The silent sounds of Freemasonry

By Kumuthu Amarasingham

When Dan Brown had Robert Langdon kneel before (above?) Mary Magdalene under the stars in his famous bestseller, he was reiterating only one unchangeable, eternal fact, irrespective of whether the location of her grave was factual or not. That the truth cannot be hidden.

The powerful may try to wash the dirt off their robes and cleanse the blood from their hands so history will record sinners as saints, but no matter how hard or how long it takes, sinners will finally be revealed as sinners, and saints as saints.

Whether this is a cause of worry to a society, a 'brotherhood', known as the Freemasons, or a cause for relief, the reader must judge for himself: until history one day reveals the  truth. All we can do at this point is present both sides of this ancient tale, and leave it at that.

To begin at the beginning, who are they? A Freemason would respond, as those we spoke to did: that they are one of the world's oldest fraternal societies.

Dr. Milroy Perera, a senior Freemason in Sri Lanka, said the society began in the 1700s in England, and has been around in Sri Lanka  for over a century. The Masonic Temple in Colombo is over 100 years old. The organisation was introduced to the country by European colonists. The membership is held together by shared moral and metaphysical ideals and - in most of its branches - by a constitutional declaration of belief in a Supreme Being. That's one side of the story.

Another claims that in 1099 AD Pope Urban II declared war on the Muslim Caliphate to capture the land of Jerusalem, which was under Muslim rule since 637AD. As much as Freemasons include men of various faiths, men of all faiths have also professed to be anti-freemason.

Warrior monks

The Dome of the Rock (in Jerusalem) was seized by a group of warrior monks calling themselves the 'Knights of the Temple of Solomon' or more simply 'The Knights Templers.' According to some sources, in Jerusalem the Templers learnt the secret art of the Kabala, an ancient form of Jewish magic, along with its dark rites and rituals.

In 1314 AD, Pope Clement V declared all Templers as heretics. The Templers subsequently formed an alliance with the King of Scotland, Robert de Bruce and aided him to defeat the strong English army thus achieving an independent Scotland and winning favours with the King.

Brought back from the brink of destruction, the Templers allegedly vowed they would never again allow themselves to be destroyed. In 1603 King James V of Scotland became King of England by virtue of descent. In doing so Scotland and England joined to form a new Kingdom and the power that the Templers held over Scotland spread to give them a firm grip on the whole of Great Britain. In order to preserve their secret order the name 'Templers' was killed and instead the new name they chose for themselves was  'Freemasons.'

When asked about this theory a carefully polite and courteous Dr. Perera said it had "neither been proven nor disproved so far," and he did not know. Often called a 'Secret Society,' Dr. Perera said it was more correct to merely say the Freemasons were a 'society with secrets.'  But, he assured, harmless ones that were neither illegal nor mystical.

To destroy religion

A belief in God, by whatever name, is essential to being a Freemason, but according to Dr.Perera, members were forbidden from discussing business or politics at meetings. It would be interesting to note however that the Freemasons have been accused at large of wanting to destroy religion (at least as we know it) and rule the world.

They have been accused of orchestrating everything from the French Revolution to the war in Iraq, in a bid to gain absolute power. The United Nations (UN) is widely held to be a Freemason backed enterprise to form a single world government and world army and gain total control.

With Freemasons holding most major posts in organisations worldwide, they have been accused of trying to brainwash people through mass media - using both subliminal and subtle but direct messages.

A range of artistes, from Mozart to Madonna to Michael Jackson to the Eagles have been accused of being Freemasons or affiliated, and their works including Jackson's Dangerous, Madonna's Like A Prayer, The Eagles' Hotel California and Mozart's symphonies and even the cartoon series, The Simpsons, are rumoured to be Freemason or 'Satanic' propaganda!

Which brings us to the crux of the matter is that Freemasons are often accused of being the Anti-Christ, or the much talked about Dajjal. Be it said here that The Sunday Leader was, with great courtesy and hospitality, taken around the Masonic Temple in Colombo by Dr. Perera, including into a lodge room where their meetings are held.

