It has been brought to my notice that several members of the Tamil Diaspora have expressed suspicion and surprise and inquired why a Sinhalese man from the South should take an interest in the orphaned Tamil children in the North. It has come up too often to be ignored and when Tharindu who directs theGlorious Jaffna programme asked me this question recently, I felt it needs to be addressed. That is the purpose of this short note.
Since my childhood I have been deeply moved by the parable of the good Samaritan. Surely a Jew should not question the motives of the Samaritan if his deeds were humane and kind . I am a Christian first and a Sinhalese only second, and as a Christian I believe that when God shows us individuals indistress, He is directing us to assist those people. My Tamil friends should not question my motives because I am a gentile and not a Jew.
I wish to add a short word on my own personal experience. In 2010 October, I was felled by an aneurysm . When I was being operated on, to relieve the pressure in my brain, I had a short experience (NDE) which is not unusual. In the West it is called Near Death Experience. For a brief period I was conscious of being out of my body and travelling through a long dark tunnel. At the end of the tunnel I saw an astral figure and a bright light. When I was revived after surgery I discovered that as in the case of other semi-paralytics , my left side was paralysed. In that state of suddenly finding myself helpless and in seeing a vision of the hereafter, I questioned myself as to the purpose of my life. My idea of Glorious Jaffna came out of those experiences and by being deeply moved by Tarindu Amunugama’s Coffee Table book on Jaffna in transition after the war. I believe the Glorious Jaffna project gives me a sense of purpose and mission for the remainder of my life.
One of my favourite sayings is that National reconciliation is too important to be left to the Government alone. It is the responsibility of each and everyone of us, whatever thecommunity .
I have been assisting a programme similar to the Glorious Jaffna in the South named Bosath Padanama and one of the children I have assisted is currently holding a fairly high technical position in Saudi Arabia and has achieved success in his career. The second child I am happy to say has now got admission to aMedical School , his lifelong ambition in becoming a doctor.
I hope my Tamil brothers would help to assist disadvantagedSinhalese children in the South in the cause of National reconciliation. Such selfless action could form the basis of National reconciliation after a 30 year brutal war in which bothcommunities have been scarred and damaged.
I am happy to say that my elder daughter who has just entered Medical School has volunteered to support one of the children who has passed the Grade 5 Scholarship Exam and entered a better school in Jaffna.
I hope this is the first step for her in a lifelong commitment to giving back to society rather than merely taking out.
