Archaeology Professor Raj Somadeva has said that it is clear from the statement of State Minister Sanath Nishantha that many people have not read a single book after going to school.
During a program aired last night on Neth FM radio, journalist Nuwan Liyanage asked Professor Raj Somadeva whether we are a nation that started from the Puttalam district.
The immediate reason for this was the statement made by State Minister Sanath Nishantha in a political rally held in Arachchikattu recently that the Sinhalese nation started from Puttalam.
Answering that, Professor Raj Somadeva said:
That is what is taught in schools. Not only in the school, but in our education stream, we say that there is historical news based on the Mahawanshaya. When it is said that a person named Vijaya came with a group and landed at Thammanna, this Thammanna is in the north-west part of the country.
In that sense, Puttalam district is correct. What I understood from that is that we as academics have a big responsibility. That statement was made by a gentleman who is involved in the country’s politics. They represent the country.
If they are in such a position regarding the history of the country, it is not a good situation. If we talk about history, we have to tell a lot of real information. That is what that gentleman and other women and men of the country have learned from history.
They have changed a lot with recent research. From that we understand that many people have not read a single book after going to school. No one would have said that if they had listened to this program.
I have to say that the statement was made based on that old knowledge. So if we look at the truth of that statement after refreshing the knowledge, we do not see that the statement has much meaning. We ask all the mentioned gentlemen and the unmentioned gentlemen if they are to talk about the history of the country, the religious history of the country’s population, and talk about them in a responsible way.
There is no way that we can move society and a country by using knowledge. It is a serious statement to say that the Sinhalese nation begins in Puttalam. It would be good if at least from now on made such statements after referring to updated historical knowledge.
