Daily News Online

DateLine Wednesday, 6 June 2007

News Bar »

News: LTTE exploits places of worship ...           Political: Deal with US will benefit Lanka - Leader of the House ...          Financial: Colombo harbour expansion programme on schedule ...           Sports: Bangladesh recall Razzak and Rahim For Sri Lanka Tests ....

Home

 | SHARE MARKET  | EXCHANGE RATE  | TRADING  | PICTURE GALLERY  | ARCHIVES | 

dailynews
 ONLINE


OTHER PUBLICATIONS


OTHER LINKS

Marriage Proposals
Classified
Government Gazette


Say enough is enough



Powerful voice:
Dr. Jeziema Ismail
Pictures by Ranjith Jayaweera

A VOICE: Globalisation , social economic conditions and the tsunami. These are among the horrid storms that battered us. But women have the force and strength to withstand these turmoils.

They are very concerned as they are the ones who nurture of the living beings. To combat these what we need is a civil movement and women can spark it. Dr. Jeziema Ismail, renowned educationist and critic observed.

“With the tsunami men became incapaciated and they lost hopes. They lost their property, children and source of income. But women were resiliant as she is the force behind the man. They need to mobilise to bring about a change and combat these evil circumstances. That endavour has to be peaceful and they embody it,” Dr. Ismail said.

She was speaking on the theme “ Women, the force that turn the world” at an event organised by the Colombo Up Town Rotary Club in Colombo on Monday. Dr. Ismail believes that women have to get together wihout being armchair critics.

“In Sri Lanka we cannot stand apart. We need to buid up a strong and empowered network to combat the problems we face”. Men and women inhabit the world equally but definately with a difference.

That very difference helps to retain the balance. Women are thinking in terms of partnership but the unnecessary, extreme feminist ideology has reduced this meaning, she remarked. According to her complementarity of sexes is very important to ensure balance and existance.

But women have to paly a more active role in dealing with social and economic issues. Asian women have taken initiative such as countries like India and Philipines. Sri Lankan women should come forward to organise a civil society movement to claim ‘Enough is Enough’.

###############

Gayani Anisha Amarasena:

High-flying achiever in the art world



Creator: Gayani Anisha Amarasena

Lotus flowers are firmly rooted to the Earth, or are they ? There is one lotus flower that blooms in the sky, 35,000 feet up, every day. And with it blooms the countless dreams of Lankans - and the aspirations of a Nation ascending towards prosperity.

This magnificent flower first took shape inside the creative mind of Gayani Anisha Amarasena. After its transformation to the physical dimension, it now adorns the two Mihin Lanka planes, Lanka’s pride in the sky, as the airline’s official emblem.

Little did Gayani, a past pupil of Southlands Balika Vidyalaya, realise that her creation would one day literally fly high. This talented artist from Galle responded to an advertisement calling for the design of an emblem for Mihin Lanka. She did not give it much thought until an airline official contacted her with the good news that her design had won the contest.

“When I was informed over the phone that my creation has been selected I was stunned. I have no words to express the joy I felt,” she remarked.


Crest: The emblem Gayani Anisha Amarasena
created for Mihin Lanka.

She was rewarded with Rs. 100,000 and an air ticket to Abu Dhabi. In addition she got the opportunity to join the nascent airline’s inaugural flight to Buddhagaya with prominent Bhikkus, several ministers and media personnel.

A few minutes before take off, Highways and Highways Development Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle presented the cheque for Rs.100,000 and the air ticket to Gayani.

She considers herself extremely lucky as she was able to pay homage to the sacred place where Prince Siddhartha attained Supreme Bliss. It was a dream come true.

She had indeed come a long way to take to the skies. As a toddler, she watched her father P.H. Amarasena, how his hand moved, how his thoughts came real in brush strokes and vivid, colourful expressions.

Her father, Traffic OIC at Galle Police, was always there to appreciate, criticise and guide her whenever he was away from official duties.

Like a duckling taking to water she followed in her father’s footsteps.

The daughter infused her own thoughts and experience blended with inherited talent to grasp subtle human expressions on canvas. “Even before attending montessori I had the passion to draw and paint. My father and mother Nimali Amarasena, a teacher of Kannangara MV, Gintota, helped me tremendously in my work.”


Gayani receiving the Rs. 100,000 cheque an air ticket to Abu Dhabi from Minister Fernandopulle.
Pictures by Sumathipala Deeyagahage

Gayani’s inherent aesthetic qualities were evident with the skill she displayed with brush and paint at the tender age of five.

She showed a special interest in drawing human figures.

She wasn’t fortunate enough to sharpen her artistic skills under a special art teacher at Southlands BMV where she started her education.

