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| Monday, 5 January 2004 |
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Radio and television advertisements It is disgusting to note the kind of advertisement that appear on the media nowadays. Least concern is given to the cultural and moral values, appropriateness and accuracy of the contents. Responsibility of the media whether it be print or electronic is to preserve the Sri Lankan culture while ensuring the accuracy of the information released to the public. I was perturbed by watching the recent advertisement on sausages by a famous company. According to that our nation had been fed and nourished on sausages. The advertisement ends by showing sausages and eggs. This is not our traditional way of eating! We boast of a glorious past and is it by eating sausages that our ancestors achieved all that? The dress, the behaviour and the attitudes of the people shown on the advertisement are nowhere near Sri Lankan culture which they are trying hard to highlight on. The behaviour of that lad is totally unacceptable. It is a bunch of unruly adolescents or a society who is disciplined, who respect others, who is not selfish, who before demanding for ones own rights sees that the duties towards others are carried out that we should desire for? These advertisements target at destroying the moral values that are being taught to us from our childhood. There is this other advertisement which says "beda ganna neme, bada ganna" instead of promoting the good habit of sharing things with others. There are innumerable such advertisements and with a little bit of analysis it is very easy to realise the damaging messages put forward through those. We hear various screening programs targeted at detecting cancers, advertised over the radio and television. Are they based on scientific evidence? Have they consulted expert opinion on such screening programs offered? Is it justifiable to mislead people by giving false hopes related to these screening tests offered? Is there any authority that is responsible for these advertisements? Is there a Censor Board? What is the responsibility of the Media Minister in relation to these advertisements? Isn't it the bounden duty of the state to see that correct information is given to the public through the media? What are we as professionals doing about these rubbish shown in our sitting rooms to our children who should be carefully nurtured. Isn't it high time that we promote moral values in this society which is ridden with a high rate of crime and indiscipline? Should not we make use of the radio and the television solely for the purpose of building a society disciplined and full of moral values that are fast disappearing from our society? Dr. Pushpa Jayawardana - Nugegoda Andrew Scott in his piece under the above caption (Dec. 25) refers to the allocation of space for building various places of worship for different religious sects by King Pandukabhaya and in doing so set apart space for the building of a chapel for the Christians. He adds that there were Christians in Sri Lanka even during those very early times. I find in Mahavamsa references made to certain religious sects for when their king had built hermitages but I fail to see away mention of Christians. In any case according to Geiger, King Pandukabhaya's reign was from 394-307 B.C. I am at a loss to comprehend as to how there could be Christian before Christ. I would appreciate if the writer could clarify the above time issue. PUNCHI - Colombo 7 A fortnight ago my mother expired and I inserted an obituary in the DN. I received a post card from a well-wisher of the Home of Compassion, Mahawatte Road, Madampitiya, Colombo 14 from Kelaniya making a suggestion in memory of the deceased to give alms in cash or kind to an Elders Home where the deceased would gain merits to whichever religion you may belong. This is a very meritorious suggestion, which we should put into action. We Sri Lankans whenever a death occured in our homes, as a tradition we spend a lot of money for the burial. We also give alms on the 7th day, 1 month, 3 months and on the 1st death anniversary in the name of our beloved deceased. Decorate the roads with black and white flags, throw river sand on the funeral route. These are no doubt a waste of money which could be used to feed the poor of the poorest and the destitute of our country. In most of our middle class and poor families, we want to show off and make this occasion to invite our relations and friends and this ends like a birthday party celebrations with liquor etc. It is time we look at things in the most realistic way and stop wasting money in this funeral tamashas, and educate our children in this regard. It would be better to give alms to an Elders Home in the country in memory of the dead. K.M.P. - Welisara In an in-depth political analysis recently, Jayadeva Uyangoda advocated rethinking on matters pertaining to State, Governance, Polity and most of all people. Traditions and mind conditioning are subject to change in an emerging new set-up that could help to survive. Conventional outlook on methods of Government have to give way to changing circumstances. If not seriously taken the negative note of crumbling is imminent. What the vast majority of Sinhalese