economic, Political and Cultural Development and Ensuring that All People will Preserve and Promote Their Respective Identities and Live With Dignity and Security as One Nation and Enhance the Unity of People of Sri Lanka
I am unaware whether the Congress of Religions, has already made or will be making, by the closing date of 15th August 2013, submissions to the Select Committee of Parliament appointed to recommend and report on above.
In pursuit of long term religious amity in Sri Lanka, and to foster the unity amongst people living in one nation, recognizing the rights and freedoms enjoyed by all people of Sri Lanka, I have placed before the Parliamentary Select Committee referred to above, the under noted submission,( amongst other suggestions), for their due consideration; Read More
