All set for Indo-Lanka final in Mumbai

MOHALI, India, (Reuters) - India beat Pakistan by 29 runs yesterday to reach the World Cup final to face co-hosts Sri Lanka in an all-Asia final in Mumbai on Saturday.

Sri Lanka stand one match away from reaping the benefits of their decision to devote more than two years to prepare for the World Cup.

After the disappointment of losing to Australia in the rain-affected 2007 final, the 1996 champions made sure they would get another crack at the title, against either India or Pakistan, after beating New Zealand by five wickets on Tuesday.

National Accounts for 2010

The Department of Census and Statistics issued the following statement on Tuesday announcing national accounts position for 2010, the first full year of peace since the conflict ended in May 2009 (see The Island page 1 late city edition on Wednesday, March 30).

The economic output of Sri Lanka as measured by GDP for the year 2010 at constant (2002) prices is estimated at rupees billion 2,645.4 as against rupees billion 2,449.2 in the previous year, registering an 8.0 percent growth rate as against 3.5 percent growth in the previous year. This impressive high growth is more important for the country’s economic progress and it is the second best GDP growth ever achieved since independence. The highest ever achieved GDP growth in the history of the country was 8.2 percent, and it was recorded in the years of 1968 and 1978.

Preparing children for the arrival of a new sibling

By Dr. B. J. C. Perera MBBS(Ceylon), DCH(Ceylon), DCH(England), MD(Paediatrics), FRCP(Edinburgh), FRCP(London), FRCPCH(United Kingdom), FSLCPaed, FCCP, FCGP(Sri Lanka) Consultant Paediatrician

The arrival of a new baby can bring many changes to a family. Parents spend a lot of energy on preparations and getting things sorted out prior to the arrival of the new baby. After the baby arrives, much of the family’s attention involves meeting the newborn’s basic needs. When there are older children, one must remember the impact of the phenomenon on them. All this change can be hard for older siblings to handle. It is quite common for them to feel jealous toward the newborn and to react to the upheaval by acting out. However, parents can prepare their children for an addition to the family. Discussing the pregnancy in terms that make sense to children, making some arrangements and including the child or children in the care of the newborn can make things easier for everyone.

Sibling rivalry usually starts right after or even before the arrival of the second child or subsequent children. The older child often becomes aggressive, "acts out" or even regresses. This regression means acting more like a little baby. Examples are the child wanting a bottle or passing urine in his or her pants and clothes.   It is quite important to prepare an older child when the parents know that the mother is pregnant. Older siblings need to know what to expect and they need time to adjust. Even after the baby arrives, there are many things that one could do to make the adjustment easier. It must be remembered that having a new baby in the family may be one of the tougher things that an older child has to deal with.  However, it may eventually be one of the greatest gifts that the parents can give them.

There is no right time or perfect way to tell a child about an impending sibling arrival. When discussing the pregnancy, it is necessary to consider the parents own comfort level and the child’s maturity level. Preschoolers, for example, may not grasp concepts of time, so it might not mean much if one says that the baby will arrive in a few months. It may be more useful to explain that the baby will arrive in a particular season, referring to perhaps festive days such as the New Year or Christmas or Deepavali. The little ones will then understand the timing.

Should sex education be made compulsory?

Savithri Gunasekera, the Colombo University’s former Vice Chancellor, made an important statement recently. She said that lessons on child abuse, domestic violence and sex education should be made compulsory in school curriculums. “Some tend to think that it is not in our culture to discuss such matters, but educating children on these issues at school level will give them the information they need to keep them from harm’s way. We also now have a legal system which supports this,” she added. Prof Gunasekera also noted that adolescents acquired autonomy at 16 years of age, but there was little recognition of this fact in Sri Lanka.

I believe Prof. Gunasekera has a valid point. Out of the three issues, this article concentrates only on the third, sex education. Unfortunately, as outdated as it may sound, it is still the belief of many that openly discussing sex and its ramifications will cause our teens to go astray. Is this a fact or a fallacy? When we think about the amount of sex that teenagers are exposed to each day- all of which is glorified, does it seem like a bad idea to at least provide them with the foundation, tools, and knowledge to help them make more responsible decisions?

