Bruno Divakara, he’s reached a plateau

This young man was born in the little west coast town of Marawila. That was his home for the first 20 years of his life. Bruno gathered his moss in the fishing-related hamlet where most inhabitants were connected in numerous ways to the fishing fraternity. There was nothing much in Marawila, or anything connected to it, than the mundane pedestrian. Of course, the seasonal monsoon winds did dictate the fishing patterns and rotated the calmness and the ferocity of their beloved sea. Basic education and basic life and Bruno managed somewhat a tertiary education by obtaining a Diploma in Computer Science.

At age 21 Bruno became a rebel looking for a cause and commenced operations on SLVlog, a podcasting YouTube Channel. His infant effort was based on changing the mindset of the proletariat of Sri Lanka to stand up for their rights amidst the political mayhem which was dragging his homeland on a slippery slope to a dark and deep mire.

He sure was facing a Sisyphean task but then he was young, and the young always have their own dimensions of right and wrong that we, the cautious old, may find difficult to understand. His sacred gospels were simple: civil rights, democracy, open market concepts and anti-corruption. All equally important, yet the fourth ‘anti-corruption’ carried the meat of the matter. No, he had no labels on race and religion. The going was rough for the determined young man. Finances were a constant problem, and it was a hard furrow to plough. Bruno never sold his soul even though there were always offers from the wrong people to flavor his podcasts with favoritism.

Like most other Sri Lankans, Bruno decided to go abroad.

He made his way to Italy, the Valhalla of his hometown fisher-folk. There were known Sri Lankans in Milan and Rome to help him. He continued working on his YouTube, preaching to reach the diaspora of his countrymen spread all over the world. Nine years of voicing his beliefs from the Italian cities varnished his eloquence and gave him the courage to keep clawing with stunted nails. Bruno changed his operational base to Zurich and carried on his podcasts. He was taking Lilliputian steps to reach the ever-powerful international media.

He returned to Sri Lanka chasing the same elusive dream he always had. Bruno was following the same path he always trotted, making his best attempt to convince the masses of the truth. His battle was to beat the curses that perpetually corralled Sri Lanka. It was still a long and winding road for him.

I came to know Bruno when I heard about his dedicated humanitarian work for the poor. He ran a soup kitchen and fed close to 5,000 people at a time when the going was really bad for the poor in Sri Lanka. He also initiated a very meaningful on-going project called “Rateth Daruwo, Mageth Daruwo” (Country’s children, my children.)

I met him once and invited him to work with me and he assisted in a project I was leading. It was to gift dry rations to people who suffered the multiple burdens of poverty.

He was busy running six YouTube channels with a skeleton but efficient crew. He still created time for me and came willingly and stood in my corner, distributing dry rations.

Bruno has not moved mountains. The best he has done is leveling some anthills. But he is there, the same old Bruno behind the mike. I think he plateaued and is tied down to the ground just to survive.

He needs a break, he needs a sabbatical, before he too joins the defeated band of ‘also rans’ and goes home to tell his wife he’s had enough. That is a hard call. Bruno deserves better.

I sincerely hope Asia 21 will look at Bruno Divakara favorably. By doing so I can only say with humility that you will be doing a big favour to our battered and bruised planet.What I ask is not for him, but for us, and the innocent future generations.

Blue Skies,
Capt Elmo Jayawardena
Founder/President
CandleAid Lanka.
www.candleaid.org