The Bicycle Diaries............

Wadjda is a mischievous tomboy in Rayadh,SaudiArabia,It does not matter which country do you live bicycle  is a dream of every child.
Children love their bicycles,adults never forget their bicycle,

Wadjda  only wanted to ride a bicycle but mother does not agreed to buy it,Also mother has to spend money instead of for a bicycle,for an  expensive frock  to seduce her husband  who is going to get a second wife soon.

Things are not fine with Wadjda,even she crammed all  verses in Quran and won the competition she did not get  the price,the school teacher donated to Palestine   as  a punishment of her honesty.
I don t think Islam does  punish  of being honest,it s only the way of you interpret the religion.

Her attempt of buying the bicycle failed,Mother also  failed of convincing  to her husband not to take a second wife. Later mother bought the bicycle instead of the expensive frock .

The father in that film is not a person who can't afford a bicycle ,but simply he does not want his daughter riding a bicycle.

There may be lot of reasons behind the father's decision but for my experience .
the reason is some  countries  which are consider loosing virginity before marriage is a serious crime so that they  do not allow girls to ride bicycle.This is not  only Islamic countries in middle east as well ,

Sri Lanka also with this matter nothing different  from Saudi Arabia,Still in Sri  Lanka loosing virginity before the marriage  is not accepted,this wont be a matter if the girl has sufficient amount of wealth as a dowry or fixed income through out life,otherwise what ever the reason loosing virginity before the marriage is a considerable problem.Most of the time it s not happening ride a bicycle but some parents avoiding the tinniest possible on safe side.

In Saudi Arabian tradition the groom has give a dowry to the bride,in that case the highest dowry will go  for a virgin bride, doesn't it make sense to be a virgin on the day of their  marriage?
But in Sri  Lankan brides never get a dowry from the grooms party.Bride has to give a dowry in most cases,  So why it is in Sri lanka?

Most of Sinhalese those who got married three four decades ago face this problem,Even it is a natural cause ,but the bride could not prove that she is a virgin it was  burden through out the life.After the wedding night  bunch of old ladies gathering  for evidence.in a room,Worst cases newly wed couple ended up going  to  courts straightaway form the Honeymoon.

There is a nice Sinhaleese  movie on this topic. Sanath Gunatileke and Sabetha Perera was playing the main roles.The graduated  couple who got married and wife could not prove her virginity at her wedding night,She was married to her own second cousin after a long term relationship,but still suspects his wife and send a beck to her home.

 Actress Sabeetha Perera during her Golden years in the Industry.

Sanath Sabeetha in Film Deveni Gamana (Home coming)


So then my mother's generation never ride bicycle,but she was like Wadjda's mother she bought me a red color bicycle for my tenth birthday.
Till I met a terrible accident while riding a motor bike I did not loose the  desire of riding a bicycle,
Actually it was my father  who bought the motor bike,while my mother strongly opposing the idea of motor bike.I think and I believe mothers do know what is good for their children,
All this came to my mind simply  because yesterday  evening I did ride a bicycle near Bellanvila temple ,the newly built cycle riding track.
Bellanvilla is a famous temple,situated on Maharagama-Dehivala road.

Bellanvill temple has elegant murals done by Somabhandu Vidhyapathi,

The marriage ceremony of the Prince Sidhartha.

Prince Sidhartha before leave the palace.

Even though we don t use bicycle as a transportation mode like  Netherlands or Beijing, still it s good way to burn some calories.There are lot of health benefits.
But in Jaffna and North of Sri Lanka bicycle is a way of transportation,Not that they wanted to burn calories simply  it is affordable.

Jaffna father riding Bicycle with his children to the school.

The newly built Bellanvila cycle track runs around the Bellanvila lake.In a nice evening it s a quiet subtle experience.Yesterday of course it a poya day bit crowded.but still it s different  riding a cycle hearing Pirith Chanting.
There are several places to rent a bicycle opposite the road.

You can rent a bicycle 100 RS for an hour.In the evening it s quiet nice. Street food also available after riding a bicycle have a fruit juice looking at the lake...
Anyone want  a bicycle ride?