LW

[by Cheranka Mendis]

Welcome ladies and gentleman, welcome to the day of the dogs. You do what they want, walk their walk and run their run… bow down to the canines and pet them right; they are about to make you proud.

It’s the sight of hundred odd dogs that greet your eyes and it’s that musky, uniquely ‘doggie’ smell that beckons your senses, come one and come all and rally around to see the cute, beloved canines strut their stuff at the Sathutu Uyana.

With their ears standing up in alert, noses up in the air, inquisitive eyes taking up everything and tails wagging furiously while that non-stoppable tongue licking every hand that pets them, the adorable doggies from all breeds- from the silky coated Dobermans to smooth haired Dachshunds, from the short cocker spaniels to the calf-like Great Danes; they await their turn to show off their beauty.
It was 74th All Breeds Championship Dog Show held last month at Sathutu Uyana. With excitement brewing high, the mischievous Labrador Retrievers, beautiful Collies and Golden Retrievers, the pocket sized pugs to big Neapolitan Mastiffs, the ground was a frenzy of dog fanatics, restless dogs and enthused owners. 146 dogs from 25 breeds hailed this championship show organized by The Kennel Association of Sri Lanka.

My personal favourite was of course the Doberman litter that ran around the delineated area not the least bit concerned that there was a ‘judge’ to mark their behaviour! All things said and done, the day proved to be one of those ‘memorable’ days with all the ‘doggie happenings’ to keep the viewers up in their toes.

Apple’s Rudlof Congo
Aka Congo

Breed: Golden retrievers
Age: Seven months
“My owner is Mrs. T. Brahammage. Good for me, she has 10 other dogs for me to play with. I think the last naughty thing I did was eat my masters Rolex! Come on don’t give me that look; How am I to know it’s worth so much! Anyway I love to cuddle up and snooze and of course, a chocolate can charm me into doing anything!”

Zoraya

Breed: Rhodesian Ridgeback
Age: One year six months
“My owner is Mr. Jehan Mubarak. He knows now to never lock me in; wanna know why? Well, one day he decided to lock me in and answer the bell. You’d think I’ll patiently wait inside! I broke the entrance door, that’s right, right off the hinge’s to see what was going on outside. Anyway I love to run around and devour chicken liver and mutton!”

Wenkenn Moonlight
Sweet Ace Aka Neno

Breed: Australian Silky Terrier
Age: One year
“Ain’t I just cute? As they all say, good things come in small packages! My owner, Mrs. R. Godwin got me down from Malaysia coz I was the cutest outta the lot. However I don’t think she really likes my favourite game which is to play with that white roll they call tissue paper roll. And also I love to climb on my masters’ chest and take out paper outta his shirt pockets.”

Melody Maker Aka Sachin

Breed: Labrador Retriever
Age: Eleven months
“My mistress Mrs. Tirimanna says I have lots of brains. Well, it’s not quite hard to figure out how to open the latch of my kennel. You see, she has 12 more dogs at home and I figured how to open their latches as well. So that’s what I do, all 13 of us love playing on her verandah, however it only lasts a short time coz we are not exactly quiet you know.”

Victor wrinkle

Breed: Neapolitan Mastiff
“Flower vases are my favourite dig out spots and much to my mater M. Dahalan’s dismay brooms and brushes with that furry end is my constant playing companion. However rice and fish is my favourite dish and together with my pal Badween’s Lotus I love to go for walks on the beach.”

“See you next year!”

This five month old cute pug or French bulldog, Deedee is a future contestant who has just stepped in with her master to see what she’s up against. Her master Achyut Reddy says she loves to eat chicken and that she’s a little kid herself.
Some of the champions

Ensantos De Vegos of Ukraine

The ‘putha’ of the household, this five year old ‘baby in the house’ won the Best of Breed and CC, for Golden Retriever. He’s a three time CC winner which makes him a champion.

Winter’s Hill’s Queenbee

Is a one and half years and second time Best of Breed title winner in the Beagle breed.

Kodiak Beare of Shakthi

The five year old Christmas present opener won the title of CC in the Labrador Retriever breed.

Spotty

Two year old and all relaxed, Spotty was the Best of Breed from the Dalmatian breed.

Pretty Peate Princess

This Indian imported doggie is only one year old and was the winner of Best of Breed and Best Dog in the Basset Hound breed.

[by Lakmini Wijemanne]

Far away from the main Malabe Road, past paddy fields and after many turns in the winding road at a sudden widening of the lane, Thimala and Jayantha Ratnawardana’s home stands out, with its unique yellow stone wall. Their outer wall made from a different type of yellow stone specially quarried for them, makes a beautiful backdrop to the greenery grown along it.

