Blazing a united trail from north to south
By Sanchith Karunaratne It has been an epic effort and they are not done yet. With over 4000 participants, 474 km covered and the hearts of the nation captured, the Trail team passed through Colombo on a bright Tuesday – October 25, on their long walk across the country. Amidst loud encouragement and cheers from [...]
Are you a “Brelfie” Girl?
We’ve all done it. We’ve all partaken in it. Young, old, male, female…with friends, with family, with famous, infamous and even with foes – we’ve all taken that “Selfie”. It’s become so popular in the past few years, that one would be hard pressed to find someone who uses a mobile phone or tablet, who [...]
An old Turkish connection restored
Over a hundred years old, it had been carefully stored away until a meeting Turkish ambassador to Sri Lanka Tunca Özçuhadar had with Hamza Macan Markar a few months ago. Mr. Macan Markar decided then to make a gift to the Turkish Embassy of this ceremonial uniform worn by his grandfather, the illustrious Sir Mohamed [...]
Looking at vulnerable populations
Lankan researcher to study the ethical challenges involved in health research in humanitarian crises By Smriti Daniel Sitting among the members of a displaced community in Puttalam a few years ago, Dr. Chesmal Siriwardhana found himself thinking about the ethical problems around health research. To get to this point – where he was able to [...]
Lanka’s research in ergonomics highlighted in WORK
The recent issue of WORK, A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation carries a special edition dedicated to Sri Lanka’s research on ergonomics. The Expert Committee on Ergonomics of the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA – ECE) was involved in this edition which includes eight articles from local authors. Guest editors of the edition titled [...]
A fresh take on ‘tropical modernism’
Contemporary ideas and local accents at SLDF’s interior design exhibition By Purnima Pilapitiya This year’s edition of the Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) comes to the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre (SLECC) with a host of new, progressive ideas amalgamated with familiar local resources. When the design festival kicks off this November, the four-day event [...]
They all talk of home, but Kishani walks the talk
After17 years studying and working from London as a professional soprano, Kishani Jayasinghe has moved back to Sri Lanka with a mission to transform the prospects for classical vocal music and opera here By Namali Premawardhana “I was in England for 17 years and it’s enough. It’s time now that something comes back here.” Kishani [...]
Remoteness and re-invention
In her monthly column ‘Art as a Place’, Jyoti Dhar looks at Pala Pothupitiye’s oeuvre The idea of remoteness appeals to many of Colombo’s artists. Performance, collage and installation artist Pala Pothupitiye is no exception. The choice to locate his studio-cum-residency space Mullegama Art Centre in the hinterland of Athurugiriya – an hour’s drive from [...]
Documenting the pain of conflict in the ‘Afterlife’
By Smriti Daniel Though it’s been a few years, Cassie Machado still remembers that all her research was not enough to prepare her for what she would find in Mullaitivu. “Travelling along the road up from Trinco on the first day I remember very clearly feeling silenced, what I saw and what I felt was [...]
Pulitzer winner who braved the slums of Mumbai
When Katherine Boo first began to walk through the Mumbai slum known as Annawadi, crowds of people would follow her, shouting “Hyatt! Intercontinental!” “They imagined I’d lost my way while going from the international airport to one of the luxury hotels,” the Pulitzer Prize winning author said in a Q&A. The Annawadians were also curious [...]
A poet’s search for meaning amidst the ruins
Cogito Ergo Sum – Descartes – I think therefore I am! It is by pausing our lives and looking at the past, not necessarily our own, but histories which have produced our generation, that we could fully realize who we are, why we got here, what we could do better with our lives and come [...]
Aiyo! Singlish? Dipping into the Dictionary – Book
By Richard Boyle In recent weeks there has been comment in the daily press, even an editorial, regarding the inclusion of the interjection aiyo in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The surprise is to be expected, although it must be recognized the OED does not value words but assesses their degree of usage, and the [...]
