In
the year 2014, over a period of 10 days, 12 cyclists took off from
Colombo. They would head South and take that route around the coast
through the Southern, Eastern, Northern and North-Western Provinces and
end in the West, a 1350km long journey tagged ‘Wheels-for-Wheels.’
The
exercise had a name: Around the Pearl. Yes, the pearl that is our
beautiful island, Sri Lanka. The exercise was about a cause: to create
awareness about Cerebral Palsy and raise money to purchase 1,000
wheelchairs for those afflicted. of the disease.
I do not know
if anyone has ever done that before. I do not know if anyone has done it
since. But there are always people with energy and a thirst to attempt
the unthinkable. Someone or a group of people may have walked around the
island a few decades or centuries ago. If it had happened, there’s no
record of it. I wouldn’t count it out.
A couple of days ago, I
saw two young boys at a table, pouring over a map of Sri Lanka. This was
at the Commons Coffeehouse on Ernest De Silva Mawatha or Flower Road as
some still call it.
‘Planning a trip?’ I asked.
So we talked. They planned to cycle along the coast, probably taking the same route mentioned above. I was impressed.
No,
they hadn’t heard of Wheels-for-Wheels and in fact I had forgotten that
it was called ‘Around the Pearl.’ I hadn’t forgotten the names of those
adventurers from 11 years ago. I mentioned Sarinda Unamboowe, Ajith
Fernando and Anudatta Dias. Didn’t ring a bell. Eleven years is a long
time. The boys would have been around 10 or 15 years old at the time, I
figured. Their cycling predecessors wouldn’t be disappointed, I am sure,
because it was not for personal glory or for branding. Just wheels. For wheels. Done.
Pasindu Bawantha Perera is a travel executive
working for Traveling Thrills (Pvt) Ltd., and his cycling partner is
Buddhi Niluksha, a photographer who is also in the tourism industry.
Both are old boys of Thurstan College.
Apparently, they had
mulled over the idea of a coastal cycle trip from the time they were in
the O/L class, but it took a cycling tour in Ella a couple of months ago
for them to take it seriously. I gave them Sarinda’s number. Buddhi had
called him. Sarinda had shared some of his experiences and told them
that people will help them along the way.
Sarinda blogged throughout the journey. Eloquent and honest.
'Mother
Nature was a heartless old cow. Praying, begging, pleading, demanding
doesn't work with her. I did all of the above asking her for one cloud,
just one single cloud, but instead of obliging, the only cloud the
cranky old bag sent, stayed overhead for about thirty seconds and then
scooted across the road into the uncleared minefields we were riding
through.’
Pasindu and Buddhi will (re)discover Mother Nature, but
they will also (re)discover Mother Sri Lanka, for I also remembered
something that one of those other cyclists, Yasas Hewage, had said: ‘It
took me 36 years to finally see the full coastal belt of Sri
Lanka....and when you are greeted with smiles in every town ...you are
convinced Sri Lanka is a free country ......while we search for a
perfect world...makes sense to enjoy what we have in the meantime.’
Sarinda
and Co., had back up. Apart from those who accompanied them on certain
segments, they had M.D. Sajith Aruna Kumara, the official mechanic who
rode with them all the way ‘around the pear.’ Pasindu and Buddhi will
have to make do with what they know of their machines and the tools they
take with them.
Talking with them reminded me of that long ago of youthful enthusiasm. And I told them.
‘Today,
thanks to social media, we all know that our country is far more
beautiful than we had ever imagined. Back in the day, we didn’t have
Google Maps. We were excited to pour over a one-inch map of Nuwara Eliya
that the Survey Department had produced. We took the train to Ohiya and
walked up to Horton Plains. We explored. There were very few people. No
rules to speak of. We went where we wished. Off-track.’
Things like that.
The
boys were patient enough to listen to my recollections. ‘Indulging
age,’ I thought to myself. I shared with them whatever I remembered from
that previous trip ‘around the pearl.’ The hardships. Blisters.
Scorching sun. Unforgiving terrain. The unpredictables. I shared
articles I had written around the time. They were grateful. Or polite.
They will set off on October 9, 2005, that’s ‘tomorrow’ for me as I write, and ‘today’ perhaps for you as you read.
Circling
the island on cycles didn’t occur to me back when I had a bicycle and
was young enough to think of it as ‘doable.’ But I was excited for them.
I know they will have many, many stories to tell once they are done and
I hope I will have the privilege of listening to them. They will no
doubt fall in love with the island all over again. Again and again, yes,
as they live long, prosper and embark on journeys yet to be imagined,
planned and undertaken.
Good luck boys! May there be some cloud
cover. May the delights provide ample relief that compensates for all
the trials that await you. You will, I am sure, remain forever young
thanks to this journey. As young as Sarinda and his teammates continue
to be.
[This article was published in the Daily News under the weekly column title 'The Recurrent Thursday']
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