Citizens’ MAIL
The selection of “Stars” in dancing, singing, acrobats, imitations
and whatnots has spread to all television channels like an epidemic
worse even than dengue.
This star competition was started by one channel and all other
channels copied it in toto much to the detriment of all. If you switch
on any channel after 8.30 p.m. it will be a matter of a star
competition.
For a singing competition as much as 30,000 to 40,000 apply and it
takes well over a year or so to make the final selection. How many
valuable man hours are lost in the process of waiting in queue for one’s
turn to become a best of five or seven if he or she is lucky enough. The
end result of a competition of this nature is, the “Star” selected will
get a few prizes in cash and kind and temporary popularity. Thereafter,
the “Star” goes to the oblivion and eternal rest and the limbo of
forgotten things.
The worst scenario now is the enticement of the young children for
these competitions. Once their action are telecast, they become addicts
for these performances only, as young minds cannot think beyond. Their
education takes a back seat without their knowledge and their parents.
The little minds are enticed by extravagant celluloid inventions than
black and white in their text books.
The ultimate winners of these competitions are not the one in 1,000
who are declared as winners, but the TV channels who telecast them who
earn the lion’s share by advertisements and phone companies by SMSs.
J. Nagodavithana
Nugegoda
A letter from a reader in a daily English paper recommended that
students learn Pali and another suggesting Chinese. But, I would suggest
that it is more appropriate at this point that children are taught
Comparative Religion. I recently attended a symposium on Muslims in a
non-Muslim environment and Conflict resolution_ organised by the Centre
for Islamic Studies, one of a series of lectures held to commemorate
their 25th Anniversary and made the suggestion at question time to
resource personnel members on the podium.
The panellists comprised Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana as
the Guest of Honour and other eminent persons with the Chairman of the
panel as Justice Saleem Marsoof PC. Science and Technology Minister
Tissa Vitarana who was the Chief Guest responded positively to my
suggestion that Muslim students be taught Buddhism in the Madrasa and
Sinhala students to learn Islam in the Daham Pasala. Even the Guest
lecturer the Egyptian-Canadian Professor Dr Jamal A Badawi was also of
the same opinion.
Therefore, I request either the Education Minister to implement this
in Senior Classes of Schools or for the Religious Affairs Minister to
consider same to be done in Daham Pasalas and Madrasas.
Mohamed Zahran,
Colombo 3
I refer to the incident where two children were electrocuted in their
attempt to pluck rambutan with a metal pole. As a result of this a tree
had also caught fire.
It would be useful for the public to know from the Ceylon Electricity
Board General Manager, if the overhead lines are protected against
faults of this nature. If so, why did not the protective device come
into operation to isolate the fault before it reached a hazardous level?
Jaya Peiris
Colombo 06
Some Bhikkhus resorted to a protest against animal sacrifice at a
religious festival organized by the Kali Amman Kovil in Chilaw, the
Kovil dedicated to Goddess Kali (Devi, the world mother in the form of
Kali).
Fortunately Police stopped the protest thus preventing an unsavoury
situation.
Hinduism has a method of sacrifice called Yajna, coming down from the
Vedic Age. The performance was centred around a sacrificial fire and
offerings were thrown into it. Often goats and horses were sacrificed.
As at today the sacrifice of the animal is by killing and not all Hindus
follow the ritual. There are such practices in other religions as well.
Bhikkhus should not interfere by opposing religious practices in
other religions. It is for the followers of those faiths to decide on
the rituals connected to their faiths.
Are not misled Buddhists resorting to certain rituals that have no
relevance to Buddhism with certain Bhikkhus advocating such rituals?
Those need to be stopped.
Then again, are not thousands of fowl, goats, cattle, pigs etc,
killed daily for food in our country? So why fuss about a religious
practice resorted to at a festival held once a year?
Upali S Jayasekera,
Colombo.
I am writing this open letter to the Pensions Director as there was
no response to my appeal dated August 12, 2009 to the Pension Anomaly
Appeal Board even after one year of making the appeal and six reminders.
I was a medical officer in the Health Department and retired in 1994.
I am drawing a pension now. Pensions were revised in 2006 by pension
circular 06/2006 of March 20, 2006 where pensions of those who retired
before January 1, 1997 were calculated considering as if they were in
the scales paid to their posts as at January 1, 1997 and was brought on
par with the pensions of those who retired on or after January 1, 1997
vide para 1C and 2 of the above circular.
Salary scales of medical officers effective from January 1, 1997 are
clearly given in secretary health circular No. 9/2003 of June 20, 2003.
This circular was issued as there was an anomaly in the salary scales of
medical officers in the general circular issued by the Public
Administration Ministry and medical officers were paid arrears from
January 1, 1997. In addition to the salaries given in this circular
medical officers are also paid a pensionable allowance depending on
their grade.
Medical officers who actually retired on or after January 1, 1997 got
their pensions calculated on the last drawn salary which was according
to secretary health circular No. 9/2003 where as revision of my pension
has been done on the scales given in the public administration circular
and not on the corrected scales given in secretary health circular No.
9/2003 and the pensionable allowance has been completely ignored
although it was there even before 1997 and was taken into consideration
when calculating my pension before the revision.
By doing so you have contravened your own circular 6/2006 and created
an other anomaly because my revised pension (retired before January 1,
1997) is less and not on par with the pensions of medical officers who
actually retired on or after January 1, 1997 as stated in paras 1C and 2
of the above circular.
I have been underpaid for the last five years and I wrote many
letters to you but no action has been taken so far. Hope you will look
into it even at this late stage and give a fair solution. I am sure
there may be many other retired medical officers like me who may not be
even knowing they are not getting the correct pension!
Dr S S Jayatilaka
Nugegoda
I refer to Somasiri Ilesinghe’s talk over Rupavahini regarding Ananda
Samarakone’s National Anthem. As a schoolboy, I remember listening to a
Sinhalese concert, as it was then called, by Samarakone, over the radio
(as Colombo Calling) compered by D M Colombage at the Cotta Road
Broadcasting Station on March 12, 1944. As a concluding item for the
first time I heard the new National Anthem. The earlier lyric seemed to
be an Indian melody which sounded thus:
Jana gana mana adhipathiyeni
Tuti we, tuti we tuti we
Rakinu manavi Lak Matha.
The Anthem began thus:
Namo namo matha
Apa sri-i-i-i Lanka
Namo namo namo matha.
This has been mutilated by an unseen hand and now the National Anthem
begins as Sri Lanka Matha, Apa Sri Lanka Matha, Namo namo, Apa Sri-i-i-i
Lanka, Namo namo matha. But it is sad to note that it is believed he
died as a dejected hero.
The moving funeral oration of nearly two hours was delivered by Henry
Dharmasena, who was on the verge of tears. The Sutta Nipatha observes
thus:
“Coming to be coming to be coming to be; ceasing, to be, easing to be
in greater detail, birth growth decay and death.” Thus Karma –
reincarnation is like the mechanism of the illusion and the escapement
from it. (Samyutta Nikaya)
ELMO FERNANDO
Kalutara North
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