Nationality.
What does it signify?
Literally it means a person has been born in a particular country. But is that all that is there to a persons nationality. Whenever we hear a person say that he is Indian, American or British it seems to represent much more than their nationality. If someone says he is American, first thing that our mind concludes is that he has been born in America. Secondly we tend to think of the American culture and society. We also tend to think about the political and economic power, natural riches, scientific and technological breakthroughs and quality of life prevalent in America. Recent events that captured the worlds eye like the 9/11 attacks or the election of first black president in Barack Obama tend to cross our minds as well. Simply put, in the eyes of the listener nationality of someone else represents a holistic view the listener has of the political, social and economical conditions that were and are prevalent in the country of interest. However all of that is the perception of the listener. More importantly however, when someone says he is Indian or American you can feel the amount of honour and pride that is radiating out from that statement. It is as if being an American or an Indian has been the greatest single achievement in their whole lives. For them their nationality is something they are extremely proud of, something they cherish very dearly and something they intend to honour and protect with their very lives.
Sri Lankan.
What does it signify? What does it mean to be Sri Lankan? 
Until very recently whenever somebody said I’m Sri Lankan, the first response anybody listening gave was to ask ‘You are in the middle of a war isn’t it?’ Their immediate conclusion was that Sri Lanka was amidst a bitter war. However they were also quick to acknowledge the beautiful beaches and other natural marvels mother lanka has been blessed with. That was the perception of the listener. More importantly whenever someone says I’m Sri Lankan what does it signify for the person who is making that statement (us)? Do we represent the same kind of pride, honour and respect towards our motherland when we are saying I’m Sri Lankan? The answer is NO. On the contrary many who are living abroad don’t like to say they are Sri Lankan. If they are in England they try to behave as British and if they are in America they try to be die hard Americans. If they fail in this quest they will be more than happy to pretend they are Indians. The same is with most people in living in Sri Lanka. They don’t give the honour and respect our motherland duly deserves. For them ‘Sri Lankan’ is merely their nationality. It represents the geographical location they were born in. It is nothing but a point in the world map for them.
The perception others have on our country is their own mind set. With the three decade long war finally coming to an end with the eradication of terrorism this is definitely going to change. People will associate our country with the natural beauties it posses and other positive aspects. But what about the perception we have on our own country. Why do many of us equate ‘being Sri Lankan’ as ‘being born in Sri Lanka’ and nothing else. What are the reasons for this general perception among Sri Lankan citizens?
The answer is lack of Patriotism.
A country that has a written history dating back almost 2500 years and archeological evidence that proves of thriving civilizations dating back much further should be an ideal cradle for people who are extremely proud of their heritage and respect the same. Especially considering the fact that marvels such as reservoirs (Parakrama Samudraya), Stupas ( Ruwanvalimahaseya) and ancient constructions like Sigiriya still stand proudly on this soil unhindered by the passage of time. Folklore of ancestors who time and time again fought valiantly to protect the independence of their motherland and legendary kings and leaders who’s bravery and unquenched thirst to serve their country and people (may it be via constructing dams, reservoirs, temples or preserving knowledge) was unmatched is surely more than enough to fuel patriotism. But alas, given all of this, Sri Lankans today fall way behind when it comes to patriotism towards their motherland.
So why do we still lack Patriotism.
