By Ruwanthi Herat Gunaratne and Vidushi Seneviratne
We are atop a hill. CTB buses whiz past below. Behind us is a workshop situated in an outwardly ordinary house. Once inside everything changes.

Welcome to the world of Nasa. No it's not a space station that has been relocated in Sri Lanka, but a cobbler's paradise. It is the workshop of K. G. C. Samarawikrama, a ladies shoe specialist and designer.

"No I'm not a cobbler by profession," says Samarawikrama laughing at our bemused expressions. "I was initially employed at a garment factory. I started at the bottom and gradually worked myself up over 18 years. Then it was on to 'Ashan', an aluminum workshop that made anything from ironing boards to saucepans."

A few years into that job and Samarawikrama resigned from his position, went home and pondered. He wanted to do something different, innovative and profitable. Shoes seemed like a breath of fresh air. His only contact in the shoe business though, was his nephew, who had background experience in the craft. But that was enough. He also needed a name and a logo. "I noticed that all the shoe shops had only two letters in their names so Nasa seemed appropriate." As for the logo the Swastika seemed interesting. So that it was. He employed an experienced cobbler named "Mahathun" and he was on his way.

Mahathun hung around only for a few weeks but that did not hinder the progress of Nasa. "That's one of the key features in the shoe business, the workers come and go. But as long as you set and keep your standards you can thrive in the business." And thrive he has with two successful years behind him and orders coming in day by day.

Samarawikrama did not want to be just another participant in the wonderful world of shoe making. He wanted to create shoes under his own label with a guarantee of quality, creativity, after sales service and the promise of the shoe being delivered right to your door.

Unbelievable? It's true. His custom - fitted and designed shoes are delivered to you at no extra cost. Why not go about it the regular way? Introduce the brand to a shop and let them do the handling and costing? "I did attempt it during the initial stages but the entire procedure became a farce. I would give them the finished products at a subsidized rate and they would sell for double the price. I soon realized that I could supply the products to the customer's doorstep with a guarantee of quality at a more competitive price," he explained.

So what is so special about this shoemaker? To begin with, all you need to do is call him at home in Pannipitiya, and he turns up at your door within minutes if necessary in a trishaw. Then begins the process of taking your order. First he spreads his samples on your verandah. Once you spot the design you like, you get to choose the material and heel of your choice from the wide array he has. Not satisfied with the collection he presents? All you then need to do is leaf through his catalogues or simply design your own shoe. Have a personal favourite that now looks a little out of date? Update it with the latest in shoe material and add the trendiest heel to enhance it.

After carefully noting down all your requirements Nasa (since that is what he is called) then goes about drawing your foot on his specially made blue tinted sheet of paper. Once that is done you are asked to fit on a sample shoe to get the perfect fit. "The problem in buying shoes off the shelf is that they are not made with your foot in mind. Shoemakers work with specific blocks ranging in size from 1 to 8 etc." He points out our feet explaining that though we both might share the same shoe size that does not necessarily mean that the same shoe might fit us both. Our insteps, the width and the length might differ even in millimetres.

Once this is completed everything is packed into a large cardboard box and Nasa and his collection of shoes zoom back to Pannipitiya in the three wheeler.

All the day's orders are then processed. And the following morning as Pathirana, Sunanda, Priyantha and Anura walk in for work at 9:00 a.m. they are each given around four orders to work on. Work has to be completed within the day. The more intricate designs are only attempted under the watchful eyes of Samarawikrama himself. "Quality cannot be compromised at any cost," says this tough taskmaster. On seeing a slight mistake Priyantha is promptly asked to redo an entire shoe. The workshop is cluttered. Shoe making utensils are strewn around making a perfect mess. Anura works on a low bench on the floor whilst Priyantha and Sunanda have tables all to themselves. "I ask them to work in a way that is most comfortable to each of them. Their best work is turned out only then."

Samarawikrama himself purchases the items needed for the shoes from Pettah himself. Using a special gum, a hammer and minute nails the shoe is completed. Samarawikrama then gives it the final test and it's ready for delivery.

That done, out comes the three-wheeler once again, this time on a delivery trip. Samarawickrama himself goes from house to house making sure that the customers are satisfied with the end product.

But where does he get the designs? "I issue ten new designs a month and they are each given specific codes. These are drawn mainly from customer input. Their own specific needs are what guide me towards getting that perfect shoe."

He has made shoes for ladies he met on the elevator and young girls with no idea what they were in for. "I take the order as it comes," smiles this entrepreneur, "I sometimes visit with the objective of selling one pair of shoes and end up selling five or six. Luck plays a big role."

The future looks good. "My next step is start up a children's shoe business," he says. "And yes I will open a shop," answering our unasked question. "But it will be a sample shop - where you could walk in and pick the shoe, the material, the colour and the heel and have it if necessary within an hour, custom-made especially for you!"

