== PROUT'S UNIQUE LOOK AT THE PAST ==
Namaskar,
In these recent times, there has been a lot of talk and heated debate
about the situation in Sri Lanka. All are aware how for years and years
there has been extreme tension and heavy fighting in Sri Lanka between
the majority Singhalii (Sinhale) population and the minority Tamils.
Lately, various international attempts have been made to resolve the
dispute and restore peace and harmony to the country. Even then the
struggles continue.
USING THE VISION OF A'NANDA MA'RGA
As Ananda Margiis, let us look at the situation through unique Baba's
historical account and apply His Proutistic solutions to come up with a
just and fair resolution to the crisis in Sri Lanka.
BABA'S TEACHING: REVEALING THE UNKNOWN HISTORY
First and foremost we should understand the historical undercurrents of
the situation in Sri Lanka. Such as who was there first, whose land is
it, as well as how did the present situation develop. Following is
Baba's unprecedented historical account about the development and growth
of Sri Lanka.
Baba says, "Around 534 BC, the prince of Rahr-- Vijay Singh-- reached
Sri Lanka via waterway with 700 of his soldiers. Singhpur was the
capital of Rarh those days. Nearby Singhpur there was a port also. Later
on the name changed to Singhalpa'tan. This place is very close to
Singhpur. Nowadays it is in Hooghly district. To continue with the
history, the prince Vijay Singh was victorious in his offensive and
captured Sri Lanka. And ultimately, Vijay Singh and his soldiers settled
permanently in Sri Lanka. These are the ancestors of the modern
Singhalii community. That is why Singhaliis are very close to Bengalis
in their customs, manners, habits, and dealings. Their facial features
are also like Bengalis. In fact, it is very difficult to differentiate
between Singhaliis and Bengalis when one is speaking with them.
Furthermore, the Singhalii language is part of the Indo-Aryan language
group; hence it is quite similar to Bengali. The script is also the
same. These days Singhaliis are primarily Buddhists. In spite of this,
they have preserved their customs and manners so they are very similar
to Bengal. The family name of Singhalis is Sena Na'yak, Jayvardhan,
Gunatilak, Bhanda'r Na'yak, Desh Na'yak etc." (Varna Vicitra, Part 1,
20th Nov 1983, Kolkata)
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM BABA'S GUIDELINE
1. Firstly, as Baba guides us above, it should be established that the
Singhaliis are not the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka. Although they
represent a 75% majority at this time, the Singhaliis came originally
from the Rahr region. Indeed, in His above description, Baba gives very
specific details how the Singhaliis are closely linked with the people
of Rahr-- i.e. the Bengali people. And the reason behind this is that
their roots are the same.
2. As Baba explains, around 2,500 years ago, the Indo-Aryan prince of
Rahr, Vijay Singh, led his army of 700 onto the island of Sri Lanka via
boat. The prince then launched an offensive to attack, kill, and rule
the local inhabitants, i.e. the Tamils who are part of the indigenous
Dravidian population.
3. Since that time the Tamils have been pushed aside, marginalised, and
treated as outsiders. When in fact they are the original inhabitants of
that land. And side by side, over the centuries their aggressors, the
Singhaliis, have become the clear-cut dominant people of Sri Lanka.
4. It only makes sense however that the Tamils are the original
inhabitants of Sri Lanka since the state of Tamil Nadu is directly
across the water from Sri Lanka. Plus the Tamil community has been in
tact for more than 5000 years. So the Tamils have a long history and
possess a language that is distinctly different from the Sanskrit based
languages of the north. This all leads to the fact that the Tamils are
part of the indigenous Dravidian population that inhabited South India
including Sri Lanka.
5. Even then, the Singhaliis wrongly think of themselves as being the
original inhabitants of Sri Lanka, and they claim that the Tamils came
only afterwards. But that is not true-- this is not correct. As Baba
guides us above, the Singhaliis came from Rarh. So either the Singhaliis
are concealing the fact that they are from Rarh; or the Singhaliis
really do not know where they have come from. Whatever the case may be,
this fact should be disseminated that the Tamils are the original
inhabitants of Sri Lanka.
6. But even though the Tamils are the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka
and even though that land is rightfully theirs, the Tamils have long
been subjected to ridicule and torture by the ruling Singhaliis. Over
time, the Singhaliis have built up a huge population in Sri Lanka and
they control the ruling government and all the major sectors of Sri
Lankan society. In that process, the Tamils have lost many of their
basic and fundamental rights-- and they have suffered untold injustices.
7. All in all, the situation in Sri Lanka can be likened to the tragedy
that befell the Native American tribes when the European settlers
arrived. Or it can be likened to the disaster that happened to the
aboriginal people of Australia. Or it can be compared with the situation
in South Africa. Or it can be compared with the Eskimo population of
Alaska. Or with the demolition that happened in the Fiji islands. In all
these cases the local native peoples were tossed aside, ousted, and
subjected to a near genocide at the hands of the opportunist white
explorers etc. Tragically, the Tamils of Sri Lanka have suffered a
similar plight at the hands of the invading Singhaliis.
8. Still today the people of Tamil are trying desperately to get back
their land. Toward this end they have formed such groups as the Tamil
Tigers etc, in hopes of getting equal rights in the land in which they
live. But thus far they could not get real success. Still they are
treated as third class citizens and on the top groups like the Tamil
Tigers have been branded as being terrorists.
9. Ultimately the Singhaliis have strongly held onto the majority and
one outcome is that they do not want to give proper status to the
Tamils. Even though the chief demand of the Tamils is equality and not a
takeover of Sri Lanka, the Singhaliis have spread propaganda how the
active Tamil groups are just terrorist goons who want total control.
