"I am overwhelmed and absolutely delighted" said a radiant Shivanthini Dharmasiri (25) Miss Sri Lanka for Miss Universe '96, moments after she won this most prestigious beauty pageant held last Sunday at the Trans Asia Hotel. More composed at home in moratuwa the next day, she explained that winning the crown was indeed one of the greatest moments in her life. "Reality is just gradually sinking in" she smiled.
"As a child I used to watch the Miss Sri Lanka contests on T.V. but I never dreamt of being able to represent my country one day", she added. Shivanthini will represent Sri Lanka at the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas next month.
Shivanthini migrated to the U.K. in 1976 with her family and has since been visiting her motherland every year.
What was it like growing up in the U.K.? "It was a great experience and I was fortunate to live in Wales, which is a very beautiful area with a very family-oriented society similar to Sri Lanka", she said.
"I had a very traditional up-bringing. We used to talk in Sinhala at home and had rice and curry at least five times a week. I also learnt to read and write in Sinhala. There is a large Sri Lankan community in Wales and we used to celebrate all the local festivals such as the Sinhala New Year."
Shivanthini attended the Cyfarthfa High School in Cardiff and was one of three Asian students in the school. She felt no discrimination and held positions of responsibility even becoming head-girl of her school. "Being in a mixed school also helped me tremendously. I learnt to integrate with the opposite sex, and be as competitive as them", she added.
Shivanthini comes from a family of doctors, her father, brother and sister-in-law all being in the medical pofession. "This was one reason why I chose to do Science subjects for my A/L's and later on specialize in micrbiology at the University of Cardiff. My family tends to be more inclined towards the sciences," she said.
Attending university in Cardiff she lived in the halls of residence during her first two years, just five minutes away from the campus. In her final year she moved into a student house with four other girls." This was a good experience, because unlike in the halls, we had to fend for ourselves", she said. Entering the real world when she started her first job was an experience in itself.
"I had to be independent because I moved to Birmingham and took up a job as a Medical Representative for Astra Pharmaceuticals for eight months and thereafter worked as a Tertiary Business Manager in the Midlands. I had to accept responsibility and meet deadlines.
What made her change her field?" If I continued in the field of Micro-Biology I would have got into research which needs a lot of dedication. Also, it involves looking into a microscope which can be boring. Since I am more a 'People's Person' and enjoy meeting people, I felt that going into sales suited me better ", she said.
Of the pageant itself she felt that she had a chance of winning? "I felt that I would be one of the finalists but it was a tough competition However, when I won the mini-titles Miss Personality and Miss Internet, I felt that I had a chance of winning the title and kept my fingers crossed", she replied.
Delighted mum Fleenie Dharmasiri said that she had been dreaming of this moment all her life. Right along I felt that Shivanthini had a chance but kept it to myself. We phoned my husband in England as soon as the pageant was over and told him the good news. He was thrilled and said that the champagne would be flowing. Both of us are hoping to accompany Shivanthini to Las Vegas for the Miss Universe contest", she said.
When asked how she managed to score over the other contestants Shivanthini replied that though all the contestants were just as beautiful and well educated, personality wise she felt that she was more confident of herself and this was important when taking part in an international Pageant".
Shivanthini who is very fashion conscious has varied interests such as contemporary dancing, playing the organ and reading. "I enjoy dancing as it is very relaxing, and helps to relieve stress" she added.
What are her future plans? "I am seeking employment but will think about it more seriously once I finish my commitments as Miss Sri Lanka. I want to do my best for my country. Asked about marriage Shivanthini said that she believed it was something wonderful and must happen at the right time with the right person, who has yet to come along as far as she is concerned!!"
Shivanthinis' idea of such a person is someone who is tolerant, open minded, intelligent and somewhat tall, added her mother.
"I am looking for someone!"
Coming from a colsely knit family, Shivanthini is the youngest of three children and has a brother and a sister. "We are all very close and more like friends. I am what I am today because of the support of my family." She has had a strict Christian upbringing and goes to church often.
Asked for her opinion on Women's Liberation, Shivanthini said that she believes in equality for both sexes and that women can do a job just as well as their male counterparts. "However, I am not a feminist" she emphasized. She feels that women in Colombo tend to be confident and assertive whereas those in rural areas tend to lead a more traditional life-style. Women in Asia should be more confident and independent economically" she said.
Shivanthini's message to women is to "Be strong, happy and assertive. To the future contestants in beauty pageants Shivanthini said "You should not merely be beautiful, but have a good personality, be able to talk with anybody and be able to manage on your own in a foreign country. With her good looks, charming personality and intelligence, this young lady is indeed the ideal candidate to represent our country.
Dainty, vivacious Shivanthini Dharmasiri, a confident finalist all the way walked off with Miss Sri Lanka crown last Sunday at a pageant that had a strong ethnic focus. The 25 year old Science graduate from Cardiff who has lived in Wales for the past 20 years had the benefit of a much travelled background to triumph over the other 12 finalists. Geraldine Rozairo was adjudged first runner up and Kishani Peiris, Heshma Melavani and Ruwani Fonseka second, third and fourth runners-up respectively.
