ONE MAN'S EFFORT TO STOP MONK'S SELF-IMMOLATION

When the gap was just 1 inch .....
the monk lit the lighter  Mr.Dias who was burnt ...
trying to rescue Indarathana Thero

     Last week Full Moon Day was a day that shocked lakhs of Buddhists deeply. The tragic news that a monk who had set himself on fire in front of Dalada Malgawa and died later was reported for the first time in the annals of Sri Lankan history. This took only a very short time to spread round the globe. It was Bowatte Indarathana Thero who sacrificed his life in this manner to stop cattle slaughter plus a few other other requests.

    At the moment when this sorrowful incident took place, a large gathering was present in the vicinity. It was to pay homage to Dalada Maligawa on that Full Moon Day. Sale of flowers, dansel, cool water dansel and milk dansel were to be seen at the location.

    Mr.S.K.Dias (48) was a resident of No.33 A, Kalugalawatta, Katugastota. He was a father of 3 children. He had come to worship the Dalada that day with his younger son Sankha Sapumal (12). It was around 10.45 in the morning. When they were getting ready to buy a flower-basket, Sankha Sapumal noticed a milk dansela closeby. He then suggested to his father, "Thaththe .... shall we drink some milk from the milk dansela?" Dias who consented to the son's idea was later coming forward drinking the cup of milk from the milk dansela. Mr.Dias described what happened after that, as follows:
                                                        "I and my son bought 2 cups of milk and we started walking forward drinking the milk. Then a monk too came towards us. He said publicly that cattle slaughter must be despised and that he is against it. He then said that he would make a Adhishtana Poojawa in front of the Daladawa and then set himself on fire. That monk then began to walk to and fro in that place. So saying, he adjusted the robe and started pouring on his body with a petrol can. I saw the monk having a blue-coloured lighter in his hand. At the same time my son Sankha asked me whether there's any way in which the monk can't be rescued before dying. I was sure that this monk would set himself on fire. I didn't think twice thereafter. I dropped the cup of milk I was drinking and immediately tried to grab the lighter in the monk's hand. When my hand was just about 1 inch away from the monk, he lit the lighter. At once there was a huge burst of flames. My body also caught fire. When the monk was enveloped in flames, I jumped aside. At the same time I realised that my clothes too were on fire. There wasn't anybody who came near me to extinguish the fire on my body. I thought of the Dalada and thinking of extinguishing the flames on my body, I started running forward. I heard someone shouting for me to remove my clothes. I then fell down. I tried to extinguish these flames by rolling on the ground. It was at that time my second son came there and put out the flames.

    When I and my second son came from home my second son remained at home. But when I got up from where I fell, my second son came near me. I still can't think how my second son who was at home when I left home to cpme to worship the Dalada. He came and said, "Thaththe ... thaththe ..!" and then extinguished the flames on my body. then he asked, "Where thaththe is podi malli?" I then realised that Sankha son was missing ... so I told him to look for him. He then found Sankha and with him came to the place where I was. Later my second son put me into a three-wheeler and took me to Peradeniya Hospital. I was given first aid there and transferred to Kandy Hospital in an ambulance. I still believe that I was saved by some unseen force with my second son coming to my rescue. If not for my son that day, I may have got totally burnt and died.

    I was born in a house along Trincomalee Street and with the blessings of theDalada. I think that I was motivated by that strength and courage for something like this. If I hurried a little bit more, I would have grabbed the monk's lighter. But oh gosh ... I saw it only in a flash. On this occasion nobody came forward to rescue the monk. What I wanted was to keep him alive than to see him dead. At that moment I felt no fear at all.

    When I came to know that the monk had passed away, I felt so sad. 'Oh god .... if I had been a little more quick .... wouldn't this monk be still alive!' I thought. Actually I wouldn't approve of the monk setting himself up on fire. Putting an end to one's life is not a great act. Putting an end to one's life is a serious act of sin. All monks, whoever they are, instead of finishing their lives, can do a large service to the country and society. As such and as a Buddhist I don't approve this incident honestly". That is what Mr.Dias says.

     Mr.Dias's second son Iresh Dilshan (20) who randomely got the opportunity to save his father's life had this to say:
                                                                                               "I work at Queen's Hotel Hotel, Kandy. That day when this incident happened, I was to go to work at 2 p.m. But since it was Wesak Full Moon Day, father and younger brother came to the Maligawa. After a short while, I also came to Kandy with a friend of mine. I came to Kandy a little early because I wanted to worship at the Dalada Malgawa and then go to work. I came to Kandy by bus and got off at the halt opposite Dalada Maligawa. It was about 11. When I got off there and started going towards the Maligawa, I saw a huge flame of fire under the bo tree.

      People were running here and there. I saw a monk in flames with people round him trying to put out the flames. At that same moment I saw another person running with his clothes in flames. He appeared to be trying to put out the flames by himself. I thought that I ought go and help him. When I got closer to him ... my god ... I saw that it was my father. I quickly extinguished the flames by bringing a bottle of water from a nearby hotel and pouring on his body. After that I looked for my younger brother. I found him. With his aid I admitted my father to hospital.

     It was only later that I came to know that father's body had caught fire by trying to extinguish the flames on that monk's body. Actually it was really saddening. When father was running with flames .... nobody cared to even look at him. If I didn't come there in time, father may have got burnt further.

      Really, it is saddening to say. Some people said that it was father who set fire to the monk. My father only went to save the monk. But whatever people say, some day truth will win".

     Today most people talk about the fact that nobody came forward to save the monk's life. Some others value this suicide as a self-sacrifice. But it was Mr.Dias went forward keeping his life at stake to prevent the monk setting himself on fire from amidst hundreds of people who were watching the scene., Today there is no one to visit Mr.Dias who had been seriously burnt and is in hospital. There is neither anybody to value that heroic and selfless act of Mr.Dias. We ought remember that even with regret.

Narration -- Gaya Wanniarachchi