Foot and mouth painter overcomes challenges to drive, go scuba diving

"I like scuba diving. The underwater world is so quiet and is full of so many colors. The ocean in fact is the source of inspiration for me in my paintings." This might sound like an ordinary statement from an ordinary painter. However, it would be quite a bit more surprising coming from a man who has lost both of his arms.

Foot and mouth painter Chen Shih-feng is infatuated with scuba diving. In addition, he is the first person on Taiwan to drive a motorcycle without the use of his arms. Moreover, he is one of three people on Taiwan without arms who have licenses to drive an automobile on their own. Chen regularly goes scuba diving and fishing on the open seas. When he is invited to give speeches at various places around the island, he gets to the venues on his own. He even goes traveling overseas by himself. Surprisingly enough, his level of mobility virtually surpasses that of a person who has arms. How has he done it?

"My first scuba diving teachers refused to go under water with me," Chen said. Since one has to have an oxygen hose that is connected to an oxygen tank in one's mouth when going under water, the only way of communicating with others is through sign language. Chen was out of luck in this regard since he did not have arms that would enable him to sign. Ultimately, he was able to persuade two coaches to go under water with him. "What we ultimately did was to translate sign language using one's hands into sign language using one's feet!"

Chen is presently 36 years old. When he was 14 years old, he had an accident in which electrical shocks caused him to lose both arms. Chen, who from the time he was young had talent in the area of fine arts and sought to be a painter, decided to change paths just a bit and become a painter holding the brush in his mouth. At that time, there was not the concept of a "foot and mouth painter" among society. Initially, he faced all sorts of difficulties that people not involved with him would not even be able to imagine. He would put the canvas on a table and then pick up a brush with his mouth and paint this way. "I would commonly drip my saliva all over the place," Chen said.

He gradually learned how to use his feat to squeeze paint from the various tubes. Even so, the agility of one's feet was nowhere near to that of hands. "Sometimes there would end up being paint all over the place, both on my feet and the floor." After he would finish using a brush, he would bend his neck under a faucet to wash out the brush. Then he would shake his head in order to get the water out of the brush. The end result is that his face would become totally wet with a mixture of water and paint. Friends often asked him whether his aim was to paint on the canvas or to get paint all over his body.

The process of cleaning the brushes did become troublesome at times because he would use kerosene to wash the oil paint out of the brushes. He would bend his waist and lower his head to wash the brushes and his face would come near the solution. If he was not careful, the kerosene would get all over his face and there were times when he even got some in his mouth. "Sometimes I would get so dizzy that I wanted to throw up," Chen said. After several years, however, he said that he gradually got used to it.

Chen designed a special motorcycle on his own that would enable him to drive without the use of his arms. At first, the boss of the motorcycle shop would not even entertain the idea of refitting a motorcycle to his specifications. "How could you drive a motorcycle without any arms?" Chen said he was asked constantly. According to Chen's design, the front and back brakes, clutch, gearshift and fuel lever were all moved to the lower part of the motorcycle so that he could control the devices with his feet. He then used a device to extend his arms and support what was left of his limbs. "Looking at the set-up from afar, no one could really tell that I was handicapped," he said.

Chen presently owns a 2,500 cc recreational vehicle. After getting the vehicle refitted to meet his needs, the steering wheel has been moved lower so that it can be controlled with his feet. Another man who had lost his arms and who had heard Chen speak about his experience in adapting the vehicle to his needs sought out Chen to ask him how he did it. Chen was delighted to provide his knowledge to the man free of charge. "One month later, Mr. Ku drove a car over to visit me and thank me in person for the assistance," Chen said. Including a classmate of his, there are only three people on Taiwan without arms who are able to drive cars on by themselves.

In 1988, Chen became a member of an international federation of foot and mouth painters. He specializes in nature scenes and still life, and especially likes to use carp as a subject. His artistic ability is quite advanced. He has accomplished what he has through lots of hard work and determination, and his life experience has even been documented in a reference book. Starting Thursday, Chen's paintings will be on exhibit with those of other physically and mentally handicapped artists at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. Chen urged others in his position to show a passion for life and never give up.

(http://english.www.gov.tw/TaiwanHeadlines/index.jsp?categid=11&recordid=89014)

Snorkeling, sharks, fears and trust

We were snorkeling near San Diego in August. You'd think that the sunny summer waters off Southern California would be warm. Uh, no.

To guard against the cold, our instructor gave us wet suits and told us to squeeze into them. Caitlin, Scott and I quickly slithered into ours, but Terri has claustrophobia and didn't particularly relish the idea of squeezing into a thick, black, very tight, rubbery, full-body suit that zipped all the way up to her neck.

She hates confined spaces with no way out. Glaring at me, she squeezed into hers and looked for reassurance. I smiled and pointed out that the zipper (escape route) was in the back where she couldn't reach it. There was no way out. I smiled again. She did not.

In cold water, the first time you go under you reflexively gasp and try to breathe. Your brain forgets about breathing through your snorkel and you try to breathe through your nose, which is in a mask, which has no oxygen, and you gag and swallow three gallons of salt water. You don't see many fish while you're throwing up.

Our guide showed us how to blow the water out of our snorkels so we wouldn't swallow it. So we dunked, and we gasped, and tried to remember to breathe through the snorkel. Three people threw up.

We started swimming in the ocean and swam close to a cave, five seals, three leopard sharks and several different stages of panic. The ocean waves were rolling over us and tossing us side to side. So far we hadn't come close to going under to see what was below.

Our guide told us about the things he was seeing under the water. There were orange Garibaldi, spotted sea bass, an eel, and several more leopard sharks. He swore we wouldn't regret going under. He knew what he was talking about. He said he had been doing this for a very long time. He showed us a small shark bite to prove it.

