A Grand Celebration of Dreams: The ‘Pirunu Kusak Pirunu Hisak’ Scholarship Ceremony!

The air was electric yesterday as the “Pirunu Kusak Pirunu Hisak” (Piku Pihi) program hosted a magnificent ceremony to award scholarships to students who excelled at the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination. Beyond the immediate recognition, this event launched their long-term scholarship support, which will continue all the way up to the G.C.E. Ordinary Level Examination.

It was, quite simply, an unusually grand festival after a long time. This post is a short glimpse into how this remarkable event came together and an extended note of heartfelt thanks to everyone involved.

While we call it a small function, it was anything but! We had 107 successful students, accompanied by 107 parents, 40 teachers, and about 15 invited guests—a crowd of nearly 250 people.

An event for Piku Pihi, a movement organized by a small group of individuals scattered across Sri Lanka and the world, is not something that can be pulled off alone. This is why the Piku Pihi Family—most importantly, the schools we work with—came together to make this a truly grand festival.

This is the story of that ceremony. It is a thank-you note that must not miss a single point that might have been overlooked yesterday. (For those short on time, please jump to the final paragraph!)

A Chorus of Thanks 

• The Venue & the Coordination: With a larger-than-expected crowd, we urgently needed a big hall. Our sincere gratitude goes to the Vice Chancellor and the entire staff of the Sri Lanka Bhikshu University for offering their spacious, air-conditioned auditorium, free of charge, for this noble cause. For many of the children, this was the first time they sat in such comfortable, cool, and luxurious seating at an event—a detail that sparked a joyful whisper among them: ‘Isn’t this cool?’ (Coordinated by Mr. Jayalath, Milan Malli, and Chulika Akka, —thank you!)

• The Warmest Welcome: A school Principal proudly noted, “Other children are often received with flowers. But no one ever gives flowers to our children.” This year, the Grade 5 students of Rathmalwetiya Vidyalaya went above and beyond, making all the beautiful flowers to welcome the 80 or so of their peers. Thank you for the bright smiles and the beautiful flowers that greeted the incoming students!

• Bouquets of Love: The Rathmalwetiya School, including the Principal, students, and parents, traveled a long distance to bring naturally-made floral bouquets to welcome all the chief guests. A deeply heartfelt thank you for such a thoughtful, loving gesture.

• The Traditional Lamp: The task of setting up the traditional oil lamp was beautifully handled by the teachers, parents, and students of Rambewa Kadaanekutunuwewa School. They brought everything, from the grass turf to the lotus flowers and podium decorations—every detail was lovingly prepared by them. Thank you!

• The Grand Entrance: The students were welcomed by a marching band from Nayakapuwawe Vidyalaya, Kahatagasdigiliya. Piku Pihi had recently helped the school form the band for its 65th anniversary. We never imagined they would be ready to play on such a large stage! They not only led the festive entrance but performed on stage at the end, too. Every child deserves a fair shot at having what they need. Thank you to the dedicated band and their team who drove to be with us.

• Master of Ceremonies: The complete success of the event’s announcements was due to two students from Pahalarathmalgahawewa and Kadaanekutunuwewa Schools, supported by veteran announcer Mr. Nandana Saman Kumbalatara, the Principal of Nabadagaswewa School. Mr. Nandana’s incredible dedication—his absolute ‘Bhakti’ (reverence) for the work—kept the children engaged and the program flowing seamlessly from 8 AM to 3 PM, live, and without charging a cent. He even promised to be there for the next one! Thank you, Nandana Sir and the two brilliant young announcers!

• The Rituals: When the realization dawned at midnight that the path led through a Buddhist Shrine, a quick request was made, and the students of Kalaarambewa Vidyalaya immediately arranged the flowers and lamps needed for the morning’s veneration. Thank you for their timely and spiritual contribution.

• Registration and Tech Support: A big thank you to Ishani Duwa and Lasidu Putha, who not only assisted with all the registrations but also provided invaluable technical support and ensured every detail, including all the pictures, was taken care of.

• Our Official Photographer: Inoka served as our official media photographer, capturing every moment from the beginning. We wanted a picture for every child that they could frame at home—and she delivered exactly that. I believe those pictures will serve as a permanent reminder, a story they can tell one day: “An Aunty and some Uncles welcomed us like royalty when we passed our scholarship exam.”

• Our Honored Guests: Every guest who graced the event became a pillar of strength for us. The invitations were sent out at the last minute—some on Saturday night, the very last one at 8:30 AM on Sunday! Yet, everyone who was invited came, knowing that such small oversights are insignificant in a mission we all share. Thank you to the Registrar of the Bhikshu University, Pradeep Sir (representing the Provincial Education Department), Chandana and Kavindra from People’s Bank Anuradhapura (who manage our accounts flawlessly for three years), Inoka Kularatne Miss (the first teacher who said, ‘I’ll cook; just get the money, Doc!’), Torrington Sir (of Pulathisipura Teachers’ College, who continuously supports our seminars), Sujith Dissanayake, and the core Piku Pihi team who traveled from 3 AM: Gaya, Inoka, Shalika Akka, and Lasuni.

• The Opening Dance: A heartfelt thank you to the dancing teacher and the dance troupe from Pahalarathmalgahawewa School for the beautiful welcoming ‘Pooja’ dance. These young children skipped their Sunday classes, knowing they would receive no gifts for their performance, simply to support the school—a massive help that resulted in a truly lovely performance.

