I had the pleasure of living in a private house/hostel with students from Ananda, Nalanda, Zahira and other schools in the North and East. We had all meals and tea together and had a great time for two years in two different hostels. Of course it was in the mid fifties when all students knew English. I visited the Nalanda grounds every day and saw Anadians, Nalandians and students from schools without grounds share the Nalada grounds (Ananda did not have a sports field then.) The Prefect of Games Mr. Rajapakse (Later Ananda Principal) and teachers/coaches encouraged all participants.

The wijesinghes, Kulatinges, Weerasurias, Wijesekaras, Dissanayakes, Rajasingams, Kanagaratnams, Raheems all studied and played together, without an atom of discrimination. With the loss of the link language, through which we shared our friendships and fears, the generation after us had drifted apart.

Singling out one or two institutions does not help. The whole education policy went astray and need to re-tool itself, in more ways than one, if schools are to educate the future generations to live in peace.

More importantly, singling out two schools and judging them based on the alleged actions and statements of a few old boys is unfair, at best.

Kindly desist.

I commented about Nalanda and Ananda colleges because of the products I see advocating politics, which is based on the low type of monoracial education imparted to them, though Ajith disagrees with me but admits on gutters. In this same website another student Wickremabahu Karunaratne, admitted being taught that Sinhaleses are the only inhabitants of Sri Lanka and that the others are visitors to the country who would leave.

Isura,

you have a wrong concept about democracy in relation to the majority. Yes majority decision is used in the process of democracy but it is solely about equality, freedom, justice and human rights for all. In otherwords, the process of decision making which is by majority votes should be for matters concerning equality, freedom, justice and human rights for all.

Looks like your less-than-enlightening post is not being well-received by anyone here. I would venture that you are suffering from what is called “hypocrisy”- complaining about a problem which you very well are a part of.

Allow me to present the following:

“how the big guy is catering to the red neck Sri Lankan south,”

So in the same sentence where Duckie complains about having a label tagged on to him (“deshadrohiya”), he tags another label on those whom he disagrees with!

I’ve come to understand, that the moment you praise the current administration for standing up to the LTTE, you become a red neck. If you talk about how the international community played double standards by remaining silent over human rights violations during the ceasefire, how the Colombo NGO circuit including the CPA was complicit in this silence to the point of being unable to name the organization which killed Kethesh Loganathan, how the ethnic sahibs and peace pundits lack vision, and how the aforementioned chattering class is catering to its western donors/paymasters, you will be tagged a red neck at the end of it.

My sincere apologies to anyone who rightfully takes offense at this nonsensical comment.

It was sad to see what you have written about my school;

‘Those from gutters, receiving gutter education, in schools like Nalanda and Ananda, in gutter language, can only talk gutter politics. Probably, Ranawaka was taught unscientific Sinhala mythology as history and was made to believe that Vijaya mated with a female lion to produce his forefathers ! Many UPFA and JVP men in the parliament are “gutter men” leading the country to gutters’

I am sure you have never visited Nalanada College or Ananda College and I am not sure why you are deliberately targeting above mentioned two great institutions of Sri Lanaka. These two schools have produced many Doctors, Engineers, Accountant and collectively most number of test cricketers as well. Above all our great leader His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksha has studied at Nalnada.
I have come a cross many people like you, who would love to criticise my school. I believe your main reason is jealousy, for not having a privilege education at a great school like Nalanda as for ‘gutter’ education that you mentioned. If hindu’s of Sri Lanka can have Jaffna Hindu college, Muslims can have Muslim Ladies college and Christians can have many saints schools? Why do you people always have a problem with Ananda and Nalanda?
I bet you have not met a single Anandian or a Nalandian in your life and I do feel sorry for you. May I ask where did you study?
As for ‘gutter’ language, I am sure a tamil is a beautiful language hence you think all the other languages are ‘gutter’ languages. Who lacks the tolerance and respect now?
One of the great things about Ananda & Nalanda is that, they give people from poor social background a real chance! You may call them ‘gutter’ people; don’t they deserve a chance for good education, ethics and morals? I have heard that in your community, you tend to discriminate less privilege due to there caste and social status. I would like to ask this question from you again, who lacks the tolerance and respect now?

A very proud Nalandian.

you say ‘Democracy is about equality, freedom, justice and human rights for all. It is not about majority and minority ethnicity or religion”

but actually democrasy is ” majority, freedom, justice and human rights for all”

see if the majority decide to change a government, law, or anything, techincally they can as they remain the majority and should be allowed to do so and and not held hostage by a minority. (this is the way of the world)
hence, when you understand that, this fight will be over.

Just to point out the fact that you’re just blabbing with heinous racist agenda, I’d like to point out how a US air strike took out 8 civilians yesterday http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/world/asia/24pstan.html – a case of collateral so to speak. Now you’re here white washing those actions “war on Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq are not being carried out with genocidal acts as seen in SL.” while at the same time when SLA has a similar rare collateral incidents like above you shout “genocide”. All the time not uttering a single word when LTTE suicide attacks kills dozens or 100s of civilians in some case in public places. I utterly despise people who use that word for cheap political goals.

It doesn’t matter though, independent monitors know if there is actual genocide or not. I challenge you to produce any link or reference by any INDEPENDENT aid organisation using that word to describe in an official statement the current Sri Lankan regime.

If you google such made up phrases, they all orignate from Tamilnet, Tamilcanadian, Tamilsydney, etc. all biased Tamil chauvinist web sites.

Then talk about ethnic evictions. Didn’t the LTTE either murder or drive out all Sinhalese and Muslims from N&E?

I invite anyone to pick up a state issued text book, highlight and scan a single sentence that speaks ill against any race! I know you can’t because I went to one of those schools mentioned above and I have been through all the lines. However, we do have gutters around our school though – heck we used to smoke in them and I am more than happy to show them to you if you want Sam 😉

I firmly believe that the only way there will be peace in Sri Lanka, is only if extensive power is devolved to the people living in the North and East and when the vocal majority get it into their heads that this country does not belong only to them.

When the ‘Prevention of Terrorism Act’ is revoked, and there are no more ‘check points,’ and the armed forces are confined to their barracks with only the police handling the day to day law enforcement in the whole of Sri Lanka will be the day that we the ‘Silent Minority’ believe that the war has finally ended!

Until then, “God help us all!”