“I am scared to lose my anti-cultural nature” - Sannasgala

Q: You, in your career as a teacher, transformed the traditional image of a teacher to a great extent. In addition to financial benefits and career success, what did you receive from this process of transformation?

A: When I started teaching, during the mid-80s, those who taught the Sinhalese language wore national dresses and chew betel. The majority of them had faith in astrology and other super-natural forces. When compared to them, those who taught English and Science were overrated and they had a better market price. The teacher who taught the native language was a "second class citizen". This was the situation when I started teaching the Sinhalese language. We were grossly underpaid and did not even have the basic facilities.

There is a culture wedded to any language.For instance, in addition to teaching the language, those who teach English are supposed to educate their students on the 'culture' wedded to the language which includes etiquette and manners. This was where the person who taught the Sinhalese language had the disadvantage. He was considered an 'uncultured' man; a 'bayya, in village terminology. I wanted to change this trend. So I decided to teach 'jataka tales' wearing denims and deck shoes. I wore T-shirts to my classes.

I dealt with a generation who did not have 'local' heroes. They followed Michael Jackson, Che Guevara and Bob Marley; but were reluctant to follow local political leaders, local singers and local artistes. First of all, I had to project myself as a 'hero' to my students. That, in return, expanded my market so to speak. I made money. On the other, the trend I created contributed to better results when it came to exams. The total number of university entrants increased over the past 10 years. Nearly 30 percent of those who hold top positions in private media institutions are my students. Some pursued their higher education in the field of legal studies and some joined the administrative service. Those were the benefits I reaped from the transformation I initiated. I branded the subject. I branded my class 'Apey Sinhala Panthiya'. Over the past two decades, there were many who emulated me; and I am happy about it.

Q: You indicated you were instrumental in shaping the thinking of the new generation. But, today, we have a society that is modern overtly and "tribal" covertly. Aren't you also responsible for this duplicity?

A: That happened due to the influence of certain monks. Yes, they attend my classes and take lessons from me. But they mingle with the society through different people and different bodies. For instance, if you open the 'pencil case' of one of the girls in my class, you will find a few pens, a Gel pen, two or three sim cards, a bottle of tippex and something called the 'Rathnamali Yanthraya'. The 'Rathnamali Yanthraya' demonstrates their faith in supernatural forces and divine intervention. That is suggestive of the primitive side of their thinking. A primordial man still lives inside them, despite their modern outlook.

You cannot question my religious belief at any cost. Even if I worship a wild animal, it is still my religious belief and you have no say over that. But, in Sri Lanka, there are violent organizations that 'police' religious beliefs and thinking. That cannot happen in a civilized society. Adding to that crisis, such violent organizations were being backed by the state in more ways than one.

The rulers of this country were also responsible for this 'duplicity'. There should a fair distance between the state and the religion. In Sri Lanka, those who governed the country did not maintain this distance. They mixed up the state and the religion in every possible way. This country even had a "Royal astrologer" in the recent past! How does that happen? On the other hand, the senior-most Professors of the country's university system said divine intervention assisted them in finding 'Arsenic' in agro-chemicals that were used in the areas affected by the Chronic Kidney Disease.

Even the politicians, who ridiculed former President Rajapaksa for holding a mysterious "device" in his hand, assumed duties at their new ministries at auspicious times. So, what is the difference between them and Mahinda Rajapaksa? There wasn't a single Member of Parliament who openly spoke against astrology. No one wanted to promote rational thinking instead of astrology and other similar myths.

This is the nature of the society we live in. We are still fighting to change this 'thinking', and even this interview is part of my struggle.

Q: You said nearly 30 percent of those who hold top posts in media institutions are your students. But, the overall conduct of media in this country is below par when you compare them with the professional standards adopted by other countries, including India. Aren't your students responsible for that?

A: many students have told me that they are not in a position to operate freely as the 'media', as an entity', is controlled by a handful of people who are at the top. The top-most people are handpicked by political or organizational hierarchies according to their preferences. They are hell-bent on maintaining the status quo as they do not have the capacity to change the system. On the other hand, they are not willing to let go of their power to make way for the new generation to take control of the media. That is why you cannot see a significant change in the overall conduct of media. "Letting-go" has become a rarity and everyone wants to cling to their powers, privileges and opportunities. For instance, when Bandula Padmakumara had to stop 'Mulpituwa' after seven long years, he was lamenting over that. Instead of lamenting, he should have welcomed the move and encouraged the new presenters to carry on the programme. I ended the programme 'Sathyagaraya', after completing 12 episodes. I also stopped the morning newspaper show on ITN after doing a few programmes. That's how it should be.

President Maithripala Sirisena, last week, set the best example on letting go of powers. He let go of his presidential powers and even reduced his term to five years. In the history of Sri Lankan politics, we have only seen people who increased and expanded their powers. The former President went on to adopt 18th Amendment with the sole intention of retaining power until the end of his life!

Q: The career of any writer - or any artiste for that matter - takes the shape of a pyramid, in hindsight. One starts as an amateur, reaches the top and towards the end of his career, the creativity and passion erodes. Where do you stand on this pyramid?

A: In my case, I still haven't reached the top. If the top you are referring to is akin to 'Sri Pada' (Adam's Peak) I am still passing 'Mahagiridamba'. I am mindful of the fact that I have to come down once I reach the top of the 'Sri Pada'. If I don't realize that I will fall off in a miserable way.

