From darkness to light
Army bands and military traditions create a spectacular scene – depicting the passing out parade of young soldiers on stage. The scene then shifts to a war zone- the sound of artillery fire and visuals of the wounded being airlifted creating an eerie feeling in the minds of the viewer. On a wheelchair comes a [...]
National Trust lecture: Astronomy and the “Buddha’s Visit to Lanka”
The 82nd Session of the Monthly Lecture Series of the National Trust – Sri Lanka will be held at the HNB Auditorium, 22nd Floor, HNB Towers, 479 T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10 at 6.30 p.m. on Thursday, March 31. The description of the event seen above the battle between the Nagas, Mahodara and Culodara, matches [...]
Sri Lanka College of Military Medicine established
Marking a major milestone in Sri Lankan military history, over 400 medical and dental officers of the three armed forces combined to establish the Sri Lanka College of Military Medicine (SLCOMM) at the inaugural general meeting convened on Friday, March 18. The SLCOMM was conceived and driven to its inception by an interim committee consisting [...]
Cancer Survivor’s Day and their say
The Cancer Survivor’s day is an event organised by AIESEC Colombo Central under its Project FAITH 2.0, with its focus being raising awareness of cancer among Sri Lankans and helping the affected.This event will be held at Mahaweli Centre Auditorium on Saturday, April 2, from 2 pm to 5 pm. The organising committee along with [...]
Western powers unlikely to impose arms embargo on Saudi Arabia
UNITED NATIONS – As hundreds of civilians continue to be killed in the ongoing conflict in Yemen, one of the human rights organization is calling for an arms embargo – specifically against Saudi Arabia which is leading a coalition of eight countries battling Houthi rebels in the war-ravaged neighbouring country. “The United States, United Kingdom, [...]
ICES response
The International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) has released the following statement titled ‘ICES Continues to Contribute to National Reconciliation in Sri Lanka’. The statement from the Board of Directors reads: The attention of the Board of Directors of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) has been drawn to comments on an ‘online’ site [...]
The state of the United States
NEW YORK – The US presidential election is still more than half a year away, and it is impossible to know with any certainty who will be nominated to represent the major parties, much less who will be the 45th occupant of the White House. But it is not too soon to assess the mood [...]
An impotent country
It is Mahatma Gandhi who was credited with the saying “To the poor man, even God appears in the form of bread”. I was reminded of the Mahatma’s observation during the recent power cuts that we have been experiencing in our country. In the 21st century, it is not just bread (or rice or roti [...]
Decentralising and devolving power: The difference
The English meanings of decentralisation and devolution of power seem similar when looked at superficially. However, the important fact that needs to be realised when it comes to the governing power of a country is that decentralisation amounts to the transfer of that power from the central government to a local authority, be it a [...]
Was Jesus really nailed to the Cross? – a response
My attention was drawn to the article captioned as above in the the Sunday Times of 20.03.16, page 20 – based on an article by Meredith Warren, a lecturer in Biblical and Religious Studies at University of Sheffield, which appeared in The Daily Mail, London. A careful reading of the article shows that it is [...]
Lanka’s Jim ‘Ranjit’ Reeves: We won’t forget you
Former journalist, singer, entertainer and worldwide showman Ranjit Vethakan passed away in Melbourne recently after a fifty-year career that carried him to the highest levels of his professions on the world stage. More than anything else, Ranjit Vethakan was known, loved and admired as the Jim Reeves of Sri Lanka. In the 1960s, the Sri [...]
‘Just words’: Cubans applaud Obama visit, but see little change
Havana (AFP) – After the heady excitement of seeing President Barack Obama shatter decades of US-Cuba hostility, Cubans woke up Wednesday wondering how much will really change on the communist island. The climax of Obama’s trip was a speech Tuesday in which his oratorical skills were on full display, urging Cubans to embrace democracy and [...]
When you look at them, you look at us
Hanusha Somasundaram was still in her mother’s womb when their family went to live on a tea estate. Her mother was a tea plucker whose wages were critical to her young family’s survival. Hanusha imagines her, heavily pregnant with twins, labouring on those green slopes. Later, after the births, her mother would leave her children [...]
‘Spectrum’ features ballpoint pen art
Almost everyone knows that different people lean towards either art or science but almost never both. Most people who like art dislike science and vice versa. Therefore, Dr. Kamal Perera stands apart as someone who is interested in both. Dr. Perera works as a doctor in the emergency unit in the accident service of the [...]
Easter with Mahaweli Reach
The Mahaweli Reach Hotel will celebrate Easter with a range of yummy Easter goodies including Easter themed cakes and cupcakes, macaroons and cookies. Easter macaroons and cookies will be available at the hotel and its outlets at the Kandy City Centre and Café M today, March 27. Call on 081-2472727 Ext:757 for more details
Feel the chills at NOISE 2016
No it is not an April Fool’s prank. The hottest talent show – NOISE 2016 — will be held on April 1 at the Viharamahadevi Park Amphitheatre from 6 p.m. onwards. So prepare to have your mind blown and your ear drums shattered, all the while feeling the chills, because the Rotaract Club of Colombo [...]
Shortlist announcement: Gratiaen prize 2015
The shortlist for the Gratiaen Prize 2015 will be announced at an event on Monday, April 4 at 6 p.m at the British Council Library. All are invited to attend the announcement and listen to the reading of excerpts from the shortlisted entries. The Gratiaen Prize was founded in 1993 by the Sri Lankan-born writer [...]