Sri Lanka’s External
Ministry backs off on taking up issue of dropping of Pali for IAS exams with
Government of India
Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country whatever schemes are being attempted
to overtly and covertly dilute and change this fact. We are well aware of these
agendas. Article 9 of the Constitution guarantees foremost place to Buddhism
and imposes a mandatory duty on the State not only to protect but also ‘foster’
Buddhism, an obligation confined exclusively only to Buddhism vis a vis all
other religions prevalent in Sri Lanka.
Pali (also Pāḷi) is the language of many of the
earliest extant Buddhist scriptures as collected in the Pāḷi Canon, or Tipitaka, and it is the liturgical
language of Theravada Buddhism.
Pali
is the language that has to a great extent encapsulated the Buddha’s teachings
as contained in the Tipitaka, which is considered a treasure trove of Buddhist
knowledge and an important carrier of the Buddhist doctrine throughout the
world.
More
importantly Theravada Buddhist countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar,
Cambodia, Laos and communities practising Theravada Buddhism in various other
countries both in Asia (Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, and Bangladesh)
and the West, are bonded by the common thread of Pali, an important component
in Buddhist studies.
Bhikkhu Bodhi, in a seminal
article states that the Pali language is "closely related to the language
that the Buddha himself spoke". He goes on to write:
“This (Pali) language …. reflects the
thought-world that the Buddha inherited from the wider Indian culture into
which he was born, so that its words capture the subtle nuances of that
thought-world”.
The
work of Buddhaghosa (5th Century) was largely responsible for Pali
becoming an important scholarly language in Buddhist thought. The Visuddhimagga
and the other commentaries that Buddhaghosa compiled codified and condensed the
Sinhalese commentarial tradition that had been preserved and expanded in Sri
Lanka since the 3rd century BCE.
Pali under threat of
extinction in India
Several
articles have appeared in both the Sri Lankan and international mass media
informing the public of the news that the Indian Government has removed Pali
language from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) examination.
The
inclusion of Pali in this competitive examination was one of the major reasons
that attracted many young prospective candidates for the Indian Administrative
Service to opt to engage in Pali and Buddhist Studies. The examination was
treated as a major lifeline in the preservation of the Pali language, and it
was credited to have played an important role in stemming the decline of the
study of Buddhism in its Indian homeland.
The news
of Pali being removed from the IAS examination has disheartened millions of
Buddhists in India. 20million Ambedkar Buddhists in Maharastra alone have made
public their discontent. 20million Ambedkar Buddhists is equal to the entire
population of Sri Lanka and Maharastra is just one Indian State. There are
70million Buddhists in India and over 300 million Dalits (Ambedkarites) in
India. 127 Members of Parliament of India are Ambedkarites. These numbers are
important for Sri Lanka’s strategists who are ever ready to meekly succumb to
less than 65million threats from Tamil Nadu.
India
which has shown a great interest in recent years in holding various workshops
and seminars in Buddhist Asian countries refocusing attention to India’s strong
historical links to Buddhism, including funding the establishment of an
International Buddhist Confederation in New Delhi last month, would suffer an
irreversible set back in its current efforts to win over Buddhist countries in
Asia by this unpardonable and short sighted policy decision to drop Pali
Language from its IAS examination.
The
Pali language should not be allowed to
become a victim of Indian bureaucracy and other hostile groups funded mostly
from outside India with Abrahamic colouring who have a hidden agenda to weaken
the status and influence of India’s indigenous religions i.e. Buddhism,
Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism.
The Head
of the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies at Banares Hindu University –
Prof. Siddharth Singh on a recent visit to Sri Lanka even appealed to the Sri
Lankan Government to take up the issue at the highest levels of Indian
Government to help restore Pali as a subject for the IAS Exam.
Sri
Lanka’s Foreign Ministry’s response
The
question is what is the response of the Sri Lankan Government in particular the
Sri Lankan External Affairs Ministry? Their
stock lame excuse concerning any issue with Buddhists has been they do not have
comprehensive information on this matter (see article ‘Pali shown the door
in Buddha’s land’ ‘Daily Mirror’ – October 2, 2013).
What
attempt was made to seek such information from people and institutions that
matter? Is ‘lack of comprehensive
information’ a satisfactory excuse for an important Ministry? Do they expect
people to provide information on a platter? Is it not the duty of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs to be pro – active on matters of concern to the Buddhist
public of Sri Lanka? Where is the leadership and interest on matters affecting
Buddhists and Buddhism?
Is the External Ministry not violating
its obligation to Sri Lanka’s Constitution by adopting a very lack lustre
approach to Buddhist issues?
