Back to Pera, where it all began
When well-known dramatist Jayalath Manorathna went to Peradeniya University to accept a Doctorate in Literature (D. Litt) that was conferred on him recently, he was returning to the institution where as an undergraduate, he honed his skills in the field of Sinhala theatre and took the first steps in a journey that has since spanned [...]
Come, see the unseen
April 4, 1977. Stefan D’Silva still remembers the day he left Sri Lanka aged 21 for what he imagined to be greener pastures. Time and experience has made him a wiser man, though. “I might have migrated” he says. “But my heart never left.” Thirty six years later the photographer spends more time in his [...]
Letters to the editor
The dark truth of Kandy City: It’s time to light it up I wish to draw the attention of Kandy’s municipal authorities and the Road Development Authority to the lack of proper street lighting along the main roads leading to Kandy city. The dark or dimly lit roads cause great inconvenience to public, particularly pedestrians. [...]
Appreciations
My Loku Amma, the guiding light in my life | Prajapathy Angunawela Prajapathy Angunawela, my Loku Amma, was 94 years old on May 10, this year. The last of the chain of Dana Pinkamas offered annually at her home took place a week later. This Pinkama was the culmination of her meritorious acts of 50 years. [...]
A legacy built for every downtrodden woman
It was impossible for the woman to keep this beautiful 8-month-old boy. The girl-child was her original burden, and their father, for all his “love,” wasn’t going to provide for illegitimate children. He had another family to take care of. She was helpless. Then someone told her she should go to Kandy town and find the [...]
The NSASL has a dream; you can make it happen
Let’s look around us – if we are in a group of six, one of us will have a stroke in our lifetime. This is the shocker on the mind of the President of the National Stroke Association of Sri Lanka (NSASL), Dr. Udaya Ranawaka. Worried about the “huge problem” of stroke and the limited facilities that [...]
Life wasn’t always on the fast track
The sleek, black Maserati stays parked outside the building while its owner attends an informal family meeting inside. The car doesn’t belong to Nihal Jinasena – though he’s had more than his share of beauties in his time. This one is his son Lalin’s vehicle of choice. This love for fast, beautiful things runs in [...]
Run the good race
Imagine that there’s a knock on your door one day. Or an email, or a phone call. It’s the National Olympic Committee. They’re calling or calling on you to let you know that you – yes, dear, YOU! – have been selected to represent Sri Lanka at the next Games. And the event you’ve been [...]
A bond that grew from courting days on the tennis court
It makes one gasp, doesn’t it, to hear of a couple who have stayed happily married for 65 years, in this age of disposable marriages! Being old friends, I was able to coax this exceptional couple, Britto and Therese Motha to tell me something about their journey together these many years. They first met on [...]
The lure of the jungles of Belize
Ever since reading Paul Theroux’s spell-binding but also terrifying 1981 adventure story Mosquito Coast about an American family that find a simpler life in the jungles of Central America I have desperately wanted to go to Belize, formerly British Honduras. It is on the north-eastern coast of Central America. The mainland is about 180 miles [...]
Digging deep into mysteries of our Iron Age ancestors
Under a blazing sun, a forest of metal towers shimmer. The constant rumble of heavy machinery fills the air, as clouds of dust are kicked up by bulldozers and big trucks. When it’s complete, the New Chilaw Grid Substation currently under construction will supply the island’s North Western Province with an estimated 450MW of power. [...]
Wonder of wood
The endless hum of traffic is normal for a typical day down Alexandra Place. But atop the petrol shed at the Alexandra Place- Horton Place junction, one can leave the endless hubbub for the more peaceful atmosphere of “Tex Arte”- architect Viranga Silva’s latest venture. Walking into the showroom one would immediately be drawn to [...]
LC Quiz Night: Come and tax your grey matter!
Jehan Mendis and Navin Ratnayake, Quiz masters extraordinaire, hosts of the famous Barefoot Garden Cafe Quiz night are back once again to host the Ladies’ College OGA Quiz night on Friday, September 6 at 6.30 p.m. at the School Hall. So come on over and tax your grey matter to the maximum on a myriad of [...]
Get ready to board the world’s largest floating book fair
Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating book fair, will soon be back in Sri Lanka. The ship will open to the public on August 30 to allow visitors the opportunity to purchase books and meet crew members. Logos Hope offers an expanded selection of over 5,000 titles at affordable prices. They cover a range of [...]
Hasini, new brand ambassador for Seri Naturals
Hasini Gunasekera has been appointed Brand Ambassador for Seri Naturals (Pvt) Ltd, a company that has been in the forefront of offering innovative, quality personal care products in Sri Lanka. Hasini is the president of the International Association of the APHCA (Asia Pacific Hairdressers and Cosmetologists Association – Sri Lanka) and the editor of Sri [...]
