John Kotelawala Snr.

John Kotelawala senior. 100 years ago. Murder of Francis Dixon Attygala and the telegraph ‘ who shot him?’ Forwarded. As a kid in the 1940s, I read the story in a Sinhala booklet  that John Kotelawala senior had been ‘poisoned’. He was looked up to as a hero by the ‘peasants’ and the booklet  was hero worshipping him. One  tale in the booklet was  Kotelawala had gone to a restaurant with companions and ordered a roast chicken. It was served. Soon a Suddha had arrived and ordered  roast chicken, but there was available only  the one chicken  already served at Kotelawala’s table. The Suddha, full of authority and pomp had demanded  the roast chicken. John refused. Suddha had shouted ‘ I will do to you what you will do to that chicken’. John Kot.  senior provocatively  raised his arm high, inserted one  little finger into the roast chicken’s anus and licked it! Read on! jksw I also recall the telegraph message being discussed by  our elders ‘ Who shot him?” And also that John Kotalawela Pm claimed in public that as a child h was not well off. jksw Subject: FW: The first famous murder-history of Ceylon 100 years old. Revisiting Ceylon's first sensational murder trial more than 100 years ago There were several families that made a fortune in the latter part of the 19th century. Mudliar D.P. Attygalle of Madapatha, Piliyandala was one such person who amassed enormous wealth. In addition to huge tracts of coconut land, he also owned several plumbago mines, namely Kahatagaha Mines and Maduragoda Pits. Plumbago was in great demand at that time, and tons of it were shipped to England for the manufacture of pencils etc. There were no ball point pens then. The Mudliar had three daughters, and a son named Francis Dixon Attygalle. The eldest of the daughters was Alice. John Kotelawala (Snr) was also from the same village. He joined the Police, which was then known as the Ceylon Constabulary, as a constable. He was an able police officer and within a few years rose to the position of an inspector. At that time most inspectors were British. He became known for busting up gambling dens, the most famous being the one portrayed in the play "Nainage Sooduwa". It is not known whether the Mudliar's eldest daughter married John Kotelawala on a proposal, or whether it was a love affair. She and John Kotelawala (Snr) had three children. They were Sir John Kotelawala, one time Prime Minister, who married and divorced Effie Dias Bandaranayake, Justin Kotelawala , a barrister, who married the da0ughter of Sir A.M.de Silva FRCS, and Freda, who married C.V.S. Corea (Sid), one of the earliest men to specialise in homeopathy. Freda's son was Dr. Gamani Corea of UNCTAD fame and Justin's son is Lalith Kotelawala of the Ceylinco Group. It is not known whether the Mudliar approved of Alice's marriage to John Kotelawala (Snr). A few years after this marriage Mudliar Attygalle died leaving an unlettered widow, two unmarried daughters and a school going son, Francis Dixon, who was attending Wesley College. To manage the enormous Attygalle Estate, John Kotelawala (Snr) resigned from the Police, along with Singhoni Perera, who served as a police sergeant under him. It is reported that John Kotelawala (Snr) appropriated a major portion of the profits from the coconut estates and the plumbago mines. It was so much over and above his wife's share, that his mother-in-law was forced to file several cases in the Kurunegala District Court to eject him from the management. Her son Francis Dixon left Wesley College at the early age of 16 yrs, but he was too young to pit his strength against his brother-in-law John, whowas a veteran ex-police officer. On Mrs. Attygalle making representations to the Governor of Ceylon, Francis Dixon though a minor, was conferred "Letters of Venia Aetatis", making a major out of a minor, using the Govenor's powers. When Alice's and John's children were yet of tender age, Francis Dixon's 2nd sister married Engineer Col. T.G. Jayewardene, an uncle of the late President J.R. Jayewardene. Col T.G. had four lawyer brothers; Justice E.W (King's Counsel), Justice A St V (King's Counsel), J.S. and J.Q. John Kotelawala (Snr) knew that with the union between the Jayewardene family and the Attygalle family, his ability to appropriate the bulk of the proceeds of the Attygalle Estate would be severely curbed. At the wedding in Madapatha Walauwa, he made derogatory remarks against the Jayewardenes, referring to them as "Thambiyas" -- Mohamedans. Francis Dixon was infuriated that his brother-in-law to be and his family were insulted. Thereupon he went up to John Kotelawala (Snr) and gave him a slap. John (Snr), in the presence of the congregation told Francis Dixon, "umba denaganning yakada habalapethi kevai kiyala", meaning, " know ye, that you have bitten more than you can chew" Thereafter, he planned the murder of Francis Dixon with the help of his former police sergeant Singhoni Perera. He floated a bogus company called Ceylon-Japan Trading Co and set sail to Japan, to create an alibi for himself. Singhoni Perera enlisted the assistance of his cousin Baron Perera, and the two of them found in Piloris alias Pila, a man who could handle a gun. Not even the 1st World War had broken out and there were very few people who could handle firearms. Piloris was from Wadduwa and is said to have fought in the Boer War, under the command