Tea, Bhagavad-Gita and vadai

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 March 2007, 10:24 GMT]
Dr. Kumar Rupesinghe, the head of the Foundation for Peaceful Coexistence, launched his website (www.kumarrupesinghe.org) Friday with an event at Barefoot Gallery. In a four page card sent as invitations to guests, Dr. Rupesinghe made a call for coexistence amongst Sri Lankans, setting out brief texts describing notions such as ‘Country’, ‘Patriot’, ‘Buddhism’ and ‘Tamils’. In the section on Tamils (‘Demala’) he urged Sinhalese to coexist with Tamils, reminding the former of the latter’s valued qualities, including their lovable food.

Dr. Rupesinghe is also head of the National Anti War Front (NAWF), a civil society group he founded last year.

Earlier this month, the NAWF launched what it described as a “unique peace campaign” under the slogan: “One Nation. One People. One Sri Lanka.”

NAWF described this as “a novel concept and the very first of its kind in the country which has been formulated in a manner to bring to the lime light all terror and violence activities against our society and the war in general.”

However, the NAWF concept of peace direct parallels the Sinhala-nationalist ideology, formulated in President Mahinda Rajapakse’s election manifesto ‘Mahinda Cinthana.’

The latter, which is centred on a unitary (“undivided”), majoritarian state, rejects recognition of the Tamils as a nation residing in the traditional homelands, has guided the Rajapakse government’s politico-military strategy since the Presidential elections of 2005.

The text of the invitation to Friday’s launch describing the Tamils follows:

‘Demala’ are Tamils who live in Sri Lanka.

The Demala community have lived in Sri Lanka for as long as the Sinhalese.

The Demala are people who inhabit the North, the East, the West and the Central Province of Sri Lanka. The Hill country Demala help to produce the tea and rubber, which are exported abroad. They are the backbone of our economy.

Throughout our history, they have intermarried and shared their culture and civilization.

The Demala have a great language, culture and most of them are Hindus.

As Hindus, their spiritual guidance is derived from the Bhagavad-Gita.

The Demala were our neighbours and in the past we went to school together.

We also work together.

Demala food is part of our national cuisine and we all love ulundu vadai, masala vadai and thosai. We were all brought up savouring these culinary delights.

In our temples we have many symbols of Hindu gods.

At one point in history, we all came from different parts of India.

Why can’t we all live together in co-existence?