A lapse... a break... and a reawakening - A break from eight

Its nearly been eight months... Eight long months without a single blog entry... A long lapse I should say…Or I might interpret it as a break... Well breaks and lapses are human, but the vital or the integral part is the so called reawakening... So here I am back to blogging, and a reawakening after a long break according to my interpretation...

Its strange how things can change... Eight months of constant change I must say... A change of jobs... A change of feelings... A change of attitudes and most importantly a change in me... They say that change is a good thing, so I wonder if I did a good thing by taking a break, ironically not only from blogging, but from many things in life...

Wonder what suddenly made me to write a blog entry, apart from my excuse of a so called ‘break’. Is it ‘YOU’ or is it ‘ME’… Well as long as ‘YOU’ is referred to the ‘READER’ and ‘ME’ is referred to ‘DHANUSHKA’ things are on an even balance I guess. But when this balance falls off... Well let me not comment on it...

I think I’m learning to be a part of the change or am I the change when all the other things are same around me... Well whatever said and done there have been constant change I must say from many sides. If change is a good thing then what must I say about having a vision in life, isn’t it a good thing to have a vision. Well as far as I know vision should not change constantly. If so then what about change? Change or Vision... I think I’m confused after eight months... A reawakening with a confusion, that’s what it has been... Better be silent now... Till the next confusing blog entry... Adios amigos!!!

Sinhala and Tamil New Year – The Dawn of a New Culture

It’s the last day of the New Year month and at last I'm writing something about the New Year. So the New Year...A time for celebration and a time for gatherings... A time where culture, traditions and values are highly spoken of and where the nationalism comes to life in the most fashionable and unorthodox manner.

Even though the concept of a New Year is not novel, the actions and reactions leading and following to it seem to have taken shape in an innovative nature. Sri Lanka is truly developing in that sense. So what’s special about the New Year and the dawn of this new culture?

The times have changed, and the culture is reshaping itself to face the challenging environment and competition. The so called “AWURUDU CULTURE” is gaining shape in the most unorthodox manner. Companies tagged as truly Lankan have taken the forefront in promoting the innovative New Year culture.

These companies are gifting away many gifts ranging from jewelry boxes to clocks to school bags for the New Year. Some other companies are on the process of carrying out mega sales. Planks and banners bearing the renowned word “SALE” is a prominent feature amongst many shops during the season. Surely we can be choosy and selective when there are such a number of diverse gifts on offer… But alas our exuberant moods tend to get gloomy when we realize these gifts are actually not complimentary as it should be during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year season, but rather the flowery face of “AWURUDU MARKETING”. Of course who would gift away complimentary gifts during a time such as this where the inflation is setting up new records and reaching up high standards? So one can argue that the companies are playing a fair game in a world where money rules and profit thrives over values and morals.

“AWURUDU ADVERTISING” is another form of this new culture. For decades the indigenous awurudu rabana and oil lamp symbolized true nationalism and culture that was unique to us, but alas in the modern face of Sri Lankan advertising these are only seen as vital tools of advertising. These are used to penetrate the selected market segments, and customers in the most innovative manner. Such is Sri Lanka such is a country that boasts for a 2500 year old history.

Marketing and trading the New Year is one of the many avenues that companies can attain there thoroughly sort after targets. As they say opportunities are there to be taken maximum use and attain maximum profits. So where does the fault lie? Is it in the companies or in the people or in the Sinhala and Tamil New Year?

There was a time when the New Year was thought as a time to give gifts, enrich the traditions and worship the Sun God. But surely times have changed and we have moved, but forward or backward is a question to be carefully pondered. “AWURUDU ULLELAS” have been replaced by “AWURUDU CAMPAIGNS”. “AWURUDU TRADITIONS” have been replaced by “AWURUDU MARKETING” and “AWURUDU ADVERTISING”. All aspects of the New Year have been modernized in the most subtle manner. A new culture is taking shape, a culture that is alien to Sri Lankans, a culture where money rules over values. So it is fair to argue that we are heading backwards as we always do and forced to do.

This is an era where the Sinhala and Tamil New Year should be put into practice to enrich harmony amongst a divided nation. Companies can take this as a pathway to enhance and carry out cooperate social responsibility projects and be proactive in promoting the traditions and values the nation is loosing. If companies keep on holding to their petty intentions of maximizing profits the country would be the ultimate looser and these companies would eventually perish with it. We are moving towards innovative advertising and marketing but for some reason the innovation is lacking when it comes to building harmony and values. The time has come for these companies to realize that their responsibilities lie not only in creating profits and shareholder value but also in enriching values and morals amongst people in the country.