Though admittedly rather dark and eerie, with the traditional compass in one corner of the room, a large carpet with something like a stand at the center and a 'stage' of sorts with a pulpit-like structure in the middle, the room did however sport a large and lofty copy of the Bible.   

'One eye'

The Freemason symbols paradoxically contribute to their association with the Dajjal or Anti-Christ/Satanic elements by certain sectors. The Holy texts, including the Quran, state the Dajjal will have only one eye. The Official Masonic symbol is one eye, often called the "all seeing eye." Other comparisons do exist, but in fairness cannot be printed without absolute verification. Briefly though, anti Freemason groups allege they seek to crush those who do not follow them, particularly in developing countries through the World Bank's high interest ploys, and 'play god' by using genetics to alter creation.

Shockingly, the same groups also accuse the Freemasons of wanting to reduce the Third World population and re-establish white (Mason) superiority. To this end the group has, in some cases, even been accused of 'manufacturing' the AIDS virus in laboratories. On October 26, 1986, The Sunday Express became the first Western newspaper to run a front-page story supposedly confirming the findings of Indian and Soviet newspapers entitled: "AIDS made in lab shock."

In this article, a physician Dr. John Seele, and professor Jacob Seegull, a retired director of the institute of biology at Berlin University asserted that the AIDS virus was man-made.

Disclosures

While there have been many disclosures and expos‚s dating as far back as the 18th century, Freemasons caution that these often lack the proper context for true understanding, may be outdated for various reasons, or could be outright hoaxes on the part of the author. Please note that whatever Anti Freemason accusations stated in this article are also merely 'accusations'. To prove or disprove them is currently beyond our scope.

For all intents and purposes, the Freemasons  claim they are merely a fraternity dating back centuries, who do have a code of secrecy, which includes secret signs of recognition and such like, but are basically harmless.

That the American dollar is replete with freemason imagery, and includes a picture of the Freemason who headed the American War of Independence and practically founded America, George Washington, must then, simply add to their proud heritage and not, as often alleged, be yet another sign that the Freemasons have for a long time been eyeing world dominance.

Hindi  movies a craze around the world

By Ranee Mohamed

Bollywood, the craze that is taking over the world by storm in cluding Sri Lanka and making its very colourful and memorable mark in people's lives is only getting bigger as the days go by.

The Indian film industry is churning out even more movies a year than Hollywood.

Sri Lankan youth basically grew up with Hindi movies and Indian influences given the fact that we are close neighbours.

TV showed Hindi movies, the radio plays Hindi music, while some DJs speak fluent Hindi  as well.

But what makes Bollywood movies popular in the South Asian region, in Egypt, China, Arabia and the West is its melodrama - the music, the dancing, the vibrant clothes and even the most often predicted endings.

When people work, striving for a better life and when the weekend arrives they just want to relax, and one of the best things to do to unwind would be to watch a movie  which takes your mind away from all the worldly problems.

Not love stories

Today's Hindi movies are  not the typical love story type - they in true spirit bring to life today's problems of  mixed marriages, corruption, people becoming more westernised and how Indian culture deals with it, as well as a whole load of other problems that are cropping up in the world today from neighbouring countries fighting with each other, to neighbours belonging to different religions having problems.

Nevertheless the way in which these issues are handled in the movies opens people's eyes and does in fact bring to light the way crude reality works.

But there are also the movies that are  typically a fairytale with a melodramatic love story plagued with intricate problems that are eventually solved and everyone is happy in the end. And thrown in are the vibrant, out of this world dance sequences, magnificent costumes and superstar actors.

Hindi  movie actors are in fact popular the world over from France, to Egypt, in the former Soviet Union and almost every country you can imagine. The youth are even copying Indian types, the flamboyant colours, the accessories and glamour of the Indian clothes.

Temptation tour

This popularity was no doubt seen around the world when the Temptation tour took place; some countries were even selling these tickets for $ 500 and more.