We didn't understand at first and every time something new and disturbing happened we got a little worried. But the more we learned, the more comfortable we were snorkeling, and the more we enjoyed the experience. Gradually, we got used to the waves. We got used to blowing water out of the snorkel. We even started putting our heads under to make sure the leopard sharks didn't appear hungry.

Eventually we believed what our guide was telling us. Now we had faith -- sort of like that first person who looked at a cow and said, "I think I'll squeeze those dangly things there and drink whatever comes out."

Worrying about the investment markets is sort of like worrying about snorkeling. A lot of very good, very smart people miss great opportunities because of the fear of things they don't understand or can't see.

There are things you may not understand, like fluctuations in the market. But if you have faith, and maybe even get someone to guide you, good things can happen and you won't miss out on the long-term opportunities of owning good quality investments. And then you can go snorkeling.

Joe Cunningham Jr. is a certified financial planner and member of the Ark-La-Tex Chapter of the Financial Planning Association, whose members contribute to this column on a weekly basis.

(http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051123/NEWS05/511230313/1064 - November 23, 2005)

Shop owner pairs pumpkins with scuba diving By Cory Myers

October 31, 2005
Emerging from the chilly October waters of Wall Lake, scuba diver-turned-clown Todd Sorensen empties water from his jack-o’-lantern during Landshark Scuba and Snorkle’s first-ever Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest earlier this month.

Nine divers turned out for the contest, carving seven pumpkins with designs ranging from a dolphin to the normal scare fare.

Sorensen’s “Pam, the Nauseated Pumpkin” (imagine pumpkin guts and seeds flowing out from the mouth), won the contest.

“This is a novelty,” said Colonel Echols, owner of Landshark Scuba and Snorkle. “A lot of people think there is no scuba diving in South Dakota, but there is a whole underwater world out here.”

Despite some problems with visibility and keeping the buoyant pumpkins from shooting up and out of the water, Echols plans to make this an annual event.

“It’s just fun,” Echols said. “Any diver looks for any excuse to go diving.”

(http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051031/NEWS/51031001/1001&template=printart)

The trilingual inscription of Admiral Zheng He

In 1911, a carved stone was discovered covering a culvert near Cripps Road in Galle. The finder, provincial engineer Mr H.F. Tomalin, had it removed to safety. Scholarly excitement was immediate, but the inscriptions were only deciphered with some difficulty.

The tablet was erected in 1411, to commemorate the second visit to Sri Lanka by the Chinese admiral Zheng He⁽¹⁾, who commanded seven great voyages through the South China Seas and the Indian ocean between 1405 and 1433.

On the first voyage, Zheng He reached Sri Lanka in 1406. The local ruler was unfriendly and the expedition hastily departed. The fleet sailed on to Calicut, the furthest port for the first expedition, where they were most impressed by the acumen and straight dealing of the traders.

The second expedition went as far as Siam. The third sailed from China in 1409, and carried with it the trilingual tablet which Zheng He planned to erect in Sri Lanka. The date equates to 15 February 1409, indicating that it was inscribed in Nanjing before the fleet set out. The Chinese portion gives praise to Buddha and records lavish offerings in his honour:

'His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming dynasty has despatched the eunuchs Zheng He, Wang Jinghong and others to set forth his utterances before Lord Buddha, the World-Honoured One:

Deeply do we revere you, merciful and honoured one, whose bright perfection is wide-embracing, and whose way of virtue passes all understanding, whose law pervades all human relations, and the years of whose great era are as numerous as the sands of the river; you whose controlling influence ennobles and converts, whose kindness quickens, and whose strength discerns, whose mysterious efficacy is beyond compare! The mountainous isle of Sri Lanka lies in the south of the ocean, and its Buddhist temples are sanctuaries of your gospel, where your miraculous responsive power imbues and enlightens.

Of late we have despatched missions to announce our mandates to foreign nations, and during their journey over the ocean they have been favoured with the blessing of your benificent protection. They escaped disaster or misfortune, and journeyed in safety to and fro.

In everlasting recognition of your supreme virtue, we therefore bestow offerings in recompense, and do now reverently present before Buddha, the Honoured One, oblations of gold and silver, gold embroidered jewelled banners of variegated silk, incense burners and flower vases, silks of many colours in lining and exterior, lamps, candles, and other gifts, in order to manifest the high honour of the Lord Buddha. May his light shine upon the donors.

List of alms bestowed as offerings at the shrine of the Buddhist temple in the mountain of Ceylon:

1,000 pieces of gold; 5,000 pieces of silver; 50 rolls of embroidered silk in many colours; 50 rolls of silk taffeta, in many colours; 4 pairs of jewelled banners, gold embroidered and of variegated silk, 2 pairs of the same picked in red, one pair of the same in yellow, one pair in black; 5 antique brass incense burners; 5 pairs of antique brass flower vases picked in gold on lacquer, with gold stands; 5 yellow brass lamps picked in gold on lacquer with gold stands; 5 incense vessels in vermilion red, gold picked on lacquer, with gold stands; 6 pairs of golden lotus flowers; 2,500 catties of scented oil; 10 pairs of wax candles; 10 sticks of fragrant incense.

[Date]. A reverent oblation.'⁽²⁾

The Tamil portion of the tablet offered similar praise to the god Tenavarai-Nayanar, perhaps a local form of Shiva, and the Arabic inscription gave praise to Allah. To each god the Chinese offered similar lavish tributes.

