Friday, July 26, 2013

දෙටු දියණියට


හිතින් හඟිනා
මියුරැ දසුනින්
දකිනවා ඔබ
නිතර ඉඳ හිට

ගතින් දුරැ රට
ඈත ඉම් තෙර
දියණියේ ඔබ
පිදූ මල් මිට

කබා ඉරැනට
පාලු දැනුනට
මගේ සිත ඔබ
සරා සඳ බට

ඇවිත් යන්නට
නැවත එන්නකො
හදාගෙන ඉඩ
ඉන්න ටිකකට

ලිව්වෙ රෙන්ටන් අල්විස්

Recourse

by Renton de Alwis


Turn back walk
pick pickings dropped
mind's eye made
this moonlit path
where shadows fall
of wind blown stuff
look back see
that muddy trail
footprints stamped
you once walked
stretch lamppost light
peg starting point
jumped over the ditch
to walk again ....








 

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

You


by Renton de Alwis


I see the i you
you yours you
saw seen see you
heard hearing hear you
mirror mirroring you
touched touching you
felt feeling you
reached reaching you
I see saw you


A shared Google image

නොදිටිමි ඇසළ සඳ


වැහි අහසෙ අඳුර
ඇසළ සඳ අද ගිලගෙන
හෙට දිනක දිගෑදෙන කර්කෂක
කලු ජූලියෙ අමිහිරි තිත්ත මතක
කඳුලු වරැසාවක් වෙලා
උතුරටත් දකුණටත් එක වාගෙ වැටෙනවා
දෙවුන්දර ප්‍රදීපයෙ කඩින් කඩ ආලෝකෙ
ඈත ක්ෂිතිජයෙ ඉමදි
සහන් සිත් මැවු සිහින
ඔරැ කඳක දවටලා
පා කරලා එවනවා.


ඊයෙ
(ජූලි 22) රෑ මාතර නගරයෙ අවන් හලක කවුලුවකින් බලාන
ලිව්වෙ රෙන්ටන් ද අල්විස්

නිදහස් ගූගල් ඉමෙජයක්

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

පොඩි එකාගෙ උද්දීපනය


උපන් ඇඳුමෙන් දුවන
අවන්හල සරාලා
පුත
නුඹෙ නිදහස
පොපියනා කැකුළු කැට
මා සිතුම් සසල කලෙ
අනේ මට ඹය වගේ
දිව්ව හැකිනම් කියා


ඊයෙ රෑ මාතර නගරයෙ අවන් හලක නිදහසේ ඒ මේ අත දිවූ දරැවකු දැක
ලිව්වෙ රෙන්ටන් ද අල්විස්

 
 

That dark day in July three decades ago


By Renton de Alwis

Upon dropping visiting family and friends at the Devinuwara Vishnu Devalaya Randoli perahara (Pageant) last night, I was seated for a few hours at a restaurant in Matara till the event was over to take them back home. It was drizzling outside and was a moonless night in spite of it being the Esala Poya Day. Watching those rain drops fall on the road outside, I thought of the tears we as a nation shed for over three decades. I remembered that tomorrow (posted today the 23rd July) was to be ‘Black July’, one of the darkest days in the history of our nation when we triggered a curse that was to haunt us for over three decades thereon. I wrote this verse with hope, hope that we will make amends and move on to be the brothers and sisters we once were, till evil people and evil forces got us to stray that course towards conflict and mayhem.


Shame on him for he sought refuge in guns and bombs
Shame on us for we sought to settle score
Shame on ‘leaders’, ‘others’ who were not us
but led us astray on a waylaid path
Shameful shame, a thirty year curse
shed blood for blood sought tears for tears
ceasefires ceased talks silenced
terror reigned and bombs talked
Shylock’s pound deadlock made
nothing more nothing less
blasted minds blasted hearts
beyond repair reason doomed
ended abrupt ended dead
lessons learnt left unlearnt
minds warped hope hopeless
yet, this moonless night grope
hope gain gainful gain
hold my hand walk, walk brisk
walk right walk tight... walk
talk, talk right, talk soft
love... feel its warmth
North, South, East, West
plains and hills, ups and downs
See them one, see them all.
 
