Embracing the true spirit of the holiday season, the Rotaract Club of Achievers Lanka Business  School planned “A Christmas to Remember” project to celebrate Christmas in 2022. This project  was organized by community services avenue. 

Marking the true significance of Christmas by giving more than receiving, the purpose of the  project was to help the less fortunate during Christmas. In phase one of “A Christmas to  Remember”, we raised funds to provide essential groceries to people in need. Phase 1 of the  project kicked off on December 16 and was completed on December 28, 2022. We successfully collected monetary donations in Phase 1 of the project.  

Uncle Christo, who works at the Achievers Lanka Business School has been struggling financially  due to the economic impacts of Sri Lanka. He has been a great help to the Rotaract Club as well.  We, therefore, decided to show our gratitude by supporting him financially in his most difficult  moments. Therefore, dry rations, stationary donations worth LKR 13,000, and an LKR 2000  voucher to purchase fresh produce were gifted to Uncle Christo, from the collected monetary  funds.

In Phase 2 of “A Christmas to Remember”, the members of the Rotaract Club of Achievers Lanka  Business School along with the Rotaract members from RACNSBM, RAC Alumni of the University  of Moratuwa and RAC Colombo Mid City got together to spend an evening purposefully with  elders at Methodist Elders’ Home-Kirulapone. We celebrated the wonderful Christmas by Singing  Carols and creating memories with the elders. In addition to Phase 2 of the project, “A Christmas  to Remember”, the “Food Voyager – Phase 2” project took place at the elders’ home. Together  with all the participants and the elders, we made Christmas cookies and decorated them. Phase  2 of the two projects took place on December 28th from 2:30 P.M. onwards. Since sharing is  caring, the baked cookies were then shared among participants and elders, making the month of  December memorable.

This concludes the lineup of the project “A Christmas to Remember” for the 2nd Quarter by the  Rotaract Club of Achievers Lanka Business School. Carrying the festive spirit, love, and goodwill  in our hearts, we celebrated Christmas in 2022 by giving back to the community.

Written by: Rtr. Imesha Ilangasinghe

It was a lovely and glamorous Saturday morning on 13^th of February 2021. All the 19 participants of “Deja Vu”, an outbound training program organized by the Rotaract Club of Achievers Lanka Business School at Che Adventure park-Hanwella were super excited to get the day started.

Around 12.00noon Rtr. Theekshana picked me and Rtr. Sandithi, who was the chair of the project to pick up necessities for the games that were organized and also some snacks and drinks for the participants. We then picked up Rtr. Akila and Rtr. Lakshan on the way and finally headed to Che Adventure Park. We were the first to reach there so that Rtr. Sandithi could sort out some last-minute accommodation concerns that had risen. The rest of the club members, Rtr. Hasitha, Rtr. Mark, Rtr. Niflaz, Rtr. Rishad, Rtr. Kalani, Rtr. Ruwin, Rtr, Zara and Rtr, Raeesa were picked up by Rtr. Nadun and Rtr. Daksith and they reached Che adventure park around 3.30pm. After being greeted by a very refreshing welcome drink, we were settled in our tents by the officials at Che. We received two tents, each having 8 rather comfortable double beds, two washrooms and two shower cubicles.

After Rtr. Thisura, Rtr. Suwithi, Rtr. Hiru and Rtr. Asel arrived at around 4.30pm, the project officially kicked off. We divided ourselves into two teams and played cricket on the playground at Che until dusk came and we couldn’t even see the ball anymore. We decided to return to our tents to freshen up before dinner. But when we arrived at our tents, we were disappointed to find out that the electricity was cut off. Until that was restored, we played some songs in a JBL and all of us had a dance off.

When the electricity finally got restored everyone freshened up and gathered in front of our tents for the bonfire. After around half an hour of struggle to set it up, we had a gorgeous blazing fire, and everyone was mingling around it. Until the dinner was ready, we sang songs while sitting around the fire.

We then had a delicious dinner of egg fried rice, BBQ chicken, BBQ sausage, garlic bread, fried fish and a dessert of fresh fruits. We spent some more time talking and singing songs around the bonfire and then while some of the team went to bed early the rest of us stayed up playing Uno up until around 12am. I wish I could be all like “what happens in Hanwella, stays in Hanwella”, but I guess everyone has to know about how Hiru broke a bed at Che after coming and flopping onto it, sitting around and listening to Zara’s horror encounter and how Hasitha slept with a night mask of toothpaste. We then spent hours sharing stories with each other. We all know that 2am talks are what hits the deepest, so it was certainly a wonderful opportunity to get to know everyone better. Some of us who had severe insomnia and had nothing much to do then went for a drive at around 4.30 in the morning while the rest who were drowsy and tired went to sleep.

Everybody was up and about by 7 am, freshening up and having their morning tea that the Che team brought up to our tent. We then sat in front of the tent and spent some time talking to each other while the organizing committee sorted out the day’s activities. We went to breakfast at around 8 am. After heartily devouring the delicious spread of local breakfast varieties that the team at Che served us, we spent some time taking pictures while the organizers set everything up for the day’s activities.

The first was archery. A team member from Che instructed the participants on how to take an aim and also how to position the bow and arrow. Once everyone got the chance to shoot three arrows each the instructor moved onto speak about the riffle and how to maneuver it. Everyone got the chance of loading the gun thrice and shooting. After that everyone proceeded onto some games that the organizing committee had arranged.

The first was Hospital tag which focused on getting everyone to move. The second was human tangle where everybody had someone’s handheld and everyone had to untangle themselves without releasing their hand. The last game was one where 50 balls were collected in a pile in the middle of the ground and everyone was divided into two teams and they could only take one ball at a time and the team with the most number of balls won. Then a massive water balloon fight took place which was actually very refreshing since it was quite a hot day. All the games were very entertaining and made everybody bond better.

Since the checkout time was fast approaching, we didn’t get a chance to dip into the beautiful river. Therefore, all of us made plans to check out from Che Adventure park and head over to Rtr. Akila’s place. After a little airborne stunt that Theekshana pulled off which Sandithi claims to be a NDE, we arrived at Akila’s around 1pm.