Such tactful even-handedness suggests that the Chinese were dealing with a cosmoplitan trading community. However, the aura of orderly diplomacy dissipated rapidly. The island comprised three warring states, and it was the chief Alakeswara who met Zheng He. Refusing to allow erection of the tablet, which he presumably considered a declaration of sovereignty, he beat the Chinese in a brief skirmish and drove them back to their ships. They sailed on to India, but returned to avenge the insult. What happened next is controversial, and the accounts are confused, but the Chinese abducted 'the king' (Alakeswara in the Chinese account, the legitimate king of Kotte according to the Sinhalese account). The captives were taken to the Ming capital at Nanjing, but released by the emperor and returned to Sri Lanka. There are stories of the Chinese taking the Sacred Tooth of the Buddha. Author Louise Levathes, trying to make sense of the conflicting accounts, guesses that the captive was the King of Kotte, who took the relic with him to China in order to prevent it from falling into the hands of the usurper Alakeswara, but in any event the Tooth too was soon back in Sri Lanka. The Yongle emperor claimed sovereignty over Sri Lanka and demanded regular tribute, and the Sinhalese went along with this for over forty years before refuting the obligation in 1459.

As well as the various religious influences in the country, the Chinese had noted its tremendous wealth of gemstones and pearls. They remarked on the curious impression in the country's highest mountain, a giant 'footprint' which Buddhists associate with the Buddha, Moslems with Adam, and Hindus with the god Shiva.

The interior of this mountain produces red rubies, blue sapphires, yellow Oriental topaz, and other gems; they have each and every precious stone. Whenever heavy rain occurs, the water rushes out of the earth and flows down amidst the sand, and the people search in the sand for the stones. There is a saying that the precious stones are the crystallised tears of Buddha.⁽³⁾

The trilingual inscription is in the National Museum in Colombo; a copy may be found in the Maritime Museum in Galle.

(http://cf.hum.uva.nl/galle/galle/trilingual.html)

At the edge of no man’s land Story by Gamini Akmeemana

HD had his work cut out in the studio on Friday morning and would have no time to go visiting places with us. He now uses a digital camera to do passport photos and the like. His is the only computer along the entire main street of Padaviya town.
Instead of HD, Admun Piyadasa, the post master of the adjacent Parakramapura, agreed to accompany us. I was glad to see him again as I’d known him almost from my first visit to Padaviya. He had changed very little outwardly since I last saw him.I was disappointed to learn that most of the people I wanted to meet were either away for the duration or were gone for good; Baptist the fisherman is a character whose conversation I have always enjoyed very much. Though he hails from a fishing village near Halawatha, where his family still lives, he prefers to earn a living by freshwater fishing in the Padaviya tank. But he was away from Padaviya that weekend on some business.
The grama sevaka, HD’s neighbour, had also moved away. So had the Gunasenas from the nearby village of Kolongolla. I remember spending an unforgettable night with them in an open field near a tank in Kolongolla. This was at the height of the LTTE threat and all villagers left their homes to safer ground at night.
But ‘safety’ was an euphemism. We were in an open, windswept field where people were cooking dinner and talking late into the night before sleeping inside tiny thatch ‘tents.’ If any Tigers had been able to penetrate the defence perimetre, most of the people sleeping here would have been massacred. The wind blew like a gale and I remember how the casual conversation comforted me against a sleep-robbing admixture of cooking smells, tension and fear of the probable.
The Gunasenas gave up their tiny ‘tent’ for me and slept outside on floor mats. It’s one of the best sleeps I’ve ever had.
Now they were gone from Kolongolla, and HD had no idea where they were. Then there was Wijepala the homeguard, who lived in the forefront of the Tiger threat in the village of Parana Medawachchiya. He worked unofficially as a homeguard, but his real life was as a paddy farmer. He lived with his wife and two small children in a small wattle-and-daub house in Parana Medawachchiya.
I particularly wanted to meet him and find out how he and his family have fared in three years of peace. But HD was not certain if Wijepala still lived in Parana Medawachchiya and, as it turned out, I just didn’t have the time to go looking for him.
First things first. There’s a competent mechanic along Parakramapura Road, and he diagnosed the problem – the platignum housing had become loose and was causing an electrical problem. That’s why the engine was cutting out whenever the engine slowed.
With this problem attended to, we began our tour of the area. My bike’s weakened rear suspension wasn’t simply up to the task on the bad roads and Admun rode pillion on Wanni’s motorcycle. The roads have not improved any during three years of peace. Nor has the living standard of the area’s people.
The paradox here is that Padaviya is not a region of abject poverty.
Many people are very poor, but they are farmers and at least those whose fields are fed by the giant Padaviya tank or several smaller reservoirs in the region can find their basic sustenance. A strong breeze was bringing grey clouds from the West, signaling approaching rains and the end of a long drought.
The problem is rather that there is no incentive for commercial development. Investment doesn’t have to come 100% from outside. Even in Padaviya and Parakramapura, there are people with enough wealth to start new business ventures. But they won’t, because peace is uncertain and any resumption of war will result in their investments going bad.
“All the wealthy merchants in the area are outsiders,” postmaster Admun told me at Parakramapura. “They run groceries and other prosperous businesses here but the money they earn doesn’t stay here; it goes out.”
The only improvement I could think of from the 1990s was the absence of armed homeguards riding bicycles on the roads, at that time an ubiquitous sight. But unarmed soldiers were increasingly visible, on motorcycles, tractors or simply walking about .

(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2005/10/01/life/3.asp)

Lanka’s rich maritime heritage by Ravi Ladduwahetty

The United Nations Educational and Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNSECO) has designated Galle as the venue for the proposed field school for Maritime Archaeology for the entire Asia Pacific region. UNESCO has granted

<> US$ 45,000 for 2005 and US$ 1.1 million for the period 2006-2008 Here Mirror Life portrays the glitz of Sri Lanka’s maritime heritage of a by gone era.

UNSECO has designated Galle as a maritime centre for the Asia and the Pacific following a research paper by two eminent Sri Lankan maritime archaeologists,Lt. Commander Somasiri Devendra and Dr. Mohan Abeyratne. Galle is to be the centre for a field school spanning the region. The project will kick off in November this year.

