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All routes to Jaffna by sea, air, road and rail will be busy by
Friday January 15, 2010 with prospective viewers of the total solar
eclipse that will be visible there before noon that day.
They will be coming from all parts of the island and from almost all
parts of the world. Many Buddhists here will mark to make the day as a
dual-purpose pilgrimage to Nagadeepa after the unfortunate 30 year
period of disconnection.
Old Tamil and Sinhala friends will find the occasion as time to
revive their unjustly buried and forgotten ties of the good old peaceful
past.
Those in the travel trade will arrange various types of vehicles to
take parties to Jaffna by recently repaired A9 route.
Many groups of Government servants will utilize their railway
warrants for travel to Jaffna and back by the newly repaired main
railway line to Jaffna.
Sri Lankan Air lines might re-open the old concession facility of
former ‘Air Ceylon’ for part payment of air tickets fare by railway
warrants within the sponsorship of the Government for the sake of
rebuilding ties between the Tamils and other races.
In the present celebration mood that has arisen along with the ideas
of various astrologers about this eclipse and the end of the war, we Sri
Lankans will have to be diplomatically careful in well guarded praise.
Wrong words might create unexpected eclipse of our terrorism victory
war. Victory over terrorism cannot be eclipsed by any other war victory
of our ancient old kings, Vice versa.
Yakupiti Amerasena de Silva - Ahungalla
The decision taken by the Education Minister to ban the use of mobile
phones by both teachers and students is welcome as a preventive measure
to stop indiscipline in schools.
But, is this ban applicable to private schools where private teachers
and students are not under control of the Education Ministry? How can
this ban on mobile phones be implemented among all schoolchildren and
teachers without any discrimination between Government and private
international schools.
At this juncture, I would like to draw the attention of the
Government to its prohibitive law of smoking in public places where even
the guardians of law, the policemen and the healthcare authorities
freely smoke cigarettes in presence of non-smokers. Therefore, it will
be practically impossible to implement the ban on the use of mobile
phones in the Government schools.
Even if policemen in large numbers guard the schools and check
whether the students and teachers use the mobile phones, it will be
impossible to nab the culprits. I have my doubt about the Police action
in this regard. Education Ministry officials should think out a better
way to reform the schoolchildren.
M.Y.M. Meeadh - Kandy
If fills my heart with great pleasure
To hear BoC, my former employer,
Has served the nation for years seventy,
And stand spread all over the country
To farmers who plough and sow in the fields,
The workers who work hard on hot roads,
And the fishermen who go to sea for food,
BoC grants them loans that they need
It grants Advances to enhance Exports,
Assists to remit Foreign Exchange
for Imports,
Collects and protects people’s
earnings overseas,
And all these done by BOC for seventy years
One worries as his income is spent
On food, clothes and the house rent
BoC helps these cheerless Ones
To purchase houses, granting housing Loans
Served with pride for years seventy
It’s our Bank with lasting Beauty
Known to all, that’s bankers to the Nation
Long live Bank of Ceylon with promotion.
K.K. Arumainayagam - Kokuvil
The rate at which we are educating our children we will have enough
educated persons entering the job market. But will we have the capacity
to provide them with any productive employment in our own country by
teaching them only English as a foreign language?
Now that we have our sights on a global vision it is time that the
Government embarks on a project to teach Chinese language in a big way.
It is obvious that China with its one billion plus population will be
dominating the world scene in all the spheres of activity by the year
2020.
We must be ready to claim our share of this huge bonanza. To do this
we must be equipped with the Chinese language skill. This will require a
huge investment by the State which the private tuition masters or
friendship associations will not be able to provide.
I hope education authorities will take note of my suggestion.
M.J. Fernando - Colombo 3
A bouquet of flowers to the Acting Post Master of the Kegalle General
Post Office on July 27 and the lady working at the counter for their
kind and considerate manner and high sense of duty consciousness. Very
rarely do we come across people of this quality and nature. Government
servants are very often criticized and condemned for various types of
deeds. But very rarely are they praised for their good work.
I received a money order from a Sub Post Office in the Kurunegala
area on July 22 to be cashed from the Kegalle Post Office. I went to the
Kegalle Post Office on 24th and gathered that they had not received the
advice. Once again on 27th, I went there at about 8.35 a.m. A lady at
the stamp counter asked me about my presence. I told her about the money
order. Though it was not her duty she went through the money orders and
told me that they have not received the advice.
