What are we really Celebrating now ?

What are we celebrating?
Can someone tell me, please?

Per Capita income is less than the US $ 2000
Not even 3% of the GDP is invested in
Neither Education nor health.

Spend more than SLR 100 Million a day
Just to glorify one person only
Corruption is endemic
And we are at the bottom end of the list
With Sudan and Afghanistan etc.

Winning T20 is not worth celebrating
I will join the crowds on the streets
Only when we beat Sweden and Singapore
In the list of least corrupt nations or
Invest at least 6% of the GDP in education and health
Limit spending to glorify one person
And uplift the Per Capita Income
At least to the US $ 5000.

Those are worth Celebrating and not just a T20 win
And who will remember it in a few weeks' time
What are we celebrating?
Can someone tell me, please?

(My political ranting).

Female Cricketers of Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan Cricketers (both Male & female) flew out recently to take part in the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

The Male Cricketers were all in their suits and were escorted to one of the premier lounges in the Transit area.

The Females were given a shabby Blue T-shirt and were allowed to wander around.

Do they represent a different country and why there is such obvious mistreatment for the female cricketers?

Need Peace & Quiteness More.

My first ever overseas trip was made a couple of decades ago and during that trip I visited a friend of mine in Paris, who was staying just a stone’s throw away from the famous "Arch of the Triumph".

As I entered the building he was staying, something posted at the entrance caught my attention, though my French was no better then, than now.

It said “NO PETS, NO CHILDREN & NO LOUD MUSIC”.

When I asked why such conditions, my friend explained that many staying in that building were professionals who, after busy day at work did not like to be distracted during their private times.

It was little confusing for me to grapple this idea and get some sense out of this novel arrangement.

Later, I came to know that it was not a novel idea only found in France but something many eagerly have embraced all throughout the Europe and in North America then.

The whole building was surprisingly quiet and ideal retreat for meditating monks even, I thought then.

After spending a few years in the accommodation provided by the company, I moved out to find a place of my choice.

And I was lucky to get something similar to what I had in mind and up until recently I was enjoying my stay in the flat.

Unfortunately, a few months back some families with kids moved in to the building and ever since than, the quiet building was turned in to a hell hole by the kids who do all their activities either in the hallway or on the stairs than in their own houses.

I have seen the destructive powers of misguided youth but hitherto have not seen such destructive powers of kids who have just started schooling.

As for their parents, they are too busy trying to making more and more money and no time left to invest on their own kids and the building owner needs the rent at the end of each month only.

Now I am thinking how wonderful it would be, if we too can have the same sort of arrangements that I have witnessed a couple of decades ago in Paris, somewhere in Oman as well for two reasons.

The number one and the most important thing is, I prefer quietness more than anything else and the second is because I do not want the additional responsibility of disciplining neighbour’s kids.

That primal responsibility of disciplining kids should be with the parents.

I sincerely hope that some building owners who are reading this would seriously consider bringing such changes soon in Oman as well.

Simple economic says that if there is a Demand, there is a Market too.

All we need is a quiet place to come back to after a very demanding and sometimes stressful day’s work and many like me, I am sure will be willing to pay a premium price to have such a luxury.

Over to you building owners, if you are listening!

Why India afraid of Sri Lankans ?

I was flabbergasted to read following when I accidentally came across following headlines in one of the local newspapers recently.

1. .     With tourists in mind, India relaxes visa norms,
2.        Protest after Manipur girl is raped in Delhi,
3.       Court orders arrest of ex-health minister in sexual assault case,
4. .     Kejriwal to “go to any extent” for Lokpal bill,
5.       Devyani seeks dismissal of visa fraud case in US court.

Needless to say,as a Sri Lankan, I was aghast to learn that we are not so welcomed in India as we are not included from the list of 180 countries that have been granted relaxed visa facility.

I am equally amazed as to why are they (Indians) so afraid of Sri Lankans, 

1. where women are being raped in broad day light in their capital city; 
2. fraudsters are being given diplomatic immunity to carry on with their nefarious activities etc etc are daily occurrence in that land.  

Given their track records, I believe that Sri Lanka should be the one to be on the defensive, not the Indians.

Why I had No Tears To Shed Then ?

The room smelt different

 Was it the burning camphor or

The oil soaked wick

 Dancing in the wind.

The windows were left wide open

 The morning breeze

Trying to snuff and conquer

 The naked flame of the oil lamp.

The House was lit up

 Too bright and

Too crowded

 For that times of the day.

The faint sobbing

 Ebbing from some corner

Hurried steps down the corridors

 Speaking only in Hushed voices

Added more uneasiness to the air

 Then.

She looked calm and blissful

 Sleeping pretty and relieved

I knew instantly

 She would never to come back again to us ever

But why I had no tears to shed then.

Exemplary Deed

Eshani Danushika ( ඊශානි දනුශිකා ) was expecting good results in the 2013 Grade 5 scholarship examination.

Even her teachers were expecting her to do well.

But when the results were announced recently, she and her teachers’ hopes were dashed as she fell just a few marks below the qualifying mark for the district.

But a few of her classmates have managed to secure above the qualifying marks.

She was not heartbroken because of her marks but she was happy as some of her friends did well in the examination.

Now comes the interesting part of the story.

She broke open her Clay Till next day and bought Gifts (Pens, Books etc) for the friends from that money and gave them to the Class Teacher to be distributed to her friends who were successful in the examination.

That small gesture made everybody stopped and look at the incident.

The school hurriedly organized a Prize Distribution ceremony to honour the successful children.

She is just 10 years and comes from a not so affluence farming family from a flung place called Wiyaluwa in Badulla district.

(I am writing this after reading the article in the Lankadeepa newspaper of 24th Oct 2013, but I am unable to get a link to the original article on their website. After a few telephone calls, we did manage to speak to this cheerful little girl to let her know that her exemplary gesture was not gone unnoticed and how much we appreciated such good deeds).

May her thrive in future and be able to continue with her voluntary good deeds in future as well.

Short Lived Euphoria of Ostentation.

Every street corner has now been turned into a place of worship by some object worshiping idiots by placing some objects of their fancy.

The Next thing you realize is the blaring noise coming from there day and night disturbing the peace around and polluting with singing, chanting and preaching etc.

Then what follow is more encroachments and useless expenditure on face-lifting decorations.

The whole country is now being turned into a religious frenzy den.

But the euphoria of the ostentation is short-lived when you switch on your Television News Channels.

Robbing, muggings, raping and killings are galore. 

Where have those teaching gone into, I wonder ?