Ranil Wickremesinghe is acting like a lunatic at lucid intervals,
with the triumphant results generated over the counter measures taken by
the Forces to curb the inhuman activities of the LTTE.
As far as I can remember that he never issued messages as the leader
of the Opposition, when terrorists attempted to take the life of
Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Now I feel that, he was praying silently for his demise.
He was observing a deafening silence over atrocities fashioned by his
good friend Prabhakaran.
He says nothing about the killings of innocent civilians, school
children and youth. Even those days when he was holding important
portfolios he was allergic to youth and the end result was Batalanda.
Ranil is no longer interested in coming to power through the UNP.
It is obvious that, he has decided to lend a helping hand to his good
friend Prabha and come to power and thereafter to share the country with
him forever. Therefore, he is trying his best to put a complete stop to
the ongoing military pressure against his only loyal sympathizer 'Prabha'.
Ranil, as an individual, is going all round the world canvassing support
for his cause, and it is worthwhile to find out who is funding such
missions to foreign countries.
This may be the very reason that the Good Samaritans of the UNP
decided to leave the devil and join the angel.
No prudent man will ever cast a vote for Ranil Wickremesinghe, but
people may vote for others in the UNP. There is no political future for
Mr. Wickremesinghe in this paradise known over the world as Sri Lanka.
Peace and prosperity will be ushered in soon and with the completion
of development projects like the Hambantota harbour will alone fetch
financial stability to this pearl of the Indian Ocean, keeping oil
resources aside for future use.
CLEMENT PERERA,
Nugegoda
News of the procurement of one hundred coaches and fifteen power sets
from China will be of some consolation to the railway commuters and also
Ex-Railway employees who always wish the development of the Railway to
its pristine glory of yesteryear.
It was during Sirimavo Bandaranaike's regime that we received
coaching stock from China and they did a good service for a number of
years. When we receive something new, it is a national weakness to throw
the old to the junk yard or the attic.
Some years back, it was an eyesore to see coaches taken out of
service stabled in station yards on the Puttalam line and at
Anuradhapura.
Vandals made a mint of money by cutting even high standard steel
axles of these coaches. I hope that the General Manager will map out a
programme to repair the old coaches even after cannibalizing some at
Ratmalana, so that they can be put on service for local trains. Those
that are condemned as scrap should be disposed as early as possible and
net in some revenue.
B. B. PERERA,
Katubedda
I refer to the news item in your issue of Friday, February 16,
relating to the building of a yacht in Sri Lanka for the first time.
This was in fact achieved by a Frenchman called Claude Graff with the
support of Gamini (Kuru) Gunawardena, a scion of the famous Borulugoda
Gunawardenas.
After getting a degree in law, Kuru spurned the conventional life
that lay before him in Ceylon and sought a life of adventure in post war
Europe living on his wits and undoubted talent.
He met Claude Graff who was sailing a yacht in the meditarranean for
his living, found a soul mate and induced him to come to Ceylon where,
courtesy of Cyril Rodrigo, the well-known restauranteur (Pagoda/Green
Cabin), they built a yacht on a property he had in Hunupitiya, made
entirely from Ceylon wood.
Claude was a boat builder who had competed in the 1936 Olympics in
one of the sculling events and was himself a scion of a well-known
French land-owning family who had fallen into disfavour for supporting
the Vichy Government set up by the conquering Germans under Hitler.
He was therefore domiciled in Switzerland but returned to make his
home at San Trope after the war was over, to boat building and sailing a
yacht for hire by the rich who frequented the French Riviera.
The yacht was a 26-ton Ketch - a two masted vessel with the mizzen
mast stepped forward of rudder - relying principally on sails but with
an auxiliary engine (a necessary precaution, in the absence of any radio
communication), which could reach a speed of 6 knots with a favourable
wind. It was christened the Taos Brett 2, succeeding its predecessor the
Taos Brett 1, a much smaller craft.
The yacht was launched with justifiable fanfare in the Beira (taken
by a long trailer from the Hunupitiya yard), and set sail from the
Colombo harbour with Claude and 'Tom', his female partner - a member of
the famous US DuPont family, Kuru and his partner Lalitha Adihetty and
two of Kuru's University Contemporaries, Mahen Vaitianathan and Pali
Rajapakse.
Mahen and Pali left the Yacht at Aden, and after it had made its way
through the Aegean Islands to the West Coast of Italy, it was my turn to
join it which I did skipping the Rome Olympics as was the original plan
and joining it at Livorno for a dream yachting holiday of one month in
the Italian and French Rivieras as we worked our way up.
The Italian Armpit and across the Genoa straits to the French Riveira
and the wonderful yachting ports ending at San Tropez.
Sumitra, Kuru's sister who married Lester James Peries will bear out
this fantastic story of the spirit of our times and our post graduation
in the Faculty of Adventure - thanks of course to her flamboyant and
iconoclastic brother to whom this writing is intended as a tribute as
much as to get the record straight.
Admittedly however as stated by your correspondent Mr. Farancon's
yacht would be the first time within living memory that a yacht will
sailed from Galle to France. The Taos Brett 2, sailed from Colombo and
set sail in 1960.
P. S. DULEEPKUMAR,
Colombo 5
On any subject including religion, politics, social work, parental
love on children and vice versa etc. the middle-path operation is most
effective. So is one's eating habits and vegetarianism. We seek to bring
to light some areas on the subject for greater edification.
Vegetarianism is an exclusive life style of living only on plant food
and products. It also relates to absolute amnesty and non-violence on
all living beings. Vegetarians are in equal body strength compared any
type of humans with any other dieting pattern.
Many strong bodied sportsmen are vegetarians. One of them is the
American wrestling sportsman 'Undertaker' who is a vegetarian and a
formidable wrestler who brings fright to others through his very
presence in the ring.
Sri Lanka's brand of vegetarians generally drinks milk. They avoid
fish, meat and related products. They are lacto-vegetarians.
Those eating eggs and drinking milk is known as 'lactovo-vegetarians'.
Perhaps they are known to eat unfertilised eggs. Some vegetarians desist
from taking alcoholic drinks and do not wear leather goods, silk or
woollen material. Strict adherents even avoid food grown with inorganic
fertilizer and pesticides.
Sri Lanka's most of the vegetarians avoid extremes and adopt strict
commitment to keeping away from eating fish and meat. This middle path
vegetarianism is popular and promotable.
Animal food, according to the medical researches may contain
excessive fat and contribute to diseases such as heart problems, high
blood pressure excessive cholesterol etc. early in life.
The experts have recommended minimising the intake of animal fat and
increase the consumption of fruits, leafy vegetables and grain which
could supply the entire spectrum of nutrition to lead a healthy life.
Where the adoption of vegetarian life in total is impracticable, the
people could get used to modest life pattern at least two days with
middle-path vegetarian diet a week and be healthy and strong to live a
good life span, being useful citizens to themselves and to others.
LIONEL GULAWITA,
Kalutara |
