Flying kites; a cherished memory in between childhood and youth. As a child, you never wanted to let the kite fly by itself. In the process of aging, some folks forget the strength of their characters and become kites without strings.
National Kite Festival as known as “Nil Ahase Wasanthaya” is a glamorous event organized by Kite Sri Lanka along with the support of Presidential Task Force, Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors on drug prevention. Marking the 10th anniversary of Kite Sri Lanka, “Nil Ahase Wasanthaya 2017” was held on 12th of August, 2017 at Negombo Beach Park.
We at the Rotaract Club of University of Kelaniya were lucky enough to be a part of this event. Since the transport was arranged by District, we marked our presence sharp at 5.30AM at Royal Skills Centre. We were amazed by the rush of kites once we stepped onto Negombo. Laterally, there was a walk from Negombo Town to Negombo Beach Park under the theme “මතින් නිදහස් රටක්” ( A drug-free country).
This event was not just another entertainment occurrence with singing and dancing since the walk was about drug awareness. Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors demonstrated posters which gave messages to society.
Negombo sky was covered with colours. As Rotaractors we were happy to see people actively participating in the competition which was opened to children and open groups as well. One didn’t have to be a competitor to fly a kite there which made the event very special.
We believe that at the end of the day, youth understood that there are many ways people can be happy together rather than being drug addicts. We learned that “strings attached” is better than “no strings attached”.
Written by:- Rtr. Thisaranie Wijayabandara