Hindi movies being popular is also not a new phenomenon - since the '50s or so   Hindi movies were popular.   Now people from all walks of life take to these movies in a big way and even go to the extent of copying their styles of clothing and dance.

In Sri Lanka at the moment, most of the big cinemas especially in Colombo are showing the latest Hindi movies, proving the fact that they are in demand.

The crowds outside these cinemas also indicate that people of all races and ages enjoy them and despite clinch‚s about the Hindi movies, these movies are, at the end of the day a means of enjoyment affordable to all.

The Bollywood movies are popular because the stories bring out righteous beliefs in motherhood, patriotism, true love and doing good.

Currently in Colombo  three newly released popular Hindi movies  are being shown - one is Salaam-E-Ishq, a story of six different couples and their lives, problems and joys.

Romance movie

This romance movie was directed by Nikhil Advani, the cast includes Vidya Balan, John Abraham, Govinda, Shannon Esrechowitz, Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Ayesha Takia, Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar, Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla. The movie's producer is Aditya Chopra while the music is by Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonca and the lyrics are by Sameer.

The other release is Guru which is about a man who starts out in life with very little success and power and how he becomes a successful business- man while also winning the heart of his true love.

The cast includes Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Mithun Chakraborty, R. Madhavan, Vidya Balan, Arya Babbar, Roshan Seth, Mallika Sherawat and the movie was directed by Mani Ratnam while the producer was Aditya Chopra.

The story is by Mani Ratnam and Vijay Krishna Acharya while the music is by A.R.Rahman and the lyrics are by Sameer.

'Help us to save our mother for we cannot let her go away'

Swarna Aluthgamage, The doctor's letter about the illness, Thushari Damayanthi and Janaka Saman Kumara

By Nirmala Kannangara

Mothers are the greatest blessings to children. They love their children unconditionally. They leave no stone unturned to get a sick child cured.

In return when a mother falls sick it is the bounden duty of the children to take care of her.

Janaka Saman Kumara and Thushari Damayanthi of Kaduwela are two such children who are working hard to help their beloved mother who needs to undergo an urgent Coronary Angioplasty with Stenting to correct two valves in her heart.

Swarna Aluthgamage is suffering from a severe heart disease for the last one year although it was detected by the doctors only a few weeks ago. She has been advised to undergo an urgent angioplasty procedure to widen up the congested veins to save her life by  consultant cardiologist, Sri Jayewardanapura General Hospital, Dr. Gotabhaya Ranasinghe.

Total package

This procedure is to be performed at the Nawaloka Hospital and the total package for the operation will be Rs.570, 000, which amount the children of this lady are unable to foot.

According to Janaka Saman, her son  the total package for the procedure that includes Stent and room charges have to be paid on admission. Since it is not an open heart surgery the patient has to be in hospital for three days, and any overstay above the package dates will be charged separately.

Apart from this treatment, any charge that may become payable for treatment of any side effects that is not related to the cardiac procedure and professional charges has to be paid by the patient.

Aluthgamage's children have applied to the President's Fund to obtain financial assistance but still have not received any confirmation.

Angioplasty procedure

"After a coronary angiogram test on January 10 we were asked to get ready for a angioplasty procedure within two months to save our mother's life. Although we wrote to the President's Fund we did not get a reply still. My father is a carpenter and even he underwent a serious operation a few months ago after an accident. He is still recuperating and is unable to help us to collect money," the dejected son told The Sunday Leader.

According to the two children it is difficult for them to have a square meal, as they want to save every single cent they earn to save the life of their loving mother. "What we want right now is to find money to save my precious mother's life. Nothing else is there in our minds. As long as we could find money to save our mother we are ready to sacrifice anything in our life," added Thushari innocently.

Within three months

According to these children, since they are not in a position to afford a private hospital they had gone to the Colombo General Hospital to get a date for the procedure but has received a date in 2008 which is too far away for them.

