His grandmother Ratna Perera was a celebrated journalist and still sits behind her typewriter, his mother Malathi Perera is a personal assistant and his father Ranjan Perera works in a bookshop, but eighteen year Chirantha Amerasinghe cannot engage in either of these vocations because of an inherent disability.

Having undergone constructive surgery on the day he was born – October 7, 1990 – at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for children, and more days and hours of painful corrective surgery thereafter, Chirantha has today emerged a winner – but a winner confined to his home.

‘My son is special to me and will always be," says hard-working Malathi Perera, who runs helter-skelter trying to make her son’s life better. She shuttles between being a full-time employee, homemaker and a loving mother. Having sold their property and valuables and spent all their savings too on the surgery that Chirantha has required from time to time, they live today in a modest home – a rented roof above their heads, which is the only comfort that they have.

Yet Malathi Perera says that she is the richest of them all. "My son is my greatest wealth and there is nothing more I want in life than to see him succeed. He has suffered so much since the day he was born. He has been unable to go to school everyday, not able to visit his friends or set off on those happy trips," says Malathi Perera. Chirantha Amerasinghe is a student of the Gateway School of Computer Studies and a past pupil of Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa.

Despite having been forced to distance himself from all social activities that other teenagers happily engage themselves in, young Chirantha manages a happy and contented smile – wearing it, almost all through the day. Whether he does it to make his mother happy, or because he is happy is hard to say, but their experiences of success and defeat and the suspicions in their hearts is causing them an anguish that they cannot escape from; and the story coming from a very special teenager, is disturbing indeed.

"Look at the medals my son has been awarded with, look at his certificates," says his proud mother as his innumerable awards and honours decorate a small table in the middle of their small hallway.

Truly young Chirantha has struggled his way up. Confined to his home after surgery, Chirantha has, through sheer determination transformed himself into a computer wizard, creating software that won acclaims from all over the world.

In Sri Lanka too, Chirantha Amerasinghe’s software programmes got first place at the Young Computer Scientist competitions organised by the Sri Lanka Association for the Software Industry (SLASI).

Chirantha Amerasinghe was afforded places of standing in the years 2005 and 2006 consecutively, at a time when he was yet another unknown contestant.

"But something went amiss thereafter with a key person at the top changing and being replaced with someone who had a personal tussle with me. This person who is an ‘enemy’ of mine took it out on my son, for thereafter in the years 2007 and 2008, my son’s entries were mysteriously shunned aside. He was not even afforded a place among the 20 merit certificates let alone become one of the main winners," alleged his heartbroken mother who had never had a thought for herself and her well-being in this great quest to bring a smile to the face of her only child – her special son.

In 2005, Chirantha Amerasinghe had presented his creation to the SLASI competition – the Galaxy Protector. "It was a time when I was interested in games. I was happy when my work was adjudged the Best Project in the Multi media Applications Category," said Chirantha, who was awarded, first place.

In 2006, Chirantha Amerasinghe, had presented his Duplicate File Detection System to SLASI again. "It was a time when I was interested in programming," recalled young Amerasinghe. His work got him a place with Special Merit.

In 2007, he had presented the software – the Mobile Music Player to SLASI. By then however, the person who did not see eye to his with his mother had assumed a key position. And by a strange coincidence, though Amerasinghe’s creation was a special software, his hard work had not got him any place – not the special award, none in the three main categories and none whatsoever in the approximately ten merit certificates.

Refusing to be discouraged by defeat, in 2008 again Amerasinghe had presented his software the Talking Clock. "It is a creation that says more than the time. It is a novel multi purpose software, my very own creation and different from what is available in the whole world, let alone in the country," explained young Chirantha Amerasinghe.

But somehow or the other, Chirantha Amerasinghe was ‘thrown out’ - without even a merit certificate from the lowermost category or the slightest mention.

This would have been okay, says this helpless family, crying tears of disappointment in the privacy of their humble home in Idama Moratuwa, but for the fact that during both years in which Chirantha Amerasinghe was cast aside, a key position in the SLASI was held by an individual who did not see eye to eye with his mother.

"When SLASI called me for a demonstration, the judges I met appeared partial and commended my work," said Chirantha Amerasinghe. "But as I was half way through the demonstration, I was frightened and aghast when a bearded gentleman stormed into the room and began to comment on my demonstration,’ said Amerasinghe. The gentleman who had not been in the panel of judges had voiced his personal opinion - and had gone on to say that ‘these things are good for experience…’ and went on to make indirect comments that he is out.

