Blogger - Q1 English

Q1

10th INSTALLATION MAIN
CEREMONY EDITION
ROTAVERSE
SYNERGIST

CONTENTS

32 03 MESSAGES

HIDDEN A few words from our dearest President and Co
MEANING Editors.

34 PICTURE PERFECT

Read through to check out some breathtaking
clicks.

AVENUE UPDATE

33 CREATIVES 08 CLUB SERVICE

An article for every question in mind, read Club engagement, read through to find out
through to find out more.

18 COMMUNITY SERVICE

How was the community benefited?
Find out.

23 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professionally developing with many
projects, read through.

31 CLUB PARTICIPATION

External Projects and Installation Ceremonies.

3

PRESIDENT'S
MESSAGE

Rtr. Lathushanan Koneswara

Talents requires a platform to receive the deserved recognition.
Creating a platform to open the doors for recognition is a remarkable
thing. It is a great pleasure to pen down the message for such platform
which has been successfully providing the freedom of space to
showcase the talents and hard work of Rotaractors of Rotaract Club of
SLIIT for years.
The trilingual issue of Blogger magazine was an initiative of the 2020-
21 editorial team, and it was an amazing experience to be a member of
that team. Years pass, and the tradition continues, the desired outcome
of Blogger being issued in trilingual form is so that readers and those
showcasing their abilities would never face linguistic barriers.
The Blogger acknowledges and appreciates the hard work of club
members in bringing various ideas to life in the first quarter of the
year.
Enjoy your read by reading about our accomplishments and objectives,
as well as a creative area that showcases the club members' creative
abilities.
Viva la Rotaract!

4

EDITOR'S
MESSAGE

Rtr. Kavindu Githmin

Rtr. Abirami Thanabalasundaram Rtr. Anuji Karunaratne

We are extremely thrilled to deliver our first message as the new Co-Editors of
Rotaract Club of SLIIT for the year 2022-23. We believe that with the
continued support of the president, secretary and the rest of the board of
officials, we will be able to justify our position by giving our maximum potential
to the club.

It is also an honor to publish the Blogger for the first quarter of the year and we
would like to thank you all for reading this magazine. These pages will guide
you towards the vast range of project articles covered under each avenue in
addition to the creative articles penned by our very own members of the club.
Immense work and effort has been put in by our lovely members and it is with
their contribution we were able to prepare the blogger.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the wordsmiths of our club
for using their imaginative skills and for translating all the articles on time while
managing their academics.

Hope you are excited and enjoy reading 'The Blogger' for Q1!

Rtr. Kavindu Githmin Rtr. Abirami Thanabalasundaram Rtr. Anuji Karunaratne

5

32nd Rotaract District
Training Assembly

Annually the Rotaract District Assembly is held to evaluate the club performance and the hard
work of Rotaract clubs of RI District 3220 and to hand over the baton to a new District
Rotaract Representative and a new District Steering Committee. The 2nd of July was not an
ordinary Saturday for the Rotaractors. The Golden Rose Hotel in Boralesgamuwa appeared to
be more delightful than any other day, with many young aspiring Rotaractors here and there.
Everyone wore a smile and enjoyed the moments of meeting their old friends from the other
clubs.The Rotaract District Secretary 2021-22, Rtr. PP Thisura Ramanayake presented a
detailed account of the RI year 2021-22 in the Secretary’s Report and mentioned the
achievements and activities of the previous year.

The District Rotaract Representative 2021-22, Rtn. Rtr. PP
Akhila Wijethunga signed out with a wonderful speech, thanking
his District Steering Committee, parents, friends, and well-
wishers. During his speech, he emphasized that the Rotaract is a
platform for creating skillful leaders and added valuable advice to
young leaders about maintaining consistency. In his remarks, he
mentioned that when he started Rotaract as a general member, he
could not speak in front of five people, but now he is able to
address any audience. He became emotional as he addressed his
fellow Rotaractors for one last time as the outgoing District
Rotaract Representative.

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Furthermore, the assembly was entertained by three aesthetic dancing
performances: two traditional Kandyan and one Bollywood dance. The entire
audience was amazed by those performances. The event also had a fun challenge
called ‘Selfie with the DRR,’ which maintained the audience’s interaction.
Rtn. Rtr. PP Ahamed Hussain was collared as the District Rotaract Representative
for the year 2022-23, and in his speech, he emphasized that everyone should have
equal rights as humans. In society, everyone should be treated equally and given
the respect and opportunity they deserve, and Rotaract is a movement full of new
opportunities for young leaders.

