In the beginning is a picture
Take a literary stroll with Adilah Ismail as she talks to two Lankan writers whose books will be released next month; the 2015 Gratiaen winner Thiagaraja Arasanayagam and young Anuk Arudpragasam whose debut novel, “The Story of a Brief Marriage”, is published by Macmillan New York To find a seat in the Arasanayagam house, you [...]
The individual matters in a macro canvas
When we met with Anuk Arudpragasam in Colombo two weeks ago to discuss his literary debut, there’s a children’s party going on at the Dutch Burgher Union. From the café where we were seated, the party itself wasn’t visible. But every now and then, snatches of cheerful nursery rhymes buoy the pauses in our conversation [...]
Letters to the Editor
Lost In translation Railway Avenue has an entrance from High Level Road (adjoining the NSBM building and Water Tech) and from Stanley Thilakaratne Mawatha, Nugegoda (adjoining Arpico Showroom). The entrance from the High Level Road belongs to the Colombo Municipal Council. The entrance from Stanley Thilakaratne Mawatha belongs to the Kotte Municipality. The Sinhala translation [...]
One dream fulfilled, another to begin
Sarinda Unamboowe and Nathan Sivagananathan who walked from south to north in 2011 and raised funds to build a cancer unit in Jaffna hospital are now set to ‘walk back’ to build a similar unit at the Karapitiya Hospital By Sanchith Karunaratna Moved by the dire situation of cancer patients in the North, suffering due [...]
The latest jewel in the crown
Precision Lapidaries and Natural Sapphires Ceylon, internationally known exporters of calibrated and unique natural sapphires from Sri Lanka in partnership with the Fine Jewellery Company (FJC) launched their new jewellery line, ‘Natural Sapphire Blue’ on Tuesday at Rotunda Gardens, Colombo 3. Reigning Ms Tourism International, Vera Dijkstra was at the launch wearing the handcrafted crown [...]
Echoes of Sienna on Flower Road
By Seneka Abeyratne Ashok Ferrey, the master of satire, belongs to the literary elite of Colombo. His name is generally associated with books (he has published quite a few); cultural events (such as the Galle Literary Festival, the French Spring Festival, and the Jaipur Literary Festival), where he figures prominently as a moderator; TV talk-shows [...]
Lankan born singer performs in Melbourne
Young singer Jude Jay mesmerised the crowd with his performance of two hits of Engelbert Humperdinck and one of Michael Buble at the dinner dance at the Springvale town hall in Australia earlier this month. It was a surprise guest spot appearance where he did a Las Vegas style floor show singing songs one would [...]
Old, sturdy walls bedecked in dynamics of art
By Rajitha Weerakoon It was a “fast-forward” for contemporary art when Cinnamon Colomboscope commenced the week-long multidisciplinary art festival on Thursday. Titled “Testing Grounds,” the exhibition showcases the dynamic effects digital technology could have on art forms of South Asia and Europe and on urban practices of the modern generation. The liaison will extend to [...]
Tricking predators to save their skin
I recently watched the DVD of Robert Redford and Paul Newman in ‘The Sting’, and was amazed yet again at the complicated plan and its implementation, involving many people and major props, that was used to trick and relieve a mob boss of his money. We are not the only species on the planet that [...]
Czech journalist who gave voice to the suffering of her fellow inmates
“I thank the destiny to have sent me to Ravensbrück, because there I met Milena,” wrote Margarete Buber-Neumann. Margarete, the German and Milena, the Czech exemplified a friendship between nations in the worst context possible: the Nazi concentration camp system. Both arrived in the camp in 1940 – and served there among the longest terms: [...]
After the perahera, blessing from the deity
By Udumbara Udugama People seek blessings from supernatural forces and deities for protection and prosperity through festivals and by performing ceremonies and rituals. After the conclusion of the Esala Maha Perahera in Kandy on August 18 with the Daval (day) perahera, another ceremony was conducted at the Maha Vishnu Devalaya in Kandy from August 19, [...]
Are you a carpenter or gardener when raising your children?
We’ve all been there: The endless rat race that seems to encompass the world of bringing up children. Not simply the long commute to school which seems to take longer and longer every year, but also the follow on from it, to extracurricular activities, kids parties and developmental classes getting them involved in the latest [...]