Beginning a few minutes late, the pageant got off to a novel opening with the contestant taking the stage to perform a Kandyan dance. Geraldine Rozairo, Heshma Melvani and Kishani Peiris distinguished themselves here dancing as if they were prima ballerinas all, while the others too acquitted themselves creditably, all thanks to some intensive training by Channa Wijewardene.
The eastern theme was evident all through the show, which had it slow moments though compere Arun Dias Bandaranaike, with his witty patter kept the audience entertained. Other highlights on the entertainment side were an oriental dance by Channa Wijewardene's troupe, a drum display and a haunting violin performance by Ananda Dabare accompanied by Judge Perera on the guitar.
After their initial appearance in cloth and jacket for their opening dance, the contestants appeared in evening dresses created by Chryshanthi Fernandopulle, in soft hues of pink mauve and yellow. Parading briefly on the ramp before an appreciative audience and the judges, the final eight were then faced with the interview round.
A major draw that evening was undoubtedly the presence of Miss India for Miss World Rani Jeyaraj who in an impromptu appearance on stage spoke of how touched she had been by the warm welcome accorded to her here.
The Miss Sri Lanka for Miss Universe pageant was organized by Sound and Vision with Bandula Jayasekera Promotions. The main sponsors were British Airways, the Trans Asia Hotel, Vogue Jewellers, the Mahaweli Reach Hotel, TNL Radio and TV, Photografix, Supreme Orchid, Ramani Fernando Salons, Chryshanthi Fernandopulle, Channa Wijewardene and Dilup Gabadamudalige handled the beauty, fashion, choreography and music respectively.
There are no two communities as the Sinhalese who are mostly Buddhists, and Tamils who are mostly Hindus so closely related to each other. Sinhala and Tamil languages are not different as people seem to think.
The affinities between these languages are neither few nor insignificant. In religion, which for us "Easterners" is almost identical with culture, the commonness is still more pronounced. In terms of worship it is always the lamps, the flowers and the folded hands. In doctrine and higher spiritual discipline, the emphasis for both is on Sila, auspiciousness and "peace". How the present estrangement has come seems to be a mystery. Be that as it may, the New Year festival is only one of the many festivals common to these two ancient, cultured and proud peoples.
For the Tamils, as for all Eastern people the space-time axis is of paramount importance. It is commonplace that in the cultural area we live in, more particularly in India any significant act is begun with what is called a Sankalpa - which generally means "The conscious willing to do, to perform".
It runs as follows:
"In Jambudvipa, in
Bharatkanda, in this Yuga,
In this year, in theis month,
In this fortnight, in this day
I perform...."
This is an in-built device, so as to say, to impress on us, the vicious hold, dominance Time, cyclic Time has on us,-the reality of the curse of temporal existence. It is only when one realises this, one can understand what it is to, not to escape from it, but to conquer it, overcome it.
It is in this wise the significance of our New Year celebrations can be understood .
The belief in the concept of cycles dominates the New Year rituals. For a Tamil, human life is in cycles. So are the Years. There are sixty years in the Tamil cosmic calendar which comes in a cycle. Thus the forthcoming year is not a New Year in the strict sense of the word, but a day marked for renewal. A renewal in profession, a renewal of relationships and a renewal of life in general, or an opportunity for starting anew and afresh rectifying the past mistakes- simply another chance to lead a better life.
Accordingly the New Year rituals also signify the concept of cycles.
Hence the birth of the New Year is only a recurrence of a year that has already been infinite times before in the timeless calendar which has no end nor a beginning.
For a Tamil, the New Year begins with the annointing of oil, often a medicinal oil, followed by a ritual bath, with the prescribed "Maruttu Neer"; a medicinal shampoo. This is followed by an almost mandatory visit to a temple and formal worship, wearing new clothes of prescribed colour.
Still the New Year day is a special day. A day to be celebrated -full of happiness and fun. While on the one side the religious observances are duly observed, on the other, people engage in traditional games like bull cart races, tug-o-war, pillow fights, por thengai and Oonjal etc.
The day is spent like any other day, except perhaps for a special rich lunch taken together by the members of the family. Sweets and other short-eats are also usually made. Money is also offered to worthy recipients (Kaivishesam). The entire New Year period is one of visits to relatives and friends and of peaceful relaxation. Receiving of friends and relatives- renewing relationships-, some with betel and entertaining them with loving kindness is a special feature.
- Satyakama
Sri Lanka's wildlife is in danger. Not only from the obvious threats of poaching and dwindling land reserves, but from the mismanagement of conservation efforts.
The environmental lobby is one that attracts much attention and funding in this era of green consciousness. As such, what Sri Lanka obviously needs is a farsighted policy and the united efforts of all those who call out for conservation. Sadly, at present it seems that the government and the NGOs are on a collision course which is not helping the management of wild life any. Wild life management is big money, one NGO official admitted
In a surprise move, last month, Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake removed all nine members of the Fauna and Flora Advisory Board- with very little notice.
Some ex- members, many of them representing the important environmental NGOs in the country, are now considering legal action against the Minister, whom they say violated the law by removing them from positions that they were appointed to for a three year term.
