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Wednesday, 19 January 2011

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Monarawila Keppitipola

With reference to the article titled "Veera Monarawila Keppitipola's 192nd death anniversary unmatched valour and patriotism" in the Daily News dated 26.11.2010 I wish to point out the distortions of the said letter.

Sorry to note here that I got a chance to read the above letter today 31.12.2010 and I feel it is my duty to point out the errors as a member of the Keppitipola family.

Distortions of history are not a style but a crime. The writer of this letter is one Richard Busnayake.

The writer Busnayake has stated Monarawila Keppitipola was born in Galaboda Korale, Keppitipola in Uva province and later he settled down in Monarawila Village after he got married to a noble lady of an aristocratic family named Delwala Kumarihami of Monarawila village.

So I wish to point out that Monarawila Keppitipola Dissawa was born in the hamlet called Monarawila of Udugoda Pallesiya puttu in Matale district.

The original ancestors of Keppitipola family hailed from Keppitipola, Rambukkana of Kegalle district, in Sabaragamuwa province. Golahela Keppitipola Dissawa the father of Monarawila Keppitipola had married a sister of Ehalepola Chandrasekara Mudiyanse and lived in Monarawila Walawwa Pallepola. Later Ehelapola Chandrasekera Mudiyanse's son Ehelapola chief Adigar Married the elder sister of Monarawila Keppitipola and lived at Ehelapola Walawwa, Kandy.

Delwala Kumarihami was not a lady from Monarawila. She was a daughter of Delwala R.M. of Kegalle.

Monarawila Keppitipola was not the Diyawadana Nilame of the Temple of the Tooth Relic, Kandy. But his father Golahela Keppetipola was the Diyawadana Nilame of Kandy and died accidentally. Thamankaduwa Mahadisawa was the grandfather of Monarawila Keppitipola.

During the days that K M P Rajarathne was the MP of Welimada the grateful people of Welimada of Uva province built a statue of Monarawila Keppitipola and renamed Palugama as Keppitipola as a mark of respect for the Rebellion of Uva in 1818.

We the descendants of Monarawila Keppitipola feel sorry for the ignorance of the writer for his poor knowledge of Keppitipola's History.

Nimal Senaka Monarawila Keppitipola


Stray dogs and cats, menace

I wonder why, the authorities do not round up, all these stray dogs and cats, that gallivant on the roads. When they get run over by vehicles and killed, their carcasses rot and stink, and are left stinking no end, polluting the air for days, before they are cleared.

When we walk along the roads early morning, with pure fresh thoughts breathing in the fresh cool air, after meditating and prayers, our thoughts are polluted and it makes one to ruffle ones feathers, when we see, dog and cat, faecal matter lumps all over the place, on our roads, everywhere. The terrible odours we experience, when we go along some of the roads in our country, makes us to close tight, our noses. What must be the foreign tourists be think about our country, with dirt strewn all over our roads, is, be a point to ponder! All this can mar the good image of Sri Lanka, in the eyes of the foreign tourists.

Only the other day, I witnessed a tourist try to hit and escape, a ferocious dog, which was attacking him. It is a real shame, that things such as these, are allowed to happen in our country, which is going to be, the hub of Asia.

One suggestion is, to have a 'Stray animal's home,' and look after these animals there and not allow them to roam the roads and dirty them.

Stray dogs also get infected with rabies, and bite people often and make them victims of hydrophobia, which is a dreadful disease, and such victims, suffer immensely from this disease, which is, a terminal illness. So, considering all said and done, it is very good if the authorities will not turn a blind eye and deaf ear as usual, but instead, bring Credit to the Government, by taking necessary action and do the needful to fulfil this commitment.

Mohanlal de Mel

A senior citizen


Behaviour of Bus conductors

I wish to bring to the notice of the concerned authorities and the general public the sickening behaviour of bus conductors in this country. We as peace loving citizens of this country tolerate and endure this nasty uncivilized behaviour on a daily basis but pay for it through mental stress and pent up anger.

The bus conductor should ideally be standing or sitting at the back door or front door to give tickets to the commuters and help them when they need some help to get in or get down from the bus. But what we see daily is a different scene.

He walks from back to front inside the bus several hundred times during a journey pushing and shoving rudely commuters at will. It is a much uncivilized way of behaviour annoying all especially children and ladies.

They should issue tickets from one point and then stand where they are instead of running inside the bus several times rubbing against ladies and children in a crowded bus.

At times it is also impossible to get down without their slippers rubbing against your trousers as they sit on the bar near the front door swinging their legs at will.

The authorities must take note of this and bring relief to the commuters. I suggest the following:

* Bus conductors should be prohibited from moving inside the bus to and fro to the doors.

* They should issue tickets at the backdoor when the passengers enter the bus.

* They should be given periodical lessons on good behaviour and use of civilized language.

* They should not obstruct commuters getting in or getting down from the bus.

* They should wear clean and tidy uniforms and should not rub against commuters.

Apart from this there are other issues relating to bus conductors and drivers, but I wish to limit myself to this particular issue in order to focus attention of this.

One day, a Chinese tourist who got into the bus and after seeing this odd behaviour he shouted "why are you running inside the bus up and down... are you a monkey!".

Over to you minister of transport!

Sszkhan


Sir Albert Peiris Stadium

Sir Albert F Peiris Stadium, is one of the treasures of Wennappuwa, where national and international sports festivals are held. This is the only stadium with such a green lawn and sports facilities in Puttalam District but the present deplorable condition of the stadium and its maintenance is very pathetic.

