He was home to see the Kinihiriya in full bloom
It took Nihal Jayamanne 30 years to find a Kinihiriya plant. From the moment he first laid eyes on the buttercup yellow flowers he was completely bowled over. Today the silvery grey tree stands tall by his driveway, a silent bystander to the last five years of battle between life and death that blanketed its [...]
A cool way to halve your electricity bill
It was Plato who declared that necessity was the mother of invention. Wing Commander P.L.L.C.S. Alwis, our final Ray Awards shortlist inventor, learnt to think on his feet on the battlefields of wartime Sri Lanka- now, he’s used that same snap thinking to devise a simple method to save energy and almost halve your electricity [...]
Prarthana: Connecting those who care
Childless for six years with the medical verdict being that the chances of conception are nil and the only option held out being adoption, a desperate young Sri Lankan in England comes across a simple blue book with a long-stemmed lotus on the cover page. On her request, many miles across the seas, her mother [...]
CandleAid Lanka holds four-day career guidance programme for students
The biggest hurdle for the young today is to get an interview for a job and then know what could be done in preparation to come-out a winner. 21 girls and boys completed a four-day career guidance programme organised by CandleAid Lanka which operates as a non-religious non-ethnic approved charity. The organisation runs many diversified [...]
Appreciations
A rare friend who spread cheer in spite of her pain Kanthi Gunatunga Kanthi breathed her last in peace as she sat in the wheelchair where she spent more than 25 of her 52 years of life on this earth. I first met her several years ago in the basement of Mount View Residencies, a [...]
Letters to the Editor
Now’s the time to get cracking with constitutional reforms Now that the General Election is done and dusted we can turn our minds to one of the most pressing needs for the future. More than once in recent times important people, including Ranil Wickremesinghe, have said that there is a need for Constitutional Reform. Many [...]
A powerful educational force
It’s the 95th Birthday of Deshabandu Dr. Mrs. Wimala De Silva. The tributes paid to her could only convey how limited words are to describe the personage. It is eight years since she passed on; what she did; what she said; Her influence prevails and time has not dimmed it. Education was her primary interest [...]
Working with her pet subjects
The front door of her home down Lauries Road, Bambalapitiya, is locked as well as chained and padlocked. This is a precaution not so much to keep intruders out but to stop the ‘insiders’ from running out. As she lets us in, urging the ‘insiders’ to keep quiet and not fight, she laughingly explains that [...]
A soaring ride that saw spirits soaring too
It was 4 a.m. on July 31 at the Cafe Spinner in Battaramulla; the city was still asleep on holiday mode, but at Spinner, there was excitement in the air. The thrilling climb over the three scenic mountains – Ginigathena, Hatton, and Radella was officially scheduled to begin from Kitulgala later in the day, but [...]
Moved by Lankan emotions, a dance is born
The Arpeggio Academy of Creative Dance will introduce audiences to a newly minted form of dance when they partake in this month’s Indian Independence Day cultural celebrations in Colombo. The performance scheduled for Friday, August 28, will explore the scope of emotional dance, which director Nilan Maligaspe hopes will herald in a new genre of [...]
Uplifting overture
Two small farming communities of Mullaitivu and Kurunegala are abuzz with activity as they prepare for the Music Project’s 6th residential UNITE programme.The programme amplifies the universal language of music as a platform for transforming the lives of children in a post conflict situation and more importantly as a bridge connecting the different communities of [...]
“Comedy with a Cause” isn’t all about the laughs
The walls of the room are scattered with posters dating from 1993 onwards. The bold fonts and clean cut graphics would make them stand out today. They tell the story of this theatre company’s journey on stage – how since their inception the Performing Arts Company’s identity has been closely constructed around classic British comedies [...]
Writing skills for children
‘Writing Creatively’-a workshop for 10-14 year olds conducted by Neluka Silva is designed to help children think about creating and constructing stories and essays. The three sessions will involve individual and group work and fun activities which tap into the imagination. The activities also focus on structuring and producing outlines of stories and essays. Day 1 [...]
From teacher to student Andre broadens horizons abroad
Andre David is a name synonymous with the local performing arts. The progeny of artistically gifted parents, Andrew and Mary Anne David, young Andre was steeped in the world of theatre and music for as long as he can remember. His first performance at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, then known as the Oberoi was as [...]
