A chorus of national anthems ~ Malinda Words

A few years ago when people were debating the merits and demerits of two official versions of the national anthem, i.e. in Sinhala and Tamil, I argued against a ‘Sinhala Only’ version. The notion of an official national anthem did not exist one hundred years ago, I argued. I have also argued that ‘nation’ is not contained or containable in an anthem, a flag or an identity card.

One of the articles written along these lines was titled ‘The Tamil version of the National Anthem is beautiful.’ Not too long after writing that piece, quite by chance, I did get an opportunity to listen to some school children singing the Tamil version of the National Anthem.

It was just before school was closed for the day, probably around 1.30 pm. The children of Shannon Tamil Maha Vidyalam were singing. The Tamil version. And a little Tamil girl, still too small to attend school, next door to the house I was visiting, sang along. In Sinhala. And I remember being amused by all the hot air spouted in the name of the nation in circles far removed from Hatton.

Last night I returned to the national anthem or rather the idea of a national anthem. A few friends had gathered to reminisce about times long gone. They had gathered to sing. So they spoke of singers and lyricists, doing their best to honour the greats who had been part of their journey from childhood to manhood and now old age. At one point, one of them, my brother Arjuna said, ‘jaathika geeya kiyamu (let’s sing the National Anthem).’

It was late. The thought crossed my mind that he wanted to wrap things up and go home. Then he started strumming his guitar. And the words, slow, were breathed out softly: ‘ratna deepa janma bhoomi…’

The others joined. With gusto laced with tenderness. As in any song celebrating ‘nation,’ there’s a heavy layering of history and heritage. There will of course be those who object to the word ‘jathiya’ and of course to ‘Sinhale,’ both of which have got sullied by both abuse and vilification, but I would invite anyone who is clueless about the song to just listen to the melody. It is as national as it can get, as far as I know. No less national than anything associated with the word. For me, as for the others who sang it last night, THE national anthem, my brother is right.

We did not fall upon this island from the sky. We were born in a territory upon which history made identifiable marks. Not unblemished and yet not without heroes and heroism. Not untouched by tyranny and yet a land where the selfless sacrificed lives for the benefit of fellow creatures.

The blood shed in the name of a collective did not congeal into precious stones, not in a literal sense, but if this land, this culture, these people are resilient, selfless and honourable ever, they do owe something to those courageous people who came before, who fought, who fell and who in falling made sure others would not have to kneel forever.

The life-breath they yielded as final gift did not and does not waft across reservoirs majestic and humble, perfume flowers and grain, and fill hearts with joy. No, not in a literal sense. And yet, they did flavour history, they did moisturise heritage, they did leave a mark, whether or not it is recognized.

That’s for me. That’s for a few of us last night who sang this song and then paid homage in remembrance to Mahagama Sekara and W D Amaradeva. Someone else, other collectives, might not be moved. Their national anthem equivalent might have very different lyrics, but for many, I’m sure, there’s a song (and it could be more than one song too) that captures what they understand as ‘nation,’ better than any other melody. A poet who is not named Mahagama Sekara would have written it. A singer who is not W D Amaradeva would have sung it.

I asked my friend Jude Jayaprekash. He mentioned one. Vidai Kodu Engal Nadai (Bidding farewell to my country). A song from Mani Ratnam's movie ‘Kannathil Muthamittal (A kiss on the cheek)’ with A R Rahman composing the music. There are probably other ‘national anthems.’

The more there are the better, I feel, because anything that reconnects someone to land, history, heritage and one another could be wholesome. It could be a perspective that is not shared by all. On the other hand, the fact of assigning privilege would be common to all. It can therefore be understood, appreciated and even celebrated. A chorus of national anthems. Not a bad idea, I think.

['The Morning Inspection' is the title of a column I wrote for the Daily News from 2009 to 2011, one article a day, Monday through Saturday. This is a new series. Links to previous articles in this new series are given below]

04 June 2023

A chorus of national anthems

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