Ts Che. Oru PER Cee A LEO CLUB OF ce oy we OS Betterment of the 0 Their Story Society Quizzy Pop Hidden Marvels An egg, potato or coffee bean? The Guest House Editor’s Note An Inperial Legend of Girinence ¢—————————Video Series he reason that Leo Club of Uni- | ersity of Moratuwa became the Most Outstanding Leo Club in Sri Lanka, in the previous year was the untiring effort of Leos, which made to steer the society towards the advance- ment of humanity embedded with com- passion. With the beginning of this new year 2019, UoM Leos have initiated an- other program for the betterment of the society through a video series that carry ‘out a voice, to make people think dif- ferently. In the first video, it highlights the matter of not to utter a single word that would inflict pain on another’s heart even for a split of a second The first video of this series was released on I*' of January with a little newer concept. As most of us know there is a junction in Ratmalana, located near the School for Deaf and Blind that has been called as “Golu Mad- ama” for over a long period of time. Sometimes, these two small words might have hurt the feelings of hundreds of stu- dents studying there, their par- ents and almost anyone related to them. But, the actual name of this place is “Borupana Handiya”, which is not widely used in the society, and using this name would not recall them that they are differently abled So, why do we hurt some- one for over a few words. It is so simple as that, hereafter, we can call this junction “Borupa- na Handiya” rather than “Golu Madama” and not to upset someone anymore. This is the small idea elaborated in this first video. This video has been uploaded to the UoM Leos YouTube Channel to make the public aware of this great endeav- our, Here, in the video Leo Kasun Ra- manayake, Leo Praminda Vindika, Leo Chathuranga Saman and Leo Thilina Prasad act highlighting the value and the importance of this small fact which matters a lot. In the future, more and more videos would come out to make people rethink about these types of gy, ravvbacks inthe societyStage - 02 ‘ome people smile in their own Sinn and some others smile by making others feel happy and making them to smile. As UoM Leos, who try to be the second kind of people, we always try to make others happy by making their lives better. That’s why we go in search of various kinds of people from different societies and find ways to make them feel happy with their own life. What remains after successfully finishing any of these projects, is the condescending proudness and the satis- faction from it. © is one of the such projects that was organized with the help of many volunteers, aiming the needy students from rural schools, who mostly do not receive many of the scholarships or helping hands from the government or other sectors. This project was ini- tiated in Katupuliyankulama Vidyalaya, which is located in a very rural village bordered to the Wilpaththu forest in the Put- talam District. The project was conducted in two stages as from the first stage school buildings and other infrastructure were re- paired and colored to make them ready with a fresh look for the new school term coming. The second stage of the same proj- ect was carried out on 3 Janu- ary 2019 with the start of the new school term, on the very first day students came to school after the new year. In this stage, gifts such as lunch boxes, school bags, shoes and water bottles and other necessary school items were distributed among the students in the school. Not only that, but also some in- teractive sessions related to basic Math- ematics and English were also done in that day. Further, some fun events also were organized simultaneously to the occasion interacting with the students. At the end of the day, their innocent faces full of smiles made us to see how they felt and the happiness we brought to their lives. That were a few couples of days well spent to uplift the educa- tional environment of the coun- try’s future. Letting them to have same privileges in education as others would contribute to make the country a better place one day.On the way from Colombo To Jaffna he sun rises from east to west, but still it carries the same heat all-around. Sun shows us all that there is no difference between any of us who lives anywhere. North or south, east or west, there are only Sri Lankans with the same blood in this motherland. It is Yaldewi who carries the love and affection from south to north, which is not just a train, but a blood vein that connects us all together. So UoM Leos, carried the warmth of harmony and happiness from Colombo to Jaffna through the same blood vein for the 3"! consecutive year on 12 and 13 of January. But this year, it was more than a Pongal celebration. UoM Leos together with the Sri Lankan Army Vijayabahu Regiment 10® Battalion distributed sta- tioneries to flood affected school children at Aliyawalai C.C. Tamil Mixed School in Jaffna. Beach cleaning project was one of the best projects done during those two days as that beach was full of scattered waste and it was sad to see such an ui clean place that harms the beauty of our motherland. Since it is one of our utmost duties to