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 31st 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.
