As ‘Trail’ completed its journey from Dondra to Jaffna with the aim of raising USD 2 million to build a paediatric cancer ward for the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, Sarinda Unamboowe, one of the main movers behind the effort shares his feelings about their 670km, 27-day marathon
 |
| Emotional moment for those who made it from start to finish |
July 27, 2011: This morning I looked at a map of Sri Lanka, where the route of Trail had been marked out. It was almost surreal to see a black line of less than an inch left of a long meandering line that stretched out over two feet of the map we had laid out. Looking back it almost seems like a blur as I stand now having completed this journey.
I can honestly say that there was not a single morning that I woke up regretting this decision or having second thoughts about lacing up my shoes and stepping onto the road to walk the day’s quota of 25 km. The energy and the enthusiasm of all those around us lifted us and propelled us forward, despite the pain in the form of blisters, shin splints and sore muscles.
This journey began as a simple dream of two people that combined to be something extraordinary. Something that captured the hearts and imaginations and passion of tens of thousands of people, who walked with us and the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, that lined the streets to cheer us and encourage us and offer us thambili, watermelon, lime juice and shout words of encouragement along the way. We were all so humbled by the generosity of the simple folk who dug deep to make contributions, that far exceeded our expectations, towards making the dream a reality.
 |
| Schoolchildren in Jaffna await the arrival of the ‘walkers’ |
There were children who ran out of their homes with their tills to hand them over as we walked past; there were farmers in fields who ran on to the road to make their contribution. There was even a beggar in Anuradhapura who dug into his day’s collection to support the effort. There was an especially emotional moment, when a child returning from chemotherapy from the Maharagama Hospital ran out with a handful of coins to contribute as we walked past her home. These are the experiences that have made this walk special and made every step we took over the past 27 days worthwhile.
I stand now, with our journey completed, swept away by a mixture of emotions that I do not know how to control or handle. I look around me and see a sea of faces all bursting with emotion, all beaming with smiles that reflect in their faces what this journey has meant to them.
We walked the last 1 km of the 670 we covered, 13 of us holding hands, 13 of us who had walked the entire distance and 13 of us who experienced the power of good that was manifested and that now we celebrate. Not just the completion of the journey, but we celebrate Sri Lanka, we celebrate the good of its people and we celebrate the hope that we have seen that this nation, our country, our home has the potential for greatness.
We have never felt more pride, in being Sri Lankan, than we have today. |
E-mail
