Bubbling with life
Lellopitiya, Ratnapura – He is home from nursery. Sprawled on the rough cement floor with his book and pencil, he is not interested in writing the letter B. Lips pursed in concentration, pencil gripped tightly in his left hand, he is more interested in drawing butterflies. Admiring his work, he adds the finishing touches, the [...]
Simply inclusive and reassuring
Architect Chinthaka Wickramage’s residence, where we meet him for our interview, is a reflection of his design ethic. An open, well lit space with simple lines, it affords a sense of peace for anyone who walks in. Perhaps this philosophy proved useful in designing the International Foundation of the Red Cross (IFRCS) Community Centre in [...]
For the love of the leopard
Flip through any Sri Lankan holiday brochure and undoubtedly it will feature the leopard, a prime tourist attraction prompting a proliferation of safari tour operators promising an encounter with this exquisite creature. But just how much do we know about our beloved yet endangered big cat, and are we doing enough to safeguard our proverbial [...]
Imparting an all important lesson
Author and educationist Ravindra Ranasinha’s new publication brings into focus our country’s ailing education system which he marks with a ‘Grade F.’ He kicks off his narrative with a well-aimed penalty at bullying in schools. Most parents point out the reality that if teachers were really keeping a close eye on the high jinks around [...]
Notre- Dame: In search of its soul
Kumar de Silva remembers that Christmas Eve in Paris – a bleak wintry evening when tired out he slipped into the great cathedral.Sitting there, he was lulled by the sights, scents and sounds that enveloped him: the smell of burning candlewax, the sonorous Latin chant of the priests, the soft murmur of prayer in the [...]
Appreciations
Prof. Ediriweera Saratchandra Those were times of great men and great days at Pera I was an associate, colleague of Prof. Ian Vandandriesen, Prof. Ediriweera Saratchandra, Buddhadasa Hewavitarane and Prof. Ralph Peiris at Mahakande – University of Peradeniya. On weekends I used to visit Prof. Vandandriesen and Prof. Saratchandra who was staying with him. This [...]
Letters
SL-England Test cricket and flashback to Uni. incident Switching on the TV to see the recently concluded Test series between Sri Lanka and England, I saw nattily dressed ladies and gentlemen leisurely walking onto the Leeds grounds in large numbers, some carrying baskets, others flasks and even kids. Why do so many people spend so much [...]
Matara: Weaving history,miracles and lace
Matara, a town in the deep south of Sri Lanka, ornamented by a shimmering coastline, lies about 158 kilometres from Colombo. In terms of a travel destination, the venue provides a great insight into Sri Lanka’s colonial era, with many majestic structures taking one back to the Portuguese, Dutch and even British ruling eras, in [...]
Lankan delicacies and English tea amidst paddy fields
People hacking out their old clay floor tiles to replace them with the newer, glossy kind was something Daniele and David Francis could never understand. “The older ones are great!” Daniele feels. Much like the tiles, one of the first things the British couple noticed was that the essence of life in Sri Lanka was [...]
Virtual unreality
I wonder if you had noticed that there is something called “Virtual Reality”. Basically, youngsters in three-quarter length trousers and a couple of O Levels between three of them, spend a lot of money on electronic devices that translocate them to another world. They then conduct wars in Space against Aliens! In my younger days [...]
When sorry seems to be the hardest word
We read with some interest, and no small measure of amusement, the insistence by a member of a right-wing politico-philosophical power group with a sprinkling of saffron religiosity that the leader of a global religious movement must apologize for his religion’s ‘colonial crimes’ when he officially visits our island early next year. Some interest – [...]
It all began with an English thoroughbred called Sydney
His vision and mission is to breed a Sri Lankan thoroughbred horse. For Palitha Samarakoon, an enthusiastic horse breeder this has been a journey he embarked on with Sydney, the thoroughbred who was raced in England and later in Singapore. After retirement from racing, Sydney was gifted to the Sri Lanka Police on January 7, [...]
