LOOKING BACK ON 75 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITAIN

-LIONEL SIRIMANNE

At 103 years of age, retired Radio Officer Don Lionel Sirimanne has lived through a number of significant world events, but none as momentous as Sri Lanka’s independence from Britain. We met Sirimanne at his home for a chat about the past and his hopes for Sri Lanka’s future, where he regaled us with fond memories of life back in the day and interesting anecdotes. Sprightly and poised, in a way only someone with considerable experience and a life well-lived could be, Sirimanne was a courteous host. He’s also incredibly tech-savvy, expertly maneuvering his ipad to quickly send emails or share images when asked.

“In 1800, taking over the island from the Dutch, the British named it Ceylon and its capital, Colombo. Its harbour was most suitable in the region for shipping and the Colombo Harbour was considered as the Clapham junction of Eastern Shipping”. Sirimanne recalled that “at the beginning of Colonial Rule, Britain found that the island suitable for growing coffee, but unfortunately, there was a coffee blight and the coffee plantations had to be destroyed. “Growing tea in the hills was a great success and Ceylon gained repute for its most delicious and fragrant tea in the world. No wonder the British proudly considered Ceylon as the most brilliant gem in the British Crown, for its location in the Indian Ocean was ideal for shipping and defense”.

“English education was introduced by Christian Missionaries and schools and colleges were built. To modernize the island, they built harbours, roads, bridges and railways. The island was flourishing and life was pleasant and peaceful. Ceylon’s luscious tropical climate was suitable for paddy cultivation and since the Sinhalese Buddhists were farmers, grain was cultivated for export. The northern and eastern regions of the island were occupied by the Tamils and Muslims and the British treated all citizens as equals”.

“WWII commenced in 1939 and ended in 1944 with Britain giving independence to its colonies, in 1946 to India and then to Ceylon in 1947” he noted. “Since it was in the Commonwealth, Britain helped Ceylon to form a multinational government. The majority Sinhalese considered a Sinhala Buddhist should govern the country and there was constant friction between the Sinhalese and disappointed Tamils”.

Sirimanna was a successful stenographer for about three years getting increments and annual bonuses in a British mercantile firm. “Unfortunately, WWII broke out in 1939 between England and Germany. Trade and business all over the British Empire came to a standstill. British managers and planters left for England to fight the enemy and defeat Germany. Products such as tea and rubber were taken over and shipped to England. Except for a limited business activity there was hardly any work except establishing air raid shelters all over Colombo and the harbour and the enforcement of a total blackout of the city”.

A love affair with the field of aviation began when Sirimanne found himself enthralled by fighter planes while passing the Colombo Race Course (which had been converted to an airstrip during WWII). It was love at first sight. “I was fascinated and thought it would be wonderful to fly an aeroplane. Britain took in a batch to the RAF for pilot training. A few days later there was an advertisement for trainee air mechanics for the Royal Naval Air Services and I applied and was recruited as an Aircraft Electrician. After four months of training, I was sent to the Katukurunda Air Base. I was thrilled to work on British and American fighters and bombers till the war ended in 1945. We were given a certificate and a bonus”. This was the beginning of a long and rewarding career in aviation, for which he recently received a plaque of appreciation from Sri Lanka’s President at the time, Gotabhaya Rajapakse. Sirimanne celebrated his centenary year by writing a book One-hundred-year-old Aviator Recounts Pioneering Years of Civil Aviation in Sri Lanka - chronicling his experiences.

“The first few years of independence were happy and peaceful. The rot started in 1956 with the SWRD government introducing Sinhalese and Tamil as the main languages and English as a second language. This resulted in chaos with ‘Sinhala only’ being the main language in Government and education. Its ill effects were tremendous and disastrous. An exodus of educated Tamils and Burghers migrated in disgust to Australia and Canada, a big loss to the country”.

“There were several other evil happenings during the last 75 years of so-called ‘Independence’ such as the JVP uprising and labour unrest. Strikes and riots, a 30-year internecine war by a terrorist organization called LTTE, party politics etc.”

Sharing his thoughts on the current situation in the country, 75 years since gaining independence, Sirimanne isn’t convinced the country has been appropriately steered towards success. “It seems the country was not ready for independence and self-rule in 1948. It would have been better if it remained even as a federal state of Britain and enjoyed peace and happiness instead of this mismanaged poverty-stricken nation. I feel sad for innocent people and future generations. There seems no light visible at the end of the tunnel. We don’t want foreign domination once more. We wish some benevolent country or countries come to our aid and help us to recover and be a happy and prosperous country”.

“Instead of celebrating independence on 4th February 2023, we should wait a few more years till the present generation of power-hungry unpatriotic politicians fades away and a respectable highly educated young generation takes over the country and makes it peaceful and prosperous to celebrate independence”.