Especially when we consider that given our own demanding schedules, and our aversion to the conversation itself, we often leave the youth questioning and looking for answers from the older kid across the street who has a ton of fancy theories of his own. These stories are likely to be believed by the gullible youth because they have never been taught or exposed to anything different.

Lankans lucky to have free health - Dr Mehta

Sri Lankans should be thankful to mother nature for the free health service and free education. Most of the countries in the world do not have these facilities WHO Representative in Sri Lanka Dr F R Mehta said.

Addressing the World Health Day celebration held at the Health Education Bureau yesterday Dr Mehta said that Sri Lanka annually spends US $ 85 million for procuring drugs and equipment and 23 percent of this budget is spent on antibiotics and anti infectious drugs. This is almost one fourth of the total budget. One hundred and thirty two items on the list are related to antibiotics and similar things. Antibiotic resistance has already become a burning issue in Sri Lanka and other countries. In Sri Lanka people can buy antibiotics over the counter without a prescription but this practice is not followed abroad. Antibiotic resistance was discovered for the first time in the world in 1948, he said.

Education should be modernized-CBK

Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga said that education should be modernised in order for it to be effective, and that it also played a big role in solving social issues.

“The concept of education without borders has to move far beyond the traditional systems that we know, and it is important to include everyone [who are involved] socially, politically and economically,” Kumaratunga said in Dubai, during a panel discussion under the theme, ‘Education-Going Global’.

Education reforms were introduced in Sri Lanka recently to modernise education and the method of teaching, as she pointed out, with new subjects introduced in the curricula, such as Peace Education, so that “they can celebrate the richness of diversity instead of rejecting it.”

Education leaders on Tuesday highlighted the need to use technology in the education system in order to raise the standards of schools in rural areas of developing countries.

“The problem is that we set the target for a classroom but we do not think about how they benefit from being there. On an international level, you should not use traditional [teaching] ways in a classroom because in developed worlds, we still think of teaching in a static and unreformed way," said former British PM Tony Blair said.

(Gulf News) DM

Lorgat reiterates 50 over future

While admitting that the game would have to ‘adapt and evolve’, International Cricket Council Chief Executive Officer Haroon Lorgat said 50-over cricket was still alive, proof of which could be drawn from the ongoing World Cup.

“We have success in our hands in the 50-over format. And so to answer the original question [is there room for 50-over cricket in a newfound Twenty20 World], the answer is a resounding yes,” he said.

“The changes are an adaptation to an ever evolving game, and the game will continue to adapt and evolve”.

Rather than the total scrapping of the format, it needed to be given context and content, and much of the crisis that surrounded the game a year ago was self-inflicted, Mr. Lorgat added.

Speaking at the Sri Lanka Press Institute Press Club meeting held on Monday, Lorgat said there was evidence to prove that the formerly ‘shortest version of the game’, was still growing in popularity.

Lorgat shared figures from a research which stated that 676 million people in five markets — namely England, New Zealand, India, South Africa and Bangladesh –expressed ‘not only interest but a passion’ for the 50-over form of the game.

A recent example of this trend was the World Cup match between England and India in Bengaluru on February 27th, when the teams shared a thrilling tie, which recorded the most watched game in history of One-Day International cricket, a record which he said “could very well be broken when India meet Pakistan on Wednesday.”

He added that as part of the strategic restructuring of international cricket, the ICC board had approved a change in context of one-day international cricket through the formation of an international league structure, the principle and mechanics of which will be confirmed next week when the ICC meets after the World Cup.

Broken heart hurts as much as physical pain

A new study has shown that a broken heart ‘’hurts’’ in the same way as intense physical twinge does.

The research demonstrated that the same regions of the brain that become active in response to painful sensory experiences are activated during intense experiences of social rejection. "These results give new meaning to the idea that social rejection ‘hurts’," said University of Michigan social psychologist Ethan Kross, lead author of the article.
"On the surface, spilling a hot cup of coffee on yourself and thinking about how rejected you feel when you look at the picture of a person that you recently experienced an unwanted break-up with may seem to elicit very different types of pain.