• The Presentation: The entire journey of Piku Pihi, from our first plate of rice and coconut sambol on June 27, 2022, to becoming “Pirunu Kusak Pirunu Hisak,” encompassing 145 schools in three years, was beautifully compiled into a presentation. My thanks to Gaya for putting it together—though usually it’s Prabath! It’s easy for those of us who lived it, who remember every image and word. I am incredibly proud of this journey. This thank you is for every local and international donor who has been a constant strength to Piku Pihi. We must meet soon!

• The Performances: We are deeply grateful to all the little boys and girls from all the schools who graced the event with their lovely songs and dances. The pure, unadulterated aesthetic of childhood remained untouched in their performances. They came prepared with costumes, props, and beautiful choreography. Thank you to the teachers and children for the extensive practice that went into preparing for such a large stage!

• The Unstoppable Teachers: A deep, deep thank you to every teacher and principal who traveled from afar, like Big Sir from Ihalaellawewa School in Dimbulagala (a five-hour journey) and the teachers from Padavi Sinhapura Yaya Dethuna, Mullaitivu. They came not just to see their students receive gifts, but to see us—the people who had worked alongside them for three years—and to give us strength. Thirty-five principals and teachers spent their Sunday, at their own expense, knowing they would receive nothing, just to be there. Their smiles when they left, as one of them noted, were unlike any they’d ever seen—and that is enough for us.

• The Gift-Wrappers and Supplies: Not a single child left empty-handed. Thank you to all the Piku Pihi donors who sent gifts for the children who participated in the performances and announcements. A special thank you to Susith Malli and Lasuni Nangi, who came all the way to Anuradhapura the day before to pack the complete set of books, geometry boxes, pens, and pencils for the next year. They initially only wanted to donate to a school through me, but Lasuni noted on leaving, “Akka, I now understand why you insisted we come and see for ourselves.”

• The School Bags & the Lesson: Thank you to Ashoka Galpottawala Sir for the financial support for the school bags. And to my boy Charitha, who searched everywhere to find high-quality bags in Kurunegala, and to Shalika Akka for bringing them. I had to scold Charitha this morning! We suddenly ran out of 40 bags, only to realize Charitha had packed them two-by-two! The children, in their pure eagerness, quickly returned the extra bags—a big lesson learned for all of us about the details in organizing an event.

• The Treats: From the shoe vouchers and delicious cupcakes to the tall ice creams, lunch packets, beautiful burgers, and Nescafe—a massive shout-out to the people connected to Piku Pihi who sponsored these treats: Lakmi, Chami, Chandi, Aruni, Sujith, Mali, Shanika, Mihika, Wathsala, Sarangi, Niroshani, Ruwanthi, Thisari, Kethma, Ama, Nishadini, Vindya… and everyone else, named or unnamed. Thank you to Sashini for creating those beautiful, low-cost cupcakes—one child asked their mother, “Amma, do I eat the flower or the bottom part?” Sujith, as always, sponsored the Nescafe.

• The Printing: Vimali Printers handles all our printing needs for all our events, free of charge, from the artwork onwards. Thank you for your continued support!

• The Wrapping Team: All the gifts were wrapped and prepared by my ward colleagues—Gayani, Chandani Miss, Nadeeka Miss, Jayagala, Rasika, Anusha, and all the night staff—who came in on their off-time to help me. A huge thank you to all of them!

• The Canada Connection: Thank you to Sujith Peiris Ayya for the special donation of numerous book parcels from Canada. We will distribute these across the 30 schools whose students were successful in the scholarship exam, and there are two large boxes still to be opened for more schools.

• My Right Hand: My final thank you goes out to Shalika Akka, who has been the absolute right hand for this program, looking after every single detail—even reminding me to bring a saree! She calls the schools, tracks the days meals were given, contacts parents about scholarship funds, and coordinated all the schools from a distance. She does not need thanks from “Pirunu Kusak Pirunu Hisak”—she is Piku Pihi. But I thank her personally for all the work and for staying from morning until every last thing was cleared up. To Gaya and Inoka, thank you for pulling this through from start to finish.

• The Pillars of Support: And the final thanks goes to the donor group who committed to providing Rs. 2,000 monthly for the long-term education of these children until the O/L Examination. It took just 1 hour and 32 minutes after the students’ details were shared for every child to find a sponsor—many even asking, “We want to sponsor more!” This strengthens our resolve.

A Glimpse of the World

We walked out. Our children walked out.

We managed to show these children, even if for just one day, that the world is vast. We showed them that there are staircases taller than the two flights at their school. We showed them buildings that have two, three, four, or five floors, not just a single story. We showed them that instead of climbing stairs, you can press a button and ascend effortlessly. We showed them a University. We showed them a tall, two-colored ice cream. We showed them beautiful cupcakes, decorated like small flowered fields.

These were things many of them had never seen. For some, they were the first such experiences of their lives.

Before they came, we asked them one small thing: to draw a picture and write a short note about who they want to be when they grow up. Their dreams, as the pictures revealed, are huge. We are compiling these into a small book to distribute to the schools. In ten years, as these children reach another crossroad in life, they will have the chance to look back at the pages and see how their younger selves were hidden within those dreams.

Thank you to every Aunty and Uncle, mentioned above, who made that opportunity beautiful.

We will continue our struggle for fair, if not equal, education for every child in every corner of this country. Piku Pihi will keep reaching the untouched corners and starting new initiatives.

You will see us looking on with adoration in the pictures. We will keep doing this.

Kiloshini Hendavitharana

For Piku Pihi

“Pirunu Kusak Pirunu Hisak”

(P.S. Please do not worry that we haven’t blurred the children’s faces. We want to bring light to their faces!)