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| Sunday, 22 January 2006 |
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Features |  |
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Travelling 'maketh a man' by Ranjan Amerasinghe Travelling in modern parlance is considered as a prerequisite in enhancing one's education. In the jet age, due to phenomenal success in the field of aviation, it now has a track record of being faster, safer and more comfortable than it has ever been in the past. The discerning travellers, especially from the Western countries, who are bestowed with high standard of living, now have a wide choice of itinerary in their finger-tips, to choose from which span throughout the globe. Each year large number of travellers from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and France travel to far away places such as India, Maldives, Thailand and Sri Lanka mostly during their vacations. It has undoubtedly enhanced their mental perception affording them an insight into diverse cultural pot-pourri for their digestion. Tourism, plays a pivotal role in many third-world countries, as, it is considered as a virtual money spinner in its literal sense, and the visitors are often welcome without any qualms. Ironically it has posed some disturbing social maladies such as proliferation of drug abuse, sexual abuse of children, spread of pornography which have zoomed to alarming proportion. In this context, it is imperative to note that the percentage of tourists who indulge in nefarious activities are minimal and the existing laws, prevailing in these countries should be sufficient to deal with such offenders. Travellers who embark on expeditions to countries to which they have not set foot before, naturally bound to be tickled by the sheer diversity of their social norms, customs and cultures not to mention their pristine heritage. It is no exaggeration to claim that these travellers feel that they are a selected few who are led on a pleasant journey to the vestige of an unknown civilisation, which undoubtedly broadens their mental horizon. Travelling enables one to get away from the frog in the well-mentality and to adore a cosmopolitan outlook. In the nomadic social set-up in the past travelling was deemed a must, in which our ancestors pursued in earnest for their sustenance. Hunting wild animals in the thick jungles carrying bows and arrows necessitated travelling aimed at one's own survival rather than sheer pleasure unlike in the era of push-button civilisation. The space odysseys, which can be flaunted as an indicator of the supremacy of homosapiens, are an apparatus vastly developed form of travelling. In which pursuits, man has excelled by launching satellites to the orbit. In this context the astronaut Neil Armstrong's historical step on to the surface of the moon which marked the successful launching of a rocket to relatively unknown terrain remains as a catalyst in the ultra-modern space age. Travelling, from its ancient past to the unforeseen future, is a recipient of an, evolutionary process. The recent developments in which cold war and super-power rivalry has given way to greater co-operation among super-powers, augurs well for the future of the mankind. In this conducive climate space program can proliferate, ensuring man many happy hours of roaming in their spaceships throughout the orbits. |
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