The wreck of the “Hebe” in the Colombo Roads
When ‘H’, a retired member of the Ceylon Civil Service, was handed The Illustrated London News for Saturday, October 2, 1852, by his Man Friday at his house in Bayswater, he marvelled at the way the world’s first illustrated weekly news magazine was collated in such a jiffy. The Illustrated London News was a publishing [...]
City of Sails : Adventure and beauty; it’s all here
Home to over a third of New Zealand’s population, her largest city of Auckland has over the years been rated among the top cities of the world for lifestyle. In 2014 the Mercer Quality of Living Survey rated the city third in the world, while the Economist Intelligence Unit’s World’s Most Liveable Cities index ranked [...]
In awe of Shilin Stone Forest
Yunnan province, the south west frontier and gateway to China, was one of the last strongholds of China, said Jin Cheng, Chief Counsel of the Foreign Affairs Office in Yunnan Province, meeting a Sri Lankan media group last month in his office. “The North South economic corridor is our success pattern,” he said, adding that [...]
They find a home and hope
They come in despair, hardly able to deal with their physical disability and low self-esteem, in many instances abandoned or neglected by their families and shunned and stigmatized by society. Here they are welcomed with open arms, showered with love and care, provided the necessary therapy to overcome their disability or deal with it, given [...]
Letters
Hope the President and Premier will perform better this year Among many others expressing their concerns over the current state of affairs, reader R.de Silva of Kalubowila in a letter to the Editor recently suggests, that if they lack the will to act because of political disadvantages, the President and Premier should pack up and go home letting someone who [...]
Thai Pongal: Being thankful for life’s blessings in this modern age
Once upon a time Lord Shiva asked his bull, Basava, to go to Earth and tell the people to apply oil to their hair and bathe daily while eating once a month. Basava got mixed up and told the people to eat daily and bathe once a month. When Lord Shiva heard about the mistake, [...]
Star struck!
The Lankan Star of Adam is the world’s largest cut and polished blue star sapphire weighing in at 1404.49 carats. Obtained by a buyer who wishes to remain anonymous, it was cut, polished and certified in September 2015. For comparison, the Black Star of Queensland in Australia was believed to be the world’s largest star [...]
The Music Project’s children of Kurunegala and Mullaitivu to perform at FGLF
The children of the Music Project Orchestra will present a special performance at the Chamber Music Society of Colombo’s (CMSC) concert at the Dutch Reformed Church, Galle Fort on Saturday, January 17 from 7-8 p.m. as part of the Fairway Galle Literary Festival. Lakshman de Saram, founder and principal violinist of CMSC, is also a [...]
Artist and poet drawn to the wonder of Earth
While others may go to bed with a religious text or a favourite novel, Anoma Wijewardene has her Rainer Maria Rilke. Poetry is truly food for this artist’s soul, so it’s no surprise that her exhibition opening this week at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival, ‘EarthLines’, will feature poetry by Ramya Chamalie Jirasinghe, to be [...]
Combining her love for travel and art
Radhika Dias Bandaranaike’s home isn’t difficult to find. Through the winding corridors of the apartment building she resides in, a single white wall decorated with paintings points us to her door. Inside, it’s hard to fix one’s gaze on a single object for a long time. The paintings and photographs lined across the walls each [...]
Sea Legs edgy dance moves in Kandy too
A dance troupe from the US, Sea Legs will bring fresh, new, and edgy dance works to the local stage this week performing in Colombo and Kandy from January 10 – 17. Under the direction of Tikiri Shapiro, a George Mason University School of Dance graduate, Sea Legs is a troupe made of dance artists with [...]
Sri Lanka’s first Super Star
He always slept on a camp cot – never on a comfortable bed He constantly had a meagre meal – never a delicious dish He got about in a rackety old car or in an old bus – never in a luxury vehicle He only wore a simple cotton cloth, never a silky one There [...]
The author writes what he wants to write his way
What I am writing is not really a review but an appreciation of a book I read. The judgement has already been given: the PPP at MGK entered the Hall of Fame of Sri Lankan literature when it won the Gratiaen Prize. That award is prestigious and most local authors vie for the honour and [...]