A shared Google Image
 

Sunday, July 21, 2013

සඳකි ඔබ මා සසල කල සිත


සිනාසෙන සඳ වුවන මුකුලිත
මකත ඉම තෙර පුදසුනේ හිඳ
මුකුලු කෙරැවේ නුවන් අග රැඳි
එකම කඳුලේ පහස විඳලද
කුමරියේ ඹබ සළඔ පා යුග
නගන රිද්මය අසා සිටි සඳ
සඳේ සවනැස් සුමුදු සිසිලස
ඔබේ සිත් මල් අවදි කෙරැවද?

ලිව්වෙ රෙන්ටන් ද අල්විස්




Pre Poya Rain

by Renton de Alwis


Kisses parched land
bringing fresh warmth
to an earthworm
shy smiles a weary sun
touch cheeks of lotus bloom
teardrops shine on leafy leaves
twinkling rainbows call
with wrapped hood
for tomorrow's full moon
will want to meditate
to find to give
to take to seek
a moment's truth.











Wednesday, July 10, 2013

උපකාරක පංති



සුදු රෙදි හොරා


කුරැල්ලනේ! කුරැල්ලනේ!

ඉස්මත්තේ වහල ඉන්න
පෝය දාට සිල් ගන්නට
සුදු රෙද්දක් වනල තිබ්බ
හොරෙන් ගත්ත හින්ද නේද
නමක් නුඔට පටබැඳුනේ

ලස්ස ගණන් ගිලන් අයට
බොන්න කියන බෙහෙත් පෙත්ත
පාට පාට වෙළඳ නාම
අසුරවාලා සීල් ගහල
ඉහල මිලක් නියම කරල
කලු කඩේක ලාබ ගන්න
හොරෙන් ගත්ත සිල් රෙද්දට
කුමන නමක් කියනවාද

සමාජ වගකීම කියල
බයිලා වයලා නැටුම් නටල
කුට්ටි පිටින් ලාබ ගන්නෙ
නීති පොතේ කොළ ඉරන්නෙ
මැජික් වලින් නැති කරන්නෙ
ගිලනුන්ගේ හීන නේද

හොරෙන් ගත්ත සිල් රෙද්දට
කල්ප ගනන් බ්‍රෑන්ඩ් වුනා
රැපියල් සත හොරෙන් අරන්
අසරණයන් පෙලා ලූව
ඔසු හොරැන්ගෙ මාෆියාව
සත්ගුණවත් රෙදි ඇඳගෙන
යසට සැදී සිල් ගන්නව
සිල් අරගෙන බණ කියනව


ලිව්වෙ රෙන්ටන් අල්විස්
 
නිදහස් ගූගල් ඉමෙජයක්
 

Today


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

To the Mahabodhi bombers


by Renton de Alwis
 
Alawakas! Hey!
Did you not know
that wisdom's might
cannot be destroyed
with explosives

That raging fires of hatred
could only be doused
with cool winds of Dharma
swaying among leaves of the Bo tree

You touched his feet
with terrorist blood
did you not see a lotus blossom
spray companionate love in your midst

Did you not see
with blinded eyes
that your truth lay stolen still
like the silent heart of a stillborn babe?
 
A Shared Google Image from TimesofIndia.com
 
 

මිය ගිය අත්තම්මාට


අනේ මගේ අත්තම්මේ
මාත් එක්ක මෙහෙම ඉන්න
උනුහුම් සුවඳත් එක්කල
හැමදාමත් ඒ වාගේ

තාත්ත මට බැන්න දාට
අම්මා සැරෙන් රැව්ව දාට
අත්තම්මගෙ ඔඩොක්කුවට
එන්න ඕන සැහැල්ලුවට

ළමයි එක්ක දබරවෙලා
ගවුම ඉරන් ආව දාට
ඩාන්දාලා වහන් ඉන්න
අත්තම්මේ මෙහෙම ඉන්න

ඉස්කෝලෙදි ගුටිකෑවට
දඟයි කියල පද බැඳුනට
ඔබේ හාදු වරැසාවට
ඉමක් කොහෙද අත්තම්මේ

වතුසුදු මල් කඩා ගන්ත
සුදු පිරැවට සැදී ඇවිත්
පෝය දාට අපි ඔක්කොම
පන්සල් යමු අත්තම්මේ

