The Rotaract club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura, I wrote these eight words and stared at it for a couple of minutes thinking of what to write next.

This club would have surely made remarkable memories in everyone’s heart. Sometimes it was leadership, sometimes it was friendship, and sometimes it was something which we never could express in words.

As a club, we are passing our 10th milestone with so much of pride. But if we look back at ourselves as individuals what we have learned, the journeys we have passed, the friendships we have created, and the memories we have got, I’m sure that me, you and everyone who is reading this would utter the same eight words named The Rotaract club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

The Rotaract year 2020/21 was not a usual year. We started it with so many plans and hopes, but at the end of the story, we met each other only from a screen. Everything was transformed into a word named virtual. But under the presidency of Rtr. Amasha Sirimanna our club stood against this global pandemic achieving milestones throughout the year. 

The Blog Milestone was something we had in our minds from the very first day. RACUSJ holds one of the largest member bases in the Rotaract district 3220. Giving recognition to our club members and showcasing their creativity was the prime goal we had.

Hence, we decided to relaunch our official blog, featuring more space for our club members to shine. Especially to the content writers and graphic designers because we merely believed that they were the silent workers of each project. Day by day, our hard work paid off. Our team got stronger with different members who penned creativity in different ways. The new look of our blog brought us three main columns.

Our PROJECTS Column….

This was the remarkable place, we reserved for our very own projects. The column focused on publishing articles on the club projects we do. We brought our memories of every project, expanding the depth of what we do as a club. 

Our BACKSTAGE Column….

Rotaract helps the needy, serves nature, and moulds your personality, but apart from all of that the biggest thing it gives you is friendship. Backstage was a place where we penned fellowship, unforgettable memories in Rotaract, and of course the creativity of our very own club members.

 Our NEWS NEST Column….

A sneak peek of globe stories, international days, were featured in this column. Also, our Rotaract theme for the year 2020/21 went in line with promoting diversity thus, national festivals in all religions were showcased here to accept the diverse differences we had.

This journey was never a one-man show, I always had them behind me believing RACUSJ blog. To be honest, sometimes they believed it more than me. A team of 20 individuals came up together just because of a word named BLOG.

They have never met each other physically as a team, but whenever they faced difficulties, they took it up together. From the day we were relaunched up until now, they penned their creativity in different angles. On some months I received articles beyond the limit line, but I really couldn’t do anything because every article revealed a different story in Rotaract.

Some had the inborn talent of writing where some were new and were trying to find the hidden talents of them, and I was the person who stayed quiet, giving them a chance to find themselves in Rotaract. But I must say, the thing I learned from you all was though we only met from a call or from a screen if you have trust you can create lifetime true friendships. 

Introducing the first-ever Editorial Team of The Rotaract club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

The Editorial Squad 2020’21

Rtr. Akini Karunarthna was lucky enough to pen down the very first article to our relaunched blog. A very dedicated individual whom I met from our blog journey. I can still remember that call where I told you about the 30th Rotaract District Assembly and right after 45 minutes I received what we discussed as an article.

And I was surprised in typing a “Thank You” message in return. Highly appreciating your commitment, you had in making our blog shine, and wish you good luck with all your future endeavours.      

Coming to our lady Doctor, Rtr. Reema Shakir we probably think that medical students are busy right Yes they are, but this lady always said that service can be done in various ways, and she proved it in penning down in our blog covering so many wide topics. Also, she was featured in Someone’s Daughter second edition magazine, showcasing the beauty of writing. Thank you so much for all the efforts you have put in to make our blog a success.

Next, we have the Growing Green Gang, sometimes they were so cute to handle, and sometimes they were so hard to handle!! 

Starting off with Rtr. Hasini Wijayasantha, HALLOWHAT, HALLOWHEN & HALLOWHY ABOUT HALLOWEEN hope you remember this title young lady, it was your very first article, and it was the very first article for the backstage column too. Starting from that day as an individual, you always went beyond my expectations.

You were the one who wrote the most number of articles for our blog, and you ended up winning the award for the most creative blog article for the year 2020/21.

I would like to introduce you as a personality who is dedicated to your work and who meets deadlines to the point, and mostly you are with everyone and everyone is with you. Be the humble person you are, Hasii and good luck for a great Rotaract year ahead.

