Tracing the Portuguese Cultural Imprint on Sri Lanka

By Dr Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya, FRAS

Way back in 1998, I theorised on the extent of Lusitanisation in Sri Lanka, in my paper entitled ‘The Portuguese Cultural Imprint on Sri Lanka’, published in Lusotopie (Journal of Sorbonne, Paris), de Silva Jayasuriya (2000):

“The Portuguese era marked the end of medieval Sri Lanka and the beginning of modern Sri Lanka. It changed the island's orientation away from India and gave it a unique identity moulded by almost 450 years of Western influence due to the presence of three successive

European powers: the Portuguese (1505-1658), the Dutch (1658-1796) and the British (1796-1948). The Portuguese cultural imprint can be analyzed by examining: (a) those who claim Portuguese descent (the Portuguese Burghers), (b) those who do not claim Portuguese descent but who follow the Roman Catholic faith, (c) those who are neither of Portuguese descent nor follow the Catholic faith but nevertheless underwent a sociocultural transformation. Language is a necessary element in the set of culture. The other elements are subjective and could include religion, food, dress, music and dance.

The interaction of the Portuguese and the Sri Lankans led to the evolution of a new language, Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole, which flourished as a lingua franca in the island for over three and a half centuries (16th to mid-19th). Pidgins and Creoles are contact languages; they evolve when people who do not speak each other's mother-tongue come into contact. Pidgins only survive as long as the interlingual contact lasts and are generally shortlived. The etymon of Pidgin is business. A Creole is a Pidgin which has become the mother-tongue of a speech community. Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole, a subset of Indo-Portuguese (the Portuguese Creole that flourished in coastal India), has been the solution to the inter-communication problems that arose when the Portuguese and Sri Lankans came into contact. In Sri Lanka, miscegenation reinforced the Creole as the mestiços (offspring of a Portuguese father and a Sri Lankan mother) were bilingual – they were proficient in the Creole and Sinhala or Tamil. Boxer (1961: 61) comments that the Eurasians (mestiços), or even slave women, kept alive the use of the Portuguese language in places like Batavia, Malacca and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), which were under Dutch control.” (de Silva Jayasuriya 2000: 253).

Creole Portuguese lost its position as an international lingua franca and gave way to English as the language of external trade and communication. But even during the late nineteenth century, elite Sri Lankans such as John Eaton and William Goonatilleke were fluent in Creole Portuguese which they referred to as ‘Ceylon Portuguese’ (de Silva Jayasuriya, 2015). Although the dynamics of the linguistic landscape marginalised Sri Lanka Portuguese, the Lusitanian legacy can be traced through Portuguese words adopted into Sinhala, Tamil and Sri Lanka Malay (de Silva Jayasuriya 2009; Don Peter 1978; Saldin 2001).

Portuguese words were also adopted by Tamil (Don Peter 1978) and Sri Lanka Malay (Saldin 2001). For example:

Standard Portuguese    Sri Lanka Malay    Tamil    Sinhala    Meaning
Ananás                            nenas                         annāsi   annāsi       pineapple

Banco bangku vangu banku(va) bench

Camara kamar marai kāmara(ya) room

Lâmpada lampu lāmpu lāmpu(va) lamp

Renda renda renda renda lace

Sácu saku sakku sākku(va) pocket

Tínta tinta tīntai tīnta ink

Moreover, semantic fields reveal areas of culture contact (de Silva Jayasuriya 2001):

Semantic fields        Sinhala      Standard Portuguese    Meaning
Civil administration  abertu(va)   aberto                              vacancy

Judicial administration petsam(a) petição petition

Military structure bayinettu(va) baioneta bayonet

Land administration tōmbu(va) tombo archive/record

Architecture kuluna coluna pillar

Furniture mēsa(ya) mesa table

Cuisine pān pão bread

Dress sāya saia skirt

Religion anju anjo angel

Education iskōla(ya) escola school

Names Pēduru Pedro Peter

Music Kapiriñña Cafrinha Kaffrinha

Flora Pipiñña pepino cucumber

Fauna Būru(va) burro donkey

Social Dādu(va) dado die

Transport Nav(a) nau ship

Portuguese linguistic impressions are in vogue and have not been obliterated by the later Dutch and British waves that washed over the shores of Sri Lanka. The tangible heritage is easier to recognise. But the Portuguese legacy has been remarkably durable in the intangible heritage of the Island’s sociofabric. The most vibrant Portuguese influence is on popular music expressed through the hybridised postcolonial genre chorus baila, generally known as baila (de Silva Jayasuriya, 2013). The Lusitanian legacy is contained within Sri Lanka’s diversity. 

Source: www.island.lk (26 April 2020)

Developing Mattala Airport

New pragmattic apporch needed

by Dr Janaka Ratnasiri

The Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting held on 27.02.2020 has decided to grant several concessions to airlines operating through Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), with a view to recommencing the International scheduled airline flight operations at the MRIA, based on a paper submitted by the Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation. Among the concessions granted are waving off the embarkation tax, discounts on ground handling charges and supplying fuel at discounted prices. This will naturally reduce the revenue from the Airport.

Mattala as a tourist hub

However, a more sensible and pragmatic approach would be to develop MRIA into a tourist hub catering for tourists visiting the Southern and Eastern Provinces. The WildLife Park Yala is known to have the highest density of leopards in the world. Arugam Bay is known to be one of the finest coasts for surfing. Elephant herds seen at Minneriya cannot be matched anywhere else in Asia and beaches on the Southern and Eastern Coasts are unique providing serenity and tranquility to tourists. Bird sanctuaries in the East and South coasts are known the world over. With so many attractions, it is not too difficult to attract tourists to this part of the country. Even now, Yala attracts the second highest number for tourists (311,400) after Sigiriya (595,000) in 2018 (Annual Statistical Report 2018, SLTDA).

In addition, there are several national parks (NP) such as Uda Walawe NP, Lunugamvehera NP, Gal Oya NP, Maduru Oya NP and Wasgamuwa NP which are attractive tourist destinations, in close proximity to Mattala. An effort should be made to bring tourists, interested in visiting these sites, direct to MRIA. With the development of Trincomalee and the Eastern Coast as tourist areas, these too could be included with accessibility, if necessary, via helicopters. Archeological sites unique to Sri Lanka at Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya could also be added for visiting, via helicopters, from MRIA. All these sites could be incorporated into different packages. The potential is vast for the development of tourism in the forestry sector covering national parks, bird sanctuaries, ancient cultural sites and so on, according to former Conservator General V R Nanayakkara (The Island of 17.03.2020).

