IT BOGGLES THE MIND........

WHY ARE THESE PEOPLE SMILING?

another Kingdom paradox.......

When Janis Joplin sang about her days on the road with Bobby Magee, she said 'freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose'.... I think she was on to something.... If so, these folks are definitely on Freedom Road!

One of the earliest groups of people Community Concern Society  (http://www.communityconcernsociety.com/) got involved with were 33 Malayalam families – Gypsies who originated from India but had migrated to Sri Lanka years ago. They traditionally stick together as a community and wound up in the sea beach shanties in our little kingdom on the outskirts of Colombo. The most marginalized of the poor, these people continue to endure racial prejudice wherever they go. On Dec. 26, 2004 every one of them survived, but their huts and all their meager possessions were swept away with the tsunami waves. They, along with all the other shoreline dwellers, wound up in refugee camps, living in conditions not fit for a dog. They stayed there for 3 years, waiting for the houses promised to all victims of the tsunami. CCS finished building 33 homes for our unique friends in Dankotuwa, Sri Lanka in Dec. 2007. Just as all were preparing for the big move to their new homes, the local community, led by their religious leaders in Dankotuwa, rose up in protest against their new neighbors and threatened to kill them all if they dared to move in. Imagine that! The decision was made to give the homes to more acceptable Sinhalese refugees instead, so it was back to the camp for the wandering Gypsies. Nearly two years later, we are happy to say our resilient friends have finally moved into new homes in Kolonnawa provided through the good joint efforts of CCS and Habitat for Humanity. Still struggling to survive, their attitude and gratitude continues to impress and humble all of us.

Here are a few more pix of our overcoming friends, the Gypsies of Kolonnawa......

Here is Sriyani enjoying a moment with some of her buddies...

.....happy for sure to be finally living in a decent home, but happier by far to connect and share their joy....

the last shall be first.....

go figure,

Tom

DIVA REVIVAL......

Sri Lanka is a land of exquisite natural beauty. In spite of this, it is still struggling to find it's way in the modern world. Though blessed with extremely talented people, being a developing island, the opportunities for aspiring artists to 'make it big' are limited. Nevertheless, locally it is a feast of beauty and artistic expression. The unique nature of the place is surely reflected in the attractive people and promotes itself in all kinds of subtle sensitivities.
Here are a selection of lovely ladies I shot for a local calendar recently. Movie stars, recording artists, catwalk queens, popular models and beauty contest champions all agreed to contribute their time and images to raise awareness and funds for women who are victims of abuse.
Enjoy.......


Shiyani


Bianca


Piorina


Rozelle

Natasha


Ann


Sachini

Rozanne

Chula

Geraldine

Nadeeka

Danielle

I thought this would be a pleasant way to ease into the New Year...
God Bless each and every one and here's to walking on the bright side all year long...

Tom