Mixed cocktail

"Wow! Isn't Hugh Jackman the cutest thing on the face of this planet!" shrieked Shaz, going gaga over an 'Australia' poster at MC with her very V3 buddies.

Sachi raised an eyebrow wondering what in blazers can be attractive about an Australian guy with large muscles and a cowboy hat replying with a "Err...yeah maybe."

"Of course - he was voted as the sexiest man alive for this year" chirped Ruwi with a wink.

V3 headed down to the food court in a bid to get some grub to work on the next V3 scoop.

Sauntering past the ice cream stand, Shaz gave Sachi a direct look and says, "You should have watched 'Australia' - it was a good movie.

It was not just Hugh Jackman's physique that was interesting but it was very emotional and had a good storyline."

"Really? Did Jackman strip then?" asked Sachi with a smirk.

Ruwi laughed and said, "Not at all. As much as I would have liked to see him like that, it was interesting because the movie revealed much about the plight of the stolen generations and how life was for them back then."

"I see, what about the chemistry between Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman? I mean the posters plastered everywhere show that it's like a love story concerning them. And who are the stolen generations?" asked Sachi beckoning the girls to take a half-clean seat.

"Yes, I think the Kidman-Jackman thing is just a publicity stunt to get people to watch it but the stolen generations are the children of the white people and Australian Aborigines where they use the term to describe them as half-castes or 'cremies' - the offensive slang term for them" said Shaz drumming her fingers on the plastic table.

She went on, "Sadly, most of them were born when white men used to rape and suppress the Aboriginal women during the colonial times.

The children were taken forcibly from their mothers and shipped to the Torres Strait Islands where they were trained to fight in the war."

After placing an order for a Monkey Shake at the food court, Ruwi also added her views, "It's a horrendous ordeal because white people used to think that these half-caste children were not needed by their mothers, which isn't true according to Aboriginal culture. As they didn't have an identity, forcing them to join the war and die in the name of the country was the preconceived notion at that time."

"True - it's pathetic to know that until 1973, the Australian Aboriginal people were labelled as flora and fauna," says Shaz, taking a look at the Malaysian food court menu. She fixed her eyes on her V3 mates before saying: "But last year, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd officially apologized to the stolen generations but I think that's a little late as they have endured the most suffering to liberate their country."

"Unfortunately, history was shaped that way but it's good that people are now changing their views. Just look at President Barack Obama of USA and today, they are as free as the whites in their adopted countries" said Sachi trying to catch a glimpse of an attractive cashier at the Thai food counter as he was hoping to eat something from there.

"When talking about children of mixed races, in Sri Lanka, we do have children of inter-racial marriages who also have the same situation as those in the other countries," said Ruwi finally getting her hands on her Monkey Shake.

"In my opinion, I think children should be free to decide which religion they should follow," said Shaz who is now happy with an ice cream Sundae.

"I know of a family who celebrate events of each other's religion and the children are broad-minded when it comes to their beliefs," said Ruwi gazing at the numerous post-Avurudu shoppers walking past the doors.

"However, it's mostly the environment that determines a child's choice.

If a child goes to a Buddhist school or has Buddhist friends then they are likely to follow the parent with that religion," said Sachi, his eyes following a group of good-looking girls buying popcorn before their trip to the cinema hall.

"I think children of mixed races are intelligent because they can easily adapt themselves to different environments and be mindful of both parents' religions, especially their extended family which bring a sense of togetherness to both parties," said Shaz looking at a guy with a punk hairdo, wondering if he looks cute or if he just got electrocuted.

"In Sri Lanka, if a child is born to parents of Sinhala and Tamil origin, then it's highly likely that they follow the Sinhala side because it's mostly of the national aspect in the country right now," said Sachi.

"Don't all religions ask us to do good anyway? I believe that as long as you respect all religions and take the best from each, there is no problem. However, it's up to the individual to decide if they choose to follow a certain parent's religion for beneficial reasons," said Shaz.

"What I mean is that people should be comfortable in their own skin and shouldn't just go to the extent of changing their names for the satisfaction of others," said a smiling Ruwi as she reads a funny SMS from Nilu.

"I mean it's rather upsetting when people suddenly change their name all because of religion to gain advantage," said Shaz. While dangling her shoes, she added, "For example, cricketer T M Dilshan changed his name from Tuan Mohammed Dilshan to Tilakarathna Mudiyanselage Dilshan but the Sri Lanka Cricket Board gives the chance to cricketers of different religions as Jehan Mubarak, Fervez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas and the great Murali, all put Sri Lankan cricket firmly on the map."

"Nowadays, children of mixed races are given the liberty and rights but there are certain aspects that would be different and difficult for them," said Sachi. "For example, a child of Sinhalese and Tamil parents can get away by looking 'Sri Lankan' as Sinhalese or Tamil. However, if they were children of Aboriginal or White parents, then the dominant gene would be them getting a 'dark-brown' complexion which wouldn't be easy to hide."

"I guess that's true but they are beautiful and unique in their own way," he adds.

Snapping her fingers to bring Sachi back to reality, Ruwi said, "All in all, we should respect children of mixed races because everyone has kith or kin from different backgrounds. As people are adapting to new cultures, changing of mindsets is inevitable and it is unity in diversity in Sri Lanka."

As V3 headed back to Lake House after their meet-up, they saw a beautiful girl happily holding hands with her parents in the kiddies' area.

V3 could see her Sinhala father wore a pirith thread around his wrist and her Hindu mother wore a sari with a pottu on her forehead and the girl's smiling face in the middle.

"What a beautiful sight!" V3 chorused together.

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