Weaving life through a century
Life is not the same for all. When one was born to an affluent family, another would be born to a family that could not even afford their own bread and butter. In an era when every facet of life is valued, talents and creativity too are not given a special place. Every individual is born with a talent, yet unfortunately, many do not identify them. These talents are often taken for granted since they do not make much of a contribution in the fast track to success. However, on the contrary, some individuals would even go to the extent of making a living from their creative skills. This is a story of one such extraordinary heroine from the remote village of Nayamulla, Morawaka, in the Matara District.
Living amidst a breathtaking setting of the Morawak kanda, Ridiya Gamage Alpina, 104 years old, is a loving mother of seven children. She is an individual who is loved by everybody in the village. Weaving mats from pieces of clothes is what she loves most. Clothes with vibrant hues are woven in different patterns and with colourful threads till she is satisfied with her product. With a slight hunch, naturally aged hair and a bright smile, she spoke of her century old collection of memories which consists of good old stories from her neighbourhood, the hardships she faced and those of her children and would smile away with tears of joy. She travels to the town, a few kilometres away from her house, all by herself, to collect her share of clothes from textile shops. According to her, the owners of these shops willingly lend her the clothes and was very supportive. Speaking on one of the techniques she uses for her designs, she said “I sew knots of clothes as they are in circles and in ascending order, till the circles get bigger. When I feel that the mat is of a considerable size I then sew them vertically in coloured threads till I get a design as below. It would take about two weeks to finish one of these products.” Likewise, starting from the entrance, her house is adorned with the colourful mats she has designed. She proudly states that not everybody can do this sort of weaving. Many ladies would come to her and request her to weave the mats for them and in turn she is given some compensation. Another significant fact about her is that she has been a mid-wife through the years. Having attended a hundred ceremonies as a mid-wife within her neighborhood, she proudly spoke of how she had helped the fellow would-be mothers.
According to psychological analysis, an artiste is likely to possess a significant inner peace of mind and his/her level of intellect is slightly higher than that of an ordinary individual. Realizing the complexity of her designs, one could come to the conclusion that she is engaged in a kind of meditation while designing her products. Striving through numerous hardships, she now enjoys the care and affection rendered by her great grand children. Her grandchildren speak about her with extreme pride. With an evergreen smile to adorn her face, she spoke of how happy she was to be with them. As a grandmother, her only dream is to see them succeed in their lives.
According to her, the owners of these shops willingly lend her the clothes and is very supportive