WITHOUT NATIONALISM SURVIVE WITHOUT MAINTAINING TRADITIONS?

Old Kotte Road which was once considered the only road in Kotte has now given way to Cotta Road leading with its carpeted beauty to Parliament but from about 2 a.m. residents of Old Kotte Road are awakened by tooting horns and screeching buses coming from the outstations and above all the noise pollutions and emissions one hears the lonely cry of the cuckoo bird announcing that the New Year is near.already a number of people wend their way to Pamunuwa in Maharagama searching for bargains getting ready either to sell them in various suburbs and townships or to take them home for the New Year. Sadly enough while the streets of Pettah get filled with people who have received their salaries or got what little bonus’ the companies award (after all they have to show the politicians of their social conscious responsibilities and a bonus does not receive the same publicity as building a ward or a school or a village library) and often cash strapped fixed income workers living off loans wonder abjectly round Pettah searching for what they can give as gifts to the children and their relatives.

Finally, it is holiday time and buses and trains are filled to capacity with people going to the ‘gama’ to celebrate the national New year.

But little is left of the rustic gama that we knew of as children most of the houses have been broken down to make room for new settlements and new roads have come in , the old pola has given way for the village council market and the hustle and bustle of the local pola no longer exists!

The traditional customs today have very little meaning. They do not even understand the significance of the older generation clearing the hearth and dousing the flames waiting for the auspicious at which the fire will be relit and the milk boiled for the new year.

To many of the young such customs seem rather strange after all as someone said can one clean a hearth when the kerosene or gas cooker is used for cooking purposes! And if one uses firewood you get some persons complaining about smoke emissions!

Certain young nuclear family tries to emulate some of the new year traditions in their new high rise apartments, but their young consider such practices as primitive as that of the ceremonies connected with the coming of age of a young girl! After

Perhaps it is the result to the tensions that arise due to the lack of finances and this time specially since New years is essentially the celebration on the harvest festival and the farmers discontent at the present according to him the lower prices he gets for his paddy reduces his enthusiasm ,in fact he would rather drown his sorrows with illicit liquor than enjoy the New year festivity!

all very few schools even talk about the traditions and customs we have.

Village life has changed so much , many of the grandparents who stuck rigidly to the traditions have either passed away or are in some home for Elders watching the road for their sons or daughters and grandchildren because the rural community is disintegrating fast with young mothers often going to the Middle East for employment or migrating to the cities or garment factory townships searching for employment, and in trying to obtaining the optimum over time often deciding to take the minimum leave , hence there is scarcely time to make the kavun and kokis!

In fact in a sense the escalating cost of living tends to have a dismal impact on the celebrations of traditional festivities.

Usually the politicians try to whip up some enthusiasm by organizing the well known traditional games and we see the perennial cycle races , the pillow fighting and climbing of the grease pole but the participants often belong to rival sectors and invariably minor fight start.

Perhaps it is the result to the tensions that arise due to the lack of finances and this time specially since New years is essentially the celebration on the harvest festival and the farmers discontent at the present according to him the lower prices he gets for his paddy reduces his enthusiasm , in fact he would rather drown his sorrows with illicit liquor than enjoy the New year festivity!

And the youth employed in Colombo or the urban area will rather opt to visit Nuwara Eliya or the hill country that enjoy the simplicity of customs that what once so closely associated with our culture

I guess many of the young will think the senior citizens are foolish to be so concerned about maintaining the old customs and tradition, but then how can one cultivate the traits of nationalism without any traditions to strengthen them?