As Rotaractors of RACSLIIT, it was a proud moment for us since our very own
Immediate Past President Rtr. Nimsara Fernando was appointed as the Joint
Director Community Service and our very own Secretary 2021-22, Rtr. Randima
Fernando was appointed the Joint Editor of the District Steering Committee for
the RI year 2022-23.We wholeheartedly congratulate them on their new journey
on the District Steering Committee.

It is with great pride that we announce that the Rotaract Club of SLIIT was
awarded the following Awards and Recognitions at the 32nd Rotaract District
Training Assembly.

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Rotaract District Citation – Gold Distinction
Most Inspirational TogetherSL Initiative – Gold Award
Most successful continues twin club effort (continuation of twin club agreement) – Gold
Award
Most Outstanding Club blog – Silver Award
Most Outstanding Newsletter – Silver Award
Most Outstanding Club Service Initiative – Fellowship under general audience –
Melomaniac – Bronze Award
Most Outstanding Club Service Initiative – Membership expansion (for institute-based
clubs) – Rotaverse – Silver Award
Most Aspiring Leader of the Year – Rtr. IPP Nimsara Fernando
Most Aspiring Leader of the Year – Rtr. Randima Fernando
Award of Excellence – Secretary of the Month – November – Rtr. Randima Fernando
Certificate of Appreciation for Media – Rtr. Sriram Rajeswaran
Certificate of Appreciation for Media – Rtr. Randima Fernando
Spirit of Service – Rtr. Banusha Jananga
Certificate of Appreciation for hosting DCM – February
Certificate of Appreciation for hosting Sustainability Summit
We appreciate your commitment and dedication towards making the RI year 2021–22
exceptional.

PENNED BY: RTR. KAVINDU GITHMIN

CO-EDITOR 2022-23

CLUB
SERVICE

9

Annual General Meeting
2022-23

“Celebrate endings – for they precede new beginnings.”
– Jonathan Lockwood Huie

17th of July 2022 was a special day for Rotaract Club of SLIIT as the
club was saying goodbye to “To Enrich with Service” and stepping up
for “Strive to Empower Life” while inducting the newly appointed
board of officials for the RI year 2022-23. This RI year 2022-23 is
quite special as we have passed 9 years in Rotaract at SLIIT and this is
the 10th year.

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The Transition meeting was started by the outgoing President Rtr.
Nimsara Fernando by calling the house order. The event was followed by
the national anthem, Rotaract Formalities, and the Rotaract song. Next
up, was the time for Rtr. Nimsara the outgoing president’s speech to
welcome the gathering. When reciting the first speech as the incoming
President at the Annual General Meeting 2021 he started his speech by
saying “I’m Honored” and this time too he started his speech as the
outgoing President of the club by saying that “I’m Honored to be the 9th
President of this prestigious club…”. In his speech, he gave valuable
pieces of advice while it was heart-touching which made all of us into
tears. In his speech, he highlighted a quote which was said by Mark Twain
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the
dogs”. He specially thanked Rtr. PP Duleesha Waidyarathne (President
2019-20), Rtr. PP Keheliya Rajaguru (President 2021-22), Rtr. Vinuri
Galagoda (Secretary 2020-21), Rtr. Menuka Lakshitha (Vice President
2020-21), Rtr. Shashini Hewadewa (Director PD 2021-22), Rtr. Shandala
Wasala (Director 2019-2020) and Rtr. Nadev Ravindran (Director 2019-
20). Also, he thanked all the past board members and his board of
officials.

After the outgoing president’s speech, next up was the Secretary’s Report
for the year 2021-22. Rtr. Randima Fernando did talk about the awards
and certificates that the club received at the 32nd District Training
Assembly. In the Secretary’s report for the year 2021-22 Rtr. Randima
gave a brief explanation of each and every project that was conducted
throughout the year under Rotaract Club of SLIIT. Throughout the
Rotaract Club of SLIIT has conducted 53 projects.

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19 projects under Community Services.
10 Projects under Club Services Avenue.
11 Project under Professional Development Avenue.
3 projects under International Services Avenue.
6 projects under Public Relations Avenue.
4 projects under Sports Avenue.

The most awaited moment arrived. It is none other than collaring the
incoming President. The outgoing President Rtr. Nimsara Fernando
introduced the Incoming President Rtr. Lathushanan Koneswara. After
the preceding of collaring the newly appointed President, it was the time
for Rtr. Lathushanan to address the gathering for the first time as the
President of this prestigious club. After he addressed the members and
the external parties the time was up to introduce his Board of Officials.
He introduced his Executive Committee, Board of Officials, Coordinator
and Team Leaders.

