Sri Lanka's link with Kamakura

JRJ

Only after I had visited Kamakura was I told that a monument to J.R. Jayawardena (JRJ), a former Finance Minister and later President of Sri Lanka, had been erected there.


On 6th September 1951, JRJ, then Finance Minister and the leader of the delegation from Ceylon, made an important speech at the conference on the Treaty of Peace with Japan, held in San Francisco.


His full speech can be found at the link below but I have included excerpts below. JRJ's point was that Japan should be free and independent to conduct its own affairs. Quoting the words of the Buddha, JRJ also said that Japan should not be asked to pay war reparations. In his speech, JRJ opposed the views of the Soviet Union which wanted ti o impose restrictions on Japan.

Japan was free to prosper and has been grateful to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), providing generous aid and other forms of assistance over the years.

http://gii2.nagaokaut.ac.jp/gii/index.php?itemid=409

"The main idea that animated the Asian countries, Ceylon, India and Pakistan, in their attitude to Japan was that Japan should be free. I claim that this treaty embodies that idea in its entirety. There are other matters which are external to the question of Japan's freedom - namely, should that freedom be limited to the main islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku, or should it extend to several minor islands in the neighbourhood? If not, what should we do with those islands? . . . Should reparations be exacted from Japan? If so, the amount. How is Japan to defend herself until she organizes her own defense? On the main question of the freedom of Japan, we were able to agree ultimately, and the treaty embodies that agreement. On the other matters, there were sharp differences of opinion, and the treaty embodies the majority views. My Government would have preferred it if some of those questions were answered in a different way, but the fact that the majority don't agree with us is no reason why we should abstain from signing the treaty, which contains the central concept of a free and independent Japan. We feel that the allied matters I mentioned earlier are not insoluble if Japan is free, that they are insoluble if Japan is not free. A free Japan, through, let us say, the United Nations organization, can discuss these problems with the other free nations of the world and arrive at early and satisfactory decisions. By signing this treaty we are enabling Japan to be in a position to do so, to enter into a treaty of friendship with the Government of China if she decides to recognize her, and I am happy to state, enabling her to enter into a treaty of peace and friendship with India. If we do not sign this treaty, none of these eventualities can take place.

Why is it that the peoples of Asia are anxious that Japan should be free? It is because of our age-long connections with her and because of the high regard the subject peoples of Asia have for Japan when she alone, among the Asian nations, was strong and free and we looked up to her as a guardian and friend. I can recall incidents that occurred during the last war, when the co-prosperity slogan for Asia had its appeal to subject peoples, and some of the leaders of Burma, India, and Indonesia joined the Japanese in the hope that thereby their beloved countries may be liberated. We in Ceylon were fortunate that we were not invaded, but the damage caused by air raids, by the stationing of enormous armies under the South-East Asian Command, and by the slaughter-tapping of one of our main commodities, rubber, when we were the only producers of natural rubber for the Allies, entitle us to ask that the damage so caused should be repaired. We do not intend to do so, for we believe in the words of the Great Teacher whose message has ennobled the lives of countless millions in Asia, that "hatred ceases not by hatred, but by love." It is the message of the Buddha, the Great Teacher, the Founder of Buddhism, which spread a wave of humanism through South Asia, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Siam, Indonesia and Ceylon, and also northwards through the Himalayas into Tibet, China, and finally, Japan, which bound us together for hundreds of years with a common culture and heritage. This common culture still exists, as I found on my visit to Japan last week on my way to attend this Conference; and from the leaders of Japan, Ministers of State as well as private citizens, from their priests in the temples, I gathered the impression that the common people of Japan are still influenced by the shadow of that Great Teacher of peace, and wish to follow it. We must give them that opportunity.

That is why I cannot subscribe to the views of the delegate of the Soviet Union when he proposes that the freedom of Japan should be limited. The restrictions he wishes to impose, such as the limitation on the right of Japan to maintain such defense forces as a free nation is entitled to, and the other limitations he proposes, would make this treaty not acceptable not only to the vast majority of the delegates present here, but even to some of the countries that have not attended this Conference, particularly India, who wished to go even further than this treaty visualizes. If again the Soviet Union wishes the islands of Ryukyu and Bonin returned to Japan, contrary to the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations, why should then South Sakhalin, as well as the Kurile be not also returned to Japan? It is also interesting to note that the amendments of the Soviet Union seek to insure to the people of Japan the fundamental freedoms of expression, of press and publication of religious worship, of political opinion and of public meeting - freedoms which the people of the Soviet Union themselves would dearly love to possess and enjoy. The reason why, therefore, we cannot agree to the amendments proposed by the Soviet delegate, is that this treaty proposes to return to Japan sovereignty, equality and dignity, and we cannot do so if we give them with qualifications.

The purpose of the treaty then is to make Japan free, to impose no restrictions on Japan's recovery, to see to it that she organizes her own military defense against external aggression, and internal subversion, and that until she does so, she invites the aid of a friendly power to protect her, and that no reparations be exacted from her that harm her economy. This treaty is as magnanimous as it is just to a defeated foe. We extend to Japan a hand of friendship, and trust that with the closing of this chapter in the history of man, the last page of which we write today, and with the beginning of the new one, the first page of which we dictate tomorrow, her people and ours may march together to enjoy the full dignity of human life in peace and prosperity.

