Colombo Calling

The commercial capital of Sri Lanka encapsulates a rich culture and history says Devika Rajan

I made a trip to the outskirts of Bhubaneswar to visit the place that staged the Kalinga war fought by King Asoka. But I had no knowledge that three days later I would be in Lanka tracing the footsteps of Sangamitra and Mahendra - Asoka's children sons - who had travelled from Kalinga to Lanka more than two thousand years ago. History might have repeated itself in a way and while the battlefield of Kalinga was a disappointment, a huge open field with no signboards or indication of being witness to one of the bloodiest battles recorded in our history, the trip to Sri Lanka was a rewarding and happy co-incidence.

On The Emerald Isle

The circumstances of my sudden trip were quite simple - a fabulous offer by SriLankan Airlines and the Dusshera holiday week. Add to this the fact that no visa is required to enter Sri Lanka, and that one Indian rupee equals two Lankan rupees. It is one of the few countries that Indians can visit without getting involved with the desperate mental calisthenics that often accompany each money transaction abroad. In fact, the Indian rupee compares with the Lankan currency slightly better than even the Thai baht post the nineties crash.

A five-hour flight from New Delhi and Rajan - my husband - and I were in Colombo, which is truly speaking an ideal destination for first time 'foreign' travellers. Apart from the geographical proximity, the similarities between the cultures of these two countries creates a comfort zone for travellers to explore and appreciate the myriad beauty of Sri Lanka, popularly called the Emerald Isle.

Our first glimpse of the Sri Lankan culture was onboard the flight where the air hostesses were dressed in their national costume - a sari worn with the pallu coming over one shoulder from back to front and a fan of short pleats behind. In fact, the arrangement of pleats reminded me of the traditional white mundu worn by a Malayali Christian lady, except that the Lankan colour was violet. The crew looked like pretty dusky peacocks - to match the airlines' symbol. Folding their hands in a namaste, they greeted us in the traditional Sinhalese greeting, "Aayubovan", a variation on the Sanskrit 'aayushmaan bhava' meaning 'may you have a long life'.

In Colombo

We hired a van to take us around the pearl-shaped island country, chauffeured by Sanat, who was politeness personified. Colombo was the last halt on our itinerary. We first drove out to Kandy, visited the Pinnavela Elephant Sanctuary, and then drove onward for short stays at Bentota and Galle.

The city of Colombo is located on the coast and the two and half hour drive from Bentota was a pleasant one with a view of the sea all along. The memory of the tsunami was now only a memory and the physical evidence of the destruction that occurred more than a year ago is hardly discernible.

Colombo is the only metro in Sri Lanka with an international airport located at Katunayake, 30 kilometers north of the city. It is the commercial capital of the country, although the administrative capital was moved to Sri Jayawardanepura-Kotte more than 20 years ago. The city's name comes from 'kolamba', a Sinhala word meaning harbour. The name was changed to Colombo by the Portuguese in honour of Christopher Colombus.

The city has a rich maritime history. Colombo had trade links with the Romans, the Arabs as well as the Chinese more than 2,000 years ago. It was in the sixteenth century that Muslims started settling here till they were driven out by the Dutch in the seventeenth century, who were, in turn, replaced by the British. The island gained its independence in 1948 but subsequently has had a restless history, including political strife between its native Sinhala and Tamil populations. In fact, its northern portion is considered unsafe and is offbounds for tourists.

Traces of the British influence are evident throughout the city. Those who speak English are indeed very, British, which is evident in their speech, in dress and attitudes and the food. In fact, it is easy to navigate the city in English, although Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages. I took care not to lapse into Tamil within hearing shot of others, even in conversations with Rajan. I was a little apprehensive about the local animosity towards Tamils, although we did not personally encounter any.

