Category: Decennium

Rtr. Rasanjanee Polgampala and the Connecting Thread of a Decade

by Vibhath Jayasinghe Now, I know what you’re thinking – ten articles to match ten years of RotaractArts, man, the Editorial Team has really outdone themselves this time and you’re absolutely right. Big achievements deserve big celebrations. We made the conscious decision to take the time to fully embrace and appreciate the growth of RotaractArts from its’ initiation to where it stands today. Every President along with their respective Board of Directors have taken the greatest of efforts to ensure the success of the club over the years. It took everyone involved to get here and we felt that this shouldn’t in any way go underappreciated. With that in mind, and as the closing chapter of the decade, let me take…

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Rtr. IPP Dinandi Samaraweera and the Pushing of New Boundaries

Since the day I entered the University of Colombo, I’d always wanted to get involved in social work and extracurricular activities  other than my studies. I was very much looking forward to the ‘open day’ where all the clubs and societies introduced themselves and opened the opportunity for us to join hands with them and their missions. I was walking around the Yellows Common Area, and saw this particular Akki who was talking to a bunch of freshers about the Rotaract Club. She had so much energy and enthusiasm In her. She explained the motives of the Rotaract movement, particularly of our club  and encouraged us to join. This akki was none other than Rtr. Dinandi Samraweera. The 9th president…

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Rtr. PP Ruwanthi Soysa and the year Baila Night Won Silver

by Rtr. Amilindu Wijesinghe Since its inception in 2010, the Rotaract Club of University of Colombo, Faculty of Arts has come a long way. To be able to say that it has evolved from a member base of 24 to nearly 50 multi talented, active Rotaractors who hail from diverse backgrounds, representing the 4 corners of our island is no mean achievement. Looking back at the 10 years that had flown by, I noticed that each past President and his/her Committee had brought new flavours, new colours, new initiatives and fresh opinions to the table, making our club what it is today. This is what I call “evolution”. On that introductory note, let’s see how our club had strengthened itself…

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Rtr. PP Amristar and a Journey Most Rewarding

by Rtr. Shakoora Amith When  Rtr. PP Amristar Wickramaratne walked into her first Rotaract meeting, never had she expected it to have such a great impact on her life. It was an abrupt decision, she says, where she happened to slip into a Rotaract meeting while trying to save herself from being ragged. It was from this point forth that her Rotaract journey began, where she had gradually learned to love the club for its focus on global development and admits that she was extremely interested in it as it gave her the opportunity to serve the community. Working under the theme of “new possibilities”, she had united her members together to seek new opportunities to give back to the…

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Rtr. PP Charya and the Exploration of New Horizons

by Rtr. Vidura Rodrigo History is the foundation based on which we shape our present and future. Examples set by the ones who came before us encourage their latter generations to do just as well or even better. Thus, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the club we have been looking at its history and legacy left behind by its former presidents. Since its inception in 2010, the club has been blessed enough to be led under a number of club presidents whose guidance and leadership has helped their fellow club members and their successors to gain wholesome experiences out of their Rotaract carrier.  In 2015 Rtr. PP Charya Gamalath took over the driving seat as the president of…

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Rtr. PP Atarah and a Piece of Honest Advice

by Rtr. Theruni Liyanage Rtr. PP Atarah Senn says the best thing about her Rotaract journey was everything about it. The teamwork, exposure to new experiences and people, plus all the challenges along the way have helped her improve herself, she believes. Atarah, after graduating, worked at a private research organization in Colombo focusing on issues such as poverty, labour migration and social cohesion which opened up the avenue for her to pursue her higher studies in International Development. We questioned her about her experiences in the Rotaract club of UOCFOA. No long-term plans, her approach when she first joined the university was to take one step at a time. Going with the flow, she joined Rotaract and gave it…

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Rtn. Anuradha and the Importance of Listening to Your Friends

by Rtr. Shenali Nuwansala  Rtn. Anuradha Senanayake was the fourth president of the Rotaract Club of University of Colombo, Faculty of Arts, during the year 2013-14. From what I could gather from what she said about her journey with Rotaract was that the club has impacted her life in many amazing ways, and has revealed her own potential to herself. Walking to her first Rotaract meeting just because her friends had asked her along, she had not had the least notion that opening that door to the meeting room would open a door to a whole new world of possibilities, and would be one door she would never regret opening... Rtn. Anuradha says that although she learnt how to best…

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Rtr. PP Sandhuni and the Year Baila Night Started

by Rtr. Shenara De Alwis  “That is what I envisioned, to give my best and pay my dues”, says Rtr. PP Sanduni Warnasuriya who is now an Assistant Brand Manager at Ceylinco Life. Ever since the first day she entered the University of Colombo, she had known it from her heart that she would always serve the society who financed both her primary and tertiary education. She adds that it is what she strives to do even today.  As an undergraduate, she had participated in sports and sport events. In fact, she had captained the university’s Table Tennis team during her final year (no clue how she managed to do it; I struggle even to write one article per week😐). …

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Rtr. PP Thakshala and the Headache of University Sub-Culture

by Rtr. Afrah Bahaudeen  Fast forward a year from the official inauguration of our Rotaract Club, and we witness the undertaking of the club under a new President with her own vision and challenges to boot. Juggling studies and extra-curriculars is no easy task for any university undergraduate, no less is taking on the presidency of an organization that has been running for only a year. One understands this kind of leadership to come with its own unique kind of challenges, which is exactly what Rtr. Past President Thakshala Tissera faced as the second person to take on the helm of the Rotaract Club of the University of Colombo, Faculty of Arts. On top of having to lead a team…

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Rtn. Abdul Wahid and the Year it All Started

by Rtr. Theruni Liyanage Since 2010…  Chartered on the 26th of March 2010, the Rotaract Club of University of Colombo, Faculty of Arts, is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Colombo Uptown. The club started with 24 members and was led by the Charter President Rtr. Abdul Wahid Sathar till the end of the 2010/2011 Rotaract year... Reads the introduction to the club’s official history, and goes on to list the succeeding years and the most notable achievements therein. Is this all we could learn from our past? And so began a scramble to reach out to all our past presidents (to varying degrees of success) and to ask them a few questions relating to their Rotaract past and to…

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