Heritance Kandalama adds a silver lining to a dark cloud

By Joanne Kotelawala

Every parent dreams to see their children succeed and in order to foster an environment for success, parents work tirelessly to provide the comforts, facilities, love and care for their children. This ambition is shared by any parent, whether they are rich or poor, educated or not, in a city or village, they vision their children to do better.

Sunil was no different. He lived in a village in Digampatana, close to Habarana where he earned an income through farming. Like many other farmers, Sunil would set out at night to the tree hut where he could keep an eye on the crops in the field. The farmers were all too familiar with the devastation caused by wildlife to the crop, which in turn affects the family income.

One fateful day, however, Sunil set out for the tree hut that is housed about forty-feet above the ground. A small error, a small slip and Sunil fell forty-feet to the cold, hard earth. He was fortunate to have survived the fall, but it turned out that the fall had left him paralysed. Sunil had one son about six-years of age at the time, named Sashika.

How will the family survive? Who will provide for them? How will Sunil be cared for? These were probably the questions that plagued Sunil’s wife, we would not know, because she walked away from the situation. This left Sunil and little Sashika alone. Sunil’s parents were able to support their son and grand-son, but it was certainly no easy task for the elderly, frail parents.

Sashika, young as he was, played a significant role in taking care of his father and he did this while continuing to attend school. It was a sad situation where Sunil did not even have a proper bed or a wheelchair, but Sashika was committed to taking care of his father.

It was during this time that Priyan Wijeratne, Manager of Heritance Kandalama, received an email mentioning the unfortunate plight of Sunil and Sashika. “We then decided to visit Sunil and Sashika, their poor living conditions meant that Sunil did not have a proper bed or wheel chair. We also learnt that due to this situation Sashika was also faced with a difficulty in continuing his education.

“Upon returning to Kandalama, we held discussions with Vice President of Operations B.H.R. Shariffodeen and General Manager of Heritance Kandalama Jeevaka Weerakoon,” said Wijeratne “We decided that gifting the family with a proper house would improve their living conditions and uplift their spirits as well.”

The mission to construct a home for Sunil and Sashika then began. Initially the project had a sum of Rs. 100,000. However, everyone who heard of this mission and the story behind it made a contribution to the cost. “It was with the assistance of our hotel staff, staff at the head office in Colombo and also contributions by guests that we were able to achieve this common goal,” said Wijeratne.

The result was not just a house, but a home. It represented a sense of peace, and relief to Sunil and Sashika – and assured them that they were not forgotten. In the midst of an unfortunate situation, they were able to see hope and joy. The completed home was handed over to the father and son at an auspicious time on 19 September.

The home was very aptly named ‘Kalana.’ Wijeratne explained, “Kalana stands for the kalyana mithuruwo which means ‘lasting friendship’. This represents the friendship of Sunil and Sashika with Heritance Kandalama. We are very proud that we were able to make a difference in their lives and our thanks go out to all staff, guests, and the Heritance team that made various contributions in giving life to this idea, everyone got involved in this project and worked together as a team.”

A good friend understands the worries and concerns in their friend’s mind. “Being a part of their emotional thinking, we realised that Sunil was worried about his son’s future. So we have made a promise to Sunil that we will support Sashika in his future endeavours.

“We will pray for him and grant him blessings that he will be successful in his education. But no matter what path Sashika chooses to take in the future we will continue to be with him and support him, and we have assured him of employment at the Heritance Kandalama hotel.”

 Many of us have heard, read, listened to over and over the famous words of Mahathma Gandhi, ‘you must be the change, you wish to see in the world.’ How often do we actually act on these words? The above incident is a demonstration of the good that resulted from a proactive decision.

The collective efforts of the Heritance Kandalama team altered the lives of the Sunil and Sashika in more ways than imagined. In addition to the visible benefits, these events have also shown Sunil and Sashika that they are not alone and they can rest assured of their future. This incident also shows us all that by working together, we can add a silver lining to a dark cloud.