Samarawikrama is in a class of his own. His amiable nature and cajoling manner have become the trademarks of his success. As we get ready to leave, he asks, "Sapaththuwak hadamuda ehenang?" (So what about a pair of shoes?)

Join the SLANA run today
Drugs; one for the main causes for the ruin of youngsters in our country. It's sad but true. To fight this menace, the Sri Lanka Anti Narcotics Association (SLANA) has for the past twelve years been organising a National Health Run targeted at creating an awareness of this killer amongst all Sri Lankans.

This year the run is being held today, September 1, starting off at Galle Face Green. "The run is 14km long, but there is also another route which is 7km,"says Ms. Dharshini Guniyangoda, Director of SLANA.

The main objective in holding this event is to encourage public participation to shape opinion against drug abuse, to highlight the dangers of drug abuse to health and productivity and promote healthy alternatives.

The run will take participants around the streets of Colombo and will end with a grand cultural show by the Police Cultural Troupe and an exhibition by Police dogs.

"I have been a part of the National Health Run for four years now," says M. Shafraz, a student studying in the Commerce stream at Zahira College, Colombo. " When I initially began it was simply to boost my own energy levels since I am a strong believer that education is not complete without an essential sport element. But after the first run I realised that there was a lot more to this project." Shafraz now says that a project of this nature was instrumental in bringing together a number of youth from varied communities. He says that amongst his best friends are those that he had met during the run itself.

SLANA is a non-profit organisation working in drug abuse prevention and human development since 1987. The organisation has been involved in many national activities to promote youth development and drug prevention. It is together with the collaboration of the Police Narcotics Bureau and City Traffic Police that this event is organised. Bank of Ceylon is the principal sponsor.

Registration began at 5:00 a.m. today at the Green but if you can rush down right now you might still be able to catch the action.
-Ruwanthi-

Many a winding path that leads home
We had to get a task done by an organization located off the main bus route. We normally went there by trishaw, which we hired at the junction, but this time we were out of luck. After a few futile attempts to get a trishaw at the usual price we decided to walk. The road was long and I slacked. My companion kept a steady pace as she punctuated the journey with encouragement "It's just a little way now..." while I tried not to think of the work that had to be done before the day ended.

City people tend to live by the clock. We get up at dawn making mental notes of all the things that have to be completed during the day. Any variance from the schedule and we find ourselves feeling on edge. I resolutely tried not to think of the time that was being breached. Instead I made myself enjoy the serenity of the countryside.

Cows grazed in forlorn paddy fields. The few paddy fields that have been cultivated this season do not show much promise. The failure of the southwest monsoon is mirrored in the stalks that are lean and tending to be choked by the weeds. The pungent smell of thin sheets of wood shavings, left to dry in the sun greeted my nostrils. "These are used to make Popsicle sticks," my companion informs me. Passing by, I ask whether the owner would object if I touched the sheets. I was fascinated by the grain on the sheets. It looked very pretty. In the city I never would have imagined that such sheets were used to make the mundane sticks that we so carelessly throw away, even before the last morsel of ice has melted away on the tongue.

We walked through a state plantation of rubber. Those wooded acres gave one a sense of peace as the sun dappled leaves formed a canopy that gave the traveller a restful shade as they passed by, transient but nevertheless welcome. On smallholdings these trees are being felled relentlessly after being "slaughter tapped". Rubber is no longer an attractive proposition to those who have smallholdings. An economist would cry, "halt" as it plays a major role in the production of local rubber goods. But the stakeholder would say: "Give me an incentive to hold on to it. If it does not give me a profitable return I cannot benefit". So there goes the "chop". I am just a traveller and I mourn the passing away of the rubber plantations. They have a beauty and an atmosphere all their own The tea plantation does not have it as the sun shines directly down affording very little shade - they are nice from a distance. The coconut plantations are stark and one cannot walk entirely at ease under their branches. But the rubber ... that is different.

Ouch my feet ached! I tried to keep abreast of my companion and almost stumbled. "Is it a long way more?" I ask, longing to hear the word "no". My companion laughs: "To us this is nothing, if we spend money on travelling short distances, we will not have enough to buy our needs."

True, travelling in the village is very costly. If one travels anywhere other than on the main highway the only mode of transport left is the tri-shaw, which is also few and far between, because customers are few. The village is only in need of a tri-shaw in an emergency. At other times they prefer - nay they are compelled to walk. The tri-shaw is too expensive for general travel, unless of course the driver is a relative and offers to take you to your destination.

Some of the State's main poverty reduction strategies centre on transport, as it would help the poor go places. But, as yet, the only buses that operate are on the main highway, and they are a law unto themselves.