"As advised by the doctor  the procedure has to be carried out within two months so we decided to get it done at Nawaloka Hospital with contributions from well-wishers. Even Dr. Ranasinghe knows that we are not ready immediately for the procedure and he wanted us to collect the needed funds as soon as possible and to inform him so he could give an early date for the angioplasty procedure.

"The total amount includes Rs. 4 lakhs for the two stents and hospital charges of  Rs. 175,000. Apart from this we were asked to keep extra money to pay for any extra treatment if necessary that is not included in the package," added Janaka

Those who contribute even in a small way to give a ray of  hope to these helpless and innocent young children would certainly be the ones who know the value of a  mother. 

Reaching out to battered women

By Nirmala Kannangara

Violence and abuse against women from all walks of life are increasing although these issues are being discussed openly.

Mothers, wives, sisters, daughters have now become vulnerable  even  at home - at the hands of their own husbands, children and brothers. They are subjected to physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, social and economical abuse.

It has now come to light that domestic violence is more prevalent  than ever and it completely robs the victim of self-esteem and could be life threatening as well.

Domestic violence

Domestic violence is reported from all over the country but when it comes to sexual abuse it has shown a rapid growth during the past few decades and has become a threat to  society. Unlike the old days when family values meant everything, today husbands, boyfriends, fathers, brothers, uncles or sons target their own kith and kin be it adults or young girls to satiate their sexual appetite. Sexual abuse could vary from rape, physically attacking a woman or a child's sexual body parts or preventing the victim from using birth control or safe sex practices.

Physical and psychological abuse could vary from punching, slapping, beating and shoving to life threats, emotional injuries and humiliation. Humiliating the victim in front of  others is a common way of physical and psychological abuse in  society.

Intimidation as a form of abuse can be described as making women afraid through looks, action and gestures or by destroying their belongings.

Finally using privilege to control is also another form of abuse. Treating a woman like a servant and giving instructions that could change the life of an individual is part of using privilege to control  the other forcefully.

Women abused

Women who are subjected to abuse experience a sense of hopelessness, they feel worthless, are failures  and they are frightened and always  ashamed while they are emotionally strained.

Women-in-Need (WIN), a Sri Lankan non-governmental organisation that was established in 1987 provides counseling and legal assistance specifically to women and children who are subjected to rape, domestic violence, incest, sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

Legal Coordinator, WIN Dilrukshi de Alwis told The Sunday Leader that following the introduction of  the Domestic Violence Act in October 2006 legal action could be taken against those who commit any form of abuse.WIN keeps an eye on such battered women round the clock to help them when ever they need help.

"Women who seek assistance from WIN are provided with counselling and options for their future. We also talk to the abuser to assure that this would not be repeated in future. According to our statistics nearly 65% of battering has reduced, as the abusers know that they are under scrutiny by WIN. For self esteem the abuser in most cases refrains from such activities.  There are a few reported cases that the partners change their attitudes completely. Although battered women receive counselling and free legal advices they are determined to stay in a non threatening environment without any pressure from the abuser," claimed De Alwis.

According to De Alwis if one is an abused woman it is important to consider the options carefully.  No one else can tell you what is best for you. The effort to reach out and to take action has to come from within you.

Help from councillors

You do not have to change everything overnight. If you decide that you need help from councillors or someone who is sympathetic to your situation you could take their advice as well. They cannot make the decisions for you but may assist in sorting through your thoughts. Find your strength and learn new options. Never neglect your safety. You have the capability of making correct decisions. Stand by them.

No matter how desperate your situation may appear to be, suicide is not the answer. Do not keep emotions bottled up within you.

Say no to domestic violence, as it is a violation of human rights. It is an offence and punishable according to the Domestic Violence Act of 2006.

The Sunday Leader spoke to two battered women and this is what they had to say of their nightmare.

