Hitting a personal note in ‘JFK’
Sean Panikkar, a gifted tenor with Lankan roots, describes his experience in the new opera based on the last 24 hours of John F. Kennedy’s life JFK is in the bathtub, when he calls out to Jackie. He is in desperate pain, his back ablaze with the agony of a degenerative bone disease. Jackie gives [...]
Letters
Criteria to select top officials: It’s time for a rethink It was reported in a daily newspaper recently that, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a high powered committee of officials to recommend criteria to be used as guidelines when appointments are made to the posts of Chairman, Boards of Directors and CEOs of [...]
Brief encounter
As happens every year since Bevis Bawa died in 1994, the anniversary of his birth, April 26 1907, was celebrated with a lunch party in the garden he created at Brief, hosted by his heir, landscape designer, Dooland De Silva.Old friends of Bevis Bawa attended, together with several (like myself) who never knew him but [...]
Living together: A lesson from the animal kingdom
My brother recently acquired a kitten. Both my brother and his doting black Labrador, Dusky, are completely bemused by this new addition to the family. Already, at two months, Masty (short for Mastodon, named because he was the biggest and rowdiest in his litter) is ruling the roost. The image (at right), exemplifies the difference [...]
SOS to Pied Piper to root out the rats
There are rats in the house. I see telltale scat on the kitchen table and smears along window sills where they have crawled in through the trelliswork. Thankfully, the wiring is intact and there are no nests. They must go. I don’t want to harm them, but am not as spiritually evolved as the keepers [...]
Await a celebration of the sounds of tradition and fusion
Music is known to bring people together and help them heal. With this in mind, the Music Cooperation (a partnership between Sri Lanka and Norway) established an annual music festival in 2009 whose venue alternates between Jaffna and Galle. The seventh edition of the festival – the Galle Music Festival 2016, will be held on [...]
Tagore: A man of many roles and master of all
This weekend marks the 156th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore (1861- 1941), the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, and no stranger to Sri Lanka and “identified as a man whose spiritual personality and unremitting efforts in the arena of international understanding inspired the entire world”. To refresh my memory about the [...]
Segar and Iromie: Exhibition of two distinct styles
Sifani Jewellers will host two acclaimed Sri Lankan artists in a joint exhibition at their gallery at No. 86, Galle Road, Colombo 3 this week. Artists Iromie Wijewardena and Raja Segar, both of whom have distinctly different styles will present their work on May 13-15 in this exhibition. Pictured above is a recent Segar painting [...]
Acclaimed floral designer and artist set to dazzle Lankan audiences
Flowers will make a fashion statement in headgear, wristbands, bouquets and even dresses, when creations designed by internationally acclaimed floral designer and artist Harijanto Setiawan (who is by profession an architect ) presents his collection for Sri Lanka at Silver Dazzle on May 28. Silver Dazzle, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Shi-en [...]
Framing an island
In the chapter titled ‘Land’ in his book ‘Islanded – Britain, Sri Lanka & the Bounds of an Indian Ocean Colony’, Sujit Sivasundaram tells the rocky story of the building of the road to Kandy– the grand military road, as he calls it. Five years after the fall of Kandy, Governor Edward Barnes was of [...]
Lanka’s ‘spider man’ gets pat on the back from across the seas
By the time the package reached him, the heavily-padded big yellow envelope was quite dirty. It had been shipped all the way from New York, United States of America (USA). What was inside was a red-and-yellow book with a pink-slip pasted on the cover. The message on that pink-slip warmed his heart and made all [...]
From scepticism to spiritualism
On the occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of Swami Chinmayananda, Swamiji Darshan talks to Kumudini Hettiarachchi of this world-renowned Vedanta teacher’s life and the impact of his work in Sri Lanka The mighty Ganges with its origins in the icy and lofty heights of the Himalayas was his inspiration. Like the holy river, which [...]
A perfect cuppa from the hills of Uva
Cecily Walker visits Amba Tea Estate that specialises in a small scale production of hand-rolled tea Located in a remote part of the Uva Highlands, even the journey to Amba Estate adds to its perfect marketing image! The last six km is a small, windy dirt road, followed by one km of concrete track and [...]
