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Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Contrary assurance

Contrary assurance

Sunday, 3 May 2015

Contrary assurance 

by Husna Inayathullah

As the death, injured and displaced toll of the massive earthquake in Nepal continues to climb, the Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Nepal, W.M. Seneviratne has assured no Sri Lankans have been affected in the devasted areas.

At present 120 Sri Lankan students are studying at the Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, six at Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel and eight at Tribhuvan University, Kiritipur.

Assistant Director of Foreign Affairs who co-ordinates operation rooms at the Disaster Management for the earthquake, U. Ahamed Razee said, “The road journey is six hours from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Students at the Manipal University had not been affected by the earthquake, those in the Kathmandu and Tribhuvan Universities have been affected but bore no physical injuries.

The Dean of the University of Manipal, Brig. Dr. B.M. Nagpal has cautioned the students not to panic but accustom themselves to face disasters. The university is functioning and the lectures are conducted as usual.”

He said the Dean of the University of Manipal had a meeting with the students to discuss the issue and has pursuaded the students to stay back to complete the syllabus and sit for the final examination.

President of the Manipal University Parents Association, Dr. Pradeep de Silva said, “The students at the Manipal University are not affected by the catastrophe. The Dean of the University does not want the media to speak to their students on this issue. They are attending lectures as usual” he said.

“Most of the newspapers and television channels give false information that our students are affected and that they are returning to Sri Lanka.
It is a pity that they spread false news. Some students come back to Sri Lanka due to personal reasons and not due to the quake. Those who returned to Sri Lanka before the quake are unable to go back to Nepal”, he said.

The story that the students were inconvenienced due to the tremors and spent two nights at the sports ground opposite the university is a myth.

He said the group of 25 students of the under 14 women’s football team returned to Sri Lanka on April 28, by the Sri Lanka Air Force C130 aircraft. None of the Sri Lankan students of the Manipal Medical College, returned.

According to the Ministry of Higher Education no scholarships are awarded to Sri Lankan students to Universities in Nepal at present. Most of the Sri Lankan students studying in Nepal are private students.

 
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Monday, April 20, 2015
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
A Children's short story: A change of heart

A Children's short story: A change of heart

Sunday, 2 March 2014

by Husna Inayathullah

Ayomi felt embarrassed when she was bullied by her classmates.
"You country devil!, you are a real countryside girl, we hate you to the core", said Anna, the girl who was seated right opposite her." Look at her hair,it is yucky commented Alice"She is not suitable to be with us", said another girl in her class.

The whole class started to yell and laugh at her. I have never felt so embarrassed in my life! thought Ayomi. She started to cry and tears rolled down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and suddenly her thoughts flashed back to the days she spent in her village in Ududumbara.

She recalled the days she played with her friends Sita, Mala, Saduni and Upeksha. The days that they spent together playing hopscotch, four corners, land and water, kabedi and flying kites in the paddyfield.

The times that they watched the farmers singing and ploughing the field. Bathing in rivers and waterfalls, running into jungles and playing hide and seek and pelting stones using catapults at raw mangoes and being blamed by the owner of the mango trees. She just felt how terrific those days were and just felt like going back to those days.

Scholarship

Ayomi regretted for passing her scholarship examinations at her village school and for gaining admission to a leading and privileged school in the city because she could not bear the insults by her friends at school. Her friends were so rude and cruel towards her. They had a stong notion that the children who came from villages were unclean, impolite, foolish and compared them to frogs in wells. They treated Ayomi in such a way that she even felt like quitting school. The whole grade six class were against her. They kept on teasing her and she was a reserved character in her classroom.

The other girls in her class never spoke to her in a friendly manner.They never played with her in the playgrounds during Physical. Training periods. They never shared anything with her and dubbed her being low class. The days which she spent at her new school in the city was like hell to her. She started to hate her school life a lot. She was a very intelligent and a courageous girl but now she started to get low marks in all the subjects. She did not score like she scored during her days at her village school.

As she was in boarding school in the city, she always counted her days to get back to her village where her family, relatives and friends were.She felt that her days in the city were dark and dull and she did not have anyone to share her happiness and sorrows. Though Ayomi's friends were rude to her, she was always kind towards them. She tried the best possible ways to make friends with them. She was always ready to forgive her friends for teasing and mocking at her but her efforts were all in vain.

