• Mastering the waves
• Gracias Patricia
• Bean picking time in N'Eliya
• Captured!
• The good old days
• 

Mastering the waves

By Laila Nasry

He was nine years old and fast getting bored with his weekly visits to the Ceylon Motor Yacht Club on Bolgoda Lake where he watched his Olympic sailor dad take to the water. Sailing was in young Rehan Dias' genes and he saw no adventure in sitting in the side lines and not being part of the action that happened every Sunday. The simple suggestion of "Why don't you go yachting" by his mother was enough to spur along the youngster's daring sails. "I just got into a boat and went," he says. 

Rehan is just 13 years old and has the rare distinction of having donned the national blazer to represent his country in yachting -the only person to be selected in the optimist category. "It was at the 9th Asian Sailing Championships in Karachi, Pakistan," he says with gleaming eyes. 

It was his most challenging race because "there were big waves unlike on Bolgoda. I rode the first wave and didn't see the second, coming. As a result I nose-dived and my boat capsized. It was the first time I capsized". The youngster quickly learned how to survive. Not only did he have to get his boat up on the water but he also had to deal with the damage. Though he was not placed in the top slots, the race was a great learning experience.

Rehan who sails in the optimist category had some wonderful success stories to relate having struck gold in the Euro Regatta, Caltex Cup (both in the optimist and fleet races) and the Union Assurance Optimist Regatta. The latter race had some adrenaline-pumping moments, when the wind changed course and Rehan suddenly discovered that the others were sailing away while he was drifting. However he skilfully managed to guide his boat to victory. "The finish was really close. I thought I was coming second but I won by a split second." 

In sailing there is no set way of doing things, for everything depends on the wind. Gauging the wind is the hardest aspect of sailing, according to Rehan and can only be perfected through practice. Every Sunday is fun day for him at Bolgoda, with a lot of practice. During the school holidays he sails more often and that's when he prepared for his big race abroad. He has also developed a liking for rowing now, which takes up a lot of his time and energy. But he is quick to add that he likes yachting more "because I started that first". 

Ironically, Rehan hopes to become a technical engineer working with cars and planes. But of boats and sailing he says, "It has taught me that the race has not finished till the end. You can be last and then suddenly become first."

He's a small guy, cute and mischievous, with an abundance of talent and a spirit that is raring to go. No doubt a creator of 'big waves'.

Gracias Patricia

By Ruhanie Perera 

She whirled and she twirled. It seemed as if she was made of rubber. From the sultry Flamenco dances to the fast Caribbean dances and finally the absolutely hip, hip-hop dance. Boy, she sure could dance! At just 16, Gracia Patricia Martinez certainly had what it took, not just to be a professional dancer, but also to reach out and touch the lives of those who watched her..........to make people smile.

Patricia who has danced her way through life since she was three, is in Sri Lanka on a two-week tour, co-ordinated by Dunstan Kelaart. Having captivated audiences in Colombo, Wadduwa, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Habarana, the 'dancing queen' made a special visit to the Prithipura Home for Retarded and Disabled Children in Hendala, run by the Ceylon Fellowship Service. The visit was organised by the Lions Club of Wattala.

On April 16, the home was alive with excitement "for it isn't everyday that this sort of thing takes place" said M.A.P. Jayawardene, President of the Ceylon Fellowship Service. And it showed in the actions and on the faces of the children - they laughed, they clapped, they tapped their toes and they danced.

Mr Jayawardene who has been with the Service since 1964, said, "We've never had a performance of this sort, it's a real treat for the children. All they want is a little love and affection."

Patricia gave them just that. It wasn't another of those evenings of entertainment. It was a lesson for everyone - that it didn't take much to make another happy. A special glance here, a gentle touch there and a bright smile. She went up to each and every one of them during her dance routine, giving them a memory that will last them a lifetime. Their enthusiasm and appreciation was obvious, starting from the whistle she got at the very beginning from a bold member of the audience.

The highlight of course was when she stopped dancing for them and reached out to dance with them. The invitation was accepted and the baila kings and queens of Prithipura danced to their hearts' content. Even those who couldn't stand touched her with adulation and one captivated admirer caught hold of her hand and refused to let go.

Without her interpreter by her side, Patricia was lost for words. Yet there was no need for words that day. Everybody understood what she said. The only word I seemed to get out of her was "happy". 

"Happy" that the show had been a success, "happy" that the children were happy, "happy" that she could bring a smile to their faces. Looking at this girl with the bright smile and the bubbly laugh and her sated audience, it was clear that she is more than a gifted dancer. She has the gift of making people... "happy". 

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