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Children abroad exposed to distorted image of Lanka
By Apsara Kapukotuwa
"Welcome to Sri Lanka", a book that contains distorted and erroneous details has come to light after it made its appearance overseas for the use of students as a source of information about the island nation. The book, published by Times Media Private Limited of Singapore in 2003, has several entries, which could easily create a wrong impression and a distorted image of Sri Lanka.

The Sinhala newspaper, Lanka Irida Sangrahaya first reported on the book in a series of articles from early October. The matter received more attention after the Cultural Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath wrote to the Australian High Commissioner requesting that the matter be looked into. Vanessa Lee and Krishnan Guruswamy are attributed as having authored the book in which there are many prominent entries that catch the eye for its inaccuracy, devaluation and under-estimation of the country's proud history.

In a section on Independence it states "The British granted Sri Lanka its independence in 1947". Another glaring mistake is in the segment "Quick Facts" which states that the Ethnic groups are the "Veddahs, Sinhalese and Tamils". Several archaic beliefs regarding Asian countries are common in the book such as in the segment on "Family Life" which goes on to say, ‘Marriages in Sri Lanka are arranged by family members and most couples only meet briefly before the wedding ceremony".

The over-generalization and poor editing of content has resulted in the book giving a haphazard image of the country. In the section under Education, a photo caption reads, "Children attend classes that are taught by a Buddhist monk. As they grow older, children may attend private classes in maths and science and try to get higher grades so they can qualify to enter a top university". Bizarre statements such as "Students who do not attend a university may try to learn a trade such as carpentry", are commonly seen in the book. It even goes on to add in the section Language that 'Sri Lanka has its own special English phrases such as "short eats" for snack while stating in the Leisure segment that "Sri Lankan children often make up simple games such as throwing rocks at a target or rolling tires down a slope".

Upon reading the book, one is left wondering about whether any of the information included is unique, relevant or factual about a country, which has a long history that is both unique and comment-worthy. In his letter, the Cultural Minister states that since the book is available in the libraries of Australia, he would appreciate if the situation is brought to the notice of the authorities of the Australian government and requests that an investigation be carried out to reveal the sources which provided the misleading information. He further goes on to say that he would be much grateful if the High Commissioner would "take action to withdraw the book from libraries and redistribute same after incorporating true and accurate information".

When enquired by the Sunday Times regarding its response in the matter, a spokesman for the Australian High Commission stated that they are "looking into the matter" and "will respond to the Minister".

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