Dabindu Collective Union’s Biyagama Action Committee members held a dhansala last Sunday (2nd June 2024). Here are some stills from the preparation and the dhansala.
Our Biyagama Office became a community kitchen for the Seeni Sambol Paan dhansala, and our Union Action Committee members worked hard.
Cooking under intense weather, the members were constantly on the watch for flood updates, calling and checking up on friends. A few of the workers’ boarding houses were flooded. Our committee leaders visited the affected workers’ boarding homes to share the Seeni Sambol sandwiches they made.
Since the Biyagama-Kaduwela main road leading to Peragas Junction flooded, Colabahenawatte Road (where our office is located and which leads to one of the Biyagama Zone entrances) was used to avoid floods. Vehicles had to go through the Biyagama zone.
There was a lot of foot traffic; the entire neighbourhood, and more, stopped by our dhansala.
As one of our comrades said, “We like working like this, together, we make community.”
As a women workers organization, we prioritize bringing together worker communities. This dhansala was a result of that collectivism. Our heartfelt gratitude to the workers who came together to strengthen this communal space.