India visit in national interest Pakistan’s PM Yousuf Gilani says:

Pakistan: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Monday his visit to India to watch the World Cup cricket semi-final between the two countries was in the “national interest”.

Gilani accepted an invitation from his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh to attend the match after a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday.

“I have decided to avail of this opportunity in national interest,” an official statement quoted Gilani as telling a meeting of the federal cabinet in Islamabad.

“It is also a timely opportunity for the two Governments to show to the world that the two nations can play together as well as sit and deliberate together on issues of national importance,” he said.

Sri Lanka spin and struggle into final

Thilan Samaraweera (right) and the runner of Angelo Mathews (not in picture) Mahela Jayawardene celebrate their team's win against New Zealand. REUTERS picture Andrew Caballero-Reynolds

Sri Lanka marked Muttiah Muralitharan’s last appearance in an international on home soil with a five wicket World Cup semi final victory over New Zealand at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday, a painstaking struggle after the top four batsmen were dismissed and raised questions about their ability to provide a genuine challenge to Pakistan or India in the final in Mumbai on Saturday.

Chasing a modest target of 218 under lights, Sri Lanka were cruising on 161 for 1, but a flurry of wickets which resulted in three crucial wickets falling within four overs, made the locals fumble and falter, before finally making it home with 2.5 overs to spare.

It all started when Tillekeratne Dilshan was caught in the covers after the in-form opener blazed his way to a typically aggressive 73 in 93 balls in the 34th over.

Dilshan hammered a six and ten boundaries while his exit looked inconsequential as his skipper Kumar Sangakkara who shared a 120-run second wicket stand was still at the crease. But Mahela Jayawardene who replaced Dilshan lasted just three balls and was dismissed for one while Sangakkara’s dismissal three overs later, turned the proceedings on its head.

Sangakkara made 54 off 79 balls with seven boundaries and a six while his exit exposed Sri Lanka’s pathetic middle order.

Chamara Silva and Tilan Samaraweera both struggled even to score singles as New Zealand smelling a kill began tightening screws. The pair added 26 runs in seven overs before Silva was bowled by Tim Southee for 13 in the 43rd over.

Allrounder Angelo Mathews who pulled a hamstring while fielding came into bat with a runner, and was largely instrumental in helping them scamper home thanks to some big hits which came after the batting power-play was taken in the 45th over.

Mathews hit a six and a four off Southee in making 14 off 18 while Samaraweera made 23 not out off 38 balls.

Earlier opener Upul Tharanga smashed one six and four fours in making 30 off 31 balls while paceman Southee bagged three wickets to improve his tally of the tournament to 18 wickets in eight matches.

A Father's Love...............

Some day all this will be yours, my son.... (RK)

Heartbreak hurts people physically, too - USATODAY.com

Heartbreak hurts people physically, too - USATODAY.com

Social media websites can help and harm kids - USATODAY.com

Social media websites can help and harm kids - USATODAY.com

Ponting stands down as skipper

Standing down... but Ricky Ponting wants to
continue on as a batsman.
 (AFP : Dibyangshu Sarkar )

Ricky Ponting has quit the captaincy of the Australian Test and one-day teams but plans to stay on as a batsman.

The 36-year-old denied he had been forced out as skipper when he announced his decision at a press conference at the SCG this afternoon.

"I've had no tap on the shoulder from anyone. This is a decision wholly and solely from me," he said.

"I thought the timing was spot on.

"All that being said, I've made it very clear to selectors that I'm available (to keep playing Test and one-day cricket for Australia)."

Ponting endorsed deputy Michael Clarke as his replacement, although Cricket Australia said a decision needs to be made at board level before an expected announcement tomorrow.

Ponting said defending champion Australia's World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of India was the main catalyst for his decision to step aside.

"The fact that we went out of the World Cup when we did was the main reason," he said.

Ponting was often criticised for his abrasive nature but the Tasmanian is confident about how he will be remembered.

No social networking for kids?

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) today said telecommunication service providers have been requested to encourage parents to prevent underage children from viewing social networking sites on the internet at home.

TRC Director General, Anusha Palpita said blocking access to a website would not be effective because underage children would find other ways of accessing the prohibited sites. 

