Wild elephants in Wilapttu Jungle often strayed into
Ambarawa area.
They even strayed
into settlers Henas trampling their crops, digging up holes, breaking down
makeshift fences …generally creating a nuisance of themselves.
When the elephants
came, the settler families ran for their lives and took refuge in the temple on
the rock
Men folks tried to
shout away the elephants from their huts built on tall tree tops, lit up fires
or even fire crackers. Elephants seem to
like this commotion instead of being afraid of it.
They would kick away
the ladder leading up to the tree houses . Shake the tree trunks hoping the men will fall
off. While men kept shouting, the
elephants circled the trees menacingly all night leaving the settlers high and
dry. The jumbos would retreat back to the jungle only after they have had their
fun or their stomachs full.
Crops destroyed by elephants …
Crops destroyed by
persistent heat, lack of easy access to water …
Malaria was rampant
in the area making farmers sick for weeks unable to work …
All factors
contributed to demoralising the settlers. Often plunging them into debt and
despair
Some didn t cope with
these pressures. They got into the habit of pawning their meagre possessions or
drinking their sorrows away . Families
became destitute… broken up …some women folk took their children back to where
they came from. Their men usually followed after selling their land to the
local Mudalali or simply abandoning their lot.
Others like Haramanis worked hard to overcome all
odds . Misfortune of others became his fortune. Haramanis started acquiring
failed settlers possessions and land .
Siriyalatha often
quarrelled with Haramanis not to get into the habit of profiting from others
misfortune . However, temptation and greed won in the end.
Haramanis got others
to work his land and the newly acquired lands. He bought a cart to collect
vegetables from farms and take to the local pola to sell for a descent profit instead of receiving a pittance from the
mudalali who came to collect the produce.
He was the success
story of the settlers amongst the many other ruined lives.
The ancient temple flourished with more devotees due to
increased Sinhala population
Dahmmaloka thero was
a young dynamic monk who worked hard to uplift the lives of the local Sinhala
population
Even though the
government plan was to distribute land amongst landless peasants - Sinhala and
Tamil - Dhammaloka thero somehow
influenced the outcome to ensure Sinhala
people to receive land.
The Tamil inhabitants
in the adjoining villages were unhappy about this development
The Tamil politicians
objected to the scheme labelling the settlement of landless peasants as
colonisation of Tamil Homeland
This became one of
the grievances that contributed to a civil war decades later.
No comments:
Post a Comment