As the ‘
annus
horribilis’ that was 2020 winds its way to a close, waves of racism, chauvinism and fear mongering unleashed on the people by this Government’s tom-tom beaters, including electronic media moghuls fattened by ill gotten gains, continue unabated. That these ugly forces will inevitably go beyond the point of control with catastrophic effects is now a near-certainty.
A misbegotten witchdoctor and his portion
Already the signs of impending catastrophe are manifest. How is it that a witch doctor from Kegalle touting an untested ‘cure’ for covid19 was able to berate the Chief Priest of the Atamasthanaya at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, one of the most venerated sites for Buddhists in Sri Lanka, when he was not allowed to peddle his tonic at the Bodhi. His ranting, ‘I am Kali and I am your mother’ to the head priest was sheer gripping drama albeit of a spectacularly hideous kind. But the point is that he did this and got away unscathed.