BhadrajiJayatilaka.com

When Ajith heard these words he could see a fire enveloping him. A cold shudder ran through his entire body. Scared by this mental visual he ran into the house. That evening Ajith had a wish high fever.

“Our son had gotten scared by something,” Mallika Henegama told her husband.

“He must have gotten the fever because he misses his big brother,” Ajith heard Victor whispering.

Ajith truly felt the loss of his brother. As if a great gloom of misfortune had covered this entire household and the lives. It was this day that he had the thought that everything was an illusionary dream that ends in death. But he did not understand why such fear came upon him by hearing the word inferno. It was a feeling of burning in a great fire.

He remembered how even as a small child he had run away from the bonfire at the end of the yard where all the refuse was burned. Ajith remembered himself screaming from the bottom of his throat when his brother tried to pick him up once and pretended to throw him in the fire. Did he get the fever now on remembering that incident of a fire connected with his brother? That day, brother got a good beating from their mother for scaring him like that.

Memories about brother renewed within Ajith. Brother’s problems were all over now. But the revolution would not come to an end. There were more news about terrorists raising their heads in south as well in the north.

He had come to Jaffna with an army unit to control such terrorist activities. The Tigers of the North were fear inducing words. Within Ajith there was a sympathy towards the Tamil people in general. They were also suffering because of the threats of the Tiger terrorists. Innocent people were dying because of the their acts. He felt that the Tigers were not human but a cruel animal species. But there was no way one could discern which ones among the people he was passing by were Tigers in human clothing. All that the army could do was try and suppress the Tigers. to go in a convoy like this was itself a courageous act which gave strength to the natives’ hearts. The presence of the army itself was a threat aimed at the terrorists. As he wished that some comfort and service was given to the people by his presence in a uniform, Ajith felt a warmth in his heart. Was not his traveling upon this burning scorching parched earth itself a sacrifice to his motherland and his race?

“Sir, what are you thinking about?” The driver, Manathunga’s voice brought Ajith back to the real world.

“M….no.. I was wondering how courageous these people are to grow everything in this desert and live here.”

“They are clever people, that’s true…. The only fault is that some of them have made that cleverness into evil.”

“Well, Manathunga, some people want to own the earth. In the end we all become dust in the same earth.”

“Looks like you have no desire for any of this, sir.”

“Why be greedy, Manathunga? But at a certain age, one thinks that one can change the entire world with a revolution. My only elder brother thought like that and destroyed his life.”

” When was that?”

” In 1971… Just as the revolution was breaking.”

Manathunga made a “Chack ” noise. “Look, sir we all know of someone who died like that. Just like the story of Kisa Gothami. No one of us can find a mustard seed from a house where no one had died.”

“Where are we now?”

“Just before Achchuveliya. There you can see the bridge and the sea.”

“How good this area would be if it was a little cooler? Then the trees would grow real green and beautiful.”

“That’s why the people who are burning here want half of our country.”

“So is there any restrictions for anyone to go anywhere?”

I don’t know, sir. The situation is getting worse by the minute.”

in the silence Ajith remembered the two dead bodies he saw yesterday morning at Point Pedro. One was that of a police sergeant. The other body was that of a man suspected of spying and supplying information to the army. Both were Tamils. Both had died in the hands of terrorist of their own race. Near the bicycle of the police sergeant was his headless body. Scattered around were his arms and legs. His head was a little further away on a mound of sand. The other’s hands and feet had been tied and he had been shot in the mouth. From that gunshot his skull had been blown to pieces. On seeing this gruesome sight several people threw up. Ajith also vomited. Earlier in Puttur, he had seen people hanging from lampposts. Ajith felt that the people in Colombo had not yet realized the gravity of the terrorist acts in the North.

For what sort of victory were these people killing their own? It was on facing such gruesome scenes that he felt that the situation was getting worse day by day.

When a large group went about carrying guns there was a strength in the number. One could feel that one could face the Tiger terrorists and fight with them to the end and win. But when would this fighting ever be over?

The convoy of jeeps passed Putthur and went on towards Niveli. Gradually, the sun turned westward. The golden glow was covering everything as if to hide the human emotions such as sorrow, fear and pain. But some of the buildings that were bathed in the golden hue were half burned down. Or else there were bullet holes disfiguring them. These were views that could not be camouflaged by the golden light of the sun.

Before reaching Niveli the caravan of jeeps suddenly stopped. The cellular phone message from the front revealed that there was engine trouble in one of the vehicles ahead.

All the soldiers got out of the vehicles and started to walk about. Though their guns were not drawn they were ready at any moment. No one wanted to venture too far. In being together there was a strength and a courage.

Ajith also got down from his jeep with Manathunga. Some lit up cigarettes. Ajith was a non-smoker. Looking to the right of the vehicle he noticed a tobacco field not too far away. A boy who came out of a nearby hut kept staring in fear and doubt. Ajith guessed that the boy must be about ten or eleven years old. He wore only a short sarong. His dark body was skinny. A certain sympathy was born within Ajith towards the boy. “We come and go. But this little one has to face this war every single day and keep living here.” Ajith thought.

In the next moment, a woman’s voice came out of the hut. “Vasantharaja… Enga vanga….”