of Winston Churchill. Singhoni and Baron bought a gun from Walkers for the princely sum of Rs 25. For a few days, they kept Piloris in a room in Pettah. They made certain that Piloris did not know their identities. Francis Dixon Attygalle who was then managing this vast fortune, was in the habit of residing at the house of C.P. Dias, his former Wesley College Head Master, whenever he came to Colombo. Mr. Dias was a highly respected person, and was a Municipal Councillor. In that era it was prestigious to be elected to the CMC. Dias Place in Pettah is named after this gentleman. One night, when Francis Dixon was on the verandah of the Dias residence, Singhoni and Baron took Piloris near the fence, with instructions that Piloris should open fire, when Francis Dixon comes out to the garden, and when he is properly identified as the target. There was no electricity way back in 1905. Things worked according to plan. Singhoni called out, "Francis, Francis", and Piloris opened fire as Francis Dixon came out. Then Singhoni and Baron made a quick get away, having given strict instructions to Piloris to return on a particular route. The plan was for Singhoni and Baron to kill Piloris on his return journey. He was a hired assassin and was paid some money with the promise that the balance would be paid when the job was done. It dawned on Piloris that he should not return on the designated route, and that now, his own life could be in danger. He was intelligent enough to know that the safest place would be the cell in a police station. Therefore, he went straight to the Police and told them that he had shot a man totally unknown to him. Francis Dixon, apart from John Kotelawala (Snr) had other, enemies in his estates, because he was a strict disciplinarian. Kotelawala (Snr) though an ex-police officer, not too popular with the British police officers. He was then the president of the Carters Association of Colombo. . In those days, the mode of transport was bullock carts. There were no lorries and vans. (Francis Dixon Attygalle died in hospital without wanting to make his sister Alice a widow by implicating his brother-in-law, but left all his properties in a death bed will, to his other two sisters; Ms. T.G. Jayawardene and the youngest sister, who later married F.R. Senanayake, the father of R.G. Senanayake.) Soon after the killing,  Alice sent a cable to her husband in Japan, "Francis died. Funeral took place". The fool John Kotelawala (Snr) cabled back, "Who shot him?" By his stupidity, he gave the show away!British police officers found Kotelawala's cable strange. How did he know, thousands of miles away in Japan that Francis Dixon died of gunshot wounds? There were no telephones then, no radios, no TV. Soon thereafter Singhoni sent a cable in code; "Cow calfed", which was deciphered to mean, job accomplished. The police patiently waited, and as John (Snr) landed at the Colombo Jetty, they arrested him and took him to the Police Magistrate of Colombo. Kotelawala (Snr) got cold feet, made a confessionary statement implicating Singhoni and Baron as co-accomplices. The police were not interested in Piloris. The Attorney General with the powers vested in him, made Piloris Crown Witness, provided he spilt the beans. Because of the personalities involved and the gruesome manner in which the young man was killed, it evoked much attention. This was the first sensational murder trial in Ceylon. Three English Barristers were retained for the three accused. Eardley Norton, a top criminal lawyer from Madras was retained for John Kotelawala (Snr), Thomas Thornhill a criminal lawyer from Calcutta for Singhoni and F A Hayley, uncle of Chas P Hayley appeared for Baron. The trial came up in 1906 before Justice Wood-Renton (later Chief Justice), in the Colombo Assizes, and went on for several days. On the day of the Verdict, it was crystal clear that these accused will be sentenced to death. John Kotelawala (Snr) had cyanide smuggled into his cell and committed suicide. Singhoni and Baron were sentenced to death. The Carters of Colombo got into a frenzy thinking that their boss had been killed by those who appeared for the prosecution. They were so ignorant that they did not understand the niceties of a fair legal trial. The prosecution was conducted by Acting Attorney General Walter Pereira (KC) who later became a judge of the Supreme Court. He was responsible for the "Laws of Ceylon". His house was the present Pettah Kachcheri. Pettah was then, a highly residential area.Walter's son Aelian Pereira, became a top class jury lawyer. young According to him, hundreds of carters stormed his father's house and was about to attack him and his family. One carter started climbing the front steps. Walter Pereira got hold of this man and threw him into the crowd and amazingly, the whole crowd dispersed and walked towards Galle Road Asoka Gardens Junction, to the house of C M Fernando, (the 1st Ceylonese Crown Counsel) who assisted Walter Pereira in the prosecution. C M Fernando was the brother of Sir Marcus Fernando. Sir Marcus was then a member of the legislative council. These two brothers were married to the daughters of Sir Charles De Soysa. C M Fernando on hearing of the crowd approaching went into hiding with his family. The crowd smashed up his house. Thus ended the country's first sensational murder trial. (The writer is a President's Counsel)

