THE year’s scintillating musical extravaganza, ‘Tharu Dilena Reyak’ organized under the ‘Brave Hearts’ project of the Seva Vanitha Army Branch (SVAB), is to be staged at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium on 17th July 2010 at 7.00 p.m. in order to canvass financial support for construction of Anuradhapura, ‘Abimansala’, the ‘Wellness Resort’ for totally dependent disabled War Heroes.
The ‘Abimansala’, a concept mooted by Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya himself who is exceptionally interested in the welfare of disable War Heroes, is to be a reality soon in a 5-acre land at Anuradhapura, set apart by the government, in response to a request, extended by the Army. On the completion of surveying and architectural approval formalities, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, in the company of Mrs Manjulika Jayasuriya, President, Seva Vanitha Army Branch (SVAB) along with a host of donors and well-wishers laid the corner stone for this construction as recent as 15th May 2010.
This novel project for the well- being of permanently disable and totally dependent War Heroes is to house them on rest and recreation, along with their family members on rotational basis as they wished.
During the initial stage, a total of 50 such War Heroes, resident in Anuradhapura and Kurunegala are to be housed in this ‘Wellness Resort’, situated in a picturesque landscape, adjacent to the serene ‘Nuwara Wewa’ in the sacred city.
The entire project, estimated at Rs 200 million consists of 5 villas and 5 cottages, each with four beds and separate TV facilities. Those villas with four beds in each are designed for disable War Heroes while five cottages are meant for members of their families. Separate units for physiotherapy, counseling, hydro-therapy, library, multi purpose activities, recreation and a lot of other facilities are also to be set up in this complex, an unprecedented construction found in one single complex with all amenities. The management of this special Wellness Resort is to be done by a board, appointed by Commander of the Army while the SVAB will continue to raise funds, share expertise and overlook overall maintenance of the entire project. Public wishing to co-operate are requested to deposit their donations in the Bank of Ceylon, under the special 'Brave Hearts' Account No 9846021. All contributions and funds, exempted from taxes are to be subjected to an annual auditing. The audit report will accordingly be available to the public online through the Seva Vanitha Branch page on the Army Website (www.army.lk) for transparency.
'Brave Hearts', the project that provides a lifeline to our War Heroes is also to provide medical and other physical therapy equipment to the proposed Abimansala at a cost of Rs. 50 million once the main construction is done.
Since the inception of the project, a number of broad-minded artistes, film stars, and veterans in the field of entertainment, stage management and choreography have been offering their profuse assistance and talents to make the extravaganza of the year a huge success. Chandana Wickramasinghe, Anoja Weerasinghe, Sabeetha Perera and the singing duo, Bathiya and Santhush are among some of those popular artistes contributing to the event.
The cruelty of the war for peace, needless to reiterate, follows on and it was the service personnel who were worst affected due to LTTE atrocities during their sacred mission of defending the nation. Present statistics show nearly 300 plus War Heroes have become totally disable and dependent, due to multiple injuries they sustained during the final stages of the war for peace. Many of those War Heroes remain affected with spinal disorders, brain damages, paralysis, impaired vision, hearing and speech defects, immobility, etc, and some of them need life-time medication, nursing, care and attention throughout the whole day. It has been found that those gallant War Heroes in the absence of various medical equipment, inadequate space, specialized nursing care, etc face hardships and embarrassment both in their houses and elsewhere. The SVAB, evaluating the need for such care reached out to donors and other philanthropists since the day the blue-print for the project was mapped out. Membership in the SVAB focusing on this ‘special community’ that had taken over the magnanimous burden in the name of our motherland, but is now burdened with traumatic experiences learnt that their families too need extra support to move forward in life. It was also observed that social attitudes and approaches to wheelchair-ridden War Heroes deserve an overall shift of perception, enabling all of them to interact with society, like any other ordinary member of the public.
At a time our War Heroes, now working round the clock to transform their country of birth into an oasis of prosperity, those disable war veterans on the other hand look forward to receiving your appreciation, gentle admiration and warmth, as their true tenets of patriotism, have enabled all of us to live in peace and dignity, away from the horror of terrorism. As Adalai Stevenson once wrote; “Men who have offered their lives for their country know that patriotism is not the fear of something, but it is the love of something”. It is our duty therefore to ensure those wonderful patriots of our times firmly feel that they are not at all left out or forgotten, instead taken well care for the rest of their lives. “Tharu Dilena Reyak” is just a humble attempt, organized and coordinated by the SVAB for the successful fruition for this much-needed centre for rest, relaxation and recreation. It is the need of the hour and it is also the bounden duty of each and every right-thinking Sri Lankan to extend support in this direction.
The SVAB towards the end of the last year spearheaded “Mount Lavinia Design Collection”, a mega Fashion Show at Mount Lavinia Hotel as the initial fund-raiser for the project and all the well-known fashion designers in the country contributed to the event free of charge, making it a positive start.
Tickets for this mammoth show, coloured by a galaxy of dazzling artistes and young stars of different talents are available at all major Cargills Food City malls at Staples St., Rajagiriya, Ratmalana, Nugegoda and Kiribathgoda. Tickets are priced at Rs.5,000/=, Rs.2,000/=, Rs.1,000/=, Rs.750/= and Rs.500/= and can be purchased at the entrance to the stadium.
‘Brave Hearts’ is just the beginning of this sacred journey, vision and mission because we all are poised to make their ‘tomorrow’ a better and happier one in exchange of their contribution for the sake of our country.
