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Sri Lanka– What have they done? It is a paradise misplaced – By Captain Elmo Jayawardena Our island was called Lanka in pre-King Vijaya times. Valmiki’s immortal Ramayanaya had King Ravana ruling the land from the city of Lankapura. That was almost four thousand years ago. The Arab traders termed it Jaziratul-Yaqut, island of rubies. Some called it Serendib, some Ceilan, from which the Portuguese picked Ceilao and the European mapmakers coined Ceylon. Many were the names from the many that came. Bar none, everyone agreed and noted in their chronicles that this Island was indeed the complete Paradise. We never created it. Let’s be honest about that part. We simply inherited. The gods from their celestial dome, in their infinite kindness, gifted this Paradise to us, the beautiful island of Lanka, to the people of Sri Lanka. The privilege of being born to such a serendipitous place can only be ...

Jan 25, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Ceylon, Diyawanna Oya, King Vijaya, Sri Lanka

The Third Side of the Coin – By Capt. Elmo Jayawardena I remember a Christmas a long time ago. I was in my teens; my father was unemployed and things at home were really bad. We were practically poorer than anybody else I knew. But Christmas came the same way, the winds blowing cool as the months changed from November to December. Shops were getting their fill of parent Santa Clauses. The quantum of the celebration in every home was relative to the bulge of the family purse. People were getting ready to have a bash at the birth of Christ, a two thousand year old festivity that had its humble beginnings in an unknown obscure manger, in the even more obscure Palestinian town called Bethlehem. We did not have any money. But that didn’t stop us from doing what little we could to brighten our own Christmas. I remember ...

Dec 21, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged birth of Christ, Santa Clauses

Somebody stole my Christmas – By Capt.Elmo Jayawardena Christmas is special, rather very special. Everybody looks forward to Christmas. Silent nights and silver bells, mistletoe and pine smells, all wrapped up in wishes and kisses and the hugs and gifts that are so very special at Christmas time. Looking forward to Christmas is a world wide phenomenon; the mighty and the humble, the rich and the poor, the holy, the unholy and the super unholy, they all await the yuletide. The “haves” revel and the “have-nots” scramble. Yet a celebration is made, no matter how small the purse is or how light the coins jingle in one’s pocket. I always look forward to Christmas. It’s such a beautiful time. There is always something wonderful about that season. To a point it is imaginary. To be enjoyed more in prospect than in reality. Yet, it is something to look forward to, ...

Dec 21, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged celebration, jingle, Silent nights

Winner of the Templeton Freedom Award By Capt Elmo Jayawardena Dear Friends Templeton Freedom Award was won by Advocarta of Sri Lanka. The CEO is our Dhana. He was there in NY to accept the award . It is with great pride I send this message to you to celebrate our dear friend Dhananath’s leadership victory of Advocarta to win this prestigious award. The link below gives his acceptance speech. Horekale and St Sebastian’s College man has really shown class. Blue skies Capt Elmo Jayawardena It’s a big week for the worldwide freedom movement! People from Argentina to Zambia will be gathering in New York for Atlas Network‘s Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner to celebrate the year’s greatest achievements and to share strategies for accelerating our efforts around the globe in 2023. One of the biggest highlights of #LFFD22 will be the announcement of the winner of the 2022 #TempletonFreedomAward which has six impressive nominees ...

Nov 21, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Brazil, Capt Elmo Jayawardena, New York for Atlas Network's Liberty Forum & Freedom Dinner, Spain, Sri Lanka, Templeton Freedom Award

THE PILOT – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena The UNHRC is in full swing. The ‘merchants of Geneva’ are getting ready to shoot their arrows of justice against the offenders of this planet. Of course, it is done democratically, by honorable people in Saville Row suits who sit around polished mahogany tables and determine by a count of votes who is guilty and who is not. That is the show-piece; but the truth could be so very different. Powerful people call the tune, and the theme is “You lend me your mule and I will remember you when it is your turn to take the stand. Then I’ll lend you my donkey.” We must try and remember the beginning of all this when the powers that were initiated the Treaty of Berlin in 1885 to carve out the African continent. The newer version of protecting human rights was born after the ...