Developing a tourism plan utilizing Mattala

A short-term tourism development plan needs to be formulated as a joint exercise among all stake holders, including the Ministry of Tourism, Provincial Tourism Authorities, Sri Lanka Tourist Development Authority (SLTDA), Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), Sri Lanka institute for Tourism and Hotel Management (SLTHM), Civil Aviation Department, Hospitality Sector Associations and Private Tourism Promotion Organizations.

It is essential to first develop infrastructure facilities both in and around MRIA as well as at the intended tourist destinations. Secondly, transport facilities, including helicopters, to visit distant destinations need to be easily available at international rates. Thirdly, the services offered by hotels and tour operators should be of the highest order. Finally, a well-planned promotion scheme should be launched internationally in a transparent manner, possibly in collaboration with an international tour operator.

If the demand for these tourist destinations is established through such an advertisement campaign, international airlines will automatically select MRIA as the preferred destination to fly to Sri Lanka with or without concessions. But it requires hard and honest work by everybody concerned. Government intervention is necessary, initially, to provide fiscal concessions not only to airlines operating through MRIA but also to international tour operating agencies bringing tourists via MRIA.

Sri Lanka Tourism Strategic Plan 2017-20

In the meantime, as part of the Government’s Economic Vision for 2025, announced in 2017, the Tourism Vision (TV) 2025 was developed in 2016 which is a strategic positioning of Sri Lanka in the international tourism market, which sets the foundations from which the sector can build. (visit the site https://www.srilankatourismalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Sri-Lanka-Tourism-Vision-2025.pdf). The TV 2025 designated five tourism regions for planning purposes: Colombo and Western Megapolis Zone, Cultural Heartland and East Coast Zone, North and North Western Zone, Southern Coastal Zone, and the Hill Country Zone.

In order to realize the targets set forth in TV 2025, the Ministry of Tourism has also developed a "Sri Lanka Tourism Strategic Plan (SLTSP) 2017-2020. This Plan has addressed several issues pertaining to development of tourism, including Improving governance and regulation; Marketing; Developing sustainable destinations; Lifting standards and Engaging local communities among others. Visit the site: http://www.sltda.lk/sites/default/files/tourism-strategic-plan-2017-to-2020.pdf. This strategic plan has been prepared as an instrument of transformation, as a start on the journey toward TV 2025.

In the SLTSP, however, only passing reference has been made for utilizing the presence of MRIA for developing tourism in the area. It only says that "Mattala International Airport is a significant infrastructure investment that is underused. Despite its many shortcomings, it offers opportunity for tourism as a future hub convenient to a number of marine and land-based wildlife hotspots and the highland tea areas".

Hence, it is important that a new strategy has to be worked out when preparing the SLTSP 2021-2025, incorporating measures to be included to make the MRIA a tourist hub for the South and East as outlined previously. If the proposed strategy could be implemented, it will enhance the revenue from MRIA substantially.

Case of Arusha, Safari hub in East Africa

In this respect, it is pertinent to mention the case of Arusha, a hub for Safari tours in East Africa. Arusha is a small town in Northern Tanzania bordering Kenya. With an elevation of about 1,400 m, it has a pleasant climate and is the venue for an International Conference Hall. Several decades ago, the writer had the opportunity to visit Arusha to attend an international conference held there and visited a few game parks around. Arusha is a gateway to safari destinations and to Africa's highest peak, 5,895 m Mt. Kilimanjaro, lying some 100 km northeast. To the west lies the famous Serengeti National Park, home to wildlife, including lions, rhinoceros, giraffes and leopards, and several other games parks.

What is noteworthy about Arusha is that it attracts many international airlines coming directly from the USA and European countries, including France, Germany and Scandinavian countries, bringing plane loads of tourists for heading straight to game parks, bypassing the capital city. Sri Lanka has two dedicated bodies for the development of tourism in the country – SL Tourism Development Corporation and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. It is their duty and the responsibility to update the SLTSP covering the period 2100 -2025, incorporating measures to convert Mattala into another Arusha bringing plane loads of tourists heading for such places as Yala, Arugam Bay, Horton Plains, East Coast and the Cultural Triangle.

For such a system to work in Sri Lanka, it is essential to have a governing system in the country where competent professionals, having the necessary background, are appointed to management positions in various semi-government institutions, solely on their merit. Another important pre-requisite for increasing the inflow of tourists is to ensure that law and order prevail in the country. The present situation in this regard is nothing but pathetic. The tourists should be made to feel that they are safe and secure here without exposure to unruly elements, including drug addicts, pimps, rude taximen, dishonest hotel staff and corrupt law enforcing officers.

MRIA as a transit centre between Africa and Far East

Another option available for the development of MRIA is to attract tourists travelling between Africa and SE-Asia and the Far East, to transit, via Mattala. For this purpose, a direct flight between Nairobi and MRIA needs to be commenced. Nairobi is the aviation hub in Africa, with convenient connections to all major cities in Africa. But Colombo has no direct flights to Nairobi and a traveller has to fly, via ME. These two cities are both close to the equator and hence their distance apart is the shortest, compared to travelling via ME.

Nairobi is the home for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) where regular meetings are held year-round bringing large number of delegates from Asia. Also, many affluent Africans fly to SE- and Far East on shopping sprees. Both these groups of travellers could be attracted via MRIA by having direct flights to Nairobi and convenient connections to Far East cities. They could also be offered stop-overs with tour packages to visit places of interest in the region.

Incidentally, the Cabinet has already granted approval, at its meeting held on 19.07.2019, to commence a bilateral air service between Sri Lanka and Tanzania. It is not known what the rationale for selecting Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam (?) airport for launching this service. It could be that landing rates in Dar es Salaam are lower than in Nairobi. But increased traffic from Nairobi would compensate for that. However, commonsense dictates that Kenya’s Nairobi is a better airport with connections to all major cities in Africa and truly an aviation hub, to launch an air service between Sri Lanka and Africa. The new government may therefore wish to review this decision to shift the destination from Tanzania to Nairobi.