A total package of US $ 4.5 million which the UNESCO has provided the Government of China has been channeled to Sri Lanka with the amounts being increased to US $ 1.1 million for the years 2006 and 2007.

This project will be the epicentre for the training of marine archeologists with Dr. Bill Jeffery of Australia’s Townsville University and James Cooke also being on the panel of instructors and lecturers, Central Cultural Fund’s Director of Scientific Research Dr. Mohan Abeyratne told Mirror Life in an interview. Here, historical aspects of Sri Lanka’s maritime heritage is listed below:

The last of our traditional sailing ships
The last Sinhala sailing ships were dubbed as the Yathra Dhonis or Maha Oruwa of Dodanduwa. This is an ancient type of ship in use from the fifth century AD to the 1930s,and carried cargo all over the Indian Ocean. In about 1930, two friends joined forces to build and launch a Yathra that was fated to be the last of her breed. Kariyavasam Patuvata Vithanage Don Siyadoris de Silva, land owner, and Punchi Sinno Marakkalaehe, mariner, hoped that their ship, the Amugoda Oruva, would do brisk business with South India and the Maldives.

To mark her maiden voyage to Male, verses and folklore were composed but alas, she foundered on a reef in Male and was lost. The crew was also missing and presumed dead. However, years later, some of the crew came home, with pieces of the ship as proof. In 1993 the MAU discovered a 4 ft. long, perfect model of a Yathra at Kumarakanda Temple in Dodanduwa. We visited the temple with the Australians who were our trainers, examined it, made measurements. Would such a ship really sail? And how well?

So the measurements were tested on a computer programme, "Macsurf', which confirmed that she was a good sailing vessel. The computer also produced technical drawings (all published in our first report of 1993) which will help us build another Maha Oruwa, some day in the future. Today the model is in the Colombo Museum.

The wreck of a Jaffna ship
Sri Lankan mariners existed in the north of the island too. The Jaffna ships, called Thonis, were large cargo ships, traditional inside in appearance they were copies of European and Indian ships.

They had eyes on either side of the bow, a shrine to god Shiva inside, and a row of false gun-ports were painted along the sides.

Before launching a ship or starting a voyage, a pooja was conducted, smashing coconuts, marking the three Shiva ash-marks on the stem. About four centuries ago, one set sail, again to the Maldives. She coasted south up to Ambalangoda , where she was to change course westward. But she too, became a victim of the sea.

Her bones are sometimes visible under certain conditions and the MAU could not find her on a quick visit. The people from the wadiya close by had taken bits and pieces and sold some. Our team was able to see what was left and list what had been removed. Small iron cannon, a statue of a god, Chinese pottery and brass cooking vessels had been sold. We were able to see the small Maldivian type coconuts smashed at the start of the journey, quantities of cowrie shells (probably cargo), typical Asian cooking implements, cannon balls, pieces of wood, beautiful ivory and iron tools, a collection of weights, and most important, a much-repaired Astrolabe, a medieval European navigational tool. Where are these now, and when can we excavate the ship? Only the MAU can do this, if funds are available.

The Great Basses Silver Wreck
In the early 1960s, Sri Lankan sports divers Arthur C. Clarke, Mike Wilson and Rodney Jonklaas found many shipwrecks. One was carrying a cargo of sacks of silver coins minted in India. She broke up and sank in the Great Basses, or Maha Ravana Kotuwa.

A film Ranmuthuduwa was made using this wreck. But all the tons of silver have been taken out of the island. The great majority were stolen and advertised for sale . They are made into jewellery and are said to be secretly sold in Sri Lanka, even today. MAU investigated the site and mapped it to assess its archaeological value. MAU recovered several hundred coins. which are the only ones officially in this country. We found guns, beads, Chinese pottery, cannon balls and large anchors. MAU must be used to study and protect it. At present it is being exploited by several treasure hunters with metal detectors etc.

Ancient Oru-Paru in inland waters
In 1993, when the first group was under training, a part of an oruwa was found in a small stream in Lathpandura. This was one of the two dug-out chine strakes, called iri kaduwa. It was examined, photographed and papers published but is still there in the stream because part of it is under a bund. Later, other such pieces were found all over the rivers on the western province. The largest was found in the Attanagalu Oya and the wood was dated to the 9th century AD. This iri kaduwa was, fortunately, rescued and is undergoing conservation at the Colombo Museum with specialist advice on conservation provided by the MAU. In the Kuru Ganga an old logboat was discovered and is in the Ratnapura Museum. In the Colombo Museum there is another large oru kanda which has been scientifically dated to be older than the 2nd Century BC.

Anchors from Arab ships - pre-colonial users of Galle port
Ships were sailing around Sri Lanka for many centuries. Galle was one of the many ports in the southern coast - others were Weligama, Matara, Ambalantota, Hambantota, etc. Galle was an important port but became more important after the Portuguese came to India.

It was used by the Arab traders and the Portuguese discovered it only by accident. The MAU discovered the ancient anchorage used by these sailors, and the stone anchors used by them. There were several but the largest one was estimated to be about a ton in weight. It was the first Arab-type anchor found intact with its wooden arms. The wooden parts were sent to Australia for preservation and are ready to be brought back. They were dated to 1390 AD and the stone was examined and found to be likely to be from Oman, where these anchors were made as an industry. The stone anchors are in the MA U Laboratory in Galle.