Rtr. Lathushanan invited the avenue Directors to give the update on their
avenues so that the members are aware of the projects. It was coming to
the end of the Transition meeting where the Incoming secretary for the
year 2022-23 Rtr. Manisha Alwis gave the vote of thanks where she
thanked the SLIIT administration and all the members.

PENNED BY: RTR. ANUJI KARUNARATNE

CO-EDITOR 2022-23

12

10th Installation
Ceremony of

Rotaract Club of SLIIT

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
~Plato~



Last year we embarked on our journey “To Enrich with Service”. There
onwards, we worked hard to fulfill our goals and created lifelong memories
along the way. Now, we have officially stepped into the 10th year of Rotaract
Club of SLIIT to “Strive to Empower Life”. 21st of August was not just a
regular Sunday for Rotaract Club of SLIIT. The SLIIT Main Auditorium in
Malabe appeared to be more delightful than any other day. Everyone’s bright
faces, glistening with joy, testified that the Installation Ceremony of
Rotaract Club of SLIIT would be a grand success even before it began.
The event began with the arrival of
distinguished invitees followed by
the lighting of the traditional oil
lamp. Subsequently, the house was
called to order by the Sergeant at
Arms (2021-22), Rtr. Banusha
Jananga and the Installation
Ceremony was called to order by the
outgoing President, Rtr. Nimsara
Fernando. The Rotaract Formalities
were conducted by Rtr. Rishini
Bandaranayake succeeding the
National Anthem. The gathering was
then warmly welcomed by the
project chairpersons, Rtr. Dewmi
Siriwardhanae and Rtr. Kavindu
Githmin.

13
The proceedings of the Installation took place with much glamour adding
glory to the Rotaract Club of SLIIT. The Secretary’s report for the RI year
2021-22 was presented by the outgoing Secretary Rtr. Randima Fernando
along with a video clip which walked us through the memory lane of the 9th
RI year. Following the Secretary’s report, the Outgoing President Rtr.
Nimsara Fernando was invited to address the gathering and his beloved
members for one last time, and his speech laid before us the heartwarming
reflections of the previous year. He also emphasized on the fact that general
members are the lifeblood of the club. Concluding his speech as a proud
outgoing President, he congratulated Rtr. Lathushanan and his Board of
Officials. Afterwards, noteworthy general members of Rotaract Club of
SLIIT for the RI year 2021-22 were honored with the Presidential
Recognition. Most importantly, the Board of Officials of the RI year 2021-22
were presented with letters of service, certificates, and tokens of appreciation
to honour their remarkable service for both the club and the community at
large.
Time thus arrived to shift the limelight to the newly appointed President and
his Board of officials. The introduction of the Incoming President of
Rotaract Club of SLIIT for the RI Year 2022-23 evoked in us a wide range of
emotions ranging from pride, nostalgia and even humor. Rtr. Lathushanan's
beloved sister, Ashvini Koneswara gave a wonderful fun filled insight to her
brother’s life and personality. The highlight of the eve was undoubtedly the
collaring of the Incoming President. Accordingly, Rtr. Lathushanan
Koneswara was collared as the 10th President of Rotaract Club of SLIIT for
the RI year 2022-23. The newly appointed President addressed the gathering
with his timeless wisdom and even shared his beliefs on helping others as
secret source of a happiness. Afterwards, the President proudly introduced
his new Board of Officials to the audience.

14

After the induction of the Board of Officials the event elevated with splendor
and warmth by the wishes and blessings of our invitees and all those who
accepted our humble invitations. District Rotaract Representative Rtn. Rtr.
PP Ahamed Hussain addressed the gathering and conveyed his warm wishes
to Rotaract Club of SLIIT while highlighting the club's growth and years of
community work. Then the audience was addressed by the Assistant District
Rotaract Chair, Rtn. IPP Tilani Subasinghe; Guest of Honor, Rtn. Rohan
Amirthiah; Chief Guest, Mr. Uditha Gamage, Director of Student Services
and Outreach at SLIIT. Additionally, our beloved guests were entertained by
an amazing musical performance by our very own talented board members.
Afterwards, the Floor was opened for felicitations. SLIIT auditorium was
filled with the heartiest congratulations and best wishes marked by the fellow
Rotaractors.
Eventually, the 10th Installation Ceremony marked
its magnificent finale. The newly appointed
Secretary, Rtr. Manisha Alwis gave the vote of
thanks. In her speech, Rtr. Manisha Alwis extended
her gratitude to everyone who helped to make this
big day memorable. The gathering dispersed with
bright new hopes and good will for Rotaract Club of
SLIIT to embark on their voyage for the RI year
2022-23.

