Review

Asanga faces life with courage

My name is Asanga Buwaneka Divulwewa.  I am 25 years of age and was born to an average family of six members - that is my parents, three younger brothers .....

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 > The Cuban medical example that can heal the world

 > Cruelty to animals that make us shudder

 > Dancing your way through (....Balder dash)

 > The festive lights and the burning cost of living...

 > Men should learn to dance (...Perth Diary)

 > Senator Murugeysu Tiruchelvam QC - Atribute

Asanga faces life with courage

Then suddenly after six weeks of my birth when my mother was dressing me the pamper she found that my whole body was turning blue and my limbs went lifeless before her eyes.  Hopelessly she had watched  this ghastly sight and had screamed from the bottom of her throat, and together with my father  had rushed me to Lady Ridgeway Hospital.

Brain fever

The doctors who attended on  me concluded that I had contracted brain fever. I was attended on by various doctors, but none of them could diagnose it at first.  Some said it was Meningitis. Some diagnosed it as polio. But one of the doctors who attended on me diagnosed it as  polio, and that was definite. She said "This has got to be polio. I have no second thoughts about it," and up to date she was right.

Albeit other doctors who were attending on me at that time didn't want to accept her diagnosis,  they continued to treat me for Meningitis and the problem worsened.  I was paralysed and was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of my life.  In the 1980s there was a polio epidemic, and that was the last epidemic. Next to me in my ward was a polio victim and they assume that I must have come in contact with him. Since then my parents took me to kovils, churches, temples etc. They even gave me acupuncture in the hope of getting me cured, but none of them worked. All those who are responsible for my calamity are going about freely and no justice has been done to me.

Many triumphs

And amidst my disability I have managed to accomplish many triumphs in my life. I was educated at Isipathana College, Colombo 5, and studied up to GCE Ordinary Level, in 1997. I sat the O/Level Examination and got out of school.

And now as a paid employee at Lyceum International School I've managed to earn my day- to- day living without being a burden to anyone. While trying to be socially involved I came across two disheartened people, one promised me that she will take care of me when I'm in need and the other promised me that she will marry me and give me a normal life - a life filled with joy.

 They both turned out to be fake and empty promises and I was lost in those promises. Why are people so wicked? I tend to take these things as part of my karma - according to Buddhism each of us is born according to our karma. 

I  play tennis at SLTA to keep myself engaged. I could play the organ as well. As an author of children's short stories I'm proud of the success I have achieved.

Magnanimous woman

They say behind every successful man there's a woman, but behind my success there are lots of people involved. My mother is the foremost among them. I would like to  extend my heartfelt thanks to my mother- a magnanimous woman - who took the trouble of bringing me up and educating me. I am heavily indebted to her for not giving up on me. Thank you mother, you are the centre of my life!

I am also thankful to my two bosses- The managing director,  Mohan Lal Grero and the principal, Kumari Grero (my second parents) of Lyceum International School, for being so kind and understanding  and also for giving me the chance to prove my worthiness to  society when other organisations refused to give me that chance. My special thanks also go out  to Rohana Hemachandra who has been there for me with an extended hand without hesitation.  I am also thankful to Thilakarathne for taking me to places I wanted to go and for being very helpful, and also to all of my friends without whose help I wouldn't be what I am today.

Through this article I seek nothing other than some ray of hope which I can cling on to and also experience the happiness  I've lost for the past 25 years of my life.

Remember  if there is a will there is always a way!

So I believe I'll get something out of this article

-  Asanga Buwaneka Divulwewa

Cruelty to animals that make us shudder

By Risidra Mendis

Caught in a trap with no way of escape, they suffer for days and die a slow and agonising death. The Yala National Park and its surrounding forest area popular for its wildlife have today become a cruel death trap to hundreds of animals.

Apart from Yala the same death traps are used in the Wilpattu, Uda Walawe and Wasgamuwa National Parks. Environmentalists and nature lovers say a cheap cable used in trishaws that costs Rs 15 to 20 is used to set these deadly traps to catch innocent wild animals. 

