By Bernadine Rodrigo The fact that children are our future is something human beings have agreed upon for centuries. “We must teach them good values so that their world will someday be better than ours” is a statement we hear often. However, the frequency in which this statement is heard is not an indicator of how successfully it’s truly implimented, as we see every day that children, especially in today’s society, are constantly exposed to a large variety of negative phenomena which can indeed scar them for life. Additionally, at this stage in time, no one seems to be doing anything to try and resolve the issue, nor does anyone seem to seriously care about the children of today. However, an individual recently rose to try and do his part in remedying the situation. Rukshan Perera, according to music enthusiasts in Sri Lanka, is not an unknown name in the local industry. He is famous for composing and performing songs mostly in English and which are typically inspirational and largely poetic. His album, Coming Home to You brought him much deserved fame and showcased his talent and also intent to create music which, as he has proven many times, inspires the better side of people. He also continues his series Rukshan Perera – Live in Concert for a deserving charity every year! As Sri Lanka fell into disarray last year with chaos befalling out of the blue, Perera took the opportunity to once again spark up the emotions of the country with his most recent single, Rise Up, Sri Lanka. This song aimed to bridge gaps and mend cracks which were apparently and unfortunately caused in our society. Similarly, he now takes a stand to stop the children of today from being driven into the evil ways of the present-day adult. He has launched a project through the use of Facebook known as “Little Minds, Strong Values” where songs similar to nursery rhymes but embedded with deep meanings about peace, co-existence, and good values, composed by Perera, are taught to children. Twenty-nine brand new Sinhala and Tamil songs were composed, recorded with video animation, and DVDs and USBs were produced for free distribution throughout schools, places of worship, and other child-centric organisations. Incidentally, after the Easter attacks, the song titled “Eka Mawakage Daruwo” from the Little Minds, Strong Values album was aired on television stations islandwide. The project belongs to the Rotary Club of Colombo of which Rukshan Perera was President in 2017/18. Being president of this club is another example of how involved he is in trying to maintain a better quality of life for the people in Sri Lanka. However, he is not simply one who tries to inspire people with music, but he is in fact one who can. His talent, as shown through his albums and other works, is truly impeccable. He is indeed someone who was musical by birth and was born into a largely musical family. His mother was a music teacher and was the first person to give him a piano lesson at an extremely young age. Further, while schooling at Royal College, he joined a group known as Super Golden Chimes where he performed alongside Sri Lankan musical giants Clarence Wijewardena and Annesley Malewana. This went on to be a trio which rocked the country for decades and is still remembered very fondly by many Sri Lankans from that time. While the generation he inspired earlier is now older, he is now set on doing the same, but in a far more inspirational fashion with the younger generation of Sri Lanka. Hence, the lyrics of his songs in Little Minds, Strong Values are very simple so as to be understood by the simplest child and are available in Sinhalese and Tamil languages as well. For the children to be more engaged and understand it better, despite being in their mother tongues, cartoon animations have been created, making it very appealing even for adults to watch. The compilation is all about advising children during situations where their moral integrity is challenged. Further, DVDs and USB copies of the songs can be obtained by contacting the Facebook page or using the contact details on the website – www.RotaryColomboMetro.org/LMSV. “The fruits of these efforts will not be seen for another generation, and I and the team look forward to the development of a society in which the children today become responsible and committed citizens in the coming decades,” said Rukshan Perera.