clean the en- vironment UoM Leos did it with a great motive and the plea- sure of leaving a beautiful coun- try to the future generation The best experience came in the evening of the 2“ or the last day, when we played cricket matches with our na- tions’ guardians. It is always a pleasure and an honor to spend time with them and we were blessed to spend a whole day with them. “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.” Kolomtho- tin Yalpanamata is also a step towards peace and unity among Sri Lankans.eSnesd Om sawmeadiad ES ala Somos ceding siQgad emvRGoxg. Colouring Hopes ) ima , “Colouring 8 eG cage ngs Sia —- 6S 25 SBeeinddas AVOx5, GAO HRs Sa05d EO) Siad nomOsed3 cane, sNedns AB. Symphony of Cure{a Ws?) 5 QR ( GO) GSES Gio 0 Music gives a soul to the universe wings to the mind flight to the imagina tion and life to evorything istening to music would always | give us the freedom of mind that ‘we are seeking. UoM Leos held this Leo Pedura, which is one of our annual events, once again to bring out the talents hidden among ourselves and to bring an entertaining holiday for the busy life of all of us. Leo Pedura was held on 20" of January not only with the participation of the UoM Leos, but also with participation of many Leos from the Multiple Dis- trict 306. As always, participation of the visiting Leos from our other fellow Leo Clubs added an extra elegance into Leo Pedura. Singing talents of UoM Leos and also of some visiting Leos were on display in that colorful night. Almost all of the songs were very much appreciated by the crowd just because of their singing abilities. But the color of the night was magnified with the dancing acts done during the show both by our club members and other members from the dis- trict as well. Not only with dancing acts, but the crowd was also enter- tained by the drama done by the UoM Leos. But the most no- table in the Leo Pedura was the appreciations done by the UoM Leos to some of the artists who have contributed to the music field through the past years. An appreci- ation award was given as a tribute to their great work. Mr. Jayathissa Alaha- koon, Mr. Karunarathna Amarasinghe, Mr. Athula Ransirilal were some among them. Leo Pedura once again gave an excellent platform for many Leos to show their aesthetic talents and a won- derful evening to the rest of others at the beginning of another new year.Orientation Program he heart of a volunteer is not mea- | sured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a dif- ference in the lives of others. We, UoM Leos are a one big family with such hearted volunteers that love to help the needed, bear the responsibility for the countries future and seek for opportuni- ties to experience the leadership. Introducing that platform, Leo Club of University of Moratuwa, to the new- est batch of the university and inviting them to join with the Club, was done through Merge’ 19. It was organized ‘on 16th of January, 2019 at Civil Auditorium of the University from 6.30 onwards. It was very successfully held throughout the evening with a big gathering full of new broth- ers and sisters from the most junior batch. The program was started with a brief introduction about Club and Leoism by the current president of Leo Club of University of Moratuwa, Leo Kasun Ramanayake. Then there was a little activity session and new comers were very eager to ac~ tively participate in it. During that session, it could be seen that the undergraduates from the newest batch in the university took _opportuni- ties with a good confidence and they had wonderful ideas about community proj- ects that can be done for the sake of well-being of the society. There, it was a great plea- sure to see such an enthusiasm and an understanding among them about their responsibilities. At the end of the program, everyone had a clear image about volunteering and the UoM Leo Club. Merge’ 19 gave us the hope that sooner there would be a set of energetic youngsters to take over this legacy and continue the imperial legend of eminenceIvan: [am Ivan Udakara. Currently lives at Bokund- ara, Piliyandala and my home town is Matara. | am the second child of a family of three boys. I went to Rahula College. Now I work at Virtusa as an Engineer. Piyathi: I am Piyathi Muthukumarana. I had my primary education at Hambanthota, which is my home town and had my secondary education at St Ma Convent and Sujatha Vidy y aya respective- ly. [have one elder sister. I currently work as an ac- ademic instructor at Department of Chemical and Process Engineering at University of Moratuwa, Ivan: Before I enter the university I had heard bit about the Leo Club. It was in 2013 after I getting in Ly Te nt tteto the university I joined the club. My first ever Leo related function was that year’s club installation, The outgoing president was Leo Chathuranga Gu- nasekara and the incoming president was Leo Ajith Ranaweera, At that time, I didn’t know what that really was, but however I participated. Through some of my senior batch mates I got to know about that event, After that I participated in projects, did projects and collected so much of memories and experiences. Ivan: As I said I joined Leoism in 2013/14. I was lucky