Rehab on a hill far away 

By Louis Benedict

The southern capital of Galle which was the centre of two violent revolutions is now seeing a new revolution- but this time it is totally different and based on the principles of love, mercy and restorative justice.

As part of a Lenten penitential pilgrimage we moved away from the routine or the ritual and shared the inspiring and extraordinary experience at a human rehabilitation centre high on the hills of Rumaswala in Unawatuna, Galle. Known as the 'Navajeevana Amadyapa Handa' ('New Life' temperance voice), 100 youngsters who were enslaved or cast out of society are given an opportunity to begin a new life here.

From morning till evening we had a mountaintop experience with former drug addicts and alcoholics who had served varying terms in prison for crimes ranging from killings and robbery to drug trafficking, prostitution and pickpocketing. Some of them had crawled up the steep hill with serious physical and psychological injuries. No questions were asked — they were all accepted with compassion and unconditional love. 

Recently some CID detectives had come there and asked the leader of the 'New Life' liberation movement what he would do if a Tiger or a potential suicide bomber sought refuge there. The response was amazing—"We will accept him or her. We will help take the venom and hatred out of the heart and fill it with love. Then you will have a new man or woman in society, one who helps to heal without harming and to build without destroying."

The human instrument in this 'New Life' liberation movement is Raja Wijekoon who marked his 50th birthday recently. Until 20 years ago he was better or more notoriously known as Karapitiya Raja, one of the toughest and deadliest thugs in the area. Born in Kandy as Wijekoon Mudiyanselage Raja George, he had a normal early life except that he felt he was being enslaved by over-protective family members and teachers. This brought about psychological problems, which led him to seek release through cigarettes and alcohol which he bought by selling exercise books.

Prodigal Raja then ran away from school and home to move into a 'pigsty' from where he got involved in all sorts of crime and ended up as a special prisoner No. C 2452. His cellmate in the special jail at Mahara was Keragala Sirisena alias 'Cheena'. Mysteriously the process of liberation from addiction, crime and a self-centred life of violence began through a newspaper sheet in which a relative had brought lunch for 'Cheena'. 

With little else to do, Raja had read the obituaries and other reports when his eyes were drawn to a little passage which said — "Come unto me all you who are sick and heavy-burdened and I will give you rest". Volumes of books and loads of preaching are really not necessary for liberation from bondage. One word or one drop is enough and so it was for Raja.

Miraculously liberated from his addictions and life of crime by a higher power, Raja went to the top of a mountain for an awesome faith experience as in the case of Sinai, Tabor and the highest of all — Calvary. The one-time hardcore prisoner is now a life member of the Prison Welfare Association and key figure in the movement to transform retributive justice into restorative justice.

For him and all the volunteers of the 'New Life' liberation movement the work they do is based on the miracle of expectant mountain-moving faith. Generally even the most hardened addicts are liberated and sent back to their homes and normal work within six months. But some who are liberated voluntarily stay on at the centre to help others who come there. It is a spiritual well where anyone thirsting for love or compassion can find water. It is a spiritual table where anyone hungering for mercy and acceptance can find living bread.

We hear the testimony of one of the liberated youths. He had studied at Royal College and was an accounts executive at a leading private firm. A handsome boy clad in tie and driving a luxury vehicle. Outwardly things seemed to be beautiful but inside he was going to pieces. The cigarettes and arrack of the early days were not sufficient and he turned to heroin. After a few years in the madness of the 'pigsty', his wife and family disowned him and he was left crawling like a wretch in a gutter.

In 1995 the turning point came when someone somewhere directed him up the mountain and to the source of 'New Life'. Today the sinner has become a saint, his wife is back with him and stays on to co-operate in mending the broken hearts. 

We also met Helen who had been remanded more than five times for addiction-related crime and had been rejected by her family. She found refuge, rest and liberation on the mountain.

Bearded long-haired Raja was humble. He stressed he was only an instrument and the healing power in the centre was from above. He said he was not affiliated to any institutions or non-governmental organization, but all the funds and human resources came through faith.

With almost two decades of experience in rehabilitating and liberating those who are labelled and despised by society, Raja had an important message for us and for all who wished to help root out the causes of a calamity where we have up to 2,000 drug addicts in Sri Lanka.

All don't have the grace and vision to set up mountain top divine healing hospitals as the 'New life' liberation movement has done. But he calls upon people to help by changing their attitude towards helpless, unfortunate and enslaved youth. He says society will only aggravate the crisis if people shut their doors, ring alarm bells and look at addicts as some horrible vicious animals.

According to Raja's research and analysis — which he shared with a presidential task force recently — most of the addictions and resultant crimes are related to a lack of love in the home. They came mostly from one-parent or broken families and did not receive the mature love that moulds character. So it is society that has created these addicts and the gravest crime is that society makes matters worse by rejecting the addicts it created.

By way of a solution, he calls on all people to be more merciful towards the victims or addicts. They are not brutes but broken youths. Once hooked, they want the heroin every day. Otherwise their whole body aches, the nose pours and they feel paralysed physically and mentally. So they beg, borrow or rob to get about Rs 200 for the day's dose to obtain relief. Even if they rob a gold chain worth Rs. 20,000, they give it for Rs. 200 because that is all they want for the day. They are not avaricious or they are not plundering people, if so they could have got much more for the gold chain and saved the balance. But they only wanted something for the day.

