Recently, Rashmi was able to pass her grade five scholarship exam with flying colours and became the first to get 153 marks, which was easily made her qualified to enter to a leading school in the Capital of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Rashmi Nimesha had been the only student of Deraniyagal Deloluwa School to attain such a high mark for the last ten years. Therefore, there’s no doubt that she is a gem to her school and to her Deraniyagala community.

“Rashmi Nimesha, a ten year old with only one leg is a true role-model of our society.

 She challenge our negatively label taboo “disable child,” or “crippled one.”

Both of Rashimi’s parents are school teachers. Her father, Mr. D.P. Sarath Gunawardana is a teacher at the school, where Rashmi attends. Her mother, R. M. Dammika Podi Manike is a music teacher in Seethawaka Midddle School in Deraniyagala, Sri Lanka. Both parents support Rashmi’s growth and success by attending her needs, wishes, and concerns.

Rashmi’s father says that there are challenges in the future related to conducting Rashmi Nimesha’s higher studies as a student. He mentions that Rashmi is in a position where she is unable to feed by herself as there are no hands and does everything with her left leg. Moreover, he says that someone needs to help her with removing shoes, and then needs to help her to do her writings (I believe what her father saying is, Rashimi needs someone’s assistance such as, taking the pencil and positioning the pencil between toes).

“Everyone in her classroom helps her. Rashmi performs a good leadership in her class. First, she went to Sanasa Pre-school in Deraniyagala. Teacher’s in that school put a lot of effort to help her. All teachers encouraged and they were behind her from grade one. A lot of parents overjoy when their children pass grade five scholarship exam. It is not that we are not happy but as parents my wife and I are helpless when looking at what difficulties we have ahead of us as. What we desperately need is guidance and some sort of strong social assistance. My daughter always travels in a vehicle. We take her to school in a rented vehicle. She cannot be taken in a motor bicycle. Rashmi needs some sort of electronically working arm gadget, which would immensely help my daughter to conquer some of her difficulties” mentioned Rashmi’s father with a heavy heart.

When a journalist questioned Rashmi about her victory, she humbly replied that she has not given up her dreams. “Even I am destined to born with only one leg, I never pitied myself. Since I have both my parents, I never felt sad. The biggest dream I had at the time, was to pass the scholarship exam with flying colours and receive lot of gifts and awards from President Mahinda Rajapaksha as brothers and sisters (students) who were entitled to such great gifts in previous time” said young Rashmi Nimesha with an innocent smile.

Rashmi Nimesha is a true role-model who shows us that there is no need to give pity look at people who are disabled. There is no need for us to look at children or adults like Rashmi Nimesha with sympathy or negativity.

• All we have to do is, look at what strengths and skills they have to offer the society and cherish them.
• We should not talk or label them as “Disabled people” or “Handicapped people” or else “Cripples.”
• We need to respect people like Rashimi as they deserve the same gratitude, attitude, and respect like us.
  Call them by the first person such as, “People with disability” rather than Disabled people. Call them “Children with Special Needs” rather than Handicapped or Crippled Children.
• Always remember it is the respect and value you give to another human by using the word “PEOPLE” at the first (first person in communication)

Rashimi Nimesha Gunawardana is another courageous child in our society that teaches us what it means to look at someone’s strengths rather their weaknesses or disabilities. This is a good lesson for all of us in Sri Lanka.

We wish you all the success and courage, dear daughter Rashmi!

D.I.G.Lalith Jayasingha

In the recent past, the relationship between Sri lanka police and the public was not in good shape. Police officers are in a position of public trust. Many recent incidences where this trust was broken have led to an atmosphere of hostility between the police and the public. Politicians influence on the police is also affecting the honesty of police officers. Senior Deputy Inspector General of Southern province Lalith Jayasingha is a one rare exception who has won the public trust and confidence. D.I.G Lalith Jayasingha is the main officer leading this pilot project on behalf of Sri Lanka police.

This project is inspired by the “Complaint Box’ concept in India. Currently this text messaging police service is available in Sothern province and all the complaints are received by D.I.G. Lalith Jayasingha. He has also gone an extra mile by connecting his mobile phone to this SMS system to make sure that police can take immediate actions to SMS complaints.