The hidden tears of Jonathan

Ainsley Jonathan is a  28 year old handsome young man from Nawinna, Maharagama, who has hopes and dreams like any other youngster of his age group. He is a bachelor who leads a normal life with laughter and tears as part of his life, just as it would be in the life of any other human being. But, the tears shed by Jonathan are tears that are not shed in the presence of others. They are 'silent tears.' It is quite natural for Jonathan to feel sad, deep inside, even though he does not show his pain to the outer world. Apart from the visible swelling on the lower right portion of his well-featured face, Jonathan has no other issues, health wise. But this very swelling has been the reason for Jonathan to build up hope and to never give up, no matter what life may have in store.

By Sunalie Ratnayake

Jonathan was born with a swelling on his face. However, it did not gain the attention of anyone until Jonathan was four or five years. In fact, there haven't been any unusual signs on his face during the early years.

When Jonathan turned 12  sporting a somewhat visible swelling, the wife of his vice principal   forced him to gain the assistance of a doctor. With her help, Jonathan initially channelled Dental Surgeon Dr. Reggie Goonatilake, thinking that the swelling was due to a dental issue. However, when Dr. Goonatilake realised that it had nothing  to do  with his teeth, he referred Jonathan to Vascular Surgeon Dr. Sheriffdeen.

"We tried to get an 'angiogram' done, but during this time, there was a strike going on  and the test got delayed. I was about 16 years old at the time. The swelling on my face continued to grow, but according to doctors, the growth had stopped. However, doctors say that it can grow once again," Jonathan told The Sunday Leader.

Diagnosis

Time passed by, tests, and more tests were done, but there was no improvement  or cure for Jonathan's problem. Finally, Jonathan was diagnosed with 'A/V Malformation' of his lingual and maxillary arteries. Jonathan and his family has been exploring places outside Sri Lanka, such as Australia, in order to conduct an operation to remove the malformation, as it was confirmed that Sri Lanka did not have facilities to conduct such an operation.

Jonathan has some consolation, because under any circumstances, he has an understanding and loving family right beside him. His father Eric Vandendriesen, mother Anne, elder brother Eric Daniel and younger sister Evangeline had been with Jonathan through thick and thin. "In fact, it was my family who had always been there for me and it was they who did not let me give up hope and helped me immensely to pick up courage and to never lose hope. Their love for me is unconditional," Jonathan said gratefully.

School and career

Wesley College, Colombo being his alma mater, Jonathan had always had supportive teachers throughout his school career. "I was living with this health issue, so I did not feel much about it. It was there from my birth, so it was quite normal to me, but during my school career, the only regret I had was not being able to take part in any outdoor activities. It was due to the heavy blood flow in the swollen area on my face and if I got an injury on the swelling, I could have bled to death. The bleeding would have never stopped and it was a serious matter, so I had to keep away from sports and other activities," he said, the sadness unmistakable.

Jonathan who is  a talented artist, was not in favour of mathematics and science,  during  school days. At present, Jonathan serves as a technician at 'Hal Computers' and had been employed since 1998, right after completing his O/L. Being involved with work helps him deviate his mind from the issue, which otherwise would disturb his mind constantly.

Funds

However, Jonathan has not given up hope and with the support and encouragement of his family and friends, a sum of Rs.900,000 has been raised towards the operation, which has to be done in four to six stages. Yet, there is a shortage of Rs.1.1 million.

 This is a time that Jonathan, a talented young individual is in need and 'friends in need are friends indeed,' so it is up to those who feel another's pain  who have a chance of contributing towards this worthy cause.

Save your kidneys

By Ranee Mohamed

I am very concerned about the prevalence of endemic kidney disease in the North Central and Central Province of Sri Lanka, said Professor Georgi Abraham of the Sri Ramachandra Medical College Hospital, Chennai. This world renowned nephrologist was in Sri Lanka last week.

Professor Georgi Abraham who is both physician and friend to hundreds of patients with complications of the kidneys is the chairman of the Commission for Global Advancement in Nephrology for South Asia and also the chairman of the International Society of Nephrology.

Prevalence of disease

Speaking at length about the prevalence of kidney disease he went on to say that this prevalance on a significant scale borders on mysterious reasons. "I have observed that people working on the paddy fields do not have high blood pressure or diabetes, but progressive kidney failure and death in several cases is cause for concern," said Professor Georgi Abraham.