Raja appeals especially to mothers and elders to show more love and mercy towards the victims in their own areas instead of rejecting and avoiding them as if they were wild beasts. He calls on people to speak with love to the victims, perhaps to advise or ask them whether they need to be on such a self-destructive path. Though little may be seen outwardly or immediately such words of compassion and understanding do touch the hearts of the victims and there will be a change when they feel that people care for them. 

A caring society rather than condemnation and tougher laws is the higher way of healing a dreaded social cancer —as demonstrated by Raja and his presidential award-winning 'New Life' movement on a hill far away.

Art for a cause 

The Council plays an active role in collecting funds for numerous projects aimed at helping the visually handicapped.

The Council's most urgent need is the modern Braille press as the one being used now is over 40 years old. A new press would enable the Council to provide a wide range of books to the blind. 

With a view to raising funds to purchase this press a charity art show and sale 'Art for a cause' will be held at Gallery Mount Castle, No 27, Arunachalam Avenue, Colombo 7 from April 27-30 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

All the paintings on show have been donated by well-known artists from Sri Lanka and abroad.

The Council also appeals for donations for this cause. The cost of this machine is estimated at Rs. 1 million. Cheques may be drawn in favour of the Sri Lanka Council for the Blind, Braille Press Fund (a/c payee only).

Bringing sunshine to sunset years

By Feizal Samath

"I owned this house, but after my husband died, his brother's son and family came to live with me. That was when the trouble started and ended by my being chased out of my own home," she said tearfully.

Life was miserable and she had nothing to look forward to, until she joined the weekly gatherings at the Young At Heart (YAH) Club at Mount Lavinia which brought some sunshine into her life and future. "I look forward to these meetings," she says.

Twice a week, a group of about 40 elderly women and a few men gather at the premises of the Methodist Church at Hotel Road in Mount Lavinia to have some fun and games, swap jokes and take part occasionally in events like "shake a leg" as on April 10 when the group had its "Avurudhu" session.

"We started this club in January 1999 as we felt there was a need to look after old people in the middle-class segment of society. Many of them are neglected and don't have anything to look forward to," said Sujata Samarajeeva, a livewire and founder member of the club. "Some of them are constantly staring at the walls of their homes, utterly neglected.

"YAH became a project of the Board of Social Responsibility of the Methodist Church and the meetings, which first drew eight, are now attended by over 40 with more coming."

In our society, there is a need to look after middle-class elders, many of whom are government pensioners and have nothing to look forward to. Elders of the other two strata of society - the rich and the poor - are generally looked after either through wealth or government social schemes," Samarajeeva said.

She said rich elders could check into expensive institutionalised homes while the poor were satisfied with the care they received at other homes. Chipped in Serene Cadiraman, another senior club official: "There are many homes for elders but children of middle-class elders are reluctant to send their parents to a home as it is perceived as unacceptable to society."

The April 10 Avurudhu "festival" was thoroughly enjoyed by the group. They came dressed in traditional redde and hatta with flowers in their hair, bead chains around their necks and bangles to add colour to the occasion. There was singing and dancing to Avurudhu songs. The few men present and some children joined in the festivities. Unfortunately, a heavy downpour that morning dashed any hopes of an outdoor event, where the participants were expected to break pots and take part in other games.

That, however, did not deter them from having fun indoors, with skits and comedy routines that had the group roaring with laughter and tears. Kavum and kokis were also served. 

Cadiraman says the weekly meetings on Mondays and Fridays -from 9 a.m. to 12 noon - occasionally have a guest speaker talking on women's issues or anything connected. There are aerobic sessions and exercises organized for the group, which is a mix of Christians and Buddhists. Anyone is welcome to the club.

"Some people bring garden produce and we sell it to collect funds for the club," said Samarajeeva. There is also the outreach programme where the group goes around visiting institutional homes for elders and organizing similar day activities. 

The club is run on donations while members of the group occasionally contribute - whatever they can - to meet the cost of the Helpage bus that is hired to bring them to the Methodist Church centre. Many in the group are picked up from Ratmalana and Dehiwela and transported to the centre while others make their way by car, trishaws or on foot.

Grace Serasinghe, 77 years, lost her husband - a retired commissioner of the Dehiwela Mount Lavinia Municipal Council - six years ago and life had been lonely since then until she started coming to YAH gatherings. "I live alone in my house while my children live elsewhere. I prefer it that way," she said adding that she has been at most YAH sessions since its inception. "I come once a week and look forward to this trip because it is relaxing to spend time with others in my age group."

Antonette Wijesuriya, 73 years also lives alone. Her son helps in the upkeep of her house while her two daughters are abroad. "This is a wonderful place with very interesting people," she said watching a comedy routine by two old ladies. "We have physical training, we meet interesting people and we also go to homes to spend time with others," she said, adding that the club served some nice cakes and tea during the meetings.

"Otherwise life is generally miserable, you know."

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