All of us spent about an hour tucking into the mouth-watering takeout from a Chinese restaurant we grabbed on the way. Then we went and dove into the pool and spent about three hours of quality time there, playing games like piggy in the middle and just simply relaxing in the pool. The most exciting project yet in my Rotaract life thus ended with us heading home at around 6pm.

Written by: Rtr. Anjula Perera

Edited by: Rtr. Lakshan Banneheke

Due to the sudden outbreak of Covid-19, the entire country went on lockdown as a safety measure at the end of March. As people who were busy with our university studies and of course Rotaract work, adjusting ourselves to this new lifestyle certainly wasn’t easy. At a time when we were bored out of our minds staying at home during the lockdown, the Rotaract Club of University of Colombo Faculty of Management and Finance brought us a refreshing experience – The Fandemic – An online quiz series based on 4 fandoms.

I and my fellow members from our club were really excited to try this out since we saw the first poster and the teaser video. We even talked about which quizzes we will be choosing to participate and even considered binge-watching them all over again! We were able to see how much hype it set among others as well when the WhatsApp groups were created to communicate the participants for each quiz. The group chat was flooding with messages and GIFs related to each quiz and it was really fun to get to know the fellow crazy fans of your favourite show/movie franchise!
The first quiz was on the 15th of April, based on F.R.I.E.N.D.S., the quiz I was waiting to try out the most. Being a die-hard fan of F.R.I.E.N.D.S., I pretty much knew a lot about the series starting from the dialogues, so I was excited yet nervous to see the questions.

I got into the final 50 along with Rtr. Thisura Ramanayake. The final 50 were divided into groups of 10 and only 2 out of the 10 were selected for the final round from each group. There were some tricky questions as well; for example, “When did Chandler’s father put on a Santa suit?”, “Who’s the owner of Rosita?”. After a competitive round, I was placed 2nd in my group making my way to the finals.

The questions in the final round were much more challenging. The fellow finalists knew the show to the core and gave a really good fight till the end. At last, Rtr. Riz Liyanage from the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science University of Colombo became the champion of the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. quiz – the ultimate F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fan. I was placed 4th overall which truly made my day.

The second quiz was on the 19th of April, based on Harry Potter. All the Potterheads, including myself, were eager to test our knowledge in Harry Potter. I don’t think there’s anyone who didn’t binge-watch the Harry Potter franchise during this lockdown, and this quiz sure made all participants relive the enjoyable moments of the series. Me, Rtr. Thisura Ramanayake, Rtr. Rahul Jeyanthan and Rtr. Asel Gunaratne got into the final 50 and Rtr. Rahul snuck through to the final round. While he ended up claiming the 3rd place, Sheron Felix became the champion – claiming to be the biggest Potterhead of all.

The third quiz was on the 23rd of April, based on Marvel. I really enjoyed the Avengers movie franchise so I thought of giving this a try as well. However, the quiz was based on movies like the X men series, Deadpool, TV series and comics which I wasn’t very familiar with. So, this quiz was comparatively hard and I couldn’t go beyond the first round. Rtr. Hasitha Jayasuriya and Rtr. Naadir Thassim were able to move into the final 50. Rtr. Adheeban Gowrishankar from the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Science of University of Colombo became the champion and proved that no one can outsmart him when it came to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The fourth quiz was on the 26th of April, based on Game of Thrones. This was the only quiz I didn’t participate since I haven’t watched the show. However, my fellow club members participated and Rtr. Asel Gunartne was able to make it to the final 50. Ravindu Shehan emerged champion in the quiz and certainly made his fandom proud.

The show wasn’t over yet… after the four champions were selected from each fandom to the surprise of the participants including the four champions, a final quiz was held for them to battle one last time for the Ultimate Throne – THE FANDEMIC – ENDGAME!

The Fandemic – Endgame was held on the 27th of April, and the quiz was streamed live on Facebook. I watched the live stream and the finalists competed really well. In the end, Sheron Felix went past his fellow competitors to win The Fandemic.

The Fandemic – An online quiz series based on 4 fandoms was certainly a refreshing experience to Rotaractors as well as non Rotaractors and made our boring lives rather enjoyable during this quarantine period. Kudos to team FMF for coming up with this creative idea and for putting a lot of work to come up with a total of 29 quizzes – it sure must not have been easy. This made us relive the good moments we had with the 4 fandoms and the credit certainly goes to team FMF for that.

Rtr. Vinuri Ramanayake

I woke up early on a Sunday morning, excited and ready for one of my favourite Rotaract events of the calendar year. Hatrick had always been a fun and exciting cricket tournament unlike any other and was always a ‘must-attend’. As we pulled up to the Thurstan College cricket ground, located just off Baudhaloka Mawatha, I remembered how it was at this same venue that Hatrick 2019 was unpleasantly interrupted by the Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019. Nevertheless, this was a completely new day which would go onto be very enjoyable. The atmosphere at the ground was one of excitement. Many teams had shown up and were scattered across the ground, warming up and practising.

 The defining factor to hattrick over other cricket tournaments is neatly incorporated into its slogan, “You’re not out”. It simply meant that the tournament had ‘plate’ rounds to play for as well. This means that teams wouldn’t spend a large portion of their day under the scorching sun, just to be knocked out of the tournament due to some tough luck in the first game…unlike in some other tournaments( If ya know, ya know). At Hat trick, you are guaranteed at least 2-3 games, which appeals well to a team, that, although has never been short on talent and ability, often choked on the pressure of opening games. Unfortunately, this was yet again the case for the team from the Rotaract Club of Achievers.

Simply put, we were outplayed in our opening game. Having batted first, we were unable to set an imposing target despite valiant efforts from Rtr, Thisura, Rtr. Mubashir and Rtr. Sahan. The opposing team managed to chase the score down with an over to spare. However, this was hattrick, we didn’t have to feel disappointed, and we would still be playing the plate rounds. Soon it was lunchtime and we were given lunch packs, water bottles and even cans of Redbull by the organizing committee. They really did go above and beyond!

