President`s Speech at the Nalanda College Prize Giving Ceremony, 2009

10/26/2009

Friends, Nalanda has a historically reputed name like Ananda. The name Nalanda, is always associated with an object of great value in history at any given period.

The great university in ancient Maha Bharat was called Nalanda. Even in Sri Lanka, which gained victory over terrorism and became one of the greatest nations in the world, Nalanda does not come to mind simply as a school but a symbol of great national importance.

Thus, the children who studied in this school and received prizes will have a past which they can fondly remember in the future. This Nalanda College is my school too. I do not need to tell these children that my time spent at Nalanda is full of pleasant memories. It is because of Nalanda that I realized, that friendships built during school years remain for the rest of the life. Likewise, we should not forget the great personalities who were committed to building this school. Even before a century ago, they must have made much commitment and sacrifices to build this school.

If we learn from them, useful citizens can be produced in the country. We can conquer the world if only we produce people with determination as in the past, who do not give in to forces of wealth and power. Ven Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thero, like Colonial Olcott who helped establish the school, did not give into imperialism or wealth. They did not feel that nothing can be done because they did not have wealth. Instead they worked with commitment.

Fund raising was carried out during the time when produce was gathered from rubber trees. When coconut was plucked, collections were made by travelling to those areas. At fund- raising events organized for the building of the school; even beggars contributed the 10 cents they had in hand from begging. Even the elderly women, who sold betel on the roads contributed to build this Buddhist school.

Therefore, it is not from the wealth of imperialists that this school was built, but through the contributions of the people in this country. So, it is not wrong to say that these schools are institutes which belong to the entire nation.

Beloved children, the school motto needs to be borne in the heart. Nalanda`s motto is `Apadana Sobani Pagngna`, `Wisdom beautifies character`. Intellect, knowledge, or wisdom will not shine if an individual does not possess a good character. There needs to be good character for wisdom to glow.

Good character is not innocence. Not even cowardice, when attacked many times, the head is still bent. It is not good character if you do nothing, disappear from society without facing problems. Good character is built only in working with perseverance, belief and discipline.

Friends, in our past education system, wisdom was gained after building discipline. The initial step of the educational institutes was to teach discipline. After teaching discipline the next skill was taught. Whatever the subject that was taught, it was taught after instilling discipline.

Even those who learned the art of combat were made to observe the `Pancha Seelaya` (five precepts) before they were taught. Skill is like a sword. It was believed that this should be given to a disciplined person with good character. Even if an undisciplined person meditated, that person might get mental powers and tend to perform unimportant things. It is said that a person should not exploit powers and show magic to gain benefits.

Thus, it is very important to create a disciplined person and give knowledge. Ven. Balangoda Nayaka Thero was far sighted in making `Apadana Sobani Pagngna` the motto of this school.

Beloved children, such people with good character are needed to build the nation. A person who takes up the task of nation building needs to have a lot of determination. The person needs to be someone who is able to take up any challenge without giving up under any circumstances. Mr. A. T. Ariyaratna began the Sarvodaya movement at Nalanda. He is a good example of a determined citizen.

A number of stages need to be passed to complete such work and be successful. It is more correct to call them challenges instead of stages. In the initial stage, the person who works is ignored. Not cared for.

Even if they ask for help, no one offers it. When the person works with difficulties in the next stage, people laugh. The person is teased. When science was taught in Sinhala at Ananda College in the past, a lot of people laughed. When children of the rural sector and the Buddhist clergy were taught English, people laughed. As Prime Minister when I sought to obtain the consensus of the Buddhist clergy to the aim of unifying the nation, there were those who laughed at me.

Do not give up when you are laughed at. Do not get embarrassed. You should fear and be embarrassed only when you are committing sins. If someone didn’t work because they were afraid of being laughed at, then the people of this world wouldn’t be able to even carry an umbrella. The inventor of the umbrella was laughed at by the whole town when he first used it.

When a person carries on unheeded by the teasing, the person is next humiliated. You need to be strong to bear the humiliation. When we were fighting a battle to free our nation, we were humiliated. Some humiliated us saying battles could be fought by any fool. They humiliated us saying we will not be received well by the international community. But you must move forward without taking notice of these humiliations.

Next if you don’t stop when humiliated, they try to obstruct you. They obstruct you in many ways… from petitions, to false accusations and spreading rumours. Even if this doesn’t stop you, they attack you. Even try to kill you. But if you disregard all these and still move forward, then people will begin to respect you. Worship you. Then come behind you asking for help.