What you can SMS to Police:

This SMS police service is open to receive any information and injustice within the Southern province. Following are few examples when you can notify the Police using text messages.

• Injustice from a Police or Police Officer – Eg: Refusing to accept complaints, delaying to take action against illegal activities.
• Child abuse – Eg: Physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse children.
• Harming the environment – Eg: Incidence of Illegal river sand mining, destroying forest, etc.
• Breaching traffic laws – Eg: Public busses not adhering to the speed limit, Illegal parking of vehicles.
• Women abuse – Eg: Incidences of women abuse in public transport services.

Unlike when making a phone call, sending a SMS to police can be done without any other person’s attention. This is one of the main advantages of this service. D.I.G Lalith Jayasinha also encourage the public to notify any illegal incidence or injustice to through this service to him and he assure the confidentiality of all the informants.

Since the introduction of this SMS complaint service, D.I.G Laith Jayasingha has been able to intervene in many special situations. Majority of the complaints that have been forwarded include reporting about the commercial sex workers, selling of adult videos and child abuse.

How you can report to Police using SMS:

You can send a test message to the phone number 0777-592059 with a brief summary of the incidence. Also you can contact D.I.G. Lalith Jayasingha through his mobile phone 0773-23230. We hope this project will be successful and available in all the police areas of Sri Lanka soon.

Priyantha Senananyake is that enchanted lady with a Post graduate Degree in Molecular Biology in Japan. She has also learnt Wildlife Management also in Japan. Her husband V.K. Senanayake is a lecturer in University of Kelaniya.

“I’m more in to spiritual life from my childhood, and I’m used to Buddhist meditation since then. My father was a well educated person with vast knowledge in Buddhist culture,Pali and Sanskrit. I have no interest in Gods except the Buddhism. I never worship Gods, nor did I keep even a single picture of God in my residence. But it doesn’t mean I do not believe their existence. “

“It is common to people in higher levels in meditation to have some sort of communication with super natural lives, It happened naturally. My first encounter was about five years ago and it was my father and mother who were born as Gods, at first I thought I am having a mental disorder, but later I managed to get in touch with several other Gods. I don’t know the names of those Gods but there is a particular God who is addressed by “Natha” by other Gods. Then they introduced me with a God that is an “ayurwedic doctor” who used to teach me about herbs and treatments.”

“They explained how to prepare medicine use of herbs and where at to apply in the human body. I have no idea whether it is the ancient ayurwedic treatments of Sri Lanka but they told me it is the traditional Sinhalese “Nila wedakama”. I have not seen the use of this method of treatment nowadays. But it cures people miraculously. My first treatment was to close friends of mine as I was in a fear to use it for unknown. Eventually the news spread and people came in search of cure. Then the staff members of my husband in University of Kelaniya also came. Then it was Dr.Channa Jayasumana who brought the Rajarata kidney disease to me. I seek help from my closed Gods and they told me about the arsenic”

“I don’t want to prove the existence of Gods, what I believe is I can cure people using  a method that is not exist in the present medical treatment system. Professor Nalin de Silva, Upali Gunasekera the principle of Royal College are some of the well known personalities who took my treatments. Several doctors sent patients to me that cannot be cured through western medical treatments and I have cured them. Dr. Panduka at Rajarata Medical Faculty got reports of such patients cured by this treatment and they are conducting research on them. I myself have written evidence of 5,000 patients I have treated.”

Bogambara and Colombo prisons have gallows and there are 339 inmates on death row. The current hangman, whose name is not public knowledge, was only 22 when he started the job nine years ago, following his father and was promoted to the post of prison guard recently. Neither the current outgoing hangman nor his predecessor actually hanged anyone as no death sentence has been carried out on the island since 1976 and was done clerical duties most of the time. Although there was no imminent plan to restart executions theoretically it could happen in any moment according to the Prisons chief.

