Netting the lost Catalina
When Wasantha Kumara’s fishing net got entangled in a ‘strange’ piece of metal in the waters of Kalkudah, just south of Passikudah, little did the fisherman know that this was going to be the beginning of unravelling a mystery lying nearly 42 metres deep in the seabed. On a tip-off by Wasantha’s friend Colombage Jagath [...]
Wherever he went music followed
It’s a moonlit night. Accompanied by two or three fans, the youthful musician walks to the Koralawella beach just about 200 metres from his house and they relax sitting on the outrigger boats anchored on the ‘vella’. The sky and the sea inspire him. He starts composing a song. ‘Handapanevelitala – Surakumariyo mal sala’- Mihirilaitha [...]
They faced it all and they want others fighting cancer to do so too
We are the survivors! This is the message of hope and strength that they are shouting from the rooftops, so that each and everyone who is living with cancer or who has beaten what many believe, under a dreadful misconception, is a killer disease, can join them. Welcome to the recently-formed ‘CAN-SUR-VIVE’ Trust, obviously punning [...]
Is being fat or thin a reason for being more successful at the workplace?”
was at a stage play earlier this year, where one of the leading female characters gave a very impassioned monologue which ended with the phrase, “Is being fat or thin a reason to love and respect a person…?” It immediately caught my attention for surely this was something that many people have wondered, at some [...]
FGLF: Watch out for performances and Sunset Series, says Shyam
As the countdown to the Fairway Galle Literary Festival next month begins with the opening of the box office this week, FGLF Curator and well-known writer Shyam Selvadurai shared some ideas on what festival-goers might want to take note of. He really doesn’t have to point festival-goers in the direction of the better known writers [...]
Rukshan in performance: Yes, this DVD has it all
Rukshan Perera will launch his latest DVD in time for Christmas. This is his third DVD straight from “Rukshan Perera Live In Concert VI” held in January this year. For those who missed this year’s concert, this DVD is in aid of Sunera Foundation, an organisation that believes in celebrating the talents of the differently [...]
Celebrating religious festivals in their true spirit
All major world religions espouse kindness to animals. In Sri Lanka, where live devotees of four world religions – Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, do we celebrate religious festivals in their true spirit? Compassion, the tenet of Buddha’s teachings, where it is wrong to kill or harm any living being is reflected in the first [...]
He stood tall among jumbos and other animals at our Zoo
In 1971 when a notice was read out in my A’ Level class calling for Student Guide Lecturers for the National Zoological Gardens we jumped at the opportunity. Meeting the Zoo Director Lyn de Alwis for the first time, being briefed by him and introduced to his novel idea was an unforgettable experience. I was [...]
The stories he heard in Rwanda had to be told
The legend goes that at twenty-two, just out of university, Anjan Sundaram decided to go to the most forbidding place in the world and learn to become a journalist there. The book he wrote about the experience – Stringer – is an account of a year and a half that Sundaram spent in the country. [...]
Young performers did justice to Opera greats
It was indeed a very special evening on Monday, November 21 when we were treated to a Concert of Opera at the Russian Cultural Centre. The concert was solely due to the effort of a professional opera singer British-born Barbara Segal who has been living for years in Matara which she refers to as “My [...]
CAB, the journey begins
The Colombo Art Biennale (CAB) 2016 had its grand opening with a VIP Private View on the evening of December 1 as participating artists and local art lovers gathered at the Prana Lounge and then shifted to the JDA Perera Gallery and Flamingo House for performances and dinner. The much anticipated event will continue till [...]
Never short of tales; from war days to car days
In 1916, the year my father D.T.Devendra’s youngest brother was born, World War I was raging in Europe and Colonial Ceylon was shakily recovering from the riots and Martial Law of 1915. He saw the light of day in the family home in Kalegana, a little village on the outskirts of Galle. He was the [...]
Paradise lost to plastic waste
People are naturally messy like other social animals – monkeys and bats who leave piles of debris under fruiting trees following feeding frenzies. Until recently, any litter we left after a picnic was rendered to almost nothing by microbes, fungi and other natural agents. Humanity produces more “waste” than all wild animals put together but [...]
Unity Mission Trust: Joining 8000 youth in friendship
It was the youth – from north, south, east and west who took the spotlight as the Unity Mission Trust celebrated their seven-year journey working for unity and reconciliation. Unity Mission Trust began their work in the immediate aftermath of the war in May 2009 with the aim of bringing together the young people from [...]
Letters
I will never forget Rowena’s serene smile I was emotionally moved reading the article by Kumudini Hettiarachchi in the Plus about the Grand Old Lady of the Malay community – Rowena Ahlip, the eldest daughter of that great statesman and freedom fighter Dr. TB Jayah – a remarkable story of 100 years running through the [...]
Don’t miss Christmas with the De Lanerolle Bros
“Together for Christmas” – the De Lanerolle Brothers Christmas show will be the popular duo’s last solo show for this year. This Christmas show takes place on Tuesday, December 13 at the Colombo Hilton. Performed in two halves, it will be supported by a sumptuous festive four-course sit down dinner service from the Hilton. Almost [...]
Appreciations
K. Ganeshalingam A man who did much for the city of Colombo It is hard to imagine that 10 years have elapsed since the demise of Ganesh. He was a popular figure who served everybody regardless of caste, creed, race or religion to the best of his ability. Ganesh was born in Puloly in the [...]
SOSL heralds the season
On Saturday December 10 at 7.30 p.m., the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka reverberates festive cheer across the Ladies’ College Hall at the SOSL Family Christmas Concert. Featuring the Old Joes Choir which has won multiple awards at the World Choir Games in Latvia with their specialty choral, classical and contemporary music and past Bridgetines [...]
Kamburupitiya gets Upali Wijewardene Mawatha
In appreciation of services rendered by late Upali Wijewardene to the people of Kamburupitiya, the Kamburupitiya Pradeshiya Sabha will name the road connecting Miriswatta junction to Mapalana as “Upali Wijewardene Mawatha” today, December 4 at 4 p.m. Minister of Law and Order and Southern Development Sagala Ratnayaka and State Minister of Finance, Lakshman Yapa Abeyawardena, [...]
Alex back with a burst of colour with “Parallel Possibility”
It’s impossible to separate colour from Alex Stewart. Since November 18, his flamboyantly colourful paintings have made a home of the stark white walls of the Barefoot Gallery. When we meet Alex, he naturally gravitates toward a table backed by a wall which is a riot of colour with vintage signboards and number plates cutting [...]
Celebrating life with Double XL brand
It was celebrity chef Koluu who was the face of the Double XL brand when they launched their newly refurbished Double XL store on Duplication Road Colombo 4 with their Live Large campaign. The store also launched a spectacular Red Carpet Collection for the festive season, emphasizing that living large can truly be a celebration [...]
Meubel House: Statement pieces that define a space
Meubel House has a combination of nostalgia and futuristic chic that is intriguing. There are tables made out of old doorways and boats, to convertible chairs that go from chair to ladder with the movement of a few pieces and many things in between. The possibilities seem endless – from creating a warm, rustic living [...]