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| Friday, 5 September 2003 |
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Through the eyes of Mehi Pencha Mehi Pencha A book of short stories for kids through the eyes of Mehi Pencha. Mehi Pencha the key character in the four stories activated by P. G. Punchihewa, speaks to the children in its own way. The tales and experiences of Mehi Pencha are so close to the world of children. As hinted by the author Mehi Pencha itself has related the stories from its life to a writer friend who in turn presents them to the children, entering the world of children. Mehi Pencha - or the kid fly inquisitive as the human kid, desires to venture into the unknown, meets situations it never anticipated, gets away from dangerous situations intelligently and always returns to the warmth and security of its mother. In this manner the author reinforces the need of the young to seek the care and protection of the mother in particular, without imposing himself on their minds. Mehi Pencha ratayayi - kid fly goes abroad In this little story the kid fly develops a great desire to fly into another land - Born and growing up in Katunayake close to the International Airport, it gazes day and night at the planes taking flight, landing and hovering over. Finally it takes flight on an unknown destination till it lands in a very cold country covered with snow. Its experiences in the freezing cold compels it to fly back and seek the warmth of its own home. Its second experience is not rewarding either and through the story the author slowly but convincingly leads the kids into the negative effects of seeking for pastures abroad, or unknown territory. Mehi Pencha Paasal Yayi - (Goes to school) The author opens up with the difficulties and hurdles one has to clear when not sufficiently educated - The kid fly realizes its mistake of not knowing the letters, just as a child should be without mastering the ability to read and comprehend. Though not with a brain of a child - it attempts to get close to the world of children, and analyse the effect the insects have on humans through an insect's eye. It is sorry about the many and varied diseases caused through insects as itself and mosquitoes on humans and that it should avoid interaction with humans for its own survival. With Mehi Pencha Verivei - The Kid Fly Intoxicated. The author takes the kids subtly to an area forbidden for kids, convincing them of the dangers of consumption of intoxicants or liquor. He does not use such words as don't or 'you should not', but through the bad experience of the kid fly warns the kids of the degrees of tasting alcohol. It also reminds them of one of the precepts of Buddhism in a very mild but acceptable manner, namely refraining from the use of intoxicants. Vessai Massoi - Rain and the Flies The kid fly takes care not to get caught to the people seeking its destruction. Its experiences in the stories earlier presented has given it much maturity and strength to resist the attacks on their kind by their enemies - humans. The change in weather, following a heavy down pour compel the flies to seek refuge in the shelter of homes. The kid fly smells the danger of annihilation through insecticides, and warns its kind of the looming danger. Here the unity of flies is emphasized in fighting any danger, inculcating in the young minds the value of unity in adversity. The four little stories taken together are a novel presentation, rich in stirring the children to think and reason and view their own experiences in the world of children. The use of words, and language is so simple but refined. Each story I'm sure would hold the child's interest without any harassment on his/her skill and speed of reading. The print is so clear and readable. In selecting a kid fly to narrate its experiences the author has chosen an agent so common place that no child would be left to guess of its nature or its breeding place - the author's imagination seeks to inspire the kids too. The drawings that depict the narration is so meaningful, especially those in "Mehi Pencha Ratayai". So congratulations to P. G. Punchihewa for giving the kids a rare treat through Mehi Pencha and Sybil Wettasinghe for another reward to children with her imaginative pictures. A book that's worth a gift for your kid. - Neetha S. Ratnapala *********** A book on health for laymen "A peep into the past and a look towards the future - involving the health and well-being of mothers, children and the elderly" Author: Dr. Terrance Perera The above book had been written by Dr. Terrance Perera to commemorate his 80th birthday and 55 years service as a physician. The book is dedicated to his wife Lakshmi and his family. The book contains articles written by Dr. Perera to the daily newspapers and also papers he had read at several international conferences pertaining to health. The book is divided into seven chapters. The book reveals that Dr. Terrance Perera after passing out from the Medical College served in the Health Department for a number of years. During the early years of his career he served in Kandy and Anuradhapura and subsequently having obtained his MD he held several senior positions in the Ministry of Health. These positions included Consultant Paediatrician and later being appointed as the Director of the Integrated National Programme of Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning. Thereafter, he was attached as the leader of the World Health Organisation, South East Asian Region for a number of years. He was also a Visiting Professor of International Maternal and Child Health at the University of California, Berkley and the Sandiego State University. The contents also reveal that Dr. Perera has received many listings in International Biographical Directories inter-alia, "Who's Who is the United Nations" - 1975' Arno press/New York Times Comp. and "1000 Great Asians" Nominated for inclusion in the First Edition to be published in 2003. IBC, Cambridge England. Dr. Perera has also received several awards some of which are as follows: 1. Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons; FRCP (G) 1971 2. Honorary fellow of the American Academy of Paediatrics, FAAP (Hon) 1981 3. Fellow of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics; FIAP; 1984. Incidentally, he is the first Sri Lankan to receive these awards. He also has received several plaques in appreciation of his work. The contents of the book mainly deals with the health care of infants and also the health care of the elders and the disabled. As Dr. Perera had specialized in paediatrics and maternity and child care including family planning, the book deals mainly with these two subjects. Some of the examples quoted in the book are case studies from Sri Lanka and from other South East Asian countries such as India, Burma and Thailand. There is also articles dealing with some aspects of maternal and child health work in East Africa and Sweden. The articles contained in this book are quite interesting and could be appreciated and understood by laymen. With regard to the other topics other than health in this book there is a very interesting article pertaining to the visit of Dr. Perera to Mongolia in 1975 when transport to Mongolia was very difficult. In this article Dr. Perera gives a graphic description of the hazards one encounters in travelling through the country. He also states that the Mongolians specialized in 3 sports. These sports are Horse Riding, Wrestling and Archery. In fact Dr. Perera had been fortunate to witness these sports on his visit to Mongolia, on the National Holidays of this country on the 11th and 12th of July. During the period Dr. Perera was attached to the World Health Organisation he had travelled extensively visiting forty countries and as such he has had a great deal of experience with regard to the problems of health which confronts many countries in the world. The book also contains some humorous articles on the subjects of "Straight from the Doctor's mouth, article published on the 10th of December 1999 and a Bird's eye view which had been published on the 16th of November 2002. With regard to the former article, it is stated that Dr. W. A. Karunaratne, former Director of Health Services in this country who was 91 years and perhaps the oldest living member of the World Health Organisation in this region when he was asked what the secret was for his longevity. He replied "A Glass of Whisky Everyday". Dr. Perera goes on to state further, "But something is worrying me, I begin to wonder what my Grand Old Mother-in-Law who is now passed 93 years would have to say when she hears this, "Because neither a tot of Whisky" nor the more affordable. "Old stuff" has ever gone past her lips all her long life. With regard to the latter article, there is a lovely description of birds. I wish to refer to three of the birds described in this article. They are, a) "the Credit Swallow", a bird well-known in an organization for presenting other people's ideas as his own. b) the "Cygnet Bird", a bird who insists on signing and correcting all his subordinates' letters. c) the "Ostrich", a bird who buries his head in paper work. It is very interesting to note that in the preface of this book Dr. Perera states "It is also pleasing to find in my professional career that I have returned to where I began, as a young medical officer 55 years ago. I began my career working at the grass roots level with the rural poor in the North Central Province in the country and now at the tail end of my career I find myself working at the grass roots level among the urban poor in the shanty towns of Colombo South". The final paragraph in the preface shows the great faith Dr. Perera has in his maker when he states "Finally this book is being released in time to commemorate my 80th Birthday in the completion of 55 years as a physician ... looking back, God's Mercy and Love I see". The book written by Dr. Perera has been circulated by him to people who have been close and dear to him and I am very fortunate to receive a copy of this interesting book. As the contents of this book is very interesting it could be available for the information of those interested in reading books of this nature if some organisation dealing with health published it on behalf of Dr. Perera and made it available to them through our local bookshops. I have known Dr. Perera for several years. I have always admired him because he has always been a humble, straight-forward, soft spoken, well mannered, helpful gentleman and a Doctor par excellence. - Herby Jayasuriya |
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