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| Sunday, 7 November 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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London and Colombo compared There are a few striking differences and similarities between London and Colombo. The difference which struck me most is that in London, the roads belong to the people who walk, and the people who drive and ride have to obey the walker, "the road belongs to the pedestrian, being the rule. In London, when a driver sees a pedestrian waiting beside the road, he/she slows down to ensure that the pedestrian crosses safely. This is the practice even where no road crossing is displayed. This was also the rule in Sri Lanka during the time of the British. I remember how courteous drivers were on the up-country roads, where the first motorists were British planters. In the hills, the driver always made room for vehicles nearer the edge of the hilly road. Then, both drivers bid each other and continued on their way. And needless to say, children, the old, the poor and the infirm (weak) felt safe on the highways. What has gone wrong in Sri Lanka is that the person who drives a car or rides a motorcycle or even a bicycle thinks that he/she has some social power over the pedestrian and tries to enforce his/her superiority. This is not good for society. For all human beings rich or poor, intelligent or dull, weak or mighty, must be humble. What the average person does not know is that there is much to gain from humility and that societies which have humility embedded into their culture are accepted throughout the world. A similarity between London and Colombo is the architecture of old buildings. So much so, that a visitor from England who awakens on the roads of Colombo may think that he/she is in England. The buildings of Cargills and Millers, Queen's House, Gaffoor Building, Lake House and so many others built during the British era have typical British architecture, even having some red colouring in between. A dissimilarity is that in London, people run on the roads during the cold months. This is because they want to keep warm and the car parks are far away from buildings. Another reason is that the English want to be punctual. - Uncle Elmo ____________________________________________________ Kandy Lake to be restored
The lake's water level is about 528.96 metres and water capacity is about 0.867 million cubic metres. Its circumference is about 3.37 kilometres while the maximum depth is about 12.9 metres. It is situated 529 metres above sea level. The weva is said to have been constructed by King Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe in October 1810 using manual labour. Deveda Moolacharya is considered to the architect of the Kandy Lake. It was constructed in a way which enabled it to be constantly fed by Hil Pan Kadura Ampitiya, through the Udawatta lake, Rajapihilla and Saranankara lake. The lake lost its beauty due to pollution, so unless the residents and visitors take it upon themselves to maintain the cleanliness of the lake, the money and the efforts spent on restoration would be wasted. ____________________________________________________ The Festival of Lights Our Hindu readers will be celebrating Deepavali this Thursday (November 11). Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated by Hindus the world over with much gaiety whether they are young or old, rich or poor as they believe the festival dispels the darkness and lights up their lives. In India, the festival is celebrated over four days. The first day 'Naraka Chaturdasi' marks the vanquishing (defeating) of the demon Narakasura by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. It is said that Narakasura, son of Bhudevi, acquired immense power from a blessing given by Lord Brahma after a severe penance (punishment). He soon unleashed terror in the kingdom of Kamarupa, harassing celestial beings, who pleaded with Lord Krishna to save them. But Narakasura could not be killed easily as it was said that he would die only at the hands of his mother Bhudevi. So, Krishna asked his wife Satyabhama, the reincarnation of Bhudevi, to be his charioteer in the battle with Narakasura. When Krishna pretended to be unconscious after being hit by an arrow of Narakasura, Satyabhama took the bow and aimed the arrow at the demon, killing him instantly. The second day is 'Amavasya' when Lakshmi puja is performed. It is believed that on this day Goddess Lakshmi would be in her benevolent mood and fulfil the wishes of her devotees. The third day is 'Kartika Shudda Padyami' or 'Bali Padyami'. On this day the generous demon king Bali would come out of Pathala Loka and rule Bhuloka as per the boon given by Lord Vishnu. The fourth day is referred to as 'Yama Dvitiya'. On this day, sisters invite their brothers to their homes. Deepavali is a festival which people celebrate by lighting clay lamps, decorating their houses, lighting firecrackers and inviting loved ones to their households for partaking in a sumptuous feast which includes popular vegetarian dishes like thosais, idlis and naans, non-vegetarian dishes like chicken tandoori, prawn sambol and fish head curry and sweet meats like halwa, burfi and laddu. The lighting of lamps is a way of paying obeisance to gods for attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, valour and fame. We wish all our Hindu readers a happy Deepavali! |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
Here is some news that will specially interest and delight our readers
in Kandy. The beautiful and historical Kandy Lake (Nuwara Weva), which is
in front of the Temple of the Tooth, will be restored to its former glory
at a cost of Rs 65 million. The restoration work got underway recently.