Baton in hand, Louis will take you on an European tour
By Joshua Surendraraj Conducting music is an art, whether orchestral or choral. Thus with the task of setting the tempo and ensuring the correct entries by the ensemble, the conductor has a huge responsibility in his hands and the ability to shape the entire performance. Talented young pianist Louis Perera will take up the orchestral [...]
Appreciations
You left behind a legacy that endures UPALI ABEYKOON Missing You, Appachchi Now, Appachchi, it’s time to disclose In verse instead of plain prose You just never seem to run out of steam You’re special, I know, ‘cause it shows In the cold you’re a fire’s warm spark Like an arrow you head for the [...]
An artist not only to watch but also to collect
“Inequality” at the Paradise Road Gallery By Royston Ellis It’s not often one goes to an art exhibition in Sri Lanka and realises one is in the presence of an extraordinary talent, even if at the embryo stage. The paintings of Pakkiyarajah Pushpakanthan on display at the Paradise Road Gallery shone out of the sombre [...]
Stirring the same pot?
The Goethe Institut in Colombo was the venue for the first phase of the three-day “Music Matters Festival 2016”. The “concert” or more particularly, presentation, was in the modest space of the Goethe Hall, and happened to draw an equally modest number of aficionados. The term, ‘experimental’ has been employed in offering a categorical definition [...]
Keeping it Real: Call now and get your ticket
The Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) will present the De Lanerolle Brothers’ latest show, ‘Keeping it Real’ on September 7 at 7.30 p.m. The Brothers are backed by a live band and will present a selection of songs both old favourites and new numbers delivered in their own inimitable style. Those wanting to see [...]
This book reveals there is more to say about the colossus Anagarika
I quailed when asked to review Sarath Amunugama’s 700 odd page work on Anagarika Dharmapala’s life and times. I wondered what else was there to write about this colossus who strode across the Buddhist scene in the ‘Ceylon’ of little more than a century ago. So many of his statues adorn our towns and so [...]
The war years through the pathos and kindred spirits of main characters
Ruhiru Pooja brought out in print in April this year is the latest novel by well-known author Nihal.P. Jayatunga. The 449-page paperback tells a moving story based on the country’s 30-year armed conflict, one of the darkest chapters in the annals of Sri Lanka. The book gives a graphic description of the real-life episodes of [...]
Fairway National Literary Awards shortlist out soon
The long-awaited shortlists for the Fairway National Literary Awards 2016 will be announced on August 30. With a record number of entries this year this trilingual literary competition in its relatively short period of existence, has aroused intense interest among authors and publishers. The authors of each of the shortlisted novels in the Sinhala, Tamil [...]
SLFUW: 75 years of helping female graduates make a mark
By Kaveesha Fernando Over the years, women graduates in Sri Lanka have contributed much to the workforce. Local universities have produced many female graduates, some of who have excelled in their respective fields. The Sri Lanka Federation of University Women (SLFUW) which is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee through a series of events will focus on [...]
50 golden years of service to the nation
Golden bells chimed on August 20, in celebration of yeoman services rendered to society by Rev. Sr. Mary Eustace Tillekeratne of the Congregation of Sisters of Charity of Jesus & Mary (SCJM). Born on November 28, 1936 as the fourth child of a family of nine, to Vincent George Tillekeratne and Leonora Matilda Samarakoon, she [...]
Don’t forget to run to remember
September – is the month globally recognised as World Alzheimer’s Month. The Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation conducts many events during this month beginning with the annual 5 km ‘Run to Remember’ event that will be held on Saturday, September 3 from the Taj Samudra Hotel (Garden by the Pebbles Restaurant) at 4 p.m. Participants can run [...]
Cancer Care Association holds annual event
Cancer Care Association Sri Lanka (CCASL), in an effort to raise funds and awareness, will hold its annual event for 2016, “Nil Diyawara” by Karunrathne Divulgane at the Bishops College Auditorium on September 3. A registered, non-profit, non-governmental, voluntary organisation in Sri Lanka, from its inception in 2003, under the leadership of Dr. Samadhi Rajapaksa, [...]
The Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses
The 2016 Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses is now on at the Western Province Aesthetic Resort, 275/74 Prof. Stanley Wijesundera Mawatha, Colombo 7. The programme is being held in English today- August 28 and in Tamil on September 2-4, 2016. The programme begins at 9.20 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Today, a gripping feature-length film [...]