"To have Succeeded"

To laugh often and love much:

To win the respect of intelligent people
And the affection of children;
To earn the approbation of honest critics
And endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To give one's self;
To leave the world a little better,
Whether by a healthy child,
A garden patch,
Or redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm
And sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier
Because you have lived...
This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

(1803-1882)

Bridget Wambeek - Our Aunty Bee - RIP

Christmas 2011 - Fawzia in London, with Aunty Bee and Yvonne

I am writing this in Sri Lanka, from the village of Boralessa. There couldn’t have been a better location to pen these thoughts because Aunty Bee was born in this area and grew up here in the loving company of her parents, and five sisters and three brothers. She had sweet memories of this village and never tired of reminiscing her childhood.   

My earliest memories of Aunty go back to 1957, when the Wambeeks lived in Negombo only a few minutes’ walk from our home. Because my dad Teddy and Aunty Bee were close, children from our families were in and out of each other’s homes, playing and sharing meals. We also schooled together at Ave Maria Convent. I remember Aunty Bee as slim and willowy, always dressed in sari. Times were difficult but we bore them cheerfully.

Aunty Bee was fond of my mother Fernie. Because she spoke no English, it wasn’t easy for my mother to mingle with my dad’s siblings. But Aunty Bee took my mother into her heart, and they became good friends and confidants. My mother, being a trained midwife, delivered at least a couple of Wambeek cousins. Aunty Bee reciprocated with her presence at my sister Beaula’s birth.

I saw Aunty’s generous heart when she visited Sri Lanka in 1969, her first return trip since emigrating to England. She and I spent a month going around mainly by bus and train, visiting friends and relatives. During these trips, I discovered a whole swathe of relatives from my grandmother’s family, simple folk who wore sarongs and spoke only in Sinhalese. Aunty’s affection for these simple folk, her intimate knowledge of their families, their delight at her visit and embrace of her, was for me a revealing experience.

Aunty Bee cared for her poor relatives. And they included Fawzia, Roy and me. When we began life, struggling with meager salaries in small, rented homes, we had no visits from foreign relatives. Except from aunty. She came for long chats, to share meals, and to stay a night. At a time of tight import restrictions in Sri Lanka, every item of new clothing that Roy wore at that time came from aunty. She sent boxes of used clothes from her brood, and they were the clothes that Fawzia, Roy and I wore. Fawzia remembered these kindnesses and paid repeated visits to aunty at South Harrow, when she could have holidayed at more exotic locations. Fawzia’s last Christmas, two years ago, was spent at South Harrow, cooking aunty’s favorite Sri Lankan dishes and reminiscing endlessly.

And there was much to reminisce. The “elephant watching expedition” in the jungles of Sri Lanka’s deep south is legendary. Aunty Bee, my mother, and a friend, having gone elephant watching in the evening, were trapped on a shaky platform high up a tree along with their husbands. Heavily pregnant, all three women endured severe discomfort from dusk till dawn while an aggressive herd of elephants loitered nearby.

Another story involves the Wambeek and Chelvaratnam children. Aunty Amy, Mrs. Chelvaratnam, also had a large family. One morning, Aunty Bee was taking the two broods on an outing, by bus. Little children traveled free but they took up precious seats. As the children trooped into the bus, one by one, the bewildered bus conductor asked “Ma’am, are they all yours?” “Yes”, aunty replied with a winsome smile, happily paying her single adult fare while the children filled half the bus.

Aunty’s extended family spread all over the world. During chats, as she reeled off their names, I could barely keep up with the relationships. Aunty never missed a birthday. Sometimes, the arrival of her greeting card, addressed for years in Uncle Ed’s beautiful script, was the first reminder that a member of the household was having a birthday. Her Christmas cards also arrived, without fail, year after year.

Aunty’s popularity can be seen by the large number of her god children. Remarkably, she was godmother to my cousin Marie, her son Charles, and her grandson Shane. She was my beloved godmother, too.

Over the past 30 years, I have visited 16 Valentine Road dozens of times. We shared Sri Lankan meals. Opened photo albums and reminisced. I spent a precious two weeks with aunty in January. When I left, she was cheerful as always, but I knew it was the final goodbye. She parting has left a vast void in my heart, a void that’s impossible to fill.

If I could sum up Aunty in two words, they would be: “She cared”.

May she rest in peace.

George Braine

Fawzia Braine 1948 - 2012

Fawzia was Malay, her ancestors having migrated to Sri Lanka from Malaya during British rule. Her maiden name was Hannan. Many Malays are Westernized and fun loving, and considered a liberal segment of Sri Lanka’s Muslim population.

Being the middle child, Fawzia was the playful tomboy. In family circles and among friends, she was known as Linda. She attended two Catholic schools—St. Anthony’s Convent and St. Matthews College--both in Colombo. She was also the Head Prefect and feared by younger students as a strict disciplinarian. She was a Gold Medalist in oratory.

