One
of the greatest delights in my brief career as a journalist was writing
for the kids' section of 'The Nation'. I wrote over fifty articles in
my last year at that newspaper. I have resumed the series, which is now published in www.nightowls.lk. Scroll
down for other articles in this series.
Three-wheelers are certainly not the fastest vehicles on the road. On the other hand they are not the slowest either. In certain situations they can be faster than bigger and more powerful vehicles. We have all seen three-wheelers weave in and out of traffic haven’t we? It’s a small vehicle and therefore can squeeze through tiny spaces. In fact sometimes three-wheelers are like traffic policemen. For example, if there’s a block at a roundabout it’s often a three-wheeler that seizes the opportunity provided by a slower vehicle coming from the right to cut a path for the vehicles behind it.
Three-wheelers are certainly not the fastest vehicles on the road. On the other hand they are not the slowest either. In certain situations they can be faster than bigger and more powerful vehicles. We have all seen three-wheelers weave in and out of traffic haven’t we? It’s a small vehicle and therefore can squeeze through tiny spaces. In fact sometimes three-wheelers are like traffic policemen. For example, if there’s a block at a roundabout it’s often a three-wheeler that seizes the opportunity provided by a slower vehicle coming from the right to cut a path for the vehicles behind it.
Anyway, we really can’t say that three-wheelers are
‘slow’. And yet I think of
three-wheelers as tortoises. I’ve seen
them everywhere, especially in what are calls ‘Three-wheel Parks’, where these
little scooter taxis line up and await their turn for a hire. If you
happen to be walking on an overhead bridge, say in the Fort, or looking out of
a top floor window of a tall building, and observe the movement of tuk-tuks you
might understand what I am trying to say.
If you can re-play their movements in slow motion you’ll understand even
better. For me, three-wheelers are
tortoises.
Hedges are sentinels, especially if they are made of
separate bushes. They are like a row of
silent security guards. It helps if you
look at them early morning, just as dawn is breaking, or late evening, just
after the sun has gone down. At such
times, from a distance, to me, they are like a row of well-build men,
determined and disciplined. Their job is
to guard houses or properties. They
don’t move from their ‘spot’. Yes,
hedges are security guards. Sentinels.
Now you might think all this is silly. You may be right.
Place a tortoise next to a three-wheeler and it would be laughable to say they are similar. If you see a security guard standing near a hedge around noon you will not see any similarity between the man and the bushes.
Place a tortoise next to a three-wheeler and it would be laughable to say they are similar. If you see a security guard standing near a hedge around noon you will not see any similarity between the man and the bushes.
But I insist that it is fun and useful to look at something
and imagine it is something else.
Rain drops hanging from an electricity wire after the rain
has ceased look like precious stones on a necklace. The little streams that appear from nowhere
during the rain are rivers and the pools them run into are oceans. An anthill is a mountain. The communication devices around the house
are actually magical windows which open to all kinds of wonderful lands and
worlds. The footprint you leave in the
dust will be erased by the play of dust with wind and rain or simply by other
feet that walk the same path you did; and in that erasure you learn that time
passes, things change. A footprint is
therefore a classroom and a teacher.
Pens and pencils are really people, only they have lead and
ink for blood. The tiles on a roof are
related to the earthenware pots in the kitchen, because they were all born of
the same mother: our earth.
There are walls that speak to us about separations, safety
and security. There are hedges that are on
guard. And on our roads we get snails
and we get zebras, horses and donkeys, chicken and pigs. We get three-wheelers too, but they are
really tortoises.
Other articles in this series
A puddle is a canvas
Venus-Serena tied at love-all
Some jokes are not funny
There's an ant story waiting for you
And you can be a rainbow-maker
Trees are noble teachers
On cloudless nights the moon is a hole
Gulp down those hurtful words
A question is a boat, a jet, a space-ship or a heart
Quotes can take you far but they can also stop you
No one is weak
The fisherman in a black shirt
Let's celebrate Nelli and Nelliness
Ready for time travel?
Puddles look back at you, did you know?
What's the view like from your door?
The world is rearranged by silhouettes
How would you paint the sky?
It is cool to slosh around
You can compose your own music
Pebbles are amazing things
You can fly if you want to
The happiest days of our lives
So what do you want to do with the rain?
Still looking for that secret passage?
Maybe we should respect the dust we walk on
Numbers are beautiful
There are libraries everywhere
Collect something crazy
Fragments speak of a thousand stories
The games you can and cannot play with rice
The magic of the road less-traveled
Have you ever thought of forgiving?
Wallflowers are pretty, aren't they?
What kind of friend do you want to be?
Noticed the countless butterflies around you?
It's great to chase rainbows
In praise of 'lesser' creatures
A mango is a book did you know?
Expressions are interesting things
How many pairs of eyes do you need?
So no one likes you?
There is magic in faraway lights
The thambilil-seller of Giriulla
When people won't listen, things will
Lessons of the seven-times table
Venus-Serena tied at love-all
Some jokes are not funny
There's an ant story waiting for you
And you can be a rainbow-maker
Trees are noble teachers
On cloudless nights the moon is a hole
Gulp down those hurtful words
A question is a boat, a jet, a space-ship or a heart
Quotes can take you far but they can also stop you
No one is weak
The fisherman in a black shirt
Let's celebrate Nelli and Nelliness
Ready for time travel?
Puddles look back at you, did you know?
What's the view like from your door?
The world is rearranged by silhouettes
How would you paint the sky?
It is cool to slosh around
You can compose your own music
Pebbles are amazing things
You can fly if you want to
The happiest days of our lives
So what do you want to do with the rain?
Still looking for that secret passage?
Maybe we should respect the dust we walk on
Numbers are beautiful
There are libraries everywhere
Collect something crazy
Fragments speak of a thousand stories
The games you can and cannot play with rice
The magic of the road less-traveled
Have you ever thought of forgiving?
Wallflowers are pretty, aren't they?
What kind of friend do you want to be?
Noticed the countless butterflies around you?
It's great to chase rainbows
In praise of 'lesser' creatures
A mango is a book did you know?
Expressions are interesting things
How many pairs of eyes do you need?
So no one likes you?
There is magic in faraway lights
The thambilil-seller of Giriulla
When people won't listen, things will
Lessons of the seven-times table
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