A cautionary tale

Everything was hunky dory when others ruled them. Kingdoms after kingdoms came and went. Everybody lived within their space and thought they had everything taken care of.

Then, they even shared a sacred region, Katargama or Kathirgama. Each community claimed the local deity, Murugan, as their own. The Buddhists are told that Lord Buddha himself sanctioned Lord Murugan to protect Sri Lankans from the elements. The Tamils, with their ancestral affiliations, brought in their own diety and gave him his divine status.

Even the local aboriginal people there, the Veddas, the island's earliest inhabitants, claim the sacred area as theirs. Their DNA studies revealed their commonality with the tribals in Malaysia, India, and Myanmar, which is more apparent than their Singhalese and Tamil Indian brothers. The Muslims did not want to be left out. They built a mosque nearby to avoid missing out on the blessings.

So, they had a giant compound with a collection of temples of worship in a single area. It was heart-wrenching to see Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Veddas all congregating in one area to pay respects to the Almighty to gain blessings.

It went on fine when they were ruled by others - the Indian dynasties and the European imperialists. Trouble started brewing when the colonial masters left the roost for the colonies to determine their destiny. Every ethnicity had the fear that the other would dominate them. Everyone, through the democratically elected leaders, pushed for their respective agendas. When peaceful means failed, they had to resort to armed struggle.

The gods can only protect us so much. Above all, human intellect should prevail. Sri Lanka's experience over the last few years is a cautionary tale for other nations trying to establish a strong footing and elevate themselves to a higher level.

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