Night of the scribes
The annual Journalism Awards for Excellence- 2012, held last Tuesday was not only a happy celebration as those who excelled in the field were feted for their achievements but also an occasion when the media fraternity came together in a spirit of fellowship and camaraderie. In addition to recognising the high achievers in the print [...]
In love with nature and being crowned for it too
For the girl from the small village of Ivancice in the Czech Republic, it meant a great deal to be crowned as Miss Earth 2012. The emotions were overwhelming and 24-year-old Tereza Fajksova even tripped and stumbled after receiving her crown, at the 12th pageant held in Muntinlupa City, Philippines. But it was by no means [...]
According to the doctor
He was upset and perturbed. Even in his limited experience as an intern house officer, the injection should have had an impact. But there was no response and getting back to his quarters for a hurried bite of lunch, he casually mentioned to his peers the coma case he was struggling with that morning. Usually, [...]
Can people tackle climate change, when science remains uncertain?
Scientists may debate and differ on the exact nature and manifestation of climate change impacts. Are the changes in temperature and rainfall simply an anomaly, or are they an indication of long term climatic change? But farmers and fishermen throughout the country are experiencing changed seasons year on year, and for many the past four [...]
A café that offers more than a cuppa
Oranges and yellows beckon the passer-by to come sip a steaming hot cuppa tuck into some food and indulge in the arts. Just beyond the Coppra Junction on the Colombo-Negombo Road, in the heart of bustling Negombo town, the owners of ‘Canvas Kitchen’ believe that what they offer is rather the exception than the rule [...]
Letters to the Editor
Casino near temple: An opportunity to preach the Dhamma We have seen Buddhist monks with clenched fists and raised robes along with lay Buddhists demonstrating against setting up of a casino near Sri Sambuddhaloka Viharaya in Fort. Do Buddhists monks and lay Buddhists know the advantages and brighter side of allowing a casino to operate [...]
Appreciations
Manik Nagahawatte He was simple and unpretentious Two years have passed since the death of my dear friend Manik Nagahawatte. He died unexpectedly in the early hours of August 1, 2011.According to his wishes, his remains were handed over to the medical faculty at the University of Colombo, after a private funeral. At the time [...]
Kumar and his Bonsoir Diaries
I was never a Bonsoir fan. I used to occasionally watch it but was not an addict. The French TV programme obviously had a dedicated audience during the 25 years of its existence – from 1985 onwards. Bonsoir was broadcast over ITN in the early days of television in Sri Lanka. The trio who planned [...]
Michelle Wright awarded first Australia to Sri Lanka Writing Fellowship
Award winning short story writer Michelle Wright has been chosen for the inaugural Templeberg Residential Writing Fellowship by Templeberg Villa and Writers Victoria this month. Wright will travel from Melbourne to Sri Lanka to take up the residency. Wright is a short story writer whose parents migrated from Sri Lanka to Australia in the early [...]
Await drama and spectacle with Caliban’s Rebellion
It’s barely a year since the heady aftermath of Rag-the Musical and director Jehan Aloysius is already launching headfirst into the remake of another previous hit-‘Caliban’s Rebellion’ which will go on the boards from August 23-25 at the Lionel Wendt. This re-imagining of the 2008 classic by Jehan’s company CentreStage Productions is loosely based on [...]
Convincing voices tell a convincing story
Anthea Senaratna’s The Mango Tree won enviable praise that applies equally well to A Flash of Red from writers of the first rank five years ago. “Authentic voices …. sound clearly in our ears in Anthea Senaratna’s wonderfully varied collection …. Inner lives are laid open here with skill and compassion” is Yasmine Gooneratne’s verdict [...]
Life in the beloved ‘Bloc’
The entries in the book are meticulous as well as handwritten beautifully. A random page reveals………“Dissected lower extremity, dissected upper extremity, dissected head & neck, dissected trunk.” This entry in a ledger 100 years old just like the building it’s being kept at, interestingly records the passage of none other than Sir Nicholas Attygalle, eminent [...]
A festival of charity after Ramadan purifies the heart
Eid-Ul-Fitr or the festival of charity is the culmination of the month-long fasting from dawn to dusk and the invocation of peace by prayers in the nights. With the cry ‘Allahu Akbar….. ‘God is great’ reverberating in mosques, Muslims gather in the morning for festival prayers. Eid prayer is important for both men and women [...]
Unique amphitheatre
It is an amphitheatre in the true sense of the word and the Medical Faculty authorities believe it is the “only one of its kind” in Sri Lanka. Getting its name from the ancient Greek ‘amphitheatron’ (amphi denoting ‘on both sides’ or ‘around’ and theatron ‘place of viewing’) the authorities say the marble slab in [...]