During our second match of the day, we did much better. Having opted to bowl first, we were able to restrict the opposing team to 52 runs, owing to good bowling efforts by Rtr. Kasun, Rtr. Sahan and the rest of the bowlers. A clinical batting performance by the openers saw us through to our first win of the day, with an over to spare!

The third match was a much tighter game, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to come out on top. It was disappointing, but the team did perform well and most importantly, we had fun, lots of fun! We were able to spend our Sunday playing the game we loved with our friends, our progression through the tournament wasn’t as important to us as one might think.

As the day came to a close, we watched a few more matches and decided to head home. We thanked the organizing committee for the memorable day and vowed to return to play in next year’s edition of Hattrick as well.

Rtr. Yasiru Gunaratne

Would you believe me if I said that there is an event where you get to eat any amount of hotdogs you want? Sounds like every foodie’s dream come true right?

Well then, the place you should have been was at Green Path on the 15th of February, where we got the opportunity to gobble down hot dogs. Its called the Hot Dog Showdown and yes you guessed it right, it’s a competition where you have to eat hot dogs. This is an event organized by the Rotaract Club of Informatics Institute of Technology and the challenge is to eat any amount of hotdogs you can within a time span of 2 minutes. Sounds good right? Well, there’s more to it. They give amazing prizes too. That’s just not it. There is a wide variety of food stalls, celebrity guest appearances, a motor show that brought in many sports cars along with the presence of Dilantha Malagamuwa and many more. The organisers had managed to entertain everyone who attended. Foodie or not, it was an evening to remember.

If I dive a bit deep into this project, the proceedings from this event are invested in a community service project named E-mithudama done by the Rotaract Club of IIT. It is based around the core objective of helping school children from rural, underprivileged areas of the country- to support and uplift their computer literacy.

The Hot Dog Showdown is quite a famous event in the Rotaract calendar. It is an event where most rotaractors come together. It is a place where memories are made.  This year, there were many performances from La Bandos, Watalappan and a music band from IIT. This event also featured a dancing item and the famous Srilankan celebrity IRAJ.

This years event was a little more special to us because of Rtr. Suwithi, one of our club members won the 3rd place in the women’s category. Furthermore, it was seen that the men’s winner won for the 5th consecutive time which made the audience awestruck. Overall it was a great event and an event that shouldn’t be missed.

Rtr. Nuwanthi Manapperuma

Passion is something you desire to have or do. We all have our own passions but many of us rarely chase them. But also there are many of them among us who have made their passion their profession. It is a difficult road but a road which will lead you towards many rewards and worthy experiences in life. Mahela Jayawardena is a prime example who worked hard to make his dreams come true. He is a hero and an icon for me as well as all the cricket fans out there. It has been a dream to meet him in person for a long time, which is why I decided to attend “Sky is the Limit” organized by the Rotaract Club of University of Colombo, Faculty of Management and Finance.

He came up to the podium after he was introduced and he started his speech by taking us on a journey through his remarkable cricket career. He mentioned many incidents which happened in his life which taught him many lessons. He faced a lot of hardships in life, especially when he lost his brother at the age of 18, he explained to us how it changed him and made him realize that there are more things to life than cricket. While his initial dream was to represent the National Cricket team remained, he built another dream which is to build a cancer hospital. He was able to build a cancer hospital in Maharagama with the support of the government and many others and he pioneered in building another one in Thilippalei as well.

He explained a lot of important life lessons to us using many of his experiences as a cricketer. When he was explaining his attitude in the field and towards cricket, he said “Control what you can control” which really caught my mind. It may seem like just five words but it has a lot of meaning behind it. He said that if you can focus on things which you can work on rather than things which are out of your control and beyond your reach, you can narrow down your focus areas which will help you to work on things within your reach more, and be successful with less frustration. In this way, we can utilize our time effectively without wasting it unnecessarily on things which are not worth your time. He said that this helped him to improve on his game a lot especially when playing in foreign conditions as it always presents batsmen an added challenge.

He spoke about a few values he believes everyone should nourish in their lives which will stand as pillars holding our lives on it. Honesty, respect, hard work and ethics are the values he said that all of us should focus on. He explained all these values using different examples in his cricketing life. It is when he also said “You cannot demand respect; you need to earn it” which was another important thing that caught my mind. He said that it doesn’t matter who it is, but if you give the proper respect to them, then you will be respected as well.

Then it was the Question and Answer session. The audience asked some difficult questions from him but he answered all of them with patience and a smile just like how he used to bat all those long test innings. Then there was a small-time for everyone to take a picture with him. Everyone in the audience was lined up with a lot of excitement to take a picture with their cricket hero. I was finally able to reach the top of the queue to take a picture with him which was one of the primary objectives for all of us who attended the session. It was a great session where I’m certain that everyone had a lot of lessons to learn which can help us make our dreams come true as well.

I’d like to thank the Rotaract Club of University of Colombo, Faculty of Management and Finance for organizing this insightful session with such an inspirational personality and giving cricket fans like us an opportunity to meet him in person.

Rtr. Thisura Ramanayake

சிறந்த நட்பு அனுபவங்கள்
எந்தவித ரத்த பந்தமும் இல்லாமல், தன் நண்பனுக்காக உயிரரக் ககாடுக்கும் அளவிற்கு பாசம் ரவக்கும் நட்பிற்கு எப்பபாதுபம தனி மதிப்பு தான். நட்பிற்கு ஆண், கபண் என்ற வித்தியாசம் கிரரயாது. வயது வித்தியாசமும் கிரரயாது.

இந்த உலகபம நட்பு என்னும் நூலில் தான் கட்ர ப்பட்டுள்ளது எனலாம். கபற்பறாரிர ம், கணவர், மரனவியிர ம் கூர பகிர்ந்து ககாள்ள முடியாத சில விசயங்கரள நண்பர்களிர ம், பதாழிகளிர ம் ககாட்டித் தீர்க்கலாம். சுயநலம் இல்லாதது… எவ்வித எதிர்பார்ப்பும் இன்றி, சுயநலம் இன்றி உண்ரமயான பாசத்ரத அள்ளித் தருவதில் நட்புக்கு பவறு உறவுகள் நிகரில்ரல எனலாம். அப்படியான நட்ரப தனி அதிகாரம் பபாட்டு திருவள்ளுவரும் ககாண்ர ாடியுள்ளார்.

