Royalists Empowered

Ishara JAYAWARDANE

Boys giving gifts to the children in Vavuniya

Boys being received in Vavuniya

The boys at Royal college you cannot keep them down! They are group of vibrant and motivated group of people who are determined to make a difference in this country through their social causes. And this time they want to paint the town green! Hats off to these boys who want challenge everyone to think differently and care wholeheartedly.

Daily News met live wire and firebrand Malka Deneththi who is spearheading this project.

"In 2007, we took part in a contest called 'Ran Aswanu' held by the Rupavahini Corporation and we obtained second place. 'Ran Aswanu' was a contest held to decide which school had the best greenhouse. Then we thought why not spread this concept amongst other schools specially amongst the rural schools and lesser privileged schools. It came to our attention that 700 of the inmates at Mulleriyawa/ Angoda mental hospital did not have proper food to eat. However they had 80 perches of land where we cultivated crops for them. The total cost was covered by Royal College. The money coming in from selling these crops was sent to their personal accounts. The staff of Mulleriyawa and our boys got together and did this project. So the inmates get a salary each month. With this money they buy little items and go on trips. So when their income goes up their families want to take them in. most of these patients have been recuperated but because of the stigma they are not taken back. So we were able to reduce the inmate population to some extent. Some of these inmates have been in the hospitals for a long period," said Deneththi

As the boys were doing this project they were able to get into contact with Rohan Jinasena Chairman of the Jinasena Group who was willing to help out with these social causes. "He asked us what we needed and we responded by saying that we wanted to do a cleanup of Mulleriyawa to raise the crops and there was a need of a water pumping system. So we asked Jinasena to set up a water supply unit. So they set up a water supply unit and the inmates started to get involved with the programme. And this in turn helped them rehabilitate."

word got around the school circuit that there were some daring young guys from Royal who were doing a lot of good. Boossa Maha Vidyalaya in Galle and Kottawa Maha Vidyalaya got in touch with Royal and asked to be assisted with some water projects. "At this point in 2009 the war came to an end and Royal College wanted to build a bridge of reconciliation between North and South. Because there was a lot of distrust and hatred across the communities. As Royal we wanted to set the example. We wanted to go to the North and do a project. Members of the Royal College United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) society travelled to Vavuniya and visited several Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps in Menik Farm, Kadirgamar village Sumathipuram, Dharmapuram. Some children in those camps had not seen a Sinhalese for over 30 years. They were happy that we had come. They put their hands on us and said: 'are not we of the same colour?' they learnt that we are all one.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had convinced them that Sinhalese are bad people. their biggest problem was electricity. Jinasena told us that they will get us solar lanterns for the IDPs. One solar lantern would cost Rs.25,000.

We talked to the examination department and told them to give us a list of the 150 who obtained the best results at the scholarship exam in Vavuniya. So we brought all these kids to one place. We gave out solar lanterns amounting to 25 Lakhs. We also gave out stationery. We got a lot of help from the army."

Deneththi especially wanted to thank principal Upali Gunasekera who gave them a lot of support.

"He basically steered the boat and guided us. He inculcated us the belief that we must help everybody.He wanted to raise a generation of Royalists that were sensitive towards nature and empathize with others."

The story would not be complete without Aruna De Silva the Games Warden. "The green initiatives that we have done in Royal College has not even been thought of by any other school. Two years before we have started a bio gas plant and I was able to reduce my gas bill from Rs.50,000 to Rs.25,000.

Then we started solar power, rain water harvesting and we have a couple of vegetable plots here. We have a special vegetable plot near the bio gas plant - that is totally carbonic.

These days we do not have crops because before the rain we harvested them.

We also have a herbal garden. Out of the school we are growing some vegetables in some roundabouts, Rupavahini premises and Mulleriyawa. In Mulleriyawa there is a remarkable improvement in the mental health of the patients because they are involved in cultivating.

We are trying to change the students attitude to separate the garbage in the classrooms itself. Every year students from Singapore come to Royal and do projects with the boys. But changing the attitudes will take some time. When our principal came here in 2003 after the interval there were lobbies with empty milk packets everywhere.

We have 37 acres here at Royal, in the morning at 5 am I get up and go around the land three times a day. I do not need to emphasize the necessity of a clean workplace or school. Under me the workers or labourers were trained and made methodical. Unlike before now students do not litter everywhere.

All the litter go into the bins. Still they were not able to separate them. E.g polythene in one bin, plastic, paper and waste food. This is where the green circle organization come in. This is my brainchild. From the principal to the labourer they are all members of the Green circle. From the head prefect to the grade one child all are members. The primary objective is to make Royal college the first green school in the country. Green Environment is the latest trend in the world."

Royal College boasts of its innovation. "We have bio gas and solar power. We will have a big solar power plant on the roof of Navarangahala. For the bio gas we are using hostel kitchen waste.

Then the bio gas is used for cooking. We are also using the by product of this bio gas, the organic fertilizer, for our ten perches vegetable plot. For rain water harvesting we have three tanks- we are using that water for agricultural purpose. We also collect the water to be used in the dry season.