Media should contribute to upgrade national heritage - Media Minister

H.M. Abeysinghe, Kuliyapitiya Group Corr.

KULIYAPITIYA: It is the duty of the media to contribute for the rehabilitation of deteriorated national heritage in the country. That is not going back to the past but creating the future getting examples from the past, the Minister of Media and Infirmation Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said.

He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Ayurveda Clinic at Kandanegedara Dharmapala MV to mark the 10th anniversary of Lakhanda Radio. About 500 people from the area got the indigenous medical treatment at this clinic free. Exhibition of medicinal herbs and poisonous serpents were also held.

The Minister said that if modernised without getting the examples from the past the nation would go stray. The President was keenly interested on restoring and upholding our ancient heritage. So we implement the programmes to meet that end through the state media. I hope that the private media too would follow that example, he said.

The Indigenous medical treatments based on Ayurveda is our national heritage second only to the Buddhism, we can't part with that. It is an asset to the nation. We spend a lot to import Ayurvedic drugs from India. Our villagers will be able to earn an extra income provided they grow medicinal herbs in the coconut lands.

Lakhamda had performed a remarkable service for the rehabilitation and promotion of national heritage by way of organising this Ayurvedic clinic.

The Minister of Indigenous Medicine Thissa Karalliyadde said that during the last 10 years Lakhanda had organised different awareness programmes to educate people on the necessity of promoting indigenous cultural heritage. In addition it had rectified our errors too. So we were able to correct ourselves.

The Ayurvedic Clinic Lakhanda organised in this village school will help the people of the area to get quality treatment for their ailments. In addition the exhibition will help the villagers to identify the medicinal herbs that are found in abundance in their gardens. Even the elders are unable to identify the medicinal herbs today.

Since it is worth the schoolchildren be given a knowledge on Ayurveda. I have directed to the Cabinet to absorb Ayurveda medical system to school curriculum amending the syllabus of Social Studies.

I am optimistic that the Cabinet would approve my suggestion since that deals with our national heritage. Ruhunu University had inaugurated a course of study on Ayurveda. Rajarata University too would follow suit before long.

There is a great international demand for our indigenous medical treatments. While our people are running after Western treatments. Westerners are coming here to get Ayurvedic treatments. We take steps to expand that system all over the world. Ayurveda and our Indigenous medical treatments help for the development of physical and mental health.

Indigenous medical treatments based on Ayurveda has a long way to go. We will promote the system while protecting the Ayurveda physicians. The Director ITN Ranjith Wijesiri also spoke.