History in the making

PRESIDENT Mahinda Rajapaksa has stressed on the importance of a knowledge of history of one’s country.

In a message to mark the opening of the Seethawaka Abimana exhibition the President made the point that any one who is ignorant of the history of his own country falls into the category of an outcast.

The President of course was referring to our own 2,500 years old proud history. History has today become an unfashionable subject and history as a subject has been dropped from the school curricula as a separate subject and amalgamated into another subject.

Time was when the subject of history assumed an important place in the classroom timetable. Particularly local history was an attractive subject looked forward to by students who listened with bated breath as teachers unfolded the epic battle between Dutugemunu and Elara.

As enumerated by the President there were also the daring exploits of our bow and arrow wielding Sinhala armies against the guns and mortars of Western conquerors where we prevailed in many a battle.

Today alas the technological revolution has put paid to the romance of history with schools now increasingly being geared to shift the emphasis towards job oriented subjects.

Thus, subjects such as history do not fall into the present day equation which in a way is sad, for history forms the bedrock of a country’s heritage and cultural moorings.

Sri Lankans take pride in the country’s history but apart from basking in that glory have not taken the trouble to have an in-depth knowledge of the topic. How many among the present generation are aware of the saga behind the Sigiriya Rock Fortress which have even astounded world historians?

Certainly not the present generation who have been swallowed up in a milieu which has no place for topics such as history.

Hence the need to harken to the President’s call for all Lankans to cultivate a knowledge of the country’s history if for no other reason than to cultivate a sense of patriotism and national fervour at a time the country is at a crossroads.

The Government should take steps to popularise the study of history among youth and adults alike. There is an urgent need for the present day youth to learn about the country’s grandeurs of the past at a time a campaign is on to distort the country’s history and its heritage.

A lesson from cricket

Sri Lanka’s Parliament on Thursday acted fittingly by felicitating cricketing hero Mutthaiah Muralitharan for his world record breaking feat of being the highest wicket taker in Test cricket.

This is the first time that a sportsman has been honoured in the country’s Supreme Legislature. It was a ground breaking event.

Members of Parliament representing all parties put aside all differences and in one voice showered praise on Murali for the honour and prestige he had brought to the nation by his exploits.

His colleagues in the current Sri Lankan team and past cricketers who played alongside the champion spinner were also present in strength in the VIP gallery to share in the joy of their colleague on this momentous occasion.

They represented a picture of unity as they were on the field of play, which was a key element that paved the way for Murali’s achievement.

If only our Parliamentarians who spoke in unison offering bouquets to Murali could emulate our cricket team and maintain this unity at least on crucial issues affecting the nation what a different country this would have been, may have been the foremost question in the minds of many who witnessed the event on television.

For, it was unity among the team composed of many ethnicities and creeds that formed the gel that piloted Sri Lanka to the top of the cricketing nations and produced a world record breaker in Murali whose feat would not be equalled for eons.

Let us hope that this scene of unity among our cricketers who were present in Parliament rubs off on our legislators so that they may put an end to their perennial feuding and acrimony. Then the nation as a whole can benefit from their collective initiative.

If only this message of unity is reinforced among our legislators Murali’s achievement could well signal a new beginning for Sri Lanka.