We are two boys and three girls. We grew up in a suburb of Colombo named Kandana. My parents had a traditional upbringing, which was passed onto us.
Although I was not very interested in classroom work, I was totally into netball. My family was supportive of my passion for the sport. It was that passion that got me going to school every day. I had high hopes and wanted to represent my country one day. In Sri Lanka, girls doing sports in school is a normal thing.
View this post on Instagram
So, I too got into sports with all my heart.
I don’t quite recall if I had a yearning to get on a stage or model as a child. But I do remember posing in front of the mirror all the time as a little girl.
This wasn’t something my parents liked much, but they let me be, as I was still very small at the time. My teenage years were spent in the netball court. My friends knew me as a tomboy.
I was thin and tall and obviously stood out. Being tall has advantages. It was a perfect fit for me and gave wings to my dreams of becoming a netball star.
But there was a negative side to being tall. Name-calling was something that I had to endure for years.
View this post on Instagram
Since the coastal area, we lived in had a lot of coconut trees, I used to be called ‘coconut tree’.
Now when I look back at all that name-calling and being bullied, I look at the experience as the years that made me stronger and prepared me for what life was going to throw at me many years later. But, at the time I didn’t realize that one day all that would become the biggest strength. The coconut tree was just one of the names.
The other joke frequently thrown at me was to do with my teeth. When I was growing up the coconut scraper (which was made in the shape of a stool so one could sit and scrape coconuts) was still in use in most households. It was called the ‘hiramane’ in Sinhala.
Since my upper set of front teeth was set a little forward when I was small, ‘hiramane’ was an ideal nickname and it was frequently thrown at me.
Coconut Tree and coconut scraper went hand in hand, and at school, these jokes kept repeating like a broken record. But, despite the jokes and the insults I threw myself fully into netball. However, deep inside I knew that one day I will have to follow the path of my mother and settle down and raise a family as a young woman.
View this post on Instagram
The requirement from a good girl was simple – once she leaves school, a young man would be proposed, and her duty was to become a good wife and mother. It was not my priority to think too much about a good education or to get so passionately into sports with long-term goals.
At 16 my hard work paid off and I was selected to the national netball club pool.
I felt like I had achieved my life’s dream. To get into the national club pool at that age was really something. I used to often imagine making it to the Sri Lanka team at that age and making my parents and friends proud.
Even though I knew deep inside that I would not get that kind of applause or appreciation from my parents. But there was one person who encouraged me to keep going at my dream. Even though she herself had grown up with the idea that a girl’s place was the home and kitchen, to look after the husband and the children, and she had even raised my mother to fit into that ideal. My grandmother was my biggest fan and supporter. Most often it was she who took the blame for the rebellious teen I grew up to become. I was the black sheep among the five children.
Then, one day the netball dream was shattered. I got dengue the blood count began to drop, and I was becoming weaker day by day and hour by hour. One afternoon, lying on the hospital bed, weak to a point I could not even bear to lift my head up, I felt like I was leaving this world. I had no more strength to even think that I could win this fight, and all I remember was thinking ‘is it the end?’
When I woke up later that evening, from the look on the faces of my parents and siblings, I knew I had survived death. The doctors had told it was a 50% chance of survival. They had told my parents the rest is up to whichever god we believed in. It took weeks for me to recover, and I slowly did. As I recovered the words I heard one afternoon from the doctor broke my heart – ‘your daughter should never take to netball again. Her body is too weak for sports now’. My dream was shattered. My world was shattered, just like that.
The end of my netball dream drove me into a two-year period of on & off the depression that resulted in two suicide attempts. I finally found myself again at the age of 19. I realized that life gave me two more chances to conquer my dreams. But, at the time I didn’t know what that dream was. I was just thankful that I had the courage now to think positive and get rid of depression. I realized there is a bigger purpose for me.
It was this courage and strength WHICH led me to take the long and difficult journey to the Mrs. World stage eight years later. In December 2019, against all odds and challenges, I won the 2020 Mrs. World Crown. Three visa rejections, no sponsors, a self-funded trip through a loan I obtained, a low-cost dress (the one I was crowned in), four pairs of shoes I was already using, and just enough money in hand for the taxi ride back to the airport in Las Vegas after the Mrs. World pageant was done. The odds were stacked up against me. But I had one weapon – A DREAM.
My belief is that girls are capable of becoming anyone they want to become. They are capable of achieving anything. We should encourage girls to chase dreams and goals. The best way we can empower girl children to dream bigger is by making sure they gain an education.
Yes I support Girl child education
My vision about Girl Child Education matches with the vision of project Baalika vidya hence I support Baalika vidya-An initiative to uplift rural girl child education
#myperceptionaboutgirlchildeducation
My view is that even a basic education is a must. As adults, as parents, as communities, and as governments we must look at the bigger picture. When we educate the girl child we directly impact the quality of a country’s productivity. When we educate the girl child we create a generation of teachers who will pass on the value of educating the girl child to the next generation. By nature, women are teachers and nurturers. So, when we create a platform where educating the girl child is a necessity, we create more teachers and nurturers. The impact of that contribution to a country’s workforce is immense.
It is not surprising anymore to see women heading mega corporations and multinationals in various fields. Even the contribution of women in the fields of science & technology is becoming more visible. But what we see is only the few who have managed to break through the glass ceiling and achieve their place in their chosen fields. Just imagine the number of girls who have the potential to achieve greatness, but fade away because they do not get an education.
I believe it is our responsibility.
It must be our contribution to society. This is why our voices matter more than ever. When we educate the girl child we empower her with big dreams and ideas. These dreams and ideas finally contribute to a nation’s progress. This is the bigger picture I see.
Yes, educating the girl child is in our hands. When we create a mindset that is positive about the need we will be able to change communities and perceptions. Let’s start with our communities. Let’s start today.
There is no better time than now to start changing our thinking about educating the girl child. So that she can dream big dreams and conquer them.
I am super excited to say, I am coming for a live session in project Baalika vidya, a super interesting one on one interactive conversation about my perception in girl child education and woman empowerment coming to catch us live soon
