Two Windows, One Sky

Dansela

Once upon a time, there was a group of boys in a village who were kind, helpful, and always eager to do something meaningful together. They often gathered to share ideas and plan activities that could benefit others.

One day, during a friendly discussion, one of them suggested,

“Let’s organize a dansela this time.”

Everyone agreed happily.

“That’s a great idea!” they said.

They began discussing what food they should offer.

“Bread and sambal?” one asked.

“Rice and jackfruit curry?” another suggested.

“But it should be something special,” said Chanaka.

“Let’s go and ask our headmaster. He will guide us,” he added.

All the boys agreed and went to meet their headmaster, whose house was near the paddy field. He welcomed them warmly.

“Yes, boys? What brings you here?” he asked.

“Sir, we are planning to organize a dansela. We need your advice,” they explained.

The headmaster smiled.

“What a wonderful idea! People usually enjoy rice and curry. I will also help you with a sack of rice,” he said.

Encouraged by his support, the boys worked hard for several days. They collected rice, coconuts, jackfruit, and other ingredients. The entire village supported their effort, and everything was ready for the dansela. While preparing the event, the boys noticed a poor woman with two children standing nearby. She looked helpless and worried.

“Can you help me?” she asked softly.

“Of course. What do you need?” the boys replied.

“Please help me find a job,” she said.

The boys asked gently, “Don’t you have anyone to support you?”

The woman remained silent, and tears rolled down her cheeks. The boys felt sorry for her.

“Where do you live?” they asked.

She pointed towards a small house on the edge of the tank bund.

The boys went to see her home, and what they found shocked them. The house was in very poor condition—the roof and floor both needed urgent repair.

“Don’t worry,” they said. “We will help you fix your house.”

After returning, the boys discussed their plans.

“We should cancel the dansela this time and repair her house instead,” one boy suggested.

Everyone agreed without hesitation.

“But how will we get money?” someone asked.

“We can sell the collected items at a lower price and use the money,” they decided.

They worked together and collected enough funds to buy building materials. On Poya Day, they went to meet their headmaster and explained everything.

“Sir, we have cancelled the dansela,” they said.

The headmaster was surprised. “Why? What happened?”

The boys explained how they decided to help the poor woman and repair her house instead. The headmaster smiled proudly.

“I am very proud of you. Let’s go and help her together,” he said.

All of them went to the woman’s house and worked hard throughout the day. By evening, the house was fully repaired and safe to live in.

The woman was overjoyed. Tears of happiness filled her eyes.

“Now you can live happily with your children,” said the headmaster warmly.