Avurudu reflections

We enter yet another Sinhala and Tamil New Year in a somewhat sombre mood, having just witnessed another senseless carnage which claimed 14 precious lives, including that of Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. This latest incident has hardened our collective resolve to fight terrorism and usher in peace to the country.

According to astrological beliefs, the transition of the sun from Meena (Pisces) to Mesha (Aries), marks the beginning of a new year. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year, celebrated every April in Sri Lanka and many other countries in the region, is a major event on our cultural calendar.

The New Year, though primarily celebrated by Sinhala Buddhists and Hindus, has become a National Festival. Those from other communities and religious groups join in the celebrations, which are held islandwide.

Sri Lanka’s very multi-ethnic nature means that Avurudu transcends all man-made boundaries, enveloping all communities and religious groups in its joys.

Such ethnic and religious unity is the need of the hour, especially when forces opposed to the peaceful co-existence of various communities are working overtime to ignite the flames of hatred. Amity is the only path to peace, which our Nation so critically needs at this juncture.

Peace is very much a matter of the heart. And peace should begin at home. This is the lesson that Avurudu teaches us. It is a time for forgetting all past disputes. It is a time for giving and for forgiving. It is a time for recalling and re-engaging in cultural traditions that we have nearly forgotten.

There are those who scoff at auspicious times, but they teach us the value of punctuality. This should not be confined to the New Year Nekaths but rather continued throughout the year. Respecting elders is another moral value that comes to the fore during the Avurudu season.

At a time when elders are neglected sometimes by their children, who prefer to keep mothers and fathers in elders’ homes, Avurudu reminds us of the importance of respecting them. Elders impart wisdom to the younger generation and guide them on the correct path in a world where moral values have been swept away by a torrent of unbridled commercialism. In fact, commercialism has crept into all national and religious festivals.

Judging by newspaper and television advertisements, Avurudu has become one big shopping and entertainment season. Its core values have been swept aside. But this should not be the case. We should see through the commercial veneer into the very heart and soul of these national events.

National events call for soul-searching on a national scale. This is a time to reflect collectively on why and where we have gone wrong and on how we could put things right. Avurudu is not only an ideal opportunity for peace and reconciliation at home and in the village, but also in the country as a whole. That is one New Year resolution that we could all be firmly determined to turn into reality.

That can only happen if the nation as a whole support our heroic soldiers who spend sleepless nights in the thick jungles of the North, fighting to liberate the people still living under LTTE tyranny.

They have already achieved this feat in the East, where Provincial Council elections will be held on May 10. Easterners are celebrating Avurudu in an atmosphere of liberty after several decades. The Forces’ aim is to grant that same freedom to Northern residents as well.

This is why it is important for all Southerners to remember with gratitude our valiant men and women on the battlefront and elsewhere in the country this Avurudu.

Most of them cannot be with their families for Avurudu, as they have to man the bunkers and battlelines to defend the country. They cannot do this onerous task on their own. Our help and cooperation are vital.

For example, the public can maintain constant vigilance so that terrorists’ murderous designs can be thwarted. It is only through such a concerted effort that the country can seek peace. The coming New Year should see renewed efforts in this direction.