Looking after the elders

Nipuni Wimalapala

Sarath Namalgama. Picture by Nissanka Wijeratne

Sarath Namalgama is a known teledrama actor as well as a producer not confined to his career. He is concerned about loving old parents who are kept in elders’ homes most probably by their own children.

Since Namalgama believes that parents are our greatest asset, he is involved in the service of giving pleasure through aesthetic bits and pieces. His entire purpose is to heal the minds of these elders and to convince them that they are not rejected but are cared for by the society.

Having travelled in a number of countries such as USA, Canada, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Malaysia, Qatar and the Middle East, he compares local values with the practices of other countries. People are selfish and self centred.

The worst thing is that they are quite ungrateful and are not willing to look after their old parents who made them what they are today. Namalgama has joined hands with many other artistes and formed a project to visit the elders’ homes around country.

They not only visit those helpless mothers and fathers but also show some movies to them. It is a great pleasure to see that the elders enjoy the movies. “They are framed to a very regular and dull lifestyle. Most of them are thinking excessively of their children and waiting till they come to take them home.Actually it is a very pathetic sight.

They are not that lucky to go out and watch a movie. So they highly appreciate what we do. I have already visited more than 50 elders’ homes located in every part of the country,” Namalgama said.

To further develop this project, he is planning to produce a documentary which will help increase the awareness among public.

He wishes to make people aware of this ethical fact via TV, Radio, Newspapers and Internet continuously, to make a better society. He hopes to launch some awareness programmes for the school students to make them more emotional and responsible towards their parents from their childhood.

He believes that the little ones should be nurtured from their little age to get a better outcome. He stresses that the social status, economic strength or profession do not mean anything when we get old. Because he has met many retired schoolteachers, principals, media persons and many other who held higher ranks at elders’ homes. Namalgama’s ultimate intention is to make the society aware that elders are our own parents and it is our responsibility to take care of them.

He is not looking for a temporary solution for this, but a permanent long-lasting attitudinal change.