Starling patterns.

email from Gallege de Silva

This is absolutely stunning!  Truly incredible sight.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/88UVJpQGi88

THE PREGNANT DEER

email forwarded by Kamalini Kanapathippillai. 

In a forest, a pregnant deer is about to give birth. 
She finds a remote grass field near a strong-flowing river. 
This seems a safe place. 
Suddenly labour pains begin.

At the same moment, dark clouds gather around above & lightning starts a forest fire. 
She looks to her left & sees a hunter with his bow extended pointing at her. 
To her right, she spots a hungry lion approaching her.

What can the pregnant deer do? 
She is in labour! 

What will happen? 
Will the deer survive? 
Will she give birth to a fawn? 
Will the fawn survive? 
Or will everything be burnt by the forest fire? 
Will she perish to the hunters' arrow? 
Will she die a horrible death at the hands of the hungry lion approaching her? 

She is constrained by the fire on the one side & the flowing river on the other & boxed in by her natural predators.

What does she do? 
She focuses on giving birth to a new life.

The sequence of events that follows are:

- Lightning strikes & blinds the hunter.
- He releases the arrow which zips past the deer & strikes the hungry lion.
- It starts to rain heavily, & the forest fire is slowly doused by the rain.
- The deer gives birth to a healthy fawn.

In our life too, there are moments of choice when we are confronted on αll sides with negative thoughts and possibilities. 

Some thoughts are so powerful that they overcome us & overwhelm us. 

Maybe we can learn from the deer. 
The priority of the deer, in that given moment, was simply to give birth to a baby.

The rest was not in her hands & any action or reaction that changed her focus would have likely resulted in death or disaster.

Ask yourself,
Where is your focus?
Where is your faith and hope? 

In the midst of any storm, do keep it on God always. 
He will never ever dissapoint you. NEVER. 

Remember, He neither slumbers nor sleeps...

Scarred Communities

Psychosocial Impact of Man-made and Natural Disasters on Sri Lankan Society

Daya Somasundaram

Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna and a Consultant Psychiatrist

February 2014

520 pages

SAGE Publications Pvt. Ltd

Instructors
For more information, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-818-7243
Individual Purchasers
Hardcover	ISBN:	9788132111689	$69.95

·  About

·  Contents

Scarred Communities is a qualitative, psycho-ecological study of the long-term effects of disasters—both manmade and natural—on Sri Lankan communities. The book studies the effects of war and the 2004 tsunami on families and communities. The concept of collective trauma is introduced to provide a framework in understanding how basic social processes, relationships and networks change due to these disasters.

The methodology employed is a naturalistic, psychosocial ethnography of northern Sri Lanka, drawing from the author’s participation in psychosocial and community mental health programmes among the Tamil community. Participatory observation, key informant interviews and focus-group discussions with rehabilitation workers and officials were used to gather data.

