SriLanka Rs 1000

SriLanka Rs.1000

Astonishing Fact Behind the 1000 Rupees Note

How many of us know that the elephant printed with a man wearing a

cap near it, appearing on the 1,000/- rupees notes, has an astonishing

story behind it?

Every one of us familiar with the Rupees 1000/- notes for its size,

colour and so on, will not know about the factual story of the elephant

and the man with the cap near it, printed on the 1000/- rupees notes

that are now in circulation in SriLanka.

Can anyone imagine that the elephant and the man wearing a cap near it

are from the eastern province, and the man is a Muslim? Yes, they are

from the eastern province. The man is Umar Lebbai Panicker from Eravur

in the Batticaloa district and the tusker in the note was caught in

1925 in the Eravur forest and reared by him.

It is said Umar Lebbai Panicker presented this tusker to Dalada

Maligawa and within a short period, it escaped from there, and went in

search of him to Eravur. He brought it back again and handed over to

the Dalada Maligawa.

His Excellency President late J.R. Jayawardene in order to honour the

long services of the tusker, had declared it as a national asset in

1984. This tusker named as Raja adored the Esala Perehera processions

in Kandy and thus became national fame and honoured nationally.

After this, the government in power then, decided to honour the person

who presented this elephant, to the Dalada Maligawa, by printing the picture of

him, with the tusker nearby, on the notes of rupees 1000/- and the

village Eravur was thus honoured by this action.

The tusker Raja that served in Dalada Maligawa and brought fame and

honour not only for itself, but also to the person who presented it, to the

Dalada Maligawa, and the village Eravur, finally died on July 15, 1988

after serving 50 years in the Maligawa.

"Panicker "is a name given to people who catch elephants in the

forest, rear them and sell to people involved in business,

transporting or carrying very heavy materials and things. Their

decedents are still identified as "Panicker Thaththi" or "Panicker

Kathara"in Eravur. There is a road in Eravur known as 'Panicker Veedy'

named after their name.

Good Hand washing Technique

Young Sri Lankan woman wins prestigious entrepreneur competition in Mexico City

Fathuma Nisreen, owner of a bag and garment making business in Sri Lanka, has been named the winner of an international competition for young entrepreneurs, organised by Youth Business International (YBI).
The Sri Lanka business woman was announced as the YBI Entrepreneur of the Year last night at a prestigious awards ceremony in Mexico City, after being interviewed by a judging panel of experts on business and entrepreneurship.

The award reflects the challenges that Fathuma has overcome as well as the huge potential that she has to act as a role model for other Muslims in her community and inspire other women around the world.
In a joint statement, the panel said:
"We chose Fathuma because the award will have the biggest impact on her, her family, her community and send a strong message to the world that women are able to start a business while remaining true to their family values. We thought it was remarkable that she was able to start up her business without having to give up her religious and cultural identity.

Overall, we found in Fathuma the courage to overcome tough times, the intelligence to maintain the family as her main motivator, the vision to grow and most of all, the happiness of building a successful business."

The YBI Entrepreneur of the Year competition celebrates the achievement of young entrepreneurs around the world in building a better world for themselves and others. The competition is supported by Barclays Capital and is now in its fourth year.

Fathuma Nisreen has become a role model in her community for her successes in overcoming the restrictions facing Muslim women entering into business, by setting up a design and manufacturing enterprise specialising in traditional outfits and bags. She was able to start up her business with the support of Youth Business Sri Lanka, an accredited member of the YBI network.

Fathuma was competing against three other young entrepreneurs in the competition:

1. Colin Davison from Canada: Stealth Acoustical Control & Emission Inc
Colin's business enables industrial businesses to reduce noise pollution and employs around 60 other people.

2.Alex Tam and Felix Chung from Hong Kong: Ecosage Ltd
Alex and Felix are helping to tackle the waste crisis in Hong Kong with their recycling business, as well as creating employment for many of the city's ragpickers.

3. Shriram Kaluke from India: Shri Ganesh Enterprises
Overcoming a difficult background, Shriram has grown a business providing cleaning services for water tanks, employing 14 people and servicing 1500 clients.

The judging panel comprised of:
Guillermo Baeza, co-founder of Mexican food company Grupo Bafar
Pedro Tejero, Managing Director of Barclays Capital Mexico
Stuart Macdonald, founder of Seric Systems in Scotland and ambassador for YBI
Laura Suarez, Editorial Director of Entrepreneur magazine in Mexico.

Fathuma will receive prize money of US$5,000 from Youth Business International, as well as an invitation to travel to London for a dinner at St James's Palace, which last year was hosted by The Prince of Wales.