Sanat, I found, was model of attentive courtesy. Speaking good English and having been exposed to international influences while working in the Gulf, he was a treasure trove of information on the places we visited. He helped us in more ways than merely driving us around, suggesting what to see, how much to tip, where to eat and what, and protecting us from hawkers at various tourist spots. He and Rajan struck a cord instantly with long discussions on cricket - a subject that was of endless delight to both and is a favourite of most Sri Lankans.

All pics: Mexy Xavier

Buddhist Viharas

Although Colombo, as a place is less interesting than other places that one can visit in Sri Lanka, it is worth spending some time there as a prelude to tasting the further delights that await in the island country.

In the north lies the Fort District, the business district of Colombo, which has shops and the World Trade Centre Twin Towers. There is a clock tower and lighthouse, and old style colonial buildings that speak of bygone times. The Cinnamon Gardens is a fashionable up-market neighbourhood and the National Museum is worth a visit to get a feel of the cultural pulse of the city. South of the city is the Galle Face Green, an erstwhile race course, where people often get together for a breath of fresh air or a game of cricket. Mount Lavinia, located south of the city, is a pretty beach and is worth a visit.

I especially liked the Buddhist viharas for their quiet serenity. I was very impressed with one of the viharas we visited that had the grand figure of a seated Buddha and rows and rows of Buddha statues in the adjacent hall seated patiently, waiting to be installed and relocated somewhere in the city.

Food 'n Shopping

Sri Lankans everywhere are courteous, though occasionally, I did sense a slight discomfort about things Indian, whether it was an apology expressed about the quality and prices of items on sale in shops, or an unsaid acknowledgement that India was a larger and more powerful producer of things, including Buddhism. I therefore made it a point to be careful not to remark about the quality of shopping, or food, or amenities being better in India, which as a matter of fact it is.

I wouldn't recommend shopping in Sri Lanka, as goods are better and less expensive in India. But souvenirs like the decorative masks of a mayura or a garuda and dolls in traditional dance costumes, much like Tanjavoor dolls, are beautiful. Even branded clothes are cheaper than India. But Pettah Bazaar District towards the east of the Fort is a colourful and inexpensive shopping district.

Local cuisine is a lot similar to that of Kerala. A typical Sri Lankan breakfast would consist of rice-hoppers or string hoppers (appam or idiyappam in Malayalam) with onion sambol, or fish preparations. Spice is liberally added to the food. Rice and curry are the staple of Sri Lanka, and non-vegetarian food is the norm, even among the Buddhist population.

Local people have reconciled their food habits with the practice of Buddhism. Perhaps it is a marriage of historical circumstance and geographical reality that have combined to mould the present Sri Lankan lifestyle. History records that King Devanampiya Tissa of Lanka was converted to Buddhism by Mahendra (or Mahinda, as the current President of the country is named) in the second century before Christ. This and the fact that it is an island nation has given its people its fish eating, sea-faring habits.

But despite all the culture and the history attached to the country, one thing that can't be ignored or forgotten is the unfortunate evidence of poverty - it is a constant refrain to everything there. But this was not unexpected considering that the nation has had to cope with bloody civil strife for decades. But people are extremely courteous. In fact, there is an underlying anxiety to please tourists.

The Fire Walkers

One night we attended a cultural programme for tourists that included dances with actors dressed in traditional masked costumes. They reminded me of the Ottamthulal and other temple dance forms of Kerala. We also witnessed an amazing display of 'fire-walking'; while we had to move back a pace or two from the fire, the firewalkers walked across them with complete ease. And on investigating, the performers' feet seemed naturally hard and calloused but did not seem to bear any evidence of burning.

After a packed two days in Colombo, it was time for us to leave. Sanat drove us to the airport, and happily posed with his car for a photo-souvenir for us. Walking towards the departure hall, I could not help pondering over the ingredients that has gone in making Colombo what it is today - modern but struggling to fight poverty. It is so much like an extension of India, yet unique in itself to warrant a separate identity - culturally and politically.

All pics: Mexy Xavier