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A quiet moment at Maligawila-BY MAHIL WIJESINGHE Source:Sundayobserver I had a long cherished ambition to photograph the massive standing Buddha statue of Maligawila, one day. That day finally dawned on January 15, 2008, a day before the gruesome LTTE bomb attack that took many innocent lives in the Maligawila, Okkampitiya and Niyadella villages. The day before the bomb exploded, I travelled along the same road and saw women bathing in the Kumbukkan Oya. Some people stood at the bus halt for the bus to take them to their destinations. In Okkampitiya, villagers were seen selling vegetables at the village fair, gem merchants waited for the miners, and farmers rode bicycles loaded with goods. People carried on with their daily activities. It was an area of tranquil beauty with lush green paddy fields and tall kumbuk trees, spanning across the plains, providing the much needed shade. I was back at Maligawila ...