A harefooted déjà vu

 

Mahasen made a whirlwind land call and a harefooted exit, abnegating its dominion as well as its name. Not quite how the legendary King did it. Who accorded the Indian Ocean cyclone its name and why did local sky watchers disown it? Who was Mahasen and why now? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind! But wait, I’ll try catch it for you! After all, we cannot let a dull moment in the land of conspiracies.

Mahasena alias Mahasen ruled from the Kingdom Of Anuradhapura from 277 to 304 AD. The unflinching King belonged to an efficacious royal dynasty where father and brothers were all Kings in their times. Gotabhaya was the name of one while the third doesn’t ring any bell.

King Mahasen reigned supreme ballyhooing a chinthanaya of epic proportions. Having wars no more to wage the industrious King marshalled his wherewithal to rev up the country’s agri-based economy. Tanks he built with tenacity and foresight- sixteen of them. Mahawamsa, the venerated chronicle of Lanka makes no mention of Chinese contractors but then ports, power plants and highways were still not on the cards then.

All was tickety boo save for one hitch – one bedbug that would incite a whirlwind. It so supervened that the centre of this pernicious contention was his most trusted advisor. Oh well, advisors affectionately known as Dutch uncles seem to make a fine tradition of getting their masters into a pickle. So quit calling them names folks, they are just doing their job. Spurred on by his counsel, Mahasen caused a religious upheaval. People don’t get ahead of the story. Halal food was not part of the menu then; that means you are on the wrong track.

An ardent follower of Mahayana precepts thanks entirely to his advisor, Mahsen did what he thought was the right thing. He took on the seat of Theravada in a misguided attempt to install Mahayana as the primary way of enlightenment. His vassals deserted him and took opposite camps. On the black list was his army commander and as the country found itself on the brinks of anarchy, a saviour was found. A man none other than his close confidant and secretary of state who amassed an army of his own and mounted a rebellion from the deep south.

But these were both good men driven to monomaniacal ends by their own beliefs. On one fateful night as the two warring armies pitched tent bracing for a showdown, one of history’s unheralded masterstrokes unfolded. The warlord slipped into the King’s tent for perhaps the most epoch-making ‘peace talks’ of all times. King realised his folly, friends reunited and what followed was a time to make amends. Temples restored, more tanks built, King Mahasen reigned supreme for 27 years till his death. The Minneriya tank and Jethavana Stupa pay eternal tribute to one of history’s most poignant chapters. Incredibly, as per old records, it also marked the final chapter of Mahawamsa.

Fast forward 1,709 years. Mahasen makes a controversial return. The bottom line is one of the South Asian countries had proposed the name for the region’s latest natural rampage only to be disowned by islanders. But as a Met official profoundly puts it, Mahasen filled all our tanks and reservoirs before it left. For an island reeling under a power fiasco, who would argue that it was not a blessing in disguise along with a cryptic forewarning from the past to the future. I love stories with happy endings.

I think I’ll pray for same for our leaders; yes advisors, too.







(Dinesh Watawana is a former foreign correspondent, military analyst and a Ministerial Dutch Uncle. Email him at [email protected].)