The underwater survey of Galle Bay - basis for planning the new port
Lakshman Jayakody, then Minister of Cultural Affairs, requested that the Galle Bay be surveyed for shipwrecks before a new port was built here. The work was undertaken by a Sri Lankan-Australian team and a side scan sonar and magnetometer survey was completed - 26 archaeologically important sites were located, including wooden shipwrecks andiron shipwrecks. Many important items were also found. When the time came for the new port to be planned, maritime archaeologists were consulted and the new port was planned so. that the dvanced training - the Avondster and the Laboratory

The decision was made to establish the MA U after this on a permanent basis. For this a conservation laboratory and a diving station, boats and equipment were necessary. The Netherlands offered to help with advanced training and equipment. The site for training and exploration was the VOC ship Avondster which sank in Galle in 1659. For three years experts from the Netherlands, Australia and Sri Lanka have been working on this site which is of very great interest as it has items from England, Holland, and all over Asia. It tells us much about the history of Galle, of shipping and trade in Sri Lanka, and the way in which ships were built and how people lived on board those ships.

Sri Lanka's international training - the UNESCO field school project
Sri Lanka has led the way in Asia in collaborating with foreign experts while keeping policy and control in our own hands. Visiting maritime archaeologists work with our team, and provide training and equipment. Sri Lanka follows the UNESCO Rules even though we have not yet signed the Convention. Draft Legislation on the subject is ready for presentation to Cabinet. The approach has been held up as an example how a developing nation can enter this field without losing national control.

In recognition of our efforts, UNESCO has proposed to fund a field school in Galle, where Sri Lankan and foreign experts will conduct basis training to trainees from other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Eventually, the POlAR will conduct a post-graduate course in maritime archaeology. It is now our turn to help other developing nations in the interests of Asian maritime heritage studies.

(Pictures courtesy Central Cultural Fund)

Canoeing third popular sport in Olympics-Janos by Bernie Wijesekera

On a quiet Sunday morning there was a cool and lovely atmosphere at the Colombo Rowing Club where we took time to meet Gyongyosi Janos the Canoe and Master-coach from Hungary, who is in Sri Lanka on a mission of developing the sport of Canoeing.

Strongly built Janos, has been in the rud sport and later as coach and technical consultant and had been involved with the sport for over 30 years. He is here on an assignment through the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNDP), while stationed at New Delhi. He came to Sri Lanka on Sept. 11 and will return on Sept. 30 after training the local coaches on the talent techniques in canoeing (Rowing).

Janos said, “Canoeing is the third most popular sport in the Olympic calendar barring athletics and swimming. These three sports offer the largest number of medals to the participants”.

Speaking about his trip to Sri Lanka and it taking a serious canoeing Janoes said “This country has many lakes around the country. Sri Lanka could be a force to reckon with through total commitment. Your trainers must show interest for the sport. Today about 20 coaches attended the training programme. They could make an impact after the next SAF Games held here (2006). The requirements are -- to achieve success. 1) Technique, 2) Proper Training, 3) Physical Strength, 4) Nutrients. Incidentally Sri Lanka is not short of men in the coastal districts (South) and in the North, who have the strength to pull fishing nets to make the grade”.

Mr. Prithiviraj Perera Chief Administration Programme Specialist/Culture UNESCO House, New Delhi and Yohan Thurainayagam (St. Joseph's Rowing Club) were associated with Janos at this briefing. The first seminar was held at the CRC Colombo on Sept. 18 and 19. The second at Belihuloya from 20-23. The third will be at the St. Joseph's College Rowing Club from Sept. 25-27.

The final training session will be at the Ranweli Beach Hotel, Kochchikade, in the morning from 6.30 a.m. to 9 a.m. The afternoon session will be from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. He leaves on Sept. 30 to New Delhi. (headquarters).,
Plans are afoot to put up a Board House on the East Bay of the Beira Lake shortly to add more facilities - for canoeing. Prithiviraj Perera said, “our objective is to promote the aqua sport at grassroots level and get more people involved islandwide.

St. Joseph's College Darley Road, is one of the leading schools promoting and developing rowing at school level. They are in the forefront in rowing. The Josephian Rowing Club will have to decided to put up a Boat House withins its precincts. They will give other schools around Colombo to make use of this facility as part of their promotional drive said, Yohan an official of the club”.
Those who wish to follow the training and coaching programme of Janos during his stay here, could contact Yohan on - 0777-315949.

(http://www.sundaytimes.lk/050925/sports/10.html)

Treasure diving by Damitha Hemachandra

Deep sea diving in search of the ocean’s wonders and treasures, is comparatively new in Sri Lanka despite the picturesque Indian Ocean surrounding the country.

The only sea diving that was ever heard of in ancient times was diving for pearls where the pearl divers braved great depths without any modern equipment to ease breathing and reduce pressure.

Brohier, in his book ‘Seeing Ceylon’, explains how the pearl divers working at the pearl reefs in Seelawathurai, dived in from boats without any safety equipment with just stones used as weights. ‘The pearl divers would then emerge after nearly one and a half minutes with some oysters in their hands and after throwing them to the pile of oysters in the boat again dive for more oysters,’ he

explained. Gone are the oyster divers and the celebrated oyster reefs of Ceylon but diving is now here to stay.

At a later stage in 1864/5, Viennese landscape and genre painter, Eugene de Ransonnet, visited the island and used a diving-bell to sketch the coral banks off the port of Galle. His sketches are published in ‘Sketches of Ceylon’ by R.K.De Silva.

At the same time the British too used divers to check the status of the hulls of the ships anchored in Colombo and Trincomalee. But it was not until the late 1930s, when face masks, snorkels and flippers arrived on the island, that the wonderfully rich and varied underwater life around it could be viewed with comparative ease, if only from the surface. During World War 2, divers were used defensively to carry out underwater patrols of the bases in case of Japanese infiltration but it would be while before locals start diving for fun.

In Post Independent Sri Lanka, diving was taken up by the Reef Combers Club of Ceylon, which consisted of locals and foreigners who were engaged in fully equipped diving as a hobby and spear fishermen, who were expert divers as well as spearmen and the self taught locals, who dived for corals, lobsters and underwater treasures.