The New Year should be a milestone not only to achieve targets but also to build harmony and morals, create goodwill and peace. Then and only then we can proudly stand as a nation and move forward and wish one another a “SUBA ALUTH AWURUDDAK” in the true essence and spirit of a Sri Lankan and as a nation that should be second to none.

Welcome – Blogs and Bloggers

Blogs and bloggers two very interesting entities that mold one another… Recently I got to know about a site called “KOTTU” from a friend of mine. Very interesting web space I would say and clearly a Kottu in its true essence. So my friends I think its worth to click away to http://www.kottu.org/ and have glimpse of some of the most amazing thoughts and reminisces. So this is my pick for the New Year, a delicious Kottu with a Sri Lankan favor.

So let me get back to the topic…. Blog a rather interesting word I guess, but it sounds rather boggy to me and I wonder who invented this word. Well searching the web I managed to find a rather technical and stereotype meaning which articulates the following definition. “Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site.”

The interesting phrase for me is “represent the personality” And for me this is the most vital factor in a blog. I do not necessarily believe in updating the blog frequently. But yeah if one can do that its great. And I personally I prefer blogs with a personal touch to it. It gives that special Kottu flavor to it. Trust me it lets you to see the world from another person’s point of view. Pretty intoxicating and interesting experience I believe and baffling and mesmerizing as well… I’ve been trying to adopt this personalized feature to my blog as well. Well readers can leave their comments to evaluate my success. I think I have improved from the essays that I wrote in school about myself and my hobbies…

I am still learning the art of blogging and in my primary stages, but it sure does yield high levels of mental satisfaction for me and I think it’s the same with most bloggers. And the more you become personal the more interesting the blog becomes. Its like peeping into to a diary of a stranger, or its like been an infant and learning from your parents or sharing experiences of your peers. It’s an awesome feeling. As I believe it just blogs you away. And you get entangled in a blogging dream. How weird is that.

So my dear bloggers lets keep the culture alive and let us be the open source in this sphere called BLOG or rather WEBBLOG as the web defines it. Well on a second note the vital ingredients that flavor our very own Kottu.

Dreams - Are we following them or are they following us

I heard my small sister saying… "Mother I want to be a doctor someday" Where as my mother encouraged her by saying "Daughter you will definitely become that if you work hard for it and put your mind into it…" Just an example of a dream my sister has. A dream, a passion that motives my sister to achieve her goals in life.

Well my friends dreams are of two kinds well at least in there subtle grammatical sense, the dreams that we envision when we go to sleep and the dreams that we truly want to achieve in life. And for readers sake I’m talking about the second type.

I am convinced we all dream for a reason, either good or bad. But are we addicted to them? Are they driving us? Are they making us go insane? Probably the reader might wonder that why I write about such extremes. A reason is there my friends. It’s the ignorance to the fact of addiction that a dream can cause.

Addiction… another formation of a dream… or rather endeavouring to make dreams a reality. As the title evidently articulates this is WE FOLLOWING DREAMS. Rather weird isn’t it? Who will think that we can get addicted to dreams? All what we so passionately desire and eager to achieve in life can lead to our own doom one day. Addiction is such my friends. It will and it can lead you to most unbearable and undesirable consequences in life. Just ponder a minute are we slaves of our dreams and do we follow them blindly. Dream for a cause dream for a deed but never follow them blindly. Life is a reality and not a dream… its there to be touched and felt not to vision and imagined. As I see dreams are only a part of life and not the life itself.

So let you and I be the leaders and flag bearers in our lives and be the master of policy. Dream for a cause dream for a deed dream for a vision but never be a follower of dreams but be the leader of dreams and let the dreams follow you and be your disciple. Because at the end it’s the leaders who succeed and not the followers. So my friends always follow the rule of leading your dreams and not rule of following them.

Leaders would always be remembered and honoured but followers would be demeaned and get lost amongst the rest. So always and in all ways be a leader and not merely a follower.

Sri Lanka – Are We Eluding Her?

Back again my dear friends... Once upon a time there was a nation that lasted 2500 years. Who were the proud holders of a unique culture that made them known as "SRI LANKANS" and who were bearing the flag of a "LION" and a "SWORD". Am I writing some prehistoric document? NO MY FRIENDS!!!