According to environmentalists an alarming number of around 15 animals are caught in traps set by poachers in and around the Yala National Park every day.

Among the animals caught in these traps are cattle, sambhur, deer, leopards, monkeys and various other wild animals in the area. Eyewitnesses including wildlife enthusiasts, nature lovers and farmers have come across horrifying scenes of rotting carcasses of cattle, deer and sambhur in the Yala area.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader eyewitnesses said, in most cases it is the front or back leg of an animal that gets caught in the cable trap. "The animal cannot free itself from the trap and struggles in pain and agony for days or weeks before it finally dies. Poachers set these traps with the intention of trapping animals for meat. However poachers do not make use of all the animals caught in these traps," environmentalists said.

Cruelty at its worst

They added that poachers would make use of five animals and let the remaining animals suffer and die. "This is an easy and cheap method used by poachers to trap wild animals. Yala is the most popular place for these traps especially due to the Kataragama season. Pilgrims coming to Kataragama on their way back home go in search of venison and meat. The demand for venison encourages poachers to set more traps in these areas. Despite this ongoing cruelty, shops and dealers who sell these cables are unaware of what they are used for," environmentalists said.

They added that wildlife officials cannot locate where the traps are laid, as they are  set up in thick jungle areas. "Even the poachers cannot remember where they laid the traps as there are so many traps laid during a long period of time," they said.

According to eyewitnesses the only way to solve this growing problem is through foot patrolling by wildlife officers and creating awareness among villagers in the area and shop owners who sell trishaw cables in bulk.

Director General, Department of Wildlife and Conservation, Dayananda Kariyawasam said the department is doing its best to put an end to poaching in the areas. "Wildlife officers are patrolling these areas and removing any traps they come across. In January we are recruiting 90 game guards to the department. We hope to train these game guards and send them to the most affected national parks in the country. When we strengthen our team we hope to nab more poachers and prevent the killing of wild animals in these areas," Kariyawasam said. 

Men should learn to dance

All you men out there who want to get with the girls, I have one piece of advice you must honour above all else: learn to dance.

I mean it. I am very accommodating of most men and their dancing handicaps. I am lenient until you step on my feet. Or until you do a John Travolta in white polyester Staying Alive style and you don't intend to be funny.

I have a secret: I have always wanted someone to partner me - regardless of whether they are my partner in a relationship or not. I wanted someone who could dance, who could keep up with me, who I could rely on to be there every time I needed to get on a dancefloor. At parties, at dinner dances, at balls or even in a store when a favourite song comes on.

You can blame this on having watched Strictly Ballroom at a very young  age; at being involved in dancing; at dancing with many older male uncles and family friends who are capable of terrifying anyone with their dancing skills; or at feeling empathy with certain female relatives who mourn the absence of a partner who can keep time and move in rhythm. You could blame it on a lot of things but I now wish I hadn't been born when I was.

Latest dances

The thing is men knew how to dance properly up until the '60s and then everything went belly up. (Women too - but most women won't partner me - they either find it weird or find me too fast as a leader. ) People used to know how to dance waltzes and they knew how to dance to all the latest dances be it lindyhop, charleston or jitterbug or jive and it was so awful if you didn't know how to dance. And I used to watch movies where the men were wonderful dancers.

And then I got approached at parties by boys that used to do some sort of painful shuffle and even the boys who were overconfident and egoisitic about their dancing skills could be very easily failed in a contest. And then suddenly everything changed to where it seems to be now: if the guys do enough hip thrusts and the girls do enough hip shaking and the overall effect is to emulate pornography to the point of overkill, that's when it is deemed passable by today's standards. There is no grace, no pride in it, no beauty. Which is sad for me - I love dancing. And I love hip hop and funk dancing as well but it definitely is not what they dance today.

Shy or drunk

But to be fair, I find that a lot of the boys I have ever attempted to get on a dancefloor are either very very shy or need to be very very drunk before they get on and they always say that they feel self  concious because they don't know how to dance or don't think they can. And it doesn't surprise me that they think this way.

