Lets give something back, it is our Sri Lanka

FREE EDUCATION: Two years ago a journalist friend of mine was asked to do some work for a government ministry. He had a tough deadline. However having had several sleepless nights he delivered it.

It was a job well done. When the official in charge asked him "What is your fee?" To his surprise and to the others who were present at the time, my friend said "I was fortunate to receive free education in Sri Lanka. I cannot charge the country that gave me a free education.

So there is no fee here. "Another person would have charged more than one hundred thousand rupees (100,000/=) for that excellent job done by my friend. People were moved by those words but the man who not only studied at Royal College in Colombo but also in one of the top universities in the world walked out slowly carrying his sling bag happily. He went to the road to hail a trishaw.

He is a man who made Mother Lanka proud. He remembered, he had in him a precious GIFT called gratitude. That story did not end there. He still does things for Sri Lanka free, paying back for the free education he received at Royal. I know Mother Lanka is very proud of him, she will always be.

The late General Denzil Kobbekaduwa would have ended up as a Chairman of a company and lived a luxurious life if he wanted to. Though he had a paid education at Trinity he decided to serve his motherland and die protecting the nation. I know of many others who have done their part for the country and of many others who serve us well. But, many would remember that they received a free education and more from this country and become more selfless?

What do they do? Most of them completely forget that the country had paid for their free education, laid the foundation and helped them to go in search of greener pastures, enjoy the luxury of life and reach the skies? Most of them suck blood back from their own people.

Like the doctors who give pride of place to their private practice rather than taking care of the poor patients. How many doctors would reach out to poor patients kindly? Do they know that the poor shiver when they see some doctors? Only if they remember that those poor men and women too paid for their free education.

Then most of them leave the country and serve some other country and other people forgetting that they owe a lot to Sri Lanka for their free education. Not only the doctors, engineers and many others do the same.

When questioned as to why they do such things, many complain that they were not given an opportunity and someone blocked them and so on. I agree that politicians are not the most honest kind in Sri Lanka and many of them are an obstacle to this island of ours. However we cannot blame only them. We could ask them to go and hang and still do our part and give our bit to the country. If we leave the shores after doing our part we could be satisfied that we have given something back to the country.

Let's do our duty, play our part, share our time, spread a little kindness, walk that extra mile and extend our hand. Pay back for the free education and other things we received from Sri Lanka. Even if we have not received anything free from the country there are so many things we could share with our country. This is My Sri Lanka. This is your Sri Lanka. This is OUR Sri Lanka.