Simply Giving

It was in early November that  I read a story of a very selfless woman in Thanamalwila.  Known as Buth Amma, she is Nandamalini who provides a daily meal to over a hundred children in a primary school.  A firm believer that the best nutritional meal could be grown and cooked at home, Nandamalini began home gardening firstly to feed her three children and then other children as well.  What she learned about home gardening from the Divisional Secretariat and the World Food Programme operating in her area made her more interested in the subject.  

In her home garden Nandamalini cultivates vegetables, fruits, nuts and herbs, all of them organic, and is aware of the nutritional value of every ingredient in the meals she cooks.    The rice she gets from her father’s paddy field.  
Nandamalini  is up at three in the morning every day to tend to her garden and begins her cooking at around six.  With the tremendous support from her family, especially her husband who helps her with the cooking, gardening and does the shopping for the necessities, she manages the entire project.   Her earnings from the sale of vegetables are directed towards the education of her three children.  Her motto is “when providing a service, if you consider all the children of the world as your own, you simply cannot go wrong.” 

Nandamalini has made it truly clear that we do not have to wait for Christmas or a birthday or a death anniversary to help the less fortunate.  All that is required is some kindness and willingness to help someone.  It does not have to be a vast number of people or a great amount of money, just helping one or two persons, and empowering them to get on their feet and navigate the world is all that is required.  

This pandemic has shown us that nobody is spared.  We have now reached a stage when we think twice before accepting an invitation, not knowing the state of the virus spread in an area.   Many have sensibly decided that instead of feeding the greedy this year, to feed or help the needy and celebrate the birth of Christ in prayer and family celebrations. 

The pandemic has also made most of us realize how fragile life is.  Think about it and help one person to start with.  When you see the person blooming, like a plant that has been lovingly nurtured, life certainly will show you that the joy of giving in any form from the heart is the best happiness that could be enjoyed in this world.

It was in early November that  I read a story of a very selfless woman in Thanamalwila.  Known as Buth Amma, she is Nandamalini who provides a daily meal to over a hundred children in a primary school.

It was in early November that I read a story of a very selfless woman in Thanamalwila. Known as Buth Amma, she is Nandamalini who provides a daily meal to over a hundred children in a primary school.