to be one of the first three members to get in- ducted as Leos from our entire batch. After that in Leoistic year 2014/15 I became the vice president of the club and in Leoistic year 2015/16 became the president of the club. Then I served in the district LOVY Conta... , council as the Project Activity Director in Leoistic year 2016/17, District Treasurer in Leoistic year 2017/18 and currently I serve as the District Vice President. Ivan: Yes of course, I have participated in so many projects. Out of them “Api akurata mali nowemu” continuous project was one of the most memorable ones. It was a seminar series for O/L and A/L stu- dents. We focused on under-privileged areas. Some occasions it took two days to go there do the sem- inars and come back. Yeah I know we all do samekind of projects, but this is very special to me be- cause of the feedbacks we got from the students. I still can remember some feedbacks those children gave us. It was really fascinating. And at the district conference that project won two winner awards if I am not mistaken. Apart from that there are so many things happen in our district. Leo youth camp, con- ference, talent show are the most glamorous and most awaiting things for me. And sad to say still T was not able to participate in the most recognized multi service project of A2, “Jeewana Yathra”. Tam looking forward to participate in the future. Piyathi: Although I was not that active in the club, also have participated in some projects. Stage dra- ma and Blood donation campaign are among them. And I have participated in one district conference, it was last year’s one. It was a great event. 5. Now it is the time to recall some sweet mem- ories. Can you remember how did you get to know each other? When did you see him/ her first? Was that in a Leo project? If so, then what was that dreamy project that changed your life? Ivan: It wasn’t in a Leo project. At that time, I didn’t even know about Leo and I even had no idea about whether I would get selected to the university or not. I knew her in A/L classes, knew her means 1 had seen her in the classes. Ha ha haa... That was in 2009 to 2011 period. But only in 2013 I could gather the strength to ask her. Ha haa... Piyathi: I also had seen Ivan at classes but never thought we would end up being a couple. It was on my birthday he proposed to me. I still can remem- ber that day and I will never forget. 6. What is most unforgettable experience you two got in this journey as Leos together? (ON, Contd... Ivan: In everything I did she helped mea lot. She is my first advisor. Sometimes even scold me for not putting my full effort to work. Such things happen in my club presidency year in 2015/16. She gives me a tremendous support in my Leo work as well as in other things. Piyathi: As I said earlier also we didn’t have much, Leo time together but I gave my full support when- ever he needed my help, And I am very happy to see where he is right now in his Leo career. 7. Apart from finding your Mr. Perfect / Ms. Per- fect, what else you got to your life from Leoism and from those memorable days? Ivan: I love doing social services. That’s the main reason I chose Leo Club over other clubs in the uni- versity. What I actually love about social services is the self-satisfaction we get when we feel that we are doing something to the society which helped us to be the person who we are today. When we feel that we are giving a smile to someone else’s face that motivates us a lot. Another main thing 1 learnt from Leoism is the leadership and teamwork. In school I was not a very active child. So I didn’t know how to lead a team for a common objective. I couldn’t talk in front of a few people. Everything I have learnt is from Leoism. I am so much grateful for that. Piyathi: As I believe, in anything, self-satisfactionis what matters at the end of the day. It can be your career, your personal life, your hobbies, social life or anything. Leoism provides it a lot. That’s what I love about Leoism. That’s why I never bothered about him doing Leo work. I knew he love that and he learns a lot by that. 8. Let’s move to some serious stuff. Tell us some- thing about your current self. How is your career now? The company you are currently working in; the role you are playing etc.? Ivan: I work at Virtusa (Pvt) Ltd, as a Software En- gineer. It has been almost two years I started work- ing there. Piyathi: I worked at Vogue Tex (Pvt) Ltd for a short period of time just after graduating from the university. Currently I work at the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering as an academic instructor. And planning to do higher studies in the future. 9. How all those experiences and opportunities you got through Leoism helped you to be in the position you are today? Ivan: Well, Leoism has taught me lot of things as I said earlier. Every bit of thing I learnt from Leoism helps me every day in my life. How to work with people, how to work with a team, communication skills, leadership skill and whatnot. 