04 things that are highly Sri Lankan
Those who have ever
been outside the country will tell you how strong the bond between the country
and its men and women. Surely this is a land like no other.
#1. Cricket
While
many countries are passionate Cricket lovers we Sri Lankans seem to play and
love (almost) our own version of the game.
How
many other cricket loving nations play the passionate papare alongside a
happening match? How many other Prime Ministers do you think walks in to a
Cricket ground just to witness his old school taking place at a historic school
cricket battle?
And
when I say we played cricket at game wela where ගස් කැච් were
legal and last man still had a chance to play millions of other Sri Lankan’s can relate
themselves to it.
I
was a little kid when my father, mother, uncles, aunties, grandmothers,
grandfathers, cousins, allapu gedara people (the list goes on) gathered around
a one TV set to watch something called loka kusalane happening at somewhere
called pakisthane Lahore ground eka. While growing up, I have seen many
people gather around Singer show rooms and LG show rooms during cricket match
days. Truth be told, I was among 100+ others who watched the 2014 T20 world cup
final on a TV which was placed at Colombo Fort railway station.
And
last but not least – no matter how cricket crazy we are and how painful it was
to watch the national team losing more than 04 world cups just by inches none
of us 21 million haven’t yet burned a single photograph or a house of any of
ape kollo.
#2. Choon Paan
Okay now if you are yet to taste anything bought from that choon paan van eka then I feel quite sorry for you.
It
comes with running like Ussain Bolt to catch the small vehicle first. It
usually will come around 4pm or 4.30pm. Be outside of your place and focus much
as possible to catch the choon sound. Once you heard it, don’t tarry just run.
Run for your food. One boy actually did this and he ended up being Sugath
Thilakarathne – the yesteryears talented athlete. Once you capture the vehicle
(and there is no guarantee you would be able to do that. Not often for sure) then
it is the time to decide one thing out of many options: Jam Paan, Kimbula Bunnis, Sini sambal bunnis, nikan wade and Ros paan are the best. Just buy one, and sit
somewhere, watch the sky quietly, eat it and enjoy the evening.
And
don’t you ever worry about the ithuru salli. If the choon paan malli has no enough coins to pass your balance you surely will get products next day
for a deducted price. How good that is.
#3. Sujeewa Prasanna Arachchi & Ajith Muthukumarana
I am a bookworm. To be honest I have read many of Sujeewa Prasanna Arachchi writings, While hating them of cause. I didn’t like his writings, but I wanted to read.
What
if I told you that his Bonda Meedum is the #2 best-selling of this
country? Ask any bookseller you will know. Number one bestselling here in the
island is Yugaanthaya by Mr. Martin Wickremesinghe. That in fact is no wonder
as it was a recommended text for A/L students until very recent times.
Bestselling
Bonda Meedum and many of SPA books says that he deserves a place as a chef in a
food outlet. My god he is quite good at it. His characters always know about
making delicious dishes and your amma won’t ever know such great cuisines. Even
Lloyed Opatha of Hotel Galadari should take tuition from SPA. His menus are outstanding
and his books are more edible as they are really cheesy.
Ajith
Muthukumarana - a.k.a. the Bus Ajith, I suspect, is the long lost brother of SPA. He has a record of
successfully torturing bus passengers since debuted. And I was among his recent
most victims. Two days ago I was traveling in a bus on Expressway 01 and this
guy was performing in the TV system. Compere introduced Ajith as the aadaraye
rajjuruwo.
No
matter how you and I hate SPA and Ajith, they still got millions of fans. Ajith
Muthukumarana is particularly in the culture of the people of down south, North
Western and North Central – especially among young boys. Long distant busses
are quite entertained by his and his band Purple Range’s music. SPA on the other hand is more popular among
girls. It is said our sisters in Free trade zones loves him a lot and he is
kind a role model in there. So what has happened is while half of the country
hates these 02 fellas the other half has fallen in love with them.
#4. Kottu and Aappa
Invented
by a random mudalali in an unknown town Kottu has now evolved in to various
forms including Indi aappa kottu and cheese kottu. It out-valued all the other
local fast foods so quickly and CNN says it is already the 2nd must try food in the island. And it is also a food where the elites and
commoners of the country collectively look forward for.
Needless
to say aappa can even send a reigning president home and bring in a new one to
the office outta no-where. Rumors are the Cabinet is considering naming aappa as
the National food given the impact caused by it on last 08th of
January. For obvious reasons Wimal Weerawansa will object.
Kottu
and aappa are the only 02 foods that give you wisdom from it.
When
you feel that your life is being banged by everywhere possible, and when you
feel you wont ever be able to collect the pieces together and build the structure
again just think of Kottu. The kottu is great only when it has been banged a
lot with that clanging by the kottu baas. A delicious kottu is nothing but a result of hard chopping. Thanks to those hard banging it will become something great. So does your life.
Think
of aappa. Life of an aapa at the beginning is worst. I mean it is just burning on
that boiling pan. And once the aappa baas take the aappa out of that pan aappa
is simply losing the mind that once it too had a life on that boiling pan.
How
many of people in your life have behaved this way just because their life is
way better now than earlier and they happened to believe that they deserve
something else? From Sorry aiye oyata mata
wada hoda kenek lebei to mata karadara karanna epa gedarin me sambandeta
kemathi ne to ape adahas gelapenne ne sudu, meka methanin
nawaththana eka api dennagema jiwithawalata hodai. And when that moment hits
you, tell it to his/her face, yes tell it to the face that aappeta mathaka ne
thachchiye hitapu kaale, say it and just walk away. You will feel much better.
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