With the dawn of the 1960s and the chance meeting of pioneer divers Arthur C. Clarke, Mike Wilson with renowned spearfisher Rodney Jonklaas, at the Colombo harbour, started the golden age of diving in Sri Lanka.

Many a diving place were discovered by the trio during their pursuit to film shark in the oceans around Sri Lanka attracting divers from around the world to the island. The oceans attracted the visitors from London who were on a short trip to Sri Lanka to film the sharks and they decided to make Sri Lanka their permanent home.

Parallel to their underwater exploration, Wilson and Clarke endeavoured, without much success, to establish a diving business known as Clarke-Wilson Associates. Their tasks at the time included the cleaning of water inlet and sewage outlet grills of ships in the Colombo harbour, and morbid ones, such as the retrieval of corpses. The most demanding and perilous job they performed was at Castlereagh Dam, where they had to work in the claustrophobic confines of a 40 cm wide shutter case with oxygen piped from the surface.

Meanwhile the discovery of stunning spots around the country and spreading of aqua lungs and scuba diving techniques among the locals opened a new page in diving in Sri Lanka. Many locals too started exploring great depths in scuba and skin diving and started achieving great depths. Two pioneer local divers, Benny Fernando and Reeves Neydorff, remember the good old times when they travelled the Indian Ocean from Negombo to Trincomalee in search of lobsters.

“We used to start near Colombo harbour and travel around the southern coast skin diving near the sand reefs all along in search of lobsters,” said Mr. Fernando, fondly known as Uncle Benny .Although diving for lobsters was their trade, he remembers how enthralled he was with the coral and the fish life surrounding it. “Sometimes we used to see various schools of fish but our main concern was to dive greatest depths in competition with others,” he said adding that he was able to skin dive 50 feet at any given moment.

Remembering the times when diving was all about fun and looting, Uncle Benny says how they scavenged any sellable item from the wrecks around the country during their journeys around the island. “We were too young to realise the important ecology around the shipwrecks and their archaeological value but only were in search of silver and brass,” he says relating a story how a friend of his sold a collection of Dutch VOC coins he found at Great Basses for silver.

According to Uncle Benny, Great Basses is one of the greatest dives around the country. “Situated nearly 12 miles away in the middle of the sea, Great Basses is a comparatively untouched diving spot with a rock base and schools of fishes creating an out of earth picture,” he said.

Today the hunter turned conservationist, Uncle Benny, is operating his boat house and is handing over his diving skills to the next generation. He speaks proudly of the next generation of divers -Malinda Abeyratne, who is pursuing the dying art of skin diving with enthusiasm. Not long ago he had skin dived nearly 93 feet at Swami Rock in Trincomalee where he had seen the stone pillars of Koneshwaram temple in the sea.

He silently acknowledges the praises and challenges by the pioneers but disagrees that he is the best. Yet with youngsters like Malinda on line, diving in Sri Lanka seems to hold a profound future.

(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2005/09/22/life/01.asp)