Ever since Mr. Choksy spoke of price reductions no one is quite sure what the fare to town is -It used to be Rs.6/-. Now, it varies between Rs.6/- and Rs.8/- depending on the whims of the conductor.

Truly, a bus at least twice a day linking one village with another would be welcome, as successive governments have spent a considerable amount of money broadening footpaths in order that vehicles can gain access to village hamlets. But the chances are that the service will be under-utilized. Because the bus service will not keep to time and the people will prefer to walk, as it will save their time.

They walk not on the main highway, but on well worn tracks that only the village folk know. They can take you from point A to B sometimes faster than the crow flies. In the village there is many a winding footpath, but they all lead home.

Marisa de Silva joins in the fun at FONCA's annual holiday camp for needy children
Sing-songs and sightseeing
We arrive at the Deaf and Blind School Anuradhapura early on a Tuesday morning to meet some 65 children who are enjoying a rare holiday. The FONCA (Friends Of Needy Children Association) annual holiday camp is organised especially for children from various homes who have nowhere to go and no one to take them in, during school vacations. Their holiday is funded by contributions from the public.

This time around FONCA had 65 children ranging from 9-19 years from the Punyawardanaramaya Children's Home, Kidelpitiya, Bandaragama, Kalutara, Don Bosco Boys Home, Maggona, St. Mary's Boys Home, Kalmunai, Batticaloa, Keerthi Lama Nivasaya, Rambukkana and Sri Premananda Children's Home, Dambulla.

The children were ready that morning for a sightseeing tour of the 'Ate masthana' (8 destinations of religious and historical significance). The ritualistic chant of "Sadhu sadhu sa...", by the Buddhist boys began as soon as the bus began to move.

'Sing-song' sessions were definitely the order of the day. Whilst one half of the bus was filled with lusty singing from the young lads from the east, the other end was adding to the merriment by singing 'baila' tunes with much gusto. Although the Tamil and Sinhala songs being sung simultaneously was not exactly a piece of musical genius, it at least sent out a flicker of hope towards a more peaceful tomorrow.

Our first destination was the 'Isurumuniya Raja Maha Viharaya', built by King Devanampiyatissa, the first rock temple built in Sri Lanka. Mr. Lokubandara, our guide gave the children a lengthy and descriptive history on every sight they saw and the boys were quite receptive, some even taking down notes.

The boys from the east had a leader amongst them who understood and spoke all three languages and he translated from Sinhala to Tamil. This was taken in good spirit, with the Tamil children showing no resentment that they couldn't understand the guide and the Sinhala children not minding the lengthy translation. Then it was time for some one-on-one interaction.

Sendoor (17), the translator for the boys from the east, said that in Kalmunai (where they were from), the war had not affected their studies and lives to such a great effect. However, whenever there was an attack, they had to stay in their homes or take shelter of some sort. They followed the normal curriculum and had students from around the island in their school. Students from Matara, Negombo and even Bandarawela came to their school in Batticaloa due to the lack of Tamil schools in their area, he said.

Sugath, a caretaker from 'one of the homes, was literally 'the-boy-from-next-door' as he was from the 'Pinnawela Elephant Reserve', located in the neighbourhood of the home. He helped out at the home whenever he was free and had accompanied the boys on this trip as the Buddhist monk in charge of their institute had found it difficult to do so himself.

Some of these children are refused entrance to schools in their areas as they have no birth certificates. But with or without a birth certificate, they still have a right to an education.

Leelaratne (17), was unable to get into a school in the area as he had no birth certificate. The 'Pirivena school', run by the Buddhist monks in certain areas too, had refused him entrance as he was over age. So, what becomes of this young mind? Nothing much really. It will just remain semi-educated and stagnant, awaiting a change in the system.

Likewise, Anton Herat (16) from Maggona said that of the 85 boys at his home, 80 were schooling and the remaining five who didn't possess birth certificates helped out in the kitchen or farm work. They also received extra lessons in basic communication and writing skills from a tutor who visited the home a few times a week and were also all sent for Sunday school classes.

Give them this chance of a lifetime
This type of opportunity to help make each day brighter for someone else doesn't come by too often. For FONCA this has been their main intention for quite a while now.

Founded in 1993 by Mr. and Mrs. John Perera, FONCA's membership has grown over the years.

FONCA now helps 45 of the 200 homes islandwide by providing them with necessities unique to each home.

They identify what each particular home requires most and try their best to provide it for them.

It just shows how far a little bit of love and generosity can take you. This annual event, organised by FONCA, not only gives these boys the opportunity to see sights and scenes they have never seen but build strong, maybe even lifetime ties with children from differing backrounds.

Everything FONCA does and especially this holiday is made possible by generous members of our community who offer to sponsor a child or many children.

On the last day of the holiday each child writes a letter of appreciation and gratitude to their sponsors telling them of what they saw and did etc.

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