The Vavuniya University hopes to lead the way in contributing academically and holistically, following an integrated approach to merge arts and culture with knowledge creation to produce a youth force who will contribute effectively as well as creatively to the Sri Lankan economy, Vavuniya University Vice Chancellor Thampoe Mangaleswaran said recently.
He was speaking at a ceremony to mark the 2nd anniversary of the institution becoming a full-fledged university coinciding with the International Day of Peace.
Peace creation
Commemorating also the second anniversary of setting up of the Harmony Centre with the purpose of merging the concept of peace creation among university youth, the Vice Chancellor made note of the uniqueness of the university in making use of every opportunity to showcase the talent and unity of the country’s youth represented by the Vavuniya university student population comprising Sri Lankan Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims.
“Without unity we cannot go forward and be a competitive force in the world. We look forward to working with international and local stakeholders to create a vibrant university system which will uphold the practical use of knowledge and the concept of humanity as well as national harmony,” Prof. Mangaleswaran said.
The chief guests were peace researcher and advisor to the Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka, Ms. Kana Moriwaki and political specialist T. Balakumar.
The progress by the university in initiating a range of globally and nationally relevant English medium university curricula that promote business creation, nature protection and project management was highlighted.
The Harmony Centre of the University of Vavuniya is headed by senior academic in the Department of Project Management of the University Ms. Mathiwathany Sasitharan. The Vavuniya University follows English medium instruction and is the only university in Sri Lanka to specifically focus on project management as a higher education academic discipline and has hundred percent job placement of students soon after completing their studies.
A panel discussion and cultural event was held by the Harmony Centre under the theme Nurturing Foundations for Sustainable Peace.
The members of the panel were; Prof. Ariyarathne Kaluarachchi, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo and the former Head of the Arts Council of Sri Lanka who is a practitioner in performing arts and promoter of the use of folklore and traditional knowledge for sustainable development and peace, Dr. Jeyaseelan Gnanaseelan, Head of Department of English Language Teaching of Vavuniya University who has been for over 30 years researching consistently on the potential of language and language rights as a route to the integration and progress of Sri Lanka and senior journalist Ananth Palakidnar who has over 40 years of experience in English and Tamil medium journalism in Sri Lanka and who has gained much insight through global exposure to international journalism sphere and practice. The panel was moderated by Frances Bulathsinghala, communication practitioner for peace building who promotes multi sectorial integration of disciplines including traditional knowledge, spirituality and earth resource conservation and protection for sustainable peace.
Language proficiency
Dr. Jeyaseelan Gnanaseelan spoke of the importance of language proficiency, focusing on the national languages of Sri Lanka – Tamil and Sinhala with English as the link language. Dr. Gnanaseelan used global examples of the practical relevance of language rights in policy making.
Prof. Ariyarathne Kaluarachchi spoke on the vast potential arts and culture has to bring about sustainable peace development in the world, beginning with the cultivating of a healthy attitude towards life and focused on the work he had done through the leading positions he had held in the realm of arts and culture in Sri Lanka at University and State level as well as his current continued initiatives.
Senior journalist Palakidnar brought attention to how peace exists even in the worst of situations because it exists in the minds of individuals, narrating humanistic experiences from his career which involved reporting from the field during the difficult period of the war which ended in 2009, tracing also the influence of media luminaries such as Tarzie Vitachi on Lankan journalism and journalists.
On focusing on language as pathways to peace Dr. Gnanaseelan used global examples such as that of Singapore whose sensible national policies including strong attention to language rights, prevented social unrest and enabling the rise of the nation from 3rd world to 1st. He also looked at how Japan emerged as a strong promoter of peace after world war II. He explained the advantage of learning languages and how this has major significance in promoting communication and understanding between citizens of a nation.
Prof. Kaluarachchi emphasising the role of arts and culture said that it was the core secret of producing empathetic human beings with healthy attitudes, providing much wisdom that would help Sri Lanka to develop a far reaching policy that could mainstreat arts and culture in education and economy.
Noble attitudes
He said arts and culture has been used under his leadership to bring together students and academics of universities across the country.
“Arts foster sympathy and kindness. It creates humane beings and noble attitudes. Focusing seriously on arts within the education sector can bring about far reaching innovation as it stimulates the human mind, freeing it from stress and creating healthy mental balance. It can promote the unity of the country,” Prof. Kaluarachchi said.
Palakidnar highlighting how the media can be a key vehicle for peace even in unstable times drew upon personal experiences from Sri Lanka’s troubled history where he narrated how he was provided safe transport to Colombo from the North by the then Jaffna Commanding Officer General Gerry De Silva, amid escalating cross fire at the height of the conflict in the 1990s.
“I later realised that I was sitting with so many bodies of young Sinhala soldiers. I could not sleep for days thinking about the meaninglessness of such death,” Palakidnar said as he paid attention to the humanistic realm that is often missed in mass media.
“We are all talking of peace and looking for peace. Peace exists in everyday life even in terrible circumstances. It is just that we need to highlight it more strongly,” said Palakidnar who was a longstanding journalist in the Sunday Observer and the Ceylon Today, having begun his media career in 1981 Eelanadu, one of the oldest regional Tamil newspapers operating from Jaffna.
The celebration of the international day of peace and the commemoration of the 2nd anniversary of the Vavuniya University was highlighted by the launch of the university Harmony Centre newsletter and a series of cultural performances that included dance and drama. Prof. Ariyaratne Kaluarachchi interacted with the cultural performers and offered them his congratulations for their exceptional aesthetic talent.