Embarrassed

Ayomi was always ready to share her things but her friends treated her stuff in a cheap way. They teased the way she ate because she used her fingers to eat but her friends ate with forks and spoons and Ayomi has never used forks and spoons to eat in her life. Whenever Ayomi went to buy something from the canteen, she felt awful and embarrassed because the canteen had many types of food which she has never seen or eaten in her life time. There were pizzas, burgers and french fries but she even did not know what they were by name.So, she was underestimated by her friends in front of everyone.

One day they arranged a field trip from her school to do an assignment on "Srilankan villages" and to Ayomi's surprise the trip was in her own village, Ududumbara for which her friends were always teasing her. Ayomi was so glad when she heard her teacher announcing it. The trip was arranged for the following week and Ayomi was getting ready with excitement because it was after a long time that she was going to her village.

The rest of the students in Ayomi's class were not happy with the trip. "Oh my God!, we do not like to go to that village teacher. It does not suit us.The people living in villages are so awful", said Mellisa. Some made negative comments.

Stories

The students in the class said all sorts of stories which hurt Ayomi a lot. The day of the trip arrived. Ayomi was so happy but her classmates were not so. They joined the excursion because the teacher made it compulsory for all the students. The other students could not avoid going on the trip. All the students got into the bus early at 4.30 a.m. Everyone except Ayomi was unhappy about the trip. The journey started and around 9.30 a.m. they reached Ududumbara.

Ududumbara was a very beautiful place with greenery everywhere. There was a beautiful waterfall surrounded by a thick jungle. There was fresh air everywhere and beautiful paddy fields. Ayomi's classmates were shocked and happy to see them. They have never been to such a clean, quiet and beautiful place in their lifetime. The people in the village were very friendly and they warmly welcomed them. They respected them much.

Ayomi and her classmates went into the thick jungle and they bathed in the river. They ran across the paddy fields and they flew kites and had so much of fun. The students of Ayomi's class were taken to this region to do an assignment, so the students took snapshots of the region and they spoke to the villagers to get some ideas on their lifestyles.

Ayomi's friends were so impressed. They could not believe that the villagers were so good and polite. Though they lacked technical know-how compared to the people in the city but they were far more humane. They had a lot of good qualities. They were so friendly and always ready to help each other. Ayomi's friends were feeling so guilty when they realised how nice the villagers were.

All these days they had a negative attitude about the people in the village but soon after the excursion they realised that people cannot be graded or measured using the place from which they come but it is their attitudes which matters a lot. They realised how selfish the people in the town were and how loving and caring the villagers were.

At the end Ayomi's classmates apologised to her for insulting her and all of them became good friends. Ayomi forgave all her friends and loved her school, studies and friends in the city.
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International Youth Day : Building self-concept of youth

International Youth Day : Building self-concept of youth

Sunday, 10 August 2014

By Husna Inayathullah

“This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the life of ease.” - Robert Kennedy

 Youth is the time of life when one is young. Youth is the stage of building the self-concept. The self-concept of youth is influenced by several variables such as peers, lifestyle, gender, and culture. It is the time of a person’s life in which they make choices which will affect their future. This year International Youth Day 2014 will be celebrated under the theme ‘Youth and Mental Health’ and ‘Mental Health Matters’.


On a global level, it is estimated that approximately 20 percent of adolescents and youth experience a mental health condition each year, with 85-90 percent of this group living in low-income countries. The transition to adulthood is an extremely challenging period in which young people mature physically, personally, mentally and socially. It’s a critical time in which any issues can develop. For instance, we need greater knowledge about the reasons why mental health issues arise at this time, and we need to develop more effective services and interventions for young people and families.


Over the past decade, a new paradigm has emerged in the mental health field, which recognises the importance of intervening early to maximise recovery. The youth mental health paradigm aims to change the way society thinks about the mental health of young people, and to transform and strengthen the mental health system. Issues International Youth Day (IYD) is an awareness day designated by the United Nations.


The purpose of the Day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The first IYD was observed on August 12, 2000. It is an annual celebration of the role of young women and men as essential partners in change, as well as an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges and hardships facing the world’s youth. The Day also gives an opportunity for governments and others to draw attention to youth issues worldwide.


During IYD, concerts, workshops, cultural events, and meetings involving national and local government officials and youth organisations take place around the world. The United Nations Information Center (UNIC) Colombo will observe the Day at a Mental Health Institution (Sahanaya Institute of Mental Health at Bolgoda, Panadura) with the participation of residents of the institute. UNIC team will comprise UNIC staff members, counsellors, musicians and students from the School of Social Works for a program with inspirational speeches, music therapy, sports activities and a talent show. A group of dancers too will perform at the event.

