Arts
Batting for a green globe – Earth Watchman
President Maithripala Sirisena at the launch of ‘Earth Watchman’
Cricket has a magical attraction for Sri Lankans. Cricket bats are made of wood (specifically the wood of the Willow tree). Have you ever stopped to think how many trees are cut to make cricket bats?
“Earth Watchman” a green project jointly undertaken by AdeZ Sri Lanka (a travel company) and Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC), the official ICC Cricket World Cup broadcaster will travel from district to district taking the message to cricket lovers that it is a moral duty to plant trees to pay our debt to the earth.
The concept was presented to President Maithripala Sirisena in October last yearand after receiving the green light, Earth Watchman was taken forward by a joint committee led by CEO of Earth Watchman Nalin Attygalle. As an initial step Earth Watchman will meet two important stakeholders, — the Forest and Agriculture Departments to obtain plants for the programme. The project will start from the North and then be carried out in other parts of the country.
Earth Watchman has also brought together students of the Faculty of Science of University of Colombo (UOC) and students of the University of Jaffna’s (UOJ) Faculties of Engineering, Agriculture and Technology at Kilinochchi. Prof. Wipula Yapa, former Head of the Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences and Prof. A.Atputharajah, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering played an important role in getting the two universities together.
The Colombo University students travelled to Kilinochchi with Prof. Mayuri Wijesinghe and Dr. Devanmini Halwatura. The SLRC team was also advised by Chairman of SLRC Sarrath Kongahage.
It was a warm welcome that awaited the Colombo undergraduates by hundreds of UOJ students as they were lined up to greet them and shake hands. Both student groups along with the lecturers and organizers sang “Api okkoma rajawaru – okkoma wasiyo”; a patriotic song by Victor Rathnayake.
A cricket match was played in the evening by mixed teams promoting harmony. Students cheered both sides on and there were the occasional jeers for mis-fields!
The inauguration of the symbolic tree planting programme took place on January 21 at the Jaffna University premises, Kilinochchi. School and club cricketers of Kilinochchi and scouts eagerly lined up to welcome President Maithripala Sirisena. Vice Chancellor of UOJ, Prof. R. Wigneswaran, Prof. G. Mikunthan and other academic staff from UOJ were also there to welcome the President.
Earth Watchman was launched by the President by planting the first sapling at Kilinochchi premises. The project has planned to plant 2 million saplings and the first 1500 saplings were planted on this day by students and undergrads.
Lankan cricketer Rangana Herath who is attached to Sampath Bank was a star attraction posing patiently for photographs with students from the point of his arrival.