Bridges Are Not Built with Bricks, but Between Hearts - A Decade of Karu Jayasuriya's Bridge to National Reconciliation..!

While there are many who confine their patriotism to words, there are very few who genuinely love their country and demonstrate that love through action. Former Speaker of Parliament, Sri Lankabhimanya Karu Jayasuriya is one such exceptional individual. Having witnessed many conflicts, struggles and setbacks in the country throughout his lifetime, he has consistently sought practical solutions to the challenges facing Sri Lanka.

He has always regarded it as his responsibility to hand over the motherland to future generations as a better and more beautiful place. The sense of national consciousness instilled in him at Ananda College may well have set him on this path. Even though the 30-year war had ended, Sri Lanka was still grappling with mistrust and divisions between its communities and searching for political solutions.

Jayasuriya believed that the lack of understanding between communities, particularly because of language barriers, was one of the main reasons for this situation. He recognised that if people were able to clearly communicate their true feelings and views to one another, much of the suspicion between communities could be avoided. As someone who strongly opposed the idea of another conflict emerging in the country, he felt the need for a new approach.

Although the Surya Foundation, established by Dr Wasantha Jayasuriya and Karu Jayasuriya to carry out social service initiatives, had already been involved in numerous programmes, a new path towards national unity was opened through the foundation in 2016. Free language classes were launched at its Gampaha office to teach Tamil to children in the South, while Sinhala classes were started in Jaffna for children in the North. The programme has now entered its 10th year.

A ceremony to present certificates and recognise the achievements of the 10th batch of students was recently held in Jaffna. Around 400 students from the North benefit from the programme each year. The event was attended by Northern Provincial Governor Nagalingam Vedanayagam, former Western Province Governor, attorney Navin Dissanayake, the Jaffna District Secretary, Divisional Secretaries, local political representatives and many others.

The Tamil students drew widespread appreciation at the event by showcasing their language skills in a number of ways. Dressed in traditional Sinhala attire, they performed dances to Sinhala songs, staged plays they had written and produced themselves in Sinhala, and delivered speeches in the language they had learned.

The Surya Foundation was established in 1992 and has been carrying out a wide range of programmes ever since, including healthcare initiatives, eye donation programmes, environmental projects, computer and technology programmes, STEM education covering science, technology, engineering and mathematics, English language education and scholarships for students. A large number of people have benefited from these initiatives. As part of this work, the foundation expanded its activities to the North in 2016, opening a new avenue to promote national unity through language education.

Another particularly touching moment took place at the recent ceremony. As Jayasuriya was presenting certificates to the students on stage, a group of children suddenly walked through the audience carrying a cake and a commemorative plaque. They placed them on the stage and invited Jayasuriya to cut the cake. The 400 students then presented him with cakes they had prepared themselves, greeting cards and numerous commemorative gifts as a gesture of their gratitude and affection.

It was a moment that brought tears of joy to the eyes of many present. The children were expressing their heartfelt gratitude to Jayasuriya for giving them the opportunity to learn Sinhala. Their gesture was perhaps the clearest indication of the value of the programme and of the importance of creating opportunities for national unity among children in the North as well..!