In the beginning was the word

"LIUWA!", "liuwa!" (wrote, wrote), are the words exclaimed in exasperation by our motorists when booked for a traffic offence by a policeman.

- By Ravi Perera

Such a citation would usually require the errant driver to pay a fine or even attend court presently. However, what in most countries is described as getting a ticket for a traffic violation, in the episode description here the emphasis is on the act of scribbling by the policeman on the charge sheet, not the offence or the offender. He wrote! he wrote! There is a certain excitement in the intonation of the words, a finality, the deed is done and passed on to other realms where surely more writing will take place.

Although in the course of their work at a police station there is bound to be note taking and record keeping, reading and writing are not activities generally identified with the keepers of the law. Ask a young student to draw a picture of police activity, we will have pictures of easily recognisable uniforms, guns in hand, large vehicles carrying policemen or actions like saluting.

Will we have pictures of them reading or writing?

It is said, and, it is observable, that we are an oral culture, minds primarily influenced by the spoken as opposed to the written word. In this country we rarely see a person with a book in hand. Even this rare reader, is invariably a reader in a native language, taking a dip in a very small pond. Men reading books written by men just like them, of similar attitudes and mental make-up. However, it is the spoken word they readily respond to; ceaseless political chats or so called spiritual prattling satisfy their souls. All that are spoken of are also found in writing; then, reading is an effort. Put orally, things become simpler, goals are reachable, greatness is only a few steps away.

A few political lectures, the "truth" is revealed, the listener is converted.