A
massive Autism Awareness Campaign was launched
in Colombo, Sri Lanka by parents and carers
Ivan and Charika Corea.
According to international experts, there are
30,000 autistic people in the island of Sri
Lanka, however there is no data collection so
the figure could be much higher.
Autism/pervasive developmental disorder refers
to a whole group of disorders characterised
by delays in the development of multiple basic
functions including socialisation and communication.
|
Nirj
Deva MEP of the highly influential EU Health
Committee |
Symptoms of PDD include severe communication problems
such as understanding language; difficulty to relating
to people, objects and events, unusual play with toys
and other objects; difficulty with changes in routine
or familiar surroundings and repetitive body movements
or patterns.
Autism, the experts suggest, is a brain disorder
characterised by impaired social interaction and communication
skills and limited activities and interests is the
most characteristic and best studied PDD.
Other types of PDD are Asperger's syndrome, Rett's
Syndrome,childhood disintegrative disorders and others.
Autism is a neuro- developmental disorder - all of us
have neurones in our brains to process thought,they
need to fire in the correct order - in the brains of
an autistic child or adult they don't fire at all or
they just misfire.
That is why you cannot give an autistic child complex
commands.Everything has to be kept well and truly simple.
As in other parts of the world, including the United
Kingdom, parents, carers and autists are struggling
to access public services in health, education, specialist
speech therapy and respite care in Sri Lanka.
What has happened in the past is that these children
and adults have either been institutionalised or they
have been kept at home. The problem is understanding.
Parents and carers have no real information, they don't
know their rights, there is no real help or support
with only one or two schools who cater to children with
special educational needs.
We commend Chitra Lane School in Colombo who are helping
autistic children - they have some expertise where autism
is concerned including access to speech therapy. The
Sri Lankan Government needs to replicate the Chitra
Lane School experience, right across the island.
| Sri
Lanka's most famous "ragsto - riches"
story is of A.Y.S. Gnanam, Who started his business
life selling scrap-iron. with a career that
ran parallel to that of indipendent Sri Lanka,
Gnanam Prospered from his humble beginnings,
todent sri Lanka the multi-billion rupee St.
Anthony's Group. |
 |
Deshabandu
Kumar Dewapura |
Mr.
Dewapura is chairman of South East Asia's largest
garment manufacturer. A newcomer to the manufacturing
industry in 1979, Mr. Dewapura set up one factory
with 10 machines and 15 employees. Within a
short period the company made a big impact with
reputed foreign buyers in both the U.K.and U.S.A,
the most notable being Marks and Spencer. |
 |
Tri-Star now operates 32 factories with a workforce
of 25,000 employees producing 30 million pieces annually
to well known labels abroad.
Ninety-two
years ago, a baby boy was taken to see a soothsayer
by his fond maternal grandfather, who wanted
the child's horoscope to be cast. Having obliged
his client, the astrologer then quickly folded
the piece of paper and handed it to the Buddhist
priest who had brought the child, with the following
piece of advice: "Don't show this horoscope
to anyone. |
 |
The child has been born under the Neecha Banga Raja
Yoga constellation of planets and will one day become
a great man. You will have no trouble with your grandson.
He
will achieve heights you can never dream of".
Looking back on his life and the events that shaped
his destiny, N. U. Jayawardena, former Central Bank
Governor, trail blazing financier and banker par excellence,
who celebrated his 92nd birthday on February 25 in
2002 says in retrospect: What that astrologer meant
is that I would have a cycle of life where every failure
would be followed with success, each achievement being
greater than the previous one".
Dr.
Ananda K. Coomaraswamy |
Ananda K. Coomaraswamy who was born in Ceylon (Sri
Lanka) and grew up in England taught the West the
way to approach and understand the arts of India.
His whole life was dedicated to the study and exposition
of Indian culture and arts. He said to friends who
wanted to write his biography "Assess my works".
Doctor Ananda Coomaraswamy was an unusual man, an
extraordinary man. He was a hermit as well as a householder,
or perhaps he was neither. As we say in Kannada 'Food
did not break his fast'.
Walter Jayewardene is the Director/Secretary General
of UUSL. He is Secretary of the Green Earth Foundation,
Sri Lanka-American Cultural Friendship Association.
His wife, Chandranie Wijetunga, is Assistant Director
of Ministry of Finance and they have two children
active in the UU youth group.
Walter Jayewardene writes: "Unitarian Universalism
is very popular in Sri Lanka in recent years. It is
also popular among the Tamils of Indian origin in
tea and rubber plantations. In the war-torn areas
of north and east we have organized recently the first
Unitarian Universalist Hindu Council of Sri Lanka.
We have inaugurated Unitarian Universalist Christian
Youth Fellowship where mostly Christians are living.
