Thank You තාත්තේ !

A text message received from my daughter during the recent Father's Day celebrations made me rethink my father.

How do I start the main question?

He was a man of a few words.

I got more of his physical appearance than my other siblings, but this quality of a few words, I was not endowed with.

My younger brother has received it in abundance from him. 

And as we know, creation has very mysterious ways of working and assembling things.

He showed us the world literally by taking us to various places, but his world was not just confined to within our shores only.

By introducing and encouraging us to read early, he managed to take us far beyond his physically confined shores.

He has enjoyed his only overseas trip to Singapore immensely.

He used to bring at least two books from the library every week, and we devoured them like vultures on a carcass.

He wanted us to think freely and never to be afraid of asking questions.

Though he was a man of few words, his political allegiance was no secret to anyone with Das Capital prominently placed on the bookshelf.

With a rear show of emotions, he clenched his fist and held it up in solidarity when the Nine o’clock News announced the departure of the last American helicopter from Vietnam.

We were having dinner at Badulla that day.

His other message, though conveyed in a very subtle way but not in words, was "Never to come home by getting beaten up by another".

He was a southerner and his words and deeds truly reflected the enterprising spirit of the south.

His two messages, "Think Freely" and "Never Come Home by Getting Beaten Up," came in really handy in our later lives, but I do not think that any of us got around to telling him how much we benefitted from those two messages. 

At least now we have such celebrations like "Father's Day", which we had never heard of when we were growing up, which gives me an opportunity to at least say 

“Thank You තාත්තේ ! " even though it is a bit too late now.

Men Who Care.

This was my response to the below stated Bolg;

http://srilankaunites.blogspot.com/2012/06/men-who-care.html#comment-form

I enjoy reading and agree on most stated points.

But if the trend had to be reversed and or to bring down to a very low level, then WOMEN has a very bigger role to play.

Not as you say, conservatively dressing up, as such standards have No University acceptable standards, hence any one can interpret it to his or her own convictions and believes.

I believe dress should act like a barbed-wire fence.

It should be there to do the work it is there to do for but not obstructing the view.

Now let me come to the point, how do Women have a big role to play in this situation.

Mothers take pride in appreciating when her son does something uncalled for or bad protecting him by saying “Boys are Boys” and or “He is my Boy” and worst of all is calling him “Chip of the old bloke”.

How many mothers send their Boy child to kitchen to learn how to pour a cup of Tea or cook a simple meal, darn a torn trouser or a fallen button.

Instead they do it for them and set a very bad precedent and set him mind up that some works are gender based and male are superior.

If mothers can change their mind sets, soon the world will be a much better place.