For all the books you want and more
As a painfully shy child, books were the lifeline that I clung to. I acquired library memberships at four different libraries in Colombo and instead of integrating books into my life, rearranged my life around books. I would read in three-wheelers, furtively prop up fiction between the pages of textbooks in school and read by [...]
Giving back to their village
Dodanduwa lies in the heart of the southern district, in Hikkaduwa. A vibrant village that has become increasingly urbanised with a growing tourism-related industry, Dodanduwa is home to one of Sri Lanka’s illustrious southern families that has proudly claimed its heritage as their own for over a century. The Dodanduwa Weerasooriyas have always had their [...]
To the maestro: Devanjali: Ritual, Rites and Reflection
On July 18, 2005, the nation bid adieu to Chitrasena. Yet the legacy of this dance legend – the Chitrasena Dance Company led by his third generation of family members determined to stay true to his discipline and ideals has lived on over the years. This year, the Chitrasena Dance Company took to the international stage [...]
He didn’t give up on his main passion
Harsha Abeyaratne always loved playing the piano, but it just wouldn’t do for a career, not in good old Lanka. After years of almost settling for second best though, he came back to his dream in his mid-twenties and hasn’t changed direction since. At 15, Abeyaratne was faced with a difficult choice, and from a [...]
The love which dared not speak its name until now
Once upon a time, there was a love that was hidden: darkly seen in the glass of human fallenness: closeted in secrecy. Well… no longer. Not for some time, anyway. It has grown bolder with the attacks on, and battering of, many bastions of putatively established institutions. Male dominance over women who were long seen [...]
Cooking up a tea winner
“Tea is a very sensitive experience,” explains Chef Ronaldo Sadiz, while adding the finishing touch of mint leaves into coconut shells full of hot water. We meet Ronaldo and his partner Dammika Herath in the heat of the competition on Wednesday morning – the pair are one of the 21 teams from around the world [...]
An eye for the unique
While other wildlife photographers may wistfully wait for a photo spree in Africa, Asela Karunaratne has made maximum use of our own Eden: a koha amidst lush foliage about to toss a berry as red as its eye into its mouth; a kingfisher about to swallow its slithering sliver of fish-prey…. The key stone of [...]
Weaving a tale of Guatemalan women and their craft
In the highlands of Central America, ringed by volcanic mountains, the women of Guatemala carry on a tradition of weaving and textile-making that can be easily traced to their Mayan heritage. Their colourful linear patterns and fringes can be found in relief carvings that date back to 600 AD. The diverse design patterns and colours also [...]
Kumar’s love affair with Paris continues with ‘Nostalgie05’
Kumar de Silva is back again, this time with the fifth edition of his annual series of black and white photographic exhibitions – ‘Nostalgie05’ which brings the streets of Paris to life in a trillion shades of gray as part of the current French Spring Festival 2015. “This year’s theme has been inspired by one [...]
Those strange sea creatures around Taproband
With much interest in the jellyfish floating around the coast of Sri Lanka, Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Ajith Amarasinghe who is also dabbling in history has sent the following excerpt from a book he is editing. Here Megathanes who was the first foreign Ambassador to be mentioned in Indian history describes the poisonous sea creatures which [...]
Letters to the Editor
Like kerosene and coconut oil, MS and MR policies won’t mix Many self-centred ‘politikkas’ in the UPFA are showing their political immaturity in their attempt to bring Maithripala Sirisena and Mahinda Rajapaksa together. They are so immature and so concerned about their ‘dark past’ and their own political future that they fail to realise that [...]
Pond’s launches all-in-one cream
Well known face care brand Pond’s unveiled its Pond’s BB + all in one cream to Sri Lanka at a glamorous event attended by film stars, designers, beauty experts and other personalities from different fields at the Cinnamon Grand, last Tuesday. The dual purpose BB+ cream, a hybrid between a cosmetic and skin care product, [...]
Double celebration
Honorary Consul for Slovenia Sanath Ukwatte hosted a lavish reception at the Mount Lavinia Hotel to celebrate the National Day of Slovenia on June 24. Mr. Ukwatte was awarded the title of Honorary Consul-General of Slovenia at the event, which was attended by a diplomats and a large gathering of Colombo society.
Shimalka’s designs
Designer Shimalka Bodaragama’s creations were on the ramp at the Fashion Profiles event at Studio 4, Sri Lanka’s first theatre bar on June 27.
Soak in the luxury at a one-stop bath ware store
The Bath Store, the one stop location for designer bath ware and bathroom accessories recently announced the launch of its Bathroom in a Box promotion. Combining two leading brands including Grohe fittings from The Bath Store portfolio – the offer provides luxury bathrooms for a fraction of the cost. The Bathroom in a Box offer [...]
Appreciations
Diplomat, freedom-fighter, tea planter and ‘Green’ Dhanapala Samarasekara Who can claim that they have been evicted from a play by India’s first Nobel laureate? My father can. He would happily recall the events which forced Rabindranath Tagore to “kick him out” of a performance at Mahinda College, Galle, in 1928 when he was just seven [...]