{"id":39087,"date":"2015-03-02T23:09:26","date_gmt":"2015-03-03T04:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=39087"},"modified":"2015-03-02T23:08:58","modified_gmt":"2015-03-03T04:08:58","slug":"mahinda-rajapaksa-tells-lady-from-pakistan-in-five-minute-meeting-that-he-does-not-believe-in-astrology-any-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=39087","title":{"rendered":"Mahinda Rajapaksa Tells Lady from Pakistan in Five \u2013minute Meeting that he does not Believe in Astrology Any More"},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

Maleeha Hamid Siddiqui<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"SWRDMRASTRO\"<\/a><\/p>\n

IT<\/strong> is 8am on Saturday and I am outside Carlton House, the forest-green-coloured residence of Mahinda Rajapaksa, former president of Sri Lanka. It is a modest structure and on a low roof perches a medium-sized board carrying a picture of him beaming.<\/p>\n

He has been residing in his hometown Tangalle after his shocking defeat in the presidential elections nearly 50 days ago. According to news reports, his electoral loss takes its place alongside that of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, who was so certain of her popularity that she called early elections in 1977. Mr Rajapaksa too had \u2014 counselled by his astrologer \u2014 called for early elections.<\/p>\n

His residence is manned by two policemen in olive-green uniforms along with three intelligence officials dressed in plain, solid-coloured half-sleeved shirts and black trousers. They cast a cursory look at me and continue watching the sloping road. Sari-clad women, men in shirts and colourful sarongs and uniformed schoolchildren are walking up and down it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Some of them walk past the gate of the residence, which is shaded by a large tree, to meet with and have their children blessed by \u201cMahinda Raja\u201d (King Mahinda). He is usually present in his house but for the last two days he has been in Colombo and is now on his way to Tangalle.<\/p>\n

This I know because I came to Carlton House on Thursday when I was earlier insistently told by a contact whom had I met serendipitously in Mount Lavinia in Colombo that I should meet Mr Rajapaksa. \u201cHe hasn\u2019t spoken publicly to the media ever since his electoral loss and you should speak to him and write about it,\u201d my contact said.<\/p>\n

So here I am by the gate waiting for Nishantha Sandabarana, a close aide to Mr Rajapaksa, who will take me to meet him. I am struck by the ordinariness of the entire scene. There is a pharmacy next to Carlton House where people purchase their medicines. Right opposite the house is a union council office, next to it is a fire brigade and alongside a cinema. Nobody is stopped by the law enforcement officials. There are no checkpoints. No fortified entrance. One cannot help thinking about the fortified mansion of our former president in his home city Karachi.<\/p>\n

Half past eight and buses upon buses draw up at Carlton House. People dressed in their best clothes go inside the house. Clearly, he is still very popular. Later, a policeman informs me that two days after the presidential result was announced on Jan 9, people started to appear outside his residence since 4am. \u201cThousands came that day,\u201d he says, adding that these days, hundreds come every day to pay their respects to the former president.<\/p>\n

About 45 minutes later Mr Sandabarana appears. He tells me that Mr Rajapaksa should arrive in half an hour. I am taken inside the gate and directed towards a seat next to a tiny security room. Here, people hand over their mobile phones and then stand quietly in a queue.<\/p>\n

At a quarter past nine, I spot a large black sedan entering the compound. The crowd chants \u201cJayaviva\u201d (May you have a long life). Mr Rajapaksa has finally arrived.<\/p>\n

Mr Sandabarana comes to fetch me but first I have to hand over my bag to the security staff. We walk past the long queue and Mr Sandabarana says: \u201cI told him that a Pakistani lady wants to meet him because you live in her heart and in Pakistani people\u2019s hearts.\u201d Without missing a beat, I answer: \u201cAh, yes! Absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n

I am taken to a room with people standing in line before a large glass-topped desk; the former president is seated in a brown leather chair. He smiles and we shake hands. \u201cIt is lovely to meet you,\u201d I say. \u201cI can\u2019t imagine us meeting our former president like this. You are very popular.\u201d He beams, clasping my hand warmly.<\/p>\n

I ask him that the Sri Lankans I have met here say that Pakistan helped in quelling the Tamil insurgency. How so? \u201cSee, the US, Europe, the West, they are not our friends,\u201d he says. \u201cPakistan helped us, especially Musharraf. What happened in my country and the insurgency happening in your country, RAW [India\u2019s Research and Analysis Wing] is behind it.\u201d <\/p>\n

I ask him how Pakistan and Sri Lanka can develop closer ties. \u201cI have visited Pakistan twice and went to Taxila and saw the Buddhist relics,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople here don\u2019t know about these things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leaning back in his chair, he becomes pensive and of his own volition speaks about his defeat in the elections. \u201cThe Muslims in the east and people in the north were misled, probably by international forces,\u201d he muses.<\/p>\n

Any message for the Pakistani people, I ask. \u201cWe hope your insurgency is over soon, that the country prospers and we become closer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before I take my leave, I thank him profusely for meeting me, \u201cI have to ask you this, do you still believe in astrology?\u201d \u201cNow, I don\u2019t,\u201d he says and laughs out loud.<\/p>\n

Courtesy:Dawn <\/strong>(Pakistan)<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Maleeha Hamid Siddiqui IT is 8am on Saturday and I am outside Carlton House, the forest-green-coloured residence of Mahinda Rajapaksa, former president of Sri Lanka. It is a modest structure and on a low roof perches a medium-sized board carrying a picture of him beaming. He has been residing in his hometown Tangalle after …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Mahinda Rajapaksa Tells Lady from Pakistan in Five \u2013minute Meeting that he does not Believe in Astrology Any More’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39087"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39087"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39095,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39087\/revisions\/39095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}