Page 26 - Hemas_Piyawara_Book
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Looking back at the Piyawara project, The kindness of fatherly Jayantha Sir is underscored. How when they were hosted at a
I feel it is a contribution to the nation hotel near the waraya (port), he advised them to use cutlery such as forks and spoons
when having their dinner. They got firsthand experience in moving about in society
rather than an ad hoc thing which many and this was a major life-changer.
companies do off and on. It is a true Ratnaseeli laughingly talks of how some of them were a little bit hungry (kaganna
beri wuna) after dinner because they could not effectively use the cutlery and the
legacy to Sri Lanka by the Hemas Group understanding and concern of Jayantha Sir who got them strong cups of milk tea
and I am proud to have been part of all which were most welcome. “We got a loku denumak (wide knowledge) both inside and
outside the classroom.”
the hard work. It was worth the trouble
and the effort. Jayantha Sir had also visited her preschool later and
it is with pride that Ratnaseeli says how all the new
songs she learnt during the training helped her to
pass them onto her children.
Ninety-six-year-old Prof. Elsie Kotelawala
Former Advisor to the Children’s Secretariat Appreciative of the national contribution of the
Hemas Group, she adds that her little preschoolers
won first place at an all-island singing competition
by lustily belting out ‘Ude-rayen mal pipena’ which
she learnt at her own training!
An echo heard from all which Chandrani verbalizes
is that the Hemas Group proved that it had true
hangeem (feelings) for both the preschool children
and their teachers.
As each annual training programme draws to a
close, the teachers bid adieu to each other with a
cherished memento and Shiromi reminisces about
2015, when she herself received a memento from the
participants.
These teachers who are not wealthy had contributed
Rs. 50 and coaxed the Polonnaruwa teacher to sculpt
a stone statue of Tara Devi. Calling it her ‘Life Award’,
Shiromi relives that tear-filled moment when she
was handed over the statue with a beautiful poem
The cherished Tara Devi statue. engraved on its base.
18 Hemas Piyawara - A Journey to the Future