Fresh grazing all day at Graze Kitchen
When without a burst of fireworks and fanfare the Hilton Colombo quietly unveiled its new Graze Kitchen and LAB Lounge and Bar last month, it still generated quite a buzz among Colombo’s foodies and dining out crowd. They had waited long to see what marvels the refurbishment would bring. The hotel’s newly designed lobby is [...]
When Ena’s batiks went to Copenhagen
Ismeth Raheem looks back at an exhibition nearly 50 years ago There is something remarkable in the journey of an enterprise from a one-woman effort at experimentation with a small labour force that began operations in Colombo, then moved to the city’s suburbs in Rajagiriya, then Bolawalana (near Negombo) and finally found its home as [...]
Luxury furniture store Meubel House on Gower Street
Luxury furniture store Meubel House reopened at its new location on Gower Street, Colombo 5 last week in a spacious and scenic setting, showcasing a wide range of furniture.“Each of our pieces has a story. Many of our pieces are crafted using reclaimed timber. Some of them have been a part of another item of [...]
Letters to the Editor
Strangling the working class and the economy Sadly no one has realised that by cutting the artery of Colombo, our commercial hub, we are effectively strangling the middle and working classes, whilst crippling the economy, putting off tourists and investors. This began in May 2014 when the previous regime made the Galle Road our main [...]
Age-old rituals of Vas and the katina chivara
By Udumbara Udugama The three months of Vassana (the rains retreat) season for bhikkhus began on the day after the Esala full moon poya on July 19 and ended on Vap full moon poya day on October 15 this year. Pera Vas is when the bhikkhus start their retreat – the day after the Esala [...]
The epilogue – enjoying the twilight years
By Dr. Nihal D. Amerasekera Que Sera Sera – Whatever will be will be. Since Doris Day sang this song in the Alfred Hitchcock film of 1956 ‘The man who knew too much’ its poignant lyrics have stayed with us for its glaring honesty of the uncertainties of life. This has been a tough year [...]
Appreciations
Planting and Trinity were his passions Derrick Talwatte Appuchi left his earthly home a year ago to be in eternal peace and bliss with our Heavenly Father. Appuchi wasn’t a complicated man, yet he was fiercely passionate about a few things in life which he valued with all his heart. It’s been his faith and [...]
A Royal trip down memory lane
Friends Forever 62 (FF62) – a group of men, who entered Royal College, Colombo in 1962 first held hands in the corridors, playgrounds and classrooms of Royal College and vowed never to let go of their friendships. Their third FF62 Reunion was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in early October. Three years ago, I was [...]
Talk on Indo-Pacific beads
Indo-Pacific beads (IPB) are small monochrome beads cut out of drawn glass tubes. They are generally considered as being first made at Arikamedu in South India ca. 250 BCE, although they were also produced at a number of sites in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia; possibly before the Arikamedu production. Archaeologically, IPBs are recovered [...]
The Saints are marching in
The Saints are once again marching towards another entertaining and enjoyable evening of music and songs of yesteryear. Aptly titled “Try to Remember” the show to be held at the Lionel Wendt on Sunday, November 6 at 7 p.m., promises to be another show-stopper, which we have come to expect from the Saints with their [...]
International and local bands at Maelstrom 2016
Redefining the ethos of rock and metal music, AWN network will present ‘Maelstrom 2016’ on November 5 at Shalika Hall, Colombo from 3 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. Performing for the first time in Asia, will be an epic melodic death metal band- ‘Darkest Horizon’ from Germany. There’s also ‘Coat of Arms’ from Dubai and ‘Rudra’ [...]
Photojournalists Association office-bearers
The Annual General Meeting of the Photojournalists Association of Sri Lanka was held on October 24 at the Ministry of Buddha Sasana Auditorium, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 7. The following office-bearers were elected. Management Council : President – Sanka Vidanagama (Mawubima), Secretary – Romesh Danushka Silva (Lankadeepa) , Treasurer – Saman Jayathilaka (Ada) , Vice Presidents [...]