Colonialism of Sri Lanka dates back to 1505 with the arrival of the Portuguese. Then it was the Dutch and finally the British. Initial rule of these invaders were confined to the coastal area but gradually spread inwards. Finally in 1818 with the signing of the ‘Kanda uda rata givisuma’ the entire country became under the rule of the British (It should be noted that no foreign power ever completely conquered Sri Lanka. Even in 1818 it was a in a signed treaty that the country was handed over to the British mainly to avoid the ruthless reign of the then King). One fundamental strategy followed by colonialists was to spread their way of life. They were the most ruthless virus ever to tread on this planet. Viruses infect a living organism and multiply making exact copies of themselves. Sooner or later the original organism loses its identity and becomes a virus itself. Having achieved its objective virus moves on to another organism. Colonialists were no more different. Once they settled in Sri Lanka their strategy was to spread their way of life. Any locals who supported them were promptly rewarded with money, designations and acceptance to their elite society. Any locals who opposed them were quickly suppressed. Initially the entire population of Sri Lanka were suppressed by the invaders in the way of heavy duties, taxes, restrictions to the then known way of life (e.g. Following of Buddhism). The few who worked for the colonialists were looked after very well. They were awarded new designations, their kith and kin sent to schools and universities in more affluent countries. The only thing expected of them was to serve the colonialists and follow their way of life. Slowly but surely with the advent of churches, school systems and missionaries the way of life of the colonialists crept in to Sri Lanka. The virus was spreading at full speed
This strategy of the colonialists prompted a change in the mind set of people which is much evident today as well. As theory of evolution suggests it’s the survival of the fittest and the level of fitness is defined by how well a given organism adapts to its surrounding environment. Organisms that are most adapted will continue to evolve and multiply. In this scenario the environment had been set up by the British. Anybody who supported them looked down on the Sri Lankan heritage and promptly followed the way of the British survived and thrived. Others were expelled. To survive people had to adapt to the way of the colonialists and follow their way of life. However we are supposed to be humans who are able to exercise a sound level of wisdom and judgment in making decisions rather than be driven by the animal instincts of survival. Such wisdom and judgments formed the basis of many a rebellion against the colonial rule. One such rebellion surfaced immediately after the signing of the treaty in 1821. But all of these were ruthlessly neutralized by the colonialists. Entire villages were destroyed. Not only those who took part in the rebellions but their entire families were murdered. This included women, children as well. Most notably in the 1848 uprising famously known as ‘uva wellassa kerralla’ the entire south eastern part of Sri Lanka was burned to ground. No living thing was spared. To this day the undeveloped nature of that part in Sri Lanka bears testimony to that. Likewise anyone who opposed were promptly eradicated and anyone who supported were nourished. Repetition of this process left the country with a set of people who were more British than British themselves. Of course there were many leaders who identified this and worked tirelessly towards protecting the Sri Lankan identity. ‘Anagarika Dharmapala’ stands as a prime example in this regard
A high percentage of people during the colonialisation period became self centric. What mattered to them was their own survival and well being. As long as their families were fed and the future was secured they were content. Not for them did the independence or freedom matter. Not for them did it ever occur that all the sacrifices made by their ancestors to protect this land have gone a waste. This was the mindset of the people during colonialisation. It is true that there were movements towards gaining independence of Sri Lanka post 1848. But if you really look at it the driving force behind these movements was the craving for power by the people belonging to local high society. By now a new set of people who had been nurtured by the colonialists themselves had appeared. These people who formed the local high society mainly comprising of lawyers and other professionals now believed that they are capable of ruling ‘like the British’. Moreover they wanted to rule Sri Lanka themselves so they could enjoy more power. This was the driving force behind movement towards independence in the 1900’s. The purpose of gaining independence ideally should have been to rebuild the lost ‘Sri Lankan’ identity. The colonialisation virus had achieved its ulterior motive. It had been successful in generating a replica of itself in the form of these so called local leaders (there were many exceptions to this breed of leaders. Some of them worked alongside the British in masquerade always striving to rebuild and resurrect the true ‘Sri Lankan’ identity. E.g. First Prime Minister Mr. D.S Senanayake). In the end Sri Lanka gained its independence without much hassle. The skin color of the rulers might have changed but the policies and strategies that were employed continued without much difference. Regaining of independence marked a clear juncture in our history where we could have made a clear difference to the future of our country. If the right policies were drawn up and the correct decisions were made Sri Lanka could have avoided many a crisis it had to face during the latter years. Moreover we could have changed the mindset of people and bring them out of their self centric mind sets. However this was not the case. It took us another 24 years to truly declare ourselves as independent by stating that we no longer serve the Queen of England
This mindset still continues today in our society. People are content as long as their families are fed and the future is secured. They are so self centered that to them what matters is the well being of themselves. On one hand this is the human nature! Survival is the most basic of necessities of any living being. It takes absolute priority over everything. This mind set was pretty evident during the past years where we were in the middle of a raging war. Some sections of the society (the most elite) believed that it is OK to give L.T.T.E a separate state within Sri Lanka. Their justification was ‘so that we could live our lives peacefully’. Some even said that this war could not be won. Some even argued why we should fight with the L.T.T.E in the first place, for them these terrorists were freedom fighters and it was the SL government which was doing the wrong thing. Given a choice between their own well being and the freedom of the country these people would unquestionably choose the former. This epitomizes the mindset of some Sri Lankans very Cleary. So much for being ‘Sri Lankan’!