A closed-plank door set into the wall serves as the gate/entrance to the house beyond. The small courtyard with lush green foliage interspersed with other subtle-coloured plants blends in well with the outer russet-coloured patio with its cement bench. A few steps up from the outer courtyard is the entrance to the house proper.

Joining me, Jayantha and Thimala explained their requirements, when they started to build. On a square block of land with a ten perch extent, they requested their Chartered Architect, Mr. Namal Wijesinghe, to draw a plan for a square house sans any corners jutting out. They both wanted a practical, easy to maintain, efficient household where they could be comfortable with maximum space.

The house basically comprises of the Ground floor, first floor and the second floor. On the ground level, the spacious living and dining area flows into each other with an indoor courtyard tucked into the corner between the two areas. A water-feature set in the pebbled courtyard with two palm trees reminded me of an oasis, for it was so uncluttered and rather peaceful amidst all the other glamourous pieces of furniture.

Sounds of softly falling water adds a soothing ambience to the whole house. The floor is done with off-white scratch-proof polished ceramic tile with walls painted in soft cream and white. The curtaining also mirrors the same colours while to set-off the light colours, the furniture are of a darker wood with brown upholstery splashes of red are added by the table-center arrangement on the long heavily carved glass topped table.

Off the dining room on the left is the pantry, done up with wooden cupboards with a water proof imported worktop in yellow brown hues. The visitors bedroom lies away from the public area with its own attached bathroom.

Long doors from the dining room opens onto a little outside sitting area overlooking the garden from where the breeze floats into the house keeping it cool. A wrought-iron staircase in black winds towards the upper floors, where the bedrooms are. On the first floor, there are four bedrooms with three bathrooms and a family/TV area. Two of the rooms including the master bedroom has an attic with a wooden ladder leading up to it, which are used as individual work areas.

Up another flight of stairs is the second (rooftop) floor, which houses the children’s most favourite room - the home theatre – resplendent with a huge TV screen and an array of comfortable leather upholstered chairs where the family can relax and watch a movie, at the end of the day or during family holidays.

This is usually seen after about 24 to 26 weeks of the pregnancy. Excessive amount of water or abnormally large amount of water is referred to as ‘Polyhydramnios’ .The condition is suspected when examination reveals a womb that is large for dates. Baby’s parts may be difficult to feel during the routine abdominal examination.

Majority of these pregnant ladies who present with polyhydramnios do not have a specific cause for occurrence of excessive amount of fluid.

But if your doctor suspects this condition you will be referred for investigations to look for a cause.

All pregnant mothers who present with polyhydramnios are offered a test to check for Diabetes in pregnancy as the commonest ‘cause’ for polyhydramnios is Diabetes during pregnancy. When the mother is having excessive amounts of sugar in her blood , the baby too would receive high levels of sugar via the umbilical cord. High levels of sugar in the baby’s circulation would result in passage of excessive amounts of urine resulting in polyhydramnios.

Once diabetes is excluded , an Ultrasound examination will be performed to look for other causes of polyhydramnios .

What are the other causes for occurrence of polyhydramnios?

As we know ( described in previous issue) after 20 weeks of gestation, the water around the baby or amniotic fluid is baby’s urine. Usually there is a constant amount of water as the production of amniotic fluid equals removal of amniotic fluid. Generally baby swallows this amniotic fluid and this helps removal of amniotic fluid preventing occurrence of excessive amount of fluid.

If the baby cannot swallow the fluid , there would be an excessive amount of fluid around the baby (‘Polyhydramios’) as the process of removal of fluid is interrupted .

A small chin or improper development of the jaw of the baby would make it difficult for the baby to swallow amniotic fluid and this in turn gives rise to excessive amount of amniotic fluid. A small chin can be an isolated occurrence in a normal baby or more often it can be due to an abnormality of the baby.

Abnormalities of baby’s bowel is another cause which can give rise to polyhydramnios or excessive amount of fluid.

Duodenum is the first part of the small gut and narrowing of this part or obstruction to the gut beyond duodenum is a known cause for polyhydramnios.

Obstruction of Oesophagus or gullet is another cause for this. Sometimes obstruction of the lower part of the bowel can be the cause for excessive amount of water.

Diaphragm is the muscle which help breathing and this muscle separates the chest from the cavity of the tummy. If there is a defect in the diaphragm the abdominal contents can enter the chest cavity through this defect. This condition is called ‘Diaphragmatic Hernia’. Presence of abdominal contents in the chest can compress the thoracic cavity preventing swallowing of amniotic fluid giving rise to polyhydramnios.

