Criticism for having used schoolgirls to enter Guiness Records for longest Osari-pota

Criticism for having used schoolgirls to enter Guiness Records for longest Osari-pota

A male and female model duo had on their wedding day worn the longest osari-pota in the world and tried to create a Guiness Record in Kandy.

The osari-pota of bride Sajini Priyangika was said to have been 3800 meters in length. It was Ruwan Pushpakumara whom she wedded. While 10 flower girls were present, 100 schoolgirls too

joined in on this occasion. The sari-pota which was loaded into a lorry at Gannoruwa, Kandy was unrolled from the lorry was held by 150 schoolgirls standing along in a row. These schoolgirls who were so standing in a row were unrolling the sari-pota in front of the Guiness Observing Committee from Getambe Junction upto Iriyagama Junction, it was reported.

After the Sri Lankan Guiness Record Institution accepted the fact that this form of Guiness Record with a length of 2800 meters was established by an Indian female, names of Sajini - Ruwan were etched in the Guiness Record Book, thus doing proud to Sri Lanka, it was said. The organisers mentioned that a sum of 27 lakhs was expended to finish the osariya of 3800 metres alone. Full co-operation of Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayaka of Central Province and Minister Erle Gunasekera was received for this external activity. 250 schoolgirls of grade 2-3-4 accompanied by teachers of Alawathugoda Kanishta Vidyalaya had contributed even before the usual school-time, for this activity. Of the 250, 100 have been adorned as flower-girls. The rest of the 150 had been standing about 4 hours along the road to hold the veil and lady-teachers of the school were assigned to supervise that task.

The manner in which this matter was carried out for the purpose of establishing a Guiness Record with a commercial motive during the time school education was to function by using schoolgirls was subjected to criticism and when the media inquired about this from Central Province Director of Education Thilak Ekanayaka about it, he had informed that he was unaware about it.