Little Minds Strong Values launches official website
Youngsters at the launch. Pix by Priyanka Samaraweera
Well-known musician Rukshan Perera’s latest project with the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan ‘Little Minds Strong Values’, recently launched its website. Here users can request a copy of the values album, download music tracks and even rate, comment and support the project.
The album which was launched in February under Phase 1 of the project, includes 29 songs with a strong message of values, sung in Sinhala and Tamil by children from music schools, choirs and schools.
“What we want is for the new generation to learn these new songs with values and then take it forward with them,” said Rukshan, who has a long association with Rotary having been a former president of the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropoliton.
The importance of learning to live in harmony and respecting all religions, respecting elders, avoiding bribes and being punctual are some of the 30 such values included in it.
Rukshan has woven in Sri Lankan idioms like Panninnata pera sitha balanna, Puhul hora karen dannai and many more. The songs categorized according to age relevance are catchy tunes with attractive video animations and a lyric book that highlights the lessons taught in each song.
The project is now at its 2nd phase of distributing 5000 CDs, DVDs and Pen drives to schools and other communities of children islandwide free of charge.
Rukshan Perera
An Annual Ethics and Values competition is part of the 3rd phase with awards up to Rs. 500,000 and 10 finalists performing on TV, to further encourage the use of these songs, by teachers and schools.
A long term sustainable project attempting to minimize the declining importance in values and ethical standards amongst Sri Lankan children, Little Minds Strong Values according to Rukshan applies at any instance of these kids’ lives.
Commenting on the lyrics Rukshan says they have been designed to encourage kids to be able to voice their thoughts when they see something wrong. “It’s not only the adults who are able to tell the children when they are wrong. Children should also be able to tell the adults when they’re wrong,” he says.
He also hopes to create lullaby and English versions of these songs in future to reach an even greater audience.
The entire project that took almost a year to complete, had Rukshan laughing “I probably spent 5-10 hours a day working on these songs, even when I was on holiday with my children!”
The songs have also been composed in a way where even certain sensitive topics like bribery and the carelessness when crossing roads are relayed through adult references like ‘Ayuthu mudal nathuwa mama wada karanne na lu’ and ‘anathuru wadi wenne paare ayya wage aya hinda’.
“We hope through this programme a civic consciousness will be created and thereby support the social and economic development of Sri Lanka in a sustainable manner,” said President of the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan Prof. Neluka Silva speaking at the launch in February.
Along with a performance by the students of Gamini Vidyalaya Kelaniya, the launch was also attended by Dushan Soza, Rotary District Governor and Senaka Amarasinghe, former District Governor.
At his recent concert held at the Bishop’s College auditorium to raise funds for the project Rukshan was amazed by the support of a fan who donated Rs. 1 million towards it. He said that it gave him great pleasure that people were able to see this project as timely and necessary for Sri Lankan society, as much as he did.
For more information on Little Minds Strong Values and to keep up to date with the Annual Ethics and Values competition visit https://www.rotarycolombometro.org/lmsv/or mail LittleMindsStrongValues@gmail.com