Goodwill and friendship

The custom of offering betel to parents and elders demonstrates the act of paying gratitude. The children in turn receive blessings from their parents according to Buddhist and Hindu traditions. A sense of goodwill and friendship among relations and friends is also seen during this festival time.

The nonagathe during which people devote their time in performing religious practices is also called punniya kalaya when people stop all  activities and visit the temple or kovil to gain merit and get the blessings of the monks.

In keeping with astrological beliefs families indulge in a variety of rituals at particular times, which include the lighting of the hearth, boiling milk in a clay pot, and making the kiri bath (milk rice).  Traditional sweets with  kiri bath and plantains are set on the table which is more often than not embellished with the traditional oil lamp.

Auspicious times

The first meal is partaken at the auspicious time  followed by ganu denu, the first business transaction after the dawn of the New Year. Once the rituals are over, the partying begins as families assemble in homes or open areas and children are let out to play.

Games played during the festive season include onchili-pedima, kalagedi-sellama, olinda-keliya, leekeli-sellama, porapol-gehima, meemesi-keliya, kalli-gesima, katti-penima, lanupora-allima and many others.

Elderly women love to play the rabbana - a single-sided drum about 3 ft. in diameter - which is an indispensable item in every village home. Four to five women play the rabbana watched by the younger folk and even elders, while a festive mood prevails all round.

Traditionally, the anointing is done by an elderly person who is healthy. In most villages, the temple is the venue for applying the oil before bathing, and is usually done by an elderly priest, with blessings for health and longevity. Women do not do the anointing as it is considered an exclusive right of the male.

The Sinhala Aluth Avurudda cannot be classified as a religious festival. However customs and rituals associated with the Aluth Avurudda have been fashioned according to Buddhist beliefs.

The Aluth Avurudda is an important national festival for  the Sinhalese  and the Tamils in Sri Lanka and it is celebrated with much gusto by the Buddhists and Hindus. The Aluth Avurudda is unique in that it is not celebrated anywhere else in the world.

Holidays are fundays. They are synonymous with rest and recreation. To a weary mind,  it is a time to relax and forget the worries of day to day existence.

This may apply equally to students studying hard for an examination too.

Therefore, a pre-requisite to earn a holiday is that one should be weary after a strenuous period of work.

Let us see whether we can give a new definition to 'holidays.'

To a person who enjoys his job, who loves to do whatever he is doing, everyday is a day of fun and relaxation. Hence it is a 'holiday,' of sorts.

To a student who has mastered the art of learning, studying is not an unpleasant experience. Hence everyday is a fun day.

A misconception

Parents, teachers and in fact society, believe that some students are brainy and hence they are good at studies while others are meant to be low achievers.

Human history is full of examples of great people who performed miraculous deeds, but were thought to be low achievers, when they were young.

Albert Einstein - greatest mathematician the human race produced, Thomas Alva Edison - the great inventor, Leonardo Da Vinci - the great artist are just a few of such examples.

It is estimated that a computer that would replicate the brain of a five year old retarded child should be as big as the twin towers in the Fort, Colombo.

This gives an indication of the immense capacity of the human brain which every child who reads this article possesses.

Unfortunately, only about six percent of this brain is utilised. This means that 94% of the possibilities that lie hidden, go to the grave with the person.

How do we open up at least a little bit more of the power dormant in the brain?

We will discuss this next time.

- Somabandhu Kodikara

By Shezna Shums

Last Sunday, just one week away from the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, saw the country's security situation take a nose-dive following the bomb blast at a marathon event in Negombo that took the life of Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle.

Usually before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year many sports meets, cycle races and other events are held to celebrate the New Year.

People go shopping for clothes and gifts and basically enjoy the festive atmosphere.

But now, even days before the dawn of the New Year, one hardly sees the usual hustle and bustle that is associated with this time of year.

Many deaths

From the beginning of this year there have been many prominent individuals who have been killed in terror attacks.

Last week's blast in Negombo saw a large number of children who had gathered to witness the event as part of the celebrations in their area, also hurt and injured.