UNIC has received the blessings of the President of the National Council for Mental Health, Sri Lanka. National Youth Services Council along with the Ministry of Youth and Skills development has also planned to celebrate the International Youth Day. IYD forms part of the UN’s wider World Program of Action for Youth (WPAY), an initiative that aims to promote the wellbeing and livelihood of young people. Its 15 priority areas include education, employment, poverty and hunger, the environment, drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, leisure-time activities, health, girls and young women, HIV/AIDS, information and communications technology, inter-generational issues, armed conflict, the mixed impact of globalisation, and the full and effective participation of youth in society and in decision-making. Global The global conversation about mental health and its effects on development will take place this year. Awareness on the following will be globally discussed:-

 * How we can reduce stigma relating to youth with mental health conditions through education and awareness-raising.
 * How to reach young people in their family, school, and work place, to help them cope with their mental health conditions
 * What lessons we have learnt from existing programs and how we take those lessons to improve services and programs at different levels of economic development.

 Youth with mental health conditions can often experience stigma and discrimination, which in turn can lead to exclusion and discourage people from seeking help for fear of being negatively ‘labelled’.

 Efforts are needed to overcome this stigma to ensure that young people with mental health conditions can lead full and healthy lives free of isolation and unnecessary shame, and that they openly seek the services and support they need. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), through the Focal Point on Youth, and the Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development, promotes a multi-dimensional approach to addressing the challenges faced by young people with mental health issues, including tackling stigma and promoting social inclusion to enable all young people to achieve their aspirations and goals.


Encourage Thematic discussions and information campaigns will take place across the world, to encourage both Member States and the general public to understand the needs of young people, to implement policies to help them overcome the challenges they face, and to help young people into the decision-making process. The World Conference on Youth (WCY), held from May 6-10, 2014 in Sri Lanka, brought together over 1,000 young people from 120 countries, as well as 53 governmental delegations. The conference also had participants and observers from various UN agencies and organisations dealing with youth and concluded with the adoption of the Colombo Declaration on Youth. The Colombo Declaration on Youth serves as a platform for youth on various avenues and solutions.
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Que Sera, a film for the whole family

Que Sera, a film for the whole family

Sunday, 5 October 2014

by Husna Inayathullah

Veteran film-maker Parakrama Jayasinghe who directed the award-winning movie Ekada Wehi 10 years ago has come back with another spectacular creation Que Sera. Que sera is screened at the Regal, Colombo and other Ceylon Entertainment Ltd (CEL) circuit cinemas. It is the third cinematic direction of Jayasinghe. The story is quite different and unique compared to the present Sinhala movies. The film is for the whole family. Jayasinghe has always maintained that cinema is for entertainment. In an interview with Montage Jayasinghe speaks about the film Que sera, his life and achievements. Excerpts:

Question: What kind of exposure did you have for the film industry?

Answer: I studied at S. Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia. I got selected to the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 1972. The same year my father passed away. I was interested to do medicine but I was selected to follow a science degree. Parakrama Jayasinghe, the director of the film As I was not interested in following a science degree, I did not continue the course. Thereafter I did accountancy and did not follow that as well until the end. My father was a successful businessman. From the 1950s he was an importer of auto parts. I took over my father's business and continued it after his death. If my father were alive, he would have forced me to continue my higher studies.

In school I played rugby. I was the senior Cadet and I was involved in the Sinhala literary society as well. Film buff I was an ardent film buff from early days. Good English films were screened in Colombo. I used to see all the movies that came to the Odeon, Mount Lavinia in the 1960s. I made it a habit of noting down all the details. Usually the films were screened for four days. So I got the opportunity to see English movies during my school days. I used to collect cinema posters, banners and pictures of actors.

My father hated cinema. I had a hard time but I did not neglect my studies. In 1994 I wrote a script for the film Ekada Wahi. I assigned a friend of mine to direct it. I told him specifically that I will give him the funds and the script to direct the film. I wanted to create a simple and entertaining story for the local filmgoers. My friend took over it but finally he said that he could not do it. Then I had to plan everything for the shooting. Then I took the challenge of directing the film though I did not know how to do it. Finally, it became a success. People said it was one of the classiest films that they had ever seen. Message  

Q: What is the message that you are trying to give through Que Sera?

