Shukra the Wonder Girl who surfaced from the land unlike the cobra that came out of a river

When I watched the Sirasa program,thanks to a niece of mine who activated me, I observed her climb the greasy pole with ease,and a poem of Thomas Gray crossed my mind. Simultaneously what hit me was a message that went viral  which entertained us coming from a man who hit the pinnacle without any effort pontificating on the need to work hard to achieve success. Such is life for some.

FULL MANY A GEM OF PUREST RAY SERENE,
THE DARK UNFATHOMED CAVES OF OCEAN BEAR.
FULL MANY A FLOWER IS BORN TO BLUSH UNSEEN,
AND WASTE ITS SWEETNESS ON THE DESERT AIR.

It was was not to be as a blue sapphire of immense worth emerged from a hamlet in South Sri Lanka and was destined to go places without political appendage . I must confess I was unable to come to terms whether this was a 17-year-old girl who faced the quiz master. Her composure,knowledge of historical facts,deep simplicity ,and above all the message she gave adults was beyond belief since adults shamelessly pedalled race and religion.
Shukra who hails from a conservative simple rural home blessed with enormous courage faced the TV,well composed without fear in her quest to acquire a laptop indeed made the nation in unison cheer for her.
Those were the days when English literature played an important role in our studies and a great poem of Longfellow came to mind. I thought it apt to quote here and hope SHUKRA will read this and gain more inspiration to reach greater heights

HEIGHTS THAT GREAT MEN REACHED AND KEPT WERE NOT ATTAINED BY SUDDEN FLIGHT.
THEY, WHILE THEIR COMPANIONS SLEPT TOILED UPWARDS IN THE NIGHT.

It was evident that she had realised early in life that the only way for upward mobility if one had no political clout, was to gain knowledge to achieve her goal . While doing so she conveyed a telling message to adults that we were Sri Lankans. In hindsight I feel that her brilliance made her to evade mined areas and did not even remotely bring race or religion out in the course of conversation.

Adverting  to her phenomenal knowledge of Buddhism, heritage, historical facts,and assessment that the country was in one mess due to factors beyond her control her accent was to improve her quality of life. Her praise for her parents,siblings particularly her mother for the encouragement given was praiseworthy. She was grateful to the school teachers and friends who helped her along . She desperately needed a laptop and was deeply conscious that the parents could not afford and did not push them instead looked around for ways to secure one. In this day and age when an unfortunate pandemic kept schools closed and online education was imparted, the need for a device was crucial,and she tried by reaching Sirasa Quiz show.
Success comes to those who  toil and dare to act and not to the TIMID was her motto and relentlessly pursued to get one.

SHUKRA had the infinite good fortune to have parents who thought out of the box and admitted her to a village government school instead of following tradition.  It was evident having entered a state school conducted herself like others and got on well with all students. She made the best use of the library facilities available ,engaged in sports and also cadeting. This was admirable as those who follow her faith are not permitted by elders to engage in such activities. This talented girl must be provided with opportunities to learn English and feel confident that she will be well equipped to converse with ease when she  gets exposed to such an environment.
The need for anyone to progress is opportunity and she made the best use of the facilities the school offered and I guess reached extraneous sources too . Being a charismatic child who was thirsty to widen her horizons would have had ready support from those whom she reached. Her victory was shared by all Sri Lankans and many were seen rushing to flood her with gifts.

There are fanatics of all sorts in this cruel world so my prayers are for her safety when I hark back to the  misfortune that Malala Yousafzai faced in Pakistan when she attempted to provide education to girls. She must get protection from of all well meaning persons ,particularly from the state for her safety.

Last but not the least Sirasa must be congratulated for creating opportunities for young people and Chandana for a job well done which paved the way for SHUKRA to be counted.

Let me wish her all the best in her endeavours and wind up quoting Shakespeare

“The tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood leads on to a fortune”.

In line with my faith may I say thrivida ratnaye pihitai.

Myrna de Silva