“There is not much we can do to restrict children from using social networking sites. Therefore we have appealed to parents through the service providers to control or prevent the use of undesirable sites by using suitable computer software,” Mr. Palpita said.

He said the TRC received complaints from several parents, the police or the Child Protection Authority on the use of social networking sites by children. 

Next World Cup should be shorter, says ICC boss

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - The next Cricket World Cup in 2015 should be shorter, ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat acknowledged Monday, although he insisted that 50-over international cricket is prospering.

Lorgat, Chief Executive of the International Cricket Council, said market research had shown massive support for 50-over international cricket and he insisted One-Day Internationals are not under threat from the immensely and increasingly popular Twenty20 cricket.

Lorgat told a conference at the Sri Lankan Press Club that he rejected arguments that ODIs could not co-exist with test matches and T20 cricket, but he admitted the ICC is looking to further reduce the length of the World Cup. This year’s tournament, which is just reaching its climax, started Feb. 19 and ends on April 2.

Lankans must be... RUTHLESS Don’t underestimate the Kiwis:

Jacob Oram

RUTHLESS. That must be the idea when he Sri Lankans take the field against New Zealand in the first semi-final of the 2011 World Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium under lights today. The Lankans have performed creditably so far to come into this position. Now that they are two matches away from the pot of gold they should not drop their guard, until the knockout blow is delivered.

What is the need of the hour is that we not allow complacency to spoil the good and hard work done. The Lankans if they believe in their ability and perform at peak, should beat the Kiwis and celebrate the entry into the final. And there is no reason why they should not.

No easy beats

They will do well not to take the Kiwis lightly and think they are easy beats. The South Africans thought it was a walk in the Park, took it easy dropped their guard and the Kiwis grabbed the opportunity to feign and deliver the knockout blow and paste the ‘chokers’ tag on them.

Now that the Kiwis are in the semis, they will come out firing heavy artillery and the Sri Lankans must not only defend, but fire back stingers to destroy the push.

Before going on to comment and analyze the two teams and their chances, the Lankan fielders will do well no to repeat the shameless catching they displayed against England.

Comedy of catching

It was a comedy to watch Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath grass simple catches. Probably it would have been their off day.

Identity frauds in Australia

Organised crime gangs with links to Britain and Sri Lanka are fuelling a fresh wave of identity fraud in Victoria, with Melbourne’s inner city firming as the latest frontier in card skimming. As police accuse banks of putting their own reputations before their customers’ welfare, Herald Sun Investigations found that a secret national taskforce has broken a $100 million global Eftpos skimming syndicate with 56 arrests, including two individuals from Britain and two from Canada. It also found that at least seven ATMs and two Eftpos machines have been skimmed in Melbourne in recent months, with crime gangs increasingly hitting the inner city.

රත්තරං හදවතේ ආදරේ පිවිතුරුයි

සියඹලා මලක්‌ ඔබ දෝතේ පිපෙනකොට 
ඉගිලිලා යන්න බෑ ඔය ඇස්‌දෙකෙන් මට 
පියඹලා ඇදෙන රන් සමනළ යුවලකට 
නුඹේ හිතේ පෙම් සුවඳ ඇති තනි තොතනියට.... 

පෙම් හසුන් ඔබ ලියූ කවි පේලි සුන්දරයි
රත්තරං හදවතේ ආදරේ පිවිතුරුයි
තනිවෙන්න දෙන්නෙ නෑ 
මේ සිත ඔබට ආදරෙයි............

නෙතු සිඹින පුරහඳ ලස්‌සනයි රැයකට 
අමතක කරන්නෙපා මා ඔබේ සඳවත 
සිහිනෙන් ඇවිදින් මගේ යහනේ 
ඉන්න දෙව්දුව.............. 