PENNED BY: RTR. KAVINDU GITHMIN

CO-EDITOR 2022-23

15

For brand-new members of Rotaract Club of SLIIT, Rotaverse is one of the
largest orientation events offered. It was a tremendous opportunity for them
to use teamwork and leadership skills to help their teams succeed. More than
100 people participated virtually in the Rotaverse 2022 initiative, which was
started under the Club Services Avenue.
The first day of Rotaverse 2022 was
the introductory session, which took
place on August 28th. We introduced
Rotaract and Rotaract Club of SLIIT
to the participants and invited our
Staff advisor of RACSLIIT Dr.
Kalpani Manathunga, IPDRR Rtn.
Rtr. PP Akhila Wijetunga and IPP Rtr.
Nimsara Fernando speak as our
Guests speakers for the first day. Rtr.
Akhila Wijetunga talked about “Life
with Rotaract”, Rtr. Nimsara
Fernando talked about “Fellowship
through Rotaract” and our staff
advisor Dr. Kalpani Manathunga gave
the newbies a motivational speech.
Then we presented them with a
briefing on the activities that are
scheduled for them over the next few
days. After the introductory session,
we conducted an ice-breaker activity
using the Kahoot platform to test
their understanding of Rotaract and to
encourage them to continue the
program.

16
The following day, August 29th, was the second Day of Rotaverse 2022.
There, we announced the start of the Rotaverse competition, and 11 teams
had already been formed from the participants. Each team’s coordinator and
sub-coordinator were chosen from the RACSLIIT Board of Officials and
Past Board of Officials based on their availability. A Fun icebreaker activity
was done after the coordinators introduced themselves. Then they explained
the different tasks and challenges including riddle solving, video editing,
project planning, and crossword that they must accomplish in order to win.
Additionally, the organizers revealed the deadlines for submitting various
tasks on the second day itself so that they could examine the team’s
organization, time management, and cooperation.

They were instructed to present their project ideas for the four main
pathways to their respective Coordinators on the third day of Rotaverse,
August 31st, and to complete up the submission form with their finalized list
of projects. After Rotaverse, the outstanding projects from each team’s list of
project ideas, as determined by the President and Secretary of RACSLIIT,
will be hosted by the respective team as part of this task’s uniqueness. Each
team successfully completed all of the challenges by the conclusion of the
third day, which is a remarkable accomplishment. On September 4th,
Rotaverse’s grand finale finally arrived after much anticipation. One of the
powerhouses of Rotaract family, ADRR Rtn. Rtr. PP Mindula Perera and
GCC for RACSLIIT this year Rtr. IPP Kavinda Senarathne joined us as the
judges for the final task, which involved creating a project proposal for the
best project concept as determined by our own President and Secretary of
RACSLIIT.

17
They all expressed their thoughts on each project proposal briefly and made
sure to extend their warmest congratulations to all the new RACSLIIT
members on their upcoming Rotaract journey. After a week full of
challenges, we were able to choose the winners of the different categories as
well as the overall champions after all the tasks and obstacles that consisted in
Rotaverse 2022

The Best Logo – Team HIGHGARDEN
The Best Slogan – Team HIGHGARDEN & Team WINTERFELL
Winners of Crossword Puzzle – Team VALE
Winners of Scavenger Hunt – Team DRAGONSTONE
Winners of the Funny Video Challenge – Team BRAVOOS
The Best Crisis solution Video – Team HIGHGARDEN
The Best Project Idea – Team HARDHOME
Based on the Overall performance including challenges,
2nd Runners up of Rotaverse 2022 – Team WINTERFELL
1st Runners up of Rotaverse 2022 – Team HIGHGARDEN
Champions of Rotaverse 2022 – Team HARDHOME
To all the winners and
participants, please accept our
congratulations. We were able to
provide our new members with a
deeper grasp of Rotaract Club
thanks to the Rotaverse project.
We owe a great deal of
appreciation to the judges and
guest speakers who contributed
make this event achievable for
you. We also like to acknowledge
the efforts of our newest
members. We are pleased that,
thanks to everyone’s assistance,
we were able to accomplish this
project effectively.