Tourism Strategic Plan (SLTSP) 2021-2025

The writer believes the authorities responsible for developing the SLTSP 2021-25 will give serious consideration for the proposals made above and develop Mattala both as a tourist hub for the Eastern and Southern Provinces as outlined above and as a transit centre for travellers between Africa and Asia. It will not only bring added revenue to MRIA, but will also assist in uplifting the economy of the region.

Source: www.island.lk (01 April 2020)

Sri Lanka's Trade Policy

By Gomi Senadhira
Former Director General of Commerce

The recent article by the former Director General of Commerce Ms Sonali Wijeratne (Is there a national trade policy for Sri Lanka?) published in your newspaper illustrates the major problems about the trade negotiations and policy formulation in Sri Lanka. She has apparently written this article to provide "… some clarity, truth and also understanding" to the apparent confusion created by the conflict of opinion between the Professional National Front of Sri Lanka, which vehemently claim that Sri Lanka has no Trade Policy and my position that "Sri Lanka does indeed have a Trade Policy." Unfortunately, her attempt to provide "… some clarity, truth and also understanding as to why the present confusion has arisen" … has added further confusion to the discussion on this subject.

The Department of Commerce is Sri Lanka’s main agency dealing with trade policy and trade negotiations. The mission of the department is, as stated on its website;

Promote

"To develop and promote Sri Lanka’s foreign trade relations at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels by the effective implementation of government trade policy, with a view to raising the standards of living and realizing a higher quality of life through the increase of total production, income and employment levels, thereby actively contributing to the overall economic growth of Sri Lanka.

The DoC is responsible for foreign trade policy formulation, and all related coordination and implementation matters, with the objective of developing and promoting Sri Lanka's foreign trade relations at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels."

The department has a number of trained trade policy specialists. The department is also the focal point for technical assistance on trade policy related capacity building, which, in the recent years, included two large, EU funded, multi-year projects.

So, when the newly retired DG/Commerce says "… It is an irrefutable fact that there was no informed, credible nor coherent trade policy", or "… the need for a National Trade Policy for Sri Lanka is paramount." it is a matter of serious concern. Did the Department of Commerce, under her leadership, failed in its key mission, the effective implementation of government trade policy. Or, if there is "no informed, credible nor coherent trade policy" how was it implemented effectively? Did the DG advise the government about the need for a National Trade Policy? Or, are we talking about different trade policies?

Simplest

As the simplest of trade policy terms used in the trade negotiations are difficult "… for the laypersons and newcomers to penetrate" the WTO has published a Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms. The dictionary defines the term "Trade Policy" as; "the complete framework of laws, regulations and international agreements and negotiating stances adopted by governments to achieve legally binding market access for domestic firms." Every country has a trade policy that fits into this definition.

The trade policy of Sri Lanka is the complete framework of laws, regulations and international agreements and negotiating stances in place. It is not a detailed proposal or a set of decisions about how to do something in the future. Though, these laws, regulations, international agreements and the negotiating stances change constantly, at any given time, any country has a trade policy and Sri Lanka too has a trade policy. If someone says "Sri Lanka has no trade policy" then s/he has not understood the meaning of the term "trade policy."

Trade policies
The best place to find the trade policies of the WTO members is the WTO TPRM website, where comprehensive information available on the trade policies of the members. That includes Sri Lanka’s Trade Policy, which is simply a compilation of information on the trade related laws, regulations and international agreements and negotiating stances adopted by the government of Sri Lanka.

The WTO reviews cover all aspects of trade policies of the members, with particularly emphasis on the WTO compliance. Any trade policy analyst should understand that it is difficult, if not impossible, to review the WTO compliance of a country’s trade policy without comprehensive coverage of all trade policy related issues. It appears that the former DG/ Commerce has not understood the role and functions of the WTO Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), even after "participating and spearheading" one of such reviews.

The former DG also claims "Policy Prescription that attended the SLSFTA as well as other proposed FTAs were entirely based on Political Policy Prescription of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management… Thus was the official Mandate given to the Ministry of International Trade & Development Strategy to negotiate Free Trade Agreements with India, China, Thailand and Singapore in parallel! Such are the flimsy, naïve and shallow assumptions based political policy prescriptions that cannot be taken by any rational human being as one constituting a Trade Policy!"

Bad decision

The decisions by the Cabinet to negotiate FTAs with India, China, Thailand and Singapore in parallel, based on "flimsy, naïve and shallow assumptions", may have been a bad decision or one of the worst trade policy decisions, because of the type of the negotiators and advisors appointed to carry out that task. However, "flimsy, naïve and shallow assumptions" or the preparatory work was not a part of national trade policy. Only the decision to commence negotiations turn into a small part of the negotiating stances adopted by government to achieve legally binding market access and becomes a tiny part of the national trade policy. A FTA becomes an important part of trade policy only after it is concluded and signed. For example; few years ago Sri Lanka negotiated FTAs with Thailand and Iran due to "political decisions" to do so. Those were badly negotiated agreements and, fortunately, never became a part of our trade policy. But the FTA with Singapore, with all its problems, unfortunately, became a part of our trade policy.

Political decisions to launch FTA negotiations are not uncommon. The decision to negotiate U.S.- Singapore Free Trade Agreement was taken by two men, President Clinton and Prime Minister Goh, during a late-night round of golf! If you study what happened after those two decisions (the decision by the Cabinet and the decision by two men during a late-night round of golf) and the two agreements, it is possible to identify the problems with the SLSFTA. The problems are mainly with the agreement.

When President Clinton and Prime Minister Goh agreed to negotiate a FTA, it was believed that an agreement with Singapore, a small, very open, market-oriented economy, should be "easy" to negotiate and could be concluded in two months. But it took two years. That was because, in trade negotiations, most of the real and complex issues crop up only after the negotiations start. Though, doing homework on the feasibility of a FTA (please don’t call this trade policy) prior to the commencement of any such negotiations is important, that amounts to very small part of the work involved. Real work begins only when the negotiation starts and the level of ambition is set.

The problems with the SLSFTA are with our negotiators (including the DG/Commerce) and what they did or didn’t do during the negotiations and even after the conclusion of the negotiations. So, don’t blame the politicians or the "Political Policy Prescription".