An evening of beauty, style and grace
Thirteen beauties dazzled at the Biona Runway Supermodel 2014 pageant held last Saturday (July 5) at the Park Street Mews, with Ishanka De Alwis crowned winner over the course of a spectacular evening of beauty and indomitable style and grace. The finale was a follow up to a two month process of selection and grooming [...]
Spa Ceylon in Mumbai’s upmarket shopping strip
Spa Ceylon – Sri Lanka’s premier spa lifestyle brand – has just marked its entry to India’s highly lucrative luxury wellness sector with the grand launch of its flagship boutique in Mumbai’s fashionable ‘Bandra Linking Road’ up-market shopping strip. Sri Lanka’s own Bollywood superstar Jacqueline Fernandez was among the exclusive guests gracing the occasion. The [...]
Naming the Teardrop
In 1972, Ceylon became known as Sri Lanka – “Resplendent Land” in Sanskrit. In so doing, it reverted to its most ancient name, coupled with the honorific prefix, Sri. This occurred when the country became a republic and Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be head of state. During the four decades since, Sri Lankans (who [...]
SLPI hosts farewell luncheon for Norwegian Embassy counsellor
Directors of the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) hosted a farewell luncheon for Dagney Mjos, counsellor of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, at the Colombo Club on Thursday. Ms. Mjos was responsible for handling donor funds for the SLPI on behalf of the Scandinavian countries. She leaves to serve in the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Paris. [...]
ASUS launches ‘Notebooks’ laptops in Sri Lanka
Marrying the convenience of the mobile industry with fail safe wired solutions, on June 25 ASUS officially appointed John Keells Office Automation and EPSI Computers as their official distributors in the country. The auspicious occasion also marked the launch of their line of Notebooks. According to Director Operations India and Country Product Manager Sri Lanka, [...]
Launch of Children’s Islamic Magazine
The first issue of Pathfinders, a Children’s Islamic Magazine, was launched recently at the Ministry of Sports auditorium with a participation of over 250 guests. The magazine’s aim is to encourage a love of learning in its readers, about Islam and the wider world and is for children from three years old, all the way [...]
AG Ceylon celebrates 100th anniversary
The Assemblies of God of Ceylon (AG Ceylon) is celebrating its 100th anniversary of the Assemblies of God in Sri Lanka. A celebration of praise and thanksgiving was held at the Havelock Sports Club Grounds as the focal event of a series of celebratory events executed in this regard. To celebrate this significant event that [...]
Iraqi embassy Iftar
The Iraqi embassy hosted an Iftar (Ramadan breaking fast) dinner at Hilton Colombo Residence recently. Ambassador Kahtan Taha Khalaf is seen welcoming some of the guests.
Taj Samudra welcomes Special Envoy Ramaphosa and his delegation
Taj Samudra, Colombo was honored to welcome the South Africa’s Special Envoy to Sri Lanka, and Deputy President of the African National Congress Cyril Ramaphosa and his delegation on Monday morning. Area Director and General Manager of Taj, Mr. Rohit Khosla and his team welcomed Hon: Cyril Ramaphosa with Kandyan drummers and dancers at the [...]
St. Anthony’s College AGM
The 69th Annual General Meeting of the St. Anthony’s College Wattala, Old Boys Association, was held recently. The following members were elected to the Executive committee at the AGM for 2014/2015: Patron, Rev. Bro Denzil Perera, Provincial: De La Salle Brothers, Vice patrons: M/S Neil De Silva, Gamini Perera, Clement Fernando, Lalith Jayawardena, Benedict [...]
Prithipura Communities website correction
In reference to ‘Prithipura Communities’ article, that appeared last week, their web address is www.prithipura.org and not www.prithipura.com
New Burger King menu adds local spice
Since setting up shop in December last year, the ever popular Burger King franchise has slowly yet steadily built its fan base among Sri Lankans. The time has come, feels CEO of Softlogic Restaurants (Pvt) Ltd., Suresh Jayawardana, to give the international menu a slight tweak. “We are trying to bring in a little bit [...]
