Cultural Programme conducted on 3rd and 4th September 2010 for the Youth from North and South.

The above programme was held on the 3^rd and 4^th of October 2010 at the Centre for Mechanical Equipment Training – Bttaramulla, Rajagiriya with the participation of approximately 80 youth from the North of Sri Lanka and the Savisthri Movement (South).

The motive behind this encounter was the bridging the gap between the North and the South separated for more than three decades of war between the government forces and the terrorist groups and create a strong relationship amongst the different ethnicities in the North and the South.

These youth living in the North had some fear of meeting their counterparts in the South, as they had the feeling that there would be no compromise between the two groups due to the feelings they had and the ideas instilled in them due to the long drawn war. But with this encounter they had found in their counterparts from the South feelings of good-will, friendships, hospitality and the intention of helping each other. Although the language stood as s barrier between the two groups, those with a little knowledge of the language had been able to communicate with each other.==

-Members of both groups had performed their traditional dances and sung songs and performed dramas. Both groups expressed that it was an excellent programme and the Tamil groups which initially had the apprehension of meeting their counterparts in the South were highly taken up with the affection, kindness and loyalty that existed in the hearts of the Sinhala Groups.
=The programme ended with a resolution taken for the Sinhala groups to visit the North in the near future.

Trip to Jaffna – 10.09.2010 to 12.09.2010

About 35 members of the Savithri Movement left for Jaffna on 10.09.2010 on a two day good-will mission to meet the internally displaced people and get acquainted with their views and problems.

Lodging for the 35 of us was provided by Father Gnanaraj of the Methodist Council of Jaffna. We were accompanied by him to Uduvil a village in Jaffna occupied by the displaced people since the year 1990 as a consequence of the three decade old war (LTTE).

In our discussions with these displaced people we were apprised by them that they had left their dwellings and settled down in the Uduvil village and never visited their dwellings and villages thereafter because of the unsettled situation. They further explained the havoc caused by the long drawn war, loss of life, loss of their beloved ones, loss of their livelihoods which threw them to a deep abyss.

Various kinds of plants taken by us like Coconut, Cadju, etc. had been planted in a few villages including Uduvil.

Father Gnanaraj expressed his gratitude to the Savisthri members for visiting Jaffna on a good-will mission whilst others visited Jaffna on pleasure trips. We returned to Colombo on 12.10.2010 with the hope of visiting them again and be of assistance to those innocent people.