‘Artfelt’ need
If you stand in a certain spot, it looks as though the man is teetering dangerously close to a precipice, which drops into a dark abyss. No one is concerned by this. A toddler cheerfully rides her tricycle while her mother keeps a watchful eye and close by, a group of teenagers huddle together for [...]
Letters/Appreciations
Retaining US PR firms to lobby for Lanka is indeed a crime! A crime like no other!!! We are indeed most grateful to Namini Wijedasa and the Sunday Times for having exposed the scandalous theft of billions of our money in Foreign Exchange; this has no doubt been done by the Central Bank on instructions [...]
Finding the perfect blend
It was a TV producer attending a short cookery course at Ballymaloe Cookery School who suggested that Rachel Allen should do her own TV show. Pregnant with her second child (her son Lucca who’s now 13), Rachel had little thought of a career in media. As it turned out, she was a natural before the [...]
Anagarika’s efforts to foster Buddhism in Asia began in Adyar
The Theosophical Society (TS) opened its new headquarters in Adyar, near Madras, in 1882. New buildings were constructed, a library containing valuable Hindu and Buddhist manuscripts was established and a translation and publication programme was launched. Another significant development was the institutionalisation of the TS’ annual convention which was attended by representatives of TS branches [...]
The very best of school talent
Showcasing the very best of young school drama talent, the finals of the All Island Inter-School Buddhist Short Drama Contest organised by the YMBA Colombo was staged on September 13 at YMBA Borella. Organised for the 34th year, the drama contest was open to schools and dhamma schools island-wide and the finals of the competition [...]
UNESCO ICH: Protecting the heritage of humanity
A recent seminar held in Beijing, China on the Ratification and the Implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for Asian and Pacific Countries highlighted the necessity to build a global community that respects and protects their national Intangible Cultural Heritage; simply put- the heritage of humanity. Awareness [...]
Something for everyone to feel beautiful in
Park Street Mews is Nilanka Silva’s canvas this evening. Celebrating the diversely beautiful human body, the creator of the brand La’Sari will showcase her vibrantly coloured pieces today. Some uncertainty has however been hovering around her brand. “People think I make only sarees,” she says of the unfortunate tangle which springs from the name of [...]
Guess who was spotted in Sinharaja one dark night?
The Sinharaja Forest Reserve located in the southwest of Sri Lanka, is the country’s last viable primary tropical rainforest. It is a biodiversity hotspot and due to its international significance has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO. More than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are [...]
Country Roads: Years roll by but the music plays on
There were familiar scenes at the Mount Lavinia Hotel last Tuesday as the hotel geared to welcome one of its favourite events. We were catapulted straight to the set of an Old Western film. Expertly rolling-out their cowboys’ red-carpet of wooden barrels, cacti and bales of hay, the stage is all but ready for the [...]
Our very own Woodstock: Don’t miss the first show
Etisalat Lanka in partnership with JC Entertainments will present the first ever Woodstock Colombo 2015 concert on Saturday, September 26 at the CR&FC Grounds from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Woodstock Colombo brings together Sri Lanka’s most renowned and talented musicians to perform on one stage such as Rattlesnake, Flame, Mintaka, the Jerome Speldewinde Band [...]
Breaking free! Musically speaking
It was dark all around. There was frost in the ground When the tigers broke free. (Pink Floyd, When the Tigers Broke Free) If taken out of its context (only until the end of this review!) the above-quoted lyrics from the incensed and infuriated anti-war theme of the psychedelic-rock band (notice the fusion: psychedelic + [...]
A toast to the Queen!
It was a historic occasion when Queen Elizabeth II achieved the milestone of becoming the longest serving British monarch on September 9, 2015 with 63 years and ten months on the throne. On Thursday, September 10, British High Commissioner James Dauris hosted an elegant reception at Westminister House in honour of the occasion, the guest [...]