……பபதபம கிரரயாது..உறவினர்கள் இல்லாமல் இருப்பவர்கரளக்கூர பார்க்க முடியும். ஆனால் நண்பர்கள் இல்லாதவர்கரளக் கண்டுபிடிப்பது கடினம். கபாருளாதாரம், ஏற்றத்தாழ்வு, வயது, ஆண் கபண் பபதம் என எதுவும் நட்பிற்கு கிரரயாது.

காலத்தின் ஓட்ர த்தில் புதிய புதிய நண்பர்கள் கிரரத்தாலும், பரழய ஆருயிர் நண்பர்கள் எப்பவுபம ஸ்கபஷல் தான். அப்படிப்பட்ர வர்கரளயும், அந்த வசந்தகாலங்கரளயும் கநஞ்சில் அரசபபார இந்த நண்பர்கள் தினம் உதவுகிறது என்றால் மிரகயில்ரல. நட்பு இல்லாத மனிதன் இவ்வுலகில் இல்ரல என்பற கூறுமளவிற்கு நட்பு வாழ்ரகயில் முக்கிய பங்ககடுத்துக் ககாள்கின்றது. எல்பலாருக்கும் எல்லாப் பருவங்களிலும் நண்பர்கள் கிரரக்கின்றார்கள், சிலர் ஆரம்ப கால அரர காற்சட்ரர வாழ்கரகபயாடு விரரகபறுகிறார்கள். சிலர் கல்லூரிக்கால வாழ்க்ரகயுர ன் நின்று பபாய் விடுகிறார்கள். பவறு சிலர் அலுவலக வட்ர த்துக்குள்பளபய ஓடி ஓய்ந்து விடுகிறார்கள். இன்னும் சிலர் வாழ்க்ரகத் துரணயாகவும் மாறிவிடுகின்றார்கள்.

ஒரு மனிதனுரரய கவற்றிக்கும், பதால்விக்கும் கபரும்பாலான பநரங்களில் நண்பர்கபள காரணமாக இருக்கிறார்கள். அதனால்தான் நமக்கு அரமயும் நண்பர்கள் நல்லவர்களாக இருக்க பவண்டியது அவசியமாகிறது. அதனால் பபாலும் வள்ளுவர்
• “அழிவி னரவநீக்கி ஆறுய்த்து அழிவின்கண் அல்லல் உழப்பதாம் நட்பு
• உடுக்ரக இழந்தவன் ரகபபால ஆங்பக
• இடுக்கண் கரளவதாம் நட்பு.
• என அறிவுறுத்துகின்றார்
• ஒருவரர ஒருவர் பார்க்காமல் நட்பு:
• பார்க்காமபல காதரல பற்றி பகட்ர ால்
• அஜித் அவர்கள் நடித்த “காதல் பகாட்ரர” பஞாபம் வந்திடும்…ஆனால் பார்க்காமபல நட்பு பற்றி எத்தரன பபருக்கு கதரியும்? சங்க காலத்தில் பகாப்கபருஞ்பசாழன் -பிசிராந்ரதயார் நட்பு இரதவிர பவறு சரியான உதாரணம் இல்ரல .
• இன்ரறக்கு முகநூலில் பார்க்காமபல நட்பு பாராட்டும் பலருக்கும் இவர்களின் நட்புதான் முன்பனாடியாகும்.
பிசிராந்ரதயார் என்ற புலவரும் பகாப்கபருஞ்பசாழன் என்ற மன்னனும் தம்முள் காணாமபலபய நட்புக் ககாண்டு ஒன்றாக உயிர் நீத்த இச்சிறப்பிரன இலக்கியங்கள் நமக்கு எடுத்து இயம்புகின்றன. இத்தகு நண்பர்கரள நம்மால் மறக்க இயலுமா? பகாப்கபருஞ்பசாழன் பற்றி பகள்விப்பட்டு பிசிராந்ரதயர் என்ற புலவர் அவன்மீது நட்பு ககாண்ர ார் பசாழ மன்னனும் புலவர் பற்றி அறிந்து இருவரும் பார்க்காமபல நட்பு ககாண்ர னர் . சில ஆண்டுகள் கழித்துபசாழன் ரவக்கிருக்க ( சாப்பிர ாமல் இரறவரன நிரனத்து உயிர் துறப்பது ) முடிவு கசய்தான். இதரன அறிந்து அவனுர ன் பமலும் சிலர் ரவகிருக்க முடிவு கசய்தனர் .பசாழன் புலவருக்காக ரஇம் அங்கு ஒதுக்கினான் .பசாழனின் இறுதி பநரம் வந்துற்றபபாது பிசிராந்ரதயார் ஓடிவந்தார். நண்பரனக் கண்ர ார் தனக்காக த் தயாராக அரமக்கப்பட்ர ரஇத்தில் ரவக்கிருந்து பசாழனுர ன் தானும் தன் இன்னுயிர் விடுத்தார்.,..

மகாபாரதத்தில் நட்பு:
துரிபயாதனன் – கர்ணண் நட்பு
பாரத கரதயில் தான் கசஞ்பசாற்று ரகரன அரரக்க சபகாதரர்களுக்கு எதிராக நண்பன் தீய கசயல் புரிபவனாக இருந்தாலும் இறுதிவரர அவனுர னிருந்து உயிர் விட்ர கர்ணன் நட்பின் சிறந்த உதாரணம் ஆகும்.
எது நட்பு, எப்படிப்பட்ர து நட்பு, எப்படி இருக்க பவண்டும் நட்பு என்று ஆரம்பித்து விதம் விதமான வாசகங்களால் டிவிட்ர ர் மற்றும் பபஸ்புக் பக்கங்கள் நிரம்பி வழிகின்றன.
இந்த வரிரசயில் சில ரபங்கள் நம்ரம சிரிக்க ரவத்தன, ரசிக்கவும் ரவத்தன.

