Importance of developing the mind highlighted

by Ananda Kannangara

Specialist, Department of Community Medicine of the University of Colombo, Prof. Wasantha Gunathunga recently highlighted the importance of developing one's mind and said a developed mind always concentrates on the betterment of society. He was speaking at the 41st Annual General Meeting of the National Council for the Deaf (NCD), Rajagiriya. Prof. Gunathunga said that meditation helps develop one's mind and will bring everlasting mental relief to anybody.

He said sound mental health is needed to lead a happy life and meditation could be described as a key to complete mental health.

"The person engaged in meditation always lives with a trouble free mind and could achieve every goal", he said.

NCD Senior Director Maud Senaratne who presided over the meeting, highlighted the services rendered by the NCD and said that it is an approved charity and a voluntary social service organisation. The NCD conducts a pre-school for hearing impaired children between the ages of one-and-a-half and six years and thereafter could study in Grade one and two classes, also conducted by the NCD. The children are integrated into normal schools to continue with their secondary education from Grade three up to Advanced Level. The main objective of the National Council for the Deaf is to help hearing impaired children and assist them to lead a peaceful life with dignity in normal society.

Needy children are also provided with hostal facilities by the NCD at the Sri Chandrasekara school for the Deaf at Horetuduwa, Moratuwa. All services provided by the NCD to children are free.