The author also analyses the various causes of modern civil war, ethnic consciousness, terror and counter-insurgency operations and their consequences on people. Though the study revolves around Sri Lanka, the phenomenon of collective trauma has an international relevance for communities across the globe caught in civil and ethnic strife.

This book is a sequel to Scarred Minds (SAGE, 1998), which deals with the effects of chronic civil war on individuals.

Mandela and Gadaffi; The myth of the saint and the mad dog.

Click on the web-link below to read the article:-

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?pli=1#inbox/144a0c72a7d21c66?projector=1

See also:-

http://thepowerhous.wordpress.com

Cause of the decline of the Harappan civilization 4000 years ago.

email from jks weerasekara

Long-Term Drought Doomed Indus Valley Civilization, Researchers Say

The decline of Bronze-Age civilizations in Egypt, Greece and Mesopotamia has been attributed to a long-term drought that began around 2000 bc.

Now palaeoclimatologists propose that a similar fate was followed by the enigmatic Indus Valley Civilization, at about the same time.

Based on isotope data from the sediment of an ancient lake, the researchers suggest

that the monsoon cycle, which is vital to the livelihood of all of South Asia, essentially stopped there for as long as two centuries.

The Indus Valley, in present Pakistan and northwest India, was home to the civilization known as the Harappan Civilization.

It was characterized by large, well-planned cities

with advanced municipal sanitation systems

and a script that has never been deciphered.

But the Harappans seemed to slowly lose their urban cohesion, and their cities were gradually abandoned.

The link between this gradual decline and climate has been tenuous because of a dearth of climate records from the region.

So Yama Dixit, a palaeoclimatologist at the University of Cambridge, UK, and her colleagues examined sediments from Kotla Dahar, an ancient lake near the northeastern edge of the Indus Valley area in Haryana, India, that still seasonally floods.

The team assigned ages to sediment layers using radiocarbon dating of organic matter.

In various layers, they collected the preserved shells of tiny lake snails (Melanoides tuberculata), which are made of a form of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) called aragonite.

The team also looked at the oxygen in the argonite molecules, counting the ratio of the rare oxygen-18 isotope to the more prevalent oxygen-16.

Two-hundred-year hiatus

Kotla Dahar is a closed basin, filled only by rain and runoff and without outlets. Thus precipitation and evaporation alone determine its water volume. During drought, oxygen-16, which is lighter than oxygen-18, evaporates faster,

so that the remaining water in the lake and, consequently, the snails' shells, become enriched with oxygen-18.

The team's reconstruction showed a spike in the relative amount of oxygen-18 between 4,200 and 4,000 years ago.

This suggests that precipitation dramatically decreased during that time. Moreover, their data suggests that the regular summer monsoons stopped for some 200 years.

The result, reported last week in Geology,

supports the idea that monsoon failure led to the civilization’s decline, although David Hodell, a co-author of the study and a palaeoclimatologist also at the University of Cambridge,

hastens to add that uncertainties in the shell and archaeological records mean that the dates could be off by some 100 years in either direction.

m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4895673?ir=Science

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The Cockroach Theory for Self Development.

email forwarded by  Lesley Sirimanne.

At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly flew from somewhere and sat on a lady. She started screaming out of fear. With a panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach. Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got panicky.

The lady finally managed to push the cockroach away but ...it landed on another lady in the group.

Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama. The waiter rushed forward to their rescue.In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behavior of the cockroach on his shirt. When he was confident enough, he grabbed it with his fingers and threw it out of the restaurant.

Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach responsible for their histrionic behavior?If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed?

He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos. It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach that disturbed the ladies.I realized that, it is not the shouting of my father or my boss or my wife that disturbs me, but it's my inability to handle the disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me. It's not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that disturbs me.More than the problem, it's my reaction to the problem that creates chaos in my life.

Lessons learnt from the story:Do not react in life. Always respond. The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded.Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always well thought of, just and right to save a situation from going out of hands, to avoid cracks in relationship, to avoid taking decisions in anger, anxiety, stress or hurry.

Share with friends and family.