මිගදායේ මුවගොමුවේ
මෙත් බුදුන්ගෙ බණ මඩුවේ
බණ අහන්න යන්න නේද
බලන් ඉන්නෙ අත්තම්මේ

නිසොල්මන්ව නිදා ඉන්නෙ
බොරැ තරහක් අරන් නේද
හැමදාටම මාත් එක්ක
ඉන්න මගේ අත්තම්මේ

ලිව්වෙ රෙන්ටන් අල්විස්
 
රැව උපුටා ගැනීම ගූගල් හරහා dinamina.lk
 

Friday, July 5, 2013

වාරණය


දුටිමි නොදිටිමි
ඇසුනි නොඇසුනි
හැඟුනි නොහැඟුනි
බලමි නොබලමි
අසමි නොඅසමි
හඟිමි නොහඟිමි
බිඳිමි කැඩපත
බිඳුනු රැව මත
මනස්කාරය
හලා යන්නට.

ලිව්වෙ රෙන්ටන් අල්විස්
 
 

Nelson Mandela’s Legend: 7 Leadership Lessons



We’re all aware that Nelson Mandela is critically ill in hospital and close to his passing. It seems a shame we always wait until the inspirational icons are no longer with us, before we start to contemplate and celebrate their legend. In a world where people frequently express their disillusionment with politicians and their inability to make a difference, he’s a shining star. For me, there are seven profound lessons that CEOs and leaders can learn from the great Nelson “Madiba” Mandela:


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(1) Master your meaning and your emotions

“I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul,” Mandela still likes to quote from W. E. Henley’s Victorian poem ‘Invictus’. Prepared to go to prison for his political beliefs, Mandela stood tall. When his African National Congress (ANC) had been banned by the apartheid South African government in 1960, Mandela had advocated that the party abandon its policy of non-violence, leading to a sentence of life imprisonment. He said, “I was made, by the law, a criminal, not because of what I had done, but because of what I stood for.”

Reflecting on the moment when he entered Robben Island prison, off the coast of Cape Town, Mandela said, “how you’re treated in prison depends on your demeanor.” Threatened with violence by an Afrikaans prison guard, he told him, “You dare touch me, I will take you to the highest court in the land. And by the time I finish with you, you will be as poor as a church mouse.”

Keeping his emotions in check, relations with his captors improved as he sought to “communicate with them in a message that says I recognize your humanity”. His official biographer Anthony Sampson argues that, during his 27 years in jail, Mandela was able to develop “a philosopher’s detachment,” as well as, “the subtler art of politics: how to relate to all kinds of people, how to persuade and cajole, how to turn his warders into his dependents, and how eventually to become master in his own prison.”

CEOs operate in a much more time-compressed environment, yet should work towards attaining a similar state of Zen-like calm and detachment. In this place, they will not only benefit from better health and wellbeing, but keep sight of the bigger picture and avoid getting buffeted by day-to-day issues.

(2) Treat the losers with dignity and turn them into partners

In 1989, apartheid South Africa suffered from racial violence and a faltering economy at home, while it was shunned abroad. The continuing struggle between the black and white populations seemed like a recipe for mutual destruction, like Israel and Palestine. However, the arrival of new president F.W. de Klerk finally presented Mandela faced with a more pragmatic political opponent, who was minded to free him from prison. For years, Mandela had stood for freedom from oppression. How to approach his captor and would-be liberator? Mandela’s lawyer George Bizos explained the thinking: “Let’s help him. Let’s not keep him in his corner by calling him an oppressor. Even the term can become such a stigma.” Mandela helped de Klerk to, “move from that concept called oppressor to that of a partner”.

