RIP A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (15 October 1931 - 27 July 2015)

උසස් අධ්‍යාපන ආයතනයේ දේශනයට සහභාගී වන බව කලාම් මහතා සිය ට්විටර් ගිණුමේ සඳහන් කර තිබුණේ මෙලෙසින්,

What does your favourite colour say about you?

If your clothes could talk, here's what they would reveal:

Red

The colour that stops traffic also signals an extroverted, assertive disposition.

Pink

This tempered red has a tranquilizing effect, which perhaps explains why pink-loving people are thought to be romantic, gentle, and sweet.

Yellow

Evocative of sunshine and roaring fires, yellow indicates a cheerful, energizing personality. People gravitate to you.

Orange

The child of yellow and red takes on the traits of both colors, but with less intensity. Fans are said to be enthusiastic, warm, and gregarious.

Blue

The world's most preferred colour conjures sky and sea-elements that calm and evoke trust and dependability.

Green

Like a wide-open field, green is serene. The balance of warm and cool tones also suggests stability and approachability.

Purple

A less common pick, purple has unconventional, creative connotations. Its association with royalty lends it an air of elegance.

Brown

This rustic colour denotes a down-to-earth attitude. You appear relaxed but also reliable and responsible.

Black

It suggests strength, seriousness, and sophistication (the proverbial little black dress). But it can also be mysterious or sexy.

White

Wearers of white tend to be orderly and fastidious. (How else would you keep those outfits clean?) The color also has a blank-slate appeal; people see you as a breath of fresh air.

Gray

Reminiscent of stone, gray projects coolness and composure (as in a statue). You are the rock that others rely on.

- Sources Drunk Tank Pink; More Alive With Colour and Kate Sensational Colour.

Pic: John Lawton

Inside out - Joy on the raise

Pixar has finally broken out of its mould. Their newest animation 'Inside Out' is unique in many ways. This well constructed tale is set inside the ind of a 11-year-old girl named Riley.

Growing up can be a bumpy road. When the little Riley is born and begins to explore the world her brain spawns new emotions. First comes Joy when she first sets eyes on her doting parents. Then Sadness arrives along with others like Fear, Anger and Disgust join Joy in the control room. At 11 years Joy is the dominant force in Riley's mind. However tings change when Riley's parents leave her childhood town Minnesota to settle down in San Francisco.

The first shock comes when Riley lays eyes on her new home, a narrow and shabby fixer-upper. Then comes the terror of being the new kid in school and having to make a good first impression. Riley's troubles begin when Sadness begins to take over the control room. With just a touch Sadness tinges Riley's formerly happy memories with pain. Taken aback by her new found powers Sadness decides to explore her potential. Soon there is a battle over Sadness and Joy on who will take over Riley's sacred core memories. n the process, Joy, Sadness, and all of Riley's most pivotal remembrances are sucked out of the control room and into the expanse of Riley's brain.

Archived memories

From here 'Inside Out' takes us on a ride of Joy and Sadness' tour through Riley's brain on their way back to headquarters while Fear, Anger, and Disgust are left to play the primary motivators for Riley's behavior. Riley herself becomes despondent. She is not the happy little girl she use to be and even goes as far as to commit the childhood crime of running away from home.

The central crisis of 'Inside Out' centers around the fungibility of memory. Directors Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen envision the human mind as a sort of ongoing board meeting, where five primary emotions engage in the immediate tasks of impulse-governing and crisis-management in front of a vast backdrop of core values and archived memories.

As in most animations family is an important factor in 'Inside Out'. It is not only Riley's parents who make her feel better during her crisis but the movie also sheds light that on and Sadness must work together to restore Riley to her natural charm. It also notes that Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust too can play greater roles in Riley's future by contributing to her core memories. This is signified in the finale frame of the movie when we see that Riley's core memories are not simply glowing in gold as before but are tinted with many other shades like red, green, purple and blue besides gold.

