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| Thursday, 25 July 2002 |
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Now that the dust has settled in the adventurous cricketing pilgrimage to Old Blighty, let us ponder awhile to take stock of the situation and think of the future. First and foremost, it is an accepted fact that players and coaches always approach a tournament on an optimistic note and so were our players. While the millions of fans at home and all over the world were more than disppointed it is unfair on all of us to blame anyone in particular for the poor performance. The whole team including the management (with the team and back home) has to bear the brunt but that does not mean that the fans are crying for their blood. We hope that the Bangladesh tour will be made good use of by the management to blood a few more youngsters and lay the foundation for our team for the next world cup. In this regard, let everyone take a leaf out of the 'never say die' attitude of Yuvraj and Kaif who bravely weathered many a storm during the recently concluded tournament. Both of them were in the U-19 team only very recently and our boys at that time gave a good account of themselves. Barring Sangakkara, where have the others gone? Have they not been able to wield much influence in the crisis ridden cricket administration so much so that a bowler who had taken only 108 wickets in 132 matches was flown in for the one dayers. Well that is history now. With due respect and credit to Ranjith Fernando, another sad aspect of our international stature has been the lack of professional commentators who would boost the image of our players. Time was when the standard of our English was the envy of everyone and we had in our ranks some fine commentators. Alas! that's history now and we are at the mercy of the commentators of our competing nations and I for one do not blame them for giving us a raw deal. Cricket fans know only too well how some commentators, whom I do not like to name here, would already give the verdict even before the umpire when it favours them and give a negative view when things go against their time. A case in point is Ruchira Perara when he took two wickets in successive deliveries. All hell broke loose in the establishment in Old Blighty and he was roundly condemned and sidelined for the rest of the tour. I hope the cricket board should will seriously think of selecting a few potential commentators and get them fine tuned to match upto international standards and ensure that the millions of Sri Lankan cricket fans will dished out commentaries that matches the stature and performance of our players. MIRZA GHAFOOR - Jeddah
After many years of agitation on their behalf, the Senior Citizens have succeeded in getting the Social Services Department of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to issue them with identity cards. If they hoped that this would enable them to get easier and smoother access to facilities and services, they are in for a rude shock. On Monday 3rd June my husband went to the National Hospital in Colombo to get himself admitted to Ward No. 26 for a by-pass operation having been summoned by telegram on the previous Saturday. On arrival at the Admission Room, he presented his Senior Citizens identity card to the lady admitting officer. She was uncertain as to how to respond to it and checked with the male admitting officer as to whether it could be considered - on which he loudly and rudely shouted "No, no, no. This is Sri Lanka. Go back to the queue. Go back to the queue." My husband then mildly informed him that the card had been issued by the Department of Social Services of Sri Lanka. But this did not deter him shouting "No, no, no" and again emphasising that "This is Sri Lanka". Has Sri Lanka gone down to such a pass that Senior Citizens are treated in this way? We were reputed for the respect we paid to elders. Does this young (gentle) man not realise that the many years of service rendered by these senior citizens both in the public and the private sector have enabled him to reach his 'exalted' position? Should he not at least pay us back with a little kindness and consideration? LALITHA WIRASINGHA- Kandy.
Once again I feel urged to write to you for publication in your valuable newspaper my unceasing lament at what prevails in our country with the spirit of vengeance smouldering in the hearts of people and bursting through their lips ever so frequently, setting ablaze animosity, counter-revenge and venomous hostility all round. What saddens our nation is the manner in which many persons placed in positions of responsibility and trust speak publicity act blatantly against others who, they think, have done wrong. Wrong cannot, of course, be ignored or condoned; but, the manner in which reaction against wrong is expressed either releases a process of healing or adds fuel to fire. We are speaking joyfully about the sure signs of our emerging to times of peace from a long period of brutal strife, but at the same time wherever pain of any sort is suffered, there bursts a conflagration that leaves a wreckage and resultant casualties worse than what prevailed earlier. This is where I repeat the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, a formidable fighter for liberation in that country. He keeps on saying "There is no future without forgiveness". We in our country boast of an ancient civilisation and adherence to our respective religions. In the way react to what we consider to be wrongs done we are, however, far far away from what our great leaders have taught us. As a Christian I hear the words of our Lord Jesus, "Be not overcome by evil;But overcome evil with good", and we are taught by Him to pray to our Heavenly Father, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us". What I say to myself and to all my countrymen is that as far as man-created suffering is concerned enough is enough. The better days that we long for will be the product of what all of us are willing to do for our nation today. In this pilgrimage everyone of us has to play a vital role. If we fail to exercise this personal responsibility we have forfeited our right to share the blessings of being citizens of Sri Lanka. With St. Francis of Assisi we keep on praying "Lord, make me an instrument of your Peace; where there is hatred let me sow love....Also, we would pray "Lord heal and restore my nation beginning with me". Let there prevail in dear Sri Lanka radiant forgiveness leading to justice and peace. Bishop Swithin Fernando - Colombo 7.
