A mother of courage

Text and pix by Dr. Nimal SEDERA

The focus of the nation is right now on a different direction. We all work for a better tomorrow through the General Election. "Tomorrow is too late" for this courageous mother, Kalyani Kumari who resides in track 5, Wahamalgollewa, Anuradhapura.

She praises the President for liberating the North and removing the dreadful fear they were surrounded but has no time to waste talking politics and simply have hopes and live on hopes. She has to row the boat to save the family. Wahamalgollewa is in the vicinity of Medawachchiya, though it falls to the district of Anuradhapura.

I walked in to this extremely remote village along the gravel road to reach my distant relative Kalyani Kumari's house. Kalyani is the mother of four children and the family has no steady income, the husband does odd jobs and there is no demand for labour work and the weight of the home is mostly carried by Kalyani Kumari who works tirelessly almost twelve hours of the day.

She firmly trusts that her commitment and sacrifice would one day bring her satisfaction of life as all the sacrifice is for educating her children. It is worth for every woman to know of the several roles she plays to run her family and earn money in the rightful way.

"I know the power of education. I trust that my children will be able to raise their heads only through education. I do not feel tired when I think of my goal. I just want to do my best for them and see them doing better than us. We brought them to this world and we are responsible for them. Specially my daughters they are bright in studies," she proudly added.

"In a village like this one job will not bring in sufficient income... so I do several jobs. The push bicycle is the common vehicle in the village and I do cycle repairs at home. It's not a difficult job. Mostly I repair the tyres when they are punchered, I have done this for so many years."

"Then I make bricks, cement bricks as they are in demand. Every week I sell some bricks.

Whenever I have free time I make some cement bricks.

I also make mud bricks, that is to improve our own house, I make the mud bricks and fire them in the shed behind the house. Some days I sell these bricks if some one needs them and if I could keep a profit."

"Another thing I do is collecting sand from the Oya. This is a prohibited thing. Police raid the place and I do it facing all the risk just to make a living for our family. It is this sand I use for making of cement bricks. My children all understand our difficulties and they help in all my work.

"I raise some hens too. These eggs can give us some income and also nourishing food for our family. Among them I have a pair of "Gini Kukulo" (wild hens). They too lay eggs and give us protection. If any outsider comes they make noise and they destroy any serpents. They keep walking behind me and stay closer to me."

"There is no electricity for us. We use a bottle lamp. The children come home and complete most of the studies before sunset so that there is enough light. They used a kerosene bottle lamp for studies in the night."

Kalyani Kumari is a mother of two daughters and two sons. I do not wish to state their names here for valid reasons. She is now 47 years. Their family is blessed with a fair complexion and her work in the sun has not destroyed her beauty. Never in her life has she used any make up. Nature has been so kind to this courageous woman in protecting her beautiful fair complexion, the pink on her lips, blue brightness on the eyes. I have never spent money or any make up not even for an eye brow pencil. I sometimes look at the television when I go to my sisters place. I feel that the TV is not for us. It never shares our life."

"Look at my house. It is just a shed. I have two girls growing up. They must be given the protection they need. I become more courageous when I think of the challenges ahead. We survive amidst many problems. We lived in fear due to terrorism. Now we are a free nation and that obstacle is over. We never dreamt that a day would ever come again to live freely like this," Kalyani Kumari added.