Everyone should have a place in this world
You are stateless – you can lay claim to no nationality, and no nation claims you. You may have been born into anonymity as one of the persecuted Rohingya in Myanmar, your life encircled by fences of camps for the internally displaced, your only option to flee across the border to another refugee camp in [...]
No longer a ‘sewage hell’ but woes remain
They were a community battered by the 2004 tsunami. After languishing in temporary shelters for some time, this group of tsunami survivors from coastal villages down south were resettled in the Turkish Village in Midigama, Weligama in 2006. It was back in December 2009, that the Sunday Times highlighted how this tsunami village had turned [...]
‘Spreading a little bit of happiness would be nice’
I attended my first carol service for the season on December 2 this year. It was the Methodist College choir, directed by Sanjeev Jeyaratnam of `Revelations’ fame and the singing was heavenly. There were no announcements and no message – the carols, old and new, proclaimed the full import of Christmas for humankind. A printed [...]
Victim to breadwinner
A toddler hurtles towards the front door of a small home in Katukurunda, curious about the visitors who have come a-calling. The visitors are taken by surprise too – for the little one is the mirror-image of another boy, whose life they have followed in the past 10 years. As we meet just-turned two, Ayesh [...]
Letters
The story of two General Secretaries: Await the people’s verdict Maithripala Sirisena and Tissa Attanayake were the General Secretaries of their respective political parties. Both of them left their respective posts and parties not being satisfied with the manner their parties and their leaders were conducting themselves. Maithri complained of family autocracy, corruption by the [...]
Time to take a short break – But think!
Will the executive, personally, or the executive presidency, per se, be defeated at the emergency polls? To what extent are the leaders of our country and their family members abusing the powers vested in them by the people? How long will the law-enforcement authorities turn a blind eye to the unruly behaviour of bad-boy politicians [...]
Really, freaky!
Why didn’t he call? He must surely be back from his trip by now? But he hadn’t called and didn’t answer the phone, the secure number. She was almost tempted to call his home to speak to his wife but knew she wouldn’t. It had never been that kind of affaire; she didn’t see herself [...]
Anytime is prayer time
Tiny and unpretentious it may seem when held up against other edifices, but it is unique in its own right. Christ Church, off busy Galle Road, a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of Dehiwela junction, is the only “open door” church in Sri Lanka. Not only during the day but throughout the night [...]
The architect inspired by the Black Prince’s chapel
The church of Our Lady of the Gate of Heaven in Telheiras, Lisbon goes down in history as the one and only building erected in Portugal by a member of a Sri Lankan royal family. Consultant architect Sagara Jayasinghe, during a visit to Portugal two years back was fascinated by the chronicles and documentations on [...]
The ‘real deal’: Antiquarian books on Ceylon
“In the highest civilization the book is still the highest delight”. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Quotation and Originality There comes a time when all who have lovingly built up libraries – either accumulations or collections – have to relinquish their books carefully preserved, perhaps over the course of adulthood. This situation occurs for many reasons [...]
Visually arresting no to violence
“The Elimination of Violence against Women” was the theme of an art exhibition to mark the end of 16 Days of Activism for Elimination of Violence against Women, presented by the US Embassy in collaboration with the Faculty of Visual Arts of the University of Visual and Performing Arts. The exhibition was held from December [...]
More than Vietnam’s voice of diplomacy
Vietnam’s ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Phan Kieu Thu hails from a family of civil servants. She took a place of pride among them when she moved into her new offices off Ward Place in August this year, thereby becoming the youngest woman ever to be appointed an ambassador of her country. Her [...]
Appreciations
SQN. LEADER EDGAR COORAY (RTD) A true leader, guide and friend I was introduced to Edgar some 50 years ago by Walter Fernando, a top Sri Lanka Air Force pilot who later became the Air Force Commander, on a beautiful Sunday evening at the Negombo beach. Later I came to know that Edgar was [...]
Buddhi Batiks: Patterns of changing times
Buddhi Batiks launched their latest collection on December 6 at their Ward Place, Colombo 7 store. The shop was a colour palette of batiks of varied patterns for all ages. Ladies tried on silk sarees with Persian Rose prints on sea-green backgrounds while men checked the sizes of simple yet elegant batik t-shirts. Dispelling the [...]
Awarded the Austrian Decoration of Merit in Gold
Honorary Consul for Austria, Senake Amerasinghe was awarded the Austrian Decoration of Merit in Gold conferred by the Federal President of Austria, Dr. Heinz Fischer at a reception held at the Bougainvillea ballroom of the Galadari Hotel on December 9. The award was made by Ambassador for Austria Bernhard Wrabetz before a gathering of diplomats, [...]
Creative exploration
Over the course of three days, the Sri Lanka Design Festival drew in aspiring artists, graphic and fashion designers, marketers and overall innovators to exhibitions, lectures and forums, motivating them to tap into and explore their creative minds. “Design Katha” presented by the Academy of Design held on December 5 was the perfect learning experience [...]