Traces of Pixar's previous work can be found in 'Inside Out' as well. You get mismatched pairings, a support team working to ensure a child's happiness and a journey to get home in this flick as well. However there is freshness in the movie. 'Inside Out' enables the makers to wild with their imagination. The wit and imagery is enthralling as Joy and Sadness travel through long term memory, abstract thought and dream production and hook up with Riley's long forgotten imaginary friend, Bing Bong. Yet the movie does not get lost in its fantasy. Though it takes the viewers through a riot of colour and vibrancy it stands firmly on its theme of taking the the duo to the control room to save the little girl from making a faux pas which will tint her life.

Storytelling powers

Kaitlyn Dias has given voice to Riley. Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Mindy Kaling, Lewis Black, Bill Hader, Kyle MacLachlan, Diane Lane, Richard Kind too do their bit in rendering their vocal talents to the movie.

Pixar has proven time and time again that they have an incredibly deep understanding of emotion. 'Inside Out' signifies their storytelling powers at its best. It has the exact same kind of old school Pixar magic that turned the company into the biggest modern name in animated feature films.

This is probably the pinnacle of Pixar's imaginative powers. Full of bold, original, funny, emotionally resonant ideas 'Inside Out' is the perfect movie to keep your kids entertained this season. Like previous Pixar movies, this movie too is playing in 3D.

Ruwini Jayawardana - www.dailynews.lk

Brave : A delightfully plucky heroine

Tastefully scripted and beautiful to look at, Pixar's latest production, Brave is a colorful fantasy fairytale opens with a touching prologue which promises many great things to come.

Indeed that is what takes place on screen as the movie unfurls enchanting its beholders scene by scene. Set in the Scottish wilds, Brave conveys the plight of young Princess Merida, a lively young girl who is unwilling to let go of her tomboyishness to transform herself into the traditional mould of a princess.

Despite having a loving family, good looks and a trouble-free kingdom, Merida desperately wants to change her fate. The only obstacle that is standing in her way is Queen Eleanor, her mother. Once she discover that the only requirement to the tournament which decides her future husband is to be the firstborn of one of the kingdom's leaders, she enters into the competition to win her right to control her freedom.

Once this attempt fails Merida clings to straw and seeks helps from a witch that she had met in the woods. She asks the witch to supply her with a spell which will 'change' her mother and release her of her conservative views. Of course, the plan backfires because it is not the 'change' of heart that Merida expects in her mother that takes place but a change of appearance.

This turn of events leads them on an adventure which brings the mother and daughter close together. There are some genuinely funny scenes like in instances when Merida has to confess her plan of trying to 'change' her mother to the Queen who, by now, has taken the form of a bear! The triplets' mischief too brings a few laughs.

Though it does not keep you giggling in your seats like the Ice Age or Kung Fu Panda series, humour arises in the least unexpected situations like how the king and his friends manage to climb down from the tower by making use of their garments and the triplets managing to outwit everyone much elder than themselves.

One puzzling aspect of the movie is how King Fergus, his allies and subjects could possibly have not missed the disappearance of the princess, queen and the triplets for nearly a whole day. King Fergus' character too could have been further developed. The warriors also have a strong resemblance to the Gauls found in the 'Astérix' comic books.

Brave's strongest aspect is in it's out of the box storyline. When you see a princess who is quipped with archery and sword fighting skills you naturally assume that she will save the land from some evil invader or supernatural being. However the twist in the tale takes us by surprise because the nemesis seems to be none other than a severed family bond. The visuals of the film are also tastefully presented. Plenty of details capture the viewers' attention so that they would not be distracted from the screen. Directors Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman deserve kudos for their endeavours. They have hit the bull's eye in making a movie which caters to the family. Though rebellious, Merida makes a delightful heroine. She retains her dignity in all angles from defending her mother to delivering a speech which rekindles friendship between the kingdoms. Her character is well etched from her reddish curls to her modern girl views in the ancient world. Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd and Craig Ferguson make a strong voice cast.

This is a heartwarming film about trying to control your destiny. Though it falls back into the happy ending of all Disney movies, it leaves you with a satisfying glow. 