PENNED BY: RTR. VISHEN ATAPATTU
(CO-DIRECTOR 2022-23)
RTR. SITHUMI GUNARATHNE
(TEAM LEADER 2022-23)

COMMUNITY
SERVICE

19

RETTRHAINSHK

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used
when we created them.”
-Albert Einstein

Due to improper disposal of plastic and polythene, which were created for
human use, the damage caused to our external environment is huge.
Hence, a signature initiative named Rethink Trash for environmental
conservation with zero plastic usage, was organized by the Community
Service Avenue of Rotaract Club of SLIIT.
This is the first phase of the project for the RI 2022-23, titled Rethink
Trash as Rethink Trash has been actively engaged in cleaning activities and
supporting the 3Rs concept of conservation since 2019.

20
The Project Chairpersons for the project Rethink Trash are Rtr. Pasindu
Serasinghe and Rtr. Madhumini Gunarathne. It was presided over by Rtr.
Pasindu Serasinghe. The planning of the project started on July 10, 2022.

Accordingly, the aim of this project was to
collect plastic, polythene, tin, glass, paper
and many other things and send them to the
recycling centres. This was held on July 30,
2022, near the Malabe area. For this project,
a group of 15 volunteers actively
participated from 9 am to 12 pm.
Furthermore, we collected 6 bags of plastic,
polythene, tin, glass, paper, etc. waste and
handed them over to the Katukurunda
recycling center for recycling.
In addition, we would like to appreciate all the Rotractors who
contributed to the success of the project. Also, until the new phase of
Rethink Trash is launched, we will make sure that we dispose all non-
degradable waste such as plastic and polythene properly.

PENNED BY: RTR. KAVINDYA MUNASINGHE

EDITORIAL MEMBER 2022-23

21

SAFE HAVEN

“Money can buy you a fine pet, but only love can make
him wag his tail.”

Project Safe Haven was an initiative organised by the Community
Services Avenue of Rotaract Club of SLIIT. The project’s main aim
was to enhance the safety and well-being of animals and strays across
the streets of Sri Lanka to create a better place for them to survive.
The project commenced on the 24th of July 2022 and continued until
the 30th of July 2022, and members of the club volunteered to feed
stray animals within the Malabe area. With teamwork and dedication,
15 of our Rotaractors were able to prepare food and feed over 50 stray
dogs across the town, ensuring that they were well fed and looked
after.

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Hunger is a universal
feeling for all living
beings, and Rotaract Club
of SLIIT had fulfilled
their duty to the greatness
of the nation and its
moral progress. As the
initial promise of the
project was to conserve
wildlife and care for stray
animals, Feed a Stray is
the beginning of many
phases to follow, where
happiness will be spread
in the form of love,
safety, health, and well-
being. The project phase
was successfully
concluded with the
promise achieved to carry
out many more phases of
Safe Haven.
We would like to thank the members of Rotaract Club of SLIIT for the
successful completion of the project.

PENNED BY: RTR. SHEIKHA HANNA

EDITORIAL MEMBER 2022-23

PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

24

“A leader is a one who knows the ways, goes the way, and
shows the way” -John Maxwell

SYNERGIST is a series of training sessions organized exclusively for the Board
of Officials of Rotaract Club of SLIIT. This project was conducted under the
professional development avenue, and the Project Co-chairpersons were
President Rtr. Lathushanan Koneswara and the Secretary Rtr. Manisha Alwis.

The first phase of the project SYNERGIST was “How to Write a Project
Report Step by Step,” an informative session on project report writing, one of
the most important tasks to be completed after a project. This session was
conducted by the Secretary of the Rotaract Club of SLIIT Rtr. Manisha Alwis.
It was held on the 26th of July 2022 from 9.15 pm onwards via the Zoom
platform. The session’s main objective was to educate the board of officials on
writing quality project reports throughout the session Rtr. Manisha explained
each section one by one while emphasizing the main areas. Rtr.Manisha opened
a Q&A session where the Board of Officials raised various questions. Some of
the main points noted were Sustainable Development Goals, Rotary Areas of
Focus, and the project outcome. The audience was engaged actively throughout
the session.

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The project’s second phase was a session that taught the board of officials
about “Finance Management for Projects.” This phase was held on the
28th of July 2022 from 8.30 pm via the zoom platform. The resource
person for the Session was Rtr. Ishini Weerasinghe, Treasurer for the RI
year 2021-22. In the second phase of SYNERGIST Rtr. Ishini emphasized
the procedure of handling financial issues while conducting a project. She
also emphasized the process to follow when approaching companies for
sponsorships.

