Avurudu visits battle front:

Home away from home

Shanika SRIYANANDA

The Avurudu kumara and kumari of 59 Division

Clad in saree with floral prints seven `models’ were lined up to start the catwalk. The rather masculine bodies started parading rhythmically amidst cheers from their colleagues. After careful observations by a bench of four judges, K. A. Nilantha Sadaruwan was crowned the `most beautiful woman’ while Karunaratne was selected the `Avurudu kumara’. The Avurudu kumara and kumariya brought happiness to the soldiers for once-away-from-the battle front, and added colour to the simple ceremony held to mark the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in a land filled with debris to show the gravity of a three-decade-old deadly war.

While the rest of the country is celebrating yet another New Year, these young souls, who do not leave a blink of eye to LTTE terrorists to step an inch into liberated areas, too smelled the aura of a new year last week.

It was the day that Sinhala and Tamil New Year came so close to them. It was the avurudu organized by the 59 Division to make the soldiers at forward defence lines feel that they were at home.

No chirping of the cuckoo birds, but only the thundering explosions of artillery greeted them and with no relatives around to cook milk rice, the soldiers, who serve at the most nearest point to the LTTE dominated Puthumathalan, experienced the happiness and warmth of Avurudhu for the first time in their military life while targeting their guns at the terrorists.

Soldiers, who sacrificed body and limb in contributing their might for their motherland on the battle front, capture the spirit of Sinhala New Year in full cheer.

Twenty year-old Sadaruwan, who bagged the awards lined up as the `beauty’ of the 59 Division at the Mullaiyaweli Vidyananda School, Mullaithivu said that he was happy to be crowned the beauty and did not feel that he was away from his parents.

Sergeant Major Keerthiratne was the team leader of the 574 Brigade’s volley ball team. Having a military service of 21 years, he led his eight man-team to beat seven other teams, he was also in a happy mood as they did not feel home sick.

“This is the first time we had avurudu in a battle front”, Keerthiratne, who had greeted his family in Maradankadawela, said adding that his colleagues enjoyed the avurudu activities.

Each place where the events were held were decorated with `gok’ (coconut fronds) showing that these young soldiers have skills not only to fight in fierce battle fronts, but also they are good artistes. While half of the troops had their eyes for terrorists, the rest took part in avurudu games on the first day and the rest were given the chance the next day.

The soldiers took part in almost all the games from volleyball, swimming to kotta pora, kabadi, elle, grease pole to musical chairs. Special games like `pol athu weweema’, `banis kema’, and some easy games were organised for the disabled soldiers of the newly established Rear Enforcement Unit, which is deployed along the coastal belt, of the division.

KEEPING A PROMISE...That’s what the Security Forces fulfilled in keeping the Wattrappalei Amman Kovil in Mullaithivu intact.

Climbing the grease pole was another popular competitive avurudu game with six teams comprising five members of each team, trying to fix the tiny red flag on top of the pole, which was bathed with grease.

Finally, Corporal Nishantha Sanjeewa of 592 Brigade was able to climb the top. Happy with his presents - two bars of LUX and a cash reward, Sanjeewa, a soldier with 13 years of experience in the battle front, said that for the first time in his military life he did not feel that he was away from his family.

“No regrets that I did not get a chance to go home. I must thank the officers who organized this for us. We all enjoyed and I am happy to see my friends happy. This will encourage us to fight more to liberate the innocent civilians under the LTTE”, he said adding that he was lucky to take part in the end battle to destroy the LTTE.

Corporal Danawelawithana of the 574 Brigade had put down over 24 soldiers in the `kotta pora’, a game where two participants are hit each other with a pillow. The game, which was held in the Nandi Kadal Lagoon in between Mullaiyaweli and Mullaithivu town became a tough session as all of them were equally strong.

“At this crucial time of fighting we could not go home. But we are happy to be with our friends and hope we enjoyed more than we could do at home. This would be a morale booster for all of us”, a 23-year-old soldier who won a flask and a cash award said.

In the heat of a ‘kotta pora’ contest.

While the smell of milk rice emanating from very unit of the 59 Division brought nostalgic memories of freedom, the soldiers prayed for a speedy military push to liberate innocent civilians in LTTE custody.

The avurudu of the 59 Division ended with a religious ceremony held at the famous Wattrappalei Amman Kovil in Mullaithivu. No priests to hold the religious rituals, over 50 soldiers lit lamps and offered flowers to the Goddess Paththini. Sergeant Nimal of Tissamaharamaya, who served over 13 years in the Army, said that they prayed for peace and harmony to the country and blessed all those who are fighting to end terrorism in this country.

The Wattrappalei Amman Kovil, according to ancient myths, has the miraculous power of lighting lamps with water collected in the sea nearby.

A swimming event in progress.

According to the story, this Kovil was under the siege of the Portuguese and the helpless Kovil priest, who was unable to light a lamp with oil, had alternatively collected sea water and lit the lamp with greater devotion to the Goddess Paththini. Miraculously, the lamp was lit with sea water.

Throughout the military offensives to liberate Vanni, no kovil was destroyed or harmed by the troops. The Wattrappalei Kovil too is not harmed by the soldiers and not a single bullet was fired to this ancient temple. From the day Mullaithivu fell to the hands of military, the soldiers have kept the kovil clean.

“We respect this Kovil a lot and we worship the God here. Today, we vowed to liberate the whole Vanni from the LTTE and also to hand over this temple to the people of this areas who are now living under the custody of the LTTE”, he said.