Thus there is much concern about this section of the population - from regions such as Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa upto Kurunegala where thousands of people are reportedly affected. Professor Georgi Abraham drew light to questions as to whether it is due to toxic substances in the water they drink,  in their food or whether there is a genetic susceptibility they have developed over a period of time.

Professor Georgi Abraham who spoke glowingly about the Sri Lankan nephrologists said that together with the help of the International Society of Nephrologists, this endemic problem will be studied and managed.

Shortage of specialists

As advise to all, Professor Abraham said that it is the increasing   incidence of diabetes and diabetic kidney failure that is cause for concern. "I see a shortage of trained kidney specialists in Sri Lanka," observed Professor Abraham, drawing light to the migration factor. "The Sri Lankan Soceity of Nephrologists under Dr. Chula Herath and Dr. Nasser is trying its best to train more and more kidney specialists and keep them.

"Unless we detect it at an early stage, kidney failure can be fatal. It is important that one checks his blood pressure and ensure that it is approximately 130/80. Ensure that urine is screened for albumen leaks. These tests cost little, but can help save lives," observed the doctor.

Blood sugar tests

"It is also important that one checks his blood sugar after an overnight fast. Ideally it ought to be 110-126 mg. These simple tests will help to detect complications early - before they turn to progressive terminal kidney failure and also prevent dialysis or transplantation," pointed out this authority on kidney care.

Professor Georgi Abraham went on to say that a healthy lifestyle with proper exercise and absolute abstinence from smoking will ensure good health with normal blood pressure and blood sugar.

Normally individuals drink about two to three litres of water a day. But this has to be increased if one is exercising heavily or is working outdoors in humid weather conditions.

Drawing light to WASH, Professor Abraham said that it is means World Action on Salt-intake and Hypertension (high blood pressure). "Take less salt so that the blood pressure tends to  be low and one will not develop hypertension. A low consumption of salt will ensure normal blood pressure.

World kidney day

"March 8 is celebrated the world over as World Kidney Day. The purpose of this is to make people aware of kidney disease. There are different programmes all over the world to make people aware of kidney disease, and there are prevention programmes so that early detection is ensured," explained the doctor.

"The rice we eat has 78% carbohydrate, chappatis are 72% carbohydrate and sugar is 99% carbohydrate. We keep on consuming more and more carbohydrate everyday and we put in fat too. Thus there is the danger of high blood pressure and diabetes lurking," pointed out Professor Abraham. "What we ought to eat is lots of fibre - fresh vegetables (not potato) and fresh fruit for potassium," he said.

More generic medicine

Speaking at length of medical conditions and medicine, Professor Abraham said that the need in Sri Lanka is for more generic medicine. "Generic medicine is cheaper, yet is equivalent to their expensive brand names," pointed out the doctor.

"Drinking fruit juice is as good as eating fruit"

Health researchers have for years believed that fruit and vegetable juice does not have the same health benefits as  their whole fruit counterparts.

But a study conducted by British nutrition researchers challenges this view and argues that 100 per cent juice extracts could be just as effective in reducing the risk of some cancers and cardiovascular disease.

The report, published in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, analysed a variety of studies that looked into the effects of both fibre and antioxidants.

It claims the positive impact fruits and vegetables offer comes not from just the fibre, but also from the antioxidants, which are present in both the juice as well as the whole fruit and vegetables.

"When considering cancer and coronary heart disease prevention, there is no evidence that pure fruit and vegetable juices are less beneficial than whole fruit and vegetables," the study said.

"Policies that maintain pure fruit and vegetable juices are nutritionally inferior are unjustified,"the study concluded, adding that those policies should be "re-examined."

Sue Taylor, of the US-based Juice Products Association, said the study "goes a long way in demonstrating that fruit and vegetable juices do play an important role in reducing the risk of various diseases, especially cancer and cardiovascular heart disease."