The death penalty has a long history in Sri Lanka. The British colonial authorities, after taking control of the whole island in 1815, abolished the arbitrary legal procedures of the decaying feudal kingdom of Sinhala rulers. The new judicial system included the death penalty for murder, as well as for “waging war against the [British] King”. Causing of death by hanging was introduced by Governor Sir Fredrick North in 1802.The first person to be hanged on a fixed gallows, in the history of Prisons on 10th February 1818. The death sentence was imposed on him for rising against the British Government. The first gallows was built in the Welikada Prison on 25th May 1871. The first death penalty was carried out in Sri Lanka, within the walls of the Welikada prison, on February 11, 1884, when Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon was the British colonial governor in the island.  S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike won power in 1956 and suspended the death penalty but it was rapidly reintroduced after Bandaranaike was assassinated in 1959 by a clique within his own party and a layer of the Buddhist hierarchy. Under the new legal arrangement, introduced during the J.R.Jayawardhane regime state executions could only be carried out with the unanimous approval of the trial judge, the attorney general and the minister of justice. When there was no agreement, the sentence was to be commuted to life imprisonment. Before being carried out, the death sentence also had to be finally authorized by the president—a clause that effectively ended executions.

In Sri Lanka, the last person to hang at the Welikada prison, on June 23, 1976, was Embilipitiye Chandradasa alias ‘Honda Papuwa’ (Good Heart), and the last to be hanged at the Bogambara prison in Kandy was T.M. Jayawardena, on November 27, 1975. Thereafter, all those sentenced to death were not hanged, but commuted to life-imprisonment. “Everyone thinks the hangman is a man without a heart – this is wrong. I was lucky not to have hanged anyone and the gallows always makes me bit nervous the poverty made me to take up this job, but I will never let my children to take up this job.”said the current hangman as he was finally released from this pathetic job.

This amazing painter involved in eight Buddhist Vesak Pandol creations, ten advertising motor vehicle decorations, and also he conducted nineteen art gallery shows. Therefore, this artist tells the world, such beauty and unity is not strange to the place of desolation. Thanks to people like the current Commissioner General of Prisons, Major V.R. De Silva, who gives helping hand to Welikada prison inmates to showcase their own intrinsic talent in painting and other creativities when there is a low key sponsorship on such tasks. It is no wonder that Art allows prisoners to communicate with others and with the public and develop their self-esteem. According to one of the spokesmen in Prisons Department, this artistic prison inmate convicted 37 times related to illegal drug possession.

It is questionable whether it builds a positive attitude for successful reentry, when considering our Sri Lankan Picasso’s story of 37 times conviction. However, it is a golden opportunity for men and women behind bars to celebrate their own strengths through creativity with help of others. Sometimes, prisoners after leaving the dark cells continue their hard work upon release for the betterment of their future and we hope such talents shed light to thousands of lives behind steel bars.

“Chamath Palihapitiya is the Vice President of User Growth, Mobile and International at Facebook and, since 2008, has led a cross functional team responsible for driving the growth of Facebook’s userbase through product, virality, marketing and internationalization efforts on both the web and mobile. Prior to his current role at Facebook, Chamath oversaw Facebook Platform from its launch in 2007 and led the team that built and initially scaled Facebook’s online advertising product. Chamath joined Facebook from The Mayfield Fund, a leading venture capital firm in Silicon Valley where he led consumer Internet, advertising and technology investments. Prior to Mayfield, Chamath spent five years with AOL in roles of increasing responsibility, culminating in his position as the Vice President and General Manager of AIM and ICQ. Chamath began his career as a derivatives trader before leaving finance to work for Internet music pioneers Winamp and Spinner.com. Chamath grew up in Canada and graduated first class honors in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo”.

Watch following videos of Chamath Palihapitiya.

Social networks on Mobile

Inside Facebook by Chamath Palihapitiya

First watch few activites that are occuring in this Amman temple, I think there are many Sri Lankans who are unaware of the existence of this place.

Badrakali Amman Dewalaya perahara 2010

There are three video clips here, You can notice that Buddhist priests, and police also helping the activites of this temple. Surely you can not miss the amount of gold jeweleries that the chief priest Gamini Ananda is wearing.

Neth FM Program on this place and priest activities:

I strongly suggest you to listen to this program fully. All your curiosities will be solved. Great work by Neth FM Balumgala.

Neth FM Second program on this topic:

If you want to add your birth day here, You can send them to following e-mail and We will publish them here. Please write down “SF Wishes” in the subject line of your e-mail. [sfbetter@live.com]

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