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There is a kind of child abuse that is going on with the consent of
parents and right in front of all of us, everyday. That is the ‘child
beggars’.
One can see daily happy children skipping joyfully begging from car
to car, while their parents - often a mother - sits a little far and
watches them. They may not even be their own mothers. I ask them whether
they do not go to school.
They avoid answering and are only intent on getting some coins. My
heart shudders to think what future these children have - none other
than being beggars for life.
As much as it hurts me, I have stopped giving these children money. I
tell them I will call the police and they run away - only to the next
car, and often are happy to receive a two rupee coin.
Where are the police who recently took a mother into custody for
beating her child? Which is worse - beating her own child to teach a
lesson or teaching them begging? But then, nobody cares.
These are nobody’s children. They have parents yet are orphans. Isn’t
there a law against child beggars in our country? If there is where are
the law enforcing officers?
DR. MAREENA THAHA REFFAI –
Dehiwela
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We watched this year’s rendition of the ‘Visakha Geetha Natakaya’
with great disappointment. It was indeed a sad evening. There was no
need for a change of its presentation and the songs. They had pristine
value. Maname after 60 years is performed by new set of actors without
an iota of change.
So it is for Shakespearean plays or Verdi’s operas like AIDA. The
original ‘Geetha Natakaya’ so dear to old and the young of Visakha has
been changed without any need.
We heard that the songs were modified and modernised. Who were these
persons who had the audacity to change that almost eternal composition
and character of the Natakaya? For what purpose? Who would have the
right to change it.
The original songs were written by the great poet Sri Chandraratne
Manavasinghe. They were delightful. We had memorised the songs as
students at school.
Many of us old girls can recite them even now after many years
although our minds are cluttered by knowledge of medicine, accounts and
law or other occupations and pre-occupations of life.
We always looked forward to the same rendition by a newer set of
students and cherished the memory of our school days with each viewing.
The performers of yesteryears watched in disbelief this uninteresting
and distorted rendering and was cheerless by the new version of songs
and singing. These new tunes were neither verse nor song. What were they
- rap?
The Visakha Geetha Natakaya of Sri Chandraratne Manavasinghe was a
tribute to our great school whose name is immortalised in the ancient
tale of the Situkumari Visakha.
I am certain most of the old girls like us did not like the
presentation that Friday and went home with a feeling that the charm of
our old school’s Geetha Natakaya had slipped away. I hope the error will
be corrected and the original version presented next year as a
consolation and placed on a CD for us to purchase.
DR. T. GUNASEKERA, DR. W.M.S. GUNAWARDENA
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This refers to the letter published on June 21 in the Daily News by
one ‘Dr.’ Tilak S. Fernando. Firstly as a homoeopathic patient, I went
through the gazetted register of medical practitioners. I have not
found, any name appearing as ‘Dr.’ Tilak S. Fernando.
I would like to ask this person, in which Medical Council this ‘Dr.’
Tilak S. Fernando has his registration? If he has no registration, he is
cheating the public by prefixing ‘Dr.’ before his name.
If he is registered in any other Medical Council, he has no right to
talk about the Sri Lanka Homoeopathic Medical Council. As I understand
the present is the 3rd Council by the Government, set up under the Act
07 of 1970. If he belongs to any other medical councils, then it is like
an Indian interfering our Sri Lankan affairs.
Others have no right to interfere with our affairs. If anyone is
doing wrong, then without deceiving the public, one can go to the Court
of Law to seek justice. To brief the services of the present Council,
under the present presidentship;
1. Established a permanent office for SLHMC in Welisara, with office
equipment.
2. Established regional clinics, OPD patients in Kegalle, Kurunegala,
Dehiwala, Matale, Monaragala functioning five days per week.
3. Medical officers in those clinics are properly remunerated.
4. Dr. Hanheman’s statue was installed - the Ministerial Secretary
has unveiled it.
5. The Homoeopathic Medical College buildings are erected and set up.
6. New A/L passed students are recruited to the Medical College
7. Now, there is permanent land in Welisara for all these
8. Proper examinations were held and proper registrations were done
9. Refresher programmes for two years for registered practitioners
10. Four years academic course is set up for those who have
experience more than five years under consultants
11. ID cards were issued for gazetted and Registered Homoeopathic
Medical practitioners
12. Previous corruptions are completely stopped. A Medical Officer
had arbitrarily imported chlorinated globules misusing public money,
which are not suitable for treatment. Now a committee inquiry is going
on.
13. Shortly, Ratnapura and Ampara clinics will be opened
14. With the very limited funds given by the Government annually,
practitioners are volunteering to give a supportive hand to the present
presidentship and the present Council to run for the expansion of
Homoeopathic system in Sri Lanka for the benefit of our societies at
large.
15. The above services, done by the present Council, has not done by
any other previous Council for the past 20 years. Fernando, please come
and see to yourself and meet the council members.
PRIYANI DE SILVA –
Moratuwa
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