Clean up op, her mission
Do the ‘right’ thing! Throughout the ceremony to mark the assumption of duty by the new Public Trustee on Wednesday, this is the message that was resonating over and over again……and this is what the new incumbent is determined to do. There is no ambiguity and her convictions are obvious, when we meet Attorney Tharangani [...]
Don’t destroy Hantana, Kandy’s haven of green
The National Housing Development Authority under the previous government launched a housing project called Hantana Residencies in Hantana, where already exists a housing scheme done by President Premadasa as the Minister of Housing in the 1980s and constructed by an Italian team. The Italian engineers and geologists carefully selected areas in Hantana where it was [...]
It all began for a coterie of Kandyan chiefs’ daughters
“Our Father, by whose servants, our house was built of old…” the lines of the old hymn go. Hillwood College, Kandy, celebrates its 125th anniversary today, Hillwood Sunday. The school’s founder, Miss Elizabeth Bellerby was the first missionary sent to Sri Lanka by the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society (CEZMS). She arrived in 1889 [...]
2014 Gratiaen shortlist: Socio-political commentary to humour hold sway
“The arts are not like a political election where the winner takes all. The arts are hopefully a true democracy. No one writer creates a literary culture. Several people, essayists and poets and novelists and critics and publishers and thereby, readers do,” remarked Michael Ondaatje at the first presentation of the Gratiaen Prize many moons [...]
Mr, Ms, Miss… and now – Mx!
It’s official. There are three genders, now. At least, the authoritative Oxford English Dictionary’s 2015 edition says so! And you just read all about it in your favourite Sunday newspaper. So it must be true… Let us begin at the beginning. Shall we? In the good old days, there were just two genders. Holy writ [...]
Letters
Stop the plunder of Lanka’s pure water In the past, bottlers of fresh fruit drinks encouraged the local fruit industry to plant and bought the fresh fruit from the producers. Not so today, even the local fresh fruit drink bottlers have moved on, they don’t buy anything locally. Instead, hundreds of container loads of cheap [...]
Cruising down the ecology of the Negombo lagoon
Negombo Lagoon is the largest semi-enclosed coastal water body near Colombo, with plenty of natural resources, but subject to potential heavy human impacts from the surroundings, and hence deserves our attention. Out of the 85 lagoons and estuaries in the country, the Directory of Asian Wetlands (IUCN 1989) listed Negombo Lagoon as one of the [...]
If we can help some needy children
Mahiyangana is the other side of the world for those who seldom travel outside Colombo. But the dry zone Uva Province district attracts a steady flow of sightseers who come to visit the Wasgamuwa nature reserve and the many religious sites that grace the area. It was during a visit to the Wasgamuwa Nature Reserve [...]
A toast to new partnership
The Nawaloka College of Higher Studies, and Swinburne University of Technology hosted a reception to announce their partnership with the California State University, Monterey Bay, at the Grand Ballroom of the Galadari Hotel on May 6. Minister of Higher Education and Research Dr. Sarath Amunugama was the chief guest.
Remembering the Battle of Canakkale
Turkish ambassador Iskender Okyay hosted a reception to mark the opening of an exhibition at the Ambassador’s residence on the centenary of the Battle of Canakkale – a significant moment in the fortunes of World War 1. The diplomats and other guests were able to see the story of the battle, through photographs, letters and [...]
Taj GM leaves our shores
The Taj Samudra’s affable General Manager Rohit Khosla bade goodbye to his many friends in Colombo last week while introducing his successor Sarabjeet Singh at a reception at the hotel. Pix by Indika Handuwala
Celebrating Israeli Independence
The 67th Independence Day of the State of Israel was celebrated with a reception at the Kingsbury Hotel hosted by Ambassador of Israel Daniel Carmon & Ms. Ditza Froim and Hon Consul of Israel Wicky Wickramatunga.
Appreciations
Tilney Fernando My hero will live on in our hearts Some fade away. But some live strong in our hearts! And he, my silent hero will always live in our hearts. As my pen moves at the present, my mind runs all the way to the beautiful past where with ‘Pa’ everything was so different. [...]