The responsible authority is in a deep sleep and if we do not wake them up from their unreasonable and irresponsible slumber, the parapet wall surrounding the stadium will kiss the ground in no time and the corroded broken gates will collapse. As a result this treasure will be a haven for stray cattle and dogs. This is certainly an insult to Sir Albert Peiris and all those who shed their honest sweat in construction of such a large stadium for future generation.

Ajith Perera

Wennappuwa


Congratulations to President

Congratulations to the Government on its decision finally to bring in the requirement of visas for all countries that demand visas from us Sri Lankans. This is a matter that has been receiving attention to almost every Government but none had the guts to take a decision of reciprocity.

The Tourist Industry has been whining ever since the industry was set up in the sixties almost all the time expecting governments to support it. When they make enough money they go quiet but when they get affected they seek 'bail out' packages.

If it cannot sell the country, (like hundreds of other countries do) it doesn't deserve to be in the industry at all. Proper marketing can overcome many obstacles but our Tourist Industry has been lulled into a comfort zone by falling back on Governments to assist it all the time, whereas in other countries, the private sector has to look after itself.

If the Tourist Industry objects to visas been demanded of foreigners arriving here, it is only displaying the lack of respect that it has for our nation.

The late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was one of those who vehemently objected to the manner in which Sri Lankans were handled at Visa Officers of foreign embassies and was also in favour of imposing reciprocal systems. Unfortunately, this same Tourist Industry sharks lobbied with the powers that be and stalked such moves.

I would like to extend my congratulations to the President and the Authorities behind this move.

R de Silva


Blind patients

For the patients who are blinded by cataracts and unable to afford their medical treatment, as well as to buy an intra-ocular lens, the Social Services Department officers attached to the Beruwala Provincial Secretariat are willing to render their help without hesitation. If one needs an intra-ocular lens, this can be obtained free of charge by the patient to insert, after the cataract surgery, on approval of an eye surgeon attached to eye clinic of a Government General hospital.

But unfortunately, the surgeons at the eye-clinic of Kalutara Nagoda Government hospital who are bound to perform the cataract surgeries, arrogantly refuse to insert these precious lenses without any ground.

It is reported that most probably on many occasions, the needy Samurdhi recipients are met with these harassment of unruly government doctors.

C M Kamburawala


Bouquets to benign bureaucrats

I was desirous of renewing my NIC 350220283V as it had withered away along with my exterior with the affluxion of time. The details were also obliterated. Moreover, I do not hold that much coveted staff rank any more. It tended to be a misleading misnomer as I had bade Goodbye to public service after forty four years which included a four year stint beyond the compulsory age of retirement on Cabinet approval.

I had a lengthy surname which I had inherited and needed a coconut matting (Polkola Pedura) in the colloquial jargon to scribe it. I am eternally grateful to Shirley Amarasinghe Esq., the doyen of Civil Service of yore for issuing Treasury Circular No. 394 of 18th August 1957 under the caption "Alteration of names" which rescued victims like me and under which I sought refuge and changed my name and started using it with effect from 30th March 1959. This circular categorically lays down inter alia "No amendment of the birth registration entry be made at all." Thus it is manifest that yours truly has used the present name for well over half a century.

I submitted the renewal application of my NIC to the local Divisional Secretariat. This particular Treasury Circular was not available therein. Why oh why? The Honourable Minister of Public Administration and his Secretary please take note. Isn't it an administrative lacuna? Would you please make amends even at this much belated stage ! I managed to obtain a copy of the same from the foundation house itself and submitted it along with a duly certified translation into Sinhala and was able to convince the officialdom at the Matara Divisional Secretariat.

The Divisional Secretary Thusitha P Wanigasinghe Esq., was kind enough to intervene and handed over the certified documents under sealed cover for production to the Commissioner for Registration of Persons in Colombo.

An outstanding trait of a mandarin of the day for which I am grateful.

A nephew of mine having realized my rather hapless predicament volunteered to offer me a lift to Colombo and back. A generous gesture indeed. I presented myself before the Commissioner for Registrations of Persons, Jagath P Wijeweera Esq., whose name I picked from the name board. The affable benevolent bureaucrat viewed my humble presentation full of empathy and sympathy and ordered the issuance of the renewal of my NIC immediately and I did my duty by paying the stipulated amount pronto. Within about one hour approximately I walked out of the premises with the perfected document with feelings of eternal gratitude having enthroned and enshrined him in my heart and soul. I hasten to offer my tribute in sincere humility in the public domain to this compassionate august personality to whom I owe a deep debt of gratitude.

If only others of his ilk follow suit this mundane world would certainly be a better place to live especially for commoners like us who are not manor born and not sufficiently equipped with political clout.

With the renewed NIC I walked into the Divisional Secretariat, Matara, to obtain my Senior Citizen's Card. Within a matter of fifteen minutes I received the duly completed and signed document. I had a grievance on the same subject in my former locality of abode and I laid bare the irony in the public domain through the bold and Forthright Island Newspaper of 25th December 2007. What a contrast?

My own humble perception is that things are made much easier for the hoi polloi under the directions of Lalith Weeratunge Esq., the ebullient Secretary to His Excellency who exhorts public servants to perform their duties with commitment, dedication and enthusiasm emulating the war heroes who sacrificed their life and limb against all odds and ends during times of turmoil.

I have come across such persuasive verbal inducements adinfinitum umpteen times in the print media by the exemplary executive public servant. Need I over emphasize that the exuberant Secretary to His Excellency deserves kudos from the appreciative and grateful citizenry?

Nanda Nanayakkara

Matara

 

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