13 minutes with Vikram Seth!
What do you say to a man who has kept you waiting for five years? Before us stands author and poet Vikram Seth; shirt open to the waist, hair tousled by hands and breeze, he’s uncertain of who we are and why we have come to intrude on him. I’m wet from the hips down, [...]
The man who irons, a crown of little men; all making history
It is 8 p.m, and we’re just about to leave the building when a lady in saree asks us to follow her. Please note that in normal circumstances it is never a good idea to follow strangers into the night, but this was the opening exhibition of the Colombo Art Biennale and we had already [...]
Letters
Agony by Mihin at Dubai I was a passenger on a Mihin Lanka flight to Dubai and I write this letter in the hope that others would be spared the unwarranted hardship caused to me at the Dubai International Airport on December 26, from 5.05 a.m. to December 27, 11.45 p.m. I was on a [...]
Appreciations
Sumit Samaratunga Dear malli, our tears are not yet dry It is with much grief that I write of my brother Sumit’s death on December 17. He became ill while working in office and was taken to National Hospital where he died. He was the seventh in a family of nine, and his early demise [...]
Dressing up CFW with exciting new additions
Propelling the Sri Lankan fashion industry to new heights, HSBC CFW 2014 is all set to take off this week from February 3 to the 9, at the Colombo Hilton. Since its inception 11 years ago the ever-morphing event that has placed Sri Lankan fashion on the map this year too promises to be full [...]
Reminding young minds of the horror of the Holocaust
If you are in Colombo, there is perhaps no better way to observe the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust than in the company of Anne Ranasinghe. Her poetry retains its ability to startle and shock the listener into feeling, to evoke the suffering of an entire people, to [...]
Unmasking MassK
There are many reasons why I shouldn’t be writing about a play by Kaushalya Fernando. Firstly, I am not a drama critic (whether or not such a category exists in Sri Lanka is beside the point.) Secondly, she is a friend. And I admire her greatly for her courage to engage in art on her [...]
Brick by brick, life and death
Surrounded by masons at work, Tristan Al-Haddad is laying bricks. His white t-shirt isn’t quite as pristine as it was a few hours ago, his hands are coated in dust, grime and sweat beads on his brow. People driving by on Horton Place need only glance over into the grounds of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute [...]
Men Without Shadows: Directorial debut with a stellar cast
Men Without Shadows, which opens at the Lionel Wendt next weekend marks 26-year-old Sashane Perera’s directorial debut outside of school (D. S. Senanayake College, which he directed into the Interschool Shakespeare competition finals three consecutive times and to the trophy in 2012). With a stellar cast of actors in this equation: Gihan De Chickera, Dominic [...]
In the robes of a priest dubbed demonic
The headline which screams from the lead story of the newspaper is ‘New page in history of nation’, but the eyes of the bearded priest are riveted on a smaller three-column story. It is a newspaper of February 5, 1978, that the priest is reading but what holds his attention is not that J.R. Jayewardene [...]
Art and fashion, all in one
All white and gleaming, the new PR and Saskia Fernando Gallery had its official opening last week. Labelling itself Colombo’s first true ‘Concept Store’ , it offers shoppers Indian fashion labels such as Rajesh Pratap Singh, Abraham &Thakore, Sanchita, Eka and Smallshop as well as local design labels, Touche, Salt, Maus, Khogy, Conscience, TukTuk and [...]
Join Jerome’s journey into the world of ‘The Hobbit’
Well known director Jerome De Silva will take ‘Hobbit’ fans on an ‘Unexpected Journey’ through Middle Earth when he conducts a dramatic and interactive reading of ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.R. Tolkien. This cloak and dagger adventure of Bilbo Baggins and his voyage of wars and espionage, transformed into blockbuster thrillers at the hands of Peter [...]
Luxury and nature; Jetwing is back at Yala
It’s the ultimate relaxation to spend an evening by the beach lulled by the sound of the surf. But add in untamed wildlife and mesmerising landscapes and you get an idea of what Jetwing Yala is all about. From beautiful sunsets, to thrilling animal calls Jetwing Yala is for the lover of the great outdoors-complete [...]
Make your dream home a reality
Turning your living areas into a dream magazine-style space is no longer as herculean a task as you thought. The team at the brand new concept store ‘Masterpieces@no.10’ makes owning a dream house that much easier with their expertise and quality of products. Starting out as just a backyard business in the Sheriffdeen residence, the [...]
