A little church that holds hope for the hopeless
Set amidst a rectangular block of land at the “best spot” on a lush coconut estate in Ratnagiriya, is a tiny, inconspicuous church. Surrounded by shady kohomba, benjamina and teak trees through which rustles a gentle breeze, is St. Peregrine’s Church, where those living close-by say many haskam (miracles) take place. Although the church’s name [...]
Handmade for the feet and solely Lankan
They are a colourful piece of ingenuity. However, for the boys behind the DODO brand of handmade handloom loafers, it’s part of who they are – it’s Sri Lankan. With all the raw materials for the DODO sourced locally and put together in Colombo the team comprising college friends Naushad Ninzer, Bernard Arulanandam and Amjad [...]
Letters
The relevance of Bak Poya in solving the ethnic problem The event surrounding Gauthama Buddha’s second visit to Sri Lanka on a Bak Poya day is more relevant today given the country’s ethnic problem. Though the thirty-year war is over, a final settlement is yet to be reached. As clearly pointed out by the Lessons [...]
Full-face and face/off!
Two things about faces drew my attention this week. The first was the spot of bother over full-face helmets, and how the local authorities might have got it wrong about road rules. The other was the brouhaha about the alpine air-crash, and how the international authorities desperately need to get it right as regards air-traffic [...]
Silent auction makes waves
Art lovers and supporters of the Unity Mission Trust’s efforts at promoting reconciliation among the youth of the country after the end of the war, came together at the Lionel Wendt last Wednesday evening for ‘Dawn’ – an exhibition and sale of paintings by the Shyamal a School of Art in collaboration with the Colombo [...]
Pushpa makes history in a male bastion
Amidst the din in the International Women’s Month of March, history was made at Lake House with no fanfare. Woman journalist Pushpa Rowell was made Editor of Dinamina. The male bastion thus fell with Pushpa becoming the first woman to rise to the rank of the Chief Editor of a Sinhala national newspaper. What’s remarkable [...]
The eternal lure of cartoons
One Sunday morning, as usual, I got up at the crack of dawn at 10.30 hrs. and after the usual refreshing cup of tea I went straight into the Plus section of The Sunday Times and shock horror there were no cartoons! Did that register with you? No? I said that there were no cartoons! [...]
My daughter is different and she has blossomed at MJF school
Seated on a bench , I watched this inspiring scene unfold right before my eyes. All the children who are special and differently abled were eagerly listening to the instructions given by the physical trainer. He takes immense effort, to demonstrate and encourage them, to follow him in his outdoor workout. Situated in Moratuwa, this [...]
A place to relax and reflect in style
Guidebook writer Royston Ellis features hotels that are good value and affordable This dream bungalow began with a door, two windows, and four posts. A retired antique dealer from England on one of his frequent holidays to Sri Lanka, saw those items on sale here and bought them. He had no idea or plan about [...]
Head to Saman Villa to savour a degustation menu
Saman Villa, Sri Lanka’s first five star luxury boutique hotel, in keeping with its tradition of innovation introduces a degustation menu from Executive Chef Alex Zinke. Hailing from a family of chefs , Alex Zinke has worked in some of the finest hotels around the world. Cutting his teeth at the renowned Savoy Hotel in [...]
Cooking up something new with Indo-Lankan flavours
Among the sights guaranteed to lift any foodie’s heart is that of Alfred Prasad cooking lunch. Out in the garden of the Aditya Hotel Resort, India’s youngest chef to ever win a Michelin star is sweating as he vigorously stirs a pot from which rises appetizing aromas. Under his watchful eye, the group of amateur [...]
From Bradford UK, to St. Paul’s Kandy
Namali Premawardhana uncovers the tale of a pipe organ whose glorious sounds have been heard since 2009 at a World Heritage site in bustling Kandy town As Christians around the globe celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ this Easter morning, nestled in the heart of Kandy, a faithful servant of the church waits for its [...]
Easter: Looking back at history to resurrect the truth
Browsing the internet recently, my attention was drawn to a quotation by P.Z.Myers, Associate Professor of Biology, University of Minnesota-Morris, US, and author of the popular science blog Pharyngula where Myers mixes Darwinist science with unvarnished venom for Christianity.This is what he says about Easter: “ …… the day Christians everywhere set aside to celebrate [...]
Celebrating Pakistan National Day
Acting Pakistani High Commissioner Dr. Safraz Ahmed Khan Sipra and Mrs. Siddiqa Sipra hosted a reception to mark the 69th National Day of Pakistan at the Grand Ballroom of the Galadari Hotel on March 23.
