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Every person wishes to have a successful life, (Business and
personal). Six golden rules to be followed to achieve same are listed
below.
a. Determination and positive thinking
One should decide on the type of life he/she prefers and adopt
suitable methods to achieve same. This could be carried out with
devotion, knowledge, experience or with expert consultation.
You should act fast, while watching your steps. You should not get
disheartened by initial drawbacks but correct your self by positive
thinking. If your willpower is weak, even strong manpower, machinery,
finance etc. would serve no purpose.
b. Weakness and strength
People should identify their weakness first and convert them into
strength, which would add weight to your present strength - Eg: you may
not be fluent in a language or computer usage etc, which may be
important for your business. Take some time to acquire fluency on same
without depending on others.
When the British captured India every Governor of the area was
required to get fluent in the language of his area of operation.
Nepoleon Bonaparte was not successful in invading England as he had
failed to realise the weakness of his Naval Power and Lord Nelson
destroyed his plans of invading England, by defeating both French and
Spanish Naval Forces.
c. Fast thinking
There are instances where one would have adequate time to think and
plan. However, this also should be done with minimum possible delay.
Consider the position of a surgeon or an Army Commander who faces
unexpected situations both favourable or unfavourable.
Nepoleon once said that he has six files in his brain and operated
successfully in every operation.
1. War tactics
2. Army
3. Family
4. Kingdom
5. People and personal gains
He, like Adolph Hitler was successful in his operations by fast
thinking, of course except on three occasions. i.e. Invasion of England,
Russia and Waterloo. Strictly speaking he was unfortunate in the
Waterloo.
Courtsey and etiquette
ne should be courteous in ones approach and maintain etiquette. You
could be strict but should not be rude.
It is very important, when you are directly dealing with superiors,
co-executives, sub-ordinates, customers, statutory authorities and
public at large etc. One smiling face is equal to thousand flowers.
Personality development
Personality development is very important to one’s career. One could
achieve same by your ambition, knowledge, talent, way of presentation
and attire. You should always be on the alert in maintaining and
improving your position. Consider the achievements of Late Brucelee,
Jacky Chan, Amitabuchan and Kamalahassen in the cinema field.
Refusal
One should not undertake any work or responsibility when you realise
that you cannot fulfil the requirements with your present capacity.
Impossible tasks which will affect your business materially should not
be taken on sentimental grounds. If your ambition is to lead a
successful life, you should know when and how to say ‘No’.
S. R. Balachandran Council Member National Chamber of Commerce of Sri
Lanka
History is a much neglected subject now. Hence it is very heartening
that Mr. J. Anthony has given us a wee bit of Sri Lankan history from
the Mahawamsa in his film Aba. It is delightfully done and forcefully
presented in vivid colours.
It deals with the intrigue in the Lankan Royal House of Indian make,
2000 odd years ago. Unmada Chitra (daughter of Panduvasudeva and
Baddhacachana) who drove men crazy with her beauty is imprisoned in a
turret and guarded by 100 soldiers and yet Digagamini her first cousin
impregnated her (I suppose this would have been possible as half of the
soldiers would have been off-after-night and most of the others on
casual or sick leave in true Lankan style).
A son is born to Chitra and he is exchanged and guarded by the queen
mother and sent off to live in Doramadalawa and brought up by the sage
Pandula (an Indian no doubt).
It is prophesied that this son Aba would kill Chitra’s brothers and
hence they try to assassinate him several times but fail and Aba lives
on to become Pandukabhaya the great king. Our experienced actors perform
admirably in the film.
The part played by Lankans in this episode of history is the
transport of the royal infant to Doramadalawa, protecting and nurturing
him.
Liyanage and Anuradha act the parts of Habara and Gumbaka with
simplicity and lively dancing.
The music is appealing and full credit to Prof. Sunil Ariyarathne.
I think it would have been best if the director had not deviated from
the original Mahawamsa regarding the father of Aba.
Choreography is enchanting. The film can be classed with BenHur and
Gone With the Wind. It is a family film and I think we could look
forward to an even better part two. The film could be better enjoyed if
one were to read the relevant chapters in the Mahawamsa before seeing
the film.
Bandu Edussuriya Kandy
Have you noticed how our country is all motivated for short term
profits? There is a raffle for everything so that the people save in the
banks, buy things, visit places, attend seminars etc. all to win that
jackpot.
