Should such people be trusted and help anymore?

It was a bumper harvest for pumpkins this year.

The government intervened and bought large sums to ease the situation but many had to be thrown away later due to poor storage.

Another wasteful expenditure by the government again.

Recently a friend of ours sent an SMS asking those who visit outstations to buy as many pumpkins as possible without bargaining from poor farmers.

And it seems a reasonable and timely request.

Help another when in need is not a bad thing.

Last weekend we visited deep down south of Sri Lanka on a pilgrimage and on our way back bought as many pumpings as our car boot could hold.

No bargaining and paid the requested price.

We were thinking that we made both the grower and neighbours happy with that gesture as we distributed all the pumpkins among the neighbourhood later.

Today we went for our groceries to one of the nearby Supermarket and there I found pumpkins similar or larger than the ones we purchased on our way back on display.

Out of curiosity, I picked up the biggest among the lot and asked to weigh it and tell me how much it would cost us.

We were aghast to find that the grower has overcharged us at least 25% more than the current city price.

Last night on Tv news too I have seen paddy growers were going to Private vendors offering lesser prices than the government collecting centres.

And later blaming the government of not paying them a fair price for their products.

Should such people be trusted and help anymore?

Reached 60 & What's Changing ?

Yes, I am changing,
After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children, my friends, now I have started loving myself.

Yes, I am changing,
I just realised that I am not “Atlas”. 

The world does not rest on my shoulders.

Yes, I am changing,
I now stopped bargaining with vegetables & fruits vendors. 

After all, a few Rupees more is not going to burn a hole in my pocket but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.

Yes, I am changing,
I pay the taxi driver without waiting for the change. 

The extra money might bring a smile on his face. 

After all, he is toiling much harder for a living than me.

Yes, I am changing,
I stopped telling the elderly that they've already narrated that story many times. 

After all, the story makes them walk down the memory lane & relive the past.

Yes, I am changing,
I've learnt not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. 

After all, the onus of making every one perfect is not on me. 

Peace is more precious than perfection.

Yes, I am changing,
I give compliments freely & generously. 

After all, it's a mood enhancer not only for the recipient but also for me.

Yes, I am changing,
I've learnt not to bother about a crease or a spot on my shirt. 

After all, personality speaks louder than appearances.

Yes, I am changing,
I walk away from people who don't value me. 

After all, they might not know my worth, but I do.

Yes, I am changing,
I remain cool when someone plays dirty politics to outrun me in the rat race. 

After all, I am not a rat & neither am I in any race.

Yes, I am changing.
I am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. 

After all, it's my emotions that make me human.

Yes, I am changing,
I have learnt that it's better to drop the ego than to break a relationship. 

After all, my ego will keep me aloof whereas with relationships I will never be alone.

Yes, I am changing,
I've learnt to live each day as if it's last.
After all, it might be the last.

Yes, I am changing,
I am doing what makes me happy. 

After all, I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to me.

Salt of the Earth

Every time when I lose faith on humanity, something magical would happen to change my opinion again.

I went to the Tuesday fair this morning looking for some "Murunga" leaves to make a medicinal preparation.

Asked a few manning stalls with no success and finally the lady usually selling Waraka (Ripened jackfruit) at the end of the fair directed me to someone selling some other fruits at the very end on a makeshift stall.

I approached him cautiously as he was preparing his own stall and ask where if I could find some Murunga leaves.

He was still busy arranging the stall but asked me as to why I was looking it.

“To prepare some medicinal external application”, I blurted out without having not much of hope.

He immediately stopped his work and said, “Yes, I have a tree behind my house” and started heading towards his house abandoning his half arranged fruit stall.

I started following him not knowing exactly where he was heading.

Five minutes later, he arrived at a dilapidated house and started climbing up the roof of the house to reach the Murunga tree.

When he came down with the stuff that I was looking for, I offered him some cash for his time, effort and the value of the stuff which he bluntly refused stating that no money is needed for anything given as medicine.

I was watching as he was quietly walking back to his fruit stall and I could not help thinking in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus told his followers, who are mainly poor fishermen and other simple people, “Ye are the salt of the Earth.”

Today I found one such salt of the earth person and I thank him for restoring my humanity again with his kind gesture.