Apart from this there has been a huge escalation in the fighting on the war front and regular explosions near schools, places of worship, in crowded places and shopping areas.

These attacks and the fear that follow such incidents have impacted negatively on society so much so that people fear even to walk on the road as a form of relaxation or to go out to attend to some daily chore.

Compared to previous years, this year's pre New Year days have largely been gloomy and it's not entirely because of the weather either, as people are struggling with the cost of living as well as the fear psychosis that prevails.

Many people say that they fear going to crowded areas expecting a bomb to go off or some sort of attack.

Fear psychosis

"What is the use of losing a hand or a leg just because we are at the wrong place at the wrong time?" one young executive asked, preferring to wear something he had at home rather than go out shopping looking for new clothes to wear for the New Year.

Today, because of the security concerns people think twice even before doing the simplest of chores such as  shopping for household items, sending children to school or going to work.

Shoppers also anxiously look out for suspicious looking objects and people, thanks to a heightened awareness campaign by the authorities and as a result many a deadly incident has been prevented.

Innocent targets

One occasion was when the driver, the conductor and passengers on a bus escaped death after noticing a suspicious parcel and got off the vehicle in the nick of time.

School children and office workers are constantly worried that vehicles to their left or their right could explode as there have been at least two occasions when this has happened.

Some members of the public become paranoid when they are stuck in a traffic jam and anxiety could be seen written all over their faces.

"Where can we run  if a blast takes place while we are in the middle of a traffic jam surrounded by vehicles?" they question. With the war continuing for two and a half decades and no end in sight, the public keep wondering how much more they can endure.

A review of Introduction To Information And Communication
Law written by Sunil D.B. Abeyaratne.

Development as well as improvement of information and communication related technology (ICT) has travelled a long journey leaving a fair amount of complicated issues. The world is becoming smaller and smaller every day and ICT has become the most essential subject to man.

Laws are being developed to improve ICT and resolve its disputes efficiently. However, it is impossible to make changes or introduce laws and regulations on every change or modification in Information and Communication Technology. Therefore, there must be a governing framework and guidance under ICT Law to deal with its present and future problems.

Law relating to Information and Communication Technology is not an isolated subject. Its involvement could be seen in any given area like criminal law, civil law, labour law, intellectual property law, taxation law and so on.

The main objective of this book is to identify the laws and methods adopted by various jurisdictions to govern ICT and compare them with the position in Sri Lanka identifying the strengths, weaknesses, objectives of the laws introduced and finally to find out ways of further development of the ICT laws and regulations in Sri Lanka.

The book - Introduction To Information And Communication Technology Law by Sunil D.B. Abeyaratne, Attorney-at-Law and former secretary, Bar Association of Sri Lanka was launched on March 27 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute. The Chief Guest was Solicitor General Priyasath Dep, PC. The Guest of Honour was Supreme Court Judge, Justice Nimal Dissanayake. A number of High Court judges, district judges and senior members of the official and unofficial bar attended the event. Former President, BASL, Nihal Jayamanne, PC chaired the meeting.

This book is specially prepared for judges, legal practitioners and investigators who are interested in learning the legal aspects of ICT.

Structure of the book

Chapter II of the book provides an overview of the legislative enactments that are relevant to the field of Information and Communication Technology in Sri Lanka and the purpose of the same.

Chapter III explains the Intellectual Property Rights on ICT related works. Violation of copyright of the author, patent right and the design right of the owner, unfair competition and undisclosed information etc. relevant to transactions in cyber space are also explained.

Chapter IV introduces principles governing the law of contracts and concepts on electronic commerce providing a comparative analysis on the Electronic Transactions Act with UNCITRAL Model-Law. This chapter includes provisions under Payment and Settlement System Act as well.

Chapter V explains governing legal aspects under Telecommunication in Sri Lanka.

Chapter VI clarifies role of the members of the World Trade Organisation. This section deals with enforcement on tariffs and customs duties on Information and Communication Technology goods or services.

