Travel experiences of A Hyphenated Canadian
By Raymond Rajabalan
[monsoonJournal.com]
It is unfortunate that many of us including myself fail to appreciate the comforts and facilities we are blessed with in this beautiful country of Canada. I realized this when I recently visited Sri Lanka –once described as pearl of the Indian Ocean- now referred to variously as Fractured paradise, A glimpse of Hell or A tear drop of the world, because of the serious human rights violations, abductions, killings and disappearances rampant in that country.
Visiting my motherland after a relatively long interval of more than two decades, I was appalled by the state of affairs prevailing in the island nation, once the envy of many for its pristine beaches, unparalleled scenic beauty and its unique fauna and flora coupled with lush verdant vegetation.
During the last leg of my journey to my mother land while the air craft was about to land, the passengers most of them returning from a middle east country burst into baila songs, shouting at the top of their voices with scant regard to the comfort of the others. This unacceptable behavior- of these fellow passengers most of them evidently belonging to the majority community returning for holidays - was an indication of the variety of unpleasant and unruly situations I was to experience during my month long stay in the country.
When the air craft landed with a slow thud and taxied towards the terminal I had butterflies in my stomach, with the anticipation of seeing the faces of my family members and relatives gathered to welcome me.
Arriving at the International Airport in Katunayake, I could not believe the state of poor maintenance where there was dirt all over the place with piles of garbage strewn around. It was then I began to appreciate the unparalleled beauty of the state of the art Pearson International Airport in Toronto and its perfect cleanliness. To add insult to injury, the custom and immigration officials did their job half heartedly just waving us through the security check points. Further more, the gun toting soldiers stationed around the perimeter of the air port instilled in me a feeling of uneasiness and apprehension.
On reaching the exterior of the airport all around was bubbling a cacophony of voices, people shouting at the top of their voices while a number of vehicles were running around flouting every traffic rules. The journey to my residence in Colombo was a real nightmare with hundreds of cars and mini vans criss- crossing the narrow winding roads which had seen better days .Every time our van screeched to a halt or tried avoiding an oncoming three wheeler – known locally as Auto- my heart was in my mouth .Having used to driving on well maintained multi lane roads in Toronto, it was impossible for me to stomach this confusion and disorderliness. All along the way I was shocked beyond belief to watch huge mountains of garbage dumped at various spots in close vicinity of civilian residences. The stench emanating from the heaps of dirt was revolting .What a sharp contrast this was to the efficient system of regular removal of garbage from residences in Canada.
Reaching my temporary residence, I was overjoyed to meet my siblings and my frail mother after a long interval of time. Later in the day I realized that the nights are not going to be that pleasant since I noticed an army of huge sized mosquitoes humming around as a prelude to their dermal attack .True to my expectations , even with the fan swirling around at high speed and with mosquito coils burning in the room I soon realized our efforts were no match to this ubiquitous insects .The following morning it dawned on me that the culprit was the stagnant drainage canals in the vicinity .I also learnt that repeated complaints to the municipality officials was of no avail and the residents have got used to living with discomfort. I was thinking how we used to get annoyed when we notice tiny flies swarming around the house during hot summer days in Canada. In sharp contrast in the very heart of Colombo, the capital, I had to put up with the unwelcome nocturnal insect visitors during the rest of our stay.
Coming out of the house in the morning, I noticed the road on which our temporary residence was located was much narrower than it was many years ago and was zigzagging all the way. While discussing about this with a neighbour, I learnt that this was because of the fact that many of the owners of the residences have put up additional structures encroaching parts of the road, obviously with the connivance of the lowly paid corrupt local officials who would have received their due share for turning a blind eye. Multi story buildings had cropped up all over the area due to the whims and fancy of the owners with scant regard for the damage to the environment, resulting in serious congestion and inconvenience. I was wondering if there was any town planning department that existed in that country.
Later in the day, I walked up to the main road and I just could not digest the chaos that prevailed. With hundreds of vehicles literally flying past, together with dozens of three wheelers weaving around in the traffic I realized that my stay in the country was not going to be an easy one. Trying to cross the road darting across like a bunny- a habit I quickly learned from the locals- I felt as though I had completed a Himalayan feat in doing so .On a serious note, I was thanking God for blessing me with an opportunity to live in this wonderful country of Canada where every thing is so orderly. Yet we are guilty of complaining about petty things, not realizing how lucky we are compared to many in other parts of the world.
One consolation was that even with the on going ethnic war in the North and East, the people of all communities in the South were co existing trying to put up a brave face and go about attending to their daily chores.
While I was in the commercial area of Colombo I was chuckling to myself when I saw the slogan ”Srilanka a land like no other”. Whoever coined this phrase certainly deserves a pat on the back since it summed up the state of confusion prevailing in the land ruled by corrupt politicians
Yes, certainly no other country in the world can boast of so much violation of human rights denying the minorities even the basic rights. With people from every part of the globe co-existing in the benevolent country of Canada, it was a shame that two communities are unable to live peacefully in Sri Lanka.
Many business establishments located in Fort area in a number of majestic buildings built during British rule were in a dilapidated state due to gross negligence. I tried in vain to find a clean restaurant and finally I managed to find a very good vegetarian restaurant run by Tamils a few miles away from Fort .Right throughout my stay I could find only a handful of decent hotels with the assistance of my friends.
The wide variety of Fresh fruits sold on the way side stalls were really delicious and that was one pleasant aspect of my visit .Meanwhile the poor state of maintenance of the fish and meat markets was revolting , to say the least.
I was shocked beyond belief to note the administrative inefficiency in the various government departments and a few financial institutions which I happened to visit .Being disproportionately over staffed due to political appointments, the lethargic attitude of the employees and their lack of dedication was clearly evident. The systematic discrimination of the minorities during the past three decades in recruiting for government jobs had taken its toll and it was plainly reflected in the way the departments were functioning .In addition with millions of rupees spent on the senseless civil war and the present government maintaining a massive a cabinet numbering over fifty, the departments are being deprived of even basic facilities, further contributing to the decreased out put.
All in all , I noticed that a majority of the civilians from all communities are still nursing the hope of attaining peace in this island nation .I noticed huge posters calling for peace plastered across Colombo while I also learnt of a large number of prayer meetings and peace rallies conducted throughout the country.
My stroll along the beaches of Colombo in the afternoon was a welcome relief from the unbearable heat .It was a great pleasure for me to watch the haze of gold, a blessing of the dying sun enveloping the area and the hundreds of people of all communities mingling feely on the beach. I was wondering to myself if and when this situation will prevail throughout the country leading to permanent peace.
While having experienced a variety of situations, including pleasant memories of visiting my family members, relatives and friends I breathed a sigh of relief when my return journey commenced from Colombo and I felt at ease only when the plane was air borne .While thanking the good Lord for protecting me throughout my stay in Sri Lanka I continued my travel to Toronto vowing never again to return to my country of birth which was, by any stretch of imagination no match to this magnanimous country of Canada.