They have just never been bombarded with the message from early childhood that they can dance and that they don't have to resort to 'bump 'n grind' in terms of dance styles. Anyone who can 'poplock' or 'breakdance' still automatically gets a thumbs up. They need to be watching more Fred Astaire and less .... less Disney? Less Adam Sandler? And someone needs to tell them that anyone can do it and it is really easy.  

Because I bet that for every time I am on a dancefloor wishing I had a partner, there is someone in the shadows near the bar, wishing that they had the courage and the talent and the knowhow to be out on the floor. Bring back Ginger and Fred and someone take on teaching the boys to dance. Because I am tired of waiting and looking for someone to twirl me around on the dancefloor and I have a lot of pairs of stilletto heels waiting to be worn out at New Year's Eve dinner dances and college balls.

- Marisa Wikramanayake 

The Cuban medical example that can heal the world

By Ranee Mohamed

Dr. Aya Kandiah  from the United Kingdom is a general practi-tioner with the British National Health Service since 1985. Yet it is the Cuban example that has soothed his heart and mind. Actively involved in the workings of the Cuban health service and continuing to study it, Dr. Kandiah says that he will always be mesmerised at the way human well being has taken precedence over the profit-motive in Cuba.

"The Cuban model  is  an ideology. All Cuban doctors who work for the system are like revolutionaries, but they bring about a change into the lives of the people, especially the poor people. One of the fascinating factors is that being a very poor third world country, Cuba has a first class medical service," pointed out Dr. Kandiah.

British-based Dr. Kandiah says that we all ought to learn from Cuba - the lesson from Cuba - that one does not need to have loads of money to produce a first class medical service, a service which is genuine, motivated and genuinely interested in the well being of the people. Thus it comes as no surprise that the Cuban life expectancy is 76-80 years.

"The infant mortality in Cuba is lower than that of Washington D.C." points out Dr. Kandiah, who was in Sri Lanka recently.

Most important

"Cubans believe that three things are more important in life - health, education and sports.  In 1961, the educated people went to peripheral areas and started teaching peasants, thereby raising the rate of literacy. It was an educational revolution. In terms of sports, Cubans excel in sports, especially boxing and athletics. Cubans believe in preventive medicine too," said Dr. Kandiah of the Cuban example.

But more enticing is the true Cuban medical example; especially to Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans judging by the  newspaper reports of medical negligence, allegations of inflated bills and increasing costs of drugs and of medical services.

What the Cubans follow is an age old model - one initiated by Fidel Castro, a lawyer and Che Guvera, who was a doctor. When they were being attacked by the National Army they ended up in Sierra Maestro Mountans, Cuba. While they were in the jungle, they began to set up field hospitals - they treated the peasants.  It had been a model set up around 1959. It was a situation where the lawyer, doctor and the peasant shared the same hospital facilities.

It is this model that was created - a system where the doctor and the lawyer and the common people shared the same medical facility that is being practiced today. "If I liberate Cuba I will copy this system when I come into power," said Castro during the time of the field hospitals. 

"And that is what he did. Today it is that model that is being copied in Cuba - a Socialist model," pointed out Dr. Kandiah.

Three levels

"Cuba has three levels of medicine - a consultario - a small unit manned by doctors and nurses. They have about 760 people in their list whom they care and look after. They have a thorough knowledge about the local people and their health so much so that they even know what is in their refrigerator," said Dr. Kandiah.

"When people fall ill, they go to the consultario where they are treated by the doctors therein. If  these doctors think that the condition of their patient, whom they know so well is too complicated, then they send him to a polyclinic. The polyclinic has a doctor, nurses, technician (physiotherapists) psychologist and they all chip in as a team. The difference here is that one is not a 'big shot,'only an ordinary medical person - a part of the team" pointed out Dr. Aya Kandiah.

Minor surgery is done with the help of hospital consultants who will visit the polyclinics. The third level is the regional hospital.