Chapter VII explains criminal offences under Computer Crime Act, Payment Devices Frauds Act, Intellectual Property Act, Telecommunications Act, and Penal Code Amendment in relation to computers and internet.  Examples have been taken from various other jurisdictions.

By Ranee Mohamed

Nowadays, in addition to the cock- bird that appears to be mentally retarded or suffering from some psychological disorder, I am woken by the raucous calling of the koha bird. There am I, having a nice delicious dream, when I am jolted awake as if a bolt of lightning has struck me! It's that pesky bird once again. I grumpily try to block out its cries by burrowing underneath a pillow, but it's too loud to be muffled. Okay bird, we know that the New Year is round the corner!

Another sign is this advertisement that goes, "No poli, more jolly.." Hmmm! This year I wonder. Even without the poli, how can they be tres jolie? They don't have the money to buy it anyway. Of course, granted, some people look out for these salessince bargains are available.

Quite a few years ago I was lucky enough to get some writing published. People around me were suitably impressed as one would expect them to be but very few of them actually bothered to read what I had written. And out of those who did read it, one girl voiced what quite a lot of them didn't. I thought she was the most intelligent person and therefore she would be able to appreciate it the most.

"I don't understand it."

Let's skip that for a second and jog back a few more years. My class was assigned an essay with the instruction to begin or end the essay with the words "Take Me To Your Leader." I didn't want to write about aliens so I wrote instead about drugs and drug dealers. I got a very high mark. Years later, when I read the essay I wanted to rewrite and edit it but I have never done so. But I was rewarded for writing what I wanted to.

Dealing with fear

Anyone who wants to be a writer deals with fear. You fear the reader, your intended audience because you fear that they may not be able to understand what you are saying or that they will simply not be interested in it. Perhaps you are a perfectionist and so each time you sit down to write something, you end up dealing with the fear of whether you will ever get it right.

Early on, in both schools I attended, it was quite apparent that I was doomed to be a sort of social outcast. To always feel as if I was on the fringe for reasons that I was aware of but the logic behind which I would never fully understand. One of those reasons was the way I spoke.

I read a lot, wrote a lot and was an English teacher's daughter. My grammar and spelling were near perfect and I personally never wanted to make a mistake and wanted to be the best in the subject if only to make sure it didn't reflect badly on my mother in any way. How awful would it be for an English teacher's daughter to get horrible grades in English?

Cruel

And so my normal everyday speech often included words that my peers didn't use and didn't understand. I knew what "verbosity" meant - I was a verbose talker but a superfluous writer. And people are cruel when they are young: in the first school I attended I was called a "black trying to be white;" in the second they just called me a nerd amongst other things - a label I was quite happy to take on except they weren't using the meaning I intended to use.

I am now resigned to, and accepting of the fact that, for the rest of my life I will be a social outcast because of this very reason if not for any others such as the propensity to speak my mind. It has occurred throughout my school life and my university life. I get up in front of a class to give a presentation and no one interacts even when given the opportunity. There are no signs of interest whatever the topic and throughout my university bout so far, I constantly have the question running through my head: is it me or is it them?

Encouraging

Am I somehow not effective when I speak or I write? Am I missing something? Do I need to improve? Or are they just unwilling to participate? Are they just more interested in waiting for class to end? Are they just unable to understand what I am saying because of my vocabulary?

The rest of the time I have my family encouraging me to write. "Write a book and win the Booker Prize so we can all retire comfortably!" they say though the practical side of me counts the prize money and tries to figure out a way that all of us can live the rest of our lives on such an amount. The answer if you are interested is that you can't.

My best friend for the past decade or so keeps encouraging me too and I usually just change the subject. And all I actually want to say to her when she says this is: "Thanks but the last time I wrote anything that got published you didn't understand it. You and your age group are the people I want to write for and to talk to - you are the people I want to inform but there is no point if you don't understand it."

If they don't understand me when I speak, how will they understand me when I write? Especially when I believe that it is something extremely important that they need to know about. People my age want to be entertained, not informed - I am happy to make my writing more interesting but at the same time I am not going to be their jester and tell them only what they want to hear. I don't believe in that. And as I grow older, I realise I must be the only person I know who thinks and feels that way.