Oct 27, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged aeroplanes, merchants of Geneva, Pilot’, Second World War

What Colour is Your Parachute? by Capt Elmo Jayawardena A few years ago there was an extremely popular book in North America called “What Colour is Your Parachute?” It is a great book that all young people who leave universities from all parts of the planet should read. The contents wise up the reader what they need to do to get into some suitable employment. Theoretically very good, practically too it gets a pass mark, the book certainly is sensible. Unfortunately, it also depends on which sky you are walking under. Third world denizens (living below the poverty line) and 4th world ‘super-stars’ like us Sri Lankans (borrowing money to eat) hardly qualify for this floating parachute business. We may have a few colour pens here and there but who has parachutes? For the first and second world countries, it is a cake walk; come home with your degree and ...

Oct 14, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Diyawanna Oya, Maha Pola scholarship, North America, What Colour is Your Parachute

A clear blue sky-By Capt Elmo Jayawardena Source:Island (I publish this article just so that we can remember how sad the times were during the war for both sides. Let us hope and pray such will never happen again) The one unforgettable memory that Selva always carried within himself was the colour of the vast Jaffna sky, spotless and shimmering in brilliant blue. It appeared as if the Gods had decided to spread a sheet and tucked it taut to the corners of the horizon as if to show off how perfectly they could do things. Off and on there would be fluffy white clouds, being sheep-dogged by winds aloft, harmless cartoons scattered in the sky, men and dogs, trees and castles or whatever a child wanted to imagine them to be. The clouds were seldom grey and laden with rain. That’s how the dry climate came about to roast ...

Oct 10, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Capt Elmo Jayawardena, Princess Kamalakani

It’s time to join the queue – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena Image source : dailynews President gets ousted, Prime Minister gives a ‘walk over’ and Ministers join the soul-selling market to hang in there. Where? Of course, in Diyawanna Oya. Though my senses overflow with the desire to write these stories, I, being a coward, feel ‘discretion is the better part of valor’ and will leave politics and politicians alone. What to write anyway? Things change so fast that by the time I get published the whole fairytale may change. So, I’ll touch on the perennial tableau that is the flavour of the season. Join the queue. This time, to get some petrol into the car, 7000 rupees worth! Saturday (23rd July) I qualified as my car registration had the numeric 2 as the last digit. Someone said they were pumping petrol that day at a shed which was a kilometer ...

Jul 30, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Diyawanna Oya, Prime Minister

HE THAT IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG THEE – by Capt Elmo Jayawardena Let me start by writing what I perceive somewhat as the truth. The last thing anyone knows in Sri Lanka is the truth. It has always been in masquerade as long as I can remember. I have to trigger this parody at the Rogues’ Gallery in Diyawanna Oya. Of course, this is a generalized version as we must admit there are some among the 225 who are honest leaders. The fact remains they are the minority and could be even a microscopic minority. ‘He that is without sin among thee, let him cast the first stone’. I wonder who can honestly bend down and pick up a rock and throw at those who steal? They arrive in their SUVs, Mercs and BMWs and enter the power pavilion in Kotte full of pomp and pageantry to take their ...

May 6, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Sri Lanka

A Trojan Horse in Diyawanna Oya – by Capt Elmo Jayawardena Aren’t we all wondering what is going to happen to our beloved country? Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans are at a bewildering juncture, more like an over-sized jigsaw puzzle with some of the vital pieces missing. Sajith, leading the Opposition says Gota and MR must go, and the 20th amendment should be abolished. That is their unwavering demand. It certainly is an appropriate ultimatum from which the SJB is determined not to budge. That is also the main anthem of the Galle Face uprising, and it should rightly be the stubborn stand of everyone, be they organizational or individual, protesting against the current set of rulers. As I write, it has been almost two weeks since the onset of the uproar that is currently bursting at the seams with rapid expansion. This is no ruckus caused by hired ...

Apr 24, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Diyawanna Oya, Galle Face