A glorious sight to behold in the streets of Kandy
Rhythmical drum beats reverberate alongside vigorous dancing; pious devotees on sidewalks pay obeisance to the Sacred Tooth Relic as the Kandy Esala Perahera winds its way through the streets of the city of Kandy this week.This is the grandest week of the historic pageant with the Randoli Perahera parading the streets which makes it a relevant time [...]
A vagabond in Ceylon
“It is easy to account for the vagabond’s fondness for tropical lands. He loves to strut about among reverential black men in all the glory of a white skin; it flatters him astonishingly to have native policemen and soldiers draw up at attention.” – Harry A. Franck, A Vagabond Journey around the World (1910) When [...]
Zudhora, newest designer store opens doors
Designer retail store Zudhora opened its doors last week at Reid Avenue, Colombo 07 (next to Lakpahana). Alongside international labels the store will retail selected pieces from collections created by Sri Lankan designers, tapping into a rapidly burgeoning market for locally produced designer-wear. Zudhora is the brainchild of fashion designers Charini Suriyage and Ramona Oshini, [...]
Spa Ceylon spreads its fragrance
This year has been a glowing one for Spa Ceylon with a host of international accolades being bestowed on the brand. Cosmopolitan – the international lifestyle magazine has picked luxury Ayurveda brand Spa Ceylon three times in their Cosmo Fragrance Awards 2015. Spa Ceylon’s Margosa Lime Cleansing bar was picked the Best-Smelling Soap, while Spa Ceylon [...]
A Turkish farewell
Turkish ambassador Iskender Oksay and his wife Elena hosted a reception at the Turkish Residence in Colombo on August 12 to bid goodbye to their friends in Lanka. Pix by Indika Handuwala
International range of seafood at the Ocean
The Ocean Seafood Restaurant at The Kingsbury is fast becoming the destination for the best and freshest seafood in the city by the sea. Local fare aside, the restaurant’s supply routes now cover the Indian, Pacific, Atlantic, Southern and Arctic oceans. Atlantic King Crab, Dutch Mussels, Canadian Lobster, Cray Fish, Japanese Hamachi Fillet or Yellow [...]
From a new political culture to a whole new clean society
As I write, the last of the late results are trickling in. There isn’t so much as a breathless hush in the close tonight, as much as a peaceful easy feeling throughout the country. Tomorrow, it might be a very different story as the polity we live in and comprise slowly limps back to work [...]
PeMEX 2015: ‘The Tale of Medicine Untold’
The Faculty of Medicine University of Peradeniya, which is the second medical school in the country was established in 1962 due to the needs of the country to produce more doctors for the nation. Within three years – in 1965, the young Faculty was able to create a record by organising the first ever medical [...]
Eucharistic celebration for silver jubilee
A Eucharistic celebration organised by the teachers and students of St. Mary’s College, Negombo was held at St. Mary’s Church, Grand Street, Negombo recently to celebrate the silver jubilee of the priestly ordination of Rev. Father Jayantha Wickramasinghe. Jayantha Wickramasinghe was born to Catholic parents Francis Wickramasinghe and Mrs. Juliette Wilangamuwa on May 13, 1964, [...]
“Thread in Life”: A&E visual installation at CFW
American & Efird (A&E) Lanka, a fully owned subsidiary of one of the world’s premier industrial sewing thread manufacturers American & Efird LLC, USA, had on show an artistic visual installation made out of thread at the recently concluded ‘Swim’ by Colombo Fashion Week (CFW). The artistic installation, called “Thread in Life” was prepared with [...]
“A new Sri Lankan style” at Jewellery Design Awards
The nine finalists at this year’s Sri Lanka Jewellery Design Awards are vying for the title of Jewellery Designer of the Year for 2015 in four different categories. The competition which is growing in prestige is organised by the Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Association. It was held this year under the theme of “A new [...]
Dance up close and personal with Closeup
A passion for dance and music is a part of the nation’s youth leading toothpaste brand Closeup is giving them a platform to show their talent to a wider audience by joining in as it embarks on producing Sri Lanka’s first ever co-created dance music video. Set to a specially composed electrifying soundtrack, Closeup has [...]