පදරචනය - චන්න ජයනාත්
සංගීතය - රෝහණ වීරසිංහ
ගායනය - අසංක ප්‍රියමන්ත පීරිස්‌ 

කාගෙත් ඇස්‌ කන්වලින් මිදීලා නිදහසේ තනිවෙන්න ඇත්නම්.... ආදරවන්තයන් යුවළකට ඒ තරම් සතුටක්‌ තවත් නැහැ...... ඒ වෙලාවට ඔවුන්ට අවට කිසිම දෙයක්‌ ගැන නිනව්වක්‌ නැහැ..... ඒ අය ඉන්නේ ඒ අයටම වෙන්වූ සුන්දර ලෝකෙක.... කුඩයක්‌ යටට වෙලා මුහුදු වෙරළක, බංකුවක්‌ මතම හිඳ මල්වත්තක, අඳුරේ තුරුළු වී සිනමාශාලාවක.... මේ අය එකිනෙකාට කියන කතා..... පැණි වෑහෙන..... ආදර වදන්.... අත්දැකීම් නොලද්දවුන් සිටිත්ද... 

Gaddafi’s Amazonian Guards

Muammar al-Gaddafi maintains a 40 member group of women unofficially referred to as the Amazonian Guard as his personal bodyguards and protectors. Upon selection as a candidate for the group the ladies are put through a tough training regimen in firearms and martial arts. They are reportedly trained  to protect him and die for him. The Amazonian guard dress in western style fatigues, wear make up,  sport western hair styles, high heels, and other clothing not generally deemed acceptable in the Muslim world. Meanwhile forces loyal to Gaddafi re-took two key areas in their battles against rebel forces. Gaddafi’s troops currently appear to hold the upper hand in the weeks long conflict against rebel forces.

Study: Sex Increases Heart Attack Risk for Lazy People

Researchers at Tufts Medical Center in Boston say sedentary
 people who suddenly have sex or exercise have an increased chance
of a heart attack.

If you sit on your butt most of the time, this news may make you break out in a sweat: Sporadic bursts of sex or exercise can increase the risk of a heart attack.

Dr. Issa Dahabreh and Dr. Jessica Paulus, researchers at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, made this discovery after reviewing 10 studies investigating physical activity, three involving sexual activity and one study that looked at both.

Student unions banned in Sabaragamuwa University

Student unions and their activities had been banned in the Sabaragamuwa University from March 24, a student union said.

A student union member of the university said that according to the ban, any type of student gatherings had been strictly prohibited.

“The notice issued by the administration read that the university administration would take measures to get the students who were actively involved in unions to be arrested by the Police,” he said. University authorities confirmed the ban in the University.

The union member said that although the regulation was to take effect from March 24, the official notice had been put up today banning the ‘operations’ or ‘any kind of student union activities’ within the university.

The student union member also stated that according to the notice, any type of student gatherings had been strictly prohibited.

“The notice read that the university administration would take measures to get the students who were actively involved in unions to be arrested by the Police,” the student union member added. Speaking further he stated that it was a violation of the students’ rights and added that they planned to take measures to regain their rights.

Gilani to watch India-Pakistan match with Singh before talks

NEW DELHI, March 27: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today accepted his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh’s invitation to join him in Mohali on Wednesday (March 30) to watch the Cricket World Cup semi-final between their teams.

Pakistan High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik confirmed to The Island here today that Prime Minister Gilani will be visiting India in response to Dr Singh’s invitation.

Dilshan boosts chances of winning top award

Tillekeratne Dilshan

Sri Lanka’s dynamic all rounder Tillekeratne Dilshan further boosted his chances of winning the Most Valuable Player Award with another magnificent performance in the ICC 2011 Cricket World Cup quarterfinal match against England at the R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.

The dashing opener hammered an unbeaten 108 from 115 deliveries with two sixes and ten boundaries as Sri Lanka overtook England total of 229 runs with ten overs to spare.

Dilshan had earlier captured the prize scalp of England captain Andrew Strauss having opened the bowling to finish with the figures of one wicket for 25 runs from six overs.

As a result Dilshan has now joined Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi and Indian all rounder Yuvraj Singh as the strong contenders to win the coveted Most Valuable Player Award.

Mild stress leads to long-term disability

Stress...stress..

A new study has revealed that even relatively mild stress can lead to long-term disability and an inability to work.

It is well known that mental health problems are associated with long-term disability, but the impact of milder forms of psychological stress is likely to have been underestimated, say the authors.

Between 2002 and 2007, the authors tracked the health of more than 17,000 working adults up to the age of 64, who had been randomly selected from the population in the Stockholm area.

