Sand Makes Perfect Bonds

A day on which every grain of sand on Mount Lavinia shoreline cheered for a group to win. The Ultimate Powerhouse, Team 1? The Creative Cops, Team 2? The avatar worriers, Team 3? Or The Modern SuperMen and SuperWomen, Team 4?

“Who are you gonna cheer for, little lady Red Seashelly?”

“Can’t decide. They all stole my heart. I’m thinking of starting to cheer after these energetic kids crown SandTastic King and Queen. Definitely, I’m taking the side of none other than Sand-Queen because only she deserves my cheers, huh.. So, whose side are you taking, Mr. Handsome Blue ShellShell?”’

“I’m gonna scream team ‘Friends’ little lady..”

A wonderful day in August which had ‘the ideal weather’ button on, and the sunbeams were kissing the ground with the perfect intensity. The sandy lovers of the Rotaract Club of University of Colombo Faculty of Science, the Rotaract Club of Kothalawala Defence University and the Rotaract Club of University of Moratuwa were gathering up for the cheerful day ahead, knowing they were going to be filled with diverse beach activities that day. The two paper crowns were proudly presented at the side of the hut to hug the naughty hair stripes of Sand-King and Sand-Queen. The little pack of chocolates was hidden in a brown paper bag waiting for the winners to surprise.

It’s time to start the countdown for the ultimate sandy magic, SandTastic!

Joy!

Waves!

Memories!

Go!!!

The day started with the ice-breaking session, which built the perfect platform for the four teams to show their unmatched spirit. The trending awurudu song, “Don Jin Jin Jin Tharikita '' was choreographed with hilarious steps making no one could take their eyes off the dance. Mesmerizing hip swaying dance steps of the team members, stole the attention of the whole shoreline. The dance was followed up by the act of Team 2 which set the bar so high. ‘Dias ge Nangi’ was serving not only beauty, that feminine walk of hers dropped the jaws of boys too. Can’t forget the bride, Dias’s wife who was draped in a red saree. From time to time ‘SHE’ used her Mangrove bouquet to hide her face, which was painted in red by shyness. We are forever grateful to Dias’s friend who helped the bride to tie ‘HER’ saree.

The sudden accession to the stage and the attention taken by the avatars, Team 3 were impressive. Sprinkling sand-dust in the name of the ‘Aang’ and reciting the magical incantation, built a whole new film hall on the beach. Team 4 gave their unwavering support by wavering their hips to ‘Passa’, the trending song. The Mangrove extensions they placed in their hips, swayed to the beat of the song while catching everyone's eyes.

It’s time to fill bottles with water. Four bottles and four teams are all set to conquer the field, waiting for the count. Three… Two… One… Go! We know scooping up water by hand and filling it into the bottles is hard. Searching for the winner is harder. All teams acted vigorously, following different kinds of tricks, with the only aim of being the champ of water bottle filling.

Then the most awaited item of the day, Sand-King and Sand-Queen took place. Seawaves hugged the shoreline more and more, like a kid who was peeking over the shoulders of tall elders just to witness the beauty of the princesses and the manliness of the princes. Who is gonna be the Sand-King? Isn’t he having the charisma that steals the eyes of ladies? I love the way she gave a Mangrove flower to our judge panel. Didn’t she just blow a kiss at the panel? I’m sure that added up marks on her sheet. All these little chitchats amongst the sea waves were haltered like magic by a melodious voice of RACUOCFOS prince. What a lovely ending for such a lovely contest.

Bringing more and more colours to the evening, the sandy stage was suddenly invaded by a large, heavy tug that could only be raised with the help of more than four men. All the participants were divided into two teams equally and started showing their power to the opponent. The tug showed no movement, only to prove how powerful both teams were. The reddened and bruised palms of the members showed how tough the competition was.

The sun is slipping down in the sky after finishing his duty for the day, just to taste the salty sea drops and have some rest. Serving as a responsible ‘sunray provider’ and protecting these naughty Rotaract kids from raindrops for a whole day would not have been easy. Witnessing the birth of new friendships, sharing enjoyment and laughter, and creating memories from an upper view may have reduced the tiredness of his job. Maybe that’s why he just waited up there for some more minutes and went like, “You kids can collect another few photographs and TikTok videos. I’ll be here for you until you finish capturing moments. Because only these will be there at the end to revive. I hug the sea every evening just to wake up the next morning fresh and ready to paint the canvas of your days with beauty. I could only rise up the next day if I had a rest today. Just like that, breathe the old chapters into life and revive the past dear Rotaractors. Only that would make it easy to embrace the future.”