‘I did it for the country’
Since the passing away of Nihal Fernando on April 20, many heartfelt tributes have been written by friends and associates who reminisced on facets of his life as a photographer, environmentalist, passionate lover of Sri Lanka and founder of ‘Studio Times’. His friends knew him to be a remarkable individual. Few people of such accomplishment [...]
Letters to the Editor
Should we as a sovereign country sign the CEPA? Very few in Sikkim realised that by their leaders signing the Agreement with India, judging from the small print, the citizens of Sikkim have sold their lives and birthright to becoming another state of India. India built a road into Nepal; consult any Nepalese, it is [...]
A finer citizenship of control freaks
I’m back from being out of town, midweek. As part of a conference organising team, yours truly has spent the past month or so paying attention to a plethora of details. Plus the big picture of the event. There were literally millions of things to stay on top of. And virtually thousands of other things [...]
Exciting time to be here
When James Dauris first came to Sri Lanka he was only 18 years old. A young teacher of English Literature, he remembers the long journey down from the school in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh where he taught, to Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, from where he took the ferry over. It was 1984, just a year after [...]
In the forefront of the battle against drug addiction
To say that Tay Bian How is well-travelled is an understatement. As Director of the International Centre for Certification and Education of Addiction Professionals (ICCE) of the Colombo Plan, he has seen much more than the diversity and rich heritage of the numerous countries he has visited. His conversation is imbued with his memories and [...]
Ishan’s book on Lankan musicians – Arts
For the first time ever in Sri Lanka, comes a book showcasing the musical journeys of 125 musicians with Sri Lankan roots who performed mainly in English from 1950 to 2015. This labour of love has been compiled by ‘Beatboy extra-ordinary’ Ishan Bahar who was an integral part of the music scene over the past [...]
Looking at society with a satirical gaze – Arts
S.H. Sarath presents the society around him in line drawings, most of the time with a subtle blend of humour and sarcasm. His line drawing of a group of parliamentarians sleeping in the House is an indictment on the bad example set by these people’s representatives. Then he depicts pregnant maidens in the Sigiriya frescoes [...]
Dark excess – Arts
There is a word to describe the encounter with Jehan Aloysius’ latest work with CentreStage Productions, and that is “excessive”. Reality Show two weekends ago caught up, twisted, and shelled its audience with so much of all that makes the theatre that it was almost too much. But outside of its own (literal and metaphorical) [...]
The unforgettable ‘Mother Courage’ – Kala Korner by Dee Cee
From ‘Rattaran’ in 1958 to ‘Vikurthi’ in 1982, she gave her best in both acting and then production. It was superb entertainment for the then youngish (now ‘oldies’) regular theatregoers like us. And then she switched on to children’s theatre giving ample enjoyment to both children and adults. For several decades Somalatha Subasinghe was a [...]
A dwindling craft
These are familiar souvenirs so representative of this land of swaying palm trees; the coconut crafts. Novel creations made of coconut shell, human and animal figures, they sit pretty on the shelves of handicraft shops. Yet the quantum of effort needed to create them, is something that escapes our attention. In the village of Ihala [...]
Rage, rage against the dying of the light
For Christmas, my friend Janaki gave me a book called ‘Ammonites and leaping fish’ by Penelope Lively. This, according to the author, was ‘her view from old age’, the ripe old age of 80. Early this year, someone sent me the late Anne Abayasekera’s essay on being old. Reading both these excellent bits of writing, [...]
Albert Wickremasinghe: The human rights activist
2015 marks the centenary of the Sinhala-Muslim riots of 1915, when, what started off as a dispute between the Buddhists of Gampola and the Moor traders culminated in an orgy of violence that spread throughout the country. These Moor traders were not the original Arab settlers who came centuries ago and married Sinhalese wives, but [...]
The old school tie
Bill Deutrom isn’t too comfortable talking about himself – characteristically so for a man whose actions have always been his calling card. In his long career, the eminent businessman in Australia has worn many hats and faced many challenges but what brings him back to the land he left behind in the ’60s is simply [...]
New book by Chhimi out
Chhimi Tenduf-La’s second book, Panther, published by HarperCollins India, will be released in Sri Lanka before the official launch elsewhere. The book will be available in all leading Sri Lankan bookstores by June 15. ‘Panther’ follows ‘The Amazing Racist’ which was released last year and tells the story of a former child soldier who wins [...]
Ravana causes a tsunami!
Ravana & the Temple of Shiva ISBN 978-955-0041-09-1 Rs. 250. Available in all bookshops Inspired by stories from the Mahabaratha and local legends about Lanka’s mythical king Ravana, the Perera-Hussein Publishing House has teamed up once again with the exceptionally talented English artist Alex Stewart to illustrate a second, easily accessible storybook based on indigenous [...]
Festival of Choirs at the Wendt
The Lionel Wendt will come alive with choirs that will sing unamplified on Thursday, June 25 at 7 p.m. The choirs participating would be Bishop’s College, Ladies’ College, Methodist College and St. Peter’s College. The choirs will perform a varied programme of music, ranging from popular music to sacred music. Each intermediate choir taking part would have 50 to 60 voices on [...]
Appreciations
He lived life as a true gentleman Stanley Patrick Senasinghe Stanley Patrick Senasinghe was born on March 21, 1938. He was a graduate of the University of Peradeniya. He had a brief career as a teacher, lecturer and subsequently enrolled as an attorney-at-law in the mid-seventies. He established a lucrative career as an advocate at [...]
Poetry coloured by Buddhist consciousness
In the 1960s and 1970s when I was closely associated with the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, I had the good fortunate to interact with Wimal Abeysundera. I was deeply impressed by his breadth of learning and commitment to literature. He was fluent in Sinhala, English, Pali and Sanskrit. His deep knowledge of these languages as [...]
“Thank you for saving my life”: World Blood Donor Day encourages volunteers
World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) falls today, June 14. The day is marked in Sri Lanka as well as worldwide. “Regionally we are celebrating on Monday, June 15 with many programmes keeping to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance parallel to the international events,” Dr. Gamini Karunadipathy, Consultant Transfusion Physician, Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya told the [...]
Father’s Day at the Kingsbury
For all busy people, spending time with those special people in our lives can be even more difficult and that is why special days like the Mother’s Day and the Father’s Day are a blessing in disguise. Have these days become commercialised? Yes, as the Manager – Corporate Communications and PR at the Kingsbury, Dinithi [...]
Holy Family Convent Dehiwala ‘Walkathon’
To mark the 80th anniversary of Holy Family Convent, Dehiwela, the Past Pupils Association together with the cooperation of the Staff and the School Development Society have organised “Walkathon 2015”. The walk will take place on Saturday, June 20, commencing at 7.00 a.m. from the school premises and will proceed up to ‘Odeon’ Mt. Lavinia, [...]
KWA Architects win at Asia Pacific Property Awards
KWA Architects won two awards at this year’s Asia Pacific Property Awards held in Kuala Lumpur. The five star award for “Best Hotel Architecture Sri Lanka” was awarded to their Reefs Edge Hotel project in Uswetakeiyawa and a ‘Highly commended under ‘Public Service Interior Sri Lanka’ was awarded for interior designs of the Expo Rail [...]