Ruwini Jayawardana -www.dailynews.lk

දෙහදක් යා කළ ඉෂිතාගේ ආදර අන්දරය

ඉන්දියාවේ පුංචි තිරයේ දිග හැරෙන්නේ එසේ මෙසේ ටෙලි නාට්‍ය නම් නොවේ. ජනප්‍රියත්වය අනුව කොටස් සංඛ්‍යාව අඩුවැඩි කෙරෙන ඒවා මෙගා වර්ගයේ ටෙලි නාට්‍යයන් ය. ඇතැම් ඒවා කොටස් දහසකට ආසන්නය. එවැනි ටෙලි නාට්‍යය රැසක් පසුගිය කාලය තුළ බිහිවූවත් ‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතීන්‘ (මේ සෙනෙහසයි) ටෙලි නාට්‍යය තරම් ඉන්දියාව පුරා අතිශය ජනාදරයට පාත්‍ර වූ එකක් නම් මෑත කාලයේ බිහිවූයේ නැත.

ඉන්දීය ටෙලිනාට්‍ය කලාවේ පෙරළිකාර නිර්මාණයක් ලෙස සැලකෙන ‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතීන්‘ එරට පුංචි තිරයේ දිග හැරෙන්නට වූයේ 2013 වසරේ දෙසැම්බර් 3 වැනිදා සිටය. කොටස් 482කින් යුතු මේ ටෙලිනාට්‍යය මාස 18ක් පුරා ‘ස්ටාර් ප්ලස්‘ රූපවාහිනි නාලිකාව ඔස්සේ ලක්ෂ සංඛ්‍යාත ඉන්දීය ටෙලිනාට්‍ය ප්‍රේක්ෂකයන්ගේ ආලින්දයට ගොඩවී ඔවුන් ඇඳ බැඳ තබාගැනීමට සමත්වූ එකකි.

සිය පළමු නවකතාවෙන්ම පොදුරාජ්‍ය මණ්ඩලයීය ලේඛකයන්ගේ ත්‍යාගය දිනාගත් ඉන්දියාවේ සුප්‍රකට නවකතාකාරියක වන මංජු කපූර්ගේ ‘කස්ටඩි‘ නවකතාව ඇසුරින් නිර්මාණය කරනු ලැබූ මේ ටෙලි නාට්‍යය ‘කල්යානම් මුදල් කාදල් වරෙයි‘ නමින් දෙමළ බසින් ද, ‘මොන් නියේ කචකචී‘ නමින් බෙංගාල බසින් ද, ‘ප්‍රනායම්‘ නමින් මලයාලම් බසින් ද, ‘අවන්නු මට්ටෙයි ශ්රවානි‘ නමින් කන්නඩ බසින් ද හඬ කවා විවිධ රූපවාහිනී නාලිකා ඔස්සේ සෙසු ප්‍රාන්තවල ප්‍රේක්ෂකයන්ට නැරැඹීමේ අවස්ථාව උදාකර දී තිබේ.

එය දැන් මෙරට රූපවාහිනී ප්‍රේක්ෂකයන්ට ද රසවිඳීමේ ඉඩකඩ ලබාදෙමින් සිරස රූපවාහිනි නාලිකාව ඔස්සේ සතියේ දිනවල රාත්‍රී 9.30ට ‘මේ ආදරයයි‘ නමින් හඬ කවා විකාශය කෙරේ. ස්ටාර් ප්ලස් හරහා ඉන්දිය ප්‍රේක්ෂකයන් නරඹන ‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතීන්‘ මේ මස අග දී නිමාවට පත්වීමට නියමිතය. මේ දිනවල විකාශය වන්නේ එහි අවසන් කොටස් කිහිපයයි. එහෙත් ශ්‍රී ලාංකික රූපවාහිනි ප්‍රේක්ෂකයන්ට තවත් කාලයක් පුරා නැරැඹීමේ අවස්ථාව උදාවනු ඇත.

