Online edition of Daily News

Often visitors call on Engonona. Here is one such visitor, Dr. D. C. Kumarage from Ganemulla, offering her a parcel of fruits. At 114 years she is in fair health, and is able to walk with help. She attends to her personal needs.

The Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA) which had hitherto in its 15 years history, confined its annual academic sessions to matters highly academic and professionally related, will depart this year, from that role somewhat, to take a fresh look at human life itself of which they themselves are components.

This they will do by way of inviting a humble woman as a special invitee and an honoured guest for the opening ceremony of its annual sessions at the BMICH in Colombo on September 17th - in recognition, honouring and respecting the position in human life she has achieved in being the oldest living centenarian in this country at 114 years of age.

The OPA's president elect and chairman of the sessions organising committee Architect V. N. C. Gunasekera, has been able to get the OPA Committees consent to add this new and history making event to the annual sessions, at the request of Prof. Colvin Gooneratne of the Colombo Medical Faculty, who has discovered this centenarian in the Centenarian Study he is heading at the moment.

Professionals are of the opinion that this is the first time in the world that a recognised body of professionals is moving to honour human life by accepting the position of becoming a centenarian as an achievement in anybody's life, to be recognised, respected and honoured.

This happens to be the social objective of the Prof. Colvin led centenarian study, which has now been accepted by Sri Lanka's main professional body, the OPA, and thus the professionals in Sri Lanka will be writing a new chapter in human history, which rightly could be called humanity re-born, because people will begin to look at human life and old age in a new way, with respect and honour. A new value has been given to human life.

By honouring this humble woman for her achievement in life, OPA will also be contributing towards world peace in a significant way, because getting society to value honour and respect human life, is the solution to war and violence, which results in destroying human life.

On September 17th, OPA will be really enthroning human life, and also elevating poverty as a social condition not to be looked down upon, but looked to with respect as a condition to be lifted up and ameliorated. By honouring the centenarian, the OPA will also be launching a centenarian rocket from Sri Lanka, taking the message to the rich nations in the world who are spending millions of dollars on space research and space travel that all that means nothing when here on earth millions of people are suffering in abject poverty, as they find no way to escape it.