"If one falls ill in Cuba, one does not go to the hospital; one goes to the consultario and polyclinic and hospital. Cuba has an international medical brigade. In Cuba is situated the Latin American School of Medicine which again was created by Fidel Castro. Students are brought in from poor countries to join the Latin American School of Medicine," observed Dr. Kandiah of a system that never ceases to amaze him.

From foreign countries

There are students from Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Africa and Nigeria. Also are students from Harlem, U.SA. This medical education makes it necessary that the students make a pledge that when they go back to their own countries they would treat the  poor in their countries  for two years.

Another significant factor in the Cuban medical system is the absence of large drug companies that make money out of producing medicine. "There is a institute called the Finlays Institute that conducts medical research.

 "In the Western world there are many drugs for increased levels of cholesterol.  Since statins are very expensive in Cuba, they have created their own drug made of sugarcane and it works like statin. Cubans make many of their medicines from natural things and never with the intention of making money.

Important for health

"Believing that food is truly important for health, Cubans have ensured that there is no junk food or junk food restaurants in their society. Their food is organic and the restaurants, called Paraderos are home-based. In almost every house there is a room with chairs and tables where home cooked meals are served for a minimum amount of dollars," pointed out Dr. Kandiah.

And in these Paraderos one can eat rice, chicken, red kidney beans and drink beer. Greens are also served. "The significant feature  is that they do not rip you off," pointed out Dr. Kandiah. The lack of petroleum necessitates that Cubans walk.  "You can hardly see a Cuban stand still, they are always dancing, the Salsa," observed Dr.Kandiah.

Che Guvera's daughter is a paediatric cardiologist in Cuba - an educated woman who does much humanitarian work. "Cubans never seek cheap publicity," said Dr. Kandiah of a system that he admires very much.

Cubans believe that ill health is a human tragedy - one that ought not be made money out of or capitalised upon. Cubans also strongly believe that every Cuban ought to have access to the best medical care at their most painful time in life.

Dr. Aya Kandiah from the United Kingdom focuses on the Cuban system of medicine at a time when ailing Sri Lankans are limping from hospital to hospital in search of quick cures. Medical misadventures, gross over-billing and long waits meet them the moment ill health strikes.

Dancing your way through

In the midst of turbulence and turmoil,  we are carrying on regardless. Or it  might seem so. Fever has struck! No, not chikungunya or dengue, but Dance Fever. Every week, some institution celebrates its annual extravaganza. And what dazzling shows are put on! One can only imagine the hours of careful planning that went into the staging of this single event.

I have personal experience of this through Caveman, who religiously attends all the Dance Committee meetings of his alma mater. This is one committee he still remains on, even though he was originally on it even before we were married. He rushes off for this like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, as if he's late for a very important date, but eventually comes home in the dead of night with some juicy gossip and in extremely high spirits.

By the way, let me tell you, these meetings go on right throughout the year, since the accounts of the previous dance have to be finalised, decisions have to be taken about funds which came in etc. There is always a very good reason, you see. Then very early in the year, they start planning the current annual event.

One of the organising committee once decided to prolong the night elsewhere and had parked in a no-parking zone. His vehicle was towed away by some vigilant police officers. When he went to claim it, he was so high-spirited that they refused to let him drive! His wife called in the wee hours of the morning to see whether Caveman knew where he was.

Breaking the news

 He had called her a little while later to say he was in the police station with a problem regarding the vehicle, not mentioning exactly in which part of the station he was and why he was there! He's still listening to wisecracks about it years later.

Anyway, my observations are that the sarees have got much more glittery. My dears, they are positively scintillating! Apparently, they cost the earth. I thought I was hearing things when I heard the cost from some of my saree-clad friends. How lucky Caveman is! I'm soooo cheap to maintain! Anyway, the effect is quite dazzling, these gorgeous garments are admirably displayed with the lighting effects at these dances.