දිනෙන් දින ඉහළ යන ප්‍රේක්ෂක ප්‍රතිචාර මැද ‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතින්‘ ජනප්‍රියත්වයට පත්ව ඇත්තේ ඉන්දියාවේ පමණක් නොවේ. එය අමෙරිකාව, යුරෝපා රටවල් ඇතුලු ලොව පුරා බොහෝ රටවල වෙසෙන ඉන්දියානුවන්ගේ ජනප්‍රියතම ටෙලිනාට්‍ය බවට පත් වී තිබේ. මෙය සඳුදා සිට සෙනසුරාදා දක්වා ඉන්දීය වේලාවෙන් පස්වරු 7.30ට ස්ටාර් ප්ලස් නාලිකාව හරහා විකාශය කෙරේ.

විවිධ ඇගැයීම් දර්ශකවලට අනුව එම කාලය තුළ සෙසු රූපවාහිනි නාලිකා අභිබවමින් ස්ටාර් ප්ලස් නාලිකාව පෙරමුණ ගැනීමට සමත්වී තිබීම එහි අසීමිත ජනප්‍රියත්වයට කදිම නිදසුනකි.

‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතින්‘ පවුලේ ආදර කතාවකි. දික්කසාද වූ පන්ජාබි මිනිසකු වන රමන් හා ඔහුගේ දියණිය රූහිගේ ජීවිතයට සමීපවන ඉෂිතා නමැති දෙමළ ජාතික දන්ත වෛද්‍යවරියක මුහුණදෙන විවිධ සිදුවීම් වටා ගෙතුණු මේ ටෙලි නාට්‍යය බලාජී ටෙලි ෆිල්ම්ස් වෙනුවෙන් නිශ්පාදනය කරනු ලැබුවේ කුතුහලය කදිමට උද්දීපනය කිරීමට සමත් ඉන්දීය ටෙලි නාට්‍ය නිර්මාණකරුවකු වන එක්ටා කපූර් විසිනි.

ප්‍රධාන චරිත ත්‍රිත්වයක එකතුවක් වන ‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතින්‘ ටෙලිනාට්‍යමාලාවේ ඉෂිතාගේ චරිතය ඉන්දීය පුංචි තිරයේ සුරූපි නිළියක වන දිව්‍යංකා ත්‍රීපතී විසින් නිරූපනය කරනු ලබන අතර රමන් කුමාර භල්ලාගේ චරිතයට පණ පොවනුයේ කරන් පටේල්ය.

මෙහි වඩාත්ම කැපී පෙනෙන චරිතය බවට පත්ව ඇති කුඩා රූහි දියණියගේ චරිතය රුහනිකා ධවාන් විසින් නිරූපනය කරනු ලබන්නීය.

‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතින්‘ මේ තිදෙනාගෙම රංගන ජීවිතය එහෙම පිටින්ම වෙනසකට ලක් කළ ටෙලිනාට්‍ය මාලාවකි.

වසර 2005 දී ඉන්දියාවේ මධ්‍ය ප්‍ර දේශයේ බොපාල් දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ රූ රැජන ලෙස අභිෂේක ලැබූ දිව්‍යංකා ත්‍රීපති එම දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ රයිෆල් ඇකඩමියේ විධායක නිලධාරිනියක ලෙස කටයුතු කළ අතර රයිෆල් වෙඩි තැබීමේ තරග ඉසව්වේ රන් පදක්කම්ලාභිනියකි. රූ රැජනක ලෙස ලැබූ ප්‍රසිද්ධිය ඇයට රංගන දිවියේ දොරටු විවර කරගැනීමට ඉවහල් විය.

