Weekly round up:

From the mundane to the spiritual

The week that passed away was quite eventful. On the military front the week began with the capture of Nedunkerni and ended with the capture of Mullaiyaveli. The southern theatre, though not military was also not devoid of drama.

The political theatre in the South reverberated with dramatis personae engaged in a controversy over the role of the Legislature and the Judiciary with certain unscrupulous elements trying to provoke a biter fight between the arms of the Government against which the Most Reverend Maha Nayake Thera of Asgiriya cautioned the nation most profoundly.

Two events towards the end of the week, however, transcended the mundane and shifted the focus of the public to the world of spirit (not the one that is measured in degrees and sold out at watering holes). I mean Christmas, the Festival of the Prince of Peace and the Tsunami Commemoration where the dead were remembered by a grateful nation.

Christmas, this year was on a more subdued note despite the fun and frolic at commercialized events. It was mostly an occasion of family reunions, exchange of gifts and blessings as well as reflections on social responsibilities.

His Holiness the Pope showed the way by reminding the world the need to prevent the use of child soldiers in combat and give back their childhood innocence to the conscripted victims.

The most moving episode of the Commemoration of the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 was the re-run of the Matara bound ill fated train with the rehabilitated engine. Our thoughts naturally fell upon the 1500 unfortunate passengers who were trapped in the watery grave of tsunami at Peraliya.

Their lives could not be resurrected. Incidentally it was President Mahinda Rajapaksa, then Prime Minister who spotted the missing train two days after the event and informed the General Manager of Railways.

Four years after the tsunami Sri Lanka could be justly proud that it was able to give back to the affected brethren everything except the lives lost, thanks to the unprecedented courage and assistance of our people and our international friends, friends in deed.

It is also significant that the government has been able to install or is in the process of installing tsunami warning towers along the coast.

Since tsunamis are rare occurrences we would urge the authorities to ensure that there would be no complacency and they would be in a state of preparedness throughout the year unlike the Pallekele Disaster Warning Centre that was closed up on the day of the tsunami disaster as it was a 'holiday'. Nature, of course, respects neither holidays nor holy days.

-The Reporter