Lotus World: A journey to unearth “inner happiness”
The immense success of the film ‘Sri Siddhartha Gautama’ has inspired a quest for the film’s producer Navin Gooneratne and star Gagan Malik. The overwhelming reception of their work at free screenings after its launch early last year according to Navin has set them on a journey to unearth “inner happiness”. Feeling that the film was not merely an epic production, reactions after screenings overseas left the producer with a spiritually gratifying experience of having served others. The launch of Lotus World-Towards Inner Happiness marked the beginning of expanding their efforts to include all willing Sri Lankans last week.
Gagan Malik, Thai Princess Mom Luang Rajadarasri Jayankura, and producer Navin Gooneratne at the press conference on Wednesday. Pic by Anuradha Bandara
Representing the Mahatma Gandhi Centre, President Dr. Mohamed Saleem clarified that it wasn’t big acts of selflessness the Lotus Foundation was aiming at. Small steps, even if only to “cultivate healthy interpersonal relationships with people in your neighbourhood” despite constructs used by politics to divide the society such as race, he feels is a good start. Hoping that Lotus World would blossom to reach its full potential, the flower itself has long meant something more to him, he said. From the bigger petals on the outer flower sheltering the smaller, more fragile petals to the exotic streaks of differently coloured veins, he said the flower if anything is a symbol of unity.
Small acts according to Ven. Olande Ananda Thero who was a guest speaker at the launch, have a ripple effect. Lotus World is not a “real physical place” he says, hoping the world would resonate with acts of kindness, starting with “One good deed a day” followed by another. According to Reverend Ebenezer Joseph, the promotion of loving kindness could not have been a timelier exercise.
The satisfaction of “doing something for another person” is what has encouraged actor Gagan Malik to give-up the glamourous life style of a film star. Hoping that children would learn the joy of serving others, books to record their good deeds as a part of the Lotus World’s “One good deed a day project” were presented at the launch.
Chief Guest for the auspicious evening, Mom Luang Rajadarasri Jayankura launched the website, making Lotus World accessible to like minded people striving for inner happiness.