Shocking

The comments by the former DG Commerce on the proposed FTA with Thailand are even more shocking. She says, "In the case of the proposed FTA with Thailand, the study to ascertain benefits for Sri Lanka by entering into such Agreement laughably enough commenced after the negotiations began! The high level political decision making to enter into negotiations had already been made by key Cabinet Ministers… It is a puzzle to figure out what professional officials could negotiate sans a National Trade Policy….!"

Didn’t she know that between 2001 and 2011, Sri Lanka negotiated two FTAs with Thailand, one bilateral and one regional, and the Department of Commerce had done sufficient studies on a FTA with Thailand, "including the market access requirements/capacities of stakeholders vis-à-vis the competiveness, strengths and weaknesses of the goods and services supply base of Sri Lanka to Thailand and vice versa". One such cost-benefit analysis was carried out just before what would have been last meeting to finalize the BIMSTEC FTA. Then the conclusion was – don’t do it, as the agreement was heavily favourable to Thailand. This was followed up with the stakeholder consultations, where they were briefed about the possible adverse implication. At that time, the department, not only recommended against signing of the BIMSTEC- FTA, but also lobbied, discreetly but strongly, against it.

But when the department was informed that as the BIMSTEC - FTA was mandated by the Heads of states, the department was obliged to continue with the negotiation, damage control measures were initiated by reducing the level of ambition to minimize the adverse implications of the agreement. Sri Lanka’s stance was supported by all the members, other than Thailand. All the relevant information was available in the department. All that was required was to update those studies, after the high level political decision was made to relaunch FTA negotiations with Thailand, and the brief the government and the stakeholders appropriately. Any professional trade official would have done that without any difficulty.

Easy prey

Same applies to proposed Bangladesh FTA. Though the former DG says "In the case of proposed Sri Lanka/Bangladesh FTA, too, political imperative over trade policy continued to hold sway…, Sri Lanka would be an easy prey in negotiations!" any professional trade negotiator should be able to negotiate mutually favourable agreement with that country as Sri Lanka has two F/PTAs with that country and is in the process of negotiating a third FTA (BIMSTEC). The Department of Commerce has enough information, to prepare for the negotiations. But as I said earlier, the real work begins only when the negotiation starts and the level of ambition is set. But Sri Lanka is in a position to negotiate a balanced agreement with that country without becoming "… an easy prey."

If the negotiations are not moving well with any of the FTAs, the negotiators should brief the "Political Masters" appropriately. Take for example, IOR-ARC FTA, BIMSTEC FTA, Iran FTA, Thailand FTA (which was negotiated earlier) where the department informed the decision makers that these agreements are not favourable to Sri Lanka. For example, take the Sri Lanka – Iran FTA. The agreement was negotiated and finalized before the high profile visit of Iranian President Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Sri Lanka and was one of the agreements to be signed during the visit. However, the department advised the government against signing the agreement. It didn’t "discreetly, but voluntarily" withdraw from its responsibility of advising the "Political Masters", even when, the department was the lead negotiator for Sri Lanka for that agreement. After all, that is the role and the responsibility of the department. If the Department of Commerce, as the key government agency on trade policy had failed to carry out its mission don’t blame the "Political Masters". It is department’s and its Director General’s responsibility to advise the government. Did the department fail in its key mission? Did the department wasted all the funds received from the donors (including the ongoing EU/ITC project) to develop the capacity building in the area of trade policy?

If so, look inward. It is not very difficult to identify the problems. Then try to understand what trade policy means and the difference between the terms "trade policy" and "trade strategy". For example, do we have an Asian trade strategy? Do we have a strategy (for Post-Brexit) trade with the UK? Then more urgently and most critically we need short, medium, and long term strategies to meet the challenges stemming from the unprecedented disruption to the global economy and world trade by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some countries have already notified to the WTO the trade policy measures they have initiated to face this crisis. We could learn from those notifications and develop our own policy options.

Source: www.island.lk (01 April 2020)

Angampora, the forgotten art of Sri Lanka

Angampora, the once glorious tradition of martial arts in Sri Lanka, with fierce fighters whose strength and actions were subtly controlled by the influence of Buddhism, fought next to the kings in battles as they thought it was their duty. It is of many layers that go beyond the fighting techniques that meet the eye, that many consider to be a philosophy, having Buddhism as the cornerstone of the tradition. Having a British ban imposed on angampora since 1818, the fighters resort to secrecy to pass on this ancient tradition, making it a well kept secret in Sri Lanka that most people are not privy to.

“But, it has always been a part and parcel of our culture, hence, angampora has a mighty cultural value,” said, Ajantha Mahantharachchi, a traditional angampora fighter, who learnt the art from his father, and who is now trying to protect the tradition and raise awareness about it. In addition to being a traditional fighter, Mahantharachchi has also conducted extensive research on this tradition, academically, as well as practically, and has around 20 students studying under him. He also teaches the fighting elements of angampora to the Sri Lanka military, for about 14 years now. “We always used angampora in wars, including the last war we fought,” he said. There is a different process to select candidates to study this art. Mahantharachchi said, they check the horoscopes and other vetting ways practised by their forefathers, and select a chosen few to teach all the elements of the angampora tradition.

Coupled with scientific methods of physicality, mind and spirituality, angampora has been the strength of Sri Lanka, where both men and women engaged in it. Mahantharachchi spoke of a 50 year old lady studying this art, who tosses male opponents, even when she is attired in the Kandyan saree. He hailed these female fighters, past and present, who guided the next generation into the tradition of angampora. “These fighters never retired. They only got better with time,” he said. And it was the influence of religion that kept these fighters under control. Meditating and other elements in angampora that comes from the Buddhist background kept the fighters in check, and prevented the art from being misused.

Mahantharachchi is, however, on a mission; a mission to remove the ban imposed on angampora by the British, who tasted its bitter strength during the 1818 Wellassa uprising. Though the ban is not valid anymore, removing it would mean restoring the honour and respect it once enjoyed, to practice, and teach it freely, raise awareness about it and preserve it for the generations to come.

