Travels in the North
First things first, personal space, lines/queues, toilet paper and basic manners are nonexistent in Sri Lanka. This is a fact that has to be accepted when coming here. You have to adapt to this. For example if traveling by bus you can’t just sit next to the window and enjoy the hot dusty air in your face, at any moment someone will lean over you and spit beetle juice out the window as though you weren’t sitting there. Don’t expect an “excuse me sir do you mind moving your face while I spit”. This is Sri Lanka. Always assume you have to be in a rush if someone else is in a rush as lines don’t exist here and patience is not a virtue. The bus stopped at the Omanthai check point while I was on my way to Jaffna and people started pushing past one another to leave the bus. I waited patiently, walked over to the counter, showed my passport, turned around… and saw the bus drive away without me. I went to the corner shop for a Fanta, was forced to settle for a Miranda instead and waited for the next bus. As soon as I saw it I joined the shoving match and found myself a seat, slowly going native without ever realizing it. My advice take the night train, less spiting smells better and you feel like you’re in an Indiana jones movie.I work for the Foundation of Goodness (FOG), a local non-profit that specializes in empowering rural communities. FOG was founded by Kushil Gunasekera, a successful business man turned philanthropist. While working here I’ve spent a lot of my time traveling back and forth between Colombo and the North mostly to help organize a cricket tournament named after the cricketing legend Muthiah Muralidaran. Because the Sri Lankan army was in charge of venue preparation, accommodation, transport, catering and entertainment I spent a lot of time with them. Being Tamil, I was a bit wary in the beginning but it turned out to be a very enlightening experience. While traveling I stayed in old LTTE camps, army bases, and a Chinese temp home. I had French brandy, pizza and fries (fried using coconut oil…amazing!). While enjoying a drink with my new found buddies I asked: “Who supplies the weapons, America or Russia?” He answered China. I asked if they were any good. He laughed and said “a lot better than their phones”. I’m sure China and India will continue to fight over the influence on this island for years to come and I’m almost certain the army is never going to leave the North. Maybe it will be a good thing, to be honest, in a country of inefficient people, working with the army was quite refreshing. They are what the people aren’t, patient, disciplined, and organized.
Back to cricket….The Murali Cup matches were held in the northern part of Sri Lanka; Vavuniya, Jaffna, Mankulam, Kilinochchi and Oddusudan. The Jaffna boys were my team; I did everything I could to cheer them on with what little Tamil I knew. I travelled with them, helped them carry their equipment and even repeated phrases the coaches were screaming. Against all odds we got to the finals and lost to St. Peters, Colombo. Out of all the schools to lose to we had to lose to a rich private school from Colombo. I was pretty devastated and the kids were sad too but the overall project was a complete success. Players from the Sri Lankan national team came to each venue where they spent time coaching the kids, signed a few autographs and most importantly brought positive attention and energy to the North. The Murali cup gave the northern boys the opportunity to showcase their talents, meet their childhood heroes and most importantly made them feel important and not forgotten. The best part? One of my Jaffna boys was spotted by a recruiter and if all goes well, may get a chance to play for a club team in Colombo. Maybe this kid will become the next great Tamil cricket star and will help continue this tournament for years to come.Sivashankar Krishnakumar
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