Then I went to the acting PM of the day and explained to him my
situation. He acted promptly, it was incredible he was so duty conscious
and went all out to help those who needed his help.
He rang up the sub post office and put a minute on the money and
handed it over to the counter clerk by himself and paid the money. It
did not take more than five minutes for me to get the money.
I commended and thanked the Post Master for his prompt action. This
is an example to all the other Government officers too. When they do
good deeds the people are there to commend and appreciate this good
work. These are the officers who should be promoted to higher grades to
protect the good name of their relevant department.
D. M. P. B. DISSANAYAKE - Kegalle
I am astounded at the careless driving on the roads in Sri Lanka. It
exists at all levels, whether cars, buses or three-wheelers. The
three-wheelers are the biggest sinners, but the bus drivers run them a
close second, with the car drivers not far behind.
Of course, there are some knights-of-the road, but more are
nightmares! I am sure many of the three-wheelers have not undergone any
tests to obtain their licences, at least, they look like that.
Overtaking is done from any side, which in turn, leads to a lot of
undertaking!
Bus drivers use only one hand and one foot to drive, the former on
the horn and the latter on the accelerator.
As for the owner-drivers, they drive as though they own the roads
too!
Roadhogs abound in Sri Lanka, but I think it is an eastern malaise,
unlike western drivers, who are more careful and considerate.
Anyway, it was not until I returned to Sri Lanka, that I discovered a
road has three sides - left side, right side and suicide!
DION J. WALLES
Colombo 4
In your magazine, page 13, on July 17, I was enthralled by the
account given by Russel De Mel about Lapwings in focus.
I had the good fortune to observe them too when residing in a
bungalow, I stayed in for a couple of weeks in the outskirts of
Athurugiriya.
The bungalow facing a vast paddy-field gave vent to a massive
collection of birds we do not otherwise see in the town areas.
To study them, their entity, their rapport, their formation when
flying and habits is a little wonder.
Now coming to the topic of Lapwings - “Did he do it?” I was wondering
what could this their complaint be? Could it be similar to what they say
about the little male house-sparrow that displays his burnt breast of
feathers after he sat on his nest to protect their eggs whilst the rest
of the place was on fire? Well now to come to this very interesting
article - the couple I observed too, I thought was a very silly duo.
They had laid their three eggs in the ashes of a heap of burnt grass
out in the open field. I was afraid of the outcome and I had not another
day to wait when with the breaking of dawn I heard the “Did he do it”
pleas for help. The jackals on their way home - walloped the eggs and
all this couple did was fly away in fear.
Next to my astonishment, I found 3 more eggs again in the same place.
Mr. & Mrs. was very, very watchful, one seated on the eggs and the other
parading round and about, and I was watching out for the day the
fledglings would show themselves out - (Oh! they’re such lovely birds I
thought) but ... nay, that was not going to be, for the next predator
this time was the Thalagoya, all their screams brought the myriads with
their unusual trying to frighten, krass krass sounds, the warblers
hopped around crying for help, the king-crow small as it is did an
occasional dart and knocked it but the result was only a slash-slash
this way and that way with his saw-like tail.
It was then that I ran up and took the initiative to pick up the only
one egg left now amidst the halla-bulla and with no other solution, I
placed it in a made-up like nest in a cage and hung it out in the sun to
give it the warmth it required but with no luck and with a mouth already
gone.
I peered in for the result only to find to my disappointment the egg
was beyond resumption, it was rotten. The egg was an unusual dull blue
with blotches of red splashed here and there and the shell too was not
crispy unlike other eggs but leathery.
The scenes here are many, besides the flying formation of the
clusters of the ring around their necks parrots, that alight on the
field to eat the paddy and is more often chased away by lighting
crackers, the hoards of cranes parade round and about the farmers’ heels
to pick on the insects and tadpoles that are now disturbed.
This there was another instance when (unfortunately I do not possess
a camera) but oh! the sight was marvellous. There was this huge buffalo
in a muddy pool, after a feed and muddy bath he lay like dead under the
blazing sun and all around him were all of these white cranes easily
about 30-40 standing still like mourners and a few brown cranes more
cheeky standing quite close to him like rendering the ritual for the
dead.
Bird watching is so interesting and so soothing to ease a stressful
mind. Feed your crumbs to make pets of the squirrels, the warblers, the
mynahs and even the wood pigeons and you could write a book on their
every move.
Sheila Bandaranayake - Kandy
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