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by Ranil Wijayapala

They gave their precious lives for the Motherland. They made the supreme sacrifice, so that we may live to see another tomorrow. They are always in our hearts and minds.

Yet, there are only a few places where we can express our gratitude to the war heroes in solitude, away from the hustle and bustle of it all. Such a war heroes memorial park in a serene and tranquil setting will be bestowed on the Nation on July 7, National Heroes Day.

It will be located in Mailapitiya, a village on the edge of the Randenigala Mahaweli reservoir. This is a beautiful area which provides a refuge for your chaotic mind.

The serene waters of the Randenigala reservoir enhance the tranquillity of this setting to heal your sorrows and comfort your aching hearts.

A stretch of this tranquil land is now being turned into a memorial park for the sons and daughters of the Motherland who have made the supreme sacrifice to protect the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Bulldozers and other construction equipment manned by service personnel themselves are slowly but steadily engaged in turning this land into a war memorial park to remember the war heroes killed in action.

These machines and the talented hands of servicemen and a number of people from the village of Mailapitiya are making a silent effort in their endeavour to achieve the target soon.

Their aim is to create a more peaceful environment for the near and dear of those killed in action to evoke the memories of their loved ones at this memorial park at least once in a year.

The Chairman of Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) Lt. General Dennis Perera has taken the responsibility of building this war memorial park on behalf of the entire nation.

"On a request made by the President, we undertook the task of creating this war heroes remembrance park," Lt. Gen. Perera said.

"We studied so many war memorial parks in the world and are trying our best to complete a park which is unique to Sri Lanka," he added.

The Rana Viru Seva Authority (RVSA) and the Sri Lanka Army Engineers Service Regiment also contribute to this task. The Mahaweli Authority has also contributed by providing the 30 acre land for this park.

There will be 27 platforms dedicated to each Regiment of all three Armed Forces and the names of those who made their supreme sacrifice will be engraved on these platforms.

There will be a 60 feet high monument dedicated for the war heroes in the centre of the park. A water cascade and a pond surrounding the monument will be a special feature.

Four shrine rooms dedicated to Buddhists, Catholics, Muslims and Hindus will be set up at the four corners of the monument.

"The tranquillity of water and the greenery will be special features of this war heroes remembrance park. Such features are not seen in any war heroes memorial parks in any part of the world," Lt. Gen. Dennis Perera added.

An eternal flame will be lit on the nearest cliff of the site to remain till peace dawns, in memory of war heroes killed in action.

"The names of 14,000 of servicemen killed in action are to be engraved in those platforms. We hope that will not increase and peace will be ushered in the country soon," Dennis Perera remarked.

"We are trying our best to set up this park in a more environmental friendly manner and are not causing any damage to the reservoir," said Mano Ponniah, one of the architects.

According to him, a team led by Turner Wickremesinghe and himself are trying their best to complete the first phase of this project on a six acre land to be opened for the public on July 7 this year.

The RVSA will put up an information centre at the entrance of the park to educate those attending the memorial park. Parking facilities will be available. Three houses will also be constructed by the RVSA for three families of disabled servicemen to look after and maintain this park.

This remarkable creation will be ceremonially opened on National War Heroes Day on July 7 this year. 

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