18 April 2016 12:00 am
The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is part of our country’s rich cultural heritage.
The customs and traditions that come along with it are integral to Avurudu celebrations and they help define our cultural identity and the structure of our families. Avurudu traditions serve as a reminder of past events that shaped the lives of our ancestors. Practicing these customs not only help strengthen family bonds, but they also promote goodwill, reinforce community ties and instill social values. The demanding lifestyles and frustrating routines do not permit to connect with our families and communities like we used to.
Yet, it’s comforting to have a few constants in our lives, which is why we at-least make it a point to visit our relatives and friends during Avurudu. Therefore, it is imperative to uphold and preserve our ancient traditions in order to maintain the fabric of our society. At a time of global scrutiny on scarcity of fresh water supplies and the degradation of this resplendent resource, it is in our national interest to revive our ancient cultural traditions attached to water.
Pledging support for this noble cause, S-lon Lanka Pvt Limited, the pioneer in water management solutions in Sri Lanka, revived the historic tradition of Ganu Denu with water, to unprecedented success last year. As the second phase of this initiative, S-lon Lanka initiated an Oil Anointing Festival (Hisa Thel Gema) at the ‘Sri Natha Maha Devalaya’ in Kandy. This historic temple is the oldest religious establishment in Kandy and plays an important role in supplying and preparing medicinal herbs that go with the ceremonial bath taken at the auspicious time for the Sinhala Tamil New Year.
The ceremony officiated by the Mahanayake Thera of Asgiriya and Malwatte Chapters saw a large multi ethnic gathering. The chief guest on the occasion was Hon. Sarath Ekanayake, Chief Minister of Central Province. S-lon Lanka was proud to carry out this noble initiative in the pursuit of preserving the fading traditions of Avurudu with a commitment to promote national unity, social wellbeing and preserving our cultural heritage. S-lon Lanka invites Sri Lankans across the island to partake in preserving the tradition of ‘Hisa Thel Gema’ inspiring others as well and to take photos or videos of your experience and upload to www.facebook.com/slon.lk or email to
socialmedia@slon.maharaja.lk to be a stakeholder of reawakening of this historic tradition. Today, with the cause to preserve water, S-lon manufactures and distributes a diverse portfolio of brands and products catering to its care, that includes a comprehensive range of pipes and fittings, rain water disposable systems, sewage pipes and fittings, hot water piping system, a range of ball valves, ABS taps and water pumps. S-lon also goes beyond to take their expertise further to provide solvent cement, garden mesh & accessories.