I wish to raise an issue regarding the state emblem which may be of interest to many readers.

In 1972, when the Republican Constitution was enacted repealing the 1947 Constitution, it also replaced the state emblem which was in usage from 1948.

The new emblem retained the sword-wielding lion on a red background encircled by decorative ‘pala pethi’ (split-petals) design from the earlier Emblem and added a ‘punkalasa’ (The full pot) or the symbol of plenty, two stalks of paddy and the sun and the moon.

It is the sun and the moon in the state emblem that this letter is concerned with.

In our classical literature as well as in folk poetry, the sun and moon are often referred to as celestial beings - (Hiru Deviyo) Sun- God and (Sanda Deviyo) Moon-God. In the popular mind they are associated as celestial beings - and such beings are as appearing in the sky above. The sun and moon have also been sculptured on the four cornered enclosure known as the ‘hatares kotuwa’ or the tee found over the dome of a dagoba and just below the spire that forms the crest or the pinnacle.

The earliest such evidence is the Ruwanweliseya built by King Dutugemunu (161-137 BC) displaying the sun on the four sides of the ‘hatares kotuwa’.

In the light of a background in which pride of place has been given to the Sun and Moon from very early times, have we erred in demoting them to ground level and is the country continuing to pay for any possible ill-effects of such action?

In the multi-coloured state emblem we have adopted, pride of place is given to the traditional sword-wielding Lion.

It is encircled by a decorative circle of flower petals and an outer border consisting of two grain-bearing stalks of paddy originating from a ‘punkalasa’ at the base of the emblem.

At the apex is the Dhamma Chakka or the wheel of righteousness.

The punkalasa, with the moon on its left and dime sun on its right, forms the base of the emblem.

Thus the sun and the moon remain ‘surrounded’ at base level.

In addition, the sun and moon that are always referred to in that order in normal parlance, have changed their places too in the emblem with the moon on the left and the sun on the right.

In temple paintings and decorative motifs, the sun is accommodated on the left and moon on the right either peering down from the sky or adorning the crest of a decoration.

Ours is a land in which adherence to superstitious beliefs has no limits besides the observance of religious traditions.

The vast majority, from the highest to the lowest in the land, believes in auspicious times and avoidance of astrologically bad times (rahu kaalayas etc).

Advices are sought from astrologers (who are having a rollicking time these days) not only to find auspicious times but also to know the direction to be faced in performing an important act and even which foot to be placed first - the left or the right when setting out on an important mission.

Very often, pictures appear in newspapers of anxious VIPs checking their wristwatches awaiting the auspicious time either to lay a foundation stone or to place pen to paper on assuming office.

We are so superstitious that even funerals are not held on Tuesdays and Fridays.

It is in the background of such an environment and unable to understand the mystery behind the vicissitudes that our country have been going through at regular intervals since the sun and moon were ‘grounded’ in 1978, this request is being made through the columns of your esteemed journal.

Could a knowledgeable person enlighten us as to whether our highly superstitious nation has ‘offended’ the sun and moon after centuries of veneration, by placing high above them in the state emblem a sword-wielding ferocious, carnivorous animal (although it is referred to as symbolically representing the sovereignty, independence, majesty and power of the nation) and whether that can be a possible cause for the ups and downs, and never-ending problems which the country has been experiencing ever since 1972 when this state emblem was christened with the Constitution.

The following unfortunate and tragic events, which our country has faced since 1972 almost at regular intervals readily come to my mind.

1978 - The very Constitution which introduced this emblem was repealed after a bare five years and has entered into our history as the most short-lived Sri Lankan Constitution.

1980 July - The mammoth general strike by public service and corporation employees that resulted in thousands losing jobs and many strikers committing suicide, bringing untold misery to a large number of families.

1983 July - The ethnic riots in which a large number of people lost their lives and others lost millions of rupees worth of property.

1988 - A fresh insurrection by the JVP resulting in large losses of public and private property and loss of lives of hundreds of civilians and insurgents.

1993 - Assassinations of President Premadasa and leading politician Lalith Atulathmudali

1994 - Assassination of Presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake

December 2004 - 40,000 precious lives of coastal dwellers were taken away in a flash along with destruction of property on an unprecedented scale by a half-hour Tsunami strike.

1983-2009 - The worst of all - the civil war which dragged on for nearly 30 years and destroyed the lives of over 60,000, displaced tens of thousands from their homes, destroyed millions of rupees worth of property and totally devastated a part of the country.

As the country begins to recover from the ravages of a civil war, an unanticipated deep divide seemingly unbridgeable has arisen in the country with the two figures hailed as the leading war heroes who brought the long-needed peace to the country opposing each other, for the post of president - an unfortunate development deeply regretted by all national-minded citizens in the country.

With every passing day in the run-up to the election, the divide continues to widen at a critical juncture in the country’s history when there should be a united leadership to recover from the destruction and severe setbacks which have taken the country backward by a couple of decades.

Mud is being liberally slung at each other by rival camps at public rallies and in the print and electronic media at rival candidates vying to be the number one citizen in the country.

If the ‘mud’ that are slung is the kind of stuff that could be scooped up from irrigation tanks and channels, it would have at least performed a useful function in that they would have unknowingly de-silted quite a number of irrigation tanks and channels and benefited the community. When viewed that way it is our misfortune that mud- slinging is only in the form of verbal abuse and poisonous pens and physical mud remains untouched.

Years ago, when a spell of misfortunes befell the country it was believed that it was due to the ill-effects arising from an alleged error in the metric rendering of a line in the National Anthem "Namo Namo Matha’ that was sung at the most important national functions in the country.

After much discussion for a number of years the first two words in the first line - ‘Namo Namo’ were replaced with ‘Sri Lanka’ on the recommendation of several scholars of oriental music.

While the national song is made use of only at national and public functions (and they also do not take place everyday) it is not so with the state emblem.

The latter is permanently displayed prominently in all government establishments, even painted on government vehicles, on uniforms, blazers/caps of national players and are made use of thousands of times every day in State correspondence.

In view of such wide usage of the state emblem, it may be worthwhile to appoint a committee of knowledgeable people to study and ascertain whether the present state emblem requires any modification in the background of religio-cultural traditions supplemented by superstitious beliefs and make suitable amends (if necessary) to realize the fervent hope of all citizens for a durable peace, ethnic harmony, stability and development.