கண்ணாடிக்கும் பதாள் ககாடுக்க பவண்டும் பதாழன்:
இங்பக ஒரு பதாழி தனது பதாளின் பதாள்பட்ரர மீது குட்டிக் கண்ணாடிரய ரவத்து தனது புருவத்திற்கு ரம தீட்டுகிறார். பதாழன் என்றால் இப்படி கண்ணாடிக்கும் பதாள் ககாடுக்க பவண்டும் என்று கசால்கிறாபரா இப்கபண்.
ஒவ்கவாரு தினம் ககாண்ர ார வும் ஒரு தனிப்பட்ர நபபரா அல்லது சம்பவபமா காரணமாக இருக்கும். நட்பு தினம் ககாண்ர ார ஏபதனும் காரணம் ஒன்று பவண்டுமா என்ன?
உலகத்தில் பிறந்த அரனவருக்கும் நட்பு என்பது இல்லாமல் இருக்காது. இதற்கு முன்பனாடியாக அல்லது வழிகாட்டியாக இருந்தது என்னகவன்றால், அகமரிக்க நார ாளுமன்றமான காங்கிரஸில் 1935ஆம் ஆண்டு நட்பு தினம் பற்றிய தீர்மானம் ஒன்று நிரறபவற்றப்பட்ர து. அதில், ஒவ்கவாரு ஆண்டும் ஆகஸ்டு முதல் ஞாயிற்றுக் கிழரம கட்ர ாய விடுமுரற அறிவித்து, அன்ரறய தினத்ரத நட்பு தினமாகக் ககாண்ர ார பவண்டும் என்று குறிப்பிர ப்பட்ர து. அன்று முதல் அகமரிக்காவில் நட்பு தினம் ககாண்ர ார ப்பட்டு வருகிறது…

நட்பு, பதாழரம , சிபனகம் என்பது இருவரிரரபய அல்லது பலரிரரபய ஏற்படும் ஓர் உறவாகும். வயது, கமாழி, இனம், நாடு என எந்த எல்ரலகளும் இன்றி, புரிந்து ககாள்ளுதரலயும்,
அனுசரித்தரலயுபம அடிப்பரரயாகக் ககாண்ர து. நண்பர்கள் தங்களின் தனிப்பட்ர விருப்பு கவறுப்புகரள மறந்து ஒருவரர ஒருவர் அனுசரித்துச் கசல்வார்கள். நண்பர்கள் ஒருவருக்கு ஒருவர் உண்ரமயாக ரநந்து ககாள்வார்கள். இன்பத்திலும் துன்பத்திலும்

தானாகபவ முன்வந்து உணர்வுகரளப் பகிர்ந்து ககாள்வார்கள்…

நண்பர்கரள பநசிப்பபாம் நட்ரப சுவாசிப்பபாம்…
சிபனகத்ரத விர பதடிக்ககள்ள பவண்டிய சிறப்புரரயது பவறு என்ன இருக்கிறது. நல்லவர்களுரரய சிபனகம் சந்திரரன பபால் நாளுக்கு நாள் வளரும்.பமலும் நயமான ஒரு நுரல படிக்க படிக்க அதன் சிறப்பு அதிகமாக புலப்படுவது பபால நல்ல குணம் உள்ளவர்களுரரய நட்பு பழக பழக இன்பம் அதிகரிக்கும். ஒருவபராடு ஒருவர் நட்பு ககாள்வது இன்பமானவற்ரற பபசி சிரித்து மகிழ்வதற்கு மட்டுமல்ல.ஒருவர் ஒரு குற்றம் கசய்தால் மற்றவர் அரத எடுத்துகாட்டி இடித்து திருத்தும் நட்பு தான் உண்ரமயான நட்பு.. ஒருவரர ஒருவர் கூடி பபசுவதால் உண்ர ாகிற உறவு நட்பாகாது. பின் எதனால் என்றால் ஒத்த உணர்ச்சி இருந்தால் அதுபவ நட்பின் உரிரமகரள உண்ர ாக்கும். உணர்ச்சிகள் கபாருந்தாமல் கூடி பபசுவதால் மட்டும் உண்ர ாகிற உறவு நட்பாகாது. அவனுக்கு கதரியாமபல அவனுக்குள்ள திறரமகரள கவளிககாணரும் கருவிதான் நட்பு. தாய்க்கு ர ான உறவு ஒன்று இருக்கிறது என்றால் அதுபவ உண்ரமயான நண்பனின் நட்பு.

பதர்ந்கதடுக்கும் நிறம் உன் குணம் காட்டும். ஆனால் நீ பதர்ந்கதடுக்கும் நட்பபா உன்ரனபய காட்டும். உன்ரன யாகரன்று கதரிந்து ககாள்ள பவண்டுமா? உன் நண்பரன அரரயாளம் காட்டு என்பார்கள். அந்தளவு நட்பு புனிதமானது… வலிரமயானது… ஆத்மார்த்தமானது… மரழ நீர் பபால இயற்ரகயிபலபய சுத்தமானது. கபற்பறார் மற்றும் உறவினர்களுக்கு பின் வாழ்க்ரகயில் முக்கியப் பங்கு வகிப்பது நண்பர்கள் மட்டும் தான்.
வட் டுக்கு எல்ரல உண்டு, ஊருக்கு எல்ரல உண்டு, நாட்டுக்கு எல்ரல உண்டு, ஆனால் நட்புக்கு எல்ரலபய கிரரயாது. ஒபர பள்ளியில் படித்தவர்கள், ஒபர அலுவலகத்தில் பவரல பார்ப்பவர்கள், ஒபர பபருந்து, ஒபர ரயிலில் பயணம் கசய்பவர்கள், ஒபர உணவகத்தில் சாப்பிடுபவர்கள், ஒபர டீக்கரர கபஞ்சில் அமர்ந்திருப்பவர்கள், ஒபர அரறயில் தங்குபவர்கள் என பல்பவறு நிரலகளில் நட்பு உருவாகலாம். ”கண்கள் அழுதால் துரரப்பது ரகத்துண்டு, இருதயம் அழுதால் துரரப்பது நட்பு,” அந்தளவு நட்பு உயர்வானது….
நட்பு என்னும் நல்ல உறவு கபாதுவாக மனித உறவுகரள நான்காகப் பிரிப்பார்கள். முதல் உறவு ‘கபற்பறார் உறவு’. இரண்ர ாவது உறவு ‘ரஉன் பிறந்தவர்கள்’. மூன்றாவது உறவு ‘கட்டிய மரனவி’. நான்காவது உறவு கபற்ற ‘பிள்ரளகள்’. இரவ அரனத்தும் பிறப்பால் வருவது. இளரம காலத்தில் சிலருக்கு வருவது காதல் எனும் உறவு. இது திருமணம் வரர நீடிக்கலாம் அல்லது கானல் நீர் பபால் காணாமல் பபாகலாம். ஆனால் குழந்ரதப் பருவத்தில் நிரனவு கதரியும் நாட்களில் கதார ங்கி நிரனவு விரர கபறும் காலம் வரர நீடித்து நிரலத்து நிற்பது நட்பு என்னும் உறவு மட்டும் தான். நண்பர்கள் மாறலாம். ஆனால் நட்பு மாறாதது.”பறரவக்கு கூடு சிலந்திக்கு வரல மாட்டுக்குத் கதாழுவம் மனிதனுக்கு நட்பு” மனிதன் தங்குவது இருதயம் கலந்த ஆழமான நட்பில் மட்டும் தான்.