අනතුරුව විවිධ ටෙලිනාට්‍ය ඔස්සේ සිය රංගන ජීවිතයේ නිම්වළලු පුළුල් කරගත් ඇය ප්‍රේක්ෂක හද දිනාගත් නිළියක බවට පත්වූයේ ‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතින්‘ ටෙලිනාට්‍ය මාලාව හරහාය. ඒ වනවිට විවිධ චරිත තුලින් සම්මාන රැසකට හිමිකම් කියා තිබූ දිව්‍යංකා පසුගිය දෙවසර තුල ඉන්දියාවේ ඉහළම තලයේ රූපවාහිනී සම්මාන උළෙල කිහිපයක ජනප්‍රියතම නිළිය, හොඳම නිළිය සම්මානයෙන් අභිෂේක ලැබුවේ ‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතින්‘ රංගනය වෙනුවෙනි.

පසුගිය මාසය වෙද්දී ඇය සිය එම ටෙලිනාට්‍ය මාලාවේ රංගනය උදෙසාම 21වැනි ‘ලයන්ස් ගෝල්ඩ් සම්මාන උළෙල ඇතුළු තවත් සම්මාන උළෙල කිහිපයකම ජනප්‍රියතම නිළිය බවට පත්වූ අතර ඇගේ රංගන ජීවිතය එකළු කළ ‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතින්‘ වසරේ ජනප්‍රියතම ටෙලිනාට්‍ය මාලාව බවට පත්විය.

පුංචි තිරයේ වඩාත්ම ආදරය දිනාගත් නිළිය බවට පත්වූ දිව්‍යංකා මේ වනවිට ඉන්දියාව පුරා ජනහද බැඳගත් විසිත්ත කාමරයේ කාගෙත් කතාබහට ලක්වූ චරිතයකි.

‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතින්‘ ටෙලිනාට්‍ය මාලාවේ ප්‍රේක්ෂක සිත් ඇඳ බැඳ තබාගැනීමට සමත්වූ සෙසු චරිත ද්විත්වය වන්නේ රමන් හා ඔහුගේ දියණිය රූහිය.

කල්කටා නුවරින් රංගනයට එක්වූ ප්‍රකට ටෙලි නාට්‍ය නළු කරන් පටේල්ගේ රංගන ජීවිතය වඩාත්ම කැපී පෙනෙන එකක් බවට පත්වූයේ රමන් කුමාර් භල්ලාගේ චරිතයත් සමගය. පසුගිය වසරේ ‘සී ගෝල්ඩ් රූපවාහිනී සම්මාන උළෙලේ හොඳම නළුවා ලෙස ඔහු සම්මානයට පාත්‍රකළ රමන් කුමාර් භල්ලාගේ චරිතයට ලැබී ඇත්තේ අසීමිත ජනප්‍රියත්වයකි.

එය ඉන්දීය ටෙලිනාට්‍ය නළුවකු ලැබූ ඉහළම ජනප්‍රියත්වය බව කියැවේ. වසර 2000 දී රංගන ජීවිතය ඇරැඹූ කරන් පටේල්ට මේ වනවිට විකාශය වන තවත් මෙගා ටෙලි නාට්‍ය දෙකක ප්‍රධාන චරිතය රඟ දැක්වීමේ අවස්ථාව හිමිවූයේ ‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතින්‘ ටෙලිනාට්‍ය මාලාව හරහාය.

රමන් - ඉෂිතා යුවළගේ දියණිය රූහි ලෙස ‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතින්‘ ටෙලිනාට්‍ය මාලාවේ කාගෙත් ආදරය දිනාගත් කුඩා දැරිය රුහනිකා ධවාන්ය. පසුගිය වසරේ ‘ස්ටාර් පරිවාර් රූපවාහිනි සම්මාන උළෙලේ හා 13වැනි ඉන්දියානු ටෙලිනාට්‍ය සම්මාන උළෙලේ දී වසරේ ජනප්‍රියතම ළමා නිළියට හිමි සම්මානය දිනාගත් රුහනිකා මේ වසරේ දී එම රංගනය උදෙසා දෙවැනි වරටත් ස්ටාර් පරිවාර් රූපවාහිනි සම්මාන උළෙලේ ජනප්‍රියතම ළමා නිළිය ලෙස අභිෂේක ලැබුවාය.