10. Obviously, you are a proud product of Leo Club of UoM. So, as one of our past Leos, what do you think about the current status of Leo Club of UoM? Ivan: Absolutely I should say that the current status of the club very good. The standards are even high- er. Do so much of new and innovative projects in a year. Work with the district and the multiple district so closely. | am very happy to see everything is im- proving so well 11. As a one last thing for this discussion, what is the message you would like to pass to all the Leos around Sri Lanka? Ivan: Leoism is a great platform where anyone can Jearn lot of things. Most importantly the leadership, which is the main objective of Leoism. I don’t think anyone will find some other place where they get opportunities to practice leadership than in here. But the sad thing is currently most Leos don’t seem to be using these opportunities. What I have to say is, and I always say this, please use this movement to develop yourselves. Don’t do it just because it is fun, Learn something while having some fun. Thos you vry sac te ond Pgs or ddectng your valuable Tine bw ug ond giving your morciranr oppor TS Ti For your Tine. we with o very hoppy ond o beautiful, balare ‘Wyphee ar etfang your hen deeSolve the question and be the lucky winnewto eceive a 2000/= wordt gift voucher feorv Sarasavi Book Shop DD Bak Nijani Kumareasmoorthy N s LAST MONTH N me CY There are 25 red balls, 47 green balls and 3 blue balls in a basket. There is a blind man. What is the minimum number of balls that the blind man has to pick to make sure that there are at least’2 balls of different colors? *Submit your answers on www.quizzypop.utomleos.org before fistMareh 2019 bh% ne 0) \e CEN mae arth is a beautiful place. Rolling dirt-tracks Bites forests fill us with wonder; a fresh fall of snow brings out the pearly whites of our smiles and anyone who has ever climbed a mountain to gaze upon the sprawling, living lands below knows the uplifting gratification of that sight, Earth is also deadlier than we can imagine. natu- ral disasters like tsunamis and earthquakes are un- avoidable, unforgivable, and will always decimate populations without care or notice, but many trou- bles we cause for ourselves We've created ghost-towns, cost the lives of mil- lions, and been ravaged by the tumultuous venom of Mother Nature. The hubris of war has rendered many places on Earth unfit for humans. Sometimes industries can wreak havoc just as permanent as war. Here are few hidden places which are named as deathly places to Livings. ke Nyos Lake Nyos is a deep, wide and fatally toxic ex- panse of water in western Cameroon. Formed in the wake of a violent crater eruption five centuries ago, a sort-of volcanic dam has formed, hemming in the water atop a bed of magma. Mercury poisoning is barbaric; it can cause formi- cation, tachycardia, and even have your skin shred itself from your body. In can cause Sensory impair- ment and the effects on younger children are even more varied. Kalimantan is a gold-mining hotspot on Borneo where most of the ore is mixed with mercury. Local smelters buy the newly-mined gold and buin off the mercury to leave the pure gold be- hind. However, by doing this in their own homes, therefore trapping the extremely poisonous gas inside, they invariably cause serious damage their own health. Centralia, Pennsylvania We love apocalypse stories: ghost towns, barren streets, and that air of absolute mystery makes us feel giddy and excited. Centralia is a real-world ghost town and it’s about as close to a literal hell on Earth as you're likely to find. A coal-mining pow- erhouse in its heyday, a ferocious fire tore the town apart and started a chain-reaction underground which has burned ever since. Poisonous smoke fil- ters up through the ground to this day but has long since killed ofWittenoom, Australia Much like the Pennsylvania ghost town, Witte- noom was once a mining town and has been all but completely abandoned. Unlike Centralia, there was no accident or disaster that triggered the downfall of this town because the dangers were inherent in its product. Wittenoom was Australia’s only blue asbestos mine. The mine was a living hell. Miners descended claustrophobic paths through the rock to mine out thin veins of blue asbestos. In the process of grind- ing down the rock to extract its fiber the asbestos essentially became aerosol and entered the lungs of the miners as they worked. Blue asbestos is consid- ered the deadliest form of asbestos; in Wittenoom it filled the air. What was once a bustling mining town of 20,000 workers, tourists, and government officials is now reduced to eight people, Wittenoom is located deep in the middle of nowhere, in the barrens of Western Australia, where dust is a constant problem, Com- bined with the lingering presence of deadly asbes- tos the environment is impossible to bear. Cont'd ‘The Bermuda Triangle Also known as the Devil’s Triangle or Hurricane Alley, is a loosely-defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Most reputable sources dismiss the idea that there is any mystery. The vicinity of the Bermuda Trian- gle is amongst the most heavily traveled shipping lanes in the world, with ships frequently crossing through it for ports in the Americas, Europe and the Caribbean islands. Cruise ships and pleasure craft regularly sail through the region, and commercial and