Taylor, who was not associated with the research, also pointed to an earlier study published in the US Journal of Medicine, which found that consumption of fruit juice led to a reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

However, Sharon Natoli, director of Food and Nutrition Australia, told The Australian that although juices "might be helpful" in some types of disease prevention, they were no substitute for whole fruits and vegetables when it came to reducing the risks associated with diseases such as bowel cancer.

"One of the things often missing from juices is fibre, which assists in the prevention of bowel cancer and can help reduce cholesterol," said Natoli.

"You certainly would not replace all your daily servings of whole fruit and vegetables with juice.

"Juice is also a more concentrated source of sugar, so it's going to give you more kilojoules than whole vegetables and fruit."

Meanwhile health authorities in some countries of the western world have recomm-ended that individ-uals  consume at least five servings of vegetables and at least two servings of fruit daily.

 - Sarah Taylor

Life was carefree then

Life is so complex! You might go to sleep in the night thinking you are somebody and wake up the next morning and find out you are nobody. Agreements are signed and then declared null and void. Life is a never-ending circus here, with plenty of clowns to entertain us. The sad thing in the midst of this chaos is that we are moving backwards. It's the same kind of hopelessness felt like when your good friend is ill and no one can find out what's wrong with her. You can watch helplessly and not be able to do a thing to change the situation.

Someone just called and agreed, compared to our carefree schooldays. Little things in life are the best. Everything was a special treat. Of course, I must say, we added a lot of spice and colour to any given situation! The same things would be a big yawn to our children.

We reminisced about this particular outing to celebrate one of our birthdays. We were going to spend the day at the zoo. We were all in our teens. Since none of the boys we were going with owned a car, or else their parents wouldn't allow them to drive, we had to take a bus.

We didn't have the money to go in several taxis, you see. The girls decided to meet early at one of our homes to help prepare the picnic lunch. When we arrived there, the birthday girl was fuming since her mum hadn't prepared the prawn paste that she had specifically asked for as one of the sandwich fillings.

Mollified

We had to pacify her and convince her that the sandwiches would be quite adequate with the other fillings. My friend unearthed something from her mum's freezer and announced that we could use that instead. She was somewhat mollified after that.

So with a lot of giggling, tasting, criticising and bumping into each other, we made quite a satisfying looking mountain of sandwiches. Bananas and milk toffees were our dessert. We assured Birthday Girl that our drinking would be kept to a minimum so we wouldn't have to use the toilet, (it being rather disgusting) and told her if the drinks ran out, the boys would jolly well have to buy more if they needed it.

B.G. had brought a cake and some biscuits along for tea. Disposable paper cups, plates, napkins and even a toilet roll were stuffed in for emergencies. We divided everything into shoulder bags, and decided to assign them to the boys!

These boys were very good, well brought up, quiet and the shy type. We had adorned ourselves with hats and sunglasses, halter t-shirts and jeans. (We were slim then!) When they arrived, you could see them eyeing us in horror, imagining dire consequences on being merely spotted with us. They stood very far away from us at the bus stop. We wanted to ride on the top of the double-decker bus, naturally, and again, they kept their distance. They kept telling us to be quiet and not shout. We were just talking.

 Horror movie

This trend continued at the zoo as well, and finally we told BG off severely, asking why her cousins were such drags. They did not appreciate our brand of humour. They just wouldn't loosen up!

Since the zoo closed at six, we decided to go to a movie after that. On the way back, we sang at the top of our voices, with the Goodie Gumdrops entreating us to please not disgrace them any more. Didn't we know how to behave in public?

Finally they threatened not to come to the movie. We had to compromise hastily, as the two brothers lived just by the cinema and we had to pop in to their house to freshen up for the movie. It was a horror movie, and even before the main film started, we were screaming out loud, as they showed us the trailers of other films that were going to be shown in the future.