”நட்பு என்பது மின் விசிறியல்ல. இயற்ரக காற்று, அதற்கு மின் தரரபய வராது”.
நட்பும் ஆறுதலும் எப்படி இரவு பகரல பிரிக்க முடியாபதா; இன்பம் துன்பத்ரதப் பிரிக்க முடியாபதா; அதுபபால மனிதனிர மிருந்து பிரச்ரனகரள பிரிக்க முடியாது. ”பிரச்ரனகள் இல்லாதவன் வாழத் கதரியாதவன்,” என அன்னிகபசன்ட் அம்ரமயார் கூறுவார். என்ன தான் நமக்கு பிரச்ரன என்றாலும், அரத மனதுக்குள்பள பூட்டி ரவத்தால், அது நம்ரம பநாய் பாதிப்புக்கும் ககாண்டு பபாய் விட்டு விடும்.ஏகனனில் தாய், தந்ரதயிர ம் பபச அளவு உண்டு. உறவினர்களிர ம் பபச அளவு உண்டு. காதலியிர ம் பபச அளவு உண்டு. ஆனால் இருதயத்தின் ஆழத்தில் உள்ள உண்ரமகரள ஒளிக்காமல் ஒருவன் பபசுவது தன் நண்பனிர ம் மட்டும் தான்.
நண்பனிர ம் நம் பிரச்ரனகரள கசால்லும்பபாது, அவன் நமக்குத்தரும் இனிரமயான ஆறுதல் மூலம் மகிழ்ச்சி இரட்டிப்பாகிறது. துன்பம் பாதியாக குரறகிறது. ”நுாறு மருத்துவர்கள் கசய்ய முடியாத சிகிச்ரசரய, ஒரு நண்பன் தரும் ‘ஆறுதல்’ கசய்யும்” என்றார் கவிஞர் ரவரமுத்து. பரழய திரரப்ரபத்தில் ஒரு வசனம் வரும்…”ககாண்டு வந்தால் தந்ரதககாண்டு வந்தாலும் வராவிட்ர ாலும் தாய்ச ர் ககாண்டு வந்தால் சபகாதரிககாரலயும் கசய்வாள் பத்தினிஉயிர் காப்பான் பதாழன்”ஆபத்து என்று வந்து விட்ர ால் தன் உயிரர ககாடுத்தாவது

நண்பன் உயிரர காப்பாற்ற பவண்டும் என்று பபாராடுவது நட்பு. அதனால் தான் நட்ரப ஒரு சக்தி வாய்ந்த மருந்து என்றார்கள்… நல்ல நட்பு வளர்பிரற பபான்றது. அது நாளுக்கு நாள் வளரும். தீயநட்பு பதய்பிரற பபான்றது. அது சிறிது சிறிதாக பதய்ந்து பின்னர் மரறந்து பபாகும். எனபவ நல்ல நட்ரப பநசிப்பபாம்! நல்ல நட்ரப வாசிப்பபாம்!!
நல்ல நட்ரபபய சுவாசிப்பபாம்!!….

Rtr. Araqam Rasheed

English Translation

Friendship is highly valued, because one even sacrifices his own life for the sake of a friend who does not have any blood relationship at all, as it is beyond social, economic class, age and gender variations.
This world is tied together by friendship. We share and chat about stuff with friends which we do not wish to talk with parents or partner. The overwhelming unconditional affinity in friendship is incomparable to any. We see people who have no relatives but it’s hard to find people without friends.
Old friends with whom we had the best days are always special, even if we get new friends in the course of time. It is no wonder that Friends Day helps us to indulge in those lovely memories. Friendship has become an inevitable part of life as we all encounter people with diverse nature at different stages of life where some become our friends.
On the contrary, we lose some friends in our salad days. Some bid farewell with the college life. Others get separated after our job retirement. And some will even become our life partners.
Thiruvalluvar has also celebrated such friendship with a separate chapter called Natpu (Friendship) in his book “thirukkural”, an exceptional work of Tamil literature. The following couplets are most notable.
Couplet no. 787
“அழிவி னவைநீக்கி ஆறுய்த்து அழிவின்கண்
அல்லல் உழப்பதாம் நட்பு”
Transliteration azhivi navainheekki aaRuyththu azhivin-kaN allal uzhappadhaam natpu
Couplet Explanation: (True) friendship turns aside from evil (ways) makes (him) walk in the (good) way, and, in case of loss if shares his sorrow (with him).
Couplet no. 788
“உடுக்வக இழந்தைன் வகபபால ஆங்பக
இடுக்கண் கவைைதாம் நட்பு”
Transliteration udukkai izhandhavan kaipola aangae idukkaN kaLaivadhaam natpu Couplet Explanation: (True) friendship hastens to the rescue of the afflicted (as readily) as the hand of one whose garment is loosened (in front of an assembly).
Duryodhan – Karnan friendship in the Mahabharata story is another great example. Karnan was obliged to stand by the evil king Duryodhan as he gave him the royal status and support. He fought against his own brothers on behalf of his friend in war where he sacrificed his life.
Twitter and Facebook pages are overflowing with a wide range of posts on what friendship is and how should it be.
Moreover some pictures made us laugh and rejoice.

