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| Saturday, 16 October 2004 |
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Celebrating childhood by Prasad Abu Bakr
ICE Exhibition. I nformation, C ommunication and E ducation Exhibition 'Butterfly Carnival' and Cultural show at the BMICH on October 16, 17 and 18, from 10 am to 10 pm. Organised by The Ministry of Information and Media in collaboration with the Presidential Secretariat, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Ports and Aviation. Supported by Sri Lanka Rupavahini, Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd, Independent Television Network and Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Sponsored by Sri Lankan Air lines, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Sri Lanka Telecom. Co-ordinated by Emphasis.
All the above information speak volumes as to how seriously this years International Children's Day, which is marked for the 1st of October annually, is being treated; specially by the government and state media. At a time when children are prey and victim at the same level all over the world it is only fair that events that concern children should be celebrated loud and pompously making adults aware of the necessity to do so. The Daily News made its contribution in no small way recently when its Children's pages spearheaded an essay and painting competition where winners were rewarded handsomely for their efforts. We are proud to say that we did the best for children with our own funds with the least support by any private organisation or individual other than the kind contributions made by Elephant House, The Mount Lavinia Hotel, Galadari Hotel, The Taj Samudra, Perera & Sons and American Premium, towards the refreshments served at the opening ceremony. There was a large gathering at the Lionel Wendt Gallery to witness the colourful expressions by many of the participants. They came from near and far to witness the joyous colours and the fine compositions presented in form of pictures and essays by their sons and daughters. It was very touching to witness how parents were encouraged to participate in events such as this which probably was a result of their children deciding to take part not with the soul intention of winning against others as much as finding an opportunity to bring out their artistic talents. They were young, happy and care-free and the pictures they painted reflected their world, un-spoilt by malice, violence or hatred. These being the very qualities that they acquire as they brace themselves in to adulthood. But art and expression of it in any form can cure a young mind of all these ill effects that can take permanent refuge in one's mind as it matures. Dinamina and Thinakaran the other two ANCL dailies will follow suit when they make their contribution at the 'Butterfly Carnival' today at the BMICH. All this brings to our attention how most of the private organisations that `stand up to dance' when it comes to events that can be made into a commercial tamasha out of which they can make a 'fast buck' upon, fail to make their presence felt at an all important event such as the World Children's Day. The many private Radio stations and Television channels and the print media which has a new publication piling up to its lot almost on a daily basis, show their keen interest only when it comes to sponsoring `doddering' old foreign bands visiting the country, popular sports events `which call for the least amount of support in any case', Valentine's Day (which has been converted into a fleecing apparatus of young people's pockets) and many other annual events that carry with them a stamp of glory in any case. What the organisers of these events do not realise is that what many of the said private electronic and print media are simply doing is `fetching some publicity for themselves' by moving in as media sponsors. For example `Valentine's Day' can sell anywhere any time without the blessing of any media sponsor. It is indeed with great pride that we remember the good work done by many who contributed as children or towards improving their lot, such as Artist Senaka Senanayake who was known at one time as the 'child prodigy' of Sri Lanka, bringing prestige to our land, Late Mrs. Cora Abraham who was a pioneer in leading children to further their education through the knowledge of art, Theatre Director Somalatha Subasinghe for the magnanimous role she played at improving 'theatre for children' which is how we probably have any theatre left for children today, Sybil Wettasinghe who coined many a verse and illustrated many a children's books and still continues to do so, Titus Totawatte, a pioneer in bringing children's themes into film and radio during an era it lacked to show its appearance in those quarters, Renuka & Somaratne Balasuriya for their string of productions based on themes featuring children in many aspects on celluloid, Singer Nanda Malini for her many songs that rejuvenated a child's world and special mention has to be made of Jimmy Engineer, the Pakistani national who made many an under privileged children happy by organising a series of lunch events at star class hotels islandwide as a gesture towards celebrating 'Universal Children's Day' and many others who have contributed towards making the world of children what it deserves to be. We at ANCL are happy to be a part of that exercise. |
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Produced by Lake House |
State sector sponsorship has made certain that this year's
'International Children's Day' is not going to be forgotten in a hurry,
reminding that adults have a bigger responsibility when it comes to
leading children to face challenges as they grow-up.
