Cheenapatas snuffs out Hasith's life

by Ananda Agalakada and K.J.B. Peiris, Mundalama Group Cor.

The festive season and new year is synonymous with a rather dangerous commodity that is non other than fire crackers. The world and Sri Lankans in particular enjoy fire works displays and the ear-splitting, deafening sound of crackers bursting.

The dawn of New Year, Christmas, weddings, good news, important occasions and even at some political rallies and to announce auspicious times crackers are lit.

Vast amounts too are spent as the prices of these items have sky rocketed. Although tradition and custom must be followed safety and protection of people too must be maintained at all times.

There are numerous instances about major calamities taking place due to fire-crackers. People have lost their limbs while burning firecrackers. And there are many instances that even lives have been lost.

With the festive season ending and the dawn of 2013 many such incidents unravelled from different parts of the island. In this aftermath, the sad tale of three and half-year-old Hasith Imash Chamendra comes to light from a remote village in the Puttalam district.

Three and a half-year-old Hasith Imash Chamendra resided in Mundalama Mukkudawa village. Tommage Sajith Dushmantha was his father and Warnakulasuriya Dishnakumari was his mother.

Dushmantha worked in the fishery trade and his wife Dishnakumari had left abroad for employment six months ago. They endured a bitter life.

They were engulfed in poverty and did not have any luxuries during their lifetime.

The only way to overcome this situation was to seek greener pastures overseas thought Dishnakumari. With many expectations for their future, Dishnakumari left abroad leaving her son and husband.

As soon as the Christmas season began the shops and boutiques have filled with firecrackers and 'cheenapatas' in local parlance. Meanwhile, Hasith Imash had played in his compound with another boy who was seven-year-old.

The boy was his neighbour and he always came to Hasith's home to play.

After playing, both boys had gone to the nearby boutique to buy sweets. Although, Hasith cried and demanded for some sweets from his friend, Hasith did not get any because his friend did not have any money on him.

But the little boy's pleas for sweets tugged at the heart strings of the boutique owner's son and opening the bottle filled with little balls covered with various coloured paper, he took out one of them and gave it to little Hasith to stop him from crying. The result was that when Hasith bit into it there was an explosion.

According to neighbours, the son of the boutique owner did not know what the balls in the bottle consists.

It was later found that the white balls were nothing put 'cheenapatas'. Hasith was too small to identify what he had really got.

He thought he was offered a chocolate ball. Later both boys returned to the gate of Hasith's home, his friend left advising Hasith to return home.

Hasith then bit the ball at the gate and it exploded the moment Hasith bit into it.After hearing the sound, neighbours rushed to the scene and found out what happened.

Hasith was taken to the Mundalama hospital by them with severe injuries to his mouth and then transferred to the Colombo General Hospital for further treatment.

However, doctors could not save Hasith, Hasith breathed his last on January 2.