Whereas the simple fact remains that the vast majority of the Tamil
people are not terrorist or secessionists etc, just they want their due
rights, i.e. their God-given rights.
SOLUTIONS TO THE TRAGEDY IN SRI LANKA
Here then are some of the solutions for bringing about a peaceful and
fair resolution to the ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka.
A. Both parties, the Singhaliis and the Tamils, should get scope to live
in Sri Lanka. Both have been there for thousands of years and both have
a right to equal membership of that land.
B. Unfortunately problems always arise when one group does not recognise
another. So the only way out of this seemingly never-ending crisis is to
cultivate love for other human beings and recognise their existential
rights. This demand of equal rights should be put forth and at the very
least tolerance should be promoted.
C. During His meetings with the Proutist Tamil samaj leaders, Baba again
and again guided that the duty of the Tamil samaj is to propagate the
idea that Sri Lanka is home of the Tamil people and that therefore the
Tamil samaj of India must fight for rights of the local ethnic people of
Sri Lanka.
D. This whole situation of Sri Lanka is similar to the situation with
Israel. In that well-known case, the Jews were kicked out and forced to
go elsewhere but that was not the solution. And finally the Jews were
given back their homeland, i.e. Israel. And this solution Baba supports.
Likewise in the case of Sri Lanka, the answer is that that native Tamil
population should get their due land & rights and not be tortured or
victimised.
PROUT'S OVERALL PERSPECTIVE
As we all know, Prout's overall policy is to help suffering humanity and
watch out for the welfare of all native peoples.
Baba says, "In accordance with this trend, PROUT advocates [that]...the
interests of all local people will be guaranteed and gain proper
recognition." (PNS-13)
Thus the Proutistic view is to help the common Tamil population of Sri
Lanka since they are the original inhabitants and it is they who have
been victimised and tortured all these years. So the rights and
essential freedoms of the Tamil people must be granted and secured; and,
all the while the Singhaliis should also be encouraged and allowed to
live there peacefully.
All are requested to write in with thoughts and suggestions since this
is an urgent situation which demands our attention and must be solved.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace, may all live a life of respect on this earth and have
ample scope to gain success.
Baba says, "People have begun realizing what should be the framework of
a blissful society - it is improper for any section of the society to
gain predominance over the rest. The predominance of one implies the
inevitable exploitation of the others. Therefore a society should be
established wherein equal opportunities and equal rights may be offered
to each and all." (SS-1)
Namaskar,
Kalicharan
Note 1: LONG HISTORY OF EXPLOITATION OF NATIVE PEOPLE
All in all there is a long history of exploitation of the native people
in India.
Baba says, "The mutual relations between the original inhabitants of
India and the outsiders, the Aryans, were by no means cordial. The
Aryans, out of deep-rooted contempt for the indigenous people of India,
used to call them sometimes asuras, sometimes da'navas, sometimes
da'sas, sometimes shu'dras. The Aryans did not accept these people in
their society; rather, they declared them to be outcastes." (NSS: Disc 4)
Note 2: THEY JUST TREAT IT AS LEGEND OR MYTH
Baba's teaching that the Sinhaliis (Sinhalese) have come from the Rahr
area is documented in Buddhist scripture but due to political reasons
this history was branded as being mere legend only.
"According to local legend, the Sinhalese are descended from the exiled
Prince Vijaya and his party of several hundred who arrived on the island
between 543 to 483 BCE after having been made to leave their native
regions of Orissa, Bengal and elsewhere in India. The recorded history
of the Buddhist Sinhalese can be found in two large chronicles, the
Mahavamsa, written in Pali roughly around the 4th century BCE, and the
much later Chulavamsa." (Buddhist Review)
Note 3: LINK BETWEEN BENGAL, SRI LANKA, & KERALA
In the same discourse 20th Nov 1983 from Varna Vicitra which is cited
up above in the main letter, Baba further says that the descendants of
the Singhaliis went the state of Kerala from Sri Lanka and established a
kingdom there. That is why the language of Kerala-- Malaya'lam-- is 75%
Sanskrit and that is why the manners and customs of the people of Kerala
manner is similar to those of the people of Bengal. For all these
reasons the Bengalis, Singhaliis, and Nayar people of Kerala are all
similar.
Note 4: MORE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SINGHALIIS AND BENGALIS
Buddhism came to Sri Lanka and Bengal at just about the same time. So on
this point there is also a shared history between the Singhaliis who
went to Sri Lanka and the people of Bengal. Ultimately, Bengal reverted
back to Hinduism whereas in Sri Lanka, Buddhism remained.
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Good Sadhaka
Baba says, "The mind of the man whose consciousness or discriminating
judgement is awakened-- whose power of judgment is intense, always
remains wedded to the 'Buddhi'. That is to say, his rein (mind) remains
constantly under the control of the charioteer (Buddhi or discriminating
intellect), and so, quite naturally, his organs remain loyal to the
Buddhi. Random rambles of the organ-like horses (organs) will cut no ice
with him. But in a case like this if the horses (organs) be bad and
untrained, i.e. the organs are faulty, it becomes impossible for the
charioteer (discriminating intellect) to get the desired result. Hence
for the right functioning of the chariot (body), well-trained horses
(organs) are indispensable. A sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) also should
train himself likewise. His mind, body, intellect, and organs should be
directed towards the Blissful Spirit
(Shreya)." (SS-4, p.9)
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