Making it happen

Protecting the unprotected :

Sure, everybody knows a fish is a cold-blooded vertebrate that typically has fins and gills and exists in some substantial body of water, but just how do you get to know more about them? Especially, those who inhabit inaccessible terrain and are rarely seen? Little is known or seen of their beauty, their life styles or of their struggle to exist in increasingly hostile surroundings.

But now here's a ticket into the world of the freshwater fish bringing them to life right on your sitting room wall. Providing an exciting journey into the depths of the cascading torrents, the burbling springs, the gentle rivulets, the quiet pools and the giant lakes (to quote from the cover page) within our country, and reiterating their passion to preserve our natural heritage for future generations, Sir Lanka Telecom, in this year's calendar, focuses on the "Endemic Freshwater Fish of Sri Lanka".

Renowned environmental conservationist and veteran actress Iranganie Serasinghe commenting on this attempt at preserving our heritage for tomorrow says "My immediate reaction at having seen this calendar is that this is a marvelous effort by SLT.

It helps to create awareness. People will realize the importance of preserving what is unique to us, before they become extinct, after which there will be nothing we can do to remedy the situation".

The paintings featured on the calendar, the creations of artist Shantha Jayaweera who has identified several key species of endemic freshwater fish at the Maguru River Basin in Moralugoda, are the results of painstaking hours of studying the habitats and eco-systems of the verdant waters within our country.

It is easy to believe our ecosystem is a symphony wherein the absence of one note will make the entire piece suffer. To save a species like the freshwater fish by introducing them to the public, is to preserve the balance of nature, and it is heartening to note the attempt of the SLT at trying to preserve this balance.

It does not necessarily take a degree or money to prevent nature's symphony from fading, but it does take will, dedication, and creativity, and this year's SLT calendar has got plenty of all three.

Aditha Dissanayake