Awrudu Chills

“අලුත් අවුරුද්ද” or “புத்தாண்டு” is a much-anticipated time of the year in Sri Lanka, when the sun crosses from Pisces to Aries, signaling the end of the harvest season. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is a well-known cultural celebration that draws all Sri Lankans together in various areas of the world, from the delightful call of the Koha heard throughout the month of April to the numerous observances and rituals. From a list of customs to deliciously mouthwatering sweetmeats and fun activities. This time of the year offers all Sri Lankans a chance to convey gratitude and celebrate as one family.

We at, Rotaract Club of University of Colombo, Faculty of Management and Finance never miss an excuse to celebrate and show the talents of our very own club members. What is better than a TikTok challenge to show the skills and creativity in an entertaining manner? Hence, Replacing the අවුරුදු games, a TikTok challenge, “අවුරුදු chills” theming Sinhala and Tamil new year was organized by Public Relations Avenue, to offer a platform for the TikTok stars.

The competition was opened for anyone interested; Rotaractors and non Rotaractors. Participants were given the opportunity to exhibit their creativity aligned with the අවුරුදු theme, whereas the submissions were opened on the 05th of April along with the submission link of the google drive. The initial closing date of submission 18th of April was extended to 22nd of April 2022 to give the chance for more motivated contestants, seeing the enthusiasm within the club itself. Have to mention we were astonished to see so many TikTok stars in RACUOCFMF.

The initiative took place to create a refreshing, joyous experience for the members of RACUOCFMF as well as external stakeholders to interact with each other and simply have fun in a virtual platform. With the prevailing situation that limits physical interactions, this was a project that was conducted virtually but added more fun and entertainment to everyone who joined, than any other virtual event.

Among all the creative content that was received, it is not an exaggeration to say the TikTok videos of our own Rotaract members of the club made the event more entertaining. Proud to say RACUOCFMF has talented TikTok stars. The graceful dance performance by Rtr. Raveesha Munasinghe was so dramatic and heart-touching which anyone couldn’t stare away. Also, Rtr. Thirandi Dharmawardhana was looking so gorgeous and happy in her TikTok video with the power and grace of her new red saree. Another creative video that was submitted for the competition featured Rtr. Kethni Wijesinghe’s radiant smile through the hair that flows upon her face. Rtr. Saseni Wijegunawardana too showcased her skills through the TikTok video on “Awurudu Kumariya”. And our president of the club, Rtr. Arshad Ismail added more color to the event with his energetic and dynamic moves that uncovered his multi talents.

The project concluded with 22 creative submissions from different contestants. Later, the 5 best submissions were selected based on creativity, content and effort. Selections were done by the panel Rtr. Heshani Oshadi Dias and Rtr.Kaveesha Dahanayake. Then the top 3 winners, Tamara Perera, Nivandee Samarasekara and Alysha Shabana were selected by the public relations avenue directors Rtr. Devni Bernard and Rtr.Idusha Basnayake.  The winners of “අවුරුදු chills” were announced on the 30th of April 2022 and were awarded with their cash prizes with boxes of baked goodies.

Indeed, this was an opportunity for the participants and for everyone else that was involved to improve themselves while enjoying. An initiative that added a modern twist to the cultural event closed its chapter providing a platform for the contestants to showcase their potential of creating creative content. As this project was heavily publicized, they got the chance to take their talent to a wider audience, without being limited to the audience they have on TikTok.