{"quotes":[{"text":"Malin had been born and bred in an upper-class family. Was that the cause of his dissillusionment and bitterness with that way of life? The way he could have peace of mind therefore, was by detaching himself from that way of life and battling against it. Would Prince Siddharta have renounced the world if he had been born into poverty?","author":"මාර්ටින් වික්‍රමසිංහ","tags":["buddha","buddhism","prince-siddharta","sinhalese","srilanka","uprooted","village"],"id":9073,"author_id":"%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%8F%E0%B6%BB%E0%B7%8A%E0%B6%A7%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%B1%E0%B7%8A+%E0%B7%80%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%9A%E0%B7%8A%E2%80%8D%E0%B6%BB%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%83%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%82%E0%B7%84"},{"text":"Maggie was ten years younger than him. Being cross-cousins, they lived in the same compound, in the same two houses that still existed. When their parents told him to take her for his wife, there was nothing for him to think deep into the matter. They simply obeyed their parents. Accordingly, she came over to sleep in his house. In this, manner they remained as man and wife for a period of over thirty years.","author":"Swarnakanthi Rajapakse","tags":["caste","cinnamon-gardens","cousin-marriage","cross-cousins","culture","drummers","sinhalese","srilanka","village"],"id":21686,"author_id":"Swarnakanthi+Rajapakse"},{"text":"Killing life in whatever way, will drag you along the hell's way.","author":"Swarnakanthi Rajapakse","tags":["caste","cinnamon-gardens","culture","drummers","karma","sinhalese","srilanka","village"],"id":26014,"author_id":"Swarnakanthi+Rajapakse"},{"text":"Her heart filled with boundless love that surged anew for her father. She felt like rushing to him and planting a quick kiss on his cheek the way she used to when she was a small girl. However, these villagers are not in the habit of kissing their offspring after they grow up. They show their love and affection by stroking their heads, addressing them in endearing words and blessing them.","author":"Swarnakanthi Rajapakse","tags":["caste","cinnamon-gardens","culture","drummers","parents-and-children","sinhalese","srilanka","village"],"id":28893,"author_id":"Swarnakanthi+Rajapakse"},{"text":"The two qualities essential to a good man were honesty and compassion, Malin felt. His father lived his life as if he had rejected these qualities. Saviman Kabalana reasoned that loving kindness and compassion were weaknesses. Therefore he hid behind a mask that concealed his innate human qualities of love and kindness, both in his office and at home.","author":"මාර්ටින් වික්‍රමසිංහ","tags":["family","parents-and-children","sinhalese","srilanka","uprooted","village"],"id":50499,"author_id":"%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%8F%E0%B6%BB%E0%B7%8A%E0%B6%A7%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%B1%E0%B7%8A+%E0%B7%80%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%9A%E0%B7%8A%E2%80%8D%E0%B6%BB%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%83%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%82%E0%B7%84"},{"text":"A village woman from a poor family may violate the code of propriety, not because of poverty, but because she has been the victim of the menace of male predators. A woman from a family of the gentry, would never be the victim of such intimidation. Moreover the women of the gentry were bonded to follow their code of conduct and not to transgress, by generations of breeding.","author":"මාර්ටින් වික්‍රමසිංහ","tags":["culture","sinhalese","srilanka","uprooted","village","women"],"id":69677,"author_id":"%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%8F%E0%B6%BB%E0%B7%8A%E0%B6%A7%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%B1%E0%B7%8A+%E0%B7%80%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%9A%E0%B7%8A%E2%80%8D%E0%B6%BB%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%83%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%82%E0%B7%84"},{"text":"Families could often trace their lineage back several centuries. Their livelihood was earned from drum playing, a service considered to be dis-respectable. As members of a low caste, the drummers were forbidden to build decent houses. There were allowed to build wattle and daub huts, and to live rent-free on their patrons' properties. The right to own the country's land was restricted in this manner, a vicious condition that arose through tradition and was reinforced by law. Patterns of financial power and political hierarchy existed hand in hand.","author":"Swarnakanthi Rajapakse","tags":["caste","cinnamon-gardens","culture","drummers","sinhalese","srilanka"],"id":80405,"author_id":"Swarnakanthi+Rajapakse"},{"text":"Even though we are supposed to be low caste and poor our vote also has the same value and validity as that of great people.","author":"Swarnakanthi Rajapakse","tags":["caste","cinnamon-gardens","culture","drummers","sinhalese","srilanka","village"],"id":80711,"author_id":"Swarnakanthi+Rajapakse"},{"text":"An outsider's inquisitiveness to know another's private affairs is natural, but not so in children with respect to their parents. Children know the overt personal life of their parents. It is a crime for children to probe into mistakes made by their parents, like detectives looking for evidence of crimes. Any man can make mistakes, however good he may be. It is wrong for children to inquisitively probe into their parents' lives, and have fun or show anger over what they uncover. It is like digging into the heads of ancient statues in search of archaeological artefacts. Nanda spoke with anger.","author":"මාර්ටින් වික්‍රමසිංහ","tags":["culture","parents-and-children","sinhalese","srilanka"],"id":99225,"author_id":"%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%8F%E0%B6%BB%E0%B7%8A%E0%B6%A7%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%B1%E0%B7%8A+%E0%B7%80%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%9A%E0%B7%8A%E2%80%8D%E0%B6%BB%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%83%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%82%E0%B7%84"},{"text":"Chamari: 'Aravinda, have you been to Kataragama?'Aravinda: 'No, I've never been there.'Chamari: 'What? That's unbelievable for someone born in Deniyaya!'Aravinda: 'Going to Kataragama is not a custom of the rural folk. It is the middle class and wealthy urban people, not the villagers, who venerate the Kataragama god. He is the god of the urbanities. The villagers have now started to imitate the urban people.'Chamari:'I thought even villagers used to go to Kataragama long ago.'Aravinda: 'No, It came from the rich urban Sinhalese of the towns who followed the rich Hindus.","author":"මාර්ටින් වික්‍රමසිංහ","tags":["culture","kataragama","sinhalese","srilanka","uprooted","urban","village"],"id":105972,"author_id":"%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%8F%E0%B6%BB%E0%B7%8A%E0%B6%A7%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%B1%E0%B7%8A+%E0%B7%80%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%9A%E0%B7%8A%E2%80%8D%E0%B6%BB%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%83%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%82%E0%B7%84"}],"pagination":{"page":1,"page_size":10,"total":32,"pages":4,"next":"?page=2\u0026page_size=10"}}