Very narrow chest due to an abnormality of the baby is another rare cause for polyhydramnios.

Is there a special investigation to be done to find a cause?

If you were found to have excessive amount of water around the baby your doctor would refer you to have a specialized Ultrasound scan to look for an anomaly giving rise to polyhydramnios. A specialized Ultrasound scan ( Anomaly scan) is an important investigation for any pregnant woman with excessive amount of water around the baby as it is important to look for a cause for its occurrence . If there is a specific cause found, the baby would need urgent attention of paediatricians( A doctor looking after babies) at the time of birth. Ex- If a baby with diaphragmatic hernia is diagnosed before birth , that baby can be delivered at the correct place at the correct time in order to facilitate life saving procedures to be done by experts.

What are the possible complications of excessive amount of water around the baby?

There is a slightly higher chance of going into premature labour due to over distention of the womb. Waters can break prematurely increasing the incidence of premature labour, prolapse of the umbilical cord and infection. Instead of head down position which is seen in about 97 out of 100 pregnancies, excessive amount of amniotic fluid can give rise to abnormal positions of the baby which can have adverse effects on labour . Baby can lie with the bottom down position( breech presentation) or across the womb (transverse). As the womb is over distended there is a risk of bleeding after delivery ( post partum Haemorrhage). Higher incidence of Caesarean section is another complication noted in pregnancies with polyhydramnios.

In ones journey of life he/she inevitably sails through different stages or milestones that demands certain changes in each character and persona. Some physical changes are evident whilst changes that take place in the mind and brain can only be detected through a variety of behavioral patterns. Teenage encompasses a fusillade of changes in the mind and body of any individual. It is these very changes that directly contribute towards making teenagers highly aggressive, impulsive, emotional all at the same time. The environment in which the child lives also plays a predominant role in this regard. We are in this juncture forced to agree with what was once pointed out by Bertram Russell, “…..the sole responsibility of the well being of children lie in the hands of parents and teachers.”

In the event of understanding a teenager, both these parties (parents and teachers) must not forget their own teenage. As a matter of fact sharing their own experiences with the teenager would help fostering better bonding between the two parties. Busy schedule of work on the part of caregivers, enables teenage alienation and isolation. Teenagers react to this with a surge of self- withdrawal (commonly used psychological term – apathy.) As adults we must build belonging in teenagers by reminding them that they are loved. It is of pivotal importance to shower them with ‘unconditional love’ as most of our parents and teachers love them conditionally.

Adolescence is also a time when two neurochemicals decrease in the brain. Serotonin is a natural antidepressant and it decreases for a time during adolescence. Dopamine is associated with motivation and attention and it also declines for a while during adolescence. This means that teenagers are often grumpy and less focused. Only those adults who have some understanding of this would be able to deal with the teenagers productively. If children of this age group are naturally inclined to a certain degree of depression, mishandling their emotions could augment their level of depression and this clearly explains why we should forgive and sympathize with our children rather than intimidating or reprimanding them for the mistakes committed with or without their knowledge.

Development of character is at its peak during adolescence. We hear a lot about the different personality and learning styles of young people these days. It is during this period of life that many elements of character are laid down. It is when you are a teenager that you start a lifetime voyage of working out who you are. These aren’t vague ideas, values or concepts, but rather the guiding principles of how young people will live their lives.

Curiosity and love of learning can be cited as major cravings of teenagers. We need to be in the business of sparking minds and igniting passions in young people. Adolescents are ready to solve the big questions of life. We need to be discussing and debating big philosophical and social issues with them. However, unfortunately our society tends to ostracize them and this type of underestimation could aggravate their frustration. Hence the teenagers must be given the right place in the society. This would make them feel important and indispensable; a notion that makes them psychologically well balanced.

Another aspect of character to be developed is courage. Being prepared to stand up for what’s right, even when others disagree with you, is the basis of integrity. It is also a powerful way of involving teenagers in intervening to stop bullying. This would in the long run help them develop self-esteem.

The way in which we interact with the community at large, demonstrating loving kindness must be inculcated in the adolescents. Underpinning this is the concept that the world’s main religions agree upon: treat other people as you would like to be treated. By involving teenagers in acts of helping others, schools and parents build in them a sense of compassion and the ability to contribute to a better world. Related to this is the ability to be kind to oneself. In the times of hardship and unhappiness that adolescents almost inevitably face at some stage, it is critical to know how to be kind to themselves. Parents can help their teenagers understand that life is rarely, if ever, completely happy. Learning to persist on the face of adversity and to be kind to one self, as well as seeking out help if needed, are enormously useful skills.

