Kumar Sangakkara wins LMD’s SLOTY award
Pioneering business magazine LMD announced yesterday that Kumar Sangakkara is its Sri Lankan Of The Year (SLOTY) for 2011.
The magazine’s December edition, which will be released today, says that “the celebrated cricket captain has charmed an entire nation with his heroics on the field and charisma off it.”
In a tribute to Sangakkara in LMD’s December Cover Story, former UN Secretary-General contender and highly respected diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala
– who was LMD’s 2006 SLOTY – writes: “He is an inspirational national figure, leading us on the road from reconciliation to rebuilding a new nation on a solid foundation of values drawn from our rich history as well as from modern democratic concepts…”
Asked what his message to the people of our land is vis-a-vis national unity is, in an exclusive interview in LMD, the man himself states: “Lessons of the immediate past have been graphic, impacting both the majority and the minority, irrespective of caste, creed, race or religion.
These lessons belong to all of us, lessons we must understand and use to embrace and foster in each and every one of us. Our sense of unity must come from tolerance, understanding and love, without which future reconciliation will be difficult.
Implementation of policies and development is useless if we don’t have a sense of unity that lives within the people.”
”On a daily basis, we need to teach our children and future generation of the horrors of division and the wonders of unity.
To sow these seeds in young minds are important, as they need to see people beyond the petty labels we’re so good at pasting on each other.
The message we send them should be exemplified by the way we live and the way we act, not simply in words but in really walking the talk. This is the true step we take towards development… So the message is to understand, love and foster this sense of ‘Sri Lankanness’…”, he adds.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa won the award in 2009 for bringing the 26-year-old war to an end, whilst Muttiah Muralitharan was LMD’s SLOTY last year – for his efforts on the field and for being a torchbearer of national unity in times gone by. Sangakkara is LMD’s 17th SLOTY, the first being the late Lakshman Kadirgamar in 1995.
Courtesy: Daily News
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KUMAR ! Our Heartiest Congratulations!!!.You have done us PROUD.
lIKE THE BOY ON THE BURNING DECK WHENCE ALL BUT HE HAD FLED,You courageously stood your ground when all others had other ideas of improving their lot.
You are definitely a NATIONAL HERO, and this time your comments are rational and represent the Voice of all Sri Lankans.
SANGAKKARA sound positive with his leadership, ownership and his knowledge & power. He is really great HERO to the nation with very open mind. Lets congratulate for every he was done, and hope for the very best in future.
I too congratulate Kummar Sangakkara heartily for winning this great honour! This is another feather in his cap. He is a fearless champion of what is right and correct. He deserves much more. I hope he will one day be elected an honourable Minister to serve our nation well in whatever capacity he is appointed. He is an honourable man, very talented and a huge credit to our nation.
I hope Motherlanka will produce more such Sangakkaras in the future, to serve our nation well in its road to recovery, economic stability and prosperity!
Heroes are born every day; some gain recognition while others don’t.
Recognised heroes who play cricket for their country will all their heart and soul, what do we do to them?
We starve them for 8 months with no pay, mighty Nicholas!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And to cap it all, the Sports Minister and the Blue Brothers who are responsible for this PATHETIC state of affairs, are playing a game of Criket on cool Sunday in Colombo! And Sanath Jayasooriya, MP, is in it too!! Nauseating dear Nicholas, nauseating.
SL Cricket team is visiting SA in a couple of days and I read a report from SA criketers how moved they were to note SL’s cricketers continuing to play despite their contracts not being honoured for 8 months!
Maybe a fundraiser be organised in SA to enable Dilshan and his team to send money back to their families. But hold on, the corrupt Sri Lanka Cricket is likely to swindle that money too. Even more, the money may go the Chinese Contractor who built the cricket ground in the Emperor’s backyard.
Nicholas, have you ever, as a public servant, not been paid for your services? Did you evere miss your pack packet?
In disgusting times we live, dear Nicholas. Suggest we handover Hon Sports Minister to Dr Mervyn for a bit of the “tree” treatment.
Kumaryou done it again. But for God’s sake don’t ever think of coming to politics. These days it’s for ……. but surely not for you.
I wish to extend my Congragulation to Kumar Sangakkara for his success
AUJ—MAD
The Government of the people of Sri Lanka, see how they reward their heroes.
The hero who lead an army to eliminate a threat to the existence of the nation is languishing in prison.
The hero who lead the cricket team to the finals in the recent World Cup is compelled to live without pay for his services for 8 months.
The Government of the people of Sri Lanka, never ever appreciates the work of people other than their own cotterie of drug barons and the like.
SF was never a hero. He was an immoral, vainglorious evil man, who imprisoned 2000+ valiant soldiers for daring to question his immorality and corruption. He plotted against his Commnader-in-Chief. He deserves death sentence for treason!
Dear MR.Demala Chelvan,
How did you forget the name of Mr. Arjuna Ranatunga,the Greatest Cricketer ever born to this beautiful island who by his sheer ability and captaincy brought the WORLD CUP for us was made to languish in Galle Police custody?
nicholas
have you evere been to a war zone where SF visited??
then comment . if you do not know how brave he is,just keep quite without licking asses of the criminals