people and vast majority of Tamil people and vast majority of Islamic people and vast majority of Burghers and others want is a harmonious peaceful living as equals. If their aspirations are not met they would fail to support any administration. What can the politicians do without the people? Dear politicians, please think ahead and come out of your boxes and sacrifice your personal ambitions to the well-being of the people. Academic and rigid constitutional approaches, insincerity of politicians, corruption, thinking purely on ethnic lines are some of the stumbling blocks that prevent the birth of a new Sri Lanka. K. S. SIVAKUMARAN - USA It is time for all including the President and the Prime Minister to think about the whole country. Political bickering and religious fanaticism won't take us anywhere. The Sinhalese and Tamils or any other race which has chosen to live here needs peace at any cost. If infighting for politic al power is continued the whole world will laugh at us. Now wisdom must prevail to every political leader and his or her aspiration must be welfare of the people. The time has come the masses won't like discord, conflict and war at any cost. They will act well and judiciously. So both the President and the Prime Minister should find ways and means to arrive at a consensus to usher Peace for 2004 is our sincere prayer. SAWAMI CHIDRUPANANDA - Point Pedro Muddy and dirty water from the drain opposite the Mari Amman temple at Kotahena Street in Kotahena, has been overflowing for many months and runs down the road, causing great inconvenience to the pedestrians and the devotees who come to the temple to worship. As a result of the dirty water running along the road, the people are in danger of slipping and falling down and also being knocked down by vehicles when they try to avoid walking on the dirty water and stray into the centre of the road. There is no pavement on this section of the road. The drain is covered with concrete slabs and it is not cleaned by the municipality, neither are the residents in a position to clean the drain as it is covered with concrete slabs. At Bonjean Road, also in Kotahena, just opposite the entrance to the meat stalls in the market dirty water from some drain overflows and goes right round the library building and fills a portion of the bus terminus and remains stagnant and even goes into the main road George R. de Silva Mawatha. People who pass this section are forced to get their feet or shoes soiled with the dirty water. The stagnant water has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Arul - Colombo 13 It has been the custom over the years to send greeting cards to one's friends, relations and close acquaintances. It seems however that the purpose of this practice which we have inherited from the British is hardly understood and today it has got into a level of good practice but malpracticed. Christmas and New Year cards carry a "personal message or greetings" and it is sent with much love, appreciation, respect and understanding between the sender and the receiver. It is not an impersonal message where people address a personal message such as for e.g. "from all of us to all of you" or just only the signature on the card or only the name of the sender is printed as some of the busy and yet uninformed type of Ministers and CEOs of corporates are in the habit of doing today. It is absolutely of no significance if the greeting cards does not carry a personal message from the sender to the receiver. A personal message implies that as a minimum the sender at least knows the initials of the receiver to address the card! In any case, normal courtesy demands that no letter should ever be addressed "Mr. Perera" or "Mr. Silva". In fact the British from whom we have learnt these alient customs consider it rude if a person sends a letter, even an official letter, without the initials of the addressee. Some would even consider it very disrespectful but our mail today carries a large number of letters address to people even from official quarters without mentioning the initials. The ideal greeting card would always have a handwritten message, very often addressed in the first name of the receiver and signing equally with the first name of the sender to convey one's close relationship. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for "Mr. A. B. C. Perera" in business circles to send a card to "Mr. X. Y. Z. Silva" which may be for an excellent business relationship - but even in that there should be a minimum personal message such as "Best Wishes for the New Year etc., etc.". I find that thousands of cards are being unnecessarily mailed which very often reach destination it deserves the dustbin of the receiver because of the disrespectful manner in which the card is made out - all for want of an understanding as to what this is all about. DR. A. LIYANAGE - Chilaw I share the views expressed by A.F.E. Fernando under the above caption (DN Dec. 25). Murali should be tried in one of the tests next to Chaminda Vas and in one of the one dayers at No. 1. This should catch the eyes of the coach, Board of Selectors and others concerned. After all, we are not going to lose much by trying once. K.D.R. RANJITH KULATUNGA - Colombo 5 |
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