Traditions can be classified as a belief, principle or a way of acting that have evolved and derived from various social, ethical, and philosophical and mainly of religious and theological background. Being a multicultural and a multi-lingual nation, Sri Lanka owns a rich culture along with a deep heritage and history. Even though slightly modified over the generations, people still follow the age old customs and traditions reverently. Many a tradition of the country is attributed to social life although they are carried out in different ways and forms according a person’s caste, creed and position. Throughout the month of April, young and the old alike witnessed and celebrated the Sinhala and Tamil New Year the most feted festival which brings harmony among the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority of the country. A vast number of customs and rituals are carried out during this period strengthening relationships among families and relations.
Perfect atmosphere
Before the season of festive concludes, the Girl Guides Association organized `Aththamage Kusalatha Tharagaya 2017’- an inter province competition consisting of various traditions practiced by Sinhalese and Tamil communities. The event was aimed at furnishing the young girls with traditional skills such as paddy pounding, rice winnowing, scraping coconut, using the grinding stone, boiling of Jak fruit, making Pol Sambol, making kevum, kokis, modhagam, decorating the oil lamp, drawing rangoli and many more. To carry out these events they chose an ancient house known as Polhena Walawwe’ built in 1910. The house stands among the many mango, coconut, rambutan, banana and jak trees providing the perfect atmosphere for the celebration of traditions of the villagers.
“This is year Girl Guides Association celebrates hundred years in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association, a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girls Scouts was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1917 by Methodist Missionaries. Being a Methodist school, Girls High School Kandy became the place to commence the movement. Girl Guides Association had two major events to celebrate the centenary under the tag line `1000 days to 100 years’. We honoured and recognized the leaders who had been volunteers from their young age to old. The centenary grand awards ceremony was held in February at the BMICH. Then we had a huge rally with the participation of 6,000 girl guides at Bogambara grounds. It was a clourful pageant and a giant birthday cake of 330 kilo grammes was made by a girl guide to celebrate the event,” Deputy Chief Commissioner, SGGA, Visaka Tillekeratne said.
“We have a duty to develop the individual guide. We want to give a place to the girl child to grow up in her own atmosphere and become a future leader. She needs to come out on her own without any fear with independent thinking. Once a girl joins our movement, she remains our responsibility as a Girl Guide” she added.
Tillekeratne added that this event was organized to impart the traditional skills women possessed. “At this event both Sinhalese and Tamil students have to learn the skills that are unique to both cultures. A Tamil girl guide should know to make traditional Sinhalese food items while the Sinhalese girl guides learn to make modhagam. In this way we assist in preserving the traditions without even a seed of disharmony keeping up with the Guides’ policy of living in harmony,” she said.
“The movement has been empowering girls and young women for a centenary and spans over all nine provinces. It is open to girls and women from all walks of life irrespective of caste, religion and race. Our projects are based on values and are society oriented. They offer non formal educational programmes focusing on community development, environmental awareness, primary healthcare, drug abuse, prevention of girl child, adolescent pregnancies, HIV/AIDS and integration of differently abled into normal society. They stress on leadership training to encourage girls and young women to make their own choices in decision making at all levels,” Tillekeratne added.
Exemplary person
“Aththamma at this event is attributed to Sirimavo Bandaranaike who holds a record unmatched by any person in this country and for that matter in the world as the world’s first woman Prime Minister. She was a girl guide during her education at St. Bridget’s Convent from 1924 to 1934 and ran the senior guides company at the convent. She was an exemplary person who enriched her life with the skills learnt as a guide throughout her life,” she said.
The chief guest at the event was Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the Former President of Sri Lanka who at present chairs the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation which formulates and implements policies and programmes to build national unity and reconciliation. As the daughter of the world’s first woman prime minister and herself being the first woman President of Sri Lanka, she reminisced how Sirimavo Bandaranaike used to make traditional Sri Lankan dishes during their young days. “She knew how to make the traditional curries and mastered embroidery and sewing. She had exposure to many political leaders, visiting dignitaries and foreign diplomats during her life time, and she played the hospitable, charming hostess whenever it was needed. These talents and qualities must have been mustered her by being a girl guide in her school,” President Kumaratunga said.
Empowered confidence
“Her education at the St. Bridget’s Convent under the catholic nuns molded her life even though she was a devout and a practicing Buddhist. Being an active girl guide undoubtedly prepared her for effectively tending a home and raising a family and also in being a remarkable character in her political career,” Former President added.
She also said that the impact Sirimavo Bandaranaike had on the politics of the country was enormous. “She was stern in her decisions. Nobody could change her decisions. Sirimavo Bandaranaike had been a keen social worker since her youth and she had visited poor villages to try to raise living standards of the women,” President Kumaratunga said.
Former President also commended the valuable service rendered to the society by the Girl Guides Association and encouraged the young guides to continue to equip themselves with skills and there by empowering themselves to emerge as future women leaders of the country.
Few girl guides clad in camp uniform who were taking part the competition also shared their ideas. Tashya Stefeni, 17 and Dasuni Nirmani, 17 from Sapugaskanda Visaka Vidyalaya said the skills they acquire through the projects and camps give them the confidence to face life. “We visit homes for the elders, clean temples and participate in lot of society oriented activities. They enrich our lives. We also learn to handle daily chores of a woman such as cooking and washing our own clothes. It prepares us to be better in the future,” they said.
“Girl Guides is all about surviving with what you have. When we go for camps we boil water in tins and make snacks for ourselves. We learn to put up tents and we are given minimum things to manage. Camps and hikes give us vast experience. We also get to interact with guides from other parts of the island which makes us get to know their cultures and ideas. Not only locally but we also go on tours to other countries which gives us the international exposure. Overall it helps us develop our skills and prepares us to survive where ever we may be,” Yadusha Ravindran, 14 and Isuri Chandrasiri, 14 of Lyceum International College said.
Girl Guides Association have lined up several other events such as the Vesak festival and an international camp in Ampara District to celebrate their centenary year. 
Scraping coconut
Add new comment