Once again, the Goodie Gumdrops retreated in horror! They muttered under their breaths and whispered to one another. We now had a legitimate excuse to shout and scream! Sometimes we screamed before anyone else in the theatre and people around sniggered, to G.G's embarrassment. They refused to ever come out with us anywhere again, and one of them ignored me for years! Never mind, we had a super scream of a day!

- Honky Tonk Woman

To be or not to be...

On Australia Day this year, I became an Australian citizen. I am still a Sri Lankan one, but now I am a citizen of the Land of Oz as well. People keep asking me what it feels like to be an Australian citizen now. Well, Toto, we ain't in Kansas anymore.         It's a sense of resignation because honestly I have enough situations in my life that give me bipolar disorders and I really don't need something else. Especially something else more concrete and defined as part of my identity.        

People may think it's strange to go on and on about this identity crisis - but the truth is we all are living in a state of perpetual identity crisis. We are never happy about who we are - we want to be more than who we are and so life works on the basis that we keep trying to be different than what we perceive ourselves to be or we try to hold onto a certain part of our identity and protect it fiercely.        

If you are wondering what I mean - take a look around. Products are marketed to you with promises that it will make you sexier, prettier, smarter, stronger and the list goes on. And we buy these things because we accept those promises and we say something about ourselves every time we do. And then we also defend ourselves and parts of our identity that we deem precious. And sometimes that leads to consequences like war.

Sense of identity       

People fight others because they see the other person as a threat to their sense of identity - sometimes their identity to them is tied up in traditions or in their way of life or in something they wear or how they speak or who they choose to worship or how they choose to behave. And for years this has been at the center of a push and pull struggle between the 'East' and the 'West' from before the time the Romans were struggling to keep their empire together against the Arabs and the Goth raiders to the current wars and trouble in the Middle East.          

And it isn't just East and West - East and East and West and West. Chinese and Japanese fought the Manchurian War and our own back garden has a civil war going on. War is an unpleasant thing but it is not inhuman. Far from it. As long as there have been humans forming groups and thinking about identity, collective or individual, there have been wars, battless, and violence. Humans are insecure by nature and perhaps that's because we somehow know that nature has no favourites and that we need to somehow survive.          

Perhaps that's the best thing about having an identity crisis. If you don't know which identity to choose - which hat to wear when - then you can stay out of the fracas when it arises. Violence leads to death and eventually - war being such an unpleasant thing and all - perhaps the only people left will be those dealing with identity crises. Perhaps only the confused will survive.         

After all, as someone else put it: "You now have two countries to worry about." She is right. I do.

The need to be free         

You may not choose where you are born but when all is said and done when you become a citizen of a country by birth or otherwise - you take on everything that country means. You become responsible for everything that nation has done as a nation. I am responsible for the current governments for two countries, I am responsible for what they do for as stated in both constitutions, whatever they do is done in the people's interests. So when they do something I do not agree with, I have to voice opinion.  I have to petition and I have to vote - I have to register my disagreement and absolve myself of any responsiblity for that particular action they have taken on my behalf.           

But while you have those options in the future, you don't have the option of registering your disapproval or disagreement of what occurred in the past.           

I became a citizen because I needed to be free to return both to where I was born and where I currently live. Nowadays there are restrictions on where you can go if you are from a certain part of the world. I am not the kind of person who can stay in one place for too long - if you cannot tell already, I have become disillusioned too. And while I wouldn't like to subscribe to fitting into identities, like anyone else I am trapped by it.         

So if you are still wondering why I opted for dual citizenship in two countries I see both good and bad in, I did so because I need to be free enough to see those that I love who are seperated from me by circumstance.         

I am not a Sri Lankan or an Australian or both, I am not Sinhalese or Burgher or a mishmash of the two, or traditional or Westernised - I am a woman who loves her family and her friends very much and misses them immensely who will always have room to add more to the list. That's my identity - that's who I am.        

That's who I am always going to be.                           

- Marisa Wikramanayake

Hindi  movies a craze
around the world

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Reaching out to battered women

The hidden tears of Jonathan

Save your kidneys

"Drinking fruit juice is 
as good as eating fruit"