private aircraft routinely fly over it. Popular culture has attributed various disappear ances to the paranormal or activity by extraterres- trial beings. Documented evidence indicates that a significant percentage of the incidents were spuri- ous, inaccurately reported, or embellished by later authors. ‘The number of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area was not significantly greater, proportion- ally speaking, than in any other part of the ocean, - Extracted from the InternetOnce upon time there lived a little girl. She was contemplated about her life and thought it was miserable and tiresome. She felt like fed up of struggling and fighting for the things to be gained at all the time. Simply, she hesitated the life she was spending on. She ran to his father seeking for an answer. Father asked his little daughter to put water in to three vessels and let them boil in high fire. When the water was boiling father placed an egg, a potato and few coffee beans in those ves- sels separately. The girl was waiting anxiously, watching what his father does instead of an- swering her serious question. After few minutes father turned off burners and took the egg out of the vessel and kept in a plate. Pulled the potato from the vessel and kept it too in the plate. Then he turned to his daughter and asked her what they were. “A potato, an egg and coffee” girl answered. “What if you look closer” Father said gently. The girl was stumped. She felt whether it’s close or far they are still potatoes, eggs and coffee. Father asked her to break the egg, She removed the shell and got the hard-boiled egg out. Father asked her to touch the potato, she found it was very soft. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee and her face got enlightened with the sweet taste it gave. “Father, what this means?” the little one was in a puzzle, Father explained to his daughter “All these three faced the same calamity. But the way how they reacted is unique to themselves”. The potato which was very hard became softer and weaker after boiling, the egg which was a slurry inside later became harder and unbreak- able. In coffee beans, the case is quite different. They changed the water around them and cre- ated something new and tasty. Father got her daughter closer, “Dear, who will you be?” When adversity knocks your door will you be a potato, an egg or a coflee bean? Areal life things happen to us things happen around us Bubnothing matter than what happens within usThe Guest House This being human is a guest house Evey mowing anew arrival Ajoy, «depression a meanness Some momentary awareness comes As an unespected visitors Welcome and entedain them all Even if they we a crowd of sorrows Uo violently sweep your house Empty of its Jurnitivee SUI teat each guest honorably Ale may be clearing you out Fovsome new delight The dank thought the shame the malice Meet them at the doo’ laughing And invite them in Begratejul for whoever comes Because each has been sent As a guide rom beyondIt is a great pleasure to address you through the first monthly newsletter of 2019, as an editorial panel member of the LEO club of University of Moratuwa. UoM Leos always try to gather people towards a common purpose, to achieve the common goal of Leoism which is to serve to the society with their maximum effort and togetherness. Furthermore, they develop lead- ership and communication skills through expe- rience and opportunities provided by the club itself, During the month of January, UoM Leos did a huge number of projects for the betterment of the society. The project Colouring Hopes was conducted to enlighten the children’s’ lives with hope and togetherness, who are getting treat- ments from Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama. In Warna phase 2 project UoM Leos did a great job by colour-washing the schools and repairing the classrooms. The most magnificent event of the month was the great get-together, UoM Leo Pedura which was conducted to highlight the aesthetic talents of all Leos from the district. As last year for the Thaipongal festival Kolomtho- tin Yalpanamata project was with the help of the Sri Lankan army. Merge’ 19 the orientation program was conducted to in- troduce UoM Leo club to the new generation. successfully done Editor’s And this month UoM Leos started an innova- tive video series for the Betterment of society. I would like to invite you all to watch it through the UoM YouTube channel. Further, I appreciate all those helped us to make the projects a success. The feedbacks and suggestions of you all are highly appreciated We hope to share upcoming events through the newsletter. Stay in touch with us to witness the glorious success of UOM Leos. Leo Nilupulie Hansamali EditorEditorial 2@ Leo Thilina Prasad Jayathilaka Le@ Shanika Priyadarshani Director of Editorial Chief Editor (Designer) & © Leo Mohomed Nifran LeoyMilupule@Fiansamali Leo Sanath Ramesh Editor Editor Editor Leo Chandi Premarathne Leo Amati Indmini Leo Sasini Kavindya Legffalshika Swarnaghalf Leo Sandani Asha Co-Editor Co-iitor Co-Editor ‘Co-Bditor Co-Editor Leo Club of University of Miptatuwa An Tagerial Leaend of Eminence www.uomleos.org, 2000000068". ¢ Cate 9 De Cee?