‘සිතමු’ කෘතියේ අඩංගු වන්නේ මාගේ හෘද සාක්ෂියයි
සමාජ සාධාරණය, මානව දයාව හා සංහිඳියාව ගැන සිතන්න සැමට කළ ඇරැයුමක් – පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ඉම්තියාස් බාකීර් මාකාර්
තමන් පළ කළ ‘සිතමු’ කෘතියේ අඩංගු වන්නේ මාගේ හෘදය සාක්ෂියයි. මගේ රට ලෝකයේ කොයිවගේ තැනක සිටිය යුතුද? ලෝකය කොයි වගේ තැනක සිටිය යුතුද? කියා සෑම කෙනෙකුටම සිතන්න මා ආරාධනා කර තිබෙනවා. අපට රට ලෝකය වෙනස් කළ නොහැකි වුවත් ඒ සඳහා සිතන්න ජනතාවට ඇරැයුම් කර තිබෙනවා. මෙමගින් ජනතාවට සිතන්න ආයාචනයක් කර තිබෙන බැව් පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ඉම්තියාස් බාකීර් මාකාර් මහතා තමන් විසින් රචිත ‘සිතමු’ කෘතිය එළිදැක්වීම නිමිත්තෙන් කොළඹ 07, පදනම් ආයතනයේ පැවති උත්සවයේ දී එලෙස සඳහන් කළේය.
‘දිවයින’ ඉරිදා සංග්‍රහයේ පළවූ දේශපාලන, සමාජ, ආර්ථික කරුණු කාරනා ගැන සාකච්ඡාවට බඳුන් වූ ‘සිතමු’ තීරු ලිපි පෙළ එක්කොට පළ කළ ‘සිතමු’ ග්‍රන්ථය එළිදැක්වීම නිමිත්තෙන් පැවති මෙම උළෙලේ දී තවදුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වූ ඉම්තියාස් බකීර් මාකාර් මහතා මගේ හෘදය සාක්ෂිය, මගේ බුද්ධියෙන් කල්පනා කළ දෑ මෙහි අඩංගුවන බවත්, සෑම අක්ෂරයක්, ඇලපිල්ලක්, ඉස්පිල්ලකම අඩංගු වන්නේ සමාජ සාධාරණය, මානව දයාව හා සංහිඳියාව පිළිබඳ සිතන්න සැමට ඇරැයුමක් කර ඇතැයි ද හේ සඳහන් කළේය.
මෙම අවස්ථාවට මහා සංඝරත්නය, කතෝලික හා ඉස්ලාම් පූජකවරුන් ප්‍රමුඛ අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන, කථානායක මහින්ද යාපා අබේවර්ධන, විපක්‍ෂ නායක සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස, පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී රන්ජිත් මද්දුම බණ්ඩාර, රිෂාඩ් බදියුදීන්, හිටපු අමාත්‍යවරුන් වන ආචාර්ය සරත් අමුණුගම, ආචාර්ය කරුණාසේන කොඩිතුවක්කු යන මහත්වරුන් ප්‍රමුඛ දේශපාලනඥයන්, විද්වතුන්, මාධ්‍යවේදීන්, සමාජ ක්‍රියාකාරිකයන් ඇතුළු විශාල පිරිසක් සහභාගි වූහ. මෙම උළෙලේ දී ‘සිතමු’ කෘතිය පිළිබඳව මාධ්‍යවේදී චන්දන සූරිය බණ්ඩාර (විiුත් මාධ්‍ය), තරුණ මාධ්‍යවේදී තරිඳු උඩුවරගෙදර (සමාජ මාධ්‍ය) සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකා විවෘත විශ්වවිද්‍යාලයේ දේශපාලන සහ ජාත්‍යන්තර අධ්‍යයන අංශයේ ජ්‍යෙෂ්ඨ කථිකාචාර්ය අතුලසිරි සමරකෝන් (වෘත්තියවේදී) යන මහත්වරු සිය අදහස් ඉදිරිපත් කළහ.
පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී ඉමිතියාස් බකීර් මාකාර් මහතා විසින් රචිත ‘දිවයින’ ඉරිදා සංග්‍රහයේ පළවූ දේශපාලන, සමාජ, ආර්ථික කරුණු කාරණා සාකච්ඡාවට බඳුන් කළ ‘සිතමු’ ලිපි පෙළ ග්‍රන්ථයක් ලෙස ලියා එළිදැක්වීම කොළඹ 07, පදනම් ආයතනයේ දී පසුගියදා (10 දා) සිදුවිය.
මහා සංඝරත්නය, කතෝලික සහ ඉස්ලාම් පූජකවරුන් ප්‍රමුඛ විවිධ ජාතීන්, දේශපාලනඥයන්, විද්වතුන් ඇතුළු විවිධ ක්‍ෂේත්‍රයන් නියෝජනය කරමින් විශාල පිරිසක් මෙම අවස්ථාවට එක්වූ අතර ඉම්තියාස් බාකීර් මාකාර් මහතා ‘සිතමු’ ග්‍රන්ථයේ පිටපත් අගමැති දිනේෂ් ගුණවර්ධන මහතාට සහ විපක්‍ෂ නායක සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස මහතාට පිළිගැන්වූ අයුරු.
ඡායාරූපය – ජූඩ් ඩෙන්සිල් පතිරාජ
ජූඩ් ඩෙන්සිල් පතිරාජ
Imthiaz Bakeer Markar’s Thought-Provoking Book Sithamu Sparks Discourse and Reflection
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB)Member Imthiaz Bakeer Markar is a seasoned campaigner who, like other politicians before him, has found a powerful way of expressing his thoughts on politics through the written word. In his latest book Sithamu, Markar, realising that his gift for writing can create a healthy discourse in society when it comes to political issues, expresses his views on politics in a thought-provoking manner.
Daily News attended his book launch at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute last Friday, which was attended by many political leaders and other guests. The book generated great interest even at its launch. The event was attended by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.
Outspoken, vociferous, and charismatic Journalist Tharindu Uduwaragedara, Senior Journalist Chandana Sooriyabandara and Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka, Dr. Athulasiri Samarakoon spoke at the event. The book was published by Godage Publishers.
Political affiliation
Imthiaz Bakeer Markar’s family has always been affiliated with politics for a very long time. Indeed, he is a politician who has many friends in Parliament due to his affable manner. There are strong bonds between the Markar family and many in politics. His father was a powerful political figure. An old boy of Ananda College, Imthiaz Bakeer Markar is a man who won the admiration of his peers. This relationship is based on trust and loyalty.
The book written by Markar is indeed a labour of love. Markar has always stood for unity and equality in Sri Lanka. Being a politician, he has been outspoken on issues he feels passionate about. He has always wanted to give something back to the country that he loves dearly. All of this was revealed by the son of Imthiaz Bakeer Markar who spoke first. People travelled long distances to be a part of the book launch.
Markar has always respected all religions and ethnicities. He has always stood for what is right, as explained by Senior Journalist Chandana Sooriyabandara. This is why the book was penned by Markar. This is because he feels strongly about these issues.
This book is actually a reflection of society. Indeed, the attendance of so many political heavyweights, indicates that he is a man who has undoubtedly won the admiration of those not only in his own party but in other parties as well. The presence of Buddhist monks at the book launch also indicates that he is well thought of by the Buddhist clergy. The warmth with which he is greeted shows that he is a man who is respected by all.
Silver-tongued Senior Journalist Chandana Sooriyabandaracalled Markar a man of integrity and a man of noble character. “This book discusses political and social issues. Markar is a man who does not compromise his principles. This book is worthy of being read. He is a man of vision, and this is self-evident when you read this book. He has outlined the way forward for Sri Lankan society through his insightful columns on politics contained in the book. He is a man of ethics, and he is courageous. He is a man of service and compassion. Our children will one day transform this country. Because this country needs to be rebuilt.” Sooriyabandara’s comments are undeniable.
The SJB Parliamentarian Markar had a cordial chat with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. The mutual respect they had for each other was evident. There is a cliché saying that there is nothing in the world that isn’t politics. From the cradle to where we are now, it affects every aspect of our lives. Ultimately it is not the figures we quote when making a speech that counts. It is how we touch the hearts of others when making a speech. Just read this book and find out for yourself how beautifully it is written.
