When one has been threatened with a great injustice, one accepts a smaller as a favor. - by Jane Welsh Carlyle
Some of my friends and I went to Galle, a city located south of Sri Lanka. It was fun to take some time off with my friends and as usual there were no plans or agenda as to what we were going to do in Galle. It was early evening when we reached there and most of them wanted to take sea bath. Even though I love to sleep whenever I go on trips (yes I know you are thinking I am crazy :-) I had to join them since we had not finalized at that point where we were going to stay that night.
Let me come to the point quickly. We parked the van by the shore of Unawatuna beach and I stayed back in the van whilst the others enjoyed themselves wading in the clear blue waters of Unwatuna. Once they had finished their bath and were ready leave, a person apporached us and demanded that we pay a paking fee of Rs. 50 to him. He just wouldnt accept anything less and was adamant that we should pay him the stipulated amount.
Beach is public property and he had no business there to be demanding a parking fee for a service not rendered by him. Moreover he wasnt even able to issue us with a parking ticket on request. There were many more vehicles parked but none of them were charged for parking there.This was sheer high handed action since they very well knew that we were a group of tamils in unknown territory.
What does the whole thing mean? Of course he knew that we were Tamils since we were talking and joking. Is that the reason for him to demand money? Or is it something else? It disturbed me a lot, but I guess these are some realities that we have to live with.
However what calms me down to a great extent is the fact that I have some great and best Sinhalese friends who have always been there for me. Whenever I was with them I never felt or never made to felt that I am any different to them. Moreover they have contributed a great deal for what I am now and if I have any hope for a successful life, their contribution towards that is undeniable.
I still have hope that we will have equal rights in this country in the face of all the people. That will require changes at all levels of the society which includes us (Tamils) as well. The day that change happens is the day we start moving forward as a nation.
posted by 88Pro / Monday, September 08, 2003