 A: The story moves around a family of morticians who have been in the undertakers business for a very long time. The business having been in operation for over a hundred years, is on the verge of collapse now. The present owner dies of a sickness leaving the business in the hands of his two unmarried daughters. Que sera is basically a feminine movie looking at the world from their point of view.

It is about how they suffer because of the flawed structure of society. The flaws affect women than men. I have touched on this throughout the story. On the surface level it is full of entertainment and fun. Humans need to look at their own mistakes and laugh at themselves. One can be a better person in this process. If one can look at one's own mistakes and laugh at oneself it is great. Cinema is the most powerful medium of entertainment.

Through cinema, I have brought out this message. I don't want to force this message into people but I want people to feel it. I wrote a story where I could bring a lot of satire and dark humour. Nita Fernando plays the role of a wise woman with a beautiful and a powerful aura. The depiction of such an aura often connotes a person of particular power or holiness. Yoshini Abeysekara plays the role of a spirit who possesses a lot of anger and wants to take revenge.

At the end of the play she says that no one knows how she came to this world. She is angry because her mother was cheated and deserted by her father. She did not receive the love and affection of a father. She is feeling jealous of her step sisters who were well looked after by her father. The turning point in the story is where she decides to forgive those who annoyed her.

At the end she decides to turn her anger and hatred into love and compassion. This is the philosophy of the movie where I have shown that one should live with anger and burn it away. One should live with hurt, if he is hurt and that is how one can get rid of it. If we care to look at hurt, we come to terms with it rather than running away from it.

Target audience 

Q: What is your target audience?

A: My target audience consists of those who are neglected by the Sinhala film industry. Over the past 20 years, they have gradually moved away from from cinema. I am trying to bring them back to the Sinhala cinema. I find that even the new generation has moved away from the Sinhala cinema. Those who are bilingual are also part of my target audience. They consider that the present Sinhala cinema as virtual trash. It is a very difficult task to convince them that we can make decent entertaining films without being stupid. The film with nearly 30 percent of dialogue in English but with Sinhala subtitles targets an audience which had been neglected for a long time. I also think that the film is suitable for everybody.

 Q: The music used for the film is quite different and the songs are interesting. The melody is catchy too. Can you say something about it?

A: The most notable feature of the film is its musical score. Veteran musician Somapala Ratnayake composed the score. For the first time I wrote the lyrics for the song. There is a relationship between the song and the movie. One should carefully listen to the lyrics of the song to understand it. Lyrics were a part of the dialogue in the movie.

I used this technique because the songs can be treated as an intrigue part of the story. The first song is really beautiful. It cannot be expressed in words. The song is "I left one world and came to another world looking for happiness but where I came is worse than what it was. So now what am I to do? I know that there is happiness somewhere else beyond the normal norms of happiness and that is what I am looking for." The spirit of Yoshini Abeysekara in the film came from one world to another on her own accord.

She is unhappy and looking for happiness and in the process anger builds in her but she doesn't know that this anger is common to all mankind. She tries to destroy things out of shear anger. Bridge The tittle of the evergreen song written by the Jay Livingston and Ray Evans Que Sera, Sera or Whatever Will Be, Will Be, featured in the Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 film The Man Who Knew Too Much, had made a bridge between Hollywood and Sri Lankan film industry. The five verses in the Thovilaya were written by me. Those verses describe the sad state in the art of the country. Satirically I am bringing out my anger. The rotten state of the cinema is bought out and I am laughing at it.

 Q: The actors have done their roles well. What do you think about it?

A: Of course, they have done their best performance. The four main characters were Hans Billimoria, Yoshini Abeysekara, Michelle Herft and Oshini Perera. They all were new to the screen but they performed really well.


 Q: Are you directing any other movies?

A: Yes. I am planning to direct a movie and actually it is under process now. I am directing a movie called 'Children's musical' based on one of the legendary Hollywood movies. It will be released next year.
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ICT-supported English speaking school opened

ICT-supported English speaking school opened


Sunday, 9 March 2014

by Husna Inayathullah

The launch of The English Speaking School (TESS), teaching and testing of English with the help of Information and Communication Technologies was held at the BMICH recently, under the patronage of Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena. Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena at the launch of the English Speaking School (TESS) at the BMICH.