All participants completed a validated questionnaire (GHQ-12) at the start of the study to measure their mental health and stress levels, as well as other aspects of health and wellbeing.

Cannabis addiction: Colossal mental health problem

“I will not be a slave of any appetite.”

Lord Byron

Cannabis is an illicit and also a dangerous drug. According to Police reports cannabis usage in Sri Lanka is increasing. A large number of people use cannabis day-to-day basis in rural and urban areas. Many consider cannabis is a harmless also an Aurvedic preparation which cause no harm to the human body.

This is totally a misconception. The empirical findings indicate that cannabis abuse can cause severe psychological as well as sociological ill effects despite this misconception. Drug awareness as well as health education is needed to eradicate such misconceptions in the society.

Serious adverse effects of Cannabis have been reported. Among the adverse effects dependence on Cannabis, adolescent developmental problems, permanent cognitive impairment as well as development of psychosis are evident. Prolonged use of cannabis can lead to depression, lack of volition and a history of gradually deteriorating social ability and contact with others. People who are addicted to cannabis suffer from very poor memory and concentration.

World Cup semi-finals: President invites N Zealand PM

PM John Key

President Rajapaksa

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday extended an invitation to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to watch the Cricket World Cup semi-finals between the two teams in Colombo tomorrow, President’s Media Director General Bandula Jayasekera said.

Sri Lanka faces New Zealand in the semi-final in a day-night encounter at the R Premadasa Stadium after defeating England in the quarter-finals, by 10 wickets at the same venue, Saturday.

Meanwhile, foreign media reported that Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani Sunday accepted his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh’s invitation to watch the World Cup semi-final between the cricket teams of the two countries at Mohali on March 30.

RS / DN

Re-smelling Romeo's rose

A scene from Romeo and Juliet

The works of William Shakespeare are foundational to the discourse(s) of English literature. The works of the 'bard of Avon' have stood the test of time to be treasured as carrying 'eternal truths' that explore human nature and the ways of the world, and thereby deliver sagely teachings couched in the beauty of poetic language. Many are the lines from his plays that are still quoted in an everyday situation in the manner of an aphorism; and it is one such Shakespearean line that I wish to make the focus of this article.

More foreign universities here soon - Dr. Navaratne

Sri Lanka has been identified as an emerging and most cost effective educational hub in Asia at an international seminar on “Going Global 2011” held in Hongkong.

The representatives of United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hongkong, Malaysia, India and Russia who participated in this international event have shown their keen interest to come to Sri Lanka to establish their universities, Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

Hereafter… For The Believers

The only certainty a human being has in life is that one day, he or she will die.
Some will be taken away too young, others will suffer tragic deaths while the fortunate ones will grow older though decaying bodies and loneliness as your loved ones pass away hardly seems like an enticing prospect to live a long life!

For a handful of lucky ones, age means nothing and despite turning 80, actor/director Clint Eastwood has once again surprised many with the theme of his latest film  Hereafter which is his version  of what ‘may’ happen after death.

Though Matt Damon’s face covers the entire poster of the film, probably more for marketing purposes than anything else, he is actually one of the three main characters of Hereafter. The film follows the story of three separate people who have had to deal with death, grief and loss. Never does Eastwood impose an idea on his viewers nor does he claim to know exactly what happens ‘next’ and offer a textbook explanation of the afterlife.

The film begins with a chilling tsunami sequence in an Indonesian beach town. Marie (Cecile de France) is a well known  French television journalist who is on holiday with her married lover and colleague Didier. Set to leave in a few hours, she reminds him that he has to go and buy presents for his kids. When he shows little motivation to do so, Marie sets of to do the shopping and while she is purchasing some souvenirs, the gigantic wave swallows her up. She is pulled out of the water by a rescue team and left for dead. But while she is being given CPR, we experience what she sees: bright lights and the image of the mother and daughter who ran the little souvenir stand.