On the 27th May this year we of the Kandy Humanitarian Society went to save some cattle from slaughter "for Vesak" to a slaughter house at Digana, a village close to Kandy. We found two animals, a bull calf and a heifer lying on the ground with their legs tied together. The butcher was sharpening his knife to cut their necks. The two animals were actually crying with tear pouring down groaning and moaning passing excreta. How pathetic. Have these butchers no feeling? We immediately bargained and saved both by paying Rs. 14,000 just in the nick of time. We saw another pregnant cow also tied to be slaughtered. We told the butcher not to kill her as we will soon bring the money to save her. When we went a few days later the cow had calved and they were about to kill both the mother and child. But we saved both. These animals are at the Trinity College Farm with whom we have a contract where the animals have to be looked after well and never to be sold. The animals are used to teach "animal husbandry" to students and for "compost" production. We send rescued animals to another company estate "Millawana Estate" at Melsiripura also a contract for long scale compost production. The Kandy Humanitarian Society has saved over 7,000 heads of cattle since its inception in 1991. But almost 4,000 heads of cattle are slaughtered in a day in this Buddhist country, Sri Lanka. So I appeal to all animal lovers to give up eating flesh. So that more and more animals will escape this miserable torture and death. DR. GODAMUNNE- Kandy Humanitarian Society.
I often come across parents who speak perfect English, but their children do not speak English at all. Love for "Swa Basha" or not, surely the parents must try to give the best to their children; and needless to say, being able to speak in English is an asset. Parents who are endowed with the knowledge of English must never forego the chance to teach it to everyone of their children. In fact, the children at tender ages are said to be able to learn at least 8 languages at the same time without getting confused. When we were children, though hardly any one spoke English in our village and in spite of us studying in Tamil, my father would insist on us reading the English paper to him - to get our tongue used to the language and to get over the shyness - and I realize how much it has helped me. Many parents do not realize that all what they are toiling in their workplaces are for their children - but often they do not give the most important things to their children. They do not realize that they can give much better education by simple methods such as, speaking in various languages at home - at no extra cost? It would be fun too. Encouraging the children to read books and, magazines of various languages is another method. DR.MRS. MAREENA THAHA REFFAI- Dehiwela.
The Post Office at Polgasowita is a Class A Post Office. The postal delivery area is on one side very large and on the other difficult and time consuming to the Postmen. The Mattegoda Housing Scheme alone has nearly 1200 houses where people have to come out climbing stairs to answer the Postman's ring. Then there are many private housing schemes and tenement gardens. For all these there are only 9 postal peons. Perhaps even 12 will not be sufficient to provide a satisfactory service. We also find letters are being delivered late. All these years if there are no complaints against delays it is because the Postmen are service oriented and well mannered. The biggest obstacle to this A Class Post Office is the discontinuance of the telephone. It is now 3 years since the telephone was discontinued. To restore the Post Office telephone and increase the cadre of delivery peons cannot be so great a problem without a solution in this age. METTANANDA WIJEKULASURIYA - Polgasowita
Geoff Wijesinghe (8 Jun) is a rare observer who laments cars, vans and even lorries and buses parking on sidewalks. Such vehicles certainly hinder or completely block pedestrians and also damage the pavements of the sidewalks and the curbs climbed in getting on and off. Such inconsiderate parking takes place all over the city. Surely it is much easier for the police to book such parked vehicles which are sitting ducks for pasting an offence chit on the windscreen than a moving vehicle which may have to be chased and stopped. Why do the police ignore a traffic offence which could yield several lakhs if a well-planned scoop could net hundreds of vehicles on a single day. Why don't the police do this ? Is for fear that any such parked vehicle might belong to a VIP and the ticket bounce back on the cop who pasted it? J. DIANDAS- Colombo 3. |
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