We are SriLankan in full flight,
We'll be SriLankan all through our lives
And we will try to make things right
For our land called paradise.

These mellifluous lyrics of “We are SriLankan,” the corporate anthem of SriLankan Airlines, the country’s national carrier, extolling the virtues of unity, patriotism and faith in a better tomorrow has come to mean so much more to a nation still grieving and recovering from the devastating loss of last December.

The song initially composed in English by Chris Dhason, was then re-written to include Sinhala and Tamil lyrics with the help of Sunil Perera and S. Sarangan. The resulting single was launched as a DVD and an audio CD at a very special ceremony held on the 9th of March at the Galle Face Hotel. President’s Counsel
K. Balapatabendi, the Chairman of SriLankan Airlines and Chandana De Silva, the Head of Corporate Communications at SriLankan Airlines attended the ceremony.

All the artists who rendered their vocals to the tri-lingual “We are SriLankan” were present as well. Among them were the cream of Sri Lanka’s music industry Sohan Weerasinghe, Natasha Ratnayake, Damian Wikramatilake, Derek Wickramanayake, Shobi Perera, Kevin Almeida and Ashanti De Alwis.

“We are SriLankan” is a cause close to the heart of SriLankan Airlines’ employees. SriLankan Cares, the charitable arm of the national carrier, has identified the child to be the centre of the family, the society and the nation, and has pledged its commitment to the empowerment of the child through education, good health and a sustainable environment. With this commitment the airline has undertaken many projects in various parts of the country, the latest of which is adopting a school in Kalmunai.

After consulting with the Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation (TAFREN) and the Ministry of Education, SriLankan Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding to the effect that it has officially assumed the responsibility of rebuilding and remodelling Islamabad Maha Vidyalaya in Kalmunai, in the Ampara district, which it hopes will eventually be a guiding light to the many residents of its community.

The proposed school buildings and related infrastructure will enable 200 children in Kalmunai to attend school. The airline hopes to advocate more teachers to be assigned to the school and also train teachers in computer studies and English at its Human Resources Development Centre in Katunayake.

The airline has allocated a sum of Rs 40 million for this project. The contribution of a day’s salary by all employees at SriLankan Airlines, which amounted to nearly LKR 6 million, was utilized to initiate the project. Proceeds of We are SriLankan will also go towards the building of this school, severely affected by the tsunami. The CD will be available at all SriLankan Airlines offices, as well as in all music stores and leading supermarkets island wide.

Another source of funding will be through the airline’s website. The corporate website www.srilankan.aero will soon have a link for contributions, allowing anyone to donate to a worthy cause.

The project has added significance since the people in Kalmunai - and subsequently students attending Islamabad Maha Vidyalaya – will mostly be Muslim or Tamil, highlighting the fact that the national carrier is mindful of its responsibility to all people in the country without distinction of religion or race.

Meepagama Jayanthi Maha Vidyalaya at Kalawana, Ratnapura was the first school SriLankan Airlines adopted. For a sum of Rs.6 million, a building of 7 classrooms was built which also doubles as a hall when the partitions are moved aside. A new air conditioned computer room with 31 PCs, a sound system with amplifier and microphones, furniture for the classrooms, green boards, spectacles for students and shoes were also donated. On going teacher training programmes and medical camps for the students are a priority with SriLankan Cares.

SriLankan Cares also donates schoolbooks every year to the less fortunate children of this country. It also continues to get involved in educating the future generation about waste recycling, thus getting involved with the Colombo Municipal Council and its Healthy Schools Project.

The CD/DVD will be for sale in ticket offices Colombo, Kandy & Galle and at Cargills Food City outlets (from 14th March 2005).

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