What a catch through the ages!
In a tiny corner of a plush building down Main Street in the throbbing heart of the Pettah, there is much activity………….while the finishing touches are being added on a huge painting, the ‘people’ who will be before it are in the process of being “dressed”. A Roman ship has docked at the harbour and [...]
Letters
‘Senanayaked’ or ‘Buttlered’: It’s up to you, cricket fans The running out of Buttler by Sachitra Senanayake has indeed raised a hornets’ nest. Numerous opinions have been expressed with the main drift being that though the action is well within the laws of cricket it runs counter to the spirit of the game. While most [...]
Appreciations
Chula Ratnatunga The experiences with him will remain forever Chula Ratnatunga – A kind man who had many skills, talents and experiences, but considered himself to be ordinary. Chulani Ratnatunga – my father known by all as simply Chula, was a unique man who was a pedantic Mechanical Engineer by profession but loved doing so [...]
Making music in the glitzy world of Hollywood
Elation tinged with humility and success with sorrow. This is what Music Producer Suren Wijeyaratne experienced in the split-second between accepting the trophy and delivering his speech before many a celebrity at the 2014 ‘Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards’ of the National Academy of Television Arts & Science in downtown Los Angeles on that Friday [...]
“Watchman! What of the night?”, set the tone of things to come with star soprano
The De Lanerolle Brothers took the stage with famed pianist Rohan De Silva and star soprano Sabina Cvilak, at the Kingsbury Hotel on July 1 to give Colombo audiences a treat. The show opened with the De Lanerolle Brothers accompanied by Rohan De Silva on the piano, performing Sarjeant’s “Watchman! What of the night?”, a [...]
Two of Somalatha’s children’s plays stage a comeback
Somalatha Subasinghe needs no introduction to theatre lovers. She has a history of over 40 years in children’s theatre, not just through acting but also directing plays as well as, as a scriptwriter. Celebrating her 79th birthday on July 2, she along with Play House Kotte is ready to stage two of her dramas written [...]
Everyone will recognise someone on stage!
Gehan Blok first developed a palate for theatre in 2005, when he was chosen to play Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream while schooling at St. Peter’s College. Under the guidance of Jehan Bastians and Neidra Williams, the young boy blossomed from a newcomer into an accomplished actor, leaving school and joining acclaimed casts including [...]
Hideaway that blends with its surroundings
In Tangalle, life is slow-paced; children meander along the streets eating ice cream, the older ones hang about in little cliques by the boutiques and the adults stroll around with seemingly little worry lines creasing their foreheads. In one quiet corner off the main road, hidden from even the most prying of eyes, the Kadju [...]
Kataragama: Beyond the festival, a story of people and faith
Synonymous with rituals and godly belief, Kataragama in south-east Sri Lanka is a place of worship that every Sri Lankan pledges to visit at least once in their lifetime. Inside the temple -amidst the heady scents of incense and camphor- thousands of devotees reach up to ring the bells hanging overhead and evoke the blessings [...]
Life among genuine patients, conmen and murderers
When Dr. Benita Weerasinghe walked out of the gates of Welikada prison for the last time in July 2013, she felt both regret and relief; regret because she was retiring after a rewarding career in Medicine, relief because the last five years as MOIC (Medical Officer in Charge) of the prison hospital had been more [...]
A stepping stone back to society
School is just a hop, skip and a jump away from the hostel for *Suranga (name changed) but his enthusiasm to go to school, especially to “learn computer” makes him get up at 5 a.m. By 7.45, clad in a white shirt and trouser, he is ready to join the group of students from his [...]
Zooming into the other side of the red carpet at Cannes
A galaxy of camera flashes and movie stars on the red carpet is how the world knows the Cannes Film Festival. Dhanushka Gunathilake’s lens however pointed in another direction, to what he sees as the uncelebrated side. Initially intending to make a documentary, the cinematographer has now displayed his stills at the Alliance Francaise de [...]
Books
Enjoying a near five decades-old Sinhala film Kala Korner by Dee Cee It may sound rather strange but I did ‘celebrate’ the 50th wedding anniversary of Lester and Sumitra Peries recently by watching ‘Delovak Athara’ – Lester’s fourth film screened in 1966. Thanks to Torana Video Movies, I was able to enjoy the DVD from [...]
More zoos? When we can’t even manage one
The late Colonel J.H. Williams, the author of ‘Elephant Bill and Bandoola’ during two visits he made in the 60s to Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, wrote about the Dehiwala Zoo in an article that was published in the Ceylon Observer. He said, “I have travelled far in five continents and never missed an [...]
Gentle giants that are vulnerable to human action
I saw it then: a huge, grey-blue mountain in the ocean. I raised my camera and looked through the viewfinder to take a picture. I could not fit the thing into the frame: it was just enormous. Understandably, as this was the largest animal that ever lived: the Great blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). To describe [...]
People and events
All island winner for Prose Reading Ransika Bandara Seneviratne of Ananda College, Colombo 10 won the All island award 2014 for Prose Reading- 11 years category. The competition was conducted by Sri Lanka Festival of Music, Dance and Speech. It is affiliated to the British and International Federation for music,dance and speech. Ransika is a [...]
The dire ‘right’ to remember wrong
As I grow older, there are three things I can’t remember. I can’t remember names. I can’t remember faces. And … I can’t remember what the third thing is! That’s two out of three – a pass mark. But those who fail to make the grade are not those who can’t remember these or other [...]
