This is a world where marketing plays key role and it is very important to live knowing this reality, or one will be miserably under the grip of this marketing society. We should aware that these marketing people will try to sell caps even to someone who does not have a head. Marketing is no longer selling consumer commodities and services, rather selling of everything including individuals, and no exception for ideologies and politicians.
Sometimes back, opposition leader Ranil Wickramasingha was spending most of his time meeting foreign leaders to get their support in ousting President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an international conspiracy. After failing to grab the power using foreign political forces, at last, Ranil has fallen back onto his own feet and these days he is walking from village to village and from market to market trying to sell hunger which is UNP’s new political commodity.
It is shamed that, throughout the history, hunger and food has been one of the key commodity in fooling the voters. “Giving eight pounds of grains for free”, “Bringing rice even from the moon”, “Giving bread at Rs 3.50” were few of the famous promises in the past. But we all know that those were mere promises to fool the ignorant voters.
These petty politicians who pretend as sympathetic for the people, never present a proper plan on ways to increase agricultural production, rather their short political history clearly shows their true attitude towards agriculture.
Like any other eastern countries, Sri Lanka culture has been raised on agriculture. Asian giants including China, India and Japan has always shown their due concern for agriculture in the march towards prosperity.
Only those political heads mold on western Anglican machinery thinks that agriculture is a hindrance to development or shameful profession.
A country must be developed based on its social and cultural roots considering its historical core strengths.
It is good to see that current government has shown great interest on these value propositions and come up with good action plan to develop the agricultural sector.
If every family has a well managed home garden, we should not even think of the term ‘hunger’. Of course, the image of ‘lumpant’ consumer developed by marketing sector that depends on sausages, fast foods and carbonated drinks may never be satisfied in any time.
It is well known fact that during world war II, people of Sri Lnaka willingly choose to depend on petty grains like 'Buddgerry'. It was a war faugt in the name of the king of Britain. Now we are wining the our own war against terrorism and why not sacrifice a bit in the name of our future generations! Throughout the history, Sinhalese have never been known to be greedy.
How they eat:
"Their Diet and ordinary fare is but very mean, as to our account. If they have but Rice and Salt in their house, they reckon they want for nothing. For with a few green Leaves and the juice of a Lemmon with Pepper and Salt, they will make a hearty meal. Beef here may not be eaten; it is abominable: Flesh and Fish is somewhat scarce. And that little of it they have, they had rather sell to get money to keep, then eat it themselves: neither is there any but outlandish men, that will buy any of them. It is they indeed do eat the fat and best of the Land. Nor is it counted any shame or disgrace, to be a niggard and sparing in diet; but rather a credit even to the greatest of them, that they can fare hard and suffer hunger, which they say, Soldiers ought to be able to endure."
- An Historical Relation Of the Island CEYLON - Robert Knox.
In the last election, people of this country decided that their head and spinal chord is more important than belly. We are now winning the war against terrorism which was branded as ‘miserable war’ by incompetent and feeble leaders. It is now the time for all Sri Lankans, including great farming community in Jafna, to come forward to win the fight against hunger and let the bankrupt politicians to keep on walking from market to market until their feet get wear and tear.