Survival techniques

On October 6, 1818, Governor Robert Brownrigg banned the angampora tradition, after the Wellassa uprising. Mahantharachchi refers to the documents he has retrieved from the National Achieves in UK, as there isn’t any documentary evidence in Sri Lanka regarding the banning of angampora. Subsequently, Ilangam Madu, centres around the country that taught angampora, were burnt and the fighters and trainers of angampora were punished and some even banished from the country. These punishments included shooting the fighters below the knee to prevent them from fighting again, or teaching anyone.

Mahantharachchi explains that in this confused state, the trainers who escaped punishment, sought ways to protect the tradition, and as a result, included its elements to traditional dancing. For example, there is a dancing item in Kandyan dancing called ‘Yak Enuma’ which is similar to angampora fighting items. Dancing techniques such as, ‘Malakkama’, ‘Bambara’ in Low Country dancing are also features taken from the angampora tradition. Some dancing items such as, ‘Koti Netuma’ (Tiger Dancing) is the exact angampora fighting element, incorporated into traditional dancing.

Historic evidence

However, the caste system was heavily attached to dancing traditions during this period, and Mahantharachchi said, some traditional fighters refused to support this merge with dancing, and resorted to teach angampora only to their children, in secret, to preserve the tradition in its purest sense. Thus it prevailed, until it was revived by the teledrama, ‘Dandubasnamanaya’.

The important as well as the unusual aspect of the angampora tradition compared to other traditional martial arts in the world is that there is ample evidence spread across history to prove its existence and the changes it underwent.

These historic evidences of angampora stretches beyond the Anuradhapura era, where many writings and carvings on temple walls can be seen related to this fighting tradition.

“The ‘Poornika Grantha’ has records of angampora fights since the days of Ravana, dating back to 5,000 years, and the Mahawansa refers to many instances of angampora fights, e.g. in the Elara - Dutugemunu war, and other books such as, ‘Dambadeni Asna’ and ‘Kandavuru Siritha’ also have references to angampora,” Mahantharachchi said. Jurgen Anderson, a Dutch sergeant who was posted in Sri Lanka in 1669 wrote that angam fighters would spin over the first in line, and slit the throat of the tenth of the opposite army, attacking everyone in between. Famous archeologist H.C.P. Bell wrote about Ededawawala Kumarihamy, who held a position of District Head during King Rajasinghe’s time in Seethawala Era, and knew and engaged in angampora fighting tradition.

These evidences make angampora one of the most documented martial arts traditions in the world, though it is not being recognized as one in Sri Lanka or globally. The ‘Sinha Pokuna’ of Mihinthale has many carvings of angampora fighters in fighting postures which proves it was already an established fighting tradition in the Anuradhapura Era. Mahantharachchi described a funeral tradition in the Anuradhapura era where, when a fighter dies, a stone is placed on where he was buried with a description of his death carved on the stone. The Anuradhapura museum has such stones describing angampora fighters.

A specific stone describes a fighter who continued to fight though arrows had already pierced his chest and legs, crying out the physical and mental strength of the fighters long before Hollywood. However, as the closest kingdom to modern-day, Kandy carries most of the evidences of the angampora tradition. Mahantharachchi said, the Sri Dalada Maligawa carries around 12 carvings of angam fighters, and many more can be seen in the Embekke Devalaya and Degaldoruwa Temple.

Sri Vishnu temple at Hanguranketha which is over 600 years old has a 30 feet long cloth that had been used as a ceiling, which has images depicting various angampora fighting postures. “I have discovered around 700 such carvings,” he added.

This tradition of martial arts underwent changes depending on the foreign invasions the country experienced. Initially, it was used to hold the country’s defences against Indian invaders. But, after the Portuguese invasion, the angampora tradition changed to suit the new technology the invaders brought with them.

Angampora fighters had two main challenges against the Portuguese; one is guns, second is the body armor of Portuguese soldiers. Mahantharachchi said, historic evidence as well as folk stories say that the fighters used enchanted talismans known as ‘suraya’ as protection against guns, and new techniques of pinning the opponent to the ground were introduced to be used in instances where the opponent carried a gun. Angampora fighters didn’t wear armours as it prevented them from using their arms freely to fight. But, a new, sharp knife became part of the traditional angampora attire, a knife that could pierce the body armour. The archerers came up with new arrows that could pierce the armors or give them strategic advantage in a fight despite body armours.

And the ‘Ilangankara’ group was established, known as the ninja group, trained specifically during the Seethawaka era to penetrate into Portuguese forts and attack from inside. They were given training on martial arts, sword fighting, poison and the art of disguising themselves. Thus angampora advanced in their war techniques during the Seethawaka era.

Modern day relevance

Mahantharachchi believes that certain elements in the angampora tradition can easily be adapted into the school syllabuses, such as meditations and basic exercises. These meditations and exercises can be helpful in increasing memory capacity and the mental strength of youngsters, he said, which could increase the immune system too. “Without engaging in the exercises the West has introduced to us to teach our kids during PE, why can’t we make use of our own tradition?” he questioned.

Cultural tradition

Being a cultural tradition, angampora is yet to make it to the performance stage along with the traditional dancing in Sri Lanka. While continuing to use traditional dancing, the Tourism Industry could make use of the traditional martial arts as well, to promote the country, like the Japanese have done with Samurais, he added. “We have an ancient tradition of martial arts, with an ancient history that goes beyond Samurais, but we haven’t made use of it to promote the art, or the country.”

To preserve angampora, it is important to give it professional status within the country, create a platform for it to be performed for audiences, and bring it to a level that it could self-sustain. “In this money centered society, these traditions will die if they are not supported by the State and given the opportunity to self-sustain.” There needs to be an appropriate way of registering these fighters and supporting them to preserve this thousands of year old tradition.

It will be ideal to have a separate museum for angampora, Mahantharachchi added. 

 

Source: www.sundayobserver.lk (02 April 2017)

Japanese air raid over Colombo and Trincomalee

Seventy five years ago, on April 5 , 1942, the Japanese bombarded Colombo, and on April 9 raided Trincomalee. According to Winston Churchill, war-time Prime Minister of Britain, the Japanese air raid over Ceylon was the most dangerous moment of the Second World War that caused him most alarm. When compared to Dunkirk evacuation, Battle of Britain, Pearl Harbour Bombing and several other critical episodes, this may be an exaggerated opinion. Yet, the significance of the event cannot be underestimated. If raids had been successful, there would have been full-scale Japanese dominance of the Indian Ocean, which was averted by their failure.