Nothing is done for really wanting to do it. The banks say ‘save to
win in a raffle’ so the children are asked to save for the free
umbrellas and the wind falls.
They never are told why they should really save - all for that
elusive gift. And if they don’t win the prize, the saving just comes to
an end. The lottery is the worst type of gamble.
This is nothing but stealing from Peter to pay Paul. We collect a lot
of hard earned money from thousands of poor people and give it to one
single person who did not do an iota of work to earn it.
Can anything be more unfair in this world? But we all do it and how!
Islam totally forbids lottery as it is nothing but daylight robbery.
What are we doing to our younger generation?
We are teaching them to live for short term profits. For windfalls.
For winning without working. Waiting to get what really is not yours,
but you get it by just participating. It does not matter if what you get
comes from many others’ heart aches. As long as you win that’s what
matters.
No wonder today’s youth do not want to work. They all want quick
money. They want to win lotteries. They want to be rich overnight. Why?
Because we have been showing them that a few do. And by glorifying the
winners we hide the fact that who wins is but a tiny tiny fraction of
the participants.
And then we grumble that the youth is restless, that they are lazy
and seek instant gratification. Who is to be blamed but we, the elders?
Dr. Mareena Thaha Reffai Dehiwela
Barack Obama has won the US Presidency. He has travelled the long
road soon to enter the portals of that world famous icon-the White
House. How he did it will be talked of for weeks and months, even for
decades to come.
All things apart what lessons are there for our own people in this
tiny Indian Ocean country which has reached the melting pot of divisive
and crude politics in a disproportionately large legislature.
These are the differences. Obama is an intellectual of the highest
calibre-Harvard and Columbia. From a mixed parentage and political
obscurity Barack Obama’s message carried genuine appeal to all
categories of American citizens, black or white, rich or poor, the young
and the aged equally. He had no political legacy or a lineage he could
hark back to.
It was plain eloquence and an honest face that won the day. From
beginning to end he kept his image of a decent man, never attacking his
opponents, often praising them.
It was eloquence all the way; measured tones, no histrionics no
shrieks and yells, no table thumping. He kept his message clear and
brief. Undoubtedly the prevailing climate helped him along, but that was
the situation that the USA faced.
Obama stressed four important facets for the people to digest - jobs,
housing, health care and a college education. It was a time when the
average man faced the stark prospect of losing his job, losing his
house, his pension gone and the aged found it difficult to pay bills in
times of illness.
How did all this come about?
It was Big Business-speculation, Corporation dominance and financial
manipulation that did it. Above all it was plain and simple greed. As
Bill Clinton said during the campaign, “We tried to make money out of
money.”
All these are ominous for our country and our neighbours too. High
spending, corporation dominance and dubious offers.
What are the lessons we can learn from the Obama victory and from the
US Presidential election?
The perspective of the politician as viewed in the eyes of the US
citizen is very different.
They don’t return people to get personal favours. First the selection
process to run for President. True Party Politics dominate in the US,
with its deep ramifications, but the ultimate choice is a long drawn out
process; democratic and transparent. The Primaries and the Electoral
Colleges. Everything is carefully gleaned, nothing escapes the eye-even
the health of the candidate.
It is not the party leader who runs for office, everyone within can
aspire. They start with three or four and during the way the colleges
decides it all, until a front runner emerges. Thereafter all ranks are
closed and everyone pledges support to the ultimate choice.
Now for the electoral process itself, which at first is unclear to
many of us here, even to some living there.
Then the voting itself is radically different from the age old system
of placing a cross. Everything is modern and rapid, which is to be
expected in an electronically nurtured US; machines, the tough system,
punch card ballots and what have you.
Whatever its apparent intricacy the people accept the system and
everyone falls in line. The results are speedy and dramatic. From the
moment the polls close the results come in and the winner is no
guesswork.
It is definite and conclusive. Barely a day passes when the election
is concluded. Even before the last voter return to his home the results
are evident. The winner is predicted by experts. It is projected and
accepted all round.
I now come to the crucial point in my analysis. The loser accepts
defeats and graciously calls up the victor. Not only does he
congratulate the winner but after a grueling and expensive campaign the
vanquished pledges his support.
The American people all stand by their President. Likewise the winner
pledges to work for one and all, irrespective of party differences.
Can you see thing like that happening in this country?
There is no bombing, stoning or looting that follows the end.
