Raising a Fallen Elephant: From DS to Sajith

Anyone who visits Lisbon, Portugal, will see statues depicting the kings of Portugal trampling elephants and tuskers, showing the might of conquest. This is portrayed in this manner because when they invaded Asian countries, the regional kings who resisted the invasion did so on elephant backs, and the invaders succeeded in overpowering them. Portugal and other imperialist saw elephant as an enemy. However, Sri Lanka saw the elephant as a sign of power and sovereignty. Mahawansa devoted chapters to the tusker Kandula to describe the task Kandula displayed during King Dutugamunu’s war. In war, King Kashapa’s tusker deviating to avoid a mud hole was read as him retreating, and the army surrendered to the enemy, showing the importance of the tusker as a guide in warfare.

Though imperialists hated elephants, the Republicans selected the elephant as their emblem to showcase strength, honour, and power.

There are different views expressed on why D.S.Senanayake selected the elephant as the party emblem when forming the United National Party.

Some say that the elephant was chosen as the party symbol because it embodies intelligence, wisdom, prosperity, royal dignity, power, strength, and grace. They also point out that the elephant is deeply rooted in Sri Lanka’s proud historical heritage and has long served as a national symbol.

Others argue that during the implementation of colonisation and settlement schemes in forested areas, D. S. Senanayake spent considerable time with elephants and was actively involved in taming wild elephants. As a result, he developed a deep affection for them. According to this view, he embraced the elephant as a symbol of the nation and subsequently adopted it as the emblem of the United National Party (UNP).

Another school of thought maintains that D. S. Senanayake was a devoted follower of Saman Devalaya’s deity, Suman Saman, one of Sri Lanka’s most revered indigenous deities. In Ratnapura, the traditional mount of Suman Saman Deviyo is the elephant. According to this view, it was for this reason that D. S. chose the elephant as the symbol of the UNP.

Like D. S. Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake also had a profound affection for elephants. Dudley was a keen wildlife photographer who was known for slipping away from his security detail and venturing alone into forests in search of photographs. On one occasion, while serving as Prime Minister, he quietly evaded his security personnel and disappeared into the wilderness. When his guards were unable to locate him despite combing the forest, rumors spread like wildfire that the Prime Minister had gone missing in the jungle.

After winning the 1965 general election, Dudley arrived to take his oath of office as Prime Minister riding on the back of an elephant. Photographs of Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister arriving on an elephant to be sworn in attracted considerable attention in the international media.

When he passed away in 1973, an elephant named Heen Bilindu was brought to his funeral procession as a final tribute. The sight of Heen Bilindu kneeling before Dudley’s body and raising its trunk in what appeared to be a gesture of respect moved the entire nation.

Although J. R. Jayewardene was not particularly known as a wildlife enthusiast, during his presidency he and his wife often displayed a fondness for posing with elephants. One of the most iconic photographs of J. R. shows him and his wife standing together, holding the trunk of an elephant.

Ranasinghe Premadasa was another leader who loved elephants deeply. Wildlife photography was among his greatest hobbies, and whenever he attended meetings and public events in areas bordering forests, he often carried a camera slung around his neck. On one occasion, Premadasa used the elephant as a metaphor to explain the role of the UNP:

“During periods of drought in Yala, many animals come to the waterholes to quench their thirst. Creatures such as mongooses stir up the water and muddy the pool, making it difficult for other animals to drink. It is the elephant that clears and purifies the waterhole, enabling everyone else to drink clean water. The UNP plays a similar role. When other parties come and leave the country in disarray, it is the UNP, like the elephant, that arrives to restore and rebuild it.”

That was the story Premadasa told.

The relationship between UNP leaders and elephants was a remarkable and enduring one. It was not merely because the elephant happened to be the party’s symbol. They genuinely loved elephants. It was this affection that helped cultivate among Sri Lankans the belief that the elephant was a national treasure.

The elephant has once again become a subject of national discussion following the death of Kavantissa, the tusker. What surprised many was that the group most deeply affected by his death was Generation Z, the country’s younger generation. Through social media, they transformed Kavantissa’s passing into a national conversation.

Before Kavantissa’s death, if there was one political leader who had sparked public discussion about elephant conservation and the country’s elephant heritage, it was Sajith Premadasa. When he ventured into the forests to observe elephants, many mocked him. Yet he was merely following in the footsteps of the UNP’s long tradition of admiration and respect for elephants.

When an elephant collapses, it cannot simply rise on its own. The same fate that befell Kavantissa has, in many ways, befallen the UNP today. An elephant can only be lifted by those who understand elephants, by those who know their ways and have earned their trust. It takes people who love elephants and have spent years living among them.

“Is Sajith the mahout who can help the UNP’s elephant rise again?”

By Upul Joseph Fernando

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