ARMY SEVA VANITHA SALUTES WOMEN SOLDIERS

Mrs Sonia Kottegoda, President, Army Seva Vanitha Branch, Sri Lanka Army Headquarters, in a special message to coincide with the International Women's Day (08th March) pays a glittering tribute to all Women Soldiers in the Army who on a par with her male counterparts, contribute to the betterment of the society. The full text is as follows:

“Women in Asia, compared with those in the west and elsewhere, belong to a new generation of role model, mainly because of their multifarious and extraordinary career prospects, spaning from statecraft to literature, arts, medicine, authorship, etc. We know that westerners, for that matter, have always been fascinated by the otherness of Oriental civilization, certainly because of the new vistas of life in this region.

Sri Lankan women on the other hand, recording rare female successes, have found niches for themselves ever since Sri Lanka produced the world's first woman Prime Minister back in 1960s. Sri Lankan woman's talents, unlike those many others have, often go in hand in hand with their age-old socio-cultural ethos and values, because a woman in a Sri Lankan family is an icon of dedication, commitment, motherhood, love and affection, in essence, an embodiment of almost everything.

She has made her capabilities well exposed, earning a name for herself in many international spheres such as politics, sports, etc, to name a few, while proving that she is no longer the usual stereotype of a housewife, dedicated only to carefor her offspring and male-dominated family. In a way, this conceptual change of attitude has taken a longer time in our society, than any other in the west.

Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps also has gradually turned out to be the one and only largest and highly formalized women's outfit in the island. Behind their charming smiles and khaki uniforms, stand their tower of strength and courage that run parallel to their male counterparts in the Army, no matter how soft their fingers are. Determined women soldiers, though dexterous with their weapons, just leave it at that, they are also equally concerned, and if not excessively, engaged themselves in varying civil roles, including areas in the north and east of the country. Not least bothered about gender issues or questions of gender equality or women's rights, thousands of such exemplary Sri Lankan women soldiers, continue to march forward in our society under directives received from their Commander.

Military training, needless to mention, has certainly moulded her well-disciplined soldiering spirit into a formidable and a collective task, infusing all the ingredients, much needed for her unique career and also for the betterment of our society. Their womanhood, filled with challenges, commitment, dedication and service requirements, is a catalyst to the role his male counterpart plays on different occasions.

The Army Seva Vanitha (ASV) branch, under my chairmanship taking cognizance of all those ground realities, has been actively canvassing support to bridge any possible gaps that may remain between their service requirements and welfare needs. The ASV, with due respect to all its predecessors, is proud to announce that it was able to be associated in a number of welfare projects that cater to the needs of thousands of disable soldiers, widowed families of fallen heroes, and all Army personnel in general, by way of house construction, supply of educational needs, offer of scholarships to children, donation of lands, creation of employment opportunities, etc. All those projects, successfully accomplished or undertaken hitherto, needless to place on record, were made possible due to untiring efforts of our membership and esprit de corps in the ASV.

The ASV's vibrant welfare arm has now emerged stronger and extended its services beyond the military sphere, going to the extent of meeting even national emergency contingencies. The case in point is the colossal tsunami catastrophe. The ASV, within a matter of hours after the disaster struck the nation, was at the forefront, immediately organizing relief supplies for victims after the ASV, through an SOS appeal, mustered public support at both local and international levels. The quantum of aid and support it received was overwhelming and that prompted the ASV to despatch many lorry loads of hot meals, relief items and dry rations to affected areas, as distant as Batticaloa and Trincomalee during the initial stage of the tragedy.

As incumbent President of the Sri Lanka Army Seva Vanitha branch, I am privileged to state that the Sri Lankan woman soldier who has also put in a considerable weight behind all our humanitarian and welfare measures, irrespective of her career responsibilities and requirements, should be given her due laurels also in our society on this auspicious day of significance when the whole world marks the International Women's Day today. Her contribution to the Nation, I believe, should not go unnoticed because she remains the mother for the whole earth for ever. ”