Sunday, March 27, 2011

Bloggers Meet....


Human beings are social animals. They like to communicate and connect with the world all the time. Through telephone calls, text messages and social networks, people keep in touch with one another. Blogging has become the latest and popular trend of expressing ideas.

Many have become published writers through this novel concept. They exchange their experiences, views, and opinions through these blog sites. Another plus point of blogging is that writers get instant comments for what they write or post. This encourages budding writers. Not only writing, there are blog sites dedicated to photography as well. Many popular websites hosts blog sites free to provide the foundation for these upcoming bloggers.
When blogging became popular around the world, we, Sri Lankans, customised that concept according to our standards by starting Sinhala blogging. Lankan bloggers typed Sinhala, using various keyboards and converters, on popular blog sites.
This method reached the common man. Anyone who can type Sinhala and English and who can handle a computer can start reading and writing blogs. When the number of blog writers and blog readers increased, many people formed groups to support writers and increase traffic to these sites. Day by day, many got addicted to the habit of reading and writing blogs. It has now become a part of their daily routine.
When time passed, these blog writers and readers made many virtual friends in this virtual world.
Keeping these friends in mind, a few months ago a group of blog writers decided to meet at an event to bring writers and readers from the blog world to one common point.
For many months, they discussed it. When one of their fellow blog writers and a television program editor, 23-year old Dilum Bandara needed a large sum of money for an operation, they realised the value of having a gathering. Since the Sinhala New Year was round the corner, they decided to hold a ‘New Year festival’.
“We thought of organising a ‘New Year Festival’ to fulfill two wishes, one is to meet virtual friends we met in the cyber world and the second is to find the money needed for the operation,” said the event organiser Pasan Maduranga.
This is the first ‘Sinhala New Year festival’, organised by bloggers for bloggers. Therefore, it will be a historic event. The ‘festival’ will be held on April 3 at 9.30 am at the Henry Pedris grounds and will continue till 3.30 p.m. “We welcome anyone who wishes to participate,” said Pasan.
Participants can take part in many traditional games and some new fun games. They can also meet famous Sinhala blog figures at the event,” he said.
The games planned for the day, include tug-of-war, eating buns, Wheelbarrow race, selecting the Avurudhu Kumari and Kumaraya and counting the number of seeds in a fruit are sure to attract many competitors. For those who have the ability to run, they can participate in the 100 metres men and women’s race.
They can also take part in the couple event titled. ‘The three-legged race’. For those who love mystery, games such as ‘finding the hidden guest’ and ‘the secret of the box’ will bring loads of fun.
At the end of the day, the organisers have planned a musical evening and a meeting for bloggers. “If you make it on that day, you are sure will have no regrets. You will have a fun-filled day and at the same time you will contribute to a good cause,” Pasan said.

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