All those who are working for the country, have to pass these stages. Ananada and Nalanda would have passed these stages to come to this level. At first, authorities refused to extend the tenancy of the building that Ananda was occupying and took it over chasing out the children. But Ananda moved forward. Nalanda was founded from Ananda.

Friends, today people are trying to rent the houses in the area around these two schools when in the past the schools were refused tenancy. This is to get one`s child into these schools. This is how you are treated when you overcome challenges and achieve greatness.

Beloved children, when you step into the world, you will meet two kinds of people. One set is people who work. The other is, people who do not work but try to earn fame. The easiest out of these is to enter the second group where one can earn fame without working. But I stress that you should enter the group that works. People who lie, and carry tales and obstruct progress are in the group that do not work.

When I was MP, Minister, Opposition Leader, Prime Minister and then President, people who mostly accuse other people to me are the ones who do not work. They compete to gain prominence. Since they do not work, they are able to indulge in such competition. When you enter the group that works, you have no competition.

I was always in the working group. Thus I don’t have any regrets. I didn’t have competitors or encounter people who were jealous. The person who works does not see competitors or jealousies.

Some people try to snatch away the work which is successfully done half way through. But it is fame they snatch not deed. Let them steal the fame. Fame which is stolen is like doves that do not belong to you. They return to their owner to as soon as released. Fame is like that. It`s no use stealing it. It returns to the person who works.

Furthermore, don’t try to wait till everything is completed in order for you to commence a task. If you wait for all the needs to be fulfilled then you will not get any work done. Not a single house in this world is constructed after all the needs are met. It is during the work that needs are fulfilled.

When we started the `Pada Yathra`, some people asked where the toilets were for those who participate. If we kept looking for toilets for the participants, we would never have been able to go on the `Pada Yathra`. Thus, don’t think of the enormity before you start any work. Enormity is created in your mind. Cricketers would not have thought of world records when they were playing. Skilled players only think of each ball they have to face.

Thus don’t wait to be an expert to start work. It is through work that an expert is created. Children, delaying work is a very bad habit.

This time, the first place in Sri Lanka at the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination went to a child studying at Beliatta Vijayaba Vidyalaya. The child told us how he became All Island first.  That little boy was a child who daily finished the day`s work given by the school.

Like the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination, those who passed O/Levels, A/Levels with flying colours were the ones who finished each day`s work the same day. You cannot finish the work that was not done during your lifetime at the death bed. Remember that.

Friends, work delayed in the past become heavy in the present. In the past, state leaders delayed the fight against terrorism saying it was too difficult. Now, as a consequence, a great financial burden had to be borne to end terrorism. Work delayed at present is more burdensome in the future. Therefore, the best way to build a great nation is to finish the day`s work today.

Beloved children, we must have an accurate evaluation of ourselves. Work cannot be planned without a good evaluation of yourselves. We evaluate ourselves by the work that we think we can manage. We request for responsibilities based on that. But the world evaluates us based on the tasks we have completed. Due to this difference, some are disheartened that they do not have the suitable task or the position. Thus, we must evaluate ourselves based on the tasks we have done not based on what we think we can do.

My Dear children, today you have a better environment to learn than in the past. This is not a time to lament that there aren’t enough facilities. Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maithriya Thero, came to Colombo because he was teaching English. But today, it is not necessary to come to Colombo to learn English. There are facilities to learn English in Balangoda and other rural areas. Now is the time to use existing facilities.

Dear children, there maybe students in Nalanda and other schools, who have won prizes as well as students who have not won prizes or awards. But that does not mean that you are not needed to the country. Once, India`s great poet, Rabindranath Tagore came to Ananda College for a prize giving ceremony. At that time, there were no two schools as Ananda and Nalanda, only one existed.

He said during the prize giving ceremony that he never received a prize during his school times. But Rabindranath Tagore who never received prizes at school, became the poet who received the Nobel Prize. He did not accept the fact that he didn’t receive prizes at school, as a barrier in life.

Don’t think that you are worthless to the country because you didn’t receive prizes or didn’t show talents during school days. You are all important to the country. What is important is to overcome difficulties and continue work. The Tibetan monk, Ven. S. Mahinda Thero, our great poet who taught in these schools once said these memorable lines.

If what is owned by all is nay, cannot end obstruction
Bravery comes to one who overcomes such attitudes.

The skills and talents of Sri Lankan children will be the elements to overcome obstacles with aptitude.

I wish you all a bright future.