In the Battle of Britain, highly advanced chain of radars gave plenty of warning of approaching German attackers, but such advance radar systems had not been installed in the colonies. Even the basic radars at Ratmalana were unmanned when the Japanese launched their air raid over Colombo on Easter Sunday, April 5 , 1942. But, the previous evening, one long range Catalina Flight operating from Koggala for the surveillance of the Indian Ocean had observed a Japanese aircraft carrier fleet about 640 kilometres south of Ceylon. Its radio operator had transmitted the information to Colombo, before it was shot down by six Japanese Zero fighters launched from the carrier Hiryu.

The crew led by Sqr. leader Leonard Birchal jumped into the sea and were taken captive by the Japanese. They were prisoners of war in Japan until the end of the war.

The following morning, Japanese air armada which included 36 dive-bombers, 53 Kate attack bombers and 36 Zero fighters commanded by Mitsuo Fuchida of Pearl Harbour fame flew towards Colombo. They had passed Galle around 7.15a.m. Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, the Commander of the Japanese carriers had reserved another 180 aircraft to be engaged if and when necessary. The Ratmalana airport was attacked around 7.30a.m. and it became a sad victim. However, the fleet of Hurricanes based at Colombo Reid Avenue Racecourse aerodrome which received early warning, had managed to get airborne without any loss. The main target of the Japanese was the Colombo Port which they thought harboured the Royal Navy’s East Indies and Eastern fleets. But, by this time they had been removed for safety to Addu Atoll in the Maldives, 960 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka.

Air raid

The air raid lasted until about 8.a.m, and several hours after it was over, around 2.pm two royal navy cruisers, Dorsetshire and Cornwall, were detected by the Japanese in the high seas. They bombarded them and both sank within 15 minutes. Besides, one aircraft carrier and several merchant vessels were destroyed by Fuchida’s Air Force.

By the end of the day, 23 planes of the Royal Air Force had been lost in the battle over Colombo, 17 airmen had been killed with 17 others injured. The number of civilians killed was 85, of which seven were inmates of the Angoda Mental Hospital, as a Japanese bomb intended for the Kolonnawa oil installation fell on its premises. Besides, 77 civilians had got injured. The figure of destroyed Japanese planes claimed by the British was 27 but the number given by the Japanese is five. Only three of them fell on Sri Lankan soil, one at Horana, another at the playground of S.Thomas College, Mount Lavinia and the third at Pitakotte.

After the attack on Colombo, Vice Admiral Nagumo presumed that the Royal Navy’s East Indies and Eastern fleets had been berthed in Trincomalee. But, as stated earlier, they had been removed to Addu Atoll in the Maldives.

Fuchida, the Commander of the Japanese Air Armada led an assault force of 91 bombers and 38 Zero fighters on the morning of 9 April to locate the Royal Navy’s fleets either in Trincomalee harbour or on the adjacent open seas. However, as their arrival was expected, the Royal Air Force was ready with Hurricanes and Fulmars.

The anti-aircraft batteries of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery were also alerted. The air battle was fought over the China Bay, Tambalagam Bay and near the Trincomalee harbour. The Japanese Zero fighters and Kates bombarded the China Bay aerodrome killing hundreds of airmen. One of the fuel tanks which contained aviation fuel exploded in the attack and was burning for nine days. The Japanese also destroyed an old aircraft carrier Hermes which had been brought to Trincomalee for repairs.

With the Hermes was destroyer, Vampire. In order to get clear of trouble they had sailed southwards in the high seas, but, both were spotted by the Japanese to the east of Batticaloa and they were sunk by their bombers. Two oil tankers and three old merchant vessels also perished in the open seas near Kalmunai. The crew of Hermes and Vampire which consisted of British, Indian and Norwegian sailors jumped overboard with life jackets. The survivors who were injured were saved by the fishermen whose vessels were commandeered by the Civil Defence Commissioner. They were brought to Kalmunai early in the evening.

Five Bombers and twelve fighters were lost by the Japanese in the Trincomalee air raid. The Royal Air Force lost five of its Hurricanes and eleven pilots. From about early 1970s, many divers, such as, Rodney Jonklaas had seen the destroyed Hermes at the bottom of the sea off Kalmunai. According to some of them, it is presumed that the large ship which could be observed a small distance away is the Vampire. The wreckage of a Japanese Zero fighter also had been observed nearby.

While the fight between the Japanese Imperial Flyers and the Royal Air Force pilots was going on, Admiral Geoffrey Layton, Supreme Commander of Ceylon, sent a fleet of Blenhiem planes to spot the Japanese carriers in the high seas. Blenhiem located them 208 kilometres east of Ceylon, but were met by a strong barrage of anti-aircraft fire and most of them were destroyed. One of the Blenhiems crashed into Admiral Nagumo’s flagship causing heavy explosions. The sailors jumped overboard to save their lives. The price the RAF had to pay was very high with only four of the Blenhiems returning to their base. Even after the Japanese withdrawal, the defence of Ceylon was not neglected as the threat never subsided. The British Eastern Fleet returned to Ceylon on 4 September 1943 and South East Asia command headquarters was reestablished in Ceylon. Aerial reconnaissance with long-range Catalina flights to monitor the movements of Japanese battleships, aircraft carriers, submarines as well as airplanes, continued. But, Emperor Hirohito had realized that Japan had bitten more than it could chew. Therefore, there was no further westward incursion or return to Ceylon. Stout defence put up by Ceylon greatly contributed to this situation. Finally, the horror of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 led to the collapse of Japan. Later on, the victors, as well as the vanquished realized the futility of war and established the United Nations to preserve peace and remove the causes of conflict. But, unfortunately, the major powers have joined the arms race threatening world peace envisaged by the UN.

Source: www.sundayobserver.lk (02 April 2017)

Destruction of Coral Reef financial blow to fisheries : Reef under threat, future unknown

The Bar Reef in Kalpitiya, once a glorious coral reef is now in a feeble state with live coral cover down to about one percent. It was struck by a severe coral bleaching event last year, the worst after 1998, according to specialists in marine environment.

The major coral bleaching event was caused by the El Niño and La Niña effect in 2015-2016. A similar catastrophe occurred in 1998, but the Bar Reef could bounce back over time. Can it do the same again? As the marine experts portray, the chances are bleak this time around. The coral reef has a challenging time ahead recovering on its own, given the increasing impact of human activities and climate change.