Political core
Dr. Athulasiri Samarakoon commented that politics is at the core of our society. The columns in the book are gems of knowledge. Samarakoon clearly felt that politics is central to our existence. “But what is politics? This is a topic and theme that we need to deliberate on. We need to think of this over and over again. Because here past and present matter. We have to look back at the past for ideas and then discuss these ideas in the present context. Politics is a global phenomenon. It transcends boundaries.
Markar in this book examines the many facets of politics. It examines the various forms of Government. It prompts the reader to think and analyse. There is no society without politics. Politics is essential. So, we need to think or more appropriately rethink. This is how we need to journey into the future. In his book, Markar attempts to explain to us his vision. Politics and leadership go hand in hand. Do we have a philosophical answer to the scourge of violence in the world?
When people are denied their rights, they agitate, and rebel. We saw this demonstrated in Sri Lanka, with the Aragalaya not too long ago. Here again, the dynamics between the rulers and their subjects come into focus. The answer to this is that we need to watchdog Democracy. We need an educated youth to take up politics. If this does not happen, then the future will indeed be gloomy. This is why the book is timely and relevant. The youth must come forwards and determine the fate of our country.”
Sentiments for motherland
Imthiaz Bakeer Markar MP, in his address, expressed his pleasure at seeing so many of his supporters there, who have travelled long distances to see him.
“This book is a result of my conscience and what I felt in my heart. The columns in this book have been formed by my intellect. I thought to myself – What is the state of my homeland? What is the state of the world I live in? We cannot change the world. But we can all contribute to the betterment of this world. This is something we are all trying to do. I believe in standing up for what is right and what is fair. I believe in compassion, harmony and loving-kindness. We can all try and fight the negative forces in society. Forces that want to harm us, turn us against each other and sow the seeds of discord. That is why I have penned my book Sithamu. We need to fight for freedom and come out of the quagmire we are stagnated in. We are so lucky to live in a beautiful country like Sri Lanka, but we are the ones who have ruined this idyllic existence. That is why we need to rethink. That is why we need to think. So let us talk and have a discourse. Let us cooperate and collaborate. Let us work with each other.”
‘Sithamu’ by Imthiaz Bakeer Markar A book that predicted Sri Lanka’s fate
The launch of the book ‘Sithamu’ penned by parliamentarian and Attorney-at-law Imthiaz Bakeer Markar was held August 10 at Sri Lanka Foundation Institute.
This book reflects the things I used to think from my intelligence. I expressed about the way how our country and how our world should be placed. We can’t change the world, but from our strengths we can contribute to those good intentions,”
– Imthiaz Bakeer Markar
The main invitees at this event were Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.
Moreover Senior Journalist Chandana Sooriyabandara, young journalist Tharindu Uduwaragedara and the Senior Lecturer at the Department of International Studies of the Open University of Sri Lanka Dr. Athulasiri Samarakoon expressed their views regarding the book.
Imthiaz Bakeer Markar is a columnist who doesn’t hire a journalist to write his articles,”
– Tharindu Uduwaragedara Journalist
Sooriyabandara focused on the current situation of the country too. Through his speech he was able to draw a connection with the ongoing political agenda in the country with the chapters of the book. He concluded his speech by requesting readers ‘not to skip’ even a single word in the book.
“Why do we read the letters in ‘Sithamu’. It is advantageous for us. In this book he has stated about the problems that we are facing today. In a column reproduced from 2022 he states that there will be a shortage of medicine. Also adds that children will suffer from malnutrition. He has stated that opportunities for higher studies have expanded. In Chapter 86 named as the ‘aththa wasa atha’ (the hidden truth) he has mentioned about the current crisis. I hand over this to you. Now we are seeing the political agenda of our country after the independence. Are you happy? Are we honest as a country? In this book Imthiaz Bakeer Markar has brought up stories about the leaders all over the world. Let’s make this country a bankrupt country. Then our children will get an opportunity to start from zero. The best solution we have right now is to make this country further bankrupt. I am sorry this is how I feel. Don’t skip even a single word or a single full stop in this book,” added Sooriyabandara.
Samarakoon in his speech said, “No matter how forcefully we tell these politicians to be philosophical they don’t listen to us. The duty of a citizen is extremely important for a democratic country”.
The event concluded with the vote of thanks made by Markar.
“This book reflects the things I used to think from my intelligence. I expressed about the way how our country and how our world should be placed. We can’t change the world, but from our strengths we can contribute to those good intentions,” added Markar.
