RanaViruMeetUp

If you know the right people on Twitter, then you are sure to be invited for a number of different events or meet ups. There’s TweetUpSL, the many mini TweetUps, there was GalleByRail and so many more. These events are planned, people are invited or asked to attend, the event is tweeted about and then life goes back to normal until another event is decided upon.

However, not all of these events are about having fun. RanaViruMeetUp which will be happening on July 25 is bound to be less about the tweeps and more about the armed forces or war heroes.

Usually, the armed forces are only remembered in May, when people argue over if the end of the armed conflict should be commemorated each year, while others suddenly remember their patriotism. Some opt to put up the national flag and share posts about the people who actually fought the war. Others can’t decide if they want to call it Remembrance Day or War Heroes Day.

The men and women in uniform, dead or alive, who carried the arms we were too afraid of and were part of the battles that finally led to ‘peace’ are heroes, there’s no doubt about that. And they aren’t superman or batman type of heroes, with clean and shiny outfits and superpowers which mean they are always safe at the end. Those of the armed forces didn’t have lavish apartments and luxury to go home to after a day of fighting evil. Instead they spent months in dense forests, living in fear.

Six years ago, we were eager to praise and commend them. As the years passed by, we forgot their heroic acts. Now we hear of ex-military men who work as drivers or security guards. We hear of soldiers who have no legs or arms and are ignored by people. We have stopped picturing them at the battlefield when we see a man limping or using a wheelchair. We are forgetting.

Your time is all they need.

On July 25, a group of people will be going to Ragama to spend time with those at Ranaviru Sevana. People have questions about the motive behind this and if the donations will be put to good use. However, the site and various event accounts constantly keep people updated. Maybe it won’t be as great as it’s made to seem, but you wouldn’t know unless you go for RanaViruMeetUp.

According to the event site, Ranaviru Sevana doesn’t accept cash donations. However, this doesn’t mean they aren’t in need of donations. Below are items that can be donated to Ranaviru Sevana.

• Wheel chairs
• Elbow Clutches (Comfort brand)
• Ceiling fans
• Stationary items (A4, A3, notepads etc.)
• LQ 2090 ribbons (for printer)

The RanaViruMeetUp site has all the information you need.

I’m sure there will be people who take a billion and one selfies and tweet to and about everyone they meet, but none of that matters. What matters and what’s important is that you can spend time with people who have fought to end a thirty-year period of darkness. That’s not much to ask for.

Consider it. Make a donation. Attend. Find some time to be with people who deserve it.

At first, it felt weird to type this. It came as a request, and yesterday, when I began typing it, I looked at it as something I was typing because I was told to. Today, I managed to write the post because I changed the reason I was typing this. I find the event interesting, would love to attend and so, it didn’t feel wrong or forced to write about it.

We tend to use our words for the wrong reasons. We tend to use our time for the wrong things. Maybe RanaViruMeetUp will be a right thing to use your words and time for. Spread the word and keep the 25th free.