The Western attire of course has got greatly abbreviated, except for fuddy-duddies like me. Some of them look like they have been poured into the outfit and you have to use your imagination to guess how it stays on! Lots of bare skin, strings, ribbons etc. are in evidence. Just imagine if one of them snaps! You have to be brave, I think, to be able to twist and contort your body and wear one of these outfits.

Another observation is that more people have started going for dance lessons. I mean, it's a fun way of exercising, and you are also improving your social skills. But for heaven's sake, can't one be a bit considerate on a crowded dance floor? This is not the place to show off your dancing skills, people! It's not very funny to get heavily trod on by a stiletto heel (Ouch!) or suddenly get your nose punched by two firmly thrusting hands.

Bulldozer

There is also the human military tank that ploughs over any obstacle in its path. In this case, you'll be sent spinning in totally the opposite direction you were aiming to go, collecting a few punches on the way. We have learned to skirt the edges of the dance floor, being ever vigilant to stay away from the dance floor hogs!

The bands have got much louder, they have to use all the latest hi-tech equipment they purchased, I suppose. Only, I wish the noise level were several decibels lower! If you carry on a screeched conversation, and the music stops suddenly, everyone wonders what all the yelling is about! Considering the exorbitant sums you have to pay these guys, one would think they would make an effort to increase their repertoire. Alas, no such luck! There's certainly no shortage of songs. At this time of year, when dances are a frequent occurrence, one can almost predict what song comes next.

Another thing that I can't stand is the way food is piled on people's plates. Just looking at it, you know no human can get through that mound. What a colossal waste!

Have to go explore my wardrobe to unearth something for the next dance.

- Honky Tonk Woman

The festive lights and the burning cost of living...

By Shezna Shums

The festive season is lighting up the streets at night. But beneath all the lights and the glitter is the burning cost of living that is rising. Besides Christmas presents, everyday living is throttling the common man.

Just as much as December is the month of festive cheer, it is the month in which prices go up and most often these prices that go up never come down.

The cost of chicken and eggs and the cost of fancy vegetables as aubergine and even essentials as potatoes and onions show merciless increases this month.

A kilo of onion costs over Rs. 100, while even basic vegetables such as cabbage, carrots and tomatoes cost over Rs. 30 to Rs. 40 a kilo. The costs of vegetables, fruits and other essential supplies are steadily increasing causing undue hardship for people.

During Christmas the prices of toys, foods, even trishaw hires, all increase because of the demand and traders out to make a killing.

Being a time of joy and happiness it's very hard for people to actually smile and have fun when they have to constantly keep calculating in order to meet their daily expenses and this month extra expenses.

The prices of dry rations have also increased. People cannot really reduce the amount of food they consume thereby forcing them to find ways and means to pay for their essential items. With the high prices in December, no matter what, people will just have to grin and bear.

The cost of basic dry rations will certainly shock anyone, 500 grams of sugar today costs Rs. 58.

A kilo of milk powder costs Rs. 300 and a kilo of tea leaves cost Rs. 280. Only heavan knows when these prices will reduce. These are just the daily dry rations that Sri Lankans need, but very soon the people may even have to give an arm and leg to buy them, seeing how their prices are increasing rapidly. The extra demand during December is one of the factors contributing to high costs of essential items. The Pettah shop owners explained that one of the problems is that the duty on some of these imported goods have been increased after the budget.

"This new duty is one of the main factors that are contributing to the escalation of prices of the imported dry rations," they explained.

Apart from this even the prices of vegetables have increased, especially the vegetables that have to be transported to Colombo. One major factor affecting costs is the current weather.

The shop owners explained that the rainy conditions which in turn causes earth slips, landslides and flooding are contributing to the increasing cost of fruits and vegetables.

"Transportation becomes very difficult when there are earth slip problems and floods, so everything coming into Colombo sees a price increase, because of the additional expenes incurred by the suppliers," they explained.

High transportation costs are incurred as the suppliers have to travel from Nuwara Eliya and other up country places. The all important Christmas tree will also be more expensive this time around the reason being transportation as well as cutting them with the present problems of earth slips and landslides.