But fate works in different ways – cast aside and ridiculed by intruders at the demonstration – Chirantha had been able to save more than his work – he had been able to save his face too when his work titled Talking Clocked presented in 2008 was downloaded from his website and used by local and international communities with applauds, requests and queries flowing in asking as to how he did it. " Today, it is being used by many people, including the visually handicapped," said Chirantha Amerasinghe proud that his work has changed the lives of many people in Sri Lanka and in other parts of the world.

Undaunted, by earlier disappointments, Chirantha Amerasinghe in 2008 again submitted his software and web development work to the Young Community Leader – a project of the Youth Empowerment Division of the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies. The project named Chiranthasoft mobile services, a mobile download site brought him great happiness due to being selected to the semi final round. It is learnt that over 15,000 applicants responded to this competition and Chirantha Amerasinghe was selected to the semi finals – being among the pruned down selected 120 contestants by the authorities conducting the competition at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies.

The Young Community Leader Project transported young Chirantha Amerasinghe to the seventh heaven when based on his work he was chosen to be one of the 120 from fifteen categories. As if that was not enough, he was among the eight pruned down in different categories, thus becoming one of the eight in the IT category. "I am so happy that my hard work has been recognized, yet the sadness and trauma of my earlier experiences will give me anguish for as long as I live," said this talented teenager who remains confined to his home.

"I am upset by the happenings of the past, especially after what happened to my talking clock project which was kicked aside by SLASI yet accepted in other parts of the world. If the software is bad people will not use it," argues Chirantha Amerasinghe. Amerasinghe who has designed the Queen of Angels website for the Church in his neighbourhood said: "I am moved to tears by the appreciation they have shown me."

Human feeling has no place in the world of computers. Data takes precedence over human issues and bonding. It is hardware and software that go hand in hand. But the hard facts of the life of Chirantha Amerasinghe lead us to think whether computers, programming and insensitive data or tears, trials and tribulations of a special teenager can be stored in the human heart for longer.

Chirantha Amerasinghe is a young teenager, he is special for he has not let his disabilities and his limitations stop him. "My ambition is to help the disabled people for I feel I am disabled. I want so badly to excel in computer programming and make Sri Lanka come up to the international level," said this determined teenager who has no access to the sleek world.

It is a time to reach out – to take a softer look at this computer wizard at home in Idama Moratuwa. It is time to give him helping hand to the world of computers, a mighty task only a human heart is capable of.

He was once a lovable, playful pet but today due to old age he has become a lethargic and sickly ani mal. He may be your lovable pet dog several years ago, but has changed with time and age. So what do you do as a pet owner? Do you make a decision to look after this faithful pet who has brought so much fun and joy to your life, for the rest of its life and until he decides to say good-bye to you forever or do you take the decision to put him out of his misery by euthanizing him?

Euthanasia is a horrible thought especially when it comes to household pets. But sadly many pet owners decide to euthanize their pets for their convenience rather than putting the ailing animal out of its suffering and misery.

Though many of us would never wish to be in a situation where a decision has to be taken to euthanize our pets there are always two sides to a story. There could be a serious case where your pet is in constant pain and cannot eat or drink and needs to be put out of its misery. But then again there are genuine animal lovers who would argue that the animal has the right to live until it dies a natural death just like all human beings and should be given pain killers to ease the pain.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader Sargarica Rajakarunanayake said euthanizing a dog should always be the last option. "We cannot say when a dog should be euthanized, because I know that many serious cases have been cured due to proper care by pet owners. I had a puppy who was paralysed. The vets told me he may not recover. But I did not give up on him. I gave a back rub with warm water everyday and applied oil and today this little puppy is walking.

She added that there are cases where the animal has had a serious accident and will inevitably die and is in pain and suffering. "In such cases the animal should be put out of its misery especially if there is nobody to take care of it. There are many dogs who live with spine injuries and are paralysed, some animals can neither sit up nor walk but their owners are taking good care of them instead of putting them down. If the animal is eating and drinking well and is been cared for by its owners I will not condemn them for not putting the animal down. But I totally condemn shelters that euthanize dogs when they cannot re-home and owners who try to euthanize their animals when they get out of control," explained Rajakarunanayake.

"I would never think of euthanizing a pet dog or even a stray dog. How can you have a clear conscience when you know that you have taken the decision to euthanize an animal that has spent so many years with you by your side? A dog is man’s best friend and he or she will stay faithful to you as long as you show them compassion and kindness. If your pet has served you faithfully for so many years it is your responsibility to take care of him until he dies a natural death," says Rukmani De Abrew Wickremesinghe.