The Minister meanwhile, had gone ahead and made fresh appointments and reconstituted the board, which is a statutory board set up under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance to advise the Ministry on conservation issues.
The Minister defended his action claiming that as the Minister in charge of Wildlife conservation he had all the authority to reconstitute the board It was not a "removal" he said and added that he does not need to offer an explanation to the ex-members or anyone else.
This removal of members from the Fauna and Flora Advisory Board is but the tip of the ice berg, The Sunday Times learns. Through the years the Department of Wildlife Conservation ( DWLC) has suffered in the hands of politicians and bureaucrats and at present there are reports of large scale mismanagement, indiscipline and inefficiency in the Department which environmentalists believe to be compromising the entire conservation effort in the country.
In the recent years it has had its share of scandal and controversy. The Mark Shand affair which led to the resignation of the then DWLC Director, the plight of the Handapanagala elephants, the Ahungalla private zoo, indiscriminate killing of jumbos under tranquilization, the inertia of the department in dealing with poachers and violators and most recently the death of a large number of orphaned elephants brought to the new Uda Walawe elephant orphanage have all raised questions about the performance of this vital department.
At a press conference held last week, the ex-members of the Fauna and Flora Advisory Board came out with numerous complaints and allegations against the authorities on the state of the DWLC.
Present at this press conference were Environmental Foundation Limited Chairman Ravi Algama, Wild Life and Nature Protection Society President Dr.Ranjen Fernando, professional wild life photographer and enthusiast Nihal Fernando and Lasantha de Silva a wild life enthusiast.
An injustice had been done to them in the manner of their removal, the ex-members said.
The ex-members claimed that they all received their letters signed by the Minister after March 20, while the letters were dated March 1, terminating their services on the Board with effect from March 15.
They claimed that when the PA government came to power in 1994, the then board was asked to resign and did so in good faith since the entire administrative scenario of the country was due for changes. A new Board was constituted and included apart from the above mentioned individuals, Hemasiri Fernando, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Sagarika Rajakarunanayake, well known wild life enthusiast, Forest Conservator H.M. Bandaratileke and Director of Animal Production and Health A.S. Abeywardena.
" We are looking at the possibility of legal action against the Minister", Ravi Algama said.
The members also alleged that the board chairman was not interested in calling the stipulated number of meetings per year, and that the minutes of the meeting were often doctored and contained decision not taken in discussion with the board.
Further the ex-members said that the advisory committee although not an implementary body, had a statutory right to take decisions on the work of the DWLC. " But the decisions taken by the members were never carried out by the department because they were always contradictory to the interests of the Ministry." they said.
Fauna and Flora Advisory Board Chairman, R.S. Jayaratne denied that the board met for less than the stipulated number of times during his tenure. " We always had one meeting a month. It was only cancelled if I had to go abroad or some such unavoidable event."
He said that the members of the committee had contributed very constructively towards the decisions of the board and he said that these decisions were carried out whenever they could be successfully accommodated within the existing framework of the Department.
Ministerial interference in the workings of the department has left the department in a quandary, admitted the immediate former Director of the Wild Life Department , C. P. Attanayake .
He said that in many occasions his directives were overruled by the Minister or that the Minister would take decisions without his consultation which meant that activities taking place in the department were sometimes unknown to the director. Examples were the Ahungalle Zoo, which was raided and the extra animals confiscated by Attanayake, shortly after which the government gave permission to the owner to reclaim the animals from the zoo.
The Minister is also alleged to personally appoint personnel into the DWLC, surpassing normal government employment procedure, sometimes going as far as to get the cabinet to approve of appointments or removal of personnel overriding administrative procedure.
The members also complained of the appointment of Dr. Nandana Atapattu, presently serving as a Deputy Director at the department to that capacity, when a Public Service Commission Inquiry found him guilty of several charges that included mismanagement of funds, last year and removed him from public service with effect from 03 May 1995. The ex-board members claim that he was re- instated to the Department in July last year.
A veteran in the wild life conservation field ( who had no involvement in the advisory board) criticized the method of appointing the director DWLC solely on Ministry discretion. " The post of Director Wildlife should be advertised" said this veteran who had once held the position of director DWLC. " The department cannot prosper under individuals who are put there not on the basis of their qualifications but on the whims of a politician."
Public Administration Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake defended his position saying that he has all the right to change the composition of the board when he does feel it necessary.
"I believe we need fresh faces and input," was his explanation. " I need not give a reason but the changes were necessary because there was not enough constructive work being done by the earlier board."
He said that the newly constituted board will represent the organizations that were represented in the earlier board. Criticizing the ex- members he said that they did not do much work in the committee and that they favored certain people in the department and only wanted to promote their interests through the board.
The Minister admitted that he directly interfered with the workings of the department, in decisions, in recruitment and dismissal of staff and in financial policy.
"Of course I interfere. I will purposely interfere. If I do not interfere who will be ultimately responsible for the actions of the department.?" He dismissed the idea that the Director, DWLC is ultimately responsible and said that as Minister in charge his overall responsibility is much more.
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