Uniting South Asian women
A troupe of young girls welcoming the delegates to the Balmoral hall at the Kingsbury Hotel set the scene for the inaugural session of the 5th Annual SWAN Conference on Friday morning. SWAN (South Asia Women’s Network) is a programme dedicated to facilitating and allowing women the opportunity to network with their counterparts from all [...]
Curtain falls on Esala festival with Bellanwila Perahera
The month of Esala is the festival month. The Sri Dalada Perahera in Kandy tops the list of festivals during August. Large crowds flocked to Kandy for the Randoli Perahera – the most colourful segment last week. The Kataragama festival drew Hindu and Buddhist devotees to the South. The festival month ends with the Randoli [...]
An eminent mind with a silver tongue
I sat glued to his voice as Dr Anandatissa de Alwis waxed eloquent on Krishnamurthi. In the wake of visits by other notables of India, Krishamurthi came here twice. At the time of the first visit, Anandatissa was only a cub reporter of 21 callow years. Someone had to interview Krishnamurthi but, who would bell the [...]
Developing skills for the outside world
The four teams -Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta- are on a mission. The team leaders rally their troops and carefully plot their next move. Ideas come in from all four quarters, mingled with shouts as arms flay the air. The leader listens intently and makes up his mind. “Malli oyage plan eka hondai”, he turns [...]
Touch healer back in Colombo
Dr. Shashikant Seth, the touch healer from Bombay is back in Colombo at the request of many of his patients in Sri Lanka. Dr. Seth says that he has brought with him a special herbal remedy for high blood pressure as well as for diabetes and heart ailments. He also has with him Gum Arabic, [...]
Michael Sarnacki revealed: A photographic exhibition
Renowned American photographer Michael Sarnacki will be exhibiting 60 fantastic photographs taken in Sri Lanka and the US this weekend at the Harold Pieris Gallery of the Lionel Wendt. His book “Sri Lanka and the Kandy Esala Perahera” which contains 17 years of passion and hard work, with over 300 photographs, will be available for [...]
Sri Lanka’s handicraft heritage at ‘Shilpa 2013’
The National Handicraft Festival and Trade Fair ‘Shilpa 2013’, the biggest crafts exhibition in Sri Lanka was held for the ninth consecutive year from August 15 to August 19. It was declared open by the Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa on Thursday August 15, at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre. The opening ceremony [...]
RASSL lecture: “Many Voices of Sinhala Poetry”
The Royal Asiatic Society Sri Lanka (RASSL) will hold its monthly public lecture on Monday, August 26 at 5 p.m. at the Gamini Dissanayake auditorium, No. 96, Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 7. The lecture is on “Many Voices of Sinhala Poetry” and will be delivered by Ariyawansa Ranaweera (former Secretary, Ministry of Cultural and Religious [...]
IEDA marks 60th anniversary with commemoration meeting
The Irrigation Engineering Diplomates Association (IEDA) formerly the Irrigation Technical Assistants Union (ITAU) celebrates its 60th anniversary today, August 25 at the IEDA’s headquarters, No 15, Melfort Crescent, Dehiwela. The commemoration meeting begins at 10.15 a.m. and concludes at noon. It will be followed by lunch. The chief guest will be the most senior of the [...]
Sinhala translation of ‘Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad Gita’
The book was 12 years in the making. The Sinhala translation of ‘Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation and Commentary Chapters 1 to 6’, first published by the Penguin Group in 1967 has now been released. The first copy of the book was presented to MP Karu Jayasuriya by the translator Mr. [...]
The baroque tenor and a world premiere
A concert presenting one of the finest classical tenor voices that Sri Lanka has produced in the last twenty years, American trained Asitha Tennekoon making his debut with the acclaimed ensemble of the Chamber Music Society of Colombo (CMSC) directed by Lakshman Joseph de Saram will be held on Friday, August 30 at the Lionel [...]
Stars align for ‘Bombay Velvet’
Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Bombay Velvet’ is almost a decade in the making. The director spent years scouting the perfect venue for the film-from Cape Town to Mexico did the production team travel but little did they realise that the perfect setting was right next door all along. They’ve finally found it though-the film is being shot [...]
A door to the global arena
The 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013 to be held in November in Sri Lanka has opened a clear door to the global arena. Many international delegates with some interest in the Sri Lankan economy will be here to participate and the Business and Professional Women (BPW) Sri Lanka, which is celebrating its [...]