‘යේ හයි මොහොබ්බතින්‘ ඉන්දීය පුංචි තිරයේ විශිෂ්ටතම නිර්මාණය නොවූව ද එය එරට ජනජීවිතයට බලපෑම් කරවන්නට තරම් සමත්වූ එකකි.

එකිනෙකට වෙනස් සංස්කෘතීන් දෙකක ආදර අන්දරයක මහිමය විදහා දක්වන මේ ටෙලි නාට්‍ය මාලාව ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ රූපවාහිනී ප්‍රේක්ෂකයන්ට ද කදිම රසාස්වාදයක් ලබාදීමට සමත්වී ඇත්තේ එහි කතා තේමාව මෙරට ජන සමාජයට ද පොදුවූවක් බැවිණි.

 

Of winners and losers

Professor Sunanda Mahendra

When the Nobel literary award winner of France, the writer and philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre, came to know about his award, he had instantly declared that ‘even a winner is a loser and a loser a winner’. This philosophical statement remains a puzzle even to this day. But he clarified the statement later by saying that he is not ready to accept the award as it is basically earned money via social evils on the part of the givers, such as destruction purposes by the earner of money had made during his life time via the making of the atomic bomb. He added by saying that he could make his life happier devoid of such acceptance. ‘I am a winner in my own way’ he commented and left a galaxy of questions to be answered

Who is a winner and who is a loser?

This remains to be judged only by ascertaining the physical ways of living in a human society But who is a real winner?

Is it not a spiritual means of achieving a higher state of living?

Circumstantial situations such as, examinations, interviews, sports, competitions, struggles, political elections and perhaps legal trials have given way to winners and losers But it remains to be answered as to whether the process had been an actual ‘win’ during one’s life time

Which is worth winning?

The physical plane of living or the spiritual application that paves the way for a better state of living?

Which enables the winning of ones living conditions?

Can one win oneself in the restless plane of living packed with various types of stresses and strains? My learned friend, the specialist cardiologist, Dr Ruvan Ekanayaka, once told me that most heart conditions are created as a result of the stress and strains one undergoes in the busy life yearning to win mundane things. One who leads a life devoid of understanding the basic health conditions is indeed a loser.

The age old questions are manifold. The sages quote examples of winning and losing when they were enquired by monarchs and emperors regarding battles with enemies. Devoid of any self effort, one cannot be a winner. As such, the actual winning process originates from the bottom of the heart. If so, questions arise:

Who is a winner?

What makes a winner?

How did one win?

Who made him or her the winner?

Did he or she really win?

The same could be asked about the losers:

Why did he or she lose?

What made him or her lose?

Who made them the losers?

At the end of the day there is only a mere speculation of results. This is the winner and this is the loser. But this is reckoned as a mere judgement counting numbers or figures as adhered by the method adopted. The process though is not simple from the point of view of the particular situation which has been declared as regards the stance of the winner and the loser.

Perhaps the lapse of time makes one a winner and/or a loser. The idling process will never declare a winner. The plans ahead and the strategies one lays down help to win a particular situation as laid down above. ‘Slow and steady wins the race’ goes the Aesopian dictum revolved round the tale of the ‘hare and the tortoise’. The pundits will argue that this can never ever happen, as it is not realistic for a tortoise to win a race.

But the most significant factor is the steadiness it underlines on the part of the tortoise. Steadiness is a strategy that is laid down the centuries in the process of teaching patience necessary for winning. During the aftermath of the Second World War, a book came out written by a well known popular positive thinker Dale Carnegie titled as ‘how to win friends and influence people’.

This was an attempt to cull examples from actual social factors and situations pertaining to the winning or the overcoming of the physical plane of living conditions such as decision-making, excitement, agony and unhappiness.

The teachers of the day recommended this popular book to be read by their pupils. Business magnates obtained quite a number of answers and advice to their business dealings via these teachings that came as model exercises drawn from actual human situations. Most elections around the world are won in keeping with the campaigns popularly known as ‘election campaigns.’ There are multi dimensional ways of winning an election.