When handling teenagers it is vital to keep in mind that they lack in the power of resilience. Having a range of friends is one of the powerful promoters of resilience. A young person doesn’t need to be the most sociable, outgoing person on the block, but having a few social options so that if they fall out with one bunch of friends they can hang out with another, is really helpful.

Teenagers must be trained to develop their character as leaders and citizens by taking on roles that create positive change in schools, clubs and communities. Wise schools offer a range of leadership experiences in which all students can participate in some way.. Involving adolescents in experiences in which they are required to demonstrate self-control, prudence and humility develops their brain functioning, especially in the limbic system and the frontal lobes. Children who have leadership qualities tend to be very sensitive and relate to others with immense respect and regard.
Such teenagers understand reality from that of fantasy and this enables them to live within the parameters of sanity even at a time of stress and turmoil.

Adolescence is a time when two major processes are changing the brain to make it a more sophisticated instrument. Understanding these processes can help facilitate a calmer household and a more productive classroom. The first of these processes is synaptic pruning. Synapses are the connections between brain cells, and we build trillions of them during the first nine years of life. Then the human brain does something really weird – it gets rid of most of them. During adolescence, more than half of the synapses vanish. Most of the synapses that are lost during adolescence are in the frontal lobes, where planning, forethought, impulse control and consideration of long term consequences occur. This explains why, when you ask teenagers what they are thinking, they look dumbfounded and say, ‘What?’

The second main process that changes the brain is myelination. Myelin sheathing wraps itself around the axons and neurons of the brain. This process occurs throughout our lives, but accelerates in adolescence. Myelin sheathing turbochargers thinking, causing the brain to think up to 100 times faster. The adolescent brain can think extraordinary quickly in some areas ( consider privacy, embarrassment and arguing with parents), and exceptionally slowly in others( household chores and in many cases, homework completion.) What this all adds up to is that the experiences that we give adolescents in homes and in schools are incredibly important because those experiences shape their brains.
( just as much as certain changes in the brain functioning could shape their behaviour.) For anyone raising or teaching teenagers, this is incredibly exciting news. By immersing teenagers in high quality experiences we can help them to become smarter.

We live in the age of interruption in which continuous, undistracted thought and conversations are a rarity. In order to address this, slowing things down a bit can be of benefit to adolescents in both school and home environments. Teenagers love the high-action, high-impact world but it doesn’t always love them. Parents and teachers can steer adolescents towards better outcomes by slowing down their world from time to time and providing pause points and time for discussion, debate and reflection.

In families this means putting back the small rituals of life. These are the seemingly mundane, but regular, events in family life that might include having a conversation over dinner, the Sunday lunch or walking the dog together. These rituals are highly protective and foster conversation and reflection.

For schools, this means stepping away from rushing through the curriculum, and planning learning experiences that have rhythm and repetition. Some schools are frenzied factories where the teachers seem hurried, the kids seem frazzled and the parents look anxious. Education has, in recent times, become too much about things of the head and mind and not enough about the heart and hands. Childhood has become an indoor game, resulting in many adolescents being information-rich but experience-poor. For adolescents, learning needs to be social and to involve movement. Stimulating their brain through problem-solving, music, literature, history, drama, camps and sport can be extremely beneficial.

For families, facilitating ‘hands-on’ learning involves getting kids out and about exploring different aspects of life, and planning family holidays and outings, so that teenagers can acquaint themselves with a wide range of life experiences. This means thinking about the social situations that we want our teenagers to experience; giving teenagers responsibility helps them to develop judgement.

However, it’s also important not to overload teenagers with activities. Ideally, adolescents shouldn’t have more than 10 hours a week of extracurricular activities. Parents can help preserve the sanity of their family life by ensuring that there is one weeknight when everyone is at home and the pressure is off. Teenage demands unconditional love and togetherness, so as adults let us be more responsible in handling them. This sure will reduce the varied and widespread teenage unrest of this country.

We must keep the famous adage, “ Your children are always your babies, even if they have grey hair..” in mind when handling our teenagers.

The union between science and beauty have given birth to some amazing treatments. For years most of these secrets were held exclusively by holliwoods hottest stars. But not any more…

Microdermabrasion is one of the more recent skin-care techniques to have crossed over from Hollywood to the mainstream. It’s being advanced as an “instant facelift” — an effective alternative to costlier and more invasive procedures like plastic surgery and botox injections. It is also used to remove sun-damaged skin and lessen scars and dark spots and for treatment of acne, but must be repeated periodically to be effective. Recently, more and more women and men are trying it, instead of pursuing cosmetic surgery.