Reaching peers

It doesn't discourage me from writing else I wouldn't be writing this column every week. I still do write though I still struggle with this whole question of how do I reach my peers who seem happy to switch themselves off so much to the kind of things I want to say. So I still write but I write for myself and there are notebooks, exercise books and password protected files aplenty filled with stories, poetry and so on in various stages of completion but in my lifetime they will never see the light of day.

I don't want to write creatively to a greater extent than what I do now any more for a public audience because the public audience does not want to read that kind of content and have clearly indicated that to me and to the world at large. I am quite happy for someone to discover everything after my death. Maybe by then, people would have learnt to try harder because isn't it inherently selfish to switch off instead of trying your best to understand someone even if it means you constantly ask them questions till you do?

Because I think that if you are someone who thinks about other people, you do try. You don't always get it right, you make mistakes but you do try to understand people whatever it takes even if in the process you run the risk of annoying them.

Interaction

But so far in my writing experience the people on the other side of the process don't interact. There is no feedback, no questions, no dissension, no arguments. It's like talking to a blank wall. I get more of a reaction when I talk to myself. And yet we say it is rude when someone talks to you and you don't answer. Well, when someone writes something and you read it, when someone gives a talk that you are attending, it's much the same when you don't react or make an effort to engage with the material or make an effort to think. It's rude.

And if people aren't responding, then of course it seems logical to think that there isn't much point in making the effort to reach them anymore.

The question now for me is whether I want to continue regardless - not just writing for myself but actually trying to write for others.

- Marisa Wikramanayake 

A married man was having an affair with his secretary. One day, their passions overcame them and they took off to her house where they made passionate love all afternoon.

Exhausted, they fell asleep, awakening only around 8 p.m. As the man threw on his clothes, he told the woman to take his shoes outside and rub them through the grass and dirt. Mystified, she nonetheless complied. He slipped into his shoes and drove home.

Modified Commandment

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honour thy father and thy mother," she asked "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?" Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

No quarter given

A New York divorce lawyer died and arrived at the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter asked him: "What have you done to merit entrance into Heaven?"

The lawyer thought a moment, then said, "A week ago, I gave a quarter to a homeless person on the street."

Saint Peter asked Gabriel to check this out in the record, and after a moment Gabriel affirmed that this was true.

Saint Peter said, "Well, that's fine, but it's not really quite enough to get you into Heaven."

The lawyer said, "Wait! There's more! Three years ago I also gave a homeless person a quarter."

Saint Peter nodded to Gabriel, who after a moment nodded back, affirming this, too, had been verified.

Saint Peter then whispered to Gabriel, "Well, what do you suggest we do with this fellow?"

Gabriel gave the lawyer a sidelong glance, then said to Saint Peter, "Let's give him back his 50 cents and tell him to go to Hell." 

On the run

It has been determined that having sex before participating in athletic activity, such as a marathon race, does not impair the athlete's performance.

In fact, men have known and displayed this for centuries. After sex, they glance at their watches and say, "Oops, gotta run!" 

Out of luck

The three-time felon felt a wave of panic come over him as he surveyed the jury in the courthouse. Positive he'd never beat the murder rap, he managed to get hold of one of the kinder looking jurors, and bribe her with his life savings to go for a manslaughter verdict.

Sure enough, at the close of the trial the jury declared him guilty of manslaughter. Tears of gratitude welling up in his eyes, the young man had a moment with the juror before being led off to prison. "Thank you, thank you - how'd you do it?"

"It wasn't easy," she admitted. "They all wanted to acquit you."

Brutally frank

May I take your order, Sir?" the waiter asked. "Yes, how do you prepare your chickens?"

"Nothing special, Sir," he replied. "We just tell them straight out that they're going to die."

A feisty 70 year old woman had to call a furnace repairman. After a quick inspection, the man put some oil into the motor and handed her a $70 bill for labour.

"Labour charges!" she exclaimed. "It took you five minutes."

The repairman explained that his company had a minimum one-hour charge on every house call.