Wickremesinghe has never given up on the suffering of strays just like Rajakarunanayake and Jayawardene and recently took in a female dog who was in the last stages of cancer. The dog could easily have been put down by Wickremesinghe. But she together with the help of another animal lover took in the animal and treated it until one day, it died naturally.

"Every animal has the right to live. Just because a dog is seriously ill does not mean we have the right to get him euthanized. It is our duty as humans to give that animal the best of care and make a commitment to look after the animal until it dies a natural death. There are many cases where seriously sick dogs have been cured due to proper care and medical treatment by their owners," Udayangani Jayawardene said.

Jayawardene has helped many strays by giving them a new lease of life. Animals with serious injuries that veterinary surgeons would have opted to put down have been saved by Jayawardene who still has many of them with her in her own home. "You must never give up hope on serious cases, because through commitment and caring you can get positive results," Jayawardene said.

According to Veterinary Surgeon Dr. Nandana Atapattu euthanizing dogs is not a satisfactory measure.. "I always try my level best to save the animal. However if a dog has had a serious accident and has only a day or two to live and is suffering and in pain then euthanizing the animal is acceptable. But I am totally against pet owners who want to euthanize their dogs because they are fierce. An animal becomes fierce due to negligence by their owners," Dr. Atapattu said.

Dr. S.B.Herath is of the opinion that a dog should not be euthanized unless if in a very serious condition. "There are some serious cases where dogs have recovered due to proper medical care and kindness from their owners. Every animal has the right to live, just like us. We do not like our lives taken away from us and I believe animals feel the same way. You have to go through your karma in life and it is up to us to let that animal finish off its karma in its own time," Dr. Herath said.

Dr. E K Thilakarathne once had a case where a pet owner wanted to euthanize his dog because it had diarrhea. "I refused to euthanize the animal. If an animal can be cured euthanization is not the answer. If we value our lives we must respect an animal’s life in the same way too . A human treasures his or her life even if he or she is disabled and the same applies to animals. If an animal is in pain we can give pain killers. There are many serious cases who have recovered well. However if the animal has nobody to take care of it and is suffering, then euthazining the animal maybe the only option," Dr. Thilakarathne explained.

Dr. S.S.B.Dissanayake says he too does not believe in euthanizing animals. "If a pet dog has looked after its owner for so many years it is the owner’s responsibility to take care of the pet until it dies a natural death. However there are some cases where the animal is suffering from cancer or injuries of the spine and is in pain. In such cases it is reasonable for the owners to opt for euthanization. However I believe the dog has the right to live and should be given pain killers and kept comfortable until it dies a natural death," Dr. Dissanayake said.

Boys — then and now

Us girls met up to have dinner with a friend who was visiting on
some work. She was accompanied by one of her colleagues. This lady wanted to know why she, as a Christian, had been sent to a Catholic convent for her education. She answered," My parents thought the strict Irish Catholic nuns were better disciplinarians than Christian teachers.

" We reminisced how when we were young, things were so straight-laced that if we held a boy’s hand, it was tantamount to having physical relations! At a party, if a boy asked you to dance, your name would be coupled with this poor unsuspecting fellow for weeks to come! Her friend commented wryly," This discipline does not seem to have done you all much good!" Now why on earth would she think that? We are perfectly behaved, well, most of the time! Actually, Beautiful Dreamer told me" Now don’t shriek too loud, right, tonight!" Apparently we have a reputation of being a bit rowdy. On this particular occasion, it was totally the fault of the host, providing us those delicious Peach schnapps-based cocktails.

One of the silliest school rules was that we could not even talk or even show the slightest acknowledgement, to a member of the opposite sex whilst in school uniform. So, because of some girls who had lots of "brothers" and "cousins" standing and talking to them at bus stops, we had to actually ignore our real brothers. My pal said as a prefect, she was supposed to set a good example. She had this ardent admirer who worked in a hotel at Mount Lavinia.

Apparently, she met him at my eventful 18th birthday party. So every afternoon in his lunch break, he would be standing at the school bus stop. Then he would get into the bus and sit behind her, like a stranger. Then they would get off near her home, and since there were spies in every nook and cranny, they had to remain incommunicado. Then he would cross over the other side of the road, take another bus and go back to his job in Mount Lavinia! I inquired where he was, apparently he had died. "Of a broken heart? Shattered into little bits?" I inquired, breathlessly. "No, child, nephritis," she replied. My explanation sounded more interesting!