So what exactly is microdermabrasion, ? It is a cosmetic procedure popular in day spas and medical spas in which the stratum corneum (dead outermost surface of the skin) is gently and painlessly removed with the help of Aluminium Oxcide Crystals to reveal glowing new skin. Crystal microdermabrasion systems are the treatment of choice and rely on tiny crystals that are blasted onto the skin to perform the exfoliating process. The exfoliation not only removes dull dead skin but also goes onto stimulate new skin cells. This makes it an ideal treatment of choice for scarres, open pores and fine lines.

Another treatment sought after by celebrities is Oxy-Jet. With more and more people opting for non-invasive beauty treatments oxy-jet has become a popular choice. This non-surgical face lift is a safe, painless and effective way to beautiful skin. The treatment begins by “Vacuming” the facial contours. This exercises the facial muscles giving it an immediate lift. It also stimulates the blood circulation bring oxygen and neutrients to the skin surface. The elimination of waste is also improved with the draining of the lymphatic system giving the skin a thorough detox. Next a gentle crystal exfoliation removes the surface dead skin leaving it visibly smoother and radiant. This is followed by a jet of oxygen which is used to push various cosmetic formulation deep into the skin. This treatment has proved to be an ideal alternative to cosmetic injections and surgical face lifts. Also effective on pigmentation, under eye dark circles and dull complexions.

Skytrax ‘World’s Best Low-Cost Airline’, AirAsia officially celebrated its daily direct flights between the two capital cities of Colombo – Kuala Lumpur. The joyous and colourful event was kicked-off with a cultural Malaysian dance at the Hilton Colombo.The momentous event was witnessed by Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia Berhad, High Commissioner of Malaysia to Sri Lanka H.E. Rosli Ismail, Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Bernard Goonetilleke.

Colombo which is AirAsia’s third destination in South Asia will complement AirAsia’s aggressive growth in that market besides feeding more traffic to both countries. AirAsia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to two destinations in South Asia – Dhaka, Bangladesh which started in March 2009 followed by Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) in South India that commenced in December 2008. With excellent air connectivity between Colombo and Kuala Lumpur, mutual economic benefits can be expected as AirAsia’s low fares and innovative services will definitely stimulate more travel both inbound and outbound from these two destinations. The Sri Lankan people could also take advantage of Kuala Lumpur as the connecting gateway to over 130 routes in Asia and beyond.

Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia, said, “Colombo has long been on our network radar and we are very proud to liberalize the market to the world. We have sold approximately 30,000 seats since we opened for sale about two months ago. This is indeed a clear testament that AirAsia’s low fares have empowered people to fly. We are excited play a key role in promoting Colombo’s beautiful city and people to the rest of the world,” “We have been promoting Colombo aggressively to Malaysians, across Asean region and even beyond to destinations such as Australia and United Kingdom, in fact we have also included Colombo in our recent ‘Big Sale’ campaign and cross sell it to other destinations.

We are also promoting Colombo on our website, AirAsia.com. We are certain that Colombo will definitely leverage from the huge exposure gained from these initiatives. Our current network already covers Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, China, India, Australia and United Kingdom,” concluded Tony. Mr. Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said, “Today’s launch signifies an important milestone in the field of aviation and tourism to Malaysia as well as Sri Lanka. The launch of daily flights to Colombo from Kuala Lumpur will be mutually beneficial to both AirAsia and Sri Lanka Tourism, as we can expect a considerable increase in both inbound and outbound travel to both destinations, which bodes well for tourism in both Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

”AirAsia has begun the daily direct flights departing from LCC Terminal from August 15, 2009 with the new 180-seater Airbus A320 which are well-known for its comfortable leather seats and wide aisles. AirAsia guests may enjoy easy payment and booking channels: online at www.airasia.com, via mobile phone at mobile.airasia.com, at sales counters in all airports the airline flies to, sales offices in major cities, and through sales agents. AirAsia through its holiday division GoHoliday, goholiday.airasia.com is also offering some great online hotel deals where they may choose their holiday lodgings from over 50,000 hotels to suit their budget.

FLIGHT SCHEDULE KUALA LUMPUR – COLOMBO

Flights From                     Departure/Arrival Flight No Frequency
KUALA LUMPUR – COLOMBO     6.3s0 am/7.30 am      AK 255             Daily
COLOMBO – KUALA LUMPUR     8.30 am/2.30 pm       AK 256             Daily

[by Lakmini Wijemanne]

At an altitude of about 550m above sea level lies the old Senkadagala Rajadhaniya, the present day referred to as Mahanuwara or Kandy. Famed world over for its scenic beauty, Kandy is steeped in deep history running back to many hundreds of years. The Kandy City was initially founded by King Wimaladharmasuriya in the year 1592. Kandy was also the last royal citadel of Sri Lanka until it was captured by the British in 1815.