Above all the opposition does not challenge the results - save for a
solitary incident in 2000. There are press conferences but no tongue in
cheek statement that castigate the winner. There is no lasting enmity,
plotting or subterfuge.
It doesn’t ends there.
A day after the result is known the winner appoints a Transition Team
while the incumbent President still remains in the White House.
What is remarkable is that the incumbent in the post assists the
Transition Team in the change of governance. All this runs smoothly
until inauguration day when the new President is sworn in six weeks
later.
The US of America is a large country with diverse ethnic and
religious population yet is apparent that the electoral system is an
orderly process ingrained into the people over three hundred years by a
Constitution wisely framed by the founding Fathers. It will last.
They are an orderly people pledged to uphold their Constitution.
We, despite our high literacy rate in Asia, sadly are not. There is a
growing tendency to take to the streets: to express dissent by unlawful
assembly and violent demonstrations. It is a question of political
maturity.
Professor Mahasara Gunaratne
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority(SLPA) is one of the best managed
corporations in the public sector. Since it was established on August 1,
1979, millions of rupees have been paid to the Inland Revenue Department
and to the Treasury from its earnings. But it is very unfortunate that
the SLPA has not been able to have a proper building to house all its
different Divisions under one roof.
The offices of the Divisional Heads are scattered all over the Port
from Elizabeth Quay area up to Jaya Container terminal. The writer has
seen fabulous main offices of the Ports of Singapore, Rotterdam, Madras.
When you step in to these offices, you get a feeling how well these
Ports are administered. Government should encourage the SLPA to put up a
modern building to house all its Divisions under one roof.
I hope that the Chairman Dr. R. M. P. B. Wickrame will take necessary
steps to fulfil this important task with the blessing of Minister of
Ports and Aviation, Chamal Rajapaksa.
I. E. G. Perera SLPA, Retired Staff Officers’ Association
The State that tourists to India visit again and again is Uttar
Pradesh (UP). It is a central region and holds the sacred river Ganges
and the famed sacred city of Varanassi. Most of the land area of the
State is a flat vast plain, but in contrast to this is Uttar Khand which
is the North West part of UP, where we find the foothills of the
Himalayas. The Uttar Khand region owes its beauty to the hills and lakes
and the Himalayas in the far distance.
When the snows melt in spring the white pebble laden river suddenly
comes to life. Waters from the melting snows rage down into the valley
and spews across the gigantic plain. The dry sand and the white pebbles
in the river bed are carried further down the valley.
Where the holy river leaves the mountains many pilgrimage or yatra
destination have arisen. The most accessible and popular are Rishikesh
and Haridwar. In the season of the pilgrimages the towns are teeming
with life.
Many foreigners do not want to take a bath in the sacred river but to
the believers it is a must as they believe that many of their sins are
washed away.
Unlike in most other religions, in Hinduism one can ask the many Gods
for favours and boons, but the core belief is in Karma that determines
life. UP is a Hindu State that has produced eight Indian premiers.
It is sometimes called the ‘cow pradesh’ because it has about 80 per
cent Hindu population of agricultural landowners and those who labour
for them and herdsmen, who tend the cattle owned by the zamindars and is
the most populous State in India.
It is also an area famed for ‘mind search’ and spirituality, for we
find Rishis and ashrams that provide all that is necessary for guidance
in meditation, yoga and other spiritual studies.
In UP one finds centres of other religions. Many Buddhists, Jains and
Moslems come on pilgrimages to UP. Mogul rulers particularly Aurangzeb
destroyed existing temples and built mosques on those sites. Before the
Hindu revival and the emergence of Brahmins to power, pilgrims from
China, Afghanistan and South East Asia visited the Jain and Buddhist
centres.
In Western UP, in the Agra area, the Taj Mahal, Akbar’s palace in
Fateh pur Sikri and other wonderful exquisite Mogul monuments can be
found. The river Yamuna flows 204 kms south of Delhi and Agra city is on
its wet bank. After viewing the Taj by sunrise, sunset and in the day
and tourists who are swept off their feet by the beauty of this monument
need another day to marvel at the beauty and creative genius of the
Mogul rulers.
To the craftsmen, stone masons, stone cutters, construction engineers
and all others, we owe a debt of gratitude for creating this wonder of
the world.
It is said that the stone blocks have been so perfectly cut that even
a thin knife blade cannot be inserted between two blocks of stone. The
beautiful inlay of floral patterns and the intricate trellis made of
stone have been by craftsmen, artists who loved their creative work.