DIVAlicious the ‘mobile boutique’ comes to Sri Lanka
After making waves in Dubai, DIVAlicious, the fashion and lifestyle exhibition curated by Vanitaa Bhatia in 2011 is now set to make its appearance in Sri Lanka on September 22 and 23. DIVAlicious is the only fashion exhibition which has been held in cities such as Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore and Nairobi. A ‘mobile boutique’ as [...]
Love and faith; recipe for 60 years of wedded bliss
Olga and Ronald Jansen celebrated their Diamond wedding anniversary on September 10 surrounded by family and friends. The couple who married on September 10, 1955 have four children (three daughters and a son), six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. A retired Veterinary Surgeon Ronald and his wife Olga who earlier worked at Dimo and also [...]
Cutting edge restaurant with a French flair
As patron of the elite dining club The Nth Degree in London, Niranjan Deva Aditiya MEP has always felt particularly blessed. “I have always had a passion for food, and it is through my association with the Nth Degree, and its Chairman Robert Walton MBE, that I have been able to immerse myself in the [...]
Taking on Les Mis
Kumudini Perera - David playing Madame Thenadier Last seen in: Phantom of the Opera What has this production taught you? I’ve been training as a classical soprano for over 15 years with Aunty Mary Anne. My first proper musical theatre experience was with Phantom, last year. So I didn’t really bring much experience as a musical theatre [...]
Sri Lankan doctor receives FIGO award
Dr Ramya Pathiraja, MBBS MS FRCOG, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist and head and Senior Lecturer at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura has been selected for an award from the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). She will receive the FIGO Award given in [...]
Committee to recommend reforms to the conduct of Inquests of Death
Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has appointed a Committee to recommend reforms to the conduct of Inquests into Deaths. The committee headed by Prof. Ravindra Fernando, Senior Professor of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, University of Colombo, will consider the existing legal framework and practices pertaining to the conduct of inquests into deaths and recommend amendments to [...]
Pathfinders Islamic magazine launches latest issue
Pathfinders, a children’s Islamic magazine, launched its latest issue last week. The latest edition of the magazine focuses on Haj and features pop-up art of the Kaaba in Makkah in order to help teach the basic tenets of faith in an appealing manner. Since its inception last year, Pathfinders has attempted to encourage curiosity and [...]
Royal Commonwealth Society AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the Royal Commonwealth Society Sri Lanka will be held on Tuesday, September 29 at 6 p.m. at the Capri, 63, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 3. The Meeting will be followed by fellowship, cocktails and dinner. Tickets at Rs 1500/- per head, inclusive of cocktails and dinner, will be available until 12 [...]
Buy a ticket to make someone see
Do you wish to help a poor blind person to see or save his or her vision? The Vision 2020 Secretariat, a social justice unit in the Health Ministry, is organising a series of events to raise funds to help conduct free cataract operations for the needy and to build a Mobile Eye Unit. ‘Colour [...]
‘Colours of Thoughts’: Exhibition by disabled, differently-abled children
‘Colours of Thoughts’ an exhibition and sale of arts and crafts by the disabled, differently-abled children and youth of ‘Meth Mihira’, the Special Education Centre of Koralawella, Moratuwa, is on today (September 20) from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Public Library auditorium, Colombo 7. The wide-range of items on sale will include pillow [...]
National Trust lecture: Heritage without Borders
‘Heritage without Borders: Re-defining temple murals of South-Western Sri Lanka’ a lecture by Dr. B.D. Nandadeva will be next in the lecture series presented by the National Trust – Sri Lanka. It will be on September 24 at 6.30 p.m. at the HNB Auditorium, 22nd Floor, HNB Towers, 479 T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10. Wall [...]
Hospitality students impress at CAHM
Hospitality is one of the fastest growing industries in Sri Lanka at present. Yet surprisingly, it remains largely under-promoted as a viable career path for young people. The Colombo Academy of Hospitality Management (CAHM), a joint venture of William Angliss Institute, Australia and SLIIT, recently hosted executive chef of Unilever Food Solutions, Saman Wijeratne, and [...]