COLOMBO: A Buddhist monk in ochre robes, with a black mask and a colourful umbrella, stood on the road next to the Bank of Ceylon in Colombo on Thursday, handing out blessings and goodies from a wide-mouthed steel bowl. His hefty build is the only sign that Sugatha Sara wasn’t always a monk — he was a soldier in the Sri Lankan army for 12 years during the war with the LTTE. He says he quit, sickened by the killings.
So, why has he come out of the Sri Dharmawardana Ram Vihar, the Buddhist temple in suburban Colombo where he lives and works, and rarely leaves. The monk says he was disturbed by the economic crisis and the growing unrest across Sri Lanka. “I wanted to help the poor in these troubled times,” he says. “It is the command of the people that the leader should resign,” he adds.
Asked about his army days, the monk says he enlisted at 18. “I was with Regiment 346. My final mission was in Vadamarachchi (in Jaffna peninsula) on May 26, 1987. It was Sri Lanka’s largest combined services operation. Several LTTE members were killed in the massive operation,” he says.
“I suddenly realised the killings were pointless. War is not profitable to people. Everything is destroyed. ” So, Sugatha Sara gave up war and decided to help the poor — both Sinhalese and Tamils. On Thursday he stood serenely as protests raged around him. People walked up to him, some bringing offerings. He accepts them and promptly gives them away along with his blessings.
So, why has he come out of the Sri Dharmawardana Ram Vihar, the Buddhist temple in suburban Colombo where he lives and works, and rarely leaves. The monk says he was disturbed by the economic crisis and the growing unrest across Sri Lanka. “I wanted to help the poor in these troubled times,” he says. “It is the command of the people that the leader should resign,” he adds.
Asked about his army days, the monk says he enlisted at 18. “I was with Regiment 346. My final mission was in Vadamarachchi (in Jaffna peninsula) on May 26, 1987. It was Sri Lanka’s largest combined services operation. Several LTTE members were killed in the massive operation,” he says.
“I suddenly realised the killings were pointless. War is not profitable to people. Everything is destroyed. ” So, Sugatha Sara gave up war and decided to help the poor — both Sinhalese and Tamils. On Thursday he stood serenely as protests raged around him. People walked up to him, some bringing offerings. He accepts them and promptly gives them away along with his blessings.
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