Lots of my friends would tell their parents that they were at my house, but go for a stroll down to the beach to meet up with their boyfriends. Some of them got caught out by their suspicious parents! Then I would be given a lecture for aiding and abetting, whilst wildly proclaiming my innocence. One smart cookie would tell her dad she was going out with another friend, go round the back of her house, ring the doorbell herself, run back and open the door, and proceed to have an imaginary conversation. Then she would call out to her parents that her friend had come, and off she would go on a rendezvous! Yet another girl would climb onto a tree from her room at night, jump onto the wall and over into her boyfriends arms. The security guard at the front of their house was blissfully unaware what was happening under his nose. One night she went for a moonlight swim in the sea, which to us was pretty daring and exciting!

We were relatively unsophisticated compared to today’s youth. We had good innocent fun. All this sneaking around was because we were supposed to be Fast and Forward with the opposite sex. Because of this line of reasoning, one of my close friends was seen by a teacher at the gate of her house talking to a boy from down the road, and she got told off severely in front of the whole class. Her parents did not mind her Talking to Boys, but obviously this was not the Done Thing according to some of our teachers! No wonder this particular teacher remained a spinster!

I am so glad that my kids can bring home all their friends of both sexes. Since they went to a co-ed school, (on my insistence, after my convent education!) they are totally unselfconscious with all their friends. As one dad said, " I am sooo jealous of my sons men! Look at the lucky fellows, dancing and holding hands with all these nice, pretty young girls. My goodness, I would have got thrashed by my father if he saw me behave like this! I wish we were so fortunate. We could only Look!" Poor babies!

- Honky Tonk Woman

I have handed it in! the thesis is done

HUMOUR 

Each evening bird lover Tom stood in his backyard, hooting like an owl - and one night, an owl finally called back to him. For a year, the man and his feathered friend hooted back and forth. He even kept a log of the "conversation"...

Just as he thought he was on the verge of a breakthrough in interspecies communication, his wife had a chat with her next door neighbor.

"My husband spends his nights ... calling out to owls," she said.

"That’s odd," the neighbor replied. "So does my husband!"

Nancy’s nephew was four when she was pregnant with her first baby. She allowed him to place his hand on her belly and feel the baby kick. His little face scrunched and said, "How does the baby get out of there?"

She wanted to keep it simple so she said, "The doctor will help."

His eyes widened in amazement as he exclaimed, "You have got a doctor in there, too?!"

Hearing about a dinosaur alive in the rain forests of South America, a professor launches a scientific expedition. After several weeks he stumbles upon a little man wearing a loincloth, standing near a 300-foot-long, dead dinosaur. The scientist cannot believe his eyes. "Did you kill this dinosaur?" he asks. "Yep," replies the rain-forest native. "But it is so big and you are so small! How did you kill it?" "With my club," the primitive fellow answered. "How big is your club?" "Well, there are about 100 of us."

An old man was a witness in a burglary trial. The defense lawyer asks Sam, "Did you see my client
commit this burglary?" "Yes," said Sam , "I saw him plainly take the goods."

The lawyer asks Sam again, "Sam, this happened at night. Are you sure you saw my client commit this crime?"

"Yes" says Sam, "I saw him do it."

Then the lawyer asks Sam, "Sam listen, you are 80 years old and your eyesight probably is bad. Just how far can you see at night?"

Sam says, "I can see the moon, how far is that?"

A big-city lawyer was representing the railroad in a lawsuit filed by an old rancher. The rancher’s prize bull was missing from the section through which the railroad passed. The rancher claimed that the bull must have been hit by the train, and wanted to be paid the fair value of the bull. The case was scheduled to be tried before the justice of the peace in the back room of the general store.

As soon as the rancher showed up, the attorney for the railroad pulled him aside and tried to get him to settle out of court. The lawyer did his best selling job, and finally the rancher agreed to take half of what he was asking.

After the rancher had signed the release and took the check, the young lawyer could not resist gloating a little over his success, telling the rancher, "You know, I hate to tell you this, old man, but I put one over on you in there. I couldn’t have won the case. The engineer was asleep and the fireman was in the caboose when the train went through your ranch that morning. I did not have one witness to put on the stand. I bluffed you!"

The old rancher replied, "Well, I will tell you, young feller, I was a little worried about winning that case myself, because that darned bull came home this morning."

An investment counselor decided to go out on her own. She was shrewd and diligent, so business kept coming in, and pretty soon she realized that she needed an in-house counsel. She began to interview young lawyers.

"As I am sure you can understand," she started off with one of the first applicants, "in a business like this, our personal integrity must be beyond question." She leaned forward. "Mr. Peterson, are you an honest lawyer?"

"Honest?" replied the job prospect. "Let me tell you something about honest. Why, I am so honest that my father lent me $15,000 for my education, and I paid back every penny the minute I tried my very first case."

"Impressive. And what sort of case was that?"