During the height of the British administration, almost all ‘natives’ who had to communicate with their British masters, spoke to the latter in the English they knew. Different grades of officials were differently competent in English. The Mudaliar types, although rich, influential and socialized with British Government Agents and Tea Planters, invariably knew only a smattering of English. The story goes that a Mudaliar once invited a GA who was interested in hunting and told him, "Sir, there are lot of hares in my backside"!

Waiters, appus and gardeners also conversed with Europeans in English. An English planter once, finding that a patch of cabbage laid by him behind the bungalow had been damaged, made enquiries from the gardener. The latter had answered, "Sir, Sir, all cabbages Wal Oor Bing Haar". So it is clear indeed that English had been spoken "our way" even in the past.

At the time I joined the Police, over 50 years ago, all official records and correspondence were in English. Senior officers at their inspections of police stations not only made notes in English but spoke to the Sergeants and Constables in English. I still remember some of the many yarns about the "Our English" of the Police of the bygone days.

IGP Herbert Dowbiggin, who studied the personal records of the officers at a police station prior to an inspection, would, whilst inspecting the parade, stop in front of an officer and ask a question or two. One day, whilst at an inspection, he had stopped near a PC and asked, "PC Arnolis, how is your wife now?" (She had been ill according to the Service Record of the PC.). "Like Chillies Sir, she is angry because I polish the shoes all night". Dowbiggin had stopped at PC Herath Banda next and asked, "Banda how many children have you?" "Ten Sir, Okkoma girls. They are black and white. Every day I go night patrol. Wife no sleep, chasing rogues," had been Banda’s answer! That was "their way" of speaking English.

In a suburban police district, the ASP happened to be an officer who had risen from the ranks. The OIC of one of the police stations, in the crime file of a murder case, had made the endorsement, "The suspect in this case had died. Now that he is not in the land of the living, this file may be closed."

In bold letters the ASP had written back to the OIC, "If he is not in the land of the living, look for him in the next land. Please search all the neighbour’s lands.

In the crime file of a long standing dispute, the OIC in his report to the ASP had written, "The parties have now buried the hatchet. I will get them down and advise them to live in peace." The ASP had written, "Before you get them to rest in peace, find out where the hatchet is buried, get the station labourer to dig the place and recover the weapon."

All entries at police stations were made in English. Usually the reserve Sergeant or PC was an English speaking officer. When a complaint was made in Sinhala or Tamil it was translated to English and written in the information book. A complaint once recorded at the Maradana Station read, "........... present and states, Next door mutton, that black and white rawula is eating all my nice croton leaves. My wife hit the mutton with stone. The other wife is coming to fight with a Kossa."

Abuse and insult by the use of obscene words was a common offence. Often the recording officer was faced with the problem of translating the insulting words to English. A common obscene phrase used in Sinhala abuse was, "Para h——ge putha."

In 1960 on one of my inspections of the Kuruwita police station I came across a complaint recorded by the reserve PC, "I was scolded by the Hamu’s son like his dog. He put betel spit on my white colour sarong and shouted, you paraya, son of a private part." (his English version of hu....ge putha!)

So Sir, let us appreciate the fact that speaking or writing English "our way" can have entertainment value too. The Queen’s English can be, murdered. But "English our way" as promoted by the Presidential Secretariat cannot be murdered There lies the only advantage of learning English that is recommended by Jayasuriya, Susanthika, Padmakumara and others. "We know they are who. They don’t know we are who!".