Young activist on a mission
Women’s empowerment was never just a catchphrase for Birendra Siriwardhana. The 15-year- old grew up literally in its embrace. His mum Shivani Siriwardhana, an almost architect who gave up seven years of gruelling study to look after her children, is his mentor. His paternal grandmother Kala Keerthi Eileen Siriwardhana is a former principal, educationist, writer and poet and maternal grandmother Shirani Pothuhera a committed activist. Surrounded by strong women, one could almost say that this young man practically had no choice but to become a women’s rights activist himself.
Hearing the other side: Birendra talks to a woman in Mullaitivu
Yet there’s another very important player here; someone Birendra says gives him strength to keep going when the going gets tough. “My sister Serika strongly believes that a woman is capable of anything a man is,” he tells us. Serika is 11. And Birendra is determined that she will never lose faith in this belief.
For someone so young, Birendra is almost alarmingly perceptive. While most of us at that age were busy running around being rebels he’s chosen his own way of speaking up against the system. His cause is one that not many-and certainly only a handful of men-will speak about; violence against women. “There was never any one point where my perception of how women were treated by society changed,” he says. In fact, surrounded by a household of strong-willed females he grew up believing that this was how it was for women everywhere. Time soon cured him of that optimism. “I remember my sister telling us about a friend who was in an abusive family,” he says. “That was when the coin finally dropped. Very few women have the opportunity to realize their potential.”
This was driven home when he spent two weeks in Mullaitivu helping the army rebuild homes post O’ Levels. Days spent toiling under the hot sun and heavy lifting to his heart’s content made him keenly observant. “I realized that it was the women in the community who kept things going,” he remembers. “There were these young girls teaching, looking after their families…they kept the place running like clockwork. I realized that given the right setup they could go on to achieve amazing things. But sadly most of them live in a very patriarchal society. Violence-both mentally and physically-holds them back.”
Back in Colombo and with his parents’ support (his dad is well known musician and entrepreneur Aruna Siriwardhana) he and Serika have set up the Birendra and Serika Siriwardhana Initiative. under the tagline ‘Real men don’t abuse woman’.The main aim of the initiative is to educate young people on the subject of abuse against women, he says. It’s an ideal he can relate to. “My friends are going to grow up and have their own kids someday. If they can listen to what we have to say about respecting women and then maybe pass the message on to their kids, it’s eventually going to become something of a social norm.”
The idea is to disseminate the message with workshops, seminars, art and essay competitions, music and sporting events, among others. Having grown up in an English speaking environment he only speaks basic Sinhalese and knows that the majority of the young men he wants to inspire are in this language bracket. This is why he wants to create a platform for other people with the same idea, who have the capacity to connect with these young people but lack resources. The Birendra and Serika Siriwardhana Initiative is also a trust fund which he hopes will be instrumental in providing logistical support for this purpose.
Aaqil Nooramith, Keshya Amarasinghe, Anjali Theagarajah and Aawin Dambawinne are some of the young change makers who are helping Birendra and his sister.
First fundraising event
A concert on Friday November 8 will be Birendra and Serika’s preliminary fundraiser. The event is directed by Steve de la Zilwa, produced by Roshan Wijeyratne and logistically supported by Malinda Lowe (all acting on a pro bono basis) and features acts such as the A Team, Naadro, Ravibandu Vidyapathi, Alien Accent, Suresh and Husni with DK and Dushyanth Weeraman. The event will be held at the Bishops College Auditorium from 7.30 pm onwards (tickets available at the gate).