Dr. Lester James Peries Mawatha - thank you Mr.President

HONOURED: Congratulations to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for taking the initiative to rename Dickman's Road as "Dr. Lester James Peries Mawatha". At long last !!!

The idea to do so began when LJP turned 80 years seven Aprils ago. It thereafter got stuck, firm and deep, in the lethargy of government bureaucracy in typical Sri Lankan fashion. Despite several repeated requests made by numerous personnel from the film industry, and friends and fans of LJP, nothing ever came out of it.

The greatness of honouring people like LJP lies in not doing so posthumously, but when they are still among us. LJP often (jokingly though) says that he is living "on borrowed time". I do not need to enumerate his track record. I do not need to describe how much of a national icon he is. It is common knowledge.

LJP and Sumitra have been at No. 24, Dickman's Road for ever so long. It was there that several of their films were 'conceived'. It was there that several actors and actresses of today were 'discovered'. That house is a landmark in Sri Lanka's cine-cultural world. "Dr. Lester James Peries Mawatha" will indeed be a lasting and living tribute to the man, and what he is to Sri Lanka.

Now with personal intervention at the highest level, I pray the renaming will be done with the least possible delay. Thank you President Rajapaksa. Bravo Lester !!!

Kumar de Silva - Nugegoda