Mandela understood that in a negotiation, both sides have to gain. There must be no winners and no losers: the South African people as a whole must win. Learning the lessons from Germany at end of the First World War, he believed, “You mustn’t compromise your principles, but you mustn’t humiliate the opposition. No one is more dangerous than one who is humiliated.”

The process through which Mandela managed to free himself, end apartheid and create a new South African constitution was testament to his tremendous generosity of spirit. George Bizos added that Mandela believed that, “we don’t have to be victims of our past, that we can let go of our bitterness, and that all of us can achieve greatness… he did it not through beating anybody down; most people wouldn’t have the forgiveness to do that sort of thing.”

(3) Shift perspectives through symbolism and shared experiences

Through his example and presence, Mandela has always led from the front. Like Gandhi or Churchill, he learned early how to build up and understand his own image. His trademark colorful shirts mirror his exuberance and optimism while reflecting his tribal roots. The 1995 Rugby World Cup provided an even bigger stage for Mandela to fuse his own image with that of the new nation that he was trying to build.

How do you get 42 million people to tolerate one another? Rugby was traditionally a white man’s game in South Africa, and the black majority population would routinely support the teams of opposing nations. However, Mandela seized upon the PR opportunity of South Africa hosting the 1995 tournament to rebrand the Springbok team, whose kit took on the colors of the new national flag. One team, one country, all would walk tall under the new flag. Mandela even demanded that the team learn the words of the new national anthem, ‘Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika’, asking God to bless Africa for all of us. Although the firm underdogs, the national team was able to beat the New Zealand All Blacks in the final – Mandela’s single act of wearing the Springbok jersey was said to bring on side 99% of the white and 99% of the black South African audience, in a single stroke.

Team captain Morné de Plessis helpfully argued that this campaign was “respecting the people that we represented and what we could give back.” After the game, the team took a boat trip to the Robben Island prison, further adding to the national symbolism. “The world needs moments of great joy… the world needs to see that there are moments that we can live together,” de Plessis said, adding: “Sport is the great leveler. [Our victory was inspired by] the father of this nation, the one who inspired to come together when we never ever believed that we could do it. That’s called leadership.”

The other big shared experience designed to bring together opposing factions was the creation of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission. This was about creating a public forum where people could air confront their former aggressors, make their voice heard and get to the truth. Mandela wanted to avoid the acrimony of the Nuremburg trials, which he felt had turned into a vengeful witch-hunt. Instead, this was “soft vengeance… the triumph of a moral vision of the moral world.”

CEOs too can learn to acknowledge the past and draw a line under it. Then, through shared experiences, they must forge a powerful new purpose that people can connect to and believe in.

(4) Embody the spirit of Ubuntu

In 2007, in partnership with entrepreneur Richard Branson and singer Peter Gabriel, Mandela founded ‘The Elders’. Composed of former heads of state, revolutionaries, peacemakers and chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Elders work as a small, dedicated group of individuals, using their collective experience and influence to help tackle some of the most pressing problems facing the world today.

In the launch address, Mandela talked about bringing “the spirit of Ubuntu: that profound African sense that we are human only through the humanity of other human beings.” In a thread that defines his whole life, he said, “I believe that in the end that it is kindness and accommodation that are the catalysts for real change.”

With such high ideals, Mandela was alert to the potential dangers of his own personality cult. He learned to talk less about “I” and more about “we,” and was determined “to be looked at as an ordinary human being”. Mandela himself has repeatedly said that “I’m no angel,” and his presidential predecessor F.W. de Klerk concurs: “He was by no means the avuncular, saint-like figure depicted today. As an opponent he could be brutal and quite unfair.” However, while people may have disagreed with the policies Mandela pursued, they don’t question his integrity. His biographer believes that “it was his essential integrity more than his superhuman myth which gave his story its appeal across the world.”

CEOs are rarely, if ever, depicted as angels, but people have to trust them. Even if they’re not liked, people will rally behind them if they know what they stand for and what they believe in.