Corals are dead all over again

The Bar Reef located about two kilometres off the coast of Kalpitiya was declared a Marine Sanctuary in 1992. It stretches parallel to the coast from the northern end of the Kalpitiya Peninsula, to the islands which separate Portugal Bay from the Gulf of Mannar. Being one of the country’s most diverse marine habitats, it is the most famous and the largest coral reef in Sri Lanka.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Coastal and Marine Program Coordinator, Arjan Rajasuriya, who examined the Bar Reef two weeks back, told the Sunday Observer that almost 99 percent of the corals in shallow waters to a depth of about 5-6 metres were dead.

“It will take at least 15-20 years for the destroyed corals to come back, but only if this bleaching occurrence did not take place repeatedly.

However, with climate change, it is likely that these occurrences may happen regularly,” said Rajasuriya, who had previously worked as a Research Officer at the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA)for over 27 years, specializing in coral taxonomy. “The Bar Reef was very badly bleached last year, basically, in the period April to June, and when we visited this time we discovered that the reef has not recovered and most of the damaged corals have now become rubble. In the sea, everything loose is moved by wave action and currents. The damaged corals have accumulated due to wave action and rolled over the other corals. The bleached corals have not had time to recover because of the movement of this coral rubble,” he explained.

He noted that the restoration of coral beds by replanting is not possible, given the large scale destruction. “When acres and acres are destroyed, how are you going to restore, and where would you get live corals to do that?” he questioned.

He also pointed out that the reef structure should remain unharmed for the new coral larvae to settle. “In the event in 1998, the reef structure was largely intact because it was the first large-scale bleaching occurrence. This helped new coral larvae to settle. When it happened this time, the reef structure was weak. Now, it has turned to rubble,” he added.

Coral reefs absorb wave energy

Coral reefs act as a natural barrier in the coastlines by breaking up waves, thus reducing the waves’ force. It provides protection against coastal erosion and even Tsunami, by acting as a buffer. The absence of the coral reef will leave coastal communities more vulnerable to natural hazards.

Above all, coral reefs are home and breeding grounds to many fish species, big and small. The destruction of reef will be a financial blow to thousands of families depending on fishery and the ornamental fish industry for their livelihood.

“When the corals get affected most of the fish disappear and then fisheries is affected. If we try to fish the same way as before, the fishing pressure in the area will increase.

This will lead to fishermen resorting to destructive fishing methods, more and more. Even now, we could see them laying nets on the damaged reef causing further damage. In a large scale coral bleaching scenario like this, we should not be fishing in those areas,” Rajasuriya warned.

El Niño and La Niña

According to scientists, El Niño events are associated with a warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific, while its reverse effect, a sustained cooling of these same areas, is called the La Niña. La Niña results in warmer than usual sea surface temperatures in the region north of Australia. “This is what causes bleaching. When that happens there is mass die-off of corals. This is not specific to Sri Lanka. For example, more than 500 km of the Northern part of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia have been largely destroyed by this event. Likewise, many islands in surrounding areas have also been affected,” Rajasuriya added.

He explained, it was during the La Niña period, which happened about six months after the El Niño, that Sri Lanka’s coral beds were affected.

The IUCN officer observed that the coral reefs along the Western and Southern coasts of the country were badly affected last year, while the East coast did not suffer much because of the wind pattern and atmospheric conditions.

What happens during bleaching? 

The reef is now under threat. We do not know the future of it. According to marine biologists, the corals lose their colour and turn white during coral bleaching that happens as a result of extreme temperature differences, pollution or other such reasons. The 2016 and 1998 coral bleaching events were due to sea surface temperature increasing to a level that corals cannot tolerate.

“Most corals contain algae called ‘Zooxanthellae’ and it provides nutrients to the corals. When sea water is too warm, corals expel the algae living in their tissues and this is what causes the corals to turn white. This is called coral bleaching. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event that lasts for a short period. There had been a number of similar instances between 1998 and 2016. When the bleaching event lasts for a long period, then the mortality of corals is high,” explained Prasanna Weerakkody, Marine Research Team Leader of the Ocean Resources Conservation Association (ORCA).

Reduce human impact

He said, the Bar Reef had a chance of recovering in post-1998 due to minimum human impact in the area during the time of war. “The 1998 bleaching event basically killed about 50 percent of the corals of the South and West coasts of Sri Lanka and the Bar Reef was also caught in that. Live coral cover before the bleaching was something like 80 percent and it dropped to about 5 percent.At that time the Bar Reef was a much larger reef with many pieces of patch reef connected together. In post-1998 only very few patches recovered, but they recovered well. Certain sections of the Bar Reef recovered almost perfectly and gained about 90 percent live coral cover within a decade from 1998-2009 due to the remoteness of the reef when the war was on. This chance of recovery was not there for the southern reef and as a result places like Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa did not recover properly,” he elucidated.

Right now, the Bar Reef has faced a challenge in recovering because the live coral cover even in the few patches that survived after 1998 has dropped to about one percent.Added to this, there is now a lot more human impact, such as, fishing pressure, dynamiting and the use of ‘laila’ and ‘surukku’ nets, ornamental fish collection, tourism and pollution.

“The reef is now under threat. We do not know the future of it. For proper recovery we need to let the reef be at peace. Let it recover on its own by reducing the human impact. The coral reef is going to have a very difficult period recovering and it is not going to recover if we add our own pressure over it,” Weerakkody cautioned.

The Marine Biologist further said, they could see that the reef was heavily overgrowing with algae dwindling its surviving chances further. “Agricultural runoff and pollution from the land could have contributed to the large amount of algae growth on the reef. The key point in reef recovery is the availability of live corals surviving on the reef. When the surviving coral percentage is very low survival chances are much less. Last time, there was about 5 percent live coral cover, but this time it is even less,” he remarked.

He, however, expressed that there is a chance of repopulation through larvae arriving from somewhere else. “Another option of recovery is the arrival of live coral larvae from places like the Maldives, through currents. For that to happen, coral reef surfaces have to be in a state where the larvae can settle in. At present, there is far too much algae. Algae prevent anything settling in,” he added. 