Given the fact that during the festive period the prices of items increase, this December will certainly see sky rocketing prices of foods, be they dry rations, fruits or vegetables or even meats and poultry and dairy products.

Apart from the foods being expensive, people have to also now endure high costs of fuel, especially gas cylinders.

And yet another burden that has to be endured is the high cost of electricity, where after a certain number of units are consumed the cost of electricity increases by as much as 100 percent.

All these put together will certainly make one's head reel in pain.

And looking at the present day, one can be certain that things will be looking as gloomy as these rainy days unless the country sees a miracle happen.

30th death anniversary of the late Minister M. Tiruchelvam, QC.

Senator Murugeysu Tiruchelvam QC - Atribute

Murugeysu Tiruchelvam QC and former minister of local government and Solicitor-General belonged to a band of men with a vision and a mission. His political sagacity, robust patriotism, practical wisdom and great administrative skill made him one of Sri Lanka's great states men. In the political field he was a cabinet minister, a member of the Senate and a leading figure among the people of this country.

Tiruchelvam, who was born in 1907, grew up in Malaya, where his father V. Murugeysu was an officer in the British colonial administration. Soon after the First World War ended in 1918, Murugeysu sent his two elder sons Tiruchelvam and Rajendra to S.Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. This move was recommended to Murugeysu by the son of one of his friends - S.J.V. Chelvanayagam, an old Thomian who was then pursuing a legal career in Colombo.

It was felt that S.Thomas' was superior in academic standing to any institution at the time in Malaya. S.Thomas' College had an exalted reputation at that time, having been dubbed the Eton of the East.

Tiruchelvam entered politics in the early 1960s after a long and distinguished career as a government legal officer. Having reached the high office of Solicitor-General, he set his sights on contributing to the greater good of the country as a politician.

Tiruchelvam was the chief advisor and principal political strategist of the founder of the Federal Party S.J.V. Chelvanayagam, QC. Chelvanayagam, who was nearly a decade senior to Tiruchelvam, had played a leading role in shaping Tiruchelvam's education career and legal career. He was the guide and mentor to Tiruchelvam's foray into politics.

His early years were shaped by struggle and civil disobedience. In 1961, a mass satyagraha was staged by the Federal Party to protest against the Sinhala Only Act. Mrs. Bandaranaike's socialist government jailed Tiruchelvam and more than 30 other leaders of the Federal Party in Panagoda for over six months. Today, the mass incarceration of so many political prisoners would be met by international outrage. But the world was different in 1961 and this cruel act of oppression went largely unnoticed.

In 1965, the UNP and Federal Party entered into a coalition pact, after the Senanayake - Chelvanayagam pact. The famous press magnate Esmond Wickremesinghe was the mediator between the two parties.  Tiruchelvam entered the Senate and was named in Dudley Senanayake's cabinet as the Federal Party nominee. During his tenure as the Minister of Local Government, Tiruchelvam played a leading role in administrative reforms. He was also instrumental in the passage of the Tamil Language Special Provisions Act and the creation of the Jaffna University.

In September 1968, due to the inability of the UNP government to implement the Senanayake-Chelvanayagam pact and a dispute with the Prime Minister, Tiruchelvam resigned. Incidentally, Tiruch-elvam's deputy, Ranasinghe Premadasa (who later became President) succeeded him as Minister of Local Government. Tiruchelvam had great confidence in the potential of the youthful Premadasa. Tiruchelvam continued in the Senate till its abrogation in 1971.

His last years were spent in the context of the worsening ethnic relations in the country, particularly in light of the 1972 constitution. Despite the worsening situation, Tiruchelvam was resolutely in favour of a united and plural Sri Lanka. He was opposed to the 1976 Vadukkodai resolution that demanded a separate state of Tamil Eelam and advised Chelvanayagam against it. He died suddenly on November 23, 1976 at the age of 69. His passing away was a loss to the whole country, because he was a strong voice for peace and moderation.

by Saleem Altaf