The project’s third phase was a physical session where all the board
members met at the university. It was a fun yet informative session where
President Rtr. Lathushanan expressed his Rotaract experiences, fun events,
and valuable things he learned throughout his Rotaract journey. President
Rtr, Lathushanan commenced the session around 9 am, followed by Rtr.
Manisha’s speech. Before the session, the board of officials was assigned to
5 groups with five different case studies where the teams were supposed to
plan a solution to the given issue according to criteria. During the day,
groups were considered to present it in creative ways. The session
concluded around 5.30 pm.

PENNED BY: RTR. ANUJI KARUNARATNE
RTR. ABIRAMI THANABALASUNDARAM
CO-EDITORS 2022-23

26

“When performance is measured, performance improves. When
performance is measured and reported back, the rate of
improvement accelerates.”
~Pearson’s Law~

Project Intranet was a great initiative of the Professional Development
avenue of Rotaract Club of SLIIT. This is about maintaining a tracker to
manage work easily within the board and introducing a more organized
approach towards projects. The project consisted of two phases. The 1st
phase of the Intranet was Toggle Track which was conducted exclusively
for the Board of Officials.

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Project Intranet was held virtually on the 8th of August 2022 from 9.00
p.m. onwards via Google Meets. The project was held with 36 participants.
In this session, the Intranet team, Rtr. Mohomed Rikas, Rtr. Chathushi
Janusha and Rtr. Enuka Thathsarana introduced trackers for each and
every avenue of the club. These trackers will be tracking meeting minutes,
PR & IT responsibilities, call to actions as well as the performance of
members of the project organizing committees. The main objective of this
phase was to introduce a less time consuming method while planning
projects and while organizing and maintaining project documents. This
session provided a lot of knowledge for the Board of Officials.

Phase 1 of Project Intranet concluded successfully after providing a lot of
valuable information and tracking the progress of a project. We would like
to sincerely thank the Intranet team on the effort and time they took for
the successful completion of the project.

PENNED BY: RTR. SAMADHI WATHSALA

COORDINATOR 2022-23

28

“There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and
perfectly: sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out

with charges.” ~ Ernest Hemingway



Our heart is filled with feelings. Our head is filled with thoughts. We
release those feelings and thoughts by turning them into words.
Sometimes Those words act like angels who take us with them to the
heaven. Sometimes those words tear our brain apart and show us the
burning hell. That’s the wonder of writing. Those words speak and give a
unique identity to a man. Some says writing is a hobby. Some says it’s their
passion. From my point of view, it’s a way of reading a man.

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InkIt was a writing competition that offers a chance for all creative minds
to display their writing skills with any language they prefer. First clue of
the competition was revealed on the 18th of July by releasing the topics of
the competition. InkIt provided the competitors the following topics:

1. Love
2. Nature
3. Gender Equality
4. Peace
5. Create a Short story starting from the below sentence
"The phone rang. "Hello," I said, "Hello." No one was there. I hung up.
All the lights went out..........."
After seeing this, our beloved Wordsmiths buckled themselves up with
their most convenient topic to take part of this Ink combat. Submissions
for the competition were initially opened on the 20th of July by circulating
rules and regulations related to the competition. On the very first day of
opening submissions, we surprisingly got a few articles from our
contestants. It was an obvious clue that shows the rivalry of this
competition and the enthusiasm of our writers towards the competition.

Contestants were given a fortnight to submit their articles. The portal was
closed on the 2nd of August with an overwhelming number of
submissions.
As we heard, Judges were struggling to choose one article out of all those
remarkable submissions. Finally, after a few weeks the judges came to a
decision on the winners for all three language categories. The ultimate
winners of the InkIt competition were announced as,

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· English: Pasindu Akalanka Gunawardhana
· Sinhala: Nayani Dineshika Nandasiri
· Tamil: Arshana Arjunan
Afterwards, all winners and the participants received certificates from
Rotaract Club of SLIIT to recognize their dedication and enthusiasm
towards the InkIt competition. We also opened the doors for the
participants to join Editorial Team of Rotaract club of SLIIT to sharpen
their skills on writing and opened a platform expose their fascinating
creativity to the community.