Building on beauty and sustainability
Rafiq Azam doesn’t believe a house needs a fan. It’s a design philosophy that gives his clients in cramped, humid Dhaka – one of the most densely populated cities in the world – pause for reflection. Fortunately, Rafiq’s portfolio and the work of his firm, ‘Shattoto: Architecture for Green Living’ inspire confidence. The spaces he [...]
A 200- year history and fascinating story of a family
Traversing this road through a long history, one wood imagine, could not have been smooth. But the newest writer in the Rockwood family, Sukumar has surmounted any difficulties in his way and recounted his family saga with commendable ease and aplomb. This is a two hundred year history, a fascinating story of a family of [...]
The place where slippage is a state of being
Malinda’s Seneviratne’s latest collection of poetry, Edges, is characteristic of Seneviratne the poet. Seneviratne the poet is barely recognisable in the Seneviratne the public encounters in his garb as editor in chief or political columnist. His poetry has always been the penmanship of a clever mind responding to and recording the world of human encounters [...]
Silver and gold in the gentleman’s attire of hundred years ago
Walk into Sudath Hewage’s antique shop tucked away on a bustling lane in Fort, Colombo and you will hear less sales talk but more history. Locked inside his old-fashioned glass cupboards is the story of sartorial habits and the opulence of the affluent Sri Lankan man of hundred years ago who Mr. Hewage says literally [...]
Is there life in the old republic after all?
Help me, dears: I can’t quite make up my mind… Is the Old Republic we all know and love alive and well? Or is it lifeless, dying slowly, or well and truly dead? There is – as the actress said to the archbishop – some difference of opinion between us. These days, their voices – [...]
New ways of looking at old issues
Chamila’s mother did not approve of her boyfriend and would go on and on about the potential ill effects of marrying against the wishes of a mother. Chamila hated this so much, she requested a transfer out of her home town. She got it but two days prior to leaving home, her mother developed a [...]
Lankan student raises funds for Cancer Hospital
Hashim Abdeen, a Sri Lankan medical student of Bond University, Queensland, Australia, raised funds throughout last year for the Cancer Hospital, Kandy, by organising various fundraising events such as charity balls, auction yard sales and raffle draws. He was able to raise US$ 4,350. Hashim spent three weeks last year working on a volunteer basis [...]
Wise use of our wetlands can reduce poverty and promote biodiversity
Wetlands are important environments for people, wildlife and plants. They provide freshwater, food and services, such as medicines, fuel and wildlife tourism, and contribute to the livelihoods of millions of the world’s poor. Wetlands are also critical to a country’s water table. They soak up water much like a sponge and prevent flooding during periods [...]
Leaving a legacy behind
“It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” These powerful words have been taken to a different level by the Rector of St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya, Fr. Travis Gabriel, who will leave this legacy behind as he bids adieu to his “dear boys” this month. Be it rugby players, cricketers, [...]
State Literary winner receives award in Germany
The Best Children’s Literature Award in English at The State Literary Awards 2012 was won by Neville Perera for his book ‘Kitty and the Bell Necklace’. The awards ceremony was recently held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, but since Mr. Perera who lives in Germany was unable to travel to [...]
Loon Tao to host Valentine’s Ball at new banquet hall
Loon Tao, the popular Chinese Seafood Restaurant on Mount Lavinia Beach, which celebrated its 5th anniversary last year, will hold a Valentine’s Ball at their new banquet hall, constructed over the existing property with a magnificent view of the ocean, on February 13 from 8 p.m. till 2 a.m. This will also be a dinner [...]
National Craft Council to showcase products in India
The National Craft Council will be showcasing its crafts at the Surajkund International Crafts Mela in Harayana, New Delhi from February 1-5. The Mela attracts a large number of national and international participants and a huge audience of spectators. The organisers expect an audience of around six to eight million people for this occasion. The [...]
Indian Spiritual vocalist mesmerises audience at India Republic Day celebrations
Indian spiritual vocalist Sonam Kalra and her Sufi Gospel Project mesmerised the packed audience at the Bishop’s College Auditorium with their mellifluent virtuosity last week. Sonam Kalra was performing in Colombo as part of the 64th Anniversary of the Republic Day of India. Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem, was the Chief Guest on the occasion [...]
Deanna School of Dancing felicitates most outstanding students
The Deanna School of Dancing recently felicitated their most outstanding students who had gained distinctions at the Royal Academy of Dancing Examinations 2013 which were conducted at their studio at Longdon Place, Colombo 7. The examiner Ms. Clare Merchant Andreou, from Cyprus, observed 348 students perform from the school. The School had a 100% pass [...]
