“Pin sidda wenawa”: The words said it all
Her eyes light up with hope, as a “crowd” troops into her tiny home, as the rain pelts down on the shanty-town of Welsiripura, Madiwela in Kotte on a Thursday morning.
The crowd comes not only bearing a gift which she has yearned for but also giving out hope that she is not alone in her single-minded battle to bring up four children, three of whom are autistic.
As D.M. Nadira Harshani, along with eldest son, Kavindu, greets them, the emotion is tangible. The smile is tinged with tears, as she accepts the over-lock sewing machine that the Lions Clubs International District 306 A1 has brought into her home and set up to ‘empower’ her.
Picture shows Harshani at the sewing machine with Kavindu by her side.From right are Lion Farina Dole, Prof. Hemamali Perera, District Governor Lion Ganamini Sumanasena, Lion Lady Swarnamali Fernando, Lion Pushpa Sumanasena and Lion Sarojini de Zoysa. Pix by Amila Gamage
This follows a cover-page article headlined ‘Mother Courage’ in the PLUS of the Sunday Times of April 19, which touched the hearts of many people in Sri Lanka as well as abroad.
It is in response to Harshani’s plea that she can make a little money to keep her family going…..“I will work late into the night, because I put my children to sleep at 8 p.m.” that the District Governor of District 306 A1, Lion Ganamini Sumanasena; the First Lady, Lion Pushpa Sumanasena; the District Chairperson of Lion Ladies, Lion Farina Dole; the Chief Coordinator of the District Ladies’ Committee, Lion Sarojini de Zoysa; and the Project Chairperson, Lion Lady Swarnamali Fernando; have brought the machine and also installed it.
Another very important person, who has been supporting Harshani with her children’s medical issues, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Prof. Hemamali Perera, recently-retired from the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, is also present to share her joy. Regrettably, along with Prof. Perera, another mover and shaker of the Sri Lanka Association for Child Development who has been of strength to Harshani, Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Samanmali Sumanasena, was unable to 
be there due to her onerous duties.
The handing over of the machine follows a treat of short-eats and iced coffee that the visitors have brought, with Kavindu immediately taking charge of the paper-serviettes and going around asking what they are used for.
Harshani has returned after dropping her three other children Sahan Anjuka, 14, Avindu Bimsara, 12, and daughter, Rashmi Himansa, 8, at St. Thomas’s College, Kotte. The two boys are in the Special Education Unit there, while the girl is in a regular class.
Having turned 15, Kavindu is now out of the Special Education Unit and Harshani is desperately looking for a vocational training opportunity for him.
There are no lengthy speeches, but when asked by the Sunday Times, Lion Lady Swarnamali Fernando explains that they were able to respond very quickly to Harshani’s need because they have the ‘Sinha Kantha Abhimani Programme’ under which a helping hand is extended to numerous women to begin self-employment ventures.
Not many words come from Harshani, only “pin sidda wenawa”, but the poignancy with which they are uttered is more than adequate.
| Thank you kind readers While the Lions presented her with the sewing machine, people across Sri Lanka took time off their busy schedules to give of their mite to this single mother. Following the piece about Harshani, funds have flowed into her account from tiny to large amounts, and now she has a nest-egg for hers would be a lifelong commitment in looking after her children. To the Lions and each and everyone who sent their contributions, the Sunday Times says a big thank-you. Without our kind readers, easing the burden of Harshani and also showing her that she is not alone would not have been possible. |