Barbers of Seville, butchers of sense
The man who trims what little hair there is left on my head has no good sense of either time or truthfulness. He habitually breaks our appointments, and has a bad habit of stretching my incredulity to snapping point with a string of excuses. We used to have a pretty fair understanding that the excellence [...]
Early naturalists to modern scientists and popularisers
Sri Lanka has an ethno-botanical tradition with its own version of Ayurveda medicine (of Indian origin) which may go back over 2,000 years. But there is very little on record of any studies of natural history in the modern sense by Sri Lankans until the 19h century when E.F. Kelaart, born in Sri Lanka to [...]
A tale of tails in the city
Some of us go out to dinner on a Friday night—Dr. Rukshana de Silva goes out every night, and she takes dinner with her. Waiting for her at six “stations” across Colombo are over 50 dogs of all ages, personalities and sizes. Dr. Rukshana’s little car is meals on wheels for them. Dogs who have [...]
Changing cultures in the city
In the mayhem of Pettah, Chinthaka Thenuwara meets the mighty Blade Raja. He’s intrigued, as Blade Raja is actually a shoemaker amongst hundreds like him in this consumer capital of the country. On further investigation, it’s revealed that this is actually his street name; christened by the police for his tendency to ‘cut people up’ [...]
American Alumni Association celebrates its Silver Jubilee
The American Alumni Association (AAA), established in July 1988 by its founder President Janaka Edirisinghe will be celebrating its Silver Jubilee on August 9 at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel at 6.30 p.m. The Chief Guest will be Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G.L. Peiris with the two patrons of the AAA, the American Ambassador, Michele [...]
Health camps for Borella residents
A health camp was organised at the Rodney Street Prajasalawa for residents of Borella by founder of the Pragna Pradeepa concept Jayantha de Silva who is seen here in conversation with a doctor.
Yoga power expert in Sri Lanka
Doctor Didi Nirmala, Director of Brahma Kumaris’ Academy for A Better World, Gyan Sarovar located at Mount Abu, India is on a short visit to Sri Lanka. She is also the Regional Director for Brahma Kumaris in the Asia Pacific region. Didi Dr. Nirmala has practised Raja Yoga Meditation for the last 50 years and [...]
The pilgrims’ temple: Shri Arulmihu Sivasubramaniya Swamy Kovil
Arulmihu Sivasubramaniya Swamy Kovil at Kompani Veediya, Colombo 2 has a long history going back to 1822. A Shri Subramaniya Shrine was established by one Periyathamby and others on a land owned by Periyathamby at Dam Street, Colombo. This shrine was known as a pilgrims’ temple because devotees were largely travellers, including those proceeding to [...]
Lanka Mahila Samiti: With love from Belgium
The new Day Care Centre constructed by Lanka Mahila Samiti in Kaduwela was declared open by General Manager of Adoptee Sri Lanka in Belgium John Vandijck and Mrs. Line Vandijck on April 30, at an auspicious time. The construction of this building was inaugurated by late Mrs. Ranee Herath in June 2011, when she was [...]
President visits Don Bosco Technical Centre
President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently visited the Don Bosco Technical Centre in Negombo to mark the institute’s 50 years of service to the marginalised youth, and commended the Don Bosco Technical Centre, for being the only private technical institute to offer several Government Accredited National Vocational Qualifications Courses – (14 N.V.Q. trades)
Resident monk at the London Buddhist Vihara receives degree
Ven. Weeriyagama Chandima Thera, a resident monk at the London Buddhist Vihara (founded by the Anagarika Dharmapala in 1926) obtained his Bachelor of Arts General Degree in the English Medium in Psychology/Buddhist Philosophy/English Language and Literature from the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka recently. Picture shows, Ven. Chandima Thera with his Sri Lankan [...]
Book presented to Archbishop of Colombo
Dinesh Weerakkody presented a copy of his fourth book titled ‘In the best Interest of my Country’ to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, at the Archbishop’s House in Colombo on August 1.The new volume has four chapters covering political, economic, HR and management articles and also includes interviews published with leading personalities in the [...]
‘Looking back…, at a dazzling star’
The inaugural Dr. Stella De Silva Memorial Oration 2013 will be held on August 5 at 9.45 a.m. at the Hotel Galadari. Titled, ‘Looking back…, at a dazzling star’, it will be delivered by Dr. B. J. C. Perera, President, Sri Lanka Medical Association. This oration has been organised by the Sri Lanka College of [...]
