Building on friendships
As the tiny ‘flotilla’ of fishing boats took off around the Chilaw lagoon in the setting sun, strange seemed the motley group of youth laughingly facing the wind.
A mix of female and male, for them it was an unforgettable moment – a different kind of “thank you”. For, the impoverished fisherfolk of Chilaw, nothing else could they offer – just a ride in the boats which were their only worldly possessions.
This parting gift was a surprise, for 100 students, 50 from the state-run School of Architecture of the University of Moratuwa (UOM) and a similar number from the private City School of Architecture (CSA).
The boat-ride around the lagoon was an unexpected bonus of a three-day ‘Student Jamboree 2014’ held by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA) not only replete with laughter, fun and games, intermingled with leadership skills training but also giving of their ‘shramaya’ (energy) to a school sorely in need of a helping hand.
Explaining the concept, the Chairperson of the 15-member Student Jamboree Organizing Committee, Archt. Michele Fonseka says that the objective was to provide an opportunity for students of the two schools of architecture to interact closely before they join the profession.
Held under the aegis of SLIA’s Board of Architectural Education currently chaired by Archt. Janaka Dharmasena, the jamboree was not a first, according to Archt. Fonseka. The brainchild of the previous board Chairman, Archt. Veranjan Kurukulasuriya, this year’s jamboree was preceded by one in 2012 at the Thulhiriya MAS factory premises and last year at the Army Training Camp in Belihul Oya.
“These jamborees are a great success with benefits to the students and the community, with new friendships being formed,” reiterated Archt. Fonseka, pointing out that they concentrate on the two “main” tasks of developing leadership skills and confidence building, while creating
Archt. Fonseka
awareness and sensitivity to social responsibilities.
Commending her “excellent” Organizing Committee of young Chartered Architects for ensuring that the 2014 Jamboree from September 12-14 was a success, she says that in the development of leadership skills and confidence building, the students were in the able hands of the professional training company, Adventure Land (Pvt) Ltd.
The activities on the first day were aimed at developing leadership skills, team spirit planning strategies, time management, self-confidence and decision-making skills, she elaborates, adding that in creating awareness on social responsibilities, the group undertook to paint the biggest classroom block of an underprivileged school. The paint was courtesy of Akzonobel Paints Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., which has partnered with SLIA in the last three years.
As the students of the two architecture schools mingled as one, the beneficiary school was St. Sebastian’s Navodya Vidyalaya, Egodawella in Chilaw, where their paths not only crossed those of “nangis and mallis” who up to that time had no hopes of higher education due to poverty but also those of Principal H.M. Abeysinghe, teachers and parents.
Modara
It was to a simple but mouth-watering repast of kiribath and manioc, fish curry, katta sambol, stingingly-hot kochchi sambol and mugs of steaming tea that the students were treated to by the womenfolk before the ‘work’ of the second day began at St. Sebastian’s Vidyalaya, when they arrived from the small hotel they were lodging at. The work was painting classrooms, with ladders and buckets hauled from the schoolchildren’s homes.
“Cream was the colour chosen for the classrooms, while a group of pillars were painted a light shade of brown, as also the window frames,” says Principal Abeysinghe, adding that the architecture students, both boys and girls, even climbed atop ladders and cleaned the balka (rafters). Now “my children” are keeping the classrooms spick and span and wipe off any dirt smudges.
For 23-year-old Modara Willaddara, a second-year student from the university, it was the first time that she met her peers from CSA, for geographically the two schools of architecture were apart, hers in Katubedda and the other at Colombo 7.
Shyly she admits that she is not much of an outdoor person, but smilingly says that on the first day of the jamboree she took part in every event, with her team-mates coaxing, encouraging and cheering her on up the giant ladder and along the aerial rope on the banks of the Deduru Oya. On her team were many whom she met for the first time. “It was fantastic team work.”
The “paint job” at St. Sebastian’s Vidyalaya was really interesting, says Modara who according to her own admission is “not a people’s person”. But the interaction with the schoolchildren was amazing. “They wanted to become architects after chatting with us. They were also curious about
Ravi
university life. Earlier, they were not aspiring to walk through the portals of an institution of higher learning, only leave school after their OLs. The boys would usually take to fishing and the girls join a garment factory.”
Many were the schoolchildren after the awareness programme on architecture intent on following these aiyas and akkas, while also showing off their prowess at the general assembly where they performed dances and skits. They had accepted with emotion “a lot of books” for their school library the architecture students presented them, having contributed Rs. 700 each.
Principal Abeysinghe adds that a follow-up, valuable gift to the school on November 18 was two computers that the Bank of Ceylon Headquarters presented through its Chilaw branch, due to the good offices of the SLIA.
With the uncontested view among the architecture students being that it was fun to help others and the painting work was not a chore, 26-year-old Ravi Handagama, a Part II final-year student at CSA, explains how there is usually no time for them to get to know each other as they are either studying or interning.
“The physical activity was strenuous on the first day of the jamboree but the team-work was unimaginable,” he says, adding, “we could never have done it alone”.
The giant ladder is cited once again as an example. “A team member has to give his/her knees for you to stand on to reach the next rung of the ladder, while others cheer you on. It was basically down to brotherhood and sisterhood,” he says.
Ravi’s emotion is tangible as he speaks of the boat-ride – “a humble but profound gesture” of the fisherfolk who gave the best they could offer.
The third day of the jamboree completed the bonding process with the location shifting to the beach, where the teams in T-shirts printed with the emblems of both architecture schools, engaged in kite-making based on a theme and also indulged in a tug-o-war in earnest.
Archt. Fonseka is quick to point out that the theme of the programme was ants as they are always busy and work in teams. “The logo graphics were interesting. They took the acronyms of the two schools — UOM and CSA – and formed the words US and ‘api ‘ in Sinhala,” she adds.
As the students boarded the buses for home that Sunday in September, weary but happy, it had been obvious that the links forged would be kept alive on social media such as Facebook.
Now names have faces and for the architecture students those from the ‘other’ school are strangers no more. Formalities have been done away with and friendships formed for life.
Yes, smile both Modara and Ravi, a few may even be going beyond friendship to life-long partnerships.