Journalist Uduwaragedara in his speech said, “Since I am a journalist it’s my habit to read newspapers. But as a habit I skip the columns penned by politicians. I do this because for a fact I know that most of them are hired journalists who write their piece or articles. I personally know people who write in such a way. But they are politicians who don’t write like that. Imithiaz Bakeer Markar is a columnist who doesn’t hire a journalist to write his articles”.
At launch of autobiography Imtiaz Bakeer Markar makes crying call for united Sri Lanka
Celebrating the story of his life, ‘Mage Kathawa’ (my story), an autobiography by Member of Parliament Imtiaz Bakeer Markar was launched at Ananda College recently.
The Parliamentarian is an alumnus of Ananda College with a political career of almost five decades. The launch of his autobiography was therefore held grandly at the Ananda College’s Kularatne Hall paying homage to Markar’s school journey, and attended by several distinguished guests including religious leaders, former presidents Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Maithripala Sirisena, and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
As a member of a minority community in Sri Lanka, MP Markar stressed the need for promoting diversity to dismantle discrimination. “Today, I am extremely glad to see that there are individuals representing different religions, languages and parties gathered here together. This is my hope, a society and country where unity is found within diversity. We have seen blood flowing due to conflicts of religion, ethnicity, language, caste and class throughout many decades. We can’t go on like that anymore, we need a united society because every South Asian country has surpassed us now.”
He spoke about his different achievements like captaining the school’s hockey team and debate team. He said that the unity that he wanted in society was found in Ananda College during his school days, where he faced no discrimination as a student belonging to a minority community. Similarly, the country needed to be developed into one that respects and supports diversity, said Bakeer Markar.
Speaking at the event, Imtiaz Bakeer Markar’s third son Fadhil Bakeer Markar, “Capturing a life of eight decades and a political career spanning five decades in an autobiography is not an easy task. Accepting a challenge like that and witnessing his success right now highlights my father’s courage, dedication and commitment.” He said that the autobiography was not a mere story of personal achievements or challenges, but proof of his father’s resilience.
Ven. Galkande Dhammananda Thero, veteran journalists Erananda Hettiarachi and Dr. Ranga Kalansooriya also held speeches at the event.
Imtiaz Bakeer Makar honours his late son Adhil Bakeer Markar by dedicating the autobiography to him. The Parliamentarian has also previously written several books, including books “Mage Hadha gesma” and “Sithamu”.
Imthiaz respecter of freedom of speech-Ranil
Former Media Minister Imthiaz Bakeer Markar launched his book titled “Mage Hada Gasma” (My heart beat) last week. The book contains a collection of speeches made by the writer in Parliament.
Speaking at the launch, held at Ananda College, Colombo, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe valued the importance of media freedom as well as the freedom of expression. He said that the former Minister highly respected it during his tenure as the Media Minister.
“Mr. Imthiaz Bakeer Markar also did a great service to bridge the gap among different communities in our country for the well-being of future generation,” he said.
The Opposition Leader also said that no one has the right to treat another individual as a second class citizen based on ethnic differences.
Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara said the political life of Imthiyaz Bakeer Markar is a fine example to many present day parliamentarians who give political pledges to voters with the intention of winning elections. He urged them read the book “My heart beat” which will be of immense help for them to live exemplary lives.
Imthiaz’s ‘Mage Kathawa’ launched…
The autobiography ‘Mage Kathawa’ of SJB MP Imthiaz Bakeer Markar was launched at the Ananda College auditorium today (05). The event saw the participation of a plethora of dignitaries including Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, former President Chandrika Kumaratunge, Ministers, MPs, academics, and other distinguished guests.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Imthiaz Bakeer Markar launched his autobiography ‘Mage Kathawa’ at the Ananda College auditorium on Tuesday (Mar 05). Several prominent dignitaries and politicians, including Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, former Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunge and Maithripala Sirisena attended the event. Ministers Ramesh Pathirane and Ali Sabry, and MPs G.L Peiris, Sarath Weerasekera, Tissa Attanayake, and Gayantha Karunathileke were also in attendance. Senior journalist, Dr. Ranga Kalansooriya and Ven. Galkande Dhammananda Thero made key speeches during the event.
Pix by Pradeep Pathirana
