A day in the life of Sri Lanka
Despite the industrialisation policy adopted
by successive governments, the vast majority of the
Sri Lankan population works in agriculture. Work in
the fields or in the fisherman's villages makes up the
daily life of three-quarters of the island's inhabitants,
while urban life is essentially concentrated around
Colombo with its population of 2 million.
The villagers of the Sri Lankan countryside are very
hospitable and the air of equality and dignity is very
different from the social tensions that haunt the city.
A simple, austere life
Living in the countryside
The corner shop
The market
Chewing betel
Bath time
Education for all
Life is often frugal and not always easy in the country.
There are still families living below the poverty line,
working tiny plots of land. Usury is common practice,
because more than a quarter of farmers do not own their
land and have to give half the produce from the fields
they farm to their sponsors. Monthly earnings average
about US$90 when the monsoon is kind. At this level,
every penny counts. Enough has be put aside for seed,
fertiliser or renting agricultural machinery, and enough
must be produced to ensure a daily minimum ration of
a kilogram of rice for a family of four people. Many families
count on supplementary revenue by sending one of their
members to work as a salaried employee in the plantations
in the centre of the island, or by choosing to go and
settle on one of the new areas of colonised land in
the dry zone.
Living in the countryside |
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Two things usually betray the presence of a Sri Lankan
village. A bus stop, identifiable by its sign with its
symbol of an ancient vehicle, and the presence of one
or more shops, which not only act as supply centres,
but also as places to meet and do business.
Small concrete houses, like the ones in the suburbs
of Colombo, are now found across the entire island.
When travelling off the beaten track, simple huts standing
on beaten earth or adobe huts may sometimes be encountered,
a throwback to days gone by. Since
the standard of living does not always permit young
people to build a new house for themselves, two or three
generations often live under the same roof in rural
areas.
Known as the kopi kade or te kade, these are grocery
shops selling betel leaves to chew, tea and biscuits,
coconut oil for cooking, and kerosene for lamps, since
many villages are without electricity. Everything is
bought in small quantities and what is more, everything
can be bought on credit. The newspaper is the pivot
of the village's social life. Bought at the kade, the
customers go over the births, marriages and deaths columns
with a fine toothcomb, or find subjects for debate such
as politics and tax increases. When the news has been
digested, the newspaper still serves as a tablecloth
or as wrapping for tealeaves and sugar.
The Sunday market, which generally takes place at the
village crossroads, complements the kade. Among the
vegetable stalls are others selling manufactured products
essential to everyday life, like clothes, cooking utensils,
mirrors and bars of soap.
Five hundred million people chew betel across Asia.
The recipe for the mixture might vary a great deal between
individuals, but the basic ingredients are always the
same. Betel is the leaf or fruit of a type of pear tree.
It contains an aromatic essential oil with a burning
taste. The leaves are given a coating of slaked lime
before being rolled round a crushed betel nut containing
the tannins that turn saliva and teeth red. Chewing
betel acts as a tonic, an antiseptic, a purifier, and
refreshes the breath. However, today it has lost its
traditional value as a token hospitality during ceremonies
and has less of a following amongst the younger generation.
Very few houses have running water so, like the kade,
other sources of water play both a functional and social
role in country life. As in most Asian countries, a
bath is a daily ritual. Children swim and splash about,
but adults rarely bathe in the water. They wash themselves
with the aid of a scoop and the whole ritual is accompanied
by a great soaping operation. Firstly they wet their
knees then gradually work their way up to their hair,
which they rinse with buckets of water. Men take their
bath sitting on their haunches, preferably in the morning
or evening, before or after their daily tasks.
Women tie a light cotton cloth around their chests,
which leaves their shoulders bare but stretches down
to their ankles. They go to the well, the reservoir
or an irrigation channel, at any time of the day, usually
accompanied by their young children. When they have
had their bath, they begin laundering clothes or washing
dishes, chatting to their neighbours all the while.
Successive governments can be justifiably proud of
having given top priority to education. Today, more
than 90% of the population can read and write and there
are many young people, even in rural areas, who are
pursuing secondary education.
Whether in town or in the country, school is compulsory
from the age of six. Each morning, children dressed
in their white uniform can be seen going off to school
all over the island. After morning roll call, the day's
lessons begin with a Buddhist, Muslim or Christian prayer,
depending on the school and where it is located. The
school forms a micro-society inherited from the British
colonial organisation in which sport plays a key part.
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