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| A burst of gunfire and all hell broke loose |
AVERTISTMENTS |
 At 84, (Donny) Vincent Ranasinghe is the last surviving member of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery (CGA) contingent that served on Cocos Islands during the Mutiny in 1942. On the night of May 8, 1942, Donny was caught in the crossfire of the rebellion, he recalled, when I met him recently at his home at Wattala. Vivid accounts of the uprising which the military had sought to keep secret were recorded by the writer Noel Crusz in ‘The Cocos Islands Mutiny'. |
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| Forest
meditation |
 A cartwheel symbolising the ‘dhamma cakra’ greeted us at the entrance to Santi Forest Monastery located in a 150-acre eucalyptus forest in the rugged landscape of Australia’s Southern Highlands about halfway between Sydney and Canberra. With farmlands surrounding the monastery, the atmosphere is serene and peaceful. There are no gates or barbed wire fences to demarcate the property. Trees aplenty provide a natural fence. |
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| Serendib
connection |
 Richard Boyle and I sit, staring deep into the eyes of a golden cobra. Balancing high, her hood flared to display the markings on her head, she is made of gleaming bronze; each scale is perfectly delineated, each coil of her body graceful and fluid. She belonged to his grandfather, Richard explains, making no effort to conceal his fascination. |
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