A book that gives insight to Punyakante’s writing oeuvre
Gratiaen Prize winning author Punyakante Wijenaike released her latest book ‘Life a passing dream?’ last year. The book includes both poems and short stories alongside autobiographic accounts which describe her life and the background in which some of her stories were written. Written both in first and second person narrative, her short stories could be [...]
Organisational Behaviour: Now something closer to home
Management education has been offered in Sri Lanka for more than 50 years, in the process becoming a popular option for those seeking university and professional qualifications at all levels. Much of the theoretical underpinning for management is centred on the study of organisational behaviour which focuses upon the human aspects of organisations, with the [...]
Appreciations
Prof. Lakshman Susantha Perera A brilliant academic whose humble ways stood out Professor Lakshman Susantha Perera, the well-known historian passed away peacefully in London a few days ago. He had been living there for more than 40 years and had been a good friend to the Sri Lankan community in the UK. Professor Perera was [...]
Marking Lord Buddha’s visit and reviving our cultural traditions
The annual Kelaniya Duruthu Perahera at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara will be held on January 20, 21 and 22. The perahera had its origins in 1927 largely due to the efforts of philanthropist Don Walter Wijewardene, son of Helena Wijewardene Lamathani and has evolved over the years to become the most elaborate low country [...]
Spared to tell a riveting story of survival
Inspired by a true story, “Kiting the Hurricane” is the spine-chilling narrative of how one man battles the most powerful force on earth while wrestling his own inner demons. Soldier, sailor, adventurer, entrepreneur and writer, Dom Mee’s book relates that ill-fated voyage across the North Atlantic, a decade later. 2005 was the most powerful hurricane season [...]
Desperately seeking an O+ kidney
Forty-year-old P.J.B. Aruna Sanjeewa who is suffering from end-stage renal failure due to chronic kidney disease is desperately seeking an O+ kidney as he urgently needs kidney transplantation. Sanjeewa is under the care of the doctors at the Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation of the Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital. With his treatment including haemodialysis [...]
An evening of discussion and debate on depression and suicide
Samutthana (The King’s College London Resource Centre for Trauma, Displacement and Mental Health) presents an evening of provocative discussion and debate on depression and suicide, moderated by Nivendra Uduman (Counselling Psychologist, Samutthana) on Wednesday, January 20 at the Bougainvillea Room, Hotel Galadari from 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. The discussion will explore the realities of [...]
Rukshan back to delight his fans
Known as the man of many tones, the composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and singer Rukshan Perera is ready for his annual concert on Sunday, February 7 at the Bishop’s College auditorium. Born to a musical family in the musical town of Moratuwa, Rukshan as a teenager performed with Clarence Wijewardena and the Super Golden Chimes, and [...]
The wild and the luxurious at Jetwing Yala tented camp
A few steps from the rugged coastline of Sri Lanka’s deepest south is the magnificent wilderness of the Yala National Park. Jetwing Yala, on the borders of the sanctuary, has just introduced the new Jetwing Yala tented camp, an experience that melds the best of the terrain’s natural wonder with the luxury of a 5-star [...]
“My Life and all that Jazz” by Yolande Bavan
Broadway star, internationally known jazz singer Yolande Bavan is on a short visit to her motherland in January to attend the Fairway Galle Literary Festival. On her last visit to Sri Lanka she had a sellout concert at the Colombo Hilton and the DBU, organised by JC Entertainments SL, but this time around there will [...]
Fresh ideas boom at HSBC- British Council Youth Enterprise Awards
HSBC Youth Enterprise Awards jointly organised by the British Council and HSBC is a business plan contest aimed at recognising and supporting young entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka to start-up their businesses. The competition, which is open to Sri Lankan postgraduates, undergraduates and students aged 18 to 35 years currently pursuing their studies at universities, private [...]
Lankan wins prestigious Australian award
The Secretary of the Australian Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Michael Tawley has awarded his department’s annual excellence award for ‘Supporting and Promoting Diversity in the Workplace’ to Takshan Abeyagoonawardena. Takshan Abeyagoonawardena is an advisor in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the Australian Government, and is based in Canberra. [...]