Appreciations
Dr. D. B. Nihalsinghe An award winning film director who helped me dream big His credentials and accomplishments are long: From award winning Director of Films, to pioneer in Sri Lankan television, the first to be appointed Professor in Cinema and Television, and more recently instrumental in creating the first degree course in cinema and [...]
Looking to make a global impact
Nominations can now be made for the 6th Professional and Career Women Awards organised by Women in Management (WIM) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) which celebrates the achievements of remarkable and inspiring women. Announcing the event was founder/chairperson of Women in Management Sulochana Segera, along with the panel of judges, Senior Operations Officer-Sri Lanka [...]
Help little Tanuri
When Tanuri was just three months old she was diagnosed with thalassemia major, a potentially life-threatening illness. Thalassemia major causes large numbers of red blood cells to be destroyed, leading to liver and heart problems. Due to her condition, each month Tanuri must undergo a complete blood transfusion. In addition, every night she must endure [...]
UMT presents student leaders with Unity and Integration Award
The Unity Mission Trust, a non-profit trust which aims to foster unity and integration among the youth, this year held their programme in Guruthalawa. Ten individuals, who were recognised as student leaders, were awarded the Unity and Integration Award for their commitment to fostering these values in their respective regions. ‘I wish Unity Mission Trust [...]
Sri Lankan nutritionists confer on reduction of daily salt intake
The International Union of Nutrition Sciences (IUNS), in partnership with the Nutrition Society of Sri Lanka and Unilever, hosted a conference on April 25 in Colombo, to gain insights and identify key challenges in reducing salt in the diet of Sri Lankans. Reducing a person’s daily intake of salt is widely recommended by scientific and [...]
Unveiling of new statue of Dudley Senanayake
The unveiling of a new statue of late Premier Dudley Senanayake will take place on his birth anniversary on June 19, 2016. The function will be held near the statue at Borella on this date -the time will be notified later, a press release from the Dudley Senanayake Commemoration Committee states. The 43rd death anniversary [...]
Bharatha Natyam recital
The Indian Cultural Centre, Colombo will present two Bharatha Natyam recitals this month. “Ma you are the divine” a programme dedication to the Motherhood of the world by Thushyanthy Velauthan will be at 6 p.m on Friday, May 13 at its auditorium at 16/2, Gregory’s Road, Colombo 7. Thushyanthi learnt Bharatha Natyam from her childhood [...]
Success for Sri Lankan siblings at SATAC
Sri Lankans Minuri Wijesekera and her brother Sankalpa Wijesekera achieved commendable success at the Saudi Arabian Toastmasters Annual Conference (SATAC) held from April 21-23. Minuri, 22 was placed third in the English Humorous Speech contest in SATAC 2016 in Dammam Saudi Arabia at Sheraton Hotel. She was the only Sri Lankan at the Senior Final [...]
Fun-filled Avurudu celebration for orphaned children
Vision Care, the leading provider of eye care and hearing solutions, recently sponsored a fun-filled Avurudu celebration with the participation of 126 children from two orphanages – Wajira Sri Baby Child Development Centre, Pitakotte and Neguchi Child Development Center, Pepilyana. Held on April 24 at the premises of the Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri [...]
Celebrating Mother’s Day
A host of activities at Cinnamon’s city hotels At Cinnamon’s city hotels – Cinnamon Grand Colombo, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo and Cinnamon Red – a host of activities have been planned to make this Mother’s Day a memorable one. A range of brunch options, an elegant High Tea, a delectable selection of sweet treats and a [...]
Office bearers of IWMS
The following office bearers were appointed at the annual general meeting of the Institute of Western Music and Speech, Sri Lanka held in Colombo recently. President: Mrs. Suhashini Victoria Chairperson – Examinations Board: Mrs. Bernadette de Soysa Vice President (Music): Mrs. Genevieve Rodrigopulle Vice President (Speech): Mrs. Maureen Silva Vice President (Social Activities): Mrs. Prema [...]