Monday, May 1, 2023

Thambi Mudiyanse : Dharma Sri Kariyawasam ( තම්බි මුදියන්සේ : ධර්ම ශ්‍රී කාරියවසම් ) - Betrayals, Culture, Internationalization and the repetitive plight of 75 years

 


The book "Thambi Mudiyanse" contains a collection of information on the cunning and shrewd decision-making of one of the oldest families of Sri Lanka to grab power and the 75 years old shadow of the plight of a nation related to it.

The political leadership Sri Lanka had after and before independence from the British is cruel. They supported racial hatred and also the crimes of socialist political groups in Sri Lanka in a very bad way. Therefore the current bad state of Sri Lanka is an extension of many betrayals. Sri Lankan politicians don't want to serve their country or do their jobs right. They want to misuse power and earn money through corruption.

This book has a valid point related to the betrayals of Sri Lanka that happened over the past 75 years, but what I can't stand is the plight of internationalization and the destruction of culture which is a rant I have been hearing since 1997 for 25 years in Sri Lanka which actually makes me angry about our collective stupidity and blind following of the myths and cultural heritage. The process the author followed to gather information is very valuable but it is the concept of "DoubleSpeak" in the '1984' novel by George Orwell comes to my mind when thinking that modern technology of the modern world used to criticize the very foundations of the modern world is very confusing.

The doubtful question that arose in my mind when reading the book was from whom Sri Lanka should be protected? from time-wasting research by these journalists or corrupted politicians.

In the first chapter of this book, there is a reference to James T. Ratnam's two articles about the two histories of leading families in Sri Lanka. These two articles reveal facts about these families and their roots. My analysis and perception of these two articles were that they reflected freedom of speech, a victory of democracy, and a scenario where racism was lost. This book is also in the same category in achieving those objectives. But delving into the culture and internationalization impacted me negatively increasing my disgust towards the book, listening to these types of sermons for 25 years in schooling and other lectures.

The author of the book references many books related to the colonial and post-colonial eras. By this, it is evident that the author is attempting to solidify the role of the Jayawardena family in the history books of Sri Lanka. This was the role of many historians and journalists in Sri Lanka. My doubt is the author 'Dharma Sri' like 'O'brian' in '1984' is creating a 'Goldstein' in Sri Lanka by this unnecessary mudslinging. Unnecessary heroes and villains are created in Sri Lanka. 'Jayawardena' political leadership is cruel. But what is required is current solutions. Not the roots of his family. I have observed this as a main weakness of Sri Lankan authors and journalists.

But exposing the ruling class of Sri Lanka which was a few families whose power was exchanged among each other during the 75 years after independence from the British is very valuable.

It is not a secret that this book in nature is revolutionary and populist.





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