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| Sunday, 15 January 2006 |
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Justice to a memory
Imagine a world where children orphaned by the loss of their parents live as good friends. Imagine then that these friends are of various faiths, yet live in total harmony. Imagine also that these orphans find happiness all three hundred and sixty five days of the year. As hard as this may be to imagine, it is nevertheless the mission of the Happiness 365 Foundation, a charitable organisation run by a family with the will and determination to make it happen. A mother at the helm, taking the chair, a sister who handles the tedious paperwork and a brother and a father who help with everything from running errands to everything else that would make the Foundation a success. Yet this mission to bring joy to orphans of all faiths throughout the year, to provide them with shelter and education, to nurture and to nourish them with the care of a parent, was at first a vision - a vision of Shazan Rali, the brother in the family who is no longer among us. Shazan Rali went to Royal College, Colombo throughout his entire schooling era. When he finished his last exams and began higher studies, he would still be seen walking into his beloved college whenever he could. He was the life of every gathering, the livewire wherever he went. At school he excelled in drama, debate and interact club activities. At APIIT where he studied later, he went one step further, organising the first ever Hope Rocks concert in aid of the cancer hospital and other relief activities as a member of the student activity club. "He was always helpful. He was the life of the party. He was very creative and had a lot of ideas," says younger brother Azim. Shazan heard his call to spread the message of love very early in life. His aim in life was to excel in his line of work together with lending a helping hand whenever he could. As a child he would tell his mother of his dream of opening an orphanage when he grew up and open it to children of all faiths. Yet, he never let his dream blind him from reaching out to those he could still help. Helping the needy was an essential part of his soul. According to his mother, "He would suddenly tell me that we should make packets of lunch. Once I've prepared the food he'll take me in the car and we drive around handing the food packs to the poor. He was always so selfless and caring." She further adds, "He loved his family and was always trying to get all the relatives together." Family indeed played a big part in Shazan's life for he treated every person he met in his numerous ventures as family. He told the 2003 Royal College cast for the Inter-school Shakespeare Drama Competitions who he had been training, "All of you are my friends and all of you are like my own family. If I die tomorrow and God asked me as to whom I would like to have as company in heaven, I would ask him to take my own family as well as each one of you." Drama was yet another important aspect in the enthusiastic life of Shazan Rali. The Royalists had failed to qualify for the finals of the Shakespeare drama competitions for a shameful eleven years. Shazan made the decision to rectify this disgraceful slump and came up with the idea of "Jungle Book" - a drama production that involved the entire school, raised funds and brought forth numbers of hitherto unknown dramatists. The drama society rejuvenated, he went on to make his college emerge as the runners-up at the 2001 competitions and the winners the next year. Shazan also performed to much acclaim in Michael de Soyza's "The Last Elephant" and Feroze Kamardeen's "Animal Farm." His leadership qualities are further illustrated by the double titles of Best President and Best Interact Club that he won for the years of 1999 and 2000. On the 8th of June 2003, Shazan Rali, beloved by all who knew him, left this worldly earth for the heavens above, at the tender age of 21. Shazan always had faith in himself and all those he worked with. As he wrote on the 19th of February 2002, "My purpose in life is to do the best I can do and become the best I can be to the fullest of my ability..... I believe in Me and My ability, and believe that I'm one of the world's greatest and gifted persons." On the 10th of December 2005, as an appreciation of his faith in
themselves and as a promise to carry on his unfinished work, his family
launched the "Happiness 365 Foundation" on the day he would have turned 24
if fate had not taken the turn it had. Friends, family and well-wishers
gathered, reminisced and made a pledge to do all they could do to make
Shazan's dream come true. - R.H. |
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