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ic era commencing from 1963. The novel addressed the country getting entangled with the Chinese and how so much change was brought into the education system that was meaningless and served no purpose.
But once the author wrote ‘Monsoon and Potholes,’ she wanted to go back in order to explain from the beginning, as to what happened to the people of her country and also talk about the evolution that took place. Manuka further adds that one of the main reasons she wrote this trilogy was because she feels that we Sri Lankans come from a simplified life and that it should be celebrated.
Misconceptions on identity
This latest publication by Manuka boldly yet in a quirky manner focuses on the misconceptions on identity faced by the youth during the British colonisation, post-Independence and thereafter until the 1970s through the eyes of fictitious characters that came from multicultural backgrounds.
The author says that she wrote ‘Sinhala Only’ especially for the youth in Sri Lanka who are misguided by the current education system, and who are made to believe that there is a certain persona in our culture to make them have the ideology that Sinhala Buddhists are an exclusive group, but unfortunately forgets that the Sinhala Buddhists originated from the Aryans from India and therefore connected to other races that are in Sri Lanka.
‘Sinhala Only’ talks about the well-established colonial education system and how it met with a disastrous fate in the hands of the power-hungry politicians and religious fanatics who were given political power, and the final nail to the coffin was struck with the passing of the Sinhala Only Act, making Sinhala the national language of Ceylon.
The author adds that Ceylon was able to proudly celebrate its pluralistic ideologies unlike India which was struck with horrific consequences due to the partition of India during its independence from the British Empire, but even though Ceylon enjoyed its rich diversity, such was unfortunately disregarded and racial segregation was introduced through the Sinhala Only Act.
‘Sinhala Only’ portrays the younger generation of Ceylon being confused regarding their identity and making it based on nationalism, patriotism and subjective identity while setting aside the initiative genius and colonial ancestry. Whilst skipping through the novel, the reader would understand that little did the characters in the book know that political opportunist would become motivated to abuse such confusion for their benefit.
Great diversion in Ceylonese politics
Criticism is raised in the novel towards how late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike came into power, and how the late Prime Minister masterminded the great diversion in Ceylonese politics at that time by hiding his Anglican upbringing and colonial education. This diversion thereby created meaningless emulations to the public eye by taking into example those such as Mahatma Gandhi but unfortunately the emulations were of fashionable kind and not based on the true essence of the persona of such great individuals.
Manuka elaborates on the false political concoctions created by late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike which were referred under the guise of “Nationalisation” which was pulled out like a magician drawing out a rabbit out of a top hat.
With this nationalism being introduced, a frantic need was created in order to make Sinhala the national language and the introduction of fashionable and active Buddhism by allowing the clergy to focus on seizing the day rather than following the true teachings of Buddha.
Later on this nationalisation was taken into the forefront with the politicos passing legislature to nationalise the plantation sector and acquire properties of the people of Sri Lanka, but this so called nationalisation was considered better with another’s assets than one’s own.
According to the author, these concoctions were believed to have been created in order to divert the attention from greater issues that were faced by Ceylon at that time such as the dilapidating free education system and the financial status of the country that was going downstream since the demise of the late D.S. Senanayake.
Manuka in ‘Sinhala Only’ describes late Senanayake as the true post-colonial leader of Sri Lanka and who slightly resembled Jawaharlal Nehru who was a great visionary and consider it a pity that Sri Lanka was unable to generate a leader such as Nehru or even close to Senanaayke, and described the era in Ceylon after the demise of late Senanayake as the era reigned by the bulls.
Era of nationalisation
During the era of nationalisation in the ’60s, the national education system was mainly focused on the mediums in which the education is taught and of course making Sinhala a complex subject whilst reducing the standard of the English language.
With the segregation of youth in classes based on the two language mediums in schools it created a divide between the Tamil and the Sinhalese students and thereby a generation of youth were compelled to become either Sinhala educated or Tamil educated, but unfortunately was not a generation of educated youth and were caught between false notions of a Sinhalese and Tamil identity which further ruined the cultural understanding between the two races.
Naturally such paved the way for a 26-year ethnic conflict, and most regrettably the notion was created that all Tamils were members of the LTTE, which was however not the case at all and unfortunately our country lost great peace-loving Tamil personalities due to this misconception.
Manuka explains that by the 1970s, the initial batch of the Sinhala educated youth having stepped out of the so-called national education system they were faced with nothing but disappointment as the system that thought would provide them with a sense of identity and preference as Sinhala educated failed them by providing few or no employment opportunities.
With false notions being created, such youth had no option but to revolt against the system and such is brought about in the book by describing the riots in the 1970s carried out by the youth especially in the south and the incident where the beauty queen Premawathie Manamperi of Kataragama was killed.
A recollection of our country’s past
The book ‘Sinhala Only’ can be considered as being published during an appropriate time in our country and it should be taken as a recollection of our country’s past in order for us to move forward and ensure the mistakes in the past are not repeated and accept diversity and be educated with an open mind and not just rely on histories written by individuals whose basis for such writing could be clouded in doubt.
Manuka considers that Sri Lanka is lucky to have a diverse community. She says that it was never mentioned anywhere that it was only Sinhalese Buddhist who lived in Sri Lanka throughout as with time the Sri Lankan community became multicultural and during the colonial era the people accepted diversity.
Manuka says that it angers her to see that the leaders turned a blind eye towards all the racial hatred that was created and mainly blames our education system for this separation where Sinhalese Buddhist are made to think that they are an exclusive community which makes her angry.
‘Sinhala Only’ explains the influence that the Tamil and the Muslim communities have in Sri Lanka, and how such communities are unique in their own right as Sri Lankans. It must be admired how these communities embrace their uniqueness in order to develop their communities.
Manuka adds that such uniqueness should not be a reason to feel threatened but consider it as something to learn from and end the racial hatred that inevitably brought about a civil war and is most likely to bring about another unless this fascist ideologies are not wiped out from our society.
A strong warning
‘Sinhala Only’ gives a strong warning that with the recent turn of events especially the violence against Muslims, it is possible that the issue that we created with the Tamils shall be created with the Muslims. Manika says that our unwillingness to distinguish the difference between the peace-loving Tamil people and the LTTE created a disparity between the Tamils and the Sinhalese and we are doing the same with the Muslim community in Sri Lanka.
Manuka says that everyone talks of Muslim fundamentalism, but Muslim fundamentalism is minimal in Sri Lanka and it is lesser than Buddhism fundamentalism. But, again, she adds that we are herding all Muslims into the fundamentalist camp and fail to understand that Muslims are not fundamentalists.
Manuka explains that the word Muslim is an expansion of the word ‘salam’, which means peace and she says that being Muslim is to be a person practicing ‘salam’ (peace). Furthermore, she says that we should study them and emulate them as they are all we have left on this island to emulate.
Manuka says that the greatest Tamil minds are dead and gone and there is hardly a great Sinhala mind and unfortunately the Sinhala Buddhist education system that currently prevails does not produce such minds as it kills objectivity and enlarges subjectivity.
With ‘Sinhala Only,’ Manuka spreads a strong message to the mobs, mob leaders, monks/clergymen and politicians in our country who are considered as opportunist of time by saying “Wake up! Aspire to the ideals of human birth!” and she quotes Rabindranath Tagore who says, “let my country awake!” and further adds that “We WERE awake! Do not lull us to sleep or reawaken us to lies. We are NOT sleeping lions. We are of a much higher birth. Humans, within the brotherhood of man!”