Q: Almost all the great writers in the world had a certain amount of anti-cultural aspect in their characters. For example, if you take Ernest Hemingway he had his own eccentricities and peculiar ways of dealing with life. But in Sri Lanka, writers lack the anti-cultural element in their lives. In addition to your career as a writer and a teacher, you are also a businessman. Doesn't this affect your creativity?

A: Simon Nawagattegama was a person who had an anti-cultural aspect in his life. Pasan Kodikara, who died recently, is another example. Those who know me very closely know the anti-cultural aspect of my character. They know how crazy I am. I still can pee on the road without any qualm. I still smoke weed and I still have extra-marital love affairs. I am scared that I might lose the anti-cultural nature of my character. If and when that happens, my career as a writer will be finished.

But, it is important to see whether a writer can maintain an anti-cultural lifestyle in Sri Lanka. For instance, Pasan Kodikara underwent immense hardships due to his strange lifestyle. Pasan had a cat that he brought from Bulgaria. Pasan lived alone and the cat was his only 'room-mate'. But, the problem was it did not eat rice and any other food like ordinary cats. It only ate expensive canned food that is only available in supermarkets. When the cat had to starve, he could not bear it.

Pasan needed three cans of beer every day and he only wore branded shirts. He never washed his clothes on his own and he gave them to the laundry. Those were the 'symbols' of his anti-cultural life. But they came at a certain price. Pasan often ran into financial difficulties because of this 'price'. An ordinary person cannot understand his lifestyle. In the face of financial difficulties, an ordinary man would leave the cat at a temple, stop drinking beer and wash his clothes on his own. Those are just simple options for an ordinary man. But in Pasan's case, things didn't work that way. He died prematurely.

I lead my so called anti-cultural life because I have the financial support system. I survive because of that. I am alive today to have this conversation with you thanks to that financial support.

Q: There are several writers, including you, who have earned reputation as successful publishers. But still, our local writers do not get a satisfactory price in the market. What is the reason for this?

A: The bitter truth is that we operate in a very small market. We only have some good bookshops in the capital city of Colombo and that is our market. A person who lives outside Colombo and adjacent cities cannot find a good place to buy a book. We have to deal with such harsh realities. We cannot get over this situation without reaching out to the international market. But there is a language barrier. What is the mechanism to break this barrier and take our writers to the international market?

We could not take Simon Nawagattegama to the international market. We have failed to take K.K. Saman Kumara or Ajith Thilakasena to the international market. Although there is a Ministry of Cultural Affairs, we have failed to translate our 'Jataka Potha' into English. Without wasting their time on wishing artistes on their birthdays or hugging them at public places, the leaders of the government should set up the mechanism to take them to the international domain.

The filmmakers in the Bollywood industry are running out of locations. At least, if we can set up a mechanism to market our picturesque locations to the Bollywood industry, those who are involved in the local film industry can find ways to survive. But I cannot see initiatives of that sort.

Q: There are some who state that there is an unbridgeable gap between the 'civil society' and the ordinary people. As a result, the ordinary man on the street fails to understand the viewpoints of the civil society. What is the reason for this?
A: There is a clear reason. Many groups within the civil society stop their struggle halfway through. For instance, the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, who campaigned with the civil society initially to ensure the victory of Maithripala Sirisena, was not present at the recent protest rally pushing for passage of the 19th Amendment. The Chairman of your newspaper company, the Chairman of the National Film Corporation, others who hold top positions in this country should have come for that struggle with their people. But it doesn't happen in this country. Some, including me, protest on the road and some watch them on TV, sitting comfortably in AC rooms. The members of the civil society do not complete their struggles. That is why there is a gap between the civil society and the ordinary citizens.

Q: You were the host of the popular TV show 'Sathyagaraya'. There was criticism that you questioned certain people hard and soft-pedaled on people like Pakyasothi Sarawanamuttu and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. What is your reply to that?

A: I don't deny that. I knew Ranil was a man who reads. I knew he was a student of philosophy, literature and culture. I Knew he was a democrat. I knew he wasn't a racist and a chauvinist. The ITN was started by his brother nearly three and a half decades ago. That was the first time in his life he came to the ITN for a programme. Even after the ITN was taken over by the state, Ranil held top positions in the government as a senior Cabinet Minister, the Leader of the House and the Prime Minister. Then he became the Leader of the Opposition. The ITN, under the previous government, produced so many programmes to tarnish his image and to insult his character. He never got a chance at least to respond to those allegations. That alone shows his unwillingness to interfere with the freedom of media. When I asked about all that he gave a simple reply. He said he wasn't invited by the channel. When he gave that humble answer, I, as the host of the programme, ran into a crisis.

Sarawanamuttu was often labeled as an LTTE supporter. He is an ethnic Tamil hailing from Colombo. When I met him, he said he did not know Tamil. He only knew English and Sinhala. It moved me. When I asked about a financial misappropriation, he admitted it and said the person who was responsible for that was asked to leave. I was satisfied with that answer.

Q: Will you contest the forthcoming election?

A: Politics is not confined to elections. I have been actively involved in politics for nearly 35 years and I have worked with various political parties and groups. I was a full-timer of the JVP in the early 80s and later joined Daya Pathirana as I could not agree with the stance of the JVP on the national question. When people were afraid to speak on behalf of the UNP, I helped them in many ways. Last year, when Ranil was the Leader of the Opposition, I invited him to address the students of my tuition class. At that point, no one thought he would be the Prime Minister of the country in January, this year. At the last election, due to lack of human resources, we had to expose ourselves in many ways. We had to address meetings, attend TV debates, organize meetings and take part in internal discussions. That exposure gave rise to many speculations. That's all I have to say about that.