Nature was more than kind to Kandy. It bestowed Kandy with many beautiful sights. Kandy is a valley surrounded by magnificent hills which while lending beauty, also made it secure for the Sinhala Kings as a strong bastion when attacked by enemies. Any visitor to Kandy would find themselves sharing an unique life experience since the atmosphere and the environment in Kandy is a rich and unique mix of history, beauty and culture. It’s a special city with a charm of its own. Even the city’s inhabitants, their lifestyles, the pace of life, arts and crafts and even the roadways cramped with shops, all lend their unique charm to make Kandy a special city.

The city is full of ancient temple building, handicrafts, souvenir shops, rich cultural practices and rituals and permeating all this, the melodious sounds of the drums of the Maligawa (the temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic) announcing the special pooja offerings. The very air is heavy with the scent of offerings of flowers, incense and lighted lamps at the Maligawa that, immediately upon arriving in the city, all your senses are assailed by these enchantments.

History of the Perahera

One major aspect why Kandy enjoys so much attention locally and internationally is the colourful cultural pageant that walks its streets during the Esela month. The perahera has a long history.
Peraheras (pageants) were held in the country many years ago to commemorate various events. Among these, there were mythical as well as traditional and historical events which were of special significance to the country or to see the help of the deities for victory in war or success in secular undertakings.

The Dalada Maligawa, which houses the sacred Tooth Relic of the Lord Buddha, is the centre of the Asela Perahera. The custodian today, of the sacred Tooth Relic are the High Priests of Malwatte and Asigiriya Chapters and the lay custodian is the Diyawadana Nilame.

According to history, there were four Tooth Relics of the Buddha. One was in the possession of the Sakra (Lord of the six devas/gods) and the second was given to the Gandhara District (present day Afghansitan). The king of Nagas (Cobras) was in possession of the third and the Ascetic Khema who came into possession of the fourth Tooth Relic, had handed it over to King Brahmadatta of Kalingapura (today, it is called Orissa in India).

At the King’s death, Prince Guhasiva attained the throne and when war became imminent from his enemies, he entrusted Prince Dantha with the task of spiriting the Sacred Tooth Relic to Lanka as a measure for its safety. On his journey to Lanka, Prince Dantha was accompanied by a Princess Hemamala who carried the Tooth Relic to safety hidden in the coils of her hair. The relic was handed over to the great king Kirthisri Meghavanna who was ruling Lanka at that time, in Anuradhapura (303-331 A.D.). The Tooth Relic was placed in a casket of precious metal and was lodged in an edifice called the Dharma Chakra built by King Devenampiyatissa in the third Century B.C. The King decreed that the sacred Tooth Relic should be taken round the city of Anuradhapura once a year in the Esela month.

From that time, till todate, the King’s decree is carried out faithfully, honouring the Tooth Relic which believes to bring prosperity to the country and its people. The Tooth Relic had not always been in Kandy. It was in many places – whichever city the present King was – and at last, King Wimaladharmasooriya II (1687-1707 A.D.) brought the relic to Kandy from Labugama and deposited it in the present place, the Dalada Maligawa, built also by him.

In later years, King Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe (1798-1815 A.D.) added the octagon shaped structure to the temple. He also added the lake in the middle of the city, to add to the city’s beauty.

The Process of the Pageant

The “Kap Ceremony” is the first ritual item of the pageant. Following the new moon in July, an Esala tree or, now in present, a jack tree. Which has not borne fruits yet, is chosen as the “Kap”tree. The tree exudes a milky sap when cut, which is considered a sign of prosperity. The ground above the tree is cleaned and scented with the smoke of burning incense and the tree is anointed with a mixture of sandalwood and offering of a lamp of seven wicks, nine betel leaves and nine kinds of flowers. The tree then is cut by the Devale wood cutter who was ceremoniously purified and dressed in clean clothes. The trunk is divided into four (one part for each devales) and each part of the jack tree trunk is then carried in state with drums in attendance.

The “Kap” is (each part of the tree trunk) then planted in each Devale as a vow that the Perahera would be held. Then onwards, for five consecutive nights, processions are conducted within the devale precincts round the planted “Kap” the kapurala (lay official of the devale) walks in these processions carrying a golden weapon said to have belonged to the Deity of the devale.
On the sixth night starts the Kumbal Perahera, and this procession makes its rounds outside the devale walls and is joined also by the Dalada Maligawa Perahera.