Some tour guides informed us that many of the craftsmen had lost
their sight because of long hours and because of the fine work they had
to do.
The river Yamuna is the second sacred river in India and it flows
from a frozen lake in the Kalinda parvat or mountain. There is a temple
dedicated to the river God at Yamunotri and in close proximity to it are
hot water springs, some springs have hot water at almost boiling point.
There are many Dharmasalas in Yamunotri. One has to visit such places
to really know how many seek spiritual knowledge and meditation. Another
interesting place is the beautiful Corbett National Park where the
beautiful tigers of (Man eaters of Kumaon) fame had lived.... As these
beautiful creatures had acquired a taste for human flesh and had to be
destroyed.
Today there are no man eaters but these beautiful creatures can be
viewed from a park bungalow or atop an elephant, along with wild
elephants, languor monkeys, peacock, deer and sambhur and crocodiles and
a well preserved forest reserve.
In UP we travel to the famed city of Varnassi, which is one of the
holiest places in India.
It is the city of Siva and pilgrims believe that a bath in the Ganges
river at Varnassi will wash away all sins. The city has a long string of
Ghats or steps leading up to the river. Besides tourists and pilgrims,
there are those who bring dead bodies to be cremated at the burning
ghats. It is believed that those who are cremated here end the cycle of
birth and death.
At the burning ghats the bodies are handed over to, ‘chandals’ low
castes, who bath, wash, dress and prepare the body as well as the wood
etc. required for the cremation.
When the body is burnt the family collects the ashes and immerses it
in the sacred river. The flowing currents carry the ashes to the sea and
so ends the cycle of birth and death.
The ghats have been built by various families to assist the pilgrims
to walk up to the water and bath and purify themselves before attending
the puja.
It is considered a great act of merit to build ghats and the numerous
rest homes for pilgrims. Wealthy families such as the Tatas, Scindias,
and numerous Maharajahs have built pilgrim rests and the next of kin of
these families maintain the rests. “The relatives of rich families who
have moved away to UK and USA tend to neglect the maintenance,” said our
tour guide as he pointed out some pilgrim rests to us.
The pilgrim homes are patronised by devout Hindus who bring their
dead to for the last journey to the sea. It is a custom to light a
little paper candle lamp and visitors gloat it on the ganges which
carries it to the sea. We too thought of all those who have passed away
lit paper lamps. It is a beautiful sight to see all the floating lights
moving down the river carrying all our good thoughts.
Buddhist pilgrims move from Benares to Saranath, Bodhgaya and travel
to the places of Buddhist worship. At Mulaghanda Kuti Vihar we see a Bo
tree transplanted in 1931 from the tree in Sri Lanka, which in turn is
believed to be an off spring of the original Bo tree under which the
Buddha attained enlightenment.
When Fahsien visited Saranath it was a wonderful city which had a
Stupa which was a 100 feet in height and a 1,500 bhikkus lived in the
city. King Asoka’s mighty stone pillar stands here.
Muslim invaders had destroyed most of the Asokan city built by the
Gupta kings. It is after the British excavations in Saranath that the
past heritage of Buddhism was revived partly due to the interest in
Buddhist places of worship shown by Anagarika Dharmapala and other
Buddhists and the Indian Department of tourism. Some of these Buddhist
places of worship are not in UP.
Moving back to Delhi one shops around visiting the bangle, crafts and
silver bazaar to be relieved of some shopping cash. To the south of
Delhi is the famed city of Matura, known as Bri Bhhomi.
The popular incarnation of Vishnu is believed to have been born here.
Matura had received considerable patronage from King Asoka, too and had
around 3,000 Hindu temples. Unfortunately in 1017 Mohamed Shah Gazni
destroyed the Hindu and Buddhist buildings. They were rebuilt but in
1757 Afghan Shah Abdali Razed Madura again. Ayodhya is in the Sri
Krishna Janma bhoomi a heavy military presence can be seen as we
approach the temple. This is to prevent any Hindu-Muslim clashes.
After viewing Ayodhya the Vrindavan and Govind Dev temples are viewed
and pilgrims return with a sense of future doom for the area. All the
religions which are part of India and Asia are found in UP but they have
not brought peace to the most versatile and skilled people living in
this State. May be it has something to do with the poverty of the people
and the rigidity of the religious and political leaders who guide their
destinies.
- Usha Ekanayake
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