Nature’s silent tribute
Standing tall like an oasis in the middle of the harsh landscapes of the East is theThoppigala Heritage Park where one of the most significant battles of Eelam War 1V was fought. The road past Valaichchenai to Thoppigala is a dusty, beaten track flanked by vast expanses of russet paddy fields, dotted by the occasional [...]
Reflecting on significant events in Lord Buddha’s life
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought, it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the wagon.” –Lord Buddha For Buddhists [...]
Letters to the Editor
Electricity tariff relief: Who’s deceiving whom? President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his May-day speech announced there would not be a single cent increase in electricity charges for households consuming fewer than 60 units and there will be some relief for households consuming between 61 and 180 units. During his meeting with media chiefs and later at [...]
Appreciations
To a loving and caring daughter SHALINI SUSANNA JOSEPH May 3 marked 10 years since our only daughter Shalini Susanna was called to rest by our dear Lord. Her sudden demise after a brief illness was something that we could not comprehend. It plunged us all into shock and sadness. Even after ten long years, [...]
Paintings that calm the mind and eye
As Buddhists prepare to mark the thrice blessed Vesak Poya Day, Duvindi Illankoon and Shaveen Jeewandara discover the spiritual and artistic wonder of temple murals Upanda sita karapu paw natha warak wandoth Kelaniya - They say that all your sins will be washed away if you set foot once in Kelaniya, the land Lord Buddha famously visited thousands [...]
Lankan writers make a mark in Commonwealth literary prizes
Sri Lankan authors Nayomi Munaweera and Michael Mendis are among the regional winners for the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize and Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Representing Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, Caribbean, and the Pacific regions, these writers will now compete to become the overall winner, to be announced at Hay Festival UK on May 31. The [...]
A ‘kottu roti dish of Hitchcock vignettes’ served with aplomb!
Review of The 39 Steps, that ends today at the Lionel Wendt Theatre When Hitchcock turned John Buchan’s swashbuckling 1915 story of a fiendish gang of spies defeated by an imperturbable English gentleman-hero in a wild chase all over Scotland, he beefed up the action, cranked up the love interest and turned it from a [...]
Three greats at the readings of two greats
It was an evening of readings, like many held before but these were some of the greats from the country’s film industry being read about so there was heightened interest. Readings from ‘Irangani’ and ‘Lester’ saw Dr. Lester James Peries, Irangani Serasinghe and Sumitra Peries all present and clearly enjoying the event at the Expographics [...]
With a song in their genes they’ve done it their way for four years
The popularity of the De Lanerolle Brothers has spread beyond our shores. That’s not surprising since they have been invited to perform in venues as far flung as New York, New Orleans, Washington DC to London, Birmingham, Geneva, Vienna, Tirol, Graz, New Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore and Singapore. “We have performed to different audiences with different [...]
‘The spirit of Swami Vivekananda’in song, word and dance
The Ramakrishna Hall was full and around 6.10 in the evening of May 4, Aarathi was taken by two dancers for Swami Vivekananda while a third rang the temple bell softly as the audience stood up in silence paying homage to the great Swami whose 150th birth anniversary, the Kalagam was celebrating All was still [...]
Thank you for the music
With the Merry An Singers making a comeback with ‘The Masters and the Musicals’, Duvindi Illankoon stops by at Colombo’s most well known home of music where generations of singers have been groomed by Mary Anne David Sitting down for an interview in the David household is like paying a visit to your favourite aunty. [...]
Heavy weather and hilarious whinging
It’s that time of the year again. When the wind is southwesterly and the quality of mercy is quite strained. It droppeth not all like the gentle rain from heaven that we would welcome with open hearts, minds, arms, and umbrellas. Au contraire, it is apprehended by manic displays of lightning about halfway between sky [...]
Weaving in Buddhist philosophy, autobiography and politics
Shyam Selvadurai of Funny Boy fame, discusses his latest novel, The Hungry Ghosts, in this e-mail interview with Smriti Daniel The most interesting character in ‘The Hungry Ghosts’ is an old woman. Daya might be dressed in a butter yellow saree and pearls, but she wears them like battle armour – her pleats ‘starched to [...]
Crocs have their day in the sun
An international conference, ‘Living with crocodilians’ gets underway tomorrow in Colombo Crocodiles will bask in the spotlight, as eminent experts from across the world gather in Sri Lanka to discuss not only the dangers faced by this keystone species but also how to alleviate them. Varied research on this “ancient group” which has survived from [...]