Deep into history by Ruhanie Perera

<>Shipwreck Detectives, a World War II documentary on the “Battle of Ceylon”, brings four veterans on a personal odyssey back to the shores of Sri Lanka, 60 years on “From the moment I got off the plane and got into my first tuk-tuk – I was hooked.” Julia Redwood, director of the documentary on the Battle of Ceylon which was filmed in Sri Lanka over the last month and one of the producers for the series Shipwreck Detectives sits on the terrace by the sea at the Galle Face Hotel. Her work in Sri Lanka complete, she finally has a moment to recount her experiences. The cinematic journey she describes is one that tells the story of a significant moment in Sri Lanka’s modern history – a moment that has been recorded as the “most dangerous moment” of the Second World War, the Battle of Ceylon. Perhaps it is poetic justice that this interview should have taken place so close to the sea for the focus of the film crew’s work here has been to uncover the stories of the sea… For the Shipwreck Detectives, their quests for wrecks lay emphasis on the idea that “shipwrecks are not about treasure, but about history”. The overall theme of the second series of Shipwreck Detectives, a three-part documentary on the maritime archaeology of Sri Lanka specifically centred on Galle and the Dutch colonial past in Sri Lanka, a 2000 BC shipwreck off Turkey and the Battle of Ceylon made for ABC Television and Discovery Canada, is thus about making people aware of history through shipwrecks, underscoring the significance of maritime heritage and the importance of protecting it. Julia Redwood and Ed Punchard, the principal players in the Fremantle, Western Australia-based documentary production company Prospero Productions established in 1991 have always had “a passion for telling stories and a passion for history, maritime history in particular”. Ed, a North Sea diver was involved in what was considered the world’s worst off-shore oil disaster in 1988 in the North Sea and has an understanding of being shipwrecked and of “losing mates at sea”. The natural progression of which is the great affinity the team shares for “shipwreck stories”, for the stories of “people who have survived shipwrecks and for the families and friends who have lost people at sea”. Three strands make up the Battle of Ceylon film, the working title of which is “the most dangerous moment” – the search for two shipwrecks the HMS Hermes and the HMAS Vampire, the personal journeys of remembrance made by four war veterans and the historical analysis which involved researching the question ‘why did Churchill call this the most dangerous moment’ and the exploration of the many Sri Lankan perspectives on the event through the stories of veterans and civilians who lived through the air raids of April 5 and 9, in 1942. This story of the Battle of Ceylon is thus linked to the two shipwrecks, the HMS Hermes, an aircraft carrier that was a significant British vessel and the accompanying Australian destroyer, the HMAS Vampire, which were sunk on April 9, 1942 during the Japanese air raids over Colombo and Trincomalee. Says Julia, “We discovered the story and loved it. It was tragic, dramatic and significant in terms of history, WWII history in particular and barely discussed.” Curiosity aroused, it was decided that through the Shipwreck Detectives a search would be carried out for the Hermes and the Vampire, the quest being to find the Vampire which had never been located and to relocate the Hermes which had been located off Batticaloa. Taking the lead in this adventure were maritime archaeologists from the Western Australian Maritime Museum; Jeremy Green, the head of Maritime Archaeology at the museum and Corioli Souter were no strangers to Sri Lankan maritime archaeology because of their work in the field of exploring the underwater archaeological potential of Sri Lanka with Somasiri Devendra, retired Lieutenant Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, today a naval historian and maritime archaeologist. This project carried out under his supervision (which involves the film being released with his authorisation) saw the diving expedition in Batticaloa make the discovery that the Hermes was not located where it was on the admiralty charts. The Vampire, unfortunately, could not be found. Says Devendra, “Off the coast of Sri Lanka the continental shelf is very narrow and off Batticaloa there is a deep trench which comes very close to the shore and we think the Vampire may be there. The area is about 900 metres deep and locating it is impossible – unless we had the equipment used in the search for the Titanic.” The Battle of Ceylon story, running for the duration of one television hour, approximately 52 minutes, traces also the intensely personal journeys of four war veterans who were survivors from the vessels. Stan Curtis and Alex Rusk (HMS Hermes) and Vince Cesari and Bill Price (HMAS Vampire), returned to Sri Lanka after 63 years, having never returned after the war. For these veterans, says Julia, who are in “the twilight of their years, the autumn of their years, this could be the last time they’ll get to tell their stories”. Retracing their steps from Colombo through Kandy to Trincomalee, the journey was for most of them a moment to relive events, points out Consultant Historian for the documentary Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe who worked closely with the veterans. This experience, he feels, also brought about some sense of conclusion at the latter stages of their lives and it perhaps may have even raised more questions – “questions which are unanswered to this day and perhaps never will be”. At the core of the historical strand of the documentary is one haunting question, ‘why would Churchill call this the most dangerous moment’. Presenting the many perspectives on the subject is Sergei, an individual with – as Julia points out – a passion for Sri Lanka. A Sri Lankan-born Australian, Sergei brings into the film a “unique perspective because he’s an outsider but he’s from this place and he has an absolute passion and commitment to Sri Lanka”. In Colombo and Trincomalee, Sergei was brought in to explain the sequence of the tactical air raids and explain the overall strategic situation that faced Ceylon before and after the battle. “The Japanese air raid over Colombo and Trincomalee was a strategic and tactical success but the Japanese failed in their main objective, which was to locate and destroy the British Eastern fleet. The Battle of Ceylon was considered by Winston Churchill to be the ‘most dangerous moment’ of the Second World War for the British. Why? Until the first half of 1942, Germany and Japan were making steady territorial gains from North Africa, the Caucasus and the Indian Ocean. Ceylon was the weakest link in the defence perimeter. Most importantly, if the British lost control of Ceylon, they essentially lost control of the Indian Ocean, with the potential loss of India. For the British at that time everything in the East hinged on retaining the naval bases in Ceylon.” Introduced to Prospero Productions through Devendra, Sergei’s primary role was to research the Japanese air raids of April 1942. In the documentary his was an interactive role that saw him cast as an on-screen character. The research on the Battle of Ceylon, is as Sergei describes it, a “work in progress”. “It’s like trying to fit a jigsaw puzzle together with sections still missing. With limited historical information on Japanese perspectives of the operation, he is on the lookout for information on the Battle of Ceylon, by way of articles, film footage, letters, memoirs and photographs etc. He is also interested in finding out more about the role of the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF) and the Ceylon Garrison Artillery (CGA), that had featured prominently in the air raids. (Sergei can be contacted at sergei.desilva@optusnet.com.au or PO Box 251, Batman Victoria 3058, Australia.) This documentary sets out to do more than simply document historical fact. It tries to bring about some resolution to an intensely personal moment that climaxes with the memorial mass at sea in Trincomalee when the Sri Lanka Navy took the veterans to pay their respects to their shipmates. The moment is a conclusion of sorts, emphasising the significance of journeys, both personal and political, remembrances and the silent promise that veteran and historian make to those who were lost in this historical moment that “they shall not grow old…” (http://www.sundaytimes.lk/050911/plus/1.html)

Nimal Climbs down Diyaluma

An enterprising young man from Keppetipola, G.M. Nimal Dharmaratne (31) climbed down Diyaluma falls on Sunday (24) by means of a rope. However he failed to break the previous speed record of Kosgoda Nilantha Soyza who was the first to climb down Diyaluma with rope.

Nimal, formerly an Air force officer is at present serving the Colombo Dock Yard fire prevention section.

Daminda Thabrew, of Kosgoda, who attempted to break Nilantha Sozysa’s record last year, fell down the falls and died.

A large crowd including friends and relations of Nimal were present to witness the event.

Speaking with joy of his triumph Nimal told the crowd gathered that he wanted to show the prowess of youth in Uva.

“It is not a difficult task, if one has the courage and determination” he said.

Nimal who took 22 minutes to reach the foot of the water fall, told reporters that he was held up by a tangle in the rope. President of Ratnapura District Waterfall Friends Association Asitha Indika Weerawadene said that the sports ministry shows step motherly treatment to mountaineers, and did not consider their request for an ambulance or other facilities for the event.

Donald Wijegunawardene of the Sports Medical was present. (11)

(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2005/07/27/Rural/3.asp)

The Fabulous Underwater World……… by Damitha Hemachandra

W@W talks to diver and award winning photographer Nishamini Jinadasa about why it is important to conserve Sri Lanka’s coral reefs.

She was inspired to take up diving after watching the movie ‘Great Barrier Reef’ at the age of seven and today after almost two decades she had crossed the seven seas in search of wonderful marine life.

“That film settled an interest in diving and inspired me to take it up. While I was visiting Australia I got my diving license in 1995,” she says.