Some say, ‘we are going to win the election by addressing the conscience of the masses’. This is perceived as the noblest concept elaborated as one segment in the campaign. ‘In order to win the election we need more and more creative modes of communicating the intended message’ goes yet another winning formula. Some people used to say from time to time ‘we are going to win by hook or by crook’.

Can this formula be applied all the time to all the people? The answer is no. ‘We are going to win the election by convincing the people about what we intend to do’ goes another ideology.

But it does not happen hundred percent in the way one perceives. Sustained efforts in the promotions to the masses play a vital role in the political elections.

In the late sixties I had the opportunity of meeting the late writer J Vijayatunga of ‘Grass for My Feet’ fame in London. I remember what he told me about the winning of the first general elections on the part of the late SWRD Bandaranayaka on his return to Sri Lanka [then Ceylon] from Oxford in the late forties or fifties. It was the ‘winning formula’ of Dr Ananda Coomaraswamy that had spearheaded and had been of immense value to SWRD. Coomaraswamy as an anthropologist had advised him: “If you are going to do active politics in Ceylon, you got to address five contemporary sectors active in that social order. They are regarded as great opinion leaders in that cultural setup. You will see that they are no other than the priests, or the clergy, physicians, teachers, farmers, and workers.

You need to address them closely and intimately. Either you need to get them down to your place or go to them and get to know them sensitively. So plan the strategy and carry on the intended message to them.”

Bandaranaike got their representatives down to his place. This was the ‘winning formula’ for the origin of the well known Sinhala slogan.

Way down that slogan came to be known as ‘sangha veda guru govi kamkaru’ or the pancha maha balavegaya (five great forces). In order to win one needs a motto or guidelines either written down or passed down orally.

Winning is not easy. Winners have to be thinkers. Winning does not come in idle situations or in a vacuum. 

www.dailynews.lk

The pursuit of happiness

The Buddhist way:

Buddhism teaches us that if we want to find happiness and be at peace within ourselves, we must be satisfied with what we have. Easy though it may sound, but putting it into practice maybe difficult. In the ever increasing competitive world that we live in today trends are changing as soon as they begin, where the next version of the latest gadget comes out seemingly straight away. People are driven to work longer hours to afford to be at the forefront of the trends-the latest gadget, the latest car, the latest fashion. But lurking behind the lives of shiny new cars, flat screen TV's and iPhones is a void, is a huge deficit, and it's not a budget one. Our world is experiencing a passion and purpose deficit.

Then what really is happiness? Dictionaries say happiness is a range of emotions, from contentment to joy. We might think of happiness as an ephemeral thing that floats in and out of our lives, or as our life's essential goal, or as just the opposite of 'sadness'.

In order to understand the Buddha's teachings on happiness, it's important to understand the origin of happiness. As the Buddha explained, physical and emotional feelings (vedana) correspond or attach to an object. For example, the sensation of hearing is created when a sense organ (ear) comes in contact with a sense object (sound). Similarly, ordinary happiness is a feeling that has an object -- for example, a happy event, winning a prize, or wearing pretty new shoes.

The problem with happiness is that it never lasts, because the objects of happiness don't last. A happy event is soon followed by a sad one, and shoes wear out. Unfortunately, most of us go through life looking for things to 'make us happy'. But our happy 'fix' is never permanent, so we keep looking.

You have the power to make yourself happier. According to Megan Willett and Meredith Galante, journalists of Business Insider, the famous US business on-line magazine, 13 scientific studies have discovered small changes we can all make to improve our outlook on life. From writing down the good parts of your day to simply smiling, these social scientists have recommended 07 proactive steps you can take towards becoming a happier you. Those are (1). Be generous, (2) Savour everyday moments, (3) Avoid comparisons, (4) Put money low on the needs list, (5) Have meaningful goals, (6) Make friends, treasure family and (7) Look on the bright side of life.

Let us see what Buddhism says about these 7 points.