Here a girl puts the mirror on her friend’s shoulder and shades her eyebrows. This clearly shows whether to weep on or to hold a mirror, a friend should give his shoulder no matter whatever it is.
We celebrate a special day in memory of an individual or to mark a remarkable event. But do we really need any reason to celebrate the friend’s day?
In 1935, a resolution was passed and approved in the United States Congress. In it was stated that, the first Sunday of August should be declared as a compulsory holiday and the day should be celebrated as a Friendship Day. Since then Friendship Day has been celebrated in the United States.
Friendship, companionship or comradeship is a relationship between two or more people. Without any age, language, race or country boundaries, it is based on understanding and adjusting. Friends forget about their personal likes and dislikes and act according to each other and are loyal to one another. In our pleasure and sorrow voluntarily come forward and share our feelings.
Friendship with one another is not only about chatting and having fun. If one commits a crime, the other should point out it and vehemently correct him, then only it’s a true friendship. It is essential to have noble friends as they are instrumental in one’s success. Because friendship is a tool that reveals one’s hidden talents. If there is something equivalent to mother’s relationship, it is the friendship with a true friend.
The colour you choose will show your character. But the friendship you choose will show who you are. Want to know who you are? You should identify your friend.
Friendship is so virtuous …. strong …. soulful …. like the rain water it’s naturally pure. After parents and relatives only friends play an important role in life.
A house or a town or a country has a boundary, but the friendship is limitless. Friendship can be seen between different types of individuals such as schoolmates, roommates, those who work in the same office, travel on the same bus or train, eat in the same restaurant….etc.
“Handkerchief is to wipe the crying eyes, friendship is to wipe the crying heart”, the friendship is so precious in this manner.
Generally there are 4 types of human relations, who are parents, siblings, life partner, children. All of them are resulted from birth. Love is a relationship that comes to some people during their youth. It can
last until marriage or disappear like a mirage. But only a friendship that begins from the days of childhood lasts until the last days of life. A nest for a bird; a web for a spider; a barn for a cow; a friendship for a person. It is only in a friendship a person’s heart resides.
How the days and nights cannot be divided; How pleasure is not inseparable from suffering; in the same way, problems cannot be separated from anyone.
Annie Besant had said that, a person without problems does not know how to live. Whatever the problem we have, if we keep it locked down in the heart, it leaves us vulnerable to diseases. Unlike with parents, relatives or partner, a person only when speaking to a friend never hides the deepest truths of heart.
When we seek a solution from a friend, for our problems, the support and comfort given by him doubles the happiness and halves the hardship. The well-known poet Vairamutthu had said that, the comfort given by a friend is better than the treatment given by hundred doctors. That’s why friendship is a powerful medicine.
Good friendship is like a waxing moon. It will grow day by day. Bad friendship is like a waning moon. It dwindles and then disappears. So lets love and imbibe the good friendship!!!

Translated by Rtr. Gowthaman Jegatheesan

The best kind of happiness is one that is unexpected. It might sound silly but I think one of the nicest feelings is when you get a card via mail or personally from a loved one, especially if it’s handmade. This may seem to be a small thoughtful gesture but it always seems to brighten the day. As a crafter, I think about it a lot when I create.

I think we all can agree that our world needs a little more kindness and love. But sometimes you don’t know how to add that out there, how to put more kindness and love out into the world. But this is something very simple that anyone can do. Because anybody can make cards, everyone can create. If you don’t know how to make a card, that’s fine. Just grab something you can easily find at your home and start creating. The most amazing thing about crafting is that unlike many other activities out there, there is no right or wrong way to do it. Therefore, you can simply experiment with what you have and you can also have fun while creating. You just have to let your creativity go and have a really good time crafting. Everybody is good at something. Maybe you have nice handwriting. You could draw or you could paint. Some can stitch while others can cut and paste. It doesn’t matter what you will and you can do because in the end, you will have this amazing handmade gift you can give to someone you care about. You could make a very simple card that is very quick and easy to make. It even could be something very simple as a handwritten note. It can be anything you can stick in an envelope and post or give in person to make them smile.

There’s nothing better.

While skills like eating and drinking can be spoon-fed to kids from their childhood, teaching them simple but very important things like being kind and nice to others can be tough. It is much more effective to teach them by showing them in actions. Crafting with your kids not only enhances their creativity but by sharing the cards with others who can be battling with cancer or even that friend at school who helped you, and seeing their faces light up with smiles will teach them more important things like the value of sharing and showing kindness. They will see how something small like creating a simple card could go a long way and make somebody’s day. Not just your kids, you can get together with your family and create something for each other or pass them along to your loved ones. Pooling everyone’s ideas together and creating while having fun would be the ideal weekend evening activity to spend some quality time with your family. It’s a great way to effectively teach them how to be kind.

This isn’t changing the world. But it’s changing people’s days. That can be quite impactful. Everybody has challenges, everybody is going through something whether it’s big or small. This is what it should be all about. Using your joy, whatever your job, whatever your hobby or whatever your passion is to spread that kindness. Although I only mentioned crafting, these simple acts of kindness can be anything. Use whatever your skill is, whether it’s baking, sewing or even planting during these tough times use your joy to bring joy to somebody else. If you love cooking you could make a meal for a poor family that is starving due to the curfew. If you are skilled in sewing you can make your own masks and maybe even share with others. If you love planting and have a vegetable garden share your harvest with others.

A lot of people feel a little hopeless in being able to make big changes in this world. And you don’t have to make big changes. It could be simple. It could be something as simple as making someone smiles on a bad day. That’s what this is all about. And that you get to have fun with it when you are creating, makes it even better.