 

Source: www.sundayobserver.lk (26 March 2017)

Venivelgeta: new technologies for an old herb

Venivelgeta, which is highly sought after, for health-care and cosmetic purposes, is finding new uses in battling diabetes and cancer. Today, new technologies are being utilised to cultivate it on a large scale and to extract its essential therapeutic compound.

The venivelgeta vine (Coscinium fenestratum), known as atturam or kadari in Tamil, and internationally as tree turmeric or false Columba, grows wild in South and South-East Asia.

It figures on the list of highly endangered species, because of the time each plant takes to mature, which makes it vulnerable to over-exploitation. Certainly there is a growing, already high demand for the thick stem and root, to produce medicines, wellness products and cosmetics. Now, the demand is likely to be turbo-charged by the needs of new therapies, emerging from current scientific investigations

Venivelgeta is widely used in Asian indigenous medical systems, including Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Sinhala vedakam. A study by the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) and the Wayamba University found that approximately 31 tonnes of venivelgeta are used therapeutically by practitioners of indigenous medicine in Sri Lanka each year. Companies producing skin care and cosmetic products use even more.

“The component of venivel of therapeutic value,” says Dr MenukaArawwawala, Principal Research Scientist, Herbal Technology Section, “is called berberine.” Berberine, a complex organic chemical compound containing nitrogen, gets its name from the barberry (Berberis vulgaris), in which it is present. The herbsrasandu (Berberisaristata) and rasakinda (Tinosporacordifolia) also contain the substance.

“It has an anti-bacterial action,” says Dr Arawwawala, who has worked on extracting the substance from the trunk of the plant, and on developing standards for berberine content in market samples, “and is used in traditional medicine for reducing fever and for digestive disorders.”

Multi-purpose drug

Widely used for thousands of years as an antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory drug, as well as a gastrointestinal remedy; by South and South-East Asians, by Chinese and by American Indians; the cosmetic applications of berberine include use in fairness creams, body lotions, soaps and bath additives.

Recent research has also pointed to its efficacy in treating diabetes. In 2008, the Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Pennington Biomedical Research Centre, Louisiana, in the USA jointly carried out a pilot study.

They found in berberine, a safe, low cost and potent treatment for excessive blood sugar. Two years later, scientists at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine found that berberine mimics the action of insulin in lowering high blood sugar, but did not increase insulin levels.

Berberine also has potential as a therapy for cancer. Scientists at the University of Coimbra in Portugal: found evidence that berberine interfered with the metabolic regulation of tumour cells, making it a safe anti-cancer agent.

Scientists at Patanjali University in India found that, used with curcumin, the principal chemical in turmeric (Curcuma longa or, in Sinhala and Tamil, kaha and manjal respectively), berberineworked against cancer. Researchers at the University of Macau in China tested the effects of the combination on breast cancer, concluding that it offered a pathway to prevention and treatment of the disease.

Limited availability

One of the inhibiting factors slowing down research is the lack of availability of berberine. Venivel takes 15 years to mature and flower, meaning that both availability of the raw material and of seed stocks is limited. Seed stock also lose viability over time.

This limits the viability of venivel as a cultivated crop. It also impedes the ability of producers to meet the expected exploding demand, due to the research which has taken place.

Herbal products manufacturer Link Natural Products (Pvt) Ltd uses venivel in its traditional medicines, such as Samahan and Pas Panguwa, and in its skin-care and cosmetic formulations. The company collected its stocks of the liana from the forests, in the time-honoured way, which is time-consuming and inefficient. Link began looking at methods grow venivelgeta creepers, to speed up production, and obtained the services of PriyanvadaWarakagoda, a post-graduate student at the University of Ruhuna. Researching for the company, at the university’s facility at Kamburupitiya, she concurrently wrote her PhD thesis on developing an agro-technological package for herb production.

Venivel is usually propagated from seed, but this is an inefficient cultivation method, since only about 10 or 12 plants grow successfully from 100 seeds, the hard seed coat discouraging germination – which only takes place after six months.

Warakagoda and her team first experimented with improving the success rate of germination from seeds, which they collected from lianas in the Sinharaja, Kannelia and Wilpita rainforests. They achieved considerable success by exposing the seeds to sunlight for six hours, soaking them for a day in the gibberellic acidhormone, planting them in a sand-coir mixture, and keeping them in uncontaminated, dark and hot conditions.

Five stages

Despite a very high success rate, constraints remained on mass planting – the seed stock is limited by the rarity of the vine and the time taken for flowering.Vegetative propagation, using cuttings, proved of low success. Warakagoda turned to tissue culture techniques, or micro-propagation – a quite complicated operation, taking several months to deliver plant stock.

The process involves five stages: firstly obtaining the ‘mother stock’ from seed, free of contamination, in the plant house and maintaining it free of pests; secondly pruning the mother stock, to obtain new shoots as planting material –called ‘ex-plants’ – which are surface-sterilised and placed in an artificial culture medium in test tubes in a culture room. After a few months, the stock is replanted in a new artificial culture medium, in a larger vessel, in order to induce shoot proliferation. The stock is kept within the culture room, under controlled conditions, including 14-hour lighting cycles alternating with shorter periods of darkness. The fourth stage involves rooting the stock in a new artificial culture medium. The media used at the different stages vary according to hormone usage.

In the final stage, acclimatisation phase, the microplants are taken out of the culture room and planted in a sand-coir mixture, in planting trays. They are, gradually, over a period of about a month, taken out of the previous artificial controlled environment and acclimatised to the real conditions existing outside.

It proved possible to provide a large plant population using tissue culture. Nevertheless, the problem of the 15 years’ period for maturity remained. So, instead of extracting from the trunk, Warakagoda’s team developed a method of using the leaves – inducing the growth of callouses, from which Berberine could be extracted. The quality of callous-sourced artificial berberine matches that of the stem-produced ‘natural’ variety.

The first harvest of callouses is within six months, compared to 15 years for gathering stems. Of course, the yield of berberine from a mature stem surpasses the equivalent production of the artificial variety. However, the turnover time of investment is much less, and cultivators could begin getting a return in less than a year.

This opens the pathway for Sri Lanka to become a major producer and exporter of berberine, and to become a hub of scientific herb production. 

 

Source: www.sundayobserver.lk (26 March 2017)