The Sri Lankan Government and in particular the Sri Lankan President needs to
realize that the External Affairs Ministry may well be purposely side-lining
Buddhist concerns and we would like to know on whose authority this is being
done. Surely the President and his coterie of advisors must inform him that side
lining of Buddhists will have repercussions as his popularity rests with the
solid backing he gets from his Southern vote block and it is this vote block
that will be tested at the 2014 Presidential election for which opponents are
already planting the venom unbeknown to the President or his team. Only time
will tell just how ‘friends’ would have betrayed and deserted camp and it would
be too late. Leaders must always be on the right side of history.
Despite
having 3 missions in India, the South Asian or SAARC Division of the External
Affairs Ministry is conspicuously silent on all matters concerning Buddhists.
It has chosen not to even include the omission of Pali at any of the bilateral
discussions being held with India given that the Indian External Affairs
Minister Mr. Salman Khurshid is at present in Sri Lanka coaxing Sri Lanka to
sign the Sampoor Agreement for India to announce the presence of Manmohan Singh
at the CHOGM to be held in November. We are likely to place our entire country
at risk and pledge future generations for electricity manipulation by India
just to get an Indian Prime Minister to attend CHOGM in November!
It is
obvious that India is today the victim of crass multiculturalism and India’s
Buddhist - Hindu heritage is gaining step motherly treatment in India no
different to the manner Sri Lanka’s Buddhists are feeling marginalized. We
believe Hindu India now needs a Modi to bring India’s Hindu heritage back where
it belongs.
What is
important with the issue of the removal of Pali is that the Indian Government
has yet to provide an acceptable reason for its removal which has made the
Ambedkar Buddhists wonder whether the plot is something far bigger. This itself
should have made the External Ministry of Sri Lanka keep tab on the
developments. With a dedicated desk for the entire South Asia what is the
Ministry doing if it does not know what goes on in just 8 of the SAARC
countries?
If India is standing to lose its
respect among Buddhist countries of the world, would Sri Lanka’s silence on the
matter tantamount to the same?
What is
the problem for Sri Lankan officials not to take up the issue of Pali with the
Indian Government? Sri Lanka is a country built up substantially by Sinhala
Buddhists, its Kings and rulers were Buddhist and continue to remain so. Just
because some foreign invaders ruled for over 400 years does it mean the country
has to copy ONLY what the West forcibly shoved down our throats? Pali is the
language of the Buddha, it is the foundation of Buddha’s teachings. However,
India though attempting to use Buddhism as a soft power diplomatic tool is now
backtracking from recognising Pali as a classical language in India.
Urdu
not given step motherly treatment like Pali
Dr.
Singh has articulated what Sri Lanka’s leaders are afraid to do "why not
the Indian government can show the courage to touch Urdu language…. they cannot
dare to touch Urdu because Urdu belongs to the Islam religion, because of the
numbers."’ (number of Urdu participants are lesser than Pali)….."Just
because the Buddhist population cannot have that much of an effect in the
political scene in India, Buddhist are being made to suffer due to less
population and Pali was removed without giving it due consideration. Pali is
important to Buddhists as Urdu for Muslims," he pointed out.
Is
Sri Lanka going to silently accept the exclusion of Pali just as it showed a
very tame approach to the Buddha Gaya bombings or the loud speakers at a
recently established Muslim mosque in Buddha Gaya constantly disturbing through
its shrieking call to prayer the solemn peaceful environment of the Maha Bodhi
Temple at Buddha Gaya?
If
India can make umpteen demands and our representative meekly accepts and gives
in without placing a single demand from India in return what is the use of such
a Ministry?
The
External Affairs Ministry was quick to convene recently a meeting of 15 Muslim
Ambassadors with the President of Sri Lanka to assure Sri Lanka’s wholehearted
support to the Islamic world. The Minister took no such initiative on
Bangladesh or Myanmar in calling the Ambassadors of Buddhist countries to
develop a strategy for common action despite the Islamic incursions and his
singular ‘stand offish’ approach towards Buddhism and global Buddhist issues is
causing the entire nation and its President embarrassment amongst the Buddhist
public and the Buddhist world. Leadership is lacking where it is most wanted.
Someone must be held accountable for these inexcusable lapses.
The
silence of the Parliamentary opposition on matters of grave concern to the
Buddhists on a continuing basis and the resulting outcome of Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe
and the UNP being kept in the political Opposition by the clout of
the Buddhist voters says it all.
As
a leading Buddhist nation, Sri Lanka’s President on behalf of the Buddhists in
Sri Lanka and the world over must appeal to India and convey to the Indian
leaders not to turn its back on its Buddhist heritage and abandon in particular
the Pali – the language that Buddhism was spread globally.
In
view of Pali being an ecclesiastical language of Buddhism and very close to
Magadhi (language of the Buddha) the Buddhists of Sri Lanka will give their
whole hearted backing to the President and the Government of Sri Lanka in any
such endeavour.
Shenali
D. Waduge