We met as teacher trainees in 1970. It was love at first sight. The two-year training program was a breeze, and we found much time for sports, drama, and romance. Fawzia acted in two Shakespeare plays, “Merry Wives of Windsor” and “A Midsummer Nights’ Dream”. She also captained the Girl Guides and took part in athletics and table tennis.

Our romance was frowned upon by both families, and, to escape their meddling, we sought teaching appointments 200 miles from our home towns. In the salubrious hill country, green with tea plantations, our love thrived. We married in January 1973. Roy was born later that year.

Fawzia followed me to the Sultanate of Oman, enduring the harsh conditions there in the early 1980s. She taught English there for a number of years. Later, she and Roy joined me in the States. Life was a struggle, and, as graduate students, we lived in a small flat and each worked at two jobs. She changed careers in the States, earning a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin. Unfortunately, her fellow workers at libraries were not the colleagues she would have preferred.

Fawzia’s life changed dramatically when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. I was in Hong Kong and did the long, round-trip only once a month, and Roy was also away in Florida. With the help of a few devoted friends, she fought the cancer, going through a bilateral mastectomy and chemotherapy. Insurance companies throw every obstacle at patients because cancer treatment is expensive, so for every doctor’s visit, every test, and every therapy, Fawzia had to go through numerous loopholes. Once, I listened as she negotiated on the telephone with an insurance agent for a whole hour in order to be approved for a procedure. I couldn’t have endured it.

During this period, she began to attend St. Jude’s church in Maryland, not far from where she lived. Fawzia found great strength in the saint and solace in the congregation. Whenever she visited Hong Kong, she would insist that I attend Sunday service. When friends saw me in church, they knew Fawzia was in town.

After the cancer treatment, she joined me in Hong Kong. We lived in Clover Lodge, a small development close to the Sai Kung Country Park. Ours was a lovely home, with a view of the water in front and shielded by the hills behind. Fawzia lovingly tended the tiny garden. Often, after dinner, we would saunter into the country park to enjoy the serenity of the evening. As we lingered on a bridge, gazing at the stars above, we wondered if the occasional motorist thought we were ghosts. We made good friends at Clover Lodge. Mark and Isabella were caring neighbors, and so was Gulsen Demoken, with whom Fawzia visited the nearby beach club two or three times a week.

A few years ago, Fawzia began to teach English at Shue Yan University. Teaching, more than librarianship, was her forte. At Shue Yan, she found caring administrators, friendly colleagues, and students who liked her. She was devoted to teaching, spending many hours preparing for lessons and grading papers. She commuted all the way from Sai Kung to North Point and Wan Chai, because she loved both Sai Kung and Shue Yan. Between the two of us, she was the better, more enthusiastic teacher.

If my motto was “Simplify”, Fawzia’s was the opposite. She wished to acquire more properties, more clothes, more shoes! She hid these clothes, away from my prying eyes, at six houses in three countries. She juggled bank accounts. Her travels rarely took the shortest route. She also collected hats, candles, shawls, hand bags, and shoes. Her shopping sprees were legendary.

Fawzia was also a remarkable person. She spoke five languages: English, Sinhala, Tamil, Malay and Arabic. Although brought up as a Muslim, she enjoyed a glass of wine and the occasional beer. Her favorite cocktail was the Margarita. On her last flight from HK to Sri Lanka, she enjoyed not one but two Singapore Slings. She openly cheated at cards. She loved music, food, and flowering plants. She was a rugby fan from her schooldays.

Fawzia’s loyalty to her family was absolute; her energy and love of life simply boundless.

In recent years, two events brought her great happiness. The first was the birth of our granddaughter Nelum 19 months ago. Even seeing her on Skype or video transformed Fawzia into a little girl herself. Her happiness was almost unreal. The second event, more a relationship, occurred when Fawzia began to worship at the Alliance International Church. Fawzia blended in, making friends, joining in the fellowship, and finding a haven of peace. For her, Sunday became the most important day of the week. The congregation became her extended family. She became a better person.

Fawzia spent her last Christmas in London with my aunt Bridget, and we traveled together from Hong Kong to Sri Lanka on January 6. The renovations to our homes were complete, so, without the cacophony of hammers and drills, we first enjoyed “Pondside”, our favorite home, for ten days. The garden is home to a variety of birds, and mynahs, bulbuls, kingfishers, robins, and woodpeckers flew around us the whole day. To our delight, the Asian Paradise Flycatcher, a dazzling migratory bird with two long white tail streamers, made an appearance. There would be a flash of white across the greenery, and, like a little girl, Fawzia would be off running beneath the mango and cashew trees, trying to catch a closer view of the bird. Then, we spent a week in the hills of Kandy, where monkeys came to steal the mangoes and avocados from our garden, and porcupines and wild boar visited at night to feast on the fallen fruit. A family of leopards had been spotted not 200 meters from our home. We went for long evening walks, and dined out with old friends.

I had no inkling of the tragedy that was to follow. Her sudden departure has taken the light out of my life. The spirit of her family and close friends is broken, the landscape empty. We are left only with grief and memories.

May she rest in peace.