WICKREMA'S WITS

Bandula Wickrema was the son of a farmer in the Mahaweli ‘Development Scheme. He was very clever and studious though poor. He managed to get-a Mahapola scholarship and enter the Peradeniya University, where he passed the Bachelor of Arts examination. He could not, however, get a job as his English was poor, and when his father died, he worked in the field as a farmer. During his school days he had been a member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Police caught him one day pasting some anti-Government literature on the walls of houses. 

As a detainee under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, he corresponded with his mother, of course subject to the Police approval of what he wrote. One day he received a letter from his mother complaining that she was having difficulty in carrying on the work in the paddy field. She had plenty of seed, she wrote, but she was unable to plough the field herself nor able to get labourers for the purpose. Wickrema wrote back, "it's all for the good, my dear mother. Have the field unploughed. That’s where the guns are." 

Three days later a truck load of Policemen descended on the farm and dug up all the acreage, but they found no guns 

Frantically the mother wrote to her son Informing him of what} had happened and asked him what she should do. He wrote a brief note: ”Now plant the seeds!"

 Eventually Wickrema was brought before a magistrate charged for being a subversive. When the charge sheet was read out to him, he pleaded not guilty and said that he was defending himself and went on explaining why he was not guilty when the prosecuting lawyer interrupted him saying that he was telling all sorts of lies ”Your Honour," said Wickrema. “ there are others too who are telling lies.” 

"Who are they ?” asked the magistrate.

 “Why, Your Honour - the lawyers and that's why I did not want to retain any!“