• Over to you, Treasury Secretary

• Lalith - Our own 'Muhammad Yunus'

• Nirvana - Is it impossible?
  
  
  Over to you, Treasury Secretary

Sri Lanka is among a handful of countries in the world having a chequered and recorded history of a civilization which existed for over 2500 years, as is evident from numerous ancient manuscripts punctuated with rock inscriptions, carvings and edifices.

Any form of violence to these ancient monuments is sacrilegious and resisted by the right-thinking people who have developed an innate penchant to protect them for future generations. There is a general concern among our people to protect our ancient heritage from vandals. The outlook of our peers, clergy and the elders is to treat anything old as gold.

Apart from antique artefacts, the country is proud of some of its age-old institutions that have survived the test of time for over centuries. One such financial institution is the Public Service Mutual Provident Association (P.S.M.P.A) which has survived for over 122 years catering to the pecuniary distresses of Public servants, with its current assets over Rs. 350 millions.

For the first time in its 122 year history, the Auditor General has refused to give an opinion and not passed the Accounts for the year 2005 due to numerous flaws which the A.G. had enumerated in his report.

The A.G.M. did not pass the Accounts due to the adverse report of the A.G. At the last meeting of this Committee of Management, a resolution has been tabled requesting the Secretary to the Treasury, statutorily empowered, to intervene and probe into the malady the PSMPA has been driven into and to recommend ways and means of reversing this trend before it peters out into another Pramuka Bank.

W. Samaranayake, Maharagama

Lalith - Our own 'Muhammad Yunus'

With accolades and bouquets being showered on the Bangladeshi Nobel Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, it is difficult to be silent about our own citizen Lalith, the Father of the Poor, along with his charismatic wife Sicille, who loom quietly and generously over the unfortunate and the neglected of our island nation.

The concept of helping the poor and supporting Sri Lankan entrepreneurship, has been flowing in his veins from his early days.

Adopting the revolutionary Village Banking System from Muhammad Yunus's Grameen concept, he has gone deep into the poverty stricken, tsunami ridden areas with his vision to provide financial services to the poor who are unable to raise collaterals and guarantees, but have a repayment rate of over 90%, which is more than what is attributed to merchant lending to the so called elite of Colombo business.

Lalith's generosity and his unadulterated vision to uplift the poor masses of our country is seen on a small-scale outside the office of The Finance along Duplication Road every Sunday, and on a large scale, everyday of the year.

His respect for Sri Lankan entrepreneurship is unending. The numerous instances where he has genuinely helped struggling Sri Lankan entrepreneurs to get going, is well known, regardless of the times that his lower rung associates tried to scuttle Lalith's good intentions and regardless of the envies and jealousies that are thrown in his way for personal reasons even unknown to him.

He is steadfast in his vision and dedication to the people of this country. As a successful man, he does not need accolades and bouquets thrown at his feet. However, it is sadly obvious that our country has not made use of his ingenuity and God-given talent.

It is time that the government of Sri Lanka takes advantage of his financial knowledge with his keen sense of duty and acumen to the masses, and use this man, Citizen Lalith to advise the government in its desire to upgrade the living standards and utilize the vitality of the poor that is lying dormant, due to the inability to ignite economic growth among them.

Chandran Rutnam, Colombo

Nirvana - Is it impossible?

This is with reference to the comment made by Mr. Nihal Ratnayake, in the Sunday Observer of 17th September, 2006, where following views expressed earlier by another, on how difficult it is to attain Nirvana, he had expressed his view, as set out below:

"'Nirvana presupposes your presence enjoying your absence'

That is not difficult, it's impossible."

We can ask ourselves what is impossible?

Centuries ago before the trains or motor vehicles were invented and air travel was thought of only for birds, maybe, our ancestors considered travelling a distance of 100 miles in about 3 hours - 'impossible'. It was a distance that would have taken them many days.

May be, before the invention of the electric bulb, to think, that by just pressing a little switch, you could dispel the darkness - surely that was 'impossible'.

Many centuries ago, before the invention of the telephone systems and it's modern advancements today, the very thought that we could speak to someone who is far, far away and even on the other side of the world, within minutes, was - 'impossible'.

A century ago to think that man could go to the moon - that was 'impossible'.

So, it seems there appears to be nothing that is impossible.

Nirvana, as I understand it, would be when suffering ceases with the cycle of births. That is, when the cycle of birth followed by unsatisfactory existence, suffering, death and birth once again need not be faced.

Nirvana, as I understand it, would be, when that force - that karmic force is free, when there is no karma for it to forge ahead. A mental state, free of all defilements, which most of us may never experience but nevertheless, not impossible.

So let us not say achieving Nirvana is impossible. It is just an aspect that we, that gentleman, myself and probably many others too, would have a long way to go before we could, let alone achieve it, even understand it's real significance.

Ms S. Vino, Colombo 8