Invent and make country rich and united, urges Prof. Epasinghe

Ananda College, Colombo will celebrate Aurora  2011 —  Young Inventors’ Day,  for the second consecutive year at the Kularatne Hall premises from 12.30 onwards on 31 May 2011.

The chief guest of this celebration of Aurora will be ex-Ananda luminary President’s Advisor, and current Chairman ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) Professor P. W. Epasinghe.   One of the best personalities Ananda has produced in its 125-year history, Professor Epasinghe has many laurels to his credit. These plumes on his cap include that of having been a great innovator in the education of Mathematics and Statistics in Sri Lanka for the economic development of the country.   

Referring to the Young Inventors’ Society of the College Professor Epasinghe said: “I am pleased to learn that the Ananda College Young Inventors’ Society has reached the peak of success by extending its boundaries to the international level while being awarded the most outstanding young inventors’ society in Sri Lanka by President Mahinda Rajapaksa”. Being highly appreciative of the outreach of his alma mater to benefit all the schools in Sri Lanka the Professor said: “The vision that the Young Inventors’ Society of Ananda College has before it augurs well for the country. These students are fired with the desire to help fellow students island-wide. Assisting students island-wide having innovative ideas from designing to marketing the product will go a long way in bringing about unity the country needs very much today”.

Aurora - 2011, organised by the College Young Inventors’ Society with the untiring support of the relevant staff marks the best offer Ananda extends to the student community island-wide.

The programme including the grade-wise exhibition is quite certainly an event that should not be missed by any student or parent willing to create a new Sri Lanka. The event is bound to draw crowds with many attractions including entertainment items, lectures, speeches, the prize-giving, Aurora 2011 video clip etc.

 Pleased to be associated with his alma mater, in additions to many responsible positions, Prof. P.W. Epasinghe was the Dean of the Faculty of Science of the University of Colombo in 1983 and served as the acting Vice-Chancellor on several occasions. He served again as the Dean in 1994 and 1995 and before he began his term of office, he introduced the Faculty Calendar of Dates covering the period 10.05.93 to 27.10.97 by which time, the backlog of student intakes created by the closure of all universities for over two years in 1988, 1989 and 1990 got cleared with the 1997/98 intake coming on 27.10.97. This was the only Calendar of Dates of this type in any faculty in any university in Sri Lanka and also provided the students with information on the duration of academic terms and vacations, study leave periods, examination periods as well as the examination time tables covering a period of four years ahead. Having always been keen on making the life of the people of the motherland more comfortable by innovative thinking and application of technology Professor Epasinghe expressed deep joy at the progress his alma mater has made.

An epitome of the right mix between science and philosophy, and between academic erudition and down-to-earth practicality the Professor has a special message to all young inventors.   The Professor called for innovative thinking that can make all communities island-wide united as members of strongly bonded family of motherland Sri Lanka: “Necessity is the mother of invention. We need a national frame of mind according to which everyone not only thinks but sees in practical day-to-day life that all are members of one united family. The vision of the Young Inventors’ Society of Ananda College that aims at making the benefits of its innovative thinking accrue to all students of Sri Lanka is highly commendable. I would urge all young inventors to ‘invent’ something to unite all while going ad astra in inventing also tools and gadgets that make our life a lot more comfortable.”