The Will of the People

This was how they have behaved in the past,  those who are now claiming to be here to protect the “Will of the People”.

The 2005 Presidential Election was won by bribing the LTTE Terrorist in US Dollars (something they loathe so much only in open) and preventing the peace-loving voters in the East and North from casting their votes.

The 2010 Presidential Election was done by a Compute Jilmart and holding the Election Commissioner hostage in the Water’s Edge.

Tried the same thing in the 2015 Presidential Election again but had to leave the Temple Trees because of external pressure.

In 2018, they staged a political coup and came to power to be kicked out in a few weeks’ time by the Supreme Court.

When they realized that they could not muster enough votes, they tried to buy parliamentarians from other parties by offering bribes up to US Dollars 5 million.

And now they are claiming to be here to uphold the Will of the People.

Will any sensible person believe that someone who had been violating the Will of the People, just to stay in the power and loot more from the country for so many decades, now come clean and work like a saint?

Maybe a few Bootlickers want them to be represented by these crooks but not the peace-loving others.

We can find more suitable people to represent us when the time comes to exercise our hard-fought universal suffrage.

Purely Speculative

𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑜 𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑝 𝑖𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑎 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑀𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑎 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑆𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑆𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑎 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡.

𝐴𝑙𝑠𝑜, ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑀𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑎’𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑎 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑚o𝑜𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑦𝑎?

What is the underlying message in those two statements?

𝐷𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡?

𝐼𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑇𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒?

Over to our Legal Eagles.

Health Benefits of Black Sesame Seeds

• Encourages Bone Health and Prevents Osteoporosis: Sesame seeds are a good source of bone-forming minerals (calcium, phosphorous, magnesium). One tablespoon of unhulled seeds contains about 88mg of calcium, more than a glass of milk. Plus the high zinc content increases bone mineral density.

• Helps you sleep better: Sesame contains the stress-relieving minerals magnesium and calcium. It also contains amino acid tryptophan that helps produce serotonin, which assists moods and helps you sleep better by restoring the normal sleep pattern.

• Skin beautifying: The oleic acid in sesame seed offers skin softening as well as cell regenerating benefits. And the linoleic acid helps restore skin barrier and prevents moisture loss from your skin. While the high phytosterols are great for reducing redness and itching and combating weather-damaged skin.

• Relieves arthritis: The high copper content in sesame seeds helps in reducing pain and swelling associated with arthritis. In addition, this mineral keeps your bones and joints flexible and healthy.

• Prevents Cancer: Sesame seeds contain anti-cancer compounds including phytic acid, magnesium and phytosterols. And the phytosterol content of sesame (especially the black sesame seeds) is the highest of any commonly consumed seeds and nuts.

• Protects Liver: The antioxidants in the black sesame seeds protect the liver from oxidative damage, helping you maintain healthy liver function.

• Alleviates Anemia: Black sesame seeds have higher iron content than other varieties, so they’re highly recommended for people suffering from anaemia.

• Good for cardiovascular health: The lignans (sesamin and sesamolin) present in the sesame seeds are believed to reduce blood cholesterol levels and prevent high blood pressure. Also, magnesium and calcium are important essential minerals that help regulate blood pressure.

• Prevents Asthma: The magnesium in the sesame seeds help to prevent airway spasm in asthma patients.

• Improves eye health: As per traditional Chinese medicine, eyes are closely related to liver health. When the liver is affected the eyes become tired and dry and vision may become blurred. Black sesame seeds are a natural tonic for the liver, which in turn is believed to nourish and support eyes’ function.

Can be bought at King's Trove Exporters

Et tu, Brute?

My take on the Coup d'état yesterday,

• RW has nothing to prove because in the last No Confidence motion that he proved that he has the adequate numbers,

• Now the onus of proving that they have the required number is with MR,

• If he can prove it on the parliament floor that he has the number, then RW has to accept and handover the charge gracefully,

• If MR is unable to prove that he has the number then the government should start proceeding to impeach the President first and then bring treason charges against both MS and MR,

The biggest mistake RW did was, not that he brought in a crook friend to rob the CB but simply ignoring the elders’ wisdom.

විසගොර සර්පයා දැක නාරු මෝඩයා.

If he had done this on the 09th of January, three years ago, things would have changed better for him at least.