(5) Everybody feels bigger in your presence

Time and again people comment on Mandela’s strong personality, saying that he has a aura about him. Fêted by crowds around the world, Mandela mixed politics and showbiz; criticized for prioritizing social engagements with the Spice Girls or Michael Jackson over a visiting head of state.

The adoration of crowds did not faze him: “I am not very nervous of love, for love is very inspiring.” However, Mandela is also a man of intrinsic humility, with the ability to laugh at himself. “I’m only here to shine her shoes,” he said when meeting Whitney Houston. At a White House reception for religious leaders, Bill Clinton paid an emotional tribute to his guest: “Every time Nelson Mandela walks into a room we all feel a little bigger, we all want to stand up, we all want to cheer, because we’d like to be him on our best day.”

Leaders and CEOs who have this x-factor succeed. Our gut feels their absence when they are replaced by a less charismatic successor, even if we delude ourselves that the new guy is a welcome sobering contrast. British prime minister Gordon Brown was no match for the towering presence of Tony Blair; and even if seen to be doing many of the right things at Apple, Tim Cook lacks the swagger of innovator-supreme Steve Jobs.

(6) Build a sustainable fellowship around your cause

It is interesting to speculate how Nelson Mandela would have fared in the age of social media. Confined to his prison cell, much of the technological era passed him by. However, he was never short of followers, and he understood that mass engagement began with a solid core base. Permitted to converse with other prisoners at Robben Island only when laboring at its mine, his inner core was variously termed the ‘brotherhood’, ‘kitchen cabinet’ and ‘university’. The bedrock of his trusted inner sanctum provided him with the foundation from which to keep on being inspiring. Those who were admitted to Mandela’s close fellowship during those years also flourished: close friend Ahmed Kathrada went on to hold senior government positions, while Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma graduated to lead the party. Political prisoners admitted that they actually looked forward in a sense to going to prison, as they would get to meet the true leaders of the country.

Often seeming to be above race, once in power Mandela broadened his fellowship to include white and Indian colleagues, whom he trusted them completely. He made former president F.W. de Klerk his deputy, and his “rainbow cabinet” was one of the few genuinely multiracial governments in the world. Looking to the corporate world, Jack Ma of Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba has also been effective at drawing to his cause a group of highly loyal co-founders. CEOs should develop a true fellowship structure that devolves responsibility and brings on promising talent.

7) Bottle the dream for future generations

After 27 years in captivity, it is easy to overlook the fact that Mandela was only actually president of South Africa for five years. He said that he was one of the generation “for whom the achievement of democracy was the defining challenge”. Aged 80 by the time he stepped down in 1999, Mandela argued that, “when a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace… We take leave so that the competent generation of lawyers, computer experts, economists, financiers, doctors, industrialists, engineers and above all ordinary workers and peasants can take the ANC into the new millennium.”

Many great leaders are true ‘one-offs’ and it is too simplistic to suggest that they should seek to bottle their essence to be preserved in aspic. Rather, the big challenge for them is to groom the next generation and ‘blend the essence’ so that it’s fit for their current and future organization. His chosen successor and fellowship member, Thabo Mbeki, was effectively running the country for some of the years while Mandela was still president, with Mandela taking on an increasingly ceremonial role.

The verdict so far on his successors? The next generation of ANC leaders has not been seen to deliver universally good governance: the country continues to be blighted by crime, and the OECD reports that more than 50% of the population is living in poverty. However, South Africa is still is a young country, one that Mandela stamped with the concept of racial tolerance and cooperation as firmly as his predecessors had stamped it with intolerance and segregation.

What we’ve experienced from Mandela’s life is potentially just the start, and his legend is going to be bigger still. In the corporate world that’s my life’s work, we desperately need a new generation of companies that are truly global, courageous and entrepreneurial, and institutions that people care for. Their future leaders would do well to adopt the Mandela mindset and his seven profound lessons.

Having discharged his duty to his people and his country, Mandela can truly rest in peace. He showed us how one person with humility, a dream and a connecting cause could magnify himself and inspire us all. He should take great pride in the legacy that he leaves behind, as it continues to ripple across the world and through future generations. Nelson Mandela: a true legend.

By Steve Tappin