On top of being self centered a lot of people have been trained through generations to look down upon their own heritage. To them anything foreign is supreme and anything local is something to think twice of. In the eyes of some locals, Sri Lankans are a race that isn’t capable of achieving anything. When Tsunami hit Sri Lanka in 2004 the southern railway system was badly damaged. Since it was the British who built the railways some pundits lamented that local engineers might never be able to re-build it and we should seek foreign consultancy. It is these very pundits who mocked inventions by local engineers so much so that many of them left Sri Lanka or sold their innovations to foreign countries. Such scenarios provide ample evidence into the mindset of many a Sri Lankan with regards to the perception they have on Sri Lanka. Although most Sri Lankans fall into this category we have been blessed with people who thought otherwise. This is the very reason why we are still able to call our island nation Sri Lanka
It is true that survival and physical well being is a fundamental necessity. However as aforesaid we are supposed to be humans who are considered the most intelligent of all species. When making decisions or choices we should not only care about ourselves but our country as well. We should respect our country and be proud of it. This might have been the thinking of some Sri Lankans throughout their lives. We salute you! But it’s time to spread the thinking and vision across every citizen. We should remember that it is such thinking that has bought us where we are and it is the very reason we are able to freely breathe and live in a country called Sri Lanka. Our ancestors have toiled hard and fought to protect this island. They have contributed towards making lives of everyone more prosperous by working tirelessly towards giving free education, maintaining free health care, constructing reservoirs, dams etc. Recent victory of the armed forces against L.T.T.E is a prime example of the people who continue to honor this tradition. Our country is blessed with natural resources that many other countries put together don’t have. It’s time we appreciate all of this and start thinking like true ‘Sri Lankans’
This is the time to take this message to each and every Sri Lankan. The war is over. This provides an environment where we can force a mindset change of the people. There is no longer a need to fear for ones lives. Everybody can live happily and pursue their dreams. We have a reached a critical milestone where the actions we take now can have profound implications on the future of motherlanka. Steps should be taken make it clear to everyone that they are able lead a life without fear because of the many sacrifices made by patriotic people who risked their lives to guard the sovereignty of this country. Many of them made the supreme sacrifice. The many benefits and natural resources utilized by everyone has been made possible because of ‘true Sri Lankans’ who dedicated their entire lives towards betterment of society and betterment of Sri Lanka as a whole.
So next time we say we are ‘Sri Lankan’; we should take pride in making that statement and honour our motherland. We should appreciate the sacrifices made by ‘true Sri Lankans’ both present and past in protecting and working towards the betterment of motherlanka. We should be proud of the rich heritage and natural marvels we are blessed with and above all we should represent the ‘Sri Lankan Identity’. Most importantly we should move away from being so self centered and being only bothered about how to feed ourselves and protect ourselves to thinking how to move forward as a country and as a nation.
Long live mother Sri Lanka!!