Today holding a ten year old license to dive Nishamani Jinadasa is a prominent female diver and an amateur under water photographer who has dived at almost all the hot spots in the world including Papua New Guinea, Maldives, California and Sri Lanka.

Her collection of photographs capturing unique behaviour patterns of fish and other sea creatures found around the coasts of Sri Lanka and abroad goes to show what a fine scuba diver and photographer she really is.

Despite Nishamani’s daily job in the finance stream, she has an impressive diving record. Her flair for photography had earned her international recognition at two international competitions she participated in.

Nishamani won her first laurel at Sipadan Islands in Malaysia in 2000.

She had participated at an under water photography and videography competition which was held in Sipadan to boost the diving tourism that was threatened by the kidnapping of 21 American divers holidaying in the area some time ago.

“I participated in the competition since I was longing to dive at Sipadan and I was one of the few amateurs,” she recalled.

Her under water video won the second prize and she was the only amateur, Asian female to win the award.

Later while she was attending the wedding of two Canadian diving buddies,

two of her under water pictures were selected to be exhibited among 200 others at “29th Festival of Underwater Pictures” held annually in Antibes, south of France.

“It was a double festival since I was on the way to Canada to celebrate the wedding of my diving buddies,” she said.

Diverting to the exciting underwater world Nishamani revealed as to how she was diving in North Indonesia while the tsunami struck.

“I was returning to land after an evening dive and the boat was constantly stopped by heavy traffic disturbing my nap. We were unaware of the disaster then and I got to know only after I returned to my hotel,” she said.

Talking of her future plans Nishamani talks of taking up caged diving with Great White Sharks and Ice diving in Antarctica with enthusiasm.

“I’m waiting for some free time ,” she says.

Nishamani held her third photographic exhibition in Sri Lanka recently with a view to enhancing public interest and awareness in protecting corals and marine life around the island. Her exhibition also involved an art exhibition for children; where the children were invited to draw what they saw at the exhibition with a view to inspire interest in conservation at a tender age.

“I realised that despite many campaigns and awareness programmes, adults are finding it hard to grasp the concepts of conservation while children -if moved by the beauty and sensitiveness of nature – would continue to protect it,”

She is saddened that coral reefs of Sri Lanka had not retained their beauty like the ones around Papua New Guinea and Australia.

“Sri Lanka could have a better collection of corals and a wider reef than Australia or Maldives if not for the heavy pollution,” she said.

Despite the fact that she obtained a license in 1995 Nishamani had started diving around Sri Lanka only around 1998/9

“I was saddened by seeing Great Plains of dead coral under water around Sri Lanka,” she said adding that it was this experience which triggered her to initiate conservation attempts.
While trying to increase awareness by holding photographic exhibitions, she also has plans to establish an organisation called CORAL or Conservation of Reefs Around Lanka with a view to increase awareness.

“During my trips to diving spots in Sri Lanka I try to educate the public of evils of bad practices like dynamite fishing, over fishing and coral mining,” she said.

CORAL seeks to increase awareness among the coastal population through exhibitions and education programmes and thus lead to sustainable environment management among fisherman and people living around the coasts.

“Since the country does not have a strict monitoring system and law enforcement personnel protecting marine reserves the best we could do is to educate the public and let them take care of the resources,” she said.

Distributing packets of crayons to children who took part in her art competition Nishamani hopes that they would always remember the beauty found in the corals and marine life around it.

Whale Tours - don't just take photographs... swim with the world's largest mammals
 

A Whale of A Time by Graham Holliday

Don't just take photographs... swim with the world's largest mammals

When it comes to encountering whales in the wild, most of us are content to glimpse them through binoculars on a whale-spotting cruise or from a vantage point onshore.

But more adventurous nature lovers are heading for the South Pacific kingdom of Tonga, where you can actually swim with some of the world's largest mammals.

Whaleswim Adventures, tel: (64-9) 372 7073, run six-, seven- and nine-day tours that feature opportunities to swim with humpback whales off the island of Vaka'eitu, near Vava'u in Tonga's north. To minimize environmental impact, each tour has a limit of 12 people, of whom only four (plus a qualified marine researcher-cum-guide) are allowed in the water at any one time.

Between July and October every year, humpbacks migrate from Antarctica to the 171-island archipelago to give birth and nurse their calves—and Whaleswim tours make straight for the nurseries. "It's a truly life-changing experience to watch a young, 12-m calf suckling its 40-m mother just meters away," says Rae Gill, Whaleswim's tour director. "The trust these wild animals have in us is humbling in itself. I know of no other wild animals that allow this." Tours start from $1,752.

(http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/0,13674,501041018,00.html)

Getting ready for a adrenaline rush ....close to the first rapid ..."Teaser" .Mostly the white-water rafting, tenderly begins in the gentle section of the river through a lush tropical rain forest. Then it gradually rolls over to hissing water as the river start to flaw faster until it meets the rapid that could send your adrenaline pumping up in your body. A normal one or two hour rafting trip may utterly include section from grade 1 to 4. White-water rafting mostly is organized around a river in the areas of plains along rivers to the hill country.

A breather at last ....the advendure ends at the Rafter's Retreat .

This adventure starts at Kitulgala where David Lean's Academy Award-winning 'Bridge on the River Kwai' was filmed and takes you rafting down a grade 3 river rapids of the kelani river.Although nothing remains now except the concrete foundations for the bridge (and, supposedly, the submerged train cars that plunged into the river in the climactic scene).

Beging of the 2 km river white water rafting adventure at Kityhulgala 

Incomming...moving towards the first rapid ..."Teaser" 

An exhilarating, grade 3 white water rafting trip down the Kelani River january 03 2005. 

Sri Lanka - Water, adventure, danger, adrenaline...For white-water rafting you must visit Kitagula. The adventure starts a few kilometres upstream.