Farewell to John Rankin
Diplomats and personalities closely associated with the UK were in attendance at the farewell reception for outgoing High Commissioner John Rankin (left) last month at the Hilton Colombo Residences. Pix by Indika Handuwala
Flavours of France
Colombo’s lovers of fine French cuisine had an unenviable choice- did they choose the Cafe Francais on Park Street where French chef Jean Phillipont was or go to Waters Edge to sample Chef Buddhika Samarasekera’s creations on March 19? Either way, they enjoyed a rare gastronomic experience as the Good France event was celebrated at [...]
Hair flair: From the past to the future
From the glorious past to the mysterious future, Ramani Fernando and her team transported the audience into the future of hair fashion as Sunsilk Blackshine made a hair statement at the Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) last month at the Hilton. The creative show had an abundance of styles, from coiffures of bouncy curls to chic [...]
Too shocking to laugh and too funny to shock
‘Our Stories’ — nine short performances held to mark V Day drove home the message of Violence against Women and Girls in a striking manner, says Yomal Senerath-Yapa That night, it seemed that the compact Barefoot café had expanded to accommodate an overdose of fashionable society. Interspersed among the elegant ladies and well-known faces were [...]
Tribute to a lifetime of writing
The English Writers’ Co-operative (EWC) and the International Centre for Ethnic Studies felicitated eminent writer and poet Jean Arasanayagam on March 31 at a well-attended ceremony at the ICES auditorium. The event was a tribute to Arasanyagam’s ‘lifetime of writing’ and excerpts from her poetry were read to the audience by Myrle Williams and Ashok [...]
Creating art that could mean anything to anyone
“Ideally, I would love to be a painter,” says Kavan Balasuriya. It’s been under a year since he moved back home with a degree in Fine Art from the Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London and the young artist is now taking his first steps into the public eye with his [...]
Swansong For Beatrice Balaratnarajah
You know, last night I felt I had to write this story, Beatrice beamed at us as she took her seat round the tables where we, the English Writers Workshop aka the Wadiya Group, sat at our regular month-end meeting on the 28th of March 2015. I got a strong feeling that I should come [...]
Appreciations
Dr. A.T. Munasinghe In the final analysis he was a good human being It is with profound sorrow that I sit down to write these few lines in appreciation of my dear friend Dr. Ajith Munasinghe who passed away a few weeks ago. Ajith Tissa Munasinghe was born in January 1954 to Dr. C.H. Munasinghe [...]
New Commissioner of National Housing
Dr. W. M. Karunadasa has been appointed as Commissioner of National Housing under the Ministry of Housing and Samurdhi. He was the senior Professor of History and International Relations at the University of Colombo. He holds a doctoral degree on Sri Lanka’s Foreign Policy and Non-alignment and has authored several books on the subject. A [...]
Await Super Golden Chimes concert on April 10
The original members of the Super Golden Chimes have a busy schedule during their 2015 tour – they have already rocked audiences in Sydney and Melbourne in February. Now they have a concert at the BMICH on April 10 and then they fly to Dubai for another concert on April 17. Later in the year [...]
Ladies’ College OGA “Style” Twenty 15
The Ladies’ College Old Girls Association will host “Style” Twenty 15, a red carpet gala evening at the Galadari Hotel on May 29 consisting of a glamorous fashion show and a star-studded musical performance followed by a grand spread of some of the best multi cuisine. The fashion show, choreographed by Lou Ching Wong, will [...]
Multiple Sclerosis sufferer appeals for help
Amila Wasantha is 35-years-old, married with one child but cannot live a normal life owing to an acute disorder in his nervous system that has left him in a hopeless position. In 2001, a Doctor gave him just nine days to live but he has soldiered on. Wasantha from Kumbukgahamulla-Welipanne in the Dumbalasooriya Police Division [...]
Swamy Premananda International Conference
The Swamy Premananda International Conference was held in Colombo in February with over 200 devotees both local and foreign of Swamy Premanandaji participating in several programmes organized by the Battaramulla and Colombo centres. The theme of the conference was “Swamy Premananda- A Living Force for Unity”. Swamy Premananda the Sri Lankan born guru lived in [...]
W.O.T Fernando presents books to former President
Well-known author of school supplementary readers, senior lecturer W.O.T Fernando presented the first copies of a collection of his new books to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at his Colombo residence. The collection includes Ayathana Sangrahaya Saha Avabodhaya and Mudal Regulaasi Saha Avabodhaya to serve as guides for public servants studying the Establishment Code and financial [...]