We all like superheroes. Even as I write, there are superheroes out there fighting for us, fighting to keep us safe. No, it’s not the superheroes in movies. It’s the real-life superheroes, our health care workers, officers of the tri forces and essential service providers. But just like them, I have my own superpower, crafting. Crafting is therapeutic and it also distracts me from everything that’s happening outside and all my anxieties. We don’t have to make complex and super nice cards. Just do what you can and make the simplest cards you can think of. If you have enough supplies make some extra cards that you can give anybody who fights in this battle. If you know a person (family or neighbour) you can give your cards to them ask them to pass around among their colleagues. And if you buy food and other items online or from the local trucks that come to your area, give them a card you made. It can make a huge difference. Having a purpose for what you create can help you revive your creativity. If you are someone who used to love creating but lost touch and couldn’t create for a long time because of family responsibilities and work, this is the perfect opportunity to get back and get your creativity genes working.

We can use our super power to help and encourage each other ♥

Sending out hugs 🙂

Stay home. Stay safe.

If you want to learn to make your own handmade cards, go to the link below where I give you step by step instructions for some very simple cards you can easily make at home. Remember, always try to be creative.

http://rotaractachievers.org/blog/crafting-instruction/

Rtr. Nethmi Lavanya

For more creations from the author, check out her instagram page.

https://instagram.com/craftingbubs?igshid=rvdxyybig8v8

Instructions

Things you need

1. Old Wrapping paper
2. Hardboard paper
3. Paper cutter
4. Foam tape
5. Nylon thread (Any type of thread would do the job)
6. Printed sentiments (For any occasion)
7. Pencil
8. Pearl cotton (Even embroidery thread is fine)
9. Beads of any color (I got mine from an old necklace)
10. Double sided tape
11. Ruler
12. Scissors
13. Glue
14. Paper strips (0.25-inch width)
15. Newspaper strips (If you don’t have color A4s. You can soak them in water with a bit of food coloring to get them in different colors.)

1. 1. Take a piece of thick paper. It can be any size you want. Mine are 3.75″ × 4.75″

1. 2. 1. Cover one side of the paper with double tape or glue

1. 2. 2. Peel off the release paper if you are using double tape

2. Starting from one corner paste the paper strips next to each other. You can choose your own colors and try different materials and color combinations. If you don’t have color A4s you can try it with old newspapers and white A4s.

3. 1. This is what it will look like after you have covered the entire paper.

3. 2. Carefully trim off the excess using a scissor.

4. 1. Take a few beads and a nylon thread (You can use any type of thread you can find at home). Thread the beads in a thread and tie their ends together.

4. 2. If you are using nylon thread you can fuse the ends together with heat (BE EXTRA CAREFUL)

4. 3. Apply some thick glue along the thread to make the bead stick to the thread and make sure the beads are nicely spread/distributed.

5. 1. To finish off the first card you need the bead chain and a paper strip background you made and a printed sentiment of your choice.

5. 2. Place the bead chain on top of the card and attach the sentiment on top using glue or some foam tape.

6. 1. For the second card you need a strip background you made, some hand cut images find from old wrapping papers or a picture book and a printed sentiment of your choice.

6. 2. Attach the sentiment on top using foam tape or glue.

6. 3. Paste the images around the sentiment.

7. Get two pieces of thick paper, fold them in half and add your card background on them.

Here are some other simple cards you can try to create at home.

Rtr. Nethmi Lavanya

The quarantine has been an unpleasant experience for anyone who undergoes it. But we have become increasingly accustomed to the transition brought into our daily routine by it. This has now created a situation where we could compare and contrast, different ways of fulfilling our needs and wants, as there is a drastic increase in preference for online services. Apart from these, to mitigate quarantine further efficiently, varieties of entertaining elements also have emerged. The Rotaract Club of Colombo Mid Town came up with the idea of an online quiz on football, which was named as “Thinking boots”. Along with the boredom, my interest in football enticed me to participate in it. 

So this football trivia was in a “one against one” format. The ZOOM ROOM was chosen as the online interface for the quiz. Only the first 32 to register were able to participate in it. It was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the participants were divided and apportioned into 4 locations cleped as Camp Nou, San Siro, Allianz Arena, Old Trafford which are the stadiums of best football clubs in Europe, except the latter. Basically it was a knockout of 8 people per location.

The match times were informed one day prior. A 5 minute grace period was allowed before calling a walkover. Each game started with a coin toss and the winner decided who should start. In a game, both the players got two rounds each and in each round, 5 questions were asked. A time frame of 15 seconds was given for each question. Even though it was a quiz, the game was symbolized in a way that each player manages a team with a goalkeeper, two defenders, a midfielder and a striker. The goalkeeper has the ball during the inception of the first round. For each correct response for a question resulted in the addition of 10 marks to the total and the ball being passed to a team player in front. And this will take the ball forward, and when it reached the striker the next correct answer -I.e., the fifth correct answer- was assumed as a goal scored where extra 50 marks were added to the total. The same points system applied to the opponent player, and this continued to the next round. At the end of the game, the one with the highest marks advanced to the next game. If scores are level, 3 questions per person were asked in similar to a penalty shootout. In case of that being a draw, the winner was to be elected through a death penalty.

I was drawn into Group D, which was the “Allianz Arena”. I played and won 3 games where I became the winner of that location and progressed to the second stage.

In the second stage, the semi-final and final matches were played where one among the finalists of four locations was surmised as the champion. One notable point of the second stage was that a major change in the rules and regulations was introduced by the organizing committee due to atrocities by the players in the previous matches. In the first stage, there was no limit for attempts made for the questions, so that the players could say any amount of incorrect answers before landing on the correct one within the time frame. This was even worse when the players had to give a numerical answer, and all they knew that is a number within a certain range, so they would just simply say all the numbers within that range. So for the next stage matches, the players were instructed that only a maximum of three attempts can be made for a question.

Rahul, who is also from our club, was also among the other three who got selected to the second stage. I was really looking forward to an “Achievers Derby” in the final. Unfortunately, I lost the semifinal, but Rahul went on to win the semifinal and final and emerged as the champion of the first-ever Thinking Boots.

Rtr. Gowthaman Jegatheesan