“In school I won awards at several art competitions. I was a consecutive winner at art and handicraft exhibitions organised annually by the Galle Municipal Council. At the age of seven I won the first award. Then I succeeded in securing first places in competitions at school and district levels. I also won first place in competitions organised by Dhamma schools.”

Gayani had got through her Advanced Level in the maths stream. “Although art is my undying passion, I studied dancing as a subject at school.

I am following a course in computer graphics and wish to become a graphic designer. But I reckon I would never give up my love for art.”

##################

Share the joys of needlecraft

It was a world of creativity and colours at “Share the Joy”, the 15th all island patchwork and needlecraft exhibition and competition at the BMICH Banquet Hall on June 2 and 3.

“It is not an easy job to put this event together. Most of those who took part are my students but there are some participants who have mastered this craft as either a hobby or a means of self employment,” stated Daisy Vittachi the organiser of the event.

“We hope to encourage women towards this art so that they can start their own employment. This will also test their patience as the work has to be done accurately and neatly. The participants get a lot of orders once they display their creations at this exhibition.”

According to Vittachi a number of migrant Sri Lankans in Philippines, Italy and Malaysia had sent in their creations through friends and relatives. There were table clothes, bed spreads, cushion covers, wall hangings and creations made of ribbon embroidery, cross stich pictures and paper piecing... anything you could possibly dream of doing with cloth, needle and thread.

“Their enthusiasm is admirable. Even schoolchildren took part. If you can witness the surroundings you can note how amazing all these creations are,” she exclaimed.

Among the hundreds of creations four main items have chosen for the winning titles. Zamrooth Rafeek, Ramani Amarasooriya, Samantha Jayawardane, Nalini Jayawardane and Zeeniya Muzammil topped the event

Pictures by Palitha Gunasena

###################

Pregnancy and arthritis part ii:

Preparing for pregnancy

Any couple trying for a baby should stop smoking. This will reduce the chance of having a small baby (due to growth retardation) and will also reduce the risk of cot death. You should also cut down the amount of alcohol you drink and preferably stop taking any recreational drugs you may use.

If you are overweight this will make it harder for you to become pregnant and make you more likely to develop diabetes during pregnancy. So try to lose some weight before you get pregnant. This will help your joints as well.

What supplements should I take?

All women who want to have a baby should take a folic acid tablet every day from 3 months before the time of conception until 12 weeks into the pregnancy.

This is particularly important if you have ever been given methotrexate to treat your arthritis as this drug can affect your body’s supply of folic acid . This will reduce the risk of having a baby with a defect in the spinal canal (spina bifida).

With the exception of folic acid and iron supplements you should avoid all other supplements unless a specific deficiency, such as lack of vitamin D, is found.

If you are taking steroids during pregnancy you may also be advised to take calcium and vitamin D tablets to help protect your bones from thinning (osteoporosis).

Should I stop all my drugs before becoming pregnant?

You should never stop taking prescribed drugs without talking to your rheumatologist. If you tell your rheumatologist you want to become pregnant then he can help to get you onto the safest combination of medication at the lowest reasonable dose to reduce the risk of the tablets causing problems.

During the pregnancy What tests will I have during pregnancy?

An ultrasound scan, to check for abnormalities in the baby, is done in all pregnancies at 18-20 weeks. The doctors choose this time because the baby is bigger and it is easier to find any problems then. Some problems can be quite minor.

If any problem is found at your 20-week scan, the doctors will talk to you about it and discuss the implications and options available to you. More detailed scans may be necessary if, for example, you have taken tablets or drugs during the pregnancy that may cause particular problems.

Sometimes you may need two or three scans before the doctors can see everything clearly, but this does not necessarily mean that there will be a problem. Sometimes the parts that we are trying to see may be hidden, for example, by the baby’s hand. So do not worry if everything cannot be seen clearly at first and you are asked to return for a second scan. To be continued

The writer is Consultant Rheumatologist
Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital

EMAIL |   PRINTABLE VIEW | FEEDBACK

Gamin Gamata - Presidential Community & Welfare Service
TENDER NOTICE - WEB OFFSET NEWSPRINT - ANCL
www.srilankans.com
www.greenfieldlanka.com
www.wallauwa.arpicohomes.com
www.cf.lk/hedgescourt
www.buyabans.com
www.news.lk
www.defence.lk
www.helpheroes.lk/
www.peaceinsrilanka.org
www.army.lk

| News | Editorial | Financial | Features | Political | Security | Sport | World | Letters | Obituaries | News Feed |

Produced by Lake House Copyright © 2006 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.

Comments and suggestions to : Web Editor