People and events

• Many many happy returns...
• 50 years of free expression
• VSO for the road!

Many many happy returns...

By Roshan Peiris

Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike celebrates her eighty second birthday on April 17. She is the mother image of the nation and remains a respected figure for her courage and character.

Ms. Bandaranaike made history as the first woman Prime Minister in the world. She has the record of being Prime Minister thrice, the first woman leader of the Opposition in our country and the only Prime Minister to be sworn in by her daughter the President.

She did not come into the world proverbially 'booted and spurred' but grew up as a little rural girl with plaits and a lama saree. She once told me that when at home she mended the clothes of her four brothers. Her roots were deeply entrenched in Balangoda the home of her father.

Today her stature has grown, and people revere her. Like the camomile, the more she was trodden on the more she flourished.

In 1971, the JVP youth tried to kill her and a terrorized country was demoralised. But not she. Unafraid of danger to herself she called upon the rebellious youth to lay down arms, and appealed to them as a mother.

Then in 1980 she became a political non person when J. R. Jayewardene deprived her of her civic rights. This he did despite opposition from some of the members of his own Cabinet. It was a below the belt political blow and many another would have wallowed in political poverty. But not Ms. Bandaranaike. She never faltered in her loyalty and work for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party founded by her late husband.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga owes much of her position today to her mother who with opposing factions within her party still kept faith with her political destiny.

As Prime Minister she had a very high profile in Foreign Affairs. Tito, Nehru, Nasser and Mrs. Bandaranaike made world history when they founded the Non-Aligned Nations together to be a factor in world affairs.

In 1976 as a Founder member of the movement she hosted the Non-Aligned Movement Conference and became the first woman Chairman.

She kept good relations with neighbouring India in settling the needling Kachchativu problem and began the solving of the problem of Indian workers in our plantations with the Sirima-Shashtri Pact.

There were the flaws too. For instance she took over the country's largest group of newspapers founded by the late D. R. Wijewardene the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon, which had fought for independence of this country. She also closed for a long time the Sun Group of Newspapers.

These actions were doubtless blot on her rule.

Today despite a painful problem with her feet she has kept to a hard schedule and cheerfully attends many a function.

In the distant past when she was yet a young girl a family friend, Clarice Gomes predicted after seeing her horoscope that she would attain great heights in politics.

She was completely bewildered a young girl who never thought in terms of playing a role in politics.

She was content to marry Solomon West Ridgeway a Minister and look after him and her three children.

Even after nearly four decades her eyes mist over when she recalls the poignant and harsh memories when her husband was shot in his own home.

It will, she has mentioned to this writer, always remain etched in her mind.

On Friday amidst family relations and friends as she celebrates her birthday, she can look back on all the troubles and achievements of her years in power.

The Sunday Times wishes her many, many happy returns.

50 years of free expression

It was at the age of fifty-five that the late Ms. Cora Abraham, the pioneer in child art education in Sri Lanka started "Melbourne Art Class" at the Melbourne Avenue, Bambalapitiya. Beginning with young pupils, Cora Abraham began to experiment on methods of inspiring free expression in children.

France Cizek known as the father of child art education was the author of the book the fired her imagination, that inspired her to launch out on this new venture after retirement.

With Ms. Abraham's death in December 1979 the MAC was renamed the Cora Abraham Art Classes as a special tribute to her. Since Ms. Abraham's time the CAAC has "moved home" many times, because of the difficulty of getting large premises at low rents! It is now at No. 10, Skelton Road-a beautiful old hose with garden

The school celebrates 50 years in May 1999 and a team has been appointed to inform all past students who remember M.A.C/C.A.A.C. to join them in the celebration.

Plans are also afoot for a souvenir recording the achievements of past students, not necessarily as artists but as successful personalities in their chosen field of work. Personal comments are invited from past pupils.

An Exhibition of work by the present students plus a presentation of profiles of past students will take place and a year 2000 calendar with six paintings of present students illustrating the goal of individualistic expression is planned. There will also be an evening get-together at the Art Class premises.

The school also seeks support particularly from past students living abroad, in contacting other CAAC people.

Financial support will be very helpful to meet the experiences of this programme.

Past students could write to: Mrs. Nalini Weerasinghe, C/o C.A.A.C. No. 10 Skelton Road, Colombo 5.

A view from the hills

VSO for the road!

By Carl Muller

Very Special Old is the arrack we consider full of calibre and clout. But leaving the VSO in the cabinet, let us consider another VSO that is just as peppy and guaranteed to be most entertaining. I'm talking about the Voluntary Service Overseas and there are a number of these VSO volunteers in Sri Lanka, getting their fill of the exotic Asia mind and milieu and facing the slings and arrows with amazing good nature, humour and equanimity. In short, they keep their cool, because they come here to serve, and serve they do with will and skill.

In the Central province there are some VSO volunteers doing yeoman service in many branches of skilled work. They usually get around on mobikes or settle for small cars. To these foreign chappies everything about Sri Lanka is lovely but they shy nervously at our roads, the traffic and the manner in which we use both.

Speaking with a Kandy-based VSO volunteer, the topic inevitably switches to this horrendous business of driving in Sri Lanka.

Why, VSO's actually write home about it! It is, to them, a feat that parallels the running of mailed gauntlets, the crossing of the Rubicon, the chariot race of Ben Hur. Driving in Sri Lanka, I am told, is the ultimate test of nerves, brass, craft and reflex. The VSO is convinced that there are no simple rules. "I am now convinced that it is all founded on a deep, cultural philosophy," one VSO said. "No driver can lose face.

"What do you mean?"

"Well , the driver loses face if he changes down tamely; or if he does not blast off his horn every three seconds.

"He is a poor specimen if he leaves the crown of the road in the face of an on-coming vehicle and displays his hopelessness if he allows the vehicle ahead to increase distance before him.Take night driving....what sort of a moron dips his lights? And no one wants another vehicle to overtake on either side. No, I'm not kidding. The roads here are for the strong, the self-centred , belligerent and forceful. Everbody else should ride a hearse!"

One VSO was clicking along at night and his first premonition of an accident-to-be was when all the stars disappeared.

Other stars appeared when he crashed into the backside of an elephant! Why don't elephants have tail lights?

His complaint was pooh-poohed and he lost a good, second-hand mobike. It is presumed that he's still wandering round the Lake, coming to grips with himself.

Tips to our motorists from foreigners with a roads-eyeview? With our roads at satiation point we may need a VSO or two to tell us how to survive. Or maybe a stiff VSO!.

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