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| Sunday, 13 October 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Jak lights up the way by Vimukthi Fernando
Creativity, wherever it is, will come out like a lotus emerging from the mud. Here is another example of that lotus kind of creativity, found at the foot of the Dumbara Manana range of hills. A lamp constructed to show the benefits of jak-fruit. Siripala, a 65 year old farmer from Dumbara Manana is a happy man. He was able to create his own "lamp" in the true fashion of traditional oil lamps, to be lit at the jak planting ceremony held at Dumbara Manana recently. "It took about one and a half days to complete" says Siripala the proud creator of this unique lamp. The material used were mainly from the jak tree - the leaves, tender fruit, and the outer layer of the mature fruit with few other woody exceptions - for strengthening the lamp. The lamp comprises three lotuses at the base with a bird holding a bulb of jak in its beak standing at the top. "Four mature jak-fruits went into the creation along with one tender fruit", says Siripala. His household and the neighbours enjoyed the dishes turned out from the fruit while the outer layer was used for the decoration. Siripala, who had been living in Dumbara Manana for the past 35 odd years hails from Kottawa. "When I was a young man, my hobby was to help those who decorate pandals. It earned me quite a sum of money too. However, after moving to Dumbara Manana, there was no opportunity for creativity," says this farmer. He got his long awaited opportunity, when Ven. Thalagala Dhammagaveshi, incumbent thera of the Dumbara Manana temple requested him to come out with his creative ideas to light up the jak planting event held at Dumbara Manana. The second planting season of the National Jak Development Project's (NJDP) program of planting 100,000 jak saplings throughout the country, has begun. Individuals and organisations interested in the project are requested to contact the Secretary, NJDP, Sarath Amarakoon, Chief Administrative Officer ANCL - 429201 or Coordinating Secretary NJDP, Nihal Abeysinghe - 429268 or write to National Jak Development Project, C/o Silumina, Lake House, Colombo 10. In NJDP's effort to document information on jak, jak-related stories, folk tales, anecdotes and so on are sought from the public. Your contributions could be sent to the National Jak Development Project, C/o Sunday Observer, Lake House, Colombo 10. More information on NJDP could be obtained from the website |
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