Mirror Magazine

16th December 2001

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Touched by an angel

There are times in our lives when we've experienced something special. A helping hand when we were down and out, a caring touch when in distress and a shoulder to cry on when it seemed like no one cared. Maybe even a miraculous escape from sudden danger. Sometimes this special 'help' comes from the most unexpected sources. Sometimes it's like a hidden hand that reached out to you, sometimes it was a voice from within telling you the correct thing to do or it was help from the most unexpected person. But whatever it was, it felt like you'd been 'touched by an angel'. This Christmas, as we try to share the spirit of caring, tell us your experiences of how your life was 'touched by an angel'. Write in and share that special experience that enriched and changed your life. The winning entries will have a very special prize to look forward to. A weekend for two (Saturday / Sunday) at that very beautiful theme hotel in the hills, The Tea Factory Hotel, Kandapola. It's an experience you won't forget.

Your contributions should be no more than 300 words and should be sent in to: 

"Touched by an Angel'
C/o The Sunday Times Mirror Magazine,
No. 8, Hunupitiya Cross Rd, 
Colombo 2.

The closing date for entries is December 18, so hurry.


Win a 'Tea Factory' holiday

Experience the mystery and romance of the Tea Factory Hotel, Kandapola where you can have a cool and comfortable holiday, this festive season. The hotel is luxuriously equipped and its romantic setting amidst a tea plantation makes it the perfect place to unwind. Your days can be spent taking long walks hand in hand or driving around the panoramic region. It's sheer relaxation with all the festive fun thrown in. Just enjoy four-star comfort and seven-star surroundings, where nature is at its best, in this traditional plantation where development has not overtaken the normal life style, where natural beauty is preserved. 

For nature lovers, undiscovered spots of beauty where generations of British planters have roamed are there to be explored. Sorry, no hunting trips allowed, though. Do not forget to equip yourself with binos and cameras for an unforgettable journey through the past, walking along horse tracks on the plantation which is located at 6800 feet above sea level. 

If you'd like to experience life in a remote hamlet which is located 1 1/2 hours away from the hotel, it is a half-day outing to Kurawatte village, in Uva Paranagama. Or you can climb Denmark hill, another view point or Hethersett plantation in the reserve. For the adventure seekers, trek to Mahakudugala mountain peak which is located in High Forest estate. A visit to the Kurundu Oya falls is a must. 

The Tea Factory, is also "THE TEA HOTEL". This hotel blends with the traditional Hethersett plantation which continuously produced some of the best Ceylon tea for some 50 years. The hotel is situated in a lush green 25-acre tea plantation and also has on its premises a micro tea factory. All guests in the hotel and visitors are invited to see how quality tea is being made and the entire manufacturing procedure will be explained by a supervisor who had been working in this same plantation for many years. 

So make your holiday exciting and memorable this season. 


Making music in Zimbabwe

Cricketer Henry Olonga may soon top the charts

By Ruhanie Perera 
"In order to communicate through music, one needs to understand the power of music. To understand, one must be able to listen and appreciate," says Henry Olonga. 

We may be more familiar with seeing him in his sports gear, bowling his heart out for the Zimbabwe team, but there's a side to this cricketer that the cameras haven't captured. There's an artiste in him. 

Twenty-five-year-old Henry Olonga now in Colombo for the tri-nation limited over cricket series loves music. So much so, that he's come very close to being what one could possibly call a chart-topping artiste. Olonga's song, 'Our Zimbabwe', entered the Zimbabwe charts at number 20 and initially, as he puts it, "didn't move much." That is until people began to understand the song and realise its message; then began its steady climb until it reached its present spot at No: 2.

Says Olonga, "It's a first attempt for me and naturally, knowing that my song made it to the charts is quite satisfying. It is there because of the collective effort of a lot of people including all those who appreciated the song and what it stood for."

Funky haired Olonga's hit song is, quite contrary to what one expects (judging solely by the hair though), a ballad; it's an anthem of sorts that traces the challenges faced by his country, which at the same time calls on his people to pull together...to play their part productively. "We're reaching out to everyone on a unique individual level and in doing so we're trying to restore the eroded pride of our nation."

Talking to him, one realises that this song is not one of those sudden occurrences, or unexpected bursts of inspiration. Behind it is a carefully conceived concept backed by well thought-out objectives. The team (they are not a group, he states), which comprises Olonga, Bruce Izzet, Kenneth Jonasi and Andrew Baird, belong to the same church and share the same vision (which is to see Zimbabwe prosper). "We seriously sat down and thought about what we wanted to say." The result: A song with a distinct message and it was one that was going to be heard.

Is music something he would seriously follow? "Yes, I would," is the prompt answer, which is followed by a smile and, "time permitting." Cricket is his priority and it will remain so until the day he stops playing, says Olonga. This song was launched because, at the time of the project, he was recovering from a long term injury - "so I had the time for it." 

One rarely sees cricket and music as complementary passions or are we mistaken? Olonga laughs and admits that these two passions (which figure on a long list of other loves that includes golf and art as well) run on different lines. "Cricket is a high pressure occupation. But where's the pressure in music? I love music."

"Music's in my blood," he tells me and as if to prove it he adds, "you may even catch me singing on the boundary lines in a match against Sri Lanka." 

Olonga doesn't just make music. "I like to listen to music and I like to think musically," he says. Which means, he "thinks like a lyricist" all the time, rhyming words and talking in pictures. And after a while I just know what he's talking about - music is most certainly a part of his life. 

What inspires him? Other artistes, is the prompt reply. "Artistes are jealous people," he says with his characteristic grin as he gives this most unexpected reply. "We see someone else's work and think 'okay, not bad', we go back home and embark on our own masterpiece. It is in a sense an inspiration, that is why heroes are so important in our lives," he says naming Brian McKnight, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey as some of his own. 

The interview ended - will he sing for us? He refuses. No, not even snatches of his song. "I used to be able to just get up and sing but I'm getting more reluctant because I always feel underprepared." So I settle for 'spoken' lines of his song "...Now flies the flag, our nation's glory. We live with pride inside our hearts. As we all stand, to build this nation, this our land, our Zimbabwe." 



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