The Sri Lanka Light Infantry’s (SLLI) pet fund-raising project, ‘Paabala Melaa’ that stupefied Hikkaduwa denizens for continuous five days with mega entertaining features, drew to a close on Monday (23), followed by a mammoth musical extravaganza that dragged into late small hours.
Stunningly successful mega Carnival plus the Trade Fair that met with huge success, providing a string of gripping melodramatic spectacles, coloured with Army acrobatics, mini-tattoos, entertained and musical shows, food courts and a multitude of different informative and entertaining commercial demonstrations, was attended by Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, Commander of the Army on the final day as the Chief Guest at the invitation of the SLLI Colonel of the Regiment.
Funds, thus generated through this project are to be used for completion of the state-of-the-art SLLI war memorial under construction at Panagoda and for other welfare work of the families of fallen War Heroes, disable and serving members of the SLLI Regiment.
‘Paabala Melaa’ began on December 19 and attracted a record crowd on all five days, beginning at 2.00 p.m.
The event, a conceptual notion, proposed by Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, Commander of the Army who was the former Colonel of the Regiment, was organized by Major General Amal Karunasekara, Colonel of the Regiment, SLLI with the support of all SLLI senior officers and other ranks.
Popular music bands Flash Back, Bachi Susan with Fire, Seeduwa Sakura, City Creek and Marians, added a big thrill on all five days respectively, together with a host of vocalists on each day. Amali and Star Dance, Sensation, Omaya, Ranganavo and Rangeena dancing ensembles performed to the melodies of the bands, adding colour and amusement on all five days.
A mega ‘Paabala Melaa’ lottery draw, the first one drawn by the Commander himself, gifted a Dimo Batta lorry, a three-wheeler, a motorbike, an LED television, an air ticket to India, plus 30 other consolation prizes to the winners against the Rs 100/= ticket bought for admission to the ‘Paabala Melaa’ premises.
Colonel (Rtd) Mahindarathna Thennakoon, Director Marketing, Melwire Rolling (Pvt) Ltd, Mr Sudewa Hettiarchchi, Director News, ABC Network, Mr Sujith Pathirannaha, Assistant General Manager, (Brand and Promotion) Vijeya Publications Ltd, Mr Vinod Mallikarachchi, Assistant Marketing Manager (Activation), Cargills Quality Foods Ltd and Mr Ranjith Edirisinghe, Manager Special Event, Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd, jointly sponsored the whole project.
The SLLI, the oldest regiment of the Army during the fight against terrorism and defence of the motherland, has carved a niche for itself as the wing that fought fearlessly at ground level, enabling all other troops to follow and fight against terrorists during humanitarian operations.
A total of 3801 SLLI officers and other ranks laid their lives in the name of their motherland and the SLLI with this new War Hero cenotaph, plans to immortalize their memory, along with a brief description on each and every fallen War Hero.
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