Mission Impossible

                

                 Students who were selected to the faculty of agriculture university of Peradeniya should stay in Mahailluppallama for six months to complete their practicals (the whole first semester).By  the first visits anyone will be frighten after see the place which has given to live for a semester…. Yes true when I was selected to the faculty of agriculture I also had that terrible , unforgettable ,the most sweetest experiences in my life.

                              

                                    The entrance to MI(mahailluppallama) is on 11km away from Kekirawa in Thalawa - Kekirawa road.As usually I and my father came to the MI junction with the turning of the vehical into the subcampus Mahailluppallama my heart was going out of beat with a little fear. Actually MI was located in a governments(Department of Agriculture) seed farm called  Mahailluppallama Seed Farm which was extended about 1200 acres.

                From the MI junction we went on a kaput road to our hostels…… Im not think twice to tell, that was the most beautiful scenery I have seen in the Dry Zone. I felt that I’m walking on a green carpet which was put along the whole area, yes it was so beautiful, can’t explain in words. Newly grown paddy fields were in the both sides of the road, areca nut trees were standing with the road just like receptionists to welcome us.

Then the van entered to a huge grassland which looks like Ambewela New Zealand Farm, every one was astonished thinking the presence of such a place in Anuradhapura. After a ten minutes tiredless way we were on the hostels entrance. The way to hostels from the entrance was along a mango forest, various types of ripened mangos were there as it was august.

                             Boys and girls hostels were separately. I was registered to the first hostel out of the three. Four students were stayed in a room, Pavithra ,Madushan, Sameera and I were in second room.

Everyone had come to MI with their parents except one , he is Pradeep who was sent by Special Task Force (sri lankan police) as a student. With the leaving of parents felt that wewere alone, MI was a terrible place with lot of mosquitoes and saline water. The situation was very similar from the girls hostel too.

With the fed up minds we were called for the first meeting in MI at 6 pm in common hall (place where kept for dining, gathering). The incharge of the MI sub campus senior lecturer Mr Ranbanda gave a speech releasing our home sick. There were some amazing things in RB sirs speech, one of them is the whole semester will go on food committees which is done by students themselves. With more details sir explained it ;

          

                                     “ 12 or 15 students can form a food committee, 7 boys and 7 girls should be there. Every Sunday food committees change. Every Friday the boys in the food committee should go to Dambulla market and bring food items( rice, vegetables and others for a week period) for your easiness you can use Mr Kiribandas lorry to travel. Girls are supposed to do serving of foods.”

           Then we appointed a batch representator, a treasurer …………… like some posts.  

                         Next day was somewhat familiar than yesterday, for first week the university has given us food thus still we didn’t feel the real MI life. In the noon some staff members and demonstrators were in the common hall to address us. Mr Athauda who is the proctor and animal science lecturer address us and he explained how we should be in MI…….. ,. As we were still new to MI, a life skill development program was prepared for all students., it improved our inter communication skills , leadership, and had a lot of fun for a week.

                     English pre intensive course was started after the life skill program, it was run for a month. Within this period all students are supposed to get familiar with the foot cycles which they’ve brought ( everyone had to bring a cycle and a mosquito net when come to MI), girls took the priority here ;)

In the 10^th of October our academics were started, I’m still remember that lecturer Mrs Ramya Malkanthi gave us the first lecture in university life, it was about crop science..    J

                                    Academics were somewhat difficult because there were practicals twice a week. Every Tuesday and Thursday practicals were scheduled, according to the schedule everyone is supposed to be in the field before 8 am, therefore  four hours were waiting on every Tuesday and Thursday to get our service. In the first week more than 25%of the batch were sick by the hard working ; there we had to cultivate 45 crops including rice , onion ,carrot , pumpkin ,gourds finger millets, sesame, corn ,sunflower ,soyabean………..  J J J

                        With the time no more patients were recorded, everyone enjoyed the practicals and had a plenty of mental happiness looking at the crops that we’ve cropped. The Mi six months were gone in the speed of the light, in 14^th march the 08/09 batch (us) was send to Peradeniya for other seven semesters keeping the most sensitive memories of our lives……… //