April 15th 2015

Listening to the continuous symphony of unscripted birdsong from the first light of day around 5am makes me ask myself, why it is I should even have a desire to leave this place.

I know that I am merely the keeper of this place for a short time, and when I pass with today’s frame of mind, people will think of some grandiose way of turning this into cash, some really worthless project! IN an attempt to exploit the beauty herein, for pecuniary gain, this unique piece of beauty, serenity and tranquility would be transformed into a noisy polluted and worthless example of human greed.

I have to battle the desire of our starved for entertainment youth who come to this lake to get blind drunk, shout sing and disturb the peace with no sense of community or care for others who would find it offensive. Further I have to listen to the sound of crackers from as far as 10km as in this environment a sound that far carries. I remember during the time of the hostilities, bombing raids North of Trincomalee were heard here!! I firmly maintain that crackers is a violation of the New Year Spirit, and unlike 31^st night where it is a mere moment of a passing of one year to another, people find it necessary to continue with crackers for days on end, and especially during the auspicious moments of which there are many over days, then the sound intensifies to the chagrin of all pets, and no doubt all the wild animals who inhabit these National Forests and Parks around me.

This continuous cacophony of sound continues even at this moment in time as I write and I even hear the sound of the radio from someone’s house, no doubt due to their lack of concern for their neighbors, like to show off that they have a better sound system.

Last night I had to shout at the backstairs when at 10pm they were still screaming in their conversation, and with Sajith especially the loudest, was disturbing my ability to meditate think or even sleep. So I gave a loud hollor that finally seemed to stop the ding and disperse the silly passing of the day!

True to form Sajith is still sleeping, even though the rising sun appears to have sent a streak of sunlight right on and aimed at his face, which is the only part of his body protruding from the sheet that is covering the rest of him, under the mosquito net!

It is today, that I was planning on going to Kaduruwela to the auspicious event graced by the President of the “hisa thel” ,which is anointing a specially prepared concoction of oil on one’s head. There is some significance in this ritual which I must confess, escapes my mind at this moment!

When I was at Bharatha’s for lunch yesterday, he got on the phone to Vasantha, with whom I exchanged New Year Greetings who was also to attend this, coming straight from Colombo. So we were going to meet at this event at 9 at the Jayanthi temple at Kaduruwela.

Rupe has invited us for lunch at his place, and I don’t eat much so that will be a point of contention, and then there is an Avurudhu Festival at Maha Ratmale this evening, after which we expect to leave at around 10pm for Godgama, via Giriulla.