1. Be generous

Buddhism has always emphasized the practice of dana, or giving. Giving hasn't been seen purely as the exchange of material possessions, however; giving in Buddhist terms includes non-tangibles such as education, confidence, and wisdom.

And which are the three factors of the donor? There is the case where the donor, before giving, is glad; while giving, his/her mind is bright & clear; and after giving is gratified. These are the three factors of the donor. Dana Sutta:

2. Savour everyday moments

This is an example of another fundamental Buddhist practice - mindfulness. When we're mindful we stay in the present moment, and really pay attention to our experience. Walking meditation, and even eating, can be ways of savouring everyday moments. In being present, we dwell in the present without obsessing about the past or future, and this brings radiant happiness:

They sorrow not for what is past, they have no longing for the future, 

The present is sufficient for them: Hence it is they appear so radiant.

By having longing for the future, by sorrowing over what is past, 

By this fools are withered up as a cut down tender reed. (Aranna Sutta)

3. Avoid comparisons

Conceit or Mana is a Buddhist term. It is defined as an inflated mind that makes whatever is suitable, such as wealth or learning, to be the foundation of pride. It creates the basis for disrespecting others and for the occurrence of suffering. Mana is identified as one of the fourteen unwholesome mental factors (cetasika) and one of the ten fetters (sa?yojana). A mental fetter shackles a sentient being to sasara, the cycle of lives with dukkha. By cutting through all fetters, one attains nibbana.

Though possessing many a virtue one should not compare oneself with others by deeming oneself better or equal or inferior." (Sallekha Sutta)

4. Put money low on the list

In Buddhist terms we validate our wealth creation by giving our money away to support what's really important in life, which is the pursuit of wellbeing, truth, and goodness. The idea that materialism can bring us genuine happiness is what Buddhism calls a "false refuge."

There are these four kinds of bliss that can be attained in the proper season, on the proper occasions, by a householder partaking of sensuality. Which four? The bliss of having, the bliss of [making use of] wealth, the bliss of debtlessness, the bliss of blamelessness. (Anana Sutta)

5. Have meaningful goals

The Buddha's last words were "with mindfulness, strive." The whole point of being a Buddhist is in order to attain spiritual awakening - which means to maximize our compassion and mindfulness. What could be more meaningful than that?

He gains enthusiasm for the goal, gains enthusiasm for the Dhamma,[8] gains gladness connected with the Dhamma. When he is gladdened, joy is born in him (Vatthupama Sutta)

6. Make friends, treasure family

To the Buddha, spiritual friendship was "the whole of the spiritual life." And even though people tend to think about monks and nuns leaving home, for those who embraced the household life, close and loving relationships with others was highly recommended. "Generosity, kind words, beneficial help, and consistency in the face of events" are the things that hold a family together,

Support for one's parents, 

assistance to one's wife and children,

consistency in one's work:

This is the highest protection [from suffering].

(Mangala Sutta)

7. Look on the bright side

Buddhism doesn't encourage us to have a false sense of positivity, but neither are these researchers.

They're suggesting that we find the good in any situation we find ourselves in. Buddhism encourages positivity through practices such as affectionate and helpful speech, where we consciously look for the good in ourselves and others.

The strongest expression of this is where we're told to maintain compassionate thoughts even toward those who are sadistically cruel toward us:

Our minds will be unaffected and we will say no evil words.

We will remain sympathetic to that person's welfare, with a mind of good will, and with no inner hate.

We will keep pervading the all-encompassing world with an awareness imbued with good will equal to the great earth - abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.' That's how you should train yourselves. (Kakacupama Sutta) Buddhism pursues happiness by using knowledge and practice to achieve mental equanimity.

In Buddhism, equanimity, or peace of mind, is achieved by detaching oneself from the cycle of craving that produces dukkha. So by achieving a mental state where you can detach from all the passions, needs and wants of life, you free yourself and achieve a state of transcendent bliss and well-being.

Sunday Observer by Lionel Wijesiri