I am just eavesdropping for what might the future hold for us. Are you proud to be a son or daughter of this great land that shouldn’t be second to none? A race that is known as "LIONS" a race that bears the flag of a "LION" and a "SWORD", a race that should rule the world with wit and intellect. But alas we are shattered and demeaned by our own brothers and sisters, by a war that has lasted for more than three decades, by the power struggle amongst political parties, by the wealthy and powerful. The country is in a state of irreversible decline my friends.

What has happened to a country that was once self sufficient, a country that was known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean. Where are we now? Where is the culture that we boasted about? Are we trying to compete with the western countries or are we following them to define our own future based on them. Three questions that need to be answered my friends.
-Is the country cursed?
-Or are we cursed?
-Or are we cursing the country?

What did you do today to make the country a better place my dear friend. Do you love your country or do you curse her daily. Do you curse her for not giving you the standards of living that Europeans offer or Americans offer or are you cursing her for not giving you the jobs and education levels that the Europeans and Americans offer. Or do you curse her for not empowering you with the technology that Japanese boast about.

Did you make an honest effort to stop this? Do you follow the road rules? Have you stopped spitting and littering on the roads? What have you and I done from our side to make a country a better place. Maybe you and I are not economists, politicians or diplomats to take high level decisions or make policy changes. We belong to the young generation of this country, a young generation that should have a vision to change the country, may be not through the rhetoric skills that lawyers and politicians have, maybe not through the social status that diplomats have but through courage, will, dedication, passion and motivation that Sri Lankan youths should have and should develop. Believe in your self, your will and your strengths develop it use it not for your own self satisfaction or personal gain but for the country for your mother land for Sri Lanka. Make her proud amongst all other nations make her a beacon that could light up the whole world.

Today is never too late to start a new revolution. It will begun a nation will rise above all others; keep your eyes open and your armor equipped my friends. Country is calling you...

One Way or Two Way – A New Order

Hold on… It seems that the city of Colombo has gone to havoc. Where are all the AC busses heading to the southern part of the country? The strip between Colombo 3 and Colombo 4 has been redefined and restructured. Well sadly not through high tech infrastructure but through so called ONE WAY TRAFFIC!!!

Welcome to the new era of Sri Lankan transportation. Highly unorthodox by nature and a purely Sri Lankan innovation as they say…Really am I hypocritical to say so… Well let the readers decide.

Well any new idea has its pros and cons. So the new road order is no exception. Sure it does reduce the daily congestion that drivers and passengers have to go through. But is it feasible for the AC bus passengers who get into the bus from Colombo 3 to Colombo 4 and heading to Moratuwa, Panadura, Kaluthara and Galle. Well I do not think so since the AC buses take their own roots when passing the above mentioned strip. Instead of taking the duplication road the AC buses go through Town Hall and to Wellawattha. This seems to have created mayhem amongst most of the commuters and have created more congestion in trains due to the unwillingness of passengers to take the normal busses specially the office crowd after work. Can we let the commuters go through all the hardships creating unrest in their minds? Hope the authorities would look into this matter and make the new order more feasible for the passengers.

We support the idea but as long as it is implemented in the most equitable manner.

To the relevant authorities...

Sri Lanka Government Services - Is it the Brainchild of Corruption?

Sri Lanka the pearl of the Indian Ocean they say. We call our selves a proud nation and boasts for 2500 year old history. But are we really all that or are we a nation heading for doom and destruction. Is this the problem of our government and the services it offers my mind questions.

It is true to say that government services our corrupted beyond imagination. Can we change this as youths or are we going to keep a blind eye and move away. Can we bring back the government sector to its former glory and establish high levels of services to the public.

Well of course we can try something different as the new generation and define the government services in a high tech 21st century ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution. Does it sound scary or does it sound hilarious. Well sure you people can add comments. My plan is to do something different to have a common standard in government services and to make public servants more accountable for their work and to create a society where public servants can hold their heads high and be proud to work in the government sector.

Corruption… Can we eliminate it through a high tech software solution? Yes we can always try. The aim is to have a common platform and interlink the government sector. Distribute the innumerable government services in a profitable manner and valuable manner amongst the government sector itself. To make the government servant eligible for extra benefits from the interlinked services. Is it possible for the government to act in a holistic manner and to distribute resources in a successful manner? Can’t we use the machines and technology to make the first move on this?

Of course guys it will happen… Future will be redefined in Sri Lanka… Look forward