EU funds three year project to enhance relations among communities

Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum and Helvetas Sri Lanka recently arranged a group of undergraduates from the University of Peradeniya to visit Jaffna. It has been arranged in terms of a three-year project ‘InSPIRE’ funded by European Union.

Fourteen young undergraduates accompanied by Dr. J.M.P.N. Anuradha, lecturer, Department of Agricultural Extension, visited Jaffna to learn and experience the Hindu culture. The organisers said that the visitors from the South had an opportunity to meet 11 undergraduate students from the University of Jaffna. They participated in a field trip.

The atmosphere had been so vibrant the female students from the South wore “pottu” D. Mohanraj, a second nd Year Media student from University of Jaffna said, “I was surprised and overwhelmed when the sisters from the University of Peradeniya came to the hall with pottu on their foreheads. This created a great bond. It is a way of showing respect to the others’ culture and promote pluralism in the country.”

They visited, the Nallur Kovil, Naga Viharaya, Dambakolapatuna, Jaffna Fort and Jaffna Library. “This tour was a novel experience. It was my first visit to Dambakolapatuna and Buddhist temples in Jaffna. There was no language barrier in communicating with each other. We sang songs of both Tamil and Sinhala languages and danced,” said Pradeep Raj, a 2nd Year student from University of Jaffna.

“Before I participated in this programme, I thought it would be hard to communicate with my Tamil speaking friends. But it was amazing how we communicated our feelings and thoughts even without speaking the same language. Language was not a barrier for us, as we all were thinking of sharing and caring”, said Thisumi Weerasinghe, from the Department of Agriculture Extension, University of Peradeniya. This was the sentiment of many students from the Peradeniya University. They were amazed to see how friendly and welcoming the Hindu students are and how ready they were to start a bond that will last a lifetime.

The organisers said: The purpose of the inter-university/district exchange activity is to promote pluralism and diversity while developing a meaningful network among the future journalists in different universities. The InSPIRE project aspires to create and activate an innovative, socially responsible network of 350 future journalists and media professionals by empowering them in many ways to be active in the digital media sphere while being sensitive to the various important issues in the Sri Lankan society.