An Extraordinary Individual
The cultural affinity shared between India and Sri Lanka is a bond which cannot be fathomed from the normal measurements of geopolitics. It echoes the deepest spiritual heritages derived from Buddhism and continues regardless of the discontents the two states faced occasionally. India’s first premier Jawaharlal Nehru always had a soft spot for Sri Lanka as a culturally knitted island for the Indic civilization. For some Sri Lankans, especially for the first generation of Anglophone Ceylonese politicians, Nehru was an arrogant statesman striving to expand India’s gaze towards the neighbouring countries. This was quite a logical concern when DS Senanayake pushed the British to form a defence pact prior to granting the Dominican status to Ceylon. But, realistically Nehru never showed the ambition of annexing Ceylon albeit his abhorrence for the class of statesmen who took over the political power of Ceylon from the British.
It might be an interesting factor to disclose that he adored one particular Sri Lankan more than any other known Sri Lankan politician. Nehru did not have time to pamper Maha Mudaliyar’s son, SWRD Bandaranaike when he requested a private audience from Nehru in 1928. Ironically the Ceylonese who was revered and adored by Nehru was a commoner without any link to the higher echelons of Ceylonese politics. He ended up with a decorated life filled with different tantrums as a Buddhist monk who renounced all worldly things.
Narcissus Anthony Fernando was an extraordinary individual. Originally groomed to be ordained in the Jesuit order, he was sent to India as a missionary. However, for reasons that remain inexplicable, he chose to live as an ordinary man, mingling with the cosmopolitan gatherings in Mumbai, Calcutta, and other Indian cities. Eventually, Narcissus grew weary of his flamboyant lifestyle in India and converted to Buddhism. At the same time, he became inspired by the movement led by Mahatma Gandhi. He traveled to Poona, where he became a devoted disciple of Gandhi under the guidance of nature cure physician Dr. Dinkshaw Mehta. Together with a small group that included Raifi Ahmad Kidwai, Rajkumari Amrit, and G.V. Mavalankar—who later became the first Speaker of the Parliament in independent India—Narcissus traveled across the subcontinent to support Gandhi’s movement.
Gandhi’s acolyte
When a senior delegation from Sri Lanka that included political giants like JR Jayawardana, and Dudley Senanayake was not given time to meet Gandhi due to his busy schedule, Narcissus simply appealed to Gandhi saying “ Babuji a delegation from my country has come from all the way to meet you and you don’t have time for them. Gandhi was shocked by this and met the delegation from Ceylon finally proving the extraordinary influence that Narcissus Fernando maintained with Mahatma Gandhi. In 1945 when an Indian movie company wanted to film the life of Buddha Mr. Narcissus was responsible for the moving of a strongly worded resolution at a largely represented meeting at Mumbai which put an end to the project. The resolution had the fullest support of Mahatma Gandhi. In 1945 Gandhi sent Narcissus Fernando as his personal envoy to represent him and preside over the prize giving at the Mahatma Gandhi College in Kandy.
His acquaintance with Nehru ran parallel to his involvement in Gandhi’s movement. The austerity and detachment of life were fine principles that buttressed Narcissius’ journey in India and Nehru truly admired his altruism. Even after becoming the prime minister of the largest democracy in the world, Jawaharlal Nehru had time to hear Narcissus, who had changed his name at that time to Ananda Meemanage.
From Ananda Meemanage he became Ven. Ananda Mangala, when he took yellow robes as a Buddhist monk at age 40. Nehru sent him on a private mission to Missamari and Buzaduar to keep track of the Tibetan refugees. His mission was akin to espionage as the Chinese aggression was on its way, Nehru wanted to understand the realistic picture of the emerging conflict. between 1958 to 1961 he submitted personal reports to Nehru explaining the situation in the North East. The way how Nehru indulged him was somewhat uncanny as he always entertained Ven. Amanda Mangala regardless of the busy schedule.
Nehru’s one of favorites
Being an admirer of simplicity, Nehru perhaps found in him a simple soul, an emotional man who had sat at the feet of Gandhi, a son of Sri Lanka who was struggling to find his own place in the Buddhist world. The way how Nehru spent time for Ven. Ananda Managala astounded the Indian media as sometimes Mr. Nehru even went beyond the limits of the bureaucratic rules. Once Ven. Ananada Mangala wanted to bring a tape recorder from Burma to India, but the Indian customs control rules hindered his plan. Ven. Mangala was not willing to lose hope and knew the prime minister of India would always stand by his side. His letter to Mr Nehru received a prompt reply with the instruction for him to land in Madras. When he finally landed in Madras, as expected the customs pounced on him and he produced the letter he received from Nehru. It was then found that Nehru had sent a cheque from his personal account for Rs. 150 to cover the duty and Ven. Ananda Mangala left the airport as a hallowed VIP.
On another occasion, Ven. Ananda Mangala expressed his interest in becoming a citizen of India and Nehru duly arranged it for him in Colombo by requesting the Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Mr. Y.D Gundevia to issue an Indian passport to Ven. Ananda Mangala. This was the spirit of the camaraderie that both Nehru and Ven. Ananda Mangala maintained. In the memoirs of Ven. Mangala recalls his last meeting with prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1963 January. Mr Nehru was seated in a chair in the garden of the Prime Minister’s residence, Teen Murti Bhavan in New Delhi. When Ven. Mangala went near him , he carried after seeing the pale face of the prime minister. Nehru got up slowly and made him sit. “ You are a Buddhist savant and should not give in to such emotions”. In his memoirs, Ven. Mangala states “ When I left, I knew I had seen him for the last time”. Mr Nehru Passed away in 1963 May.
