Can world class Lankans inspire the next generation?

There are many things that may make you feel discontent about our nation. There will always be such things. But there was cause this week to remind ourselves that we have and we will always have world class Sri Lankans among us. Fellow Lankans who can and will match the world’s best, stand shoulder to shoulder with them and make us all proud.

Kumar Sangakkara and Pradeep Sanjaya are two such Lankans who gave us all cause to celebrate their victories during the past few days. Pradeep Sanjaya had no one to sponsor him, no one to cheer him by but the determination inside this soldier injured in battle did not waver. He was determined to succeed – and he did, winning bronze at the Paralympics. His name is now on everyone’s lips but when he went into battle on the track, no one even knew he existed. He is an example of just how we as Sri Lankans are capable of achieving - if only we could come out of our negative, cannot-do attitude.

Outstanding performances

Kumar Sangakkara is not only cricket’s genteel player but also one who could brush shoulders confidently with the world’s finest in the game once said to be for gentlemen. He stands proud and tall, impeccable in his achievements and obviously qualified enough to be chosen ICC’s Cricketer of the Year and the Test Cricketer of the Year. One world class Sri Lankan who has stood a cut above, in a class of his own. Cricket history will remember him as a unique player who left his own signature on the pitch.

Kumar Sangakkara

Pradeep Sanjaya

There have been other world class Sri Lankans before these two - as a friend on Face Book reminded me this morning, Maureen Hingert, the Ceylonese beauty queen who won second place at the Miss Universe contest in 1954. Hingert went on to become a Hollywood movie star - in those days, unlike the botox and plastic surgery driven actors of today - actors were chosen for chiseled good looks that could not be enhanced by surgery. Hingert married a Hollywood figure who was associated with the famous eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. Maureen Hingert brought fame to Ceylon - we haven’t yet had a winner at Miss Universe since 1955.

Duncan White and Susanthika Jayasinghe wrote Sri Lanka’s name at the Olympics with their outstanding performances. They belonged to different eras but they both were united in one cherished dream - that of bringing victory to Sri Lanka at the Olympics. It was tragic to see Niluka Karunaratne go so far at this year’s Olympics but lose to an Indian player; maybe if we had invested in enough resources as a nation to support him, he could have gone on to win.

There have been other world class Sri Lankans too. There are doctors and surgeons whose names rank alongside the finest in the world, from USA to UK, Australia and of course here in Sri Lanka. Then there are others who have gone on to achieve world class recognition in law, administration and finance, investments and other fields throughout the world. They have all made us proud.

Younger generation

The challenge lies for every Sri Lankan in translating the success of these fellow countrymen and women into experiences the younger generation can emulate. Everyone know we need mentors and opinion leaders who can become inspirations for our young men and women to follow. These are the mentors whose experiences and expertise can be taken to the classroom. These are the people who could confidently share one undeniable fact with them. If we could do it, you could too. Yes you could change your destiny. Yes, you can be an agent of change and go on to achieve greatness.

As a nation, we need to find ways and means of not letting the success stories of champion Sri Lankans stay merely written in books. We must translate those stories into experiences that will resound again and again in the classroom, where starry - eyed youngsters can replicate those actions. They need people they can look up to, they need personalities that can spur them on to achieve outstanding results.

Just as much as Sachin Tendulkar and A P J Abdul Kalaam have chosen classrooms to share their insights with the young Indian children, we need to urgently find ways to take the experiences of our world class Sri Lankans to our children. There are many Sangakkaras and Duncan Whites among them waiting to be discovered.