The new program aimed at integrating ICT tools into English teaching and testing was planned and coordinated by the Presidential Secretariat, through the Presidential Task Force on English and IT the Special Initiatives Unit (SIU) of the Secretariat, with a group of partners from both the public and private sectors. This new program was hosted by the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS). TESS will be piloted in three schools such as Prince and Princess of Wales Colleges, Moratuwa and Mahinda Rajapaksa College, Pitipana, Homagama.

The Presidential Task Force on English, IT coordinator Dr. Sunimal Fernando said incorporating English the IT would provide the right combination and empowerment for school leavers to be equipped for the demands of higher education on the one hand and for accessing a job market with a high rate of remuneration on the other. He said the government's program to set up 1,000 language laboratories in schools will enable English teachers strengthen their capacity using ICT tools.

He said that such laboratories have already been set up at 100 of the 1,000 schools and Minister Bandula Gunawardena plans to provide teachers an opportunity to make use of language laboratories after school hours and on weekends. "TESS is another milestone in the Governments program-English as a life skill. From today we are developing software which will benefit the students and teacher alike," he said. "What we are launching today is not a project but a process through which the competence in the English language is to be used as a life skill," he said.

Minister Gunawardena said following the Ministry's decision to test English language listening and speaking skills, marks will be allocated for listening and speaking at the GCE (Ordinary Level) examination from 2015. He said the students will be able to speak in English in the future and be confident in their lives without merely getting through examinations. The launch coincided with the 123rd Founder's Day of the Prince and Princess of Wales Colleges, Moratuwa.

Additional Solicitor General Suhada Gamlath and Senior Assistant Secretary to the President Deepa Liyanage delivered speeches commemorating the founder, Sir Charles Henry de Soysa, on behalf of the Past Pupils' Associations of respective schools. Chief Justice Mohan Peiris PC was the Chief Guest and British Council Director Keith Davies represented the United Kingdom at the British High Commission. Deputy Minister Mohan Lal Grero was also present.
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State Awards for literary giants

State Awards for literary giants

Sunday, 7 September 2014

By Husna Inayathullah


-
Pic : Chandana Perera The prestigious Sahithyarathna awards were conferred on Prof. Wimal Dissanayake, Carl Muller and Teliwatte Joseph in recognition of their contribution to literature in Sinhala, English and Tamil Media.

The state literary awards ceremony 2014 was held at the BMICH recently with President Mahinda Rajapaksa gracing the occasion as the chief guest on the invitation of Minister of Culture and Arts T.B. Ekanayake. The State Literary Awards Ceremony - 2014 was held under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the BMICH.

Here the President with the Literati who were conferred with the prestigious Sahithyarathna title - namely Prof. Wimal Dissanayake, Carl Muller and Teliwatte Joseph. Culture and the Arts Minister T. B. Ekanayake and State Literature Sub-Committee Chairman Prof. Samantha Herath were also present.  Awards were also given to categories such as children’s literature, drama, prose, non-fiction, poetry, translations and novels in all three languages.

Only the books deposited at the National Archives were selected for awards by an eminent panel. The first round of the survey was carried out by an external board, the second round by the panel on literature, the third round by an apex body of scholars.

Literary works selected by the third round of the survey were given awards at the awards festival. “Benefiting from the fruits of economic development depends largely on the members of any society being enriched in literature and culture,” President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in his message. “Our society now shows much progress in the production and appreciation of quality works in language, literature, music, drama and other artistic forms. The government stands committed to provide the necessary support and facilities for the betterment of arts in the country. The literati of a country make a great contribution towards its progress,” he said.

Chairman, sub-committee judging literary works for the 2014 Literary Awards, Senior Lecturer of Colombo University, Prof Samantha Herath said over 1,600 books were referred to the panel of judges. Minister of Culture and the Arts T.B. Ekanayake said, “The annual event to honour the distinguished literati and recognise their outstanding creations during the previous year had come to a successful conclusion with the awards ceremony.

The literati are noble figures who nourish the masses. The government at all times work to assist them and develop the sector. Writers, readers, schoolchildren and almost everyone enjoy the pleasure of literature in this month of literature. However, this should not be restricted to a single month.”

Cultural items, dancing items and Anklet (a dance drama) created by veteran dancers such as Ravibandu Vidyapathi, Channa Wijewardena, Kulasiri Budawatta and Vasuki Jegadeeswaran were staged during the festival. The event was organised by the Ministry of Culture and Arts, Department of Cultural Affairs, Arts Council of Sri Lanka and the State Literary Panel.
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