Olympian Ranatunge Karunananda participating in the 10,000 m race, 1964 Tokyo Olympics

Pages: I have two regrets about Thushanthi Ponweera’s writing – first, I wish she had started writing when my daughter was younger so that she could have appreciated her inspiring books so much more; and second, I wish that her books were available for purchase in Sri Lanka.

I’ve been reading Thushanthi’s posts about her books and deeply appreciating her work for quite a while now. When she announced her latest book, ‘Crossing The Finish Line,’ I was so happy to see she had chosen to write about an outstanding man who left a legacy worth remembering – and celebrating.

This nonfiction picture book biography is about Sri Lankan Olympian Ranatunge Karunananda, who participated in the 10,000 m race at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. 

Karunananda was a soldier but his first love was running, says Thushanthi, recalling how he truly made his mark at the Olympics, not as a winner but as the best loser – he simply did not give up even though he was the only one left on the field for his final four laps.

“This spirit of seeing something through, of putting his country before his pride, of not giving up, and also his humility and strength really resonated with the Japanese people, who hailed him as a hero. In fact, he was invited to Japan along with his family, but sadly died by drowning shortly before his departure from Sri Lanka,” she said.

“However, he didn’t receive any attention and appreciation for all this from his own country. In fact, it was Japanese divers who even recovered his body. And although his story makes the rounds on social media now, I don’t think he has been recognised, even posthumously, by Sri Lanka,” she added.

For Thushanthi, writing about Karunananda is her way of contributing to his legacy: “His story is unusual but it shouldn’t be. He showed us how important it is to do your best, even if it isn’t the best by society’s standards, and I think that it is a valuable lesson for any child or adult anywhere in the world.”

‘Crossing The Finish Line’ was illustrated by Maithili Joshi and published by Union Square Kids earlier this month in the US.

Given the inspiring legacy she’s been steadily building as a writer, I cannot wait to see what Thushanthi will write next. Here’s hoping local publishers will take note and ensure her books are available in Sri Lanka soon!

Poems: today is ‘Random Acts of Light Day,’ started by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) – the world’s largest voluntary health agency for blood cancer patients. According to the LLS website, on this day, observers are expected to bring light to patients suffering from blood cancers and other cancers. 

In light of this day, I share this hopeful poem, titled ‘What Cancer Cannot Do’.

Cancer is so limited…

It cannot cripple love,

It cannot shatter hope,

It cannot corrode faith,

It cannot destroy peace,

It cannot kill friendship,

It cannot suppress memories,

It cannot silent courage,

It cannot invade the soul,

It cannot steal eternal life,

It cannot conquer the spirit.

While this poem has often been attributed to Ann Landers, it was actually printed in her newspaper column on 30 December 1994 after a reader from Quebec had sent it to her. He had seen it in his local paper and passed it on, suggesting that her audience would appreciate its reassuring words. The author of the poem is unknown.

The VoC Cafe beef stringhopper kottu is consistently delicious

The Bars version is generous, spicy, and served steaming hot

The Kottu Canteen version, while different, is quite tasty

Plates: Sri Lankans, understandably, often crave kottu. So do I, but not godamba roti kottu – I love stringhopper kottu, with beef. And in my quest for a good beef stringhopper kottu, I’ve found three places that do it well. 

First up is the VoC Cafe at the DBU – this dish is delicious, generous, always hits the spot, and, most importantly, is consistent in terms of flavour so I am never disappointed. Pour the gravy over it and dig in –  you won’t be able to stop. Things have come to a point where I have to stop myself from ordering it, simply to avoid eating the same thing over and over again – which I am known to do (and enjoy). It definitely helps that there’s lots of other fabulous stuff on the menu, especially with the interesting food promotions going on.

Then there’s the Bars version – again a great portion and comes with sides of gravy and chilli paste. The beef pieces in this are rather chunky and not always the best, but overall this kottu makes for a great hot and spicy meal. In fact it makes for two meals for me because Bars portions – be it rice, pasta, or kottu – are quite generous. While the picture shows the beef served separately, it is actually mixed into the kottu.

Finally, there’s the version from Kottu Canteen, which is different from the other two in that the beef is served separately atop the kottu as a curry. The kottu is laced with veggies and egg, while the beef boasts a thick and spicy gravy. This portion is not as large as the other two but definitely ticks the box on flavour and is sure to satisfy.