ඡායාවකි එය මායාවකි එය සසර පුරා ඔබ ඈතට ඇදුණා

රූස්ස ගහ ළඟ පාළු මාවතේ

කළුවර යාමේ කළු ගඟ අයිනේ

කවුරුද ඈතින් මා අමතන්නේ

ඔබේ සුවඳ දෝ හිත දැවටෙන්නේ

එහා තොටින් ඔබ පාරුව පැදගෙන

මෙහා තොටට එයි මා හමුවන්නට

දෙදෙනා පෙම් කළ මේ ගං තොටුපළ

සිහින නගරයකි ඔබ මා වෙන්කළ

පාරුව පෙර මෙන් ගහ මැද පෙනුණා

පියවර හඬ මා අසලම ඇසුණා

ඡායාවකි එය මායාවකි එය

සසර පුරා ඔබ ඈතට ඇදුණා

පද රචනය - උපාලි ධනවල විතාන

ගායනය - විජය කුමාරණතුංග

සංගීතය - සරත් දසනායක

මේ ගීතය මා තෝරාගත්තේ පද රචනාවක අසිරිය ඔබ සමඟ බෙදාගන්නට ම නොවේ. අප අතරින් මැකී ගිය අමරණීය හඬක් සිහිගන්වමින් ශෝකයෙන් උපත ලබන මතක ආස්වාදයක යෙදීමටයි. මොහොතකට මම විජය කුමාරණතුංගයන් ගේ දේශපාලන චරිතය අමතක කරමි. ඒ මා ඔහුගේ දේශපාලනය ප්‍රතික්‍ෂේප කරන නිසා නොවේ.
දේශපාලනයේ දී විජය අයිති වූයේ එක්තරා පිරිසකට පමණි. එහෙත් කලා ලෝකයේදී විජය අප සියලු දෙනාගේ ම ආදරණීය කලාකරුවෙකි. ආදරණීය මිනිසෙකි. ඒ නිසා “දඟගෙයි දඬුවම්” වැනි නිර්මාණයක් හිතාමතාම මඟ හැර කලාතුරකින්වත් අපේ නාලිකාවල අද නෑසෙන මේ ශෝකී ගීතය තෝරා ගතිමි.
සමාජයෙ හි මෙන්ම කලාකෘතීන්හි ද සියල්ල අභිබවා ගෙන විජය නැමැති මිනිසා මතුවන නිසා මම ඔහු ගැන වචන කීපයක් සටහන් කරමි.

විජය කුමාරණතුංග

විජය වැනි මිනිසකු යළි ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ උපදී යැයි මම විශ්වාස නොකරමි. ආකර්ෂණීය සුන්දර බව, මිනිස් කම, රංගනය, කටහඬ, ගායනය, කථිකත්වය, පෞර්ෂත්වය ආදි සියල්ල මිනිසකුට එක්වර දායාද කරන්නේ ඉතා කලාතුරකිනි. වාසනාවට හෝ අවාසනාවට විජයට ඒ සියල්ල පිහිටා තිබිණි. ඔහු වැන්නකුට වෙඩිතබා මරා දැමිය හැක්කේ, ඊර්ෂ්‍යාවෙන් අන්ධ වූ ම්ලෙච්ඡ ඝාතකයකුට හෝ උන්මත්තකයකුට පමණි. එහෙත් සියල්ල සිදු වී අවසන් ය.

රූස්ස ගහ ළඟ පාළු මාවතේ
කළුවර යාමේ කළු ගඟ අයිනේ
කවුරුද ඈතින් මා අමතන්නේ

විජයගේ කටහඬට යටින් ඇති පදපෙළ රොමැන්ටික් දර්ශනයෙන් පෝෂණය ලද පද පෙළකි. කළු ගඟ අයිනේ පාළු මාවතක හුදෙකලාව සිටින මිනිසකු අපේ මනසේ ඇදී යයි. කළු ගඟ දෑලට කළුවර වැටී ඇති මොහොතක ඔහුට ඔහුගේ නම කියා කව්දෝ අමතනු ඇසෙයි. පාළු පරිසරය ඒ හඬේ දෝංකාරයෙන් සසල වෙයි. තරුණයකු ගේ හද සසල කරවන වියෝ වූ ආදරයක දෝංකාරය රචකයා රසිකයා ඉදිරියේ මවන්නේ ඒ අයුරිනි.