PENNED BY: RTR. KAVINDU GITHMIN

CO-EDITOR 2022-23

31

CLUB PARTICIPATION

EXTERNAL PROJECTS

HITHAWATHKAMA UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO - FACULTY OF LAW

MIC-DROP ROTARACT CLUB OF ANC

PROJECT LEAVE NO TRACE ROTARACT CLUBS OF APIIT, UNIVERSITY OF

MORATUWA AND PANCOLOMBO

POLITICOS ROTARACT CLUB OF PANCOLOMBO

SPARK OF WILD ROTARACT CLUB OF COLOMBO UPTOWN

WHO ARE YOU? ROTARACT CLUB OF COLOMBO NORTH

MEL MEDURA ROTARACT CLUB OF RATNAPURA

ROTARY-ROTARACT ROTARACT CLUB OF JAFFNA PENINSULA

අස්වැන්න ROTARACT CLUB OF CINNAMON GARDENS

SEYA RUU 2022 ROTARACT CLUB OF UVA WELLASSA

ALL ABOUT THE POX ROTARACT CLUB OF KDU

POLITICSVIO ROTARACT CLUB OF UVA WELLASSA

BUILDING YOUR NETWORK CENTRAL CAMPUS COLOMBO

GIT 101 RACIIT

CAREER TRACK ROTARACT CLUB OF KANDY

UNI 101 ROTARACT CLUB OF IIT

EPIC BLASTERS ROTARACT CLUB OF PAN COLOMBO

PROJECT SHOWTIME ROTARACT CLUB OF NIBM

FRIGHT NIGHT RACANC

TECHNICA ROTARACT CLUB OF NIBM

BEACH CLEANUP ROTARACT CLUB OF WELLAWATTE

TRIUNFO ROTARACT CLUB OF SRI JAYAWARDENEPURA

WILCARE - ZOO VISIT ROTARACT CLUB OF PEARL ISLAND

WERALA ROTARACT CLUB OF UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO

FACULTY OF LAW

MENTAL HEALTH WEBINAR ROTARACT CLUB OF PEARL ISLAND

25+ Installation
Ceremonies

PENNED BY: RTR. RISINI BANDARANAYAKE 32 Submit your Answers to [email protected] with the
subject: Hidden Meaning Submission
ASST. SECRETARY 2022-23Hello, dearest readers of the RACSLIIT blog!




Welcome to yet another challenge!




Read the following poem carefully and determine what it is
about. You may write a paragraph proving your argument or

simply state the theme in a few words and send it to us via
the form given below. Even wild guesses are accepted!
Good luck!




I stand here sturdy and strong
Proving the fierce wind wrong.

So, blow wind blow
And let the floods flow!

My warm hollow never grows cold
Echoing their songs untold.

My foliage finds joy when it beholds,
Their glorious wings that unfold.

Upright I stay
And pave the way
Until they embark on their voyage.
Let no one belittle their courage!

Proudly, I watch their flight.
Their faces look very bright!
Slowly, they fly far from my sight

Oh, the fruits of my might!

33

Section

34

STAR BIRTH

Space is an incredible field to research. From
child to adult, everyone loves to explore
Space. You can see so many stars at the night
sky. Have you ever thought that where were
the stars born? It is very dramatic to say that
stars are made from the dust. Amazingly, it is
true! Much of our bodies, and our planet, are
made of elements that were created in the
explosions of massive stars.

Gigantic, turbulent clouds of gas and dust where tens of thousands of stars are
bursting to life. The star birth is a violent process, producing intense ultraviolet
radiation and shock fronts. The radiation clears out cavities in stellar nursery
clouds and erodes material from giant gas pillars that are incubators for fledging
stars. Energetic jets of glowing gas from young stars are a byproduct of gas
swirling into newly forming stars, some of which gets channeled by magnetic
fields and shot from the poles of the spinning stars at supersonic speeds in
opposing directions. Stars are born inside great clouds of gas and dust called
nebulas. Nebula starts to give birth to stars. The process begins when a nebula
starts to shrink, then divides into smaller, swirling clumps. Each clump becomes
ball-shaped, and as it continues to shrink the material in it gets hotter and hotter.
When the temperature in the core reaches about 18 million oF (10 million oC),
massive explosions called nuclear fusion begin and a new star begins to shine.
Around 90 percent of a star’s life is spent in the main sequence phase – the middle
age of a star. The bright shining from the center of the dust disk signals the birth
of a new star. The baby star is surrounded by a disk of dust and gas. The disk has a
mass like that of the young star. Stars do not live forever. After billions of years,
they burn out, and can end their lives in several different ways.

Like animals, star also has life cycle. A star’s life cycle is
determined by its mass. The larger its mass, the shorter its
life cycle. A star’s mass is determined by the amount of
matter that is available in its nebula. Over time, the
hydrogen gas in the nebula is pulled together by gravity and
it begins to spin. As the gas spins faster, it heats up and
becomes as a protostar. Eventually, the temperature reaches
15, 000, 000 degrees and nuclear fusion occurs in the cloud’s
core. The cloud begins to glow brightly, contracts a little,
and becomes stable. It is now a main sequence star and will
remain in this stage, shining for millions to billions of years
to come. This is the stage our Sun is right now.