Adam’s Bridge:Stepping stone to untapped adventure
I wanted to visit Adam’s Bridge (or Rama Setu) straddling Talaimannar (on Sri Lanka’s Mannar Island) and Dhanuskody (on India’s Rameswaram/Pamban Island) for a long time. The putative “bridge” is a 30-km long chain of 16 limestone shoals one-half of which belong to Sri Lanka. Ramayana, the Indian epic, says Rama built this “bridge” with [...]
Killer wave
Christopher Ondaatje, author of The Last Colonial reviews Sonali Deraniyagala’s recently released memoir Sonali Deraniyagala’s horrific book Wave about her experience in and after the December 26, 2004 Tsunami that struck the south-east coast of Sri Lanka is one of the most powerfully moving memoirs ever written. All year round, day and night, if you [...]
A story of survival in a chauvinistic world
‘Punarukthi; the struggle and victory of a child, girl and mother’ is the English translation by Krishan Jayaratnam of actress Anoma Janadare’s autobiography launched two years ago. Anoma is introduced as an ‘unorthodox feminist actress in Sri Lanka’. As Anoma herself says about the book, “Punarukthi means retelling. This book is written to retell a story; [...]
Restoring the pearl of Thirukettisvaram: One man’s passion
About seven miles north of Mannar town lies the ancient port city of Manthoddam, or Manthota – enveloped in a breezy haven, where the waves caress the golden sands of ‘Thambapanni’. It was a much sought after city in times gone by for its flourishing trade in pearl and shank fishery, but more importantly, it [...]
Bawa Memorial Lecture: Landscapes for the Spirit
Geoffrey Bawa defined modern living in Sri Lanka, inspiring architects and laymen alike to rethink spatial boundaries and create a tropical aesthetic based on site context, the surrounding environment and most importantly – a sense of community. Bawa won international acclaim and an extended following from all over the world. The Geoffrey Bawa memorial lecture [...]
Correction
In our article on ‘Talking her way to the top’, published in the People and Events page on Sunday, May 5, the picture published was not of Shehani Rajendra, the Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya student who was representing Sri Lanka at the ‘International Public Speaking Competition’ in London. Our apologies to Shehani and Sheshadri Kottearachchi [...]
Fundraising concert for Chundikuli Girls’ College
The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka and piano soloist Eshantha Peiris will be performing timeless classics at ‘Soiree’, a concert on Sunday, June 9 at 7 p.m. at the Ladies’ College Hall to raise funds for Chundikuli Girls’ College, Jaffna. Chundikuli is a private day and boarding school for 1,600 girls whose vision is to nurture [...]
AmCham annual Ambassador’s Ball
he American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (AmCham) will be hosting the annual Ambassador’s Ball for the 15th year on June 8 at the Grand Ballroom, Hilton Colombo. HSBC has come forward for the seventh consecutive year as the Principal Sponsor and Dialog Axiata for the second year as the communication partner for the [...]
A special award for improving hygiene standards in Colombo
A special award was presented to Dr. Anna Kariyawasam for improving laboratory facilities for the urban poor, for investigating food and water served in hotels and restaurants leading to improvement in Food Hygiene Standards in Colombo.
Royal Group of 66 donate medical supplies to Kalmunai Paediatric Hospital
The Royal Group of 66, a group of old boys of Royal College, Colombo on May 11 visited the Kalmunai Paediatric Hospital and donated Rs. 200,000 for medical supplies. This donation was made possible through the generosity of many old boys and was in memory of those members who had passed away. The picture shows [...]
The spirit of young people
Parampara Image JA/YESL Company, formed by participants of HSBC’s flagship corporate social responsibility programme, wins eight accolades at the Future First Awards Parampara Image JA/YESL Company of Peraliya proudly walked off with eight major awards at the ‘Future First Awards’ ceremony held in March at the BMICH in Colombo. Winning the ‘Most Outstanding Company of [...]
‘Flight of Ecstasy’ for flute lovers
CORD presents a night of Hindustani Classical Music in aid of underprivileged women Classical music lovers of the flute have a date. On May 29, at New Kathiresan Hall, Bambalapitiya from 6 p.m., the Chinmaya Institute for Rural Development, Sri Lanka (CORD) presents a night of Hindustani Classical Music (Bansuri) to collect funds for its [...]
SLCOG present inaugural Dr. Nalin Rodrigo Memorial Oration
The Lanka College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SLCOG), under the aegis of its President Dr. Hemantha Perera, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist of the Sri Jayewardenapura Hospital and Deshabandu Dr. Kapila Gunawardena, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist of the Teaching Hospital Kandy, recently initiated the first ever Dr. J.N. Rodrigo Memorial Oration at the Samson Rajapaksa Auditorium [...]