The Chiefs of the temple also joins in this Perahera dressed in their traditional Kandyan court dress. Each night, the Perahera grows in splendour and the number of elephants participating making it bigger, longer, grander and more exiting. After five such nights, the Randoli Perahera is held.
Randoli literally means “Queen’s Palaquin”. Up to the year 1775, history informs that the palanquins were carried alongside the elephants, when it was only the four devale peraheras. Once the Dalada Maligawa Perahera joined, the king then had decreed that these palanquins be carried at the end of the Perahera. Incidentally, there had been four different kinds of palanquins in use in the olden days. The king’s palanquin was called “Koonama”, the queen’s was called “Randoli”, the priests’ “Pallakkiya”, the chieftain’s “Dolawa” and the concubine’s “Yakada Dilawa”. According to the status in society the ornamentation of the Palanquin differs.

The final day’s Randoli Perahera is a majestic spectacular sight one would easily not forget. Remembering the days gone by, when the streets had no illumination other than moon light or fire-torches, today also the way for the Perahera to proceed on, is illuminated by numerous Kopra torch bearers which adds a special feeling to the whole pageant.
The main final pageant consists of five peraheras put together.

They are:
• The Dalada Maligawa Perahera
• Natha Dewale Perahera
• Maha Vishnu Dewale Perahera
• Katharagama Dewale Perahera
• Pattini Dewale Perahera.

Among many preparations that takes place on the final day of the Perahera, the most majestic and moving moment is the moment when the golden casket carrying the Tooth Relic is placed on the Maligawa Tusker, an elephant belonging to the Kandy Temple specially trained to carry-out this task. The tusker stands inside the Maligawa. The Diyawadana Nilame walks into the courtyard accompanied by drummers and dancers walking on “pavada” carrying the casket aloft.

He stands on a raised dias and places the golden casket decorated with many strands of gold, pearls and precious gems inside the specially made and decorated Ransivigeya strapped on to the back of the elephant. The sight of this great animal waiting patiently and reverently until all this is done and then with utmost care it coming down the steps of the temple is an amazing and a touching sight to witness. He does it with such care that one feels that the animal realizes the solemnity of the occasion and the reverence attached to it. Maybe he just knows it!!!

The Perahera is heralded finally by the sounds of the whip-crackers, heard in the calm & quiet of the expectant night. Everybody then gets ready to view this most spectacular magnificent sight of all. Behind the whip crackers comes the flag-bearers carrying the standards of the different provinces and the temples. Then comes the Peramunerala on the elephant carrying the mandate from the king giving permission to hold the Perahera. Then comes the drummers creating the most beautiful drum beats on a variety of drums (Davula, Thammattema, Geta Beraya, Udekkiya) and then pantheru and Thalampota players. The Gajanayake Nilame comes then.

He is the head official of the king’s elephant stables. Next is the Kariyakarawanarala who is responsible for all the ceremonies to the Maligawa. Then comes the Maligawa tusker elegantly and magnificently caprisoned carrying the sacred Tooth Relic in its special howdah flanked by two other elephants. A canopy is held over this elephant and white cloth (Pavada) is spread on its path as a mark of respect for it to walk on. At this moment, Buddhist as well as non-Buddhists are expected to stand as mark of respect when perahara Karaduwa on the Maligawa tusker passes in front of them. Two lines of special dancers and a line of drummers playing a special thala, follows the tusker and at the end of this retinue walks the Diyawadana Nilame in all his splendour.

This main temple Perahera is followed by the other 4 devale peraheras, each as magnificent as the others. The Kandy Esela Perahera pageant comes to an end on the next day after the Diyakapana Mangallaya (water-cutting ceremony), the chiefs of each devales fill a goblet with the river water and these are kept in the dewales till the next year. In the evening, once the processions returns to their respective devales, the chiefs were then received by the king (now the leader of the country) to whom they informed that with due ceremony the Perahera had been held.
Thus, another magnificent and enchanting procession comes to an end.

[by Shehara Rajapakshe]

Most of us are very active during our school days, but once we leave school our energies are not used in our day to day lifestyle and thereby we face many difficulties especially when it comes to health and our well being. Sports, is believed to be a very good discipline that moulds everybody to be fit, healthy and trim. Unfortunately we get caught with our careers and often forget this very important aspect in our life.

We often seek for a better lifestyle and try out various methodologies to help us return to our former self. In life, as a woman, we are expected to be a perfect daughter, wife and mother. During these different stages in life we sometimes tend to compromise on an important aspect which is exercise. How many of us remember the last time we truly exercised and had a well balanced diet that would have supported us in keeping us healthy?