As the main sequence star glows, hydrogen in its core is converted into helium
by nuclear fusion. When the hydrogen supply in the core begins to run out, and
the star is no longer generating heat by nuclear fusion, the core becomes unstable
and contracts. The outer shell of the star, which is still mostly hydrogen, starts to
expand. As it expands, it cools and glows red. The star has now reached the red
giant phase. It is red because it is cooler than it was in the main sequence star
stage and it is a giant because the outer shell has expanded outward. In the core
of the red giant, helium fuses into carbon. All stars evolve the same way up to the
red giant phase. The amount of mass a star has determines which of the following
life cycle paths it will take from there.

The illustration above compares the different evolutionary paths low-mass stars
and high-mass stars take after the red giant phase. For low-mass stars, after the
helium has fused into carbon, the core collapses again. As the core collapses, the
outer layers of the star are expelled. A planetary nebula is formed by the outer
layers. The core remains as a white dwarf and eventually cools to become a black
dwarf.

On the right of the illustration is the life cycle of a massive star (10 times or
more the size of our Sun). like low-mass stars, high-mass stars are born in
nebulae and evolve and live in the main sequence. However, their life cycles
start to differ after the red giant phase. A massive star will undergo a
supernova explosion. If the remnant of the explosion is 1.4 to about 3 times
as massive as our Sun, it will become a neutron star. The core of a massive
star that has more than roughly 3 times the mass of our Sun after the
explosion will do something quite different. The force of gravity overcomes
the nuclear forces which keep protons and neutrons from combining. The
core is thus swallowed by its own gravity. It has now become a black hole
which readily attracts any matter and energy that comes near it.

PENNED BY: RTR. KEERTHANA GUNARETNAM
EDITORIAL MEMBER 2022-23

PENNED BY: RTR. ESANDI LIYANARATNE
EDITORIAL MEMBER 2022-23

To Get
To You

I’ve been runnin’ through the jungle
To get to you
I’ve been walkin’ through the alleyway
To see the Brightside of the Moon
To get to you
I’ve been waitin’ through the clouds
To catch the stars
To get to you
I’ve been crying with the dark clouds
To get to you
I’ve been looking you from every stranger
Take too much tired and anger
To get to you

PENNED BY: RTR. KEERTHANA GUNERATNAM
EDITORIAL MEMBER 2022-23

Dear Little
Flower

Dear little flower,
A different breed than the rest,
Standing purple in a sea of yellow.
They sneer and point out your flaws,
You are not one of them,
You are different.
You think differently than the rest,
You want more than what is enforced upon you,
And yearn to make them see…

To make them see that your mind
Is not as bad as they think

Dear little flower,
They sneer,
Why would you want to spread your seed?
Who would want one so soft and delicate as you?
With your strange dreams and strange looks?

I may be different my friends,
I may be quiet, I may be soft,
But what’s so odd about wanting to fly freely in the wind?
To see the world and live?
I believe -

Nonsense!
Sneer the yellow flowers,
Silly little flower, you ought to have been born yellow,
You ought to have the sense to be like us at least in spirit
You cannot fly in the wind!
You are rooted to the ground – where it is safe and stable!
Quiet now, silly little flower -
Or else we will
Uproot you!

Dear little flower…
Where is your voice?
I haven’t heard you in a long time…
Years have passed…
I come to the old field once more
And stop in surprise
The yellow is gone…
It’s a sea of purple that I see now…
A race not so cold and cruel,
One that is now kinder to those whose
Dreams guide them…
With a wild gust of wind, the purple flowers rise,

They are flying now – free from the roots that chained them down…
But where is the dear little flower who started it all?
…uprooted.
All those many years ago…

PENNED BY: RTR. ESHINI MEEGASKUMBURA
EDITORIAL MEMBER 2022-23

PENNED BY: RTR. JESSICA HASSAN
EDITORIAL MEMBER 2022-23

43

THE BLOGGER

CONTRIBUTORS

RTR. SAMADI WATHSALA

COORDINATOR 2022-23

RTR.ANUSHANTH RAJENDIREN RTR. KEERTHANA GUNARETNAM

RTR. ESANDI LIYANARATNE RTR. CHAMID DILMITH

STRIVE TO EMPOWER LIFE

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