Diluka’s was an ordinary young girl of nineteen, living a carefree life in Rambukkhana , Sri Lanka, when suddenly, everything changed overnight for her when she was accidentally burnt in a fire. This happened in 1998.
She sustained such horrific burns over 65% of her body that she was medically considered most unlikely to survive.
Her Father, however, did all he could to quickly bring her to Colombo for a better chance , and with the better facilities and expertise available plus tremendous family support, and sheer grit on her part, young Diluka slowly fought her way back and survived the ordeal.
I was by no means easy. Diluka’s determination and resilience saw her through years of painful surgeries ( around 15 to date) and difficult physiotherapy sessions where she had to stretch and regain the use of her arms and fingers etc..
A few years after the accident , she enrolled herself in a simple flower making course , and gained confidence to take on a packing job in a tea factory. 10 years after the accident she progressed to became a machinist in a garment factory.
In 2013 Diluka was asked to come to the hotel in Ahungalla where Nimi and Sawako held their very first series of inaugural sewing workshops . .. It was actually thanks to her brother -in-law (who worked in the hotel ) who asked whether she could also join . Diluka didn’t mind travelling the 7 hours it took to go there. She enjoyed the training so much that she has continued to be with with Shakti till today and excels in both hand sewing and machine sewing.
When asked what is it that is special about Shakti for her, Diluka says she is grateful to have learned the skill of making handcrafted bags at Shakti which gives her an opportunity to develop her talents and capabilities while earning an income. She is happy that Shakti is supportive and supplies her webbing when she does her own bags and creations. Shakti has also helped her for her last neck surgery in 2016 which was to release scar tissue so that she is able to regain mobility in her neck. Diluka has made lifelong friends from other parts of Sri Lanka at Shakti so it’s also great to meet during the workshops.
To us at Shakti, Diluka is living example of SHAKTI . She displays all the qualities that define the term SHAKTI - endurance resilience , effort, emotional strength and capability. In fact she was an inspiration to 2 others at Shakti who were burn victims. She possessed these qualities long before she joined Shakti , and we at Shakti , are humbled to know her and walk alongside with her through her journey forward.