We often tend to build our lives based on our careers instead of vice versa, but there are those who build their careers around the families. One such lady who has done this is none other than Nilanthi Dolapihilla. She is a qualified Aerobics Instructress who has dedicated her life to build a good home, a happy family and a very successful career. Although it is not a desk job where you could soar high in the corporate world, her career is different and rewarding in its own way as her achievement is to make people eat healthy meals whilst giving preference to exercise for better well being.

Early days of life

Nilanthi De Saram Dolapihilla studied at St,Anthony’s Girls’ College Kandy and right throughout her life she had two great passions. One was to continue her sports and the other was to pursue on literature and creative writing. She was very involved in sports during her school days, she took part in track and field events and netball. She was the Head Games Captain in school and had a District place in Long Jump and her pet event was 200m and represented school in netball. Her parents were not involved in sports but her father was into cricket. Hailing from Kandy had its good points and bad at the time especially when it came to employment as she opted to join Air Lanka in Ground Handling and that continued till five days before her confinement with her first child, Dimithri.

Doing what she wanted

She always wanted to have her own house and have the ceremony in her own little place. She shared her thoughts on how she even wanted her garden arranged for the special occasion. She knew her husband, Sapumal from the time they were in school in Kandy but they started dating each other in Colombo, once they were working at Airlanka. Sapumal flew for Airlanka whilst Nilanthi continued to be in ground handling. They managed to collect enough money to buy a plot of land at Ratmalana and build their own little house. “Each and every plant including the grass was planted by myself and my husband. He loves orchids and the plants you see are the ones planted by him. The day of our wedding we had a beautiful garden party where the umbrellas looked really great on the green lawn. We were both so proud of our achievement, turning back it was really a dream come true for both of us. I must say this house is not just a home but a lot more for both of us as it has a special bonding.”

Full time mother part time everything else…

Nilanthi did not want to be a full time housewife and wanted more in life and thereby opted to go for something part time. She wanted to give one hundred percent as mother and wife and part time to career, this made her join KLM ground handling on part time basis. She continued this for a period of time but then when she had the second child Dinithi, she decided that she will have to change her career from airlines to exercise, which was always a passion to her. First she went for classes in order to learn how she could make this her career. Unfortunately she was not happy with the knowledge as she wanted more in life. Tarcia Captain at Global Fitness introduced her to the exams from the American Council on exercise, where all the necessary resources were learnt on conducting group fitness.

Examination Content

She shared that it was no easy task to get through these exams instead she had to study like a doctor, every muscle, every bone and the whole physiology, including the rate of the heartbeat, nutrition and weight, judging the age, health etc had to be thoroughly studied. Apart from this Nilanthi said that in order to sit the exam she was required to submit a certificate on emergency procedure, which she qualified at the Sri Lanka Red Cross. The final stage was how to conduct a proper Aerobics class being mindful of the ages, health conditions etc of the group of people your are working with. Although exams are conducted all over the world the closest point at that time for me was the middle east and I had to study and sit for the exams as in Sri Lanka unfortunately we had no one who could actually teach.

Make exercise a part of life

There are three most important factors in life for Nilanthi, which are prayer, family and exercise. She said that if you love yourself these three are utmost important in life which would enable you to go forward. “Most often people tend to overlook on the necessity of being clad in the correct footwear, as they take it for granted and the wrong usage of the word diet, which to most would mean starvation. This should not be so, in fact, it is recommended that eating balanced diets that would contain equal amounts of fibre, proteins, vitamins etc. is the best and I must mention that it is best to eat small amounts of food, but eating a balanced diet five times a day would make a person healthier.

When you work out there are certain myths like using a fan means that you will not get proper exercise but you must have a fan to support you as that would prevent you from getting dehydrated. Often people misunderstand everything related to exercise and end up injuring themselves. I must say if a person wants to exercise firstly they should understand the reason they need to pursue, whether it is to burn fat or keep fit. Also, most often people are not realistic in the manner in which they exercise. They must be realistic when it comes to proper meals and exercise, not start in a big manner and after a period of time to just stop. In stead it should be made part of your lifestyle as I mentioned before. Many women in their mid thirties say that they are too busy to exercise, but that is not an acceptable excuse, you could always get up an hour earlier, exercise for one hour and then start your day more energized, shared Nilanthi.”

It was truly an amazing conversation about exercise that Nilanthi shared with LW during this short spell of time and she will be contributing very soon with all that you need to know on exercise and diet and many other topics related to it. We thank Nilanthi, Sapumal, Dimithri and Dinithi for the time they spared for us and wish them more success in life!