(And thanks to all the bear stories… our prime goal was to discuss articles, but it always ended up with a bear story.)  

The Cutie in town Rtr. Oshani Samarakkody, the very first conversation of ours was very formal, and you had a big question whether to call me akki or not, and you took a long time to realize that we were the same age.

I still remember when I went through your very first article which was about SDGs, I had a strong feeling that you will definitely walk a long journey in RACUSJ. And yes, you did she was awarded the silver awards for the most creative blog article and the most outstanding project report for the year 2020/21. 

Oshani was a very soft-spoken individual who penned feelings into words. She maintained a unique writing style and always humbled one sentence. “I have enjoyed and still enjoying each and every second working for the RACUSJ blog” Wishing you nothing but the best for a great Rotaract year ahead Oshani, and we’ll definitely take a picture when we meet again. 

Moving on to the Nature Lover Rtr. Nethmi Ranasinghe, she was also a very talented personality who loved writing so much. Most of the articles she wrote were about nature, which went in line with the Environmental Service avenue.

Nethmi was the one who initiated the World Environmental Days’ article series, which added more glamour to our blog. Although writing wasn’t something new for her, she managed to cope up with the other unfamiliar faces and took their pens to word the Rotaract year gracefully. Highly appreciating the dedication, you had throughout the year to make our blog more shine and all the very best for your future endeavours.

(To be honest, she was someone who texted me recently asking me whether if she can write to the blog, though we’re done for this year. And I said yes!!!)

Next in line, Rtr. Nethmi Wimalasena, for a moment I was thinking what to write about you.

I’ll start like this, seen whom you are today is one of the happiest moments I have in my Rotaract journey. She was a personality who grew from Rotaract and who loves to learn. An individual who was well committed and mostly she had a big heart for everyone.

Nethmi was the person who walked randomly to our team, but now only I understand that every random thing matters so much. She won the silver award for the most creative blog article for the year 2020/21 while she was the best member of the club service avenue. Thank you is not the word I can tell you because you believed RACUSJ blog more than me.

Hope you will make the best lemonade in town next year. Young Lady, the next chapter of RACUSJ blog is yours!!!

Rtr. Minushi De Silva, and now what can I write about this lady. To strive in Rotaract more than anything, you need to be humble. She is a character who has the ability of winning everyone’s heart through humbleness.

Minushi was so close with community service projects and because of that, I got the chance to move around with her more frequently. Her time managing skills and neatness made me invite her to the blog team. She penned so many articles concerning different topics, adding glamour to our blog.

Also, she was awarded the most outstanding young personality award for the year 2020/21. Wishing you all the very best and hope you will take our club to greater heights.

Moving to Rtr. Kavishka Jayasekara, another soul who gave her best to make RACUSJ blog special. Comparing the others members of the team, she had more experiences in Rotaract since she joined it in 2019.

Genuinely, she shared all her beautiful memories with others, and it helped the newcomers pen the worth of Rotaract meaningfully. Kavishka was the editor of the project Literato’21, and she was also featured in Someone’s Daughter second edition magazine, sharpening the beauty of her writing skills. Thank you so much for all your efforts and wish you good luck.

The hyperactive fellow in the Editorial Squad, Rtr. Pomuditha Katugampala,

The person who kept our group active was him. He had his unique set of stickers which entertained all of us. The most common one was “hey මගේ පොඩි යාළු… අපි නෙලමු the ඕලු… ගඟට යමූ… ඔරු පදිමූ… මල් නෙලමූ… කවි කියමූ” and the group gets fired.

But this humble individual showed his talents penning in both English and Sinhala as well as in moderating. He was the chairperson of the remarkable project Someone’s Daughter Volume 3 and was featured on the official website of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura for the Voice it App article.  Pomuditha also won the silver award for the most creative blog article for the year 2020/21. Thank you for all the efforts and wishing you good luck in all your future endeavours.

Next up is the most silent character in the squad Rtr. Tinaya Wijethunge, the person who admires everyone.

When it comes to her writing skills, it was her passion, and she always said that I write what I feel. Orange the world in 16 days was her very first commitment towards the blog, and it was featured on the Chokolaate magazine on the 10th of March.

Though she joined late to our team, she found herself improving and wrote significant articles about our ongoing club projects. Tinaya ended up her story winning the bronze award for the most creative blog article, and also she was the best member of the Community Service avenue. Hope you will keep your enthusiasm for the next year as well. Good luck with everything!

Creativity does not have any limits or barriers, the massive example is them. These individuals penned creativity from all three languages.

Rtr. Nishmi Nishara and Rtr. Sewmini Bandaranayaka were the ones who penned most of the Sinhala articles in our blog. They used a very simple, attractive way of writing where it grabbed the reader so well. And mostly they were always happy to be in this team. They wrote not because of the sake of writing, but thinking that it can be a service too. Highly appreciate all your efforts and wishing you good luck for a great Rotaract year ahead.

Rtr. Shermila Dewapurage, had the talent of penning in both English and Sinhala languages. Her writing style was very eye catchy, and it grabbed the reader at any instant. She was also talented in translations. Most of the English and Sinhala translations in the blog was done by her.

Shermila won the bronze award for the Sinhala article Orange the world in 16 days. And always she was a character who was willing to write at any time because she loved writing. Thank you so much for all your hard work and wishing you all the very best for your future.

Rtr. Srinath Udayachandran, the one and only fellow I had who wrote Tamil articles. This individual showed up his talents in penning down all the Tamil articles in the blog. He was also very well talented in translating. Appreciating your hard work which made our blog more shine. Good luck with a great Rotaract year ahead. (And thanks for teaching me Tamil) 

Next in line, Rtr. Eesha Madugalle and Rtr. Ishini Suriyarachchi, this duo was also very well talented in writing. They maintained a style that was unique to them. Rtr. Eesha was also featured in Someone’s Daughter second edition magazine, showcasing the beauty of her writing skills. It was a pleasure to have you both in our squad, and thank you so much for all the support. Wishing you both all the very best in your future endeavors.  

And the GRAPHIC DESIGNERS for the year 2020/21

Rtr. Dinuka Lakshan, I would like to introduce this personality as the GIANT INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS ALWAYS BEHIND THE GIANT WALL. The blog milestone would have been a dream for all of us if not for this individual. Thank you is not the word I can use for you, the immense support you gave throughout the year made RACUSJ blog shinier.

And mostly apart from your talent, humbleness is the quality which I admire the most. Thank you so much, Dinuka and wishing you all the very best in your future endeavours. (By the way, thanks for tolerating all the PR related questions of the 10th Editor)

Rtr. Ushan Kavindu, another personality who was talented in video editing and graphic designing. He showed up his creativity in making eye-catching videos for the blog, and he was awarded the bronze award for the best video editor 2020/21. Thank you for all the hard work you put on into the blog, and good luck with all your future work.

Next up Rtr. Manuja Kariyawasam, though he joined late to the team, he managed to be someone remarkable in our team. A very well talented video editor who always took challenges and ended up the story on a high note. He won the gold award for the best video editor 2020/21. Highly appreciating all the hard work, you did to make our blog shine, and wishing you all the very best for a great Rotaract year ahead.

Rtr. Nipuni Rajapaksa, was a good listener and a very creative video editor who met deadlines to the point. She had the passion of loving the work she does. Rtr. Nipuni won the silver award for the best video editor, and mostly she never thought twice to take up responsibility. Thank you so much for all your efforts, it made RACUSJ blog feel special.

Good luck with a great Rotaract year ahead. And also I would like to thank Rtr. Yeshika Fonseka and Rtr. Keashan Hapuarachchi for giving their support towards our blog when it was needed. You guys are much appreciated.

Meeting this TEAM was the biggest thing I got as the 10th Editor. Hats off to MY EDITORIAL SQUAD 2020/21.

Truly, you were the silent workers behind the giant wall. Hope each one of you will find yourself in this great movement because you really don’t know what Rotaract can do to your life.

We had a journey of 8 months, we published 58 articles, we passed 10000 views. Everything comes to an end when the clock ticks. But there is one thing that time can never stop. It’s the loving memories and bonds that we have created throughout.

Indeed, the blog milestone was a remarkable journey for all of us. Our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made RACUSJ BLOG feel special.

8 months back, on the same day, same time our blog was relaunched and today the 26th of June at 6.00 pm we are stepping down for the year 2020/21.

And it’s not from the BACKSTAGE…

The